The Key Elements of Greek Mythology

• Introduction to Greek Mythology

• The Curse of Echo
• The Sculpture and the
Let’s play, Word Game!
Unscramble the letters below to reveal the
different terms, phrases, or characters that
are found in Greek mythology.
 sadeh

Hades
 iiinvsedti

Divinities
 sianplmyo

Olympians
 niastt

titans
 shoree

heroes
 myphsn

nymphs
 sddimoge

demigods
 storesnm

monsters
 slamtor

mortals
uesz

zeus
 radeitohp

aphrodite
 loaolp

apollo
 Greek mythology
• It is composed mainly of stories about gods and goddesses, but it is
not an account of Greek religion.
• Instead, these stories were written to serve as a way of explaining
how things came to be.
• For example, there are stories to explain how the animals, the trees,
the sun, the moon, and the stars came to exist and why earthquakes,
storms, and eruptions happen.
• In Greek mythology, thunder and lightning occur when Zeus throws
his thunderbolt. A volcanic eruption happens because a terrible
creature is trapped in the mountain and strives to break free from time
to time
 Three works that serves as basis
of Greek Mythology
• Theogony by Hesiod
• The Iliad and the Odyssey both by Homer

• These three works contain most of the basic themes and

characters found in Greek mythology.
 Greek Divinities
1. Titans
2. Olympians
3. Minor Divinities
 GODS AND
GODDESSES
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus towers
up from the center of the
earth. Here the major
gods live and hold court.
The myths are somewhat
vague on whether it is an
actual mountain or a
region of the heavens.
Tartarus
Tartarus lies far beneath the disk of
the world. Deeper than Hades’ kingdom
of the underworld.
 It is used as the ultimate of prisons,
unpleasant and inaccessible.
The Underworld
The underworld is hidden in the
earth. It is the kingdom of the dead
and ruled over by Hades. Hades is
a greedy god who is greatly
concerned with increasing his
subjects.
Those who are calling increase the
number of dead are seen favorably.
The Erinnyes are welcomed guests.
He is exceedingly disinclined to
allow any of his subjects leave.
• Geographically, the underworld is surrounded by a
series of rivers:
1. The Acheron (river of woe),
2. The Cocytus (river of lamentation),
3. The Phlegethon (river of fire),
4. The Styx (river of unbreakable oath by which the
gods swear), and
5. The Lethe (river of forgetfulness).
• Once across the rivers an adamantine gate, guarded by 
Cerberus, forms the entrance to the kingdom. Deep within the
kingdom is Hades vast palace, complete with many guests.
• Upon death a soul is lead by Hermes to the entrance of the
underworld and the ferry across the Acheron. There is a single
ferry run by Charon to take the souls across the river. Only
those who can pay the fare, with coins placed on their lips when
buried, receive passage. The rest are trapped between two
worlds. The souls then enter through the gates.
• Cerberus will allow all to enter but, none to
leave. The souls then appear before a panel
of three judges, Rhadamanthus, Minos, and
Aeacus, who pass sentence.
• The very good go to the Elysian Fields.
Others are singled out for special treatment.
 A. Titans
• The earliest group.
• The Titans are led by Cronus
• They were a powerful race that ruled the world
before Olympians, in a time of the Golden Age of
Men.
• They were immortal giants of incredible strength
and knowledge of old religion rituals and magic.
• They were known as the ELDER GODS.
 GAEA URANUS

CRONUS RHEA HYPERION THEIA MNEMOSYNE THEMIS IAPETUS CLYMENE COEUS CRIUS EURBIA PHOEBE OCEANUS THETHYS
HELIOS MUSES FATES AND SEASONS ATLAS ASTRAIOS RIVERS
POSEIDON AMPHITRITE
EOS PROMETHEUS PERSES LETO OCEAN NYMPHS
HADES PERSEPHONE
SELENE EPIMETHEUS PALLAS STYX
HESTIA ZELOS
MONOTIOUS
DEMETER NIKE

HERA HEPHAESTUS KRATOS

ARES ZEPHYROS
ZEUS BOREAS BIA
NOTOS
METIS EOSPHOROS
ATHENA STARS

DIONE APOLLO
APHRODITE
ARTEMIS
MAIA
HERMES
GAEA
• Gaea is the Earth goddess. She
mated with her son Uranus to
produce the remaining Titans.
Gaea seems to have started as a
Neolithic earth-mother
worshipped before the Indo-
European invasion that eventually
leads to the Hellenistic civilization.
URANUS
• Uranus is the sky god and first ruler. He is the son of 
Gaea, who created him without help. He then became
the husband of Gaea and together they had many
offspring, including twelve of the Titans.
• His rule ended when Cronus, encouraged by Gaea,
castrated him. He either died from the wound or
withdrew from earth.
12 MAJOR TITANS
•The first generation of Titans who
were descendants of Gaea and
Uranus.
CRONUS
• Cronus was the ruling Titan who
came to power by castrating his
father Uranus. His wife was
Rhea. Their offspring were the
first Olympians. To insure his
safety Cronus ate each of the
children as they were born. This
worked until Rhea, unhappy at
the lost of their children, tricked
Cronus into swallowing a rock,
instead of Zeus.
CRONUS
• Cronus was the ruling Titan who
came to power by castrating his
father Uranus.
• His wife was Rhea.
• Their offspring were the first
Olympians.
 RHEA
•Rhea was the wife of
Cronus.
OCEANUS
•Oceanus is the unending
stream of water
encircling the world.
Together with his wife
Tethys produced the river
and the three thousand
ocean nymphs.
TETHYS
•Tethys is the wife of
Oceanus. Together
they produced the
rivers and the three
thousand ocean
nymphs.
HYPERION
•Hyperion is the Titan of light, an
early sun god.
•He married his sister Thea.
•Their children were Helius (the
sun), Selene (the moon), and Eos
(the dawn).
MNEMOSYNE
•Mnemosyne was the Titan
of memory and the mother
of Muses.
THEMIS
• Themis was the Titan
of justice and order.
She was the mother of
the fates and the
Seasons
IAPETUS COEUS
• Iapetus was the Titan of
father of Intelligence.
Prometheus, Father of Leto.
Epimetheus,
Monoetius, and
Atlas by Clymene.
 CRIUS
• A Titan, married Eurbia.
• Had 3 children: Astraios, Perses, Pallas.
• Was grandfather of:
• (Astraios married Eos): Zephyros/Zephyrus (West Wind),
Boreas (North Wind), Notos/Notus (South Wind),
Eosphoros/Eurus (East Wind), and all the "stars".
• Was also grandfather of (Pallas married Styx): Zelos, Nike,
Kratos, Bia.
PHOEBE THEIA
The wife of her brother
• Titan of the Hyperion, Theia gave birth to
Moon. Helios (sun), Eos (dawn), and
Mother of Selene (moon). She is the
Leto. goddess from whom light
emanates and considered
especially beautiful.
SECOND GENERATION OF
TITANS
 PROMETHEUS
• Prometheus was the wisest Titan.
• His name means “forethought” and he was
able to foretell the future.
• He was the son of Iapetus.
• When Zeus revolted against Cronus
Prometheus deserted the other Titans and
fought on Zeus side.
 EPIMETHEUS
• Epimetheus was a stupid Titan whose name
means “afterthought”.
• He was the son of Iapetus. In some accounts
he is delegated, along with his brother
Prometheus by Zeus to create mankind.
• He also accepted the gift of Pandora from
Zeus, which lead to the introduction of evil into
the world.
ATLAS
• Atlas was the son of Iapetus. Unlike
his brothers Prometheus and
Epimetheus, Atlas fought with other
Titans supporting Cronus against
Zeus. Due to Cronus’s advance
age Atlas lead the Titans in battle.
As a result he was singled out by
Zeus for a special punishment and
made to hold up the word on his
back.
 METIS
• Metis was the Titaness of the forth day and the planet Mercury.
• She presided over all wisdom and knowledge.
• She was seduced by Zeus and became pregnant with Athena.
• Zeus became concerned over prophecies that her second child
would replace Zeus.
• To avoid this, Zeus ate her.
• It is said that she is still the source for Zeus wisdom and that she
still advises Zeus from his belly.
DIONE
• According to Homer in the Illiad she
is the mother of Aphrodite.
Olympian Gods and
Goddesses
APHRODITE
• Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and
beauty. In addition to her natural gifts she has a
magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes
to desire her.
• She is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
• She is said to have sprung from sea foam.
• She is the wife of Hephaestus. The myrtle is her
tree.
• The dove, the swan, and the sparrow were her
birds.
• Her favorite lover is the god of war, Ares.
• She represented sex, affection, and the
attraction that binds people together.
 •
APOLLO
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto.
• His twin sister is Artemis.
• He is the god of music, playing a golden lyre.
• The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow.
• The god of healing who taught man medicine.
• The god of light.
• The god of truth, who cannot speak a lie.
• One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four
horses and drive the Sun across the sky.
• He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to it from all over the Greek
world to divine the future.
• His tree was the laurel. The crow was his bird. The dolphin was his animal.
 ARIS/ARES
• Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera.
• He was disliked by both parents.
• He is the god of war.
• He is considered murderous and bloodstained but,
also a coward.
• When caught in an act of adultery with Aphrodite
her husband Hephaestus is able publically ridicule
him.
• His bird is the vulture.
• His animal is the dog.
 ARTEMIS
• She was goddess of chastity, virginity,
the hunt, the moon, and the natural
environment.
• Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and
Leto.
• Her twin brother is Apollo.
• She is the lady of the wild things.
• She is the huntsman of the gods.
• She is the protector of the young.
• Like Apollo she hunts with silver
arrows.
• She became associated with the moon.
• She is a virgin goddess, and the
goddess of chastity.
• She also presides over childbirth, which
may seem odd for a virgin, but goes
back to causing Leto no pain when she
was born.
• She became associated with Hecate.
• The cypress is her tree. All wild animals
are scared to her, especially the deer.
 ATHENA
• Athena is the Greek virgin goddess of reason,
intelligent activity, arts and literature.
• Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown
in armor from his forehead, thus has no mother.
• She is fierce and brave in battle but, only wars to define
the state and home from outside enemies.
• She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and
agriculture.
• She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity.
• She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot,
the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot.
• She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt.
• Her favorite city is Athens. Her tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.
 HADES
• Hades is the brother of Zeus.
• After the overthrown of their Father 
Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and
Poseidon, another brother, for shares
of the world.
• He had the worst draw and was made
lord of the underworld, ruling over the
dead.
• He is a greedy god who is greatly
concerned with increasing his subjects.
• Those whose calling increase the
number of dead are seen favorably.
• The Erinnyes are welcomed guests.
• He is exceedingly disinclined to allow
any of his subjects leave.
• He is also the god of wealth, due to the
precious metals mined from the earth.
• He has a helmet that makes him
invisible.
• He rarely leaves the underworld.
• He is unpitying and terrible, but not
capricious.
• His wife is Persephone whom Hades
abducted.
• He is the King of the dead but, death
itself is another god, Thanatos.
 HEPHAESTUS
• Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera.
• Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father.
• He is the only god to be physically ugly.
• He is also lame. Accounts as to how he became lame vary.
• He is the god of fire and the forge.
• He is the smith and armorer of the gods.
• He uses a volcano as his forge.
• He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers.
• He is kind and peace loving.
• His wife is Aphrodite.
• Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia.
HERA
• Hera is Zeus wife and sister.
• She was raised by the Titans Ocean and
Tethys.
• She is the supreme goddess, goddess of
marriage and childbirth and takes special
care of married women.
• Her sacred animals are the cow and the
peacock.
• Her favorite city is Argos.
 HERMES
• He was the cleverest of the Olympian gods, and messenger to all the other gods.
• Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia.
• He is Zeus messenger.
• He is the fastest of the gods.
• He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand.
• He is the god of thieves and god of commerce.
• He is the guide for the dead to go to the underworld.
• He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures,
boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.
 HESTIA
• Hestia is Zeus sister.
• She is a virgin goddess.
• She is the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the house around which a new
born child is carried before it is received into the family.
• Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed
to go out.
• Of all the Olympians, she is the mildest, most upright and most charitable.
 •
POSEIDON
God of the sea, protector of all waters.
• Poseidon is the brother of Zeus.
• His prize was to become lord of the sea.
• He was widely worshiped by seamen.
• He married Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan
Oceanus.
• His weapon is a trident, which can shake the earth,
and shatter any object.
He is second only to Zeus in power amongst the gods.
He has a difficult quarrelsome personality.
He was greedy.
He had a series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities.
 ZEUS
• Zeus was the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods
• Zeus overthrew his Father Cronus.
• He is lord of the sky, the rain god.
• His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls at those who displease him.
• He was the rain god, and the cloud gatherer, who wielded the terrible
thunderbolt.
• His breastplate was the aegis, his bird the eagle, his tree the oak.
• He is represented as the god of justice and mercy, the protector of the
weak, and the punisher of the wicked.
 The Minor Divinities
1. Eros – god of love; also known as Cupid in
Latin
2. Dionysus – god of wine; son of Zeus and
Semele (a mortal princess of Thebes)
3. Nymphs – beautiful maidens who were in
charge of guarding various parts of nature
 The Minor Divinities
1. Eros – god of love; also known as Cupid in
Latin
2. Dionysus – god of wine; son of Zeus and
Semele (a mortal princess of Thebes)
3. Nymphs – beautiful maidens who were in
charge of guarding various parts of nature
4. Fates – three goddesses who controlled the destiny of men
5. Furies – responsible for punishing evildoers in the
afterlife; they are three sisters named Tisiphone, Megaera,
and Alecto.
6. Muses – nine goddesses of different arts and sciences;
daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne
Aside from gods and goddesses, Greek
mythology also featured the following:
1. Demigods - partly divine, partly mortal beings; one example is Heracles
(Hercules in Roman mythology), who symbolized strength and
endurance
2. Heroes - mostly or fully mortal beings, many of whom had gods as
ancestors
3. Monsters - terrifying creatures
4. Men - mortals
END