WHAT IS MYTHOLOGY?

 “Mythology” is a word
used to describe all
myths of a particular
society.

 Every culture has its own

myths that help us
understand its customs
and ways of viewing the
world.
Mythopedia: Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant
 WHAT IS A MYTH?
 A myth is a kind of story.
 Most myths have one or more of these characteristics:
 Myths are usually about gods or supernatural beings with
greater powers and abilities than ordinary humans.
 Myths explain the origins of the world and how humans
came to be.
 Myths take place a long time ago, usually in the earliest
days of humanity (or just before humans showed up on
Earth).
 Myths were usually thought to be true by their original
tellers--no matter how wild or strange they seem to be.

Mythopedia: Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant

Myths seek to explain all those unexplainable
or unknowable aspects of life.
Where do we go after we die?
How was the world created?
Why can we see our reflection in water?
Why are there four separate
seasons?
Why do we fall in love?
How is lightning created?
Why do our voices sometime echo?
How was fire created, and why do we have it?
TWO NAMES, POWERS THE SAME
 Many gods and
goddesses have both
Greek and Roman
names. That is because
the ancient Romans
adopted a great deal of
Greek mythology and
made it their own.
 Often, they changed the
names of the particular
gods and goddesses.
Ancient Greek beliefs and characteristics
 Death is inevitable and final, so the goal was to
become a legend through great deeds.
 The Greeks were tough, restless, ambitious,
hard-living, and imaginative.
 Honor was extremely important, and the Greeks
were very vengeful if wronged.
 The gods mirrored human feelings and physical
form.
 Their flaws were pride, cruelty, stubbornness,
impulsiveness, lust for power, and a desire to be
like the gods.
TWO NAMES, POWERS THE SAME
 Generally, the deity’s
powers and myths
stayed the same--even
though they had a new
name.
 As a result, the study of
Greek and Roman
mythology is often
grouped together under
the same name--
classical mythology.
 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF
MYTHS?
 Myths can…
 Explain how things came to be--like the origin of the
universe or the creation of humans.
 Teach people about the values and beliefs that are
important in their society.
 Contain deep religious significance to the people who tell
and believe them.

Studying myths can teach us about people around the

world -- their cultures and what is (or was) important
to them.
Mythopedia: Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant
 HOW DID WE LEARN THESE
STORIES?
 Myths were first passed down through
storytelling, songs, and poetry.
 We learned the stories from written versions,
mainly Homer’s epic poems The Illiad and The
Odyssey, which tell of the great deeds of heroes.
 Other sources were Hesiod’s Theogony, which
describes the origins of the world and the gods,
and Homeric Hymns, as collection of poems
addressed to different gods.
Mythopedia: Oh My Gods! by Megan E. Bryant
 DO MYTHS REALLY MATTER
TODAY?
 YES!!!
 References to Greek mythology are all around us:
 Ever heard of Nike athletic gear? Nike was
actually a goddess of personification and
victory.
 What would Valentine’s Day be without Cupid?
Cupid, or Eros, is the god of love as the Greeks
called him.
 Does Apollo 13 ring a bell? The first crewed US
space missions were named for Apollo, the god
of archery and prophecy.
 BOTTOM LINE

References to ancient myths

are everywhere, from
science to pop culture, and
knowing about them will
help you understand more
about the world we live in.
 The Creation Myth
 First there was Chaos
(vast and unorganized
space from which all
other things
originated).
 Chaos gave birth to
Gaea, the earth, and
Night, which gave
birth to day.
 Gaea and Uranus (the
sky) gave birth to
Cronus and the other
Titans, the Cyclopes,
one-eyed giants, and
the Hecatonchieres
with 50 heads and 100
arms apiece.
Before existence
there was a vast
nothingness
called Chaos.
Out of Chaos came
Gaia, the earth,
and Uranus,
heaven or the
sky.
The Titans (The Elder Gods)
 There were many of them.
 Enormous size, incredible strength
 Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans
 Rhea: Wife of Cronos
 Ocean: River that encircled the world
 Iapetus: Father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)
Gaia and Uranus gave birth
to the Titans, who looked
just like humans but were
huge. They were the first
gods and goddesses.
Uranus banished some of
them to the Underworld,
which made Gaia upset.
She encouraged them to
rise up against him. They Gaia
were led by Cronus who
attacked and overthrew his
 Cronus married his sister
Rhea and they had five
children. Before they were
born, Cronus was warned that
they would overthrow him,
the same way he had
overthrown his father. When
each child was born, he
Zeus swallowed them whole. When
Rhea gave birth to Zeus she
wrapped a rock in blankets
and pretended it was her
Zeus grew up and visited
his parents in disguise.
He gave Cronus a drink
that made him throw up all
the babies he had
swallowed. Zeus led his
siblings in a revolt
against Cronus and the
other titans. The younger
gods won and divided the Hade
world among themselves. s
Poseidon took the sea,
The new gods were known
as the Olympians. They
lived on Mount Olympus,
high above the clouds.
No humans could visit
Olympus unless by
special invitation.
The gods did visit the
earth and some married
humans. Their
children, who were
half-god and half-
IT’S ALL RELATIVE!
 Greek Mythology:
The Gods and Goddesses
The Olympian
Gods
 The olympians
 A group of 12 gods who
ruled after the overthrow
of the Titans
 All the Olympians
related in some way
 Named after their
dwelling place, Mount
Olympus
 The Olympian Gods:
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades,
Hestia, Hera, Ares,
Athena, Apollo,
Aphrodite, Hermes,
Artemis, and Hephaestus
OMG-WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE ON MT.
OLYMPUS…
 IT WAS WILD!!!
 A certain god turned a
nymph into a tree.
 A grumpy dad
swallowed his kids one-
by-one.
 A winged-cherub was
accused of fly-by-
shootings.
IT WAS LIKE A REALITY
SHOW!!
 Zeus
Title: King of the gods

o Wife: Hera
o Ruler of weather; keeper of
laws; protector of Greek
kings; guardian of morality
o Had over 115 girlfriends and
wives and over 140 children!!
APOLLO
Title: God of Light and Sun
o Twin of Artemis
o Oracle of Delphi
o If you were “struck by
Apollo’s arrow,” it meant
you died suddenly.
o Killer of the cyclops
 POSEIDON
Title:God of the Sea
o Zeus’s brother and
second most powerful
god
o Creator of earthquakes

o Maker of horses
HERMES
Title: Messenger of the
Gods
o The god of secrets and
tricks
o Often portrayed with
wings on his feet
o Guided souls to the
underworld
o Patron of thieves and
liars
 HADES
Title: God of the Underworld

 Ruler of the dead

 Underground wealth
 Brother of Zeus and Poseidon
 Original “he who must not be
named”
ARES
Title: God of War
 Disliked by gods and
mortals for being
bloodthirsty and a coward
 Married the goddess of
love, Aphrodite
HEPHAESTUS
Title: God of Fire
o Craftsman for the
gods
o Maker of fire

o Mom, Hera, thought

he was so ugly that
she threw him off of
Mt. Olympus
o Created the first
woman
 DIONYSUS
Title: God of drama,
fertility, poetry, dance,
song, wine

 Was born twice--cut out

of his dead mom’s body
and then sewn into
Zues’s thigh until ready
to be born
 Brought his mom back
from the Underworld
The Olympian
Goddesses
 HERA
Title: Queen of the Gods
o Wife of Zeus

o Goddess of women and

marriage
o Known for her jealousy
Athena
Title: Goddess of
Wisdom, War, and
Crafts
o Daughter of Zeus and
Metis
o Born from Zues’s head
and came fully formed
wearing armor
HESTIA
 TITLE-Goddess of
houses; home; family;
domestic life
 Hestia was wooed by the
gods Apollo and
Poseidon, but spurning
both, petitioned Zeus to
let her remain forever a
virgin.
 ARTEMIS
 TITLE-Goddess of hunting,
wilderness and wild animals.
 She was also a goddess of
childbirth, and the protectress
of the girl child up to the age
of marriage
 Twin sister of Apollo
 Artemis expects her followers
to stay away from boys, just
like she does.
HEBE
 TITLE- goddess of youth
and the cupbearer of the
gods who served
ambrosia at the
heavenly feast.
 She was also the patron
goddess of the young
bride and an attendant of
the goddess Aphrodite.
 Personification of youth,
is described as a
daughter of Zeus and
Hera
 APHRODITE
Title: Great Olympian
goddess of beauty,
love, pleasure and and
procreation.
o Mother of Cupid

o Caused the Trojan War

 Demeter
Title: Goddess of
Agriculture, the
earth, and corn.
o Her daughter,
Persephone was
kidnapped by
Hades.
o She cares for the
earth and makes
things grow.
How did humans get fire?

Prometheus was the wisest Titan of all.

Prometheus is credited with bringing
enlightenment to humans. Prometheus stole
fire from the gods and gave it to humankind,
bringing the power of warmth and light to the
dark and miserable earth.
Prometheus acted against the express wishes
of the Olympian Gods, who wanted to keep
the power of fire - enlightenment - for their
exclusive use. For this Zeus punished
Prometheus by having him chained to a rock
with an eagle tearing at his liver.
Atlas

 In Greek mythology,
Atlas was a Titan who
fought against Zeus.
After the Titans lost a
war against Zeus, Atlas
was condemned by Zeus
to stand forever holding
up the heavens.
 Other characters in Mythology
 the muses
The Fates
 Nine goddesses in daughters of Zeus
charge of different Three blind sisters who
sciences and arts determined people’s lifespan
including music, One spun the thread of life (Clotho)
poetry, history, One measured the thread and
astronomy, dance, determined a person’s lot in life
etc. (Atropos)
One cut the thread with scissors of
 Daughters of Zeus death (Lachesis)
with a nymph
(Electra)
 They were meant to
inspire
 Mythology in nature and science
Many of our planets (and many moons) are named after Roman gods
Mercury- messenger god
Mars- god of war
Venus- goddess of love
Jupiter- king of the gods
Saturn- god of agriculture
Neptune- god of the seas
Uranus- ancient Greek deity of the heavens
Pluto- god of the underworld
 Days of the Week:
• Monday, Moon day (Lunedi in Italian.) Monday is named
for the goddess of the moon.
• Tuesday is named for the god of war, Mars. (Mardi,
Martedi, Tuesday.)
• Wednesday is named for the god, Mercury. The word for
Wednesday in Italian is Mercoledi.)
• Thursday is really Thor’s Day. The god of thunder.
• Friday is named for the Goddess of Love. Aphrodite’s
Roman name is Venus. Venerdi is the Italian name for
Friday. Incidentally, that’s why we call them “Venereal”
Disease…
• Saturday is named for Saturn. Saturn was the father of
Zeus.
Mythological Allusions

How Can Something So Old Still Be Used

Today????
What Is an Allusion?
An allusion is any indirect reference to a well-
known person, place, event, literary work, or
work of art. This reference is one others
recognize, such as a reference to the Bible,
mythological character, historical event, hero or
famous individual.
 Using the lingo… today
Nike:
The Greek
goddess of
victory
Cyclops:
Named after a
mythological being
with only one eye.
Pegusus was the
winged horse that was
born from Medusa's
head when she was
killed. In Lagrange, we
Adonis Amazons
A nation of warrior
An extremely beautiful women descended from
boy who was loved by Ares, the God of War.
Aphrodite, the goddess The Amazons burned or
of love and beauty. cut off their right
breasts so that they
could use a bow and
arrow more efficiently.
•Allusion: an
“Adonis” is any Figuratively: An
handsome young “Amazon” is any
man. large, strong,
aggressive woman.
Cupid
 The Roman name of Eros, the god of love. In the story of
Cupid and Psyche, he is described as a magnificently
handsome young man.

Today Cupid is often symbolic of

Valentine’s Day and is depicted as a
chubby, winged infant who shoots
arrows at people to make them fall
in love.
Midas
 A king who was granted one wish by the god Dionysus. Greedy
for riches, Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to
gold. He soon regretted his request. When he tried to eat, his food
became inedible metal. When he embraced his daughter, she
turned into a golden statue. On the instruction of Dionysus, he
washed in a river and lost his touch of gold.
 “A Midas Touch”
Midas Then
 Today, a person who
easily acquires riches is
someone said to have
the “Midas” touch.

Midas Now
Nemesis
 One of the goddesses of
Vengeance

Today, a “nemesis”
is an avenger. One’s
nemesis is that which
brings on one’s
destruction or
downfall.
 Pandora
 The first woman, created by  Today, a Pandora’s box is a
Hephaestus, given prolific source of troubles or
treacherously to Epimetheus
along with a box in which problems.
Prometheus had confined all  If one’s opens a Pandora’s
the evils of the world; as box, he has created all kinds
expected, Pandora curiously
opened the forbidden box of problems for himself.
and thus released into the
world all troubles of
mankind. By the time
Pandora manages to close
the lid, luckily only HOPE
remains.
 Phoenix
 A mythical bird of
great beauty, the
only one of its
kind, fabled to live
500 or 600 years,
to burn itself on a
funeral pile, and
to rise from its
ashes in the
freshness of
youth and live
through another
 “Rising Out of the Ashes”
 Today, a person or
thing that has
become renewed or
restored after
suffering calamity
can be called a
phoenix.
The Trojan War and “Greeks
Bearing Gifts”
The Greeks sneak into
Troy in a “gift” meant
to end the 10 year
Trojan War, a wooden
horse hiding sneaky
Greeks.

Today, a “Greek bearing

gifts” is one who is
acting like they can be
trusted when they
cannot.