There are no original texts like the Christian Bible or
the Hindu Vedas in Greek Mythology that introduces all of the myths’ characters and stories. The early Greek myths were part of an oral tradition that began in
the Bronze Age. Around 700 BC, the poet
Hesiod’s Theogony offered the first written origin story of Greek
mythology. The Theogony tells the story of the universe’s journey from
nothingness to being, and details an elaborate family tree of elements, gods,
and goddesses who evolved from Chaos. Later Greek writers and artists
elaborated upon these sources in their own work. For instance, mythological
figures and events appear in the 5th-century plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and the lyric poems of Pindar.
At the center of
Greek mythology is the group of deities who were said to live on Mount Olympus,
the highest mountain in Greece. From Olympus, these deities ruled every aspect of human
life. Olympian gods and goddesses looked like men and women, although they could
change form to animals.
The main Olympians are:
- Zeus: the king of all the gods and god of weather, law, and fate
- Hera: the queen of the gods and goddess of women and marriage
- Aphrodite: goddess of beauty and love
- Apollo: god of prophesy, music and poetry and knowledge
- Ares: god of war
- Artemis: goddess of hunting, animals and childbirth
- Athena: goddess of wisdom and defense
- Demeter: goddess of agriculture and grain
- Dionysos: god of wine, pleasure and festivity
- Hephaistos: god of fire, metalworking and sculpture
- Hermes: god of travel, hospitality, and trade and Zeus’s personal messenger
- Poseidon: god of the sea
- Hades: god of the underworld
Greek mythology does not just tell
the stories of gods and goddesses, though. Human heroes are also mentioned.
Heroes such as Pandora, whose curiosity brought evil to mankind and Midas, the king with the golden touch. Monsters and half human-half animals are also featured in these tales: the winged horse Pegasus,
horse-man Centaurs, lion-woman Sphinx, bird-woman Harpies, the
one-eyed giant Cyclops, minotaurs, and dragons of all sorts. Some of these
creatures are almost as well known as the gods, goddesses, and heroes in the stories.
photo
of a statue of Poseidon from:
www.memrise.com
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