You are on page 1of 3

Greek Myth 4

Mythology-study of the greek gods and heroes, mythos-story. Myth- sacred/divine myth and
heroes/legends. Ancients believed the stories were real, 95 percent were devout, 5 skeptic,
religion was fundamental to the city state, no separation, no priesthoods or seminary, no training
to become a priest, legends were believed to be historical, didnt not have to believe in any of the
stories, multiple stories. 600-greek philosophy, intellectual class begins and skepticism begins,
Zeus is unfaithful to his wife, his wife is crazy and angry at the women Zeus is with, gods are
human life, by greeks we are created in the image of the gods, questioned the morals of the gods
and the gods changed by the area, gods represented the characteristics of the region(dark skin,
etc)
Legends-were a morality tale mostly. Over time, greeks began to change views of gods, by 500
they are more moralistic, earlier stories are believed to be allegories-dont do what ____ did, act
morally. Believed myths came out of distortion of language, Plato said he rejected myth but used
it as a way of teaching, myths are either external-you can see around you-nature, the
world/elements is personified around you, very popular. Ritual interpretation-stories arouse from
rituals/cultic activities that they did not fully understand and stories about that. Charter mythmelanski, in pacific in ww1, made up myths in order to explain natural phenomenon/institutions.
Myths are used to explain world around us-theology standpoint. Internal-inside your mind, freud,
myth come out of the deepest part of your mind, dreams are like myths-oypedius complex-men
grow out of that stage. Freud-myth were really important. Jung-freuds student, saw myth as
internal. Strauss-structuralism-look to the mind, myth are way to mitigate the way between
extremes. External/internal-holistic not completely separate
Fable-about animals
Folktale-about commoners
Hesied-most popular creation story, comes from central Greece, oscrate, moved from troy, wrote
theogomy-popular explaination, circa 700, contemporary with homer, competed with him, theocreation to the gods.
In beginning there was nothing. Then there was an opening, in the middle was mother earthgaea, Earth had an underbelly-tartaus, inside is a flat disc. Eras-primal gods. Looks like an egg or
womb. Surrounded by Chaos-feminine-yawn/opening. First four elements/gods. Gaea gives birth
to the sea/mts she takes shape. Tartaus begins to grow into a root that anchors mother earth in
chaos, Eras(sexuality/eroticism) is what generates these changes. Gods are natural/elemental.
Gods eventually evolve to human like. Simple to complex. Chaos gives birth to night and day,
first night/dark, then day/light. Out of the seas come the monsters. Egg-earth is embryo, tartausroot. Looks like an acorn/seed. Gaea gives birth to Uranus and marries him. First dynasty of the
gods, they have children. Uranus-cloud-like, have 3 sets of children-the 12 Titans-shape of the
humans, 3 Cyclops-huge male with one eye,3 100 Handers-100 hands out of their chest. Hades

comes later. Titans-No high culture, overthrow their father and make a palace on mt Olympus out
of logs. 12th titan-chronus-last titan, uses him to overthrow Uranus, gives him a sickle/semitar.
Uranus is having sex with gaea and chronus castrates his father. Uranus becomes the dome of
heaven. Chronus-goes through the opening, to the surfaces followed by the titans and closes the
opening, leaving Cyclops in the belly. Throw the penis into the sea and float to Cypress and they
combine with the salt and become Aphrodite.
Homer-came from western turkey.
2nd Dynasty- Chronus and Rhea. Also-oceanaus-river of mother earth, tetiys-his wife, have 3000
sea nymphs, goddess of fresh water. Saw the world as flat and a river that surrounded mother
earth.-believed that because there was water all around the boundaries of their knowledge.
Hyperion- sun god, wife is theia. They have offspring-moon-celinia, dawn, helios-sun god.
Iapatus- father of promethus-great flood story. Chronus creates first humans. Dynasty of the
titans. Chronus/rhea-6 children, 3 boys, 3 girls. Demeter/Hera/Hesta /Poseidon/Zeus/Hades.
Chronus tries to control his children-swallows them in order to not be overthrown. Last oneZeus. Rhea is fed up. Gaea and Rhea discuss. Rhea gives birth to Zeus on island and comes back
with a disguised rock. Gives him the rock and he swallows it. Zeus grows up-1st consolt was
matus(Zeus swallows him later) they go to mt o and gives his father a drink that makes him
throw up and he vomits all his children. Zeus and brothers end the 2nd dynasty and start the age
of the Olympus gods. He gives all the gods the opportunity to accept him as the god of the
universe or fight him and be banished. Greeks believed everything had god attached-famine, etc.
Universe was developing in the meantime(stars etc). Almost all accepted Zeus. Chronus and his
brothers didnt accept. 10 year war that breaks out. Titans v Olympians. Stalemate. Zeus
remembers that Cyclops/handers were left behind. Zeus frees them, Cyclops make the
thunderbolt for Zeus and make the trident for Poseidon. 100 handers become artillery pieces and
the war ends. Zeus sends the titans down to the edges of Tartaus, in prison. 100 handers-the
guards. Cyclops become artisan, metal workers, volcanoes.
All of them live in mt o besides hades who lives in the underworld/below mother earth. Zeus
takes the sky, Poseidon takes the sea, Hades takes the underworld. Hades is not seen very often.
Zeus tries to create humans as well. The dead need someone to say the prayers of the death to
pass to the underworld. Greeks-superstitious, to be a Olympian god you have to have a palace on
mt o. Zeus marries Hera, Demeter at one point. Poseidon has an affair with Demeter. Zeus-in
40s. Poseidon-younger. Zeus-king of gods and father of humans, if you are head of family you
pray to him. Widow-pray to Hera. Hesta-goddess of the hearth, rarely seen. Important for greek
religion-where sacrifices are made. Poseidon-palace in the sea, god of the sea. Sailer/fisher pray
to him. Give them sacrifice/first fruits/ expected to honor them. If not, you will be punished.
Demeter-goddess of food. She and Zeus have children- queen of underworld who marries Hades.
1st generation of gods. Hades-helmet that makes him invisible. 5/12 total Olypmians. Athenadaughter of Zeus and Metis. Zeus learned that Metiss second child will overthrow him so he

swallows Metis. Athena comes out of Zeuss head-goddess of wisdom/strategic warfare/domestic


duties-sewing. Apollo-god of music/wisdom /artemis-goddess of countryside/hunter/hunted
Ares-god of war/brutality/o___
Hermes-god of crossroads/liars/thieves/athletes /Aphrodite-goddess of love and
sexuality(according to Homer)
Female deity-very powerful.

You might also like