The Age of MythologyTimeless Tales of Heroes, Gods, and Monsters
Mythology• Definition: a usually traditional story
of events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon . Myths often involve divine, supernatural, and/or heroic characters.
• Or in other words…
Mythology
• Definition #2: A collection of fictional stories involving the actions of gods, goddesses and other imaginary characters, intended to explain the unexplainable.
Oral Tradition
• Definition: the practice of passing along stories, tales, and folklore by word of mouth
• Oral tradition is responsible for many of the “inconsistencies” of ancient mythology.
Legends• Definition: fictional stories loosely
based upon real/historical people and events.
• Also known as “tall-tales”
• Are rooted in facts, but stories have been changed through the years…WHY?
Fables
• Definition: A brief story, often containing animal characters that teaches a lesson or moral
• Fables deal with “useful truth”
Fantasy
• Definition: highly imaginative writing that contains elements not found in real life
• Many science fiction and fantasy books, movies and comic books are based upon the style and manner of myths.
Classical Greek Mythology• Definition: A collection of stories
about a set of gods, based upon oral tradition, as told and recorded by the ancient Greeks
• Myths served as entertainment, a sense of national/regional pride, and religious education
“The Classicists”• Greek mythology existed for hundreds
of years before these stories were ever recorded with written words.
• The scholars/poets who recorded the myths are known as “classicists.”
• The major classicists of Greek Mythology include Virgil, Homer, and Ovid.
Categories of Myths
• Myths of creation: these explain the beginning of time, space, and man
• Myths of explanation: these explain the great questions of the universe
• Myths of morality: these teach lessons and reinforce cultural morality
The Importance of Myths
• Myths were critical to the Ancient Greeks
• These stories touched all aspects of Greek life, including their art, music, architecture, military endeavors, religion, and education.
Why Study Mythology?
• Greek myths are the foundation for the arts as we know it, including: movies, television, commercial products, sports, music, and comic books.
• A knowledge of Greek mythology enhances a person’s ability to understand and appreciate the world as a whole.
Mythology: A Brief Timeline
The beginning: according to popular belief• Uranus was the “First One”, and he
created the universe.• Uranus created and married Gaia,
otherwise known as “Mother Earth.”• They lived on Mt. Olympus
• Uranus and Gaia had many children:• Some were human-like giants, called the
“Titans”• Some were hideous, disfigured monsters• The Titans lived for many years under
Uranus’s cruel reign• Uranus’s most powerful son would soon
challenge his rule.
• Cronus killed his cruel father and assumed his role as “king of the Titans.”
• Before Uranus died, he predicted that Cronus would be killed by one of his sons, just as he had been.
• What is the logical solution to this problem?
• Cronus married his sister, Rhea, and had:
-Three daughters: Hestia, Demeter, Hera
-Three sons: Posiedon, Hades, and Zeus
• These offspring were considered Titans, but would later become the gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology
• Because he feared his sons, Cronus ate his first two sons whole
• Fed up with his baby-gobbling, Rhea gave birth to her third son in secret
• Rhea dressed a boulder up as a baby and Cronus ate the rock unknowingly
• Zeus was sent as an infant to be raised in secret by human shephards
“Cronus Devours His Children”
• Zeus returned to Mt. Olympus as a young man and poisoned Cronus
• Cronus vomited up brothers Poseidon and Hades
• Zeus was celebrated as a hero• An epic battle ensues between Cronus
and his sons for the right to rule Mt. Olympus and the universe.
The Great Battle!
• Cronus is assisted in battle by his Titan brothers
• Zeus and his brothers are assisted by the monsters Cronus had abused and tortured for years in captivity.
• These monsters included the Cyclopes (3) and the Hundred-Handed Ones (3)
Mythology and Classic Art• The Battle Between the Gods and the Titans by Wtewael Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago
Cronus is Defeated!
• The three sons roll dice to divide Cronus’ kingdom
• Poseidon wins, but elects to choose second, knowing that naïve Zeus would choose the empty sky.
• Poseidon is correct, and Zeus chooses unwisely.
• Hades is left to bitterly receive “leftovers.”
Enter the Gods…• Magically and mysteriously, the children of
Cronus become immortal, and become gods and goddesses.
• Mythology offers no explanation for this important transformation!
The Pantheon
• There are many gods, goddesses, demi-gods (half-gods) and supernatural beings in Greek Mythology.
• The twelve main gods and goddesses are known as the Pantheon.
Zeus
Zeus:• King of the gods, ruler of Mt. Olympus
• Also god of lightning
• Was a powerful and aggressive ruler
• Struck Earth with lightning bolt when upset
• Waged constant war with wife Hera
• Cheated on wife countless times, and had numerous children with mortals, gods, and other creatures
Zeus (continued)
• Was a master of disguise, which aided him in his philandering
• Was a complex character: capable of unspeakable acts of immorality and occasional acts of mercy
HeraHera
HERA• Queen of immortals, goddess of marriage
and childbirth
• Unhappy wife of Zeus
• Disapproved of Zeus’ constant cheating
• Held grudges against Zeus’ “children”
• Often punished Zeus with childish pranks and vengeful schemes
• Associated with the peacock
PoseidonPoseidon
Poseidon• God of water
• God of horses as well
• Ruled over seas, oceans, rivers and all the sea creatures
• Did not live in the lost city of Atlantis
• Invented many of the fish and sea monsters of mythology
• Created the horse for Demeter (*)
DemeterDemeter
Demeter
• Goddess of the harvest, plants, farming
• One of Zeus’ favorite females (also sister)
• Poseidon also loved Demeter
• Mother of Persephone
• Responsible for the all-important growing season (most Greeks were farmers)
AthenaAthena
Athena• Goddess of wisdom and warfare
• Zeus daughter out of wedlock
• Mother was Metis, a Titaness
• Zeus became paranoid that his child would harm him, so he eats her whole.
• Zeus developed a splitting headache
• Hephaestus split his head open with a chisel, and…
The “Rebirth” of Athena
• Athena jumped out of Zeus skull, full-grown and wearing battle armor.
• Often associated with the owl
• Carried a shield adorned with the head of Medusa, the Gorgon
• One of the most popular and respected immortals
• Athens, Greece is named for her
ApolloApollo
APoll0• God of the sun, art, music, math,
moderation and poetry
• Artemis’ twin brother
• Was especially talented but arrogant
• Often engaged in unfair competitions with mortals
• Regarded as Zeus’ most powerful son
• Known for his bloated self-esteem
The Flaying of Marsyas
ArtemisArtemis
Artemis• Goddess of hunting, sport, and the
moon
• Born of Zeus and Leto (a nymph)
• Was Zeus’ favorite daughter
• Zeus granted Artemis three wishes to show her his affection
• Many of Zeus’ children were jealous of Artemis’ attention and gifts
Artemis (continued)
1)Artemis wished for a silver hunting bow and arrow.
2)Artemis desired to be known by many nicknames.
3)Artemis desired to stay forever young.
*Artemis remains chaste for eternity. She endures countless advances, though.
HadesHades
HADES• God of the Underworld
• Was an aggressive, moody and selfish god
• Often depicted inaccurately as the “antagonist” of mythology
• “Hades” refers to both the character and the region of the Underworld itself
Hades (continued)
• Ruled over the three regions of Underworld:
• Tartarus: dark field bordered by hideous, animated trees, filled with lost souls
• River Styx: raging river, often depicted as lava or blood, that marked the entrance to the Underworld.
• Also called the “River of Souls”
Hades (continued)
• Elysian Fields: a barren wasteland where the good dead reside
• (*) Isle of the Blessed: blissful paradise where only the most priviledged mortals went upon dying
Hades (continued)• Lived with his kidnapped wife, Persephone
• Cerberus (three-headed dog) guarded the entrance to the Underworld
• Despite being an important mythological character, Hades only left the Underworld a handful of times.
HephaestusHephaestus
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
• God of iron work, blacksmithing, mechanics and manual labor
• Son of Zeus and Hera
• Was born ugly and fitful
• Hera kicked him from Mt. Olympus
• Was reinstated by Hera for his masterful skill of jewelry-making
• Was ugly, crippled and hideous
Hephaestus Strikes Gold…
• Married to Aphrodite, the most beautiful of all goddesses
• Had no children with his wife
• Endured Aphrodite’s many affairs and constant flirtations
• Was emotionally scarred by Aphrodite’s affair with Ares, the god of war
5252
Aphrodite
• Goddess of beauty, love, and sex
• Most beautiful of all immortals
• Aphrodite has a sketchy and controversial past
• Due to oral tradition and censorship, the tales of Aphrodite have changed considerably through the years
Aphrodite’s Creation
• Version #1: Aphrodite was the son of Zeus and a Dione
• Version #2: Aphrodite was born of Zeus and the daughter of one of his arch enemies
But both of these stories are less-than-accurate twists on the real version…
The Real Creation of Aphrodite
• Aphrodite was born from the death of Uranus
• Cronus castrated his father before death, and threw the “part” into the ocean
• From the bubbling, boiling, bloody foam, Aphrodite appeared
• She was accompanied at birth by sea nymphs and doves
• Often depicted as having hatched from a seashell
Aphrodite (con’t.)
• Discovered by fishermen and taken to Mt. Olympus as a gift to Zeus
• Hera, fearing a relationship between Zeus and Aphrodite, insisted that she marry Hephaestus, her ugliest child
• Aphrodite serves as a constant temptation for gods and mortals alike.
• Her name literally means “from the foam”
AresAres
Ares
• God of warfare
• Was violent, aggressive, and unlikeable
• Was Hera and Zeus’s most despised son
• Had an awkward love affair with Aphrodite
• Was actually a coward (traitor)
• Was feared, but not respected by Greeks
HermesHermes
Hermes• Messenger god, god of gambling, theivery
and trickery
• Has a sketchy creation:
– Zeus child with a nymph
– Zeus child with a goddess (unnamed)
– Son of two enchanted mortals
*Oral tradition is contributed to the many different creations of Hermes
Hermes
• Considered Zeus’ “toadie”
• Messenger and courier of the gods
• Only mythological character with ability to enter and leave Underworld freely
• Ran on air with a pair of special winged sandals called “thalia”
• “Thalia” were a gift from Athena