From the classical works of Homer (Iliad and Odyessy) and Hesiod (Theogony), to the lesser known poets such as Pindar, Bacchylides, and Simonides, it is without question that Greek Mythology has become the defining tradition of ancient folklore and myth. The origins of Greek Mythology date as far back as 850 BC, with Homer’s Iliad, that gives a poetic account of the Trojan War that took place from 1194-1184 BC. Although his sources and even his existence may be disputed, his masterpieces of the Iliad and the Odyssey, have become the earliest known foundations of Greek Mythology.
Before there was a universe or life as we know it, there existed a vast state of nothingness, known simply as Chaos. And out of nothing came Gaia, mother of the Earth. Gaia gave birth to Uranus, father of the sky, and the two had 12 children, six males and six females, known as the Titans. Along with these 12 titans, they also gave birth to a one-eyed monster known as, Cyclopes, and the hundred-handed monster known as Hecatonchires. Fearing that they may grow more powerful than he, Uranus hid his children in the dark depths of Tartarus.
When Zeus had reached adulthood, he fed his father a poisonous drink that caused Cronus to disgorge his five children. Zeus then freed the monsters of Tartarus to aid him against the Titans. The Cyclopes, the Gigantes, and the Hecatonchires all came to the Zeus’ aid in the war against the titans. Cyclopes gave Zeus a thunderbolt, Poseidon a trident, and Hades a helmet of darkness that were all used as weapons against the Titans. The War of the Titans, known as the Titanomachy, lasted for ten years, and finally resulted in victory for the gods of Mount Olympus. Zeus had the Titans imprisoned in Tartarus and shared his world with his brothers. Zeus became god of the sky; Poseidon, god of the water; and Hades, god of the underworld. Hera became Zeus’ wife and queen of the gods; Demeter became goddess of the harvest; and Hestia was goddess of the fireplace.
Herakles, also known as Hercules to the Romans, is the most well known of the Greek heroes. He was a half-god, son of Zeus, and the mortal Alcmene. As a child he suckled so hardly upon Hera's breast, that one day she pushed him away, causing milk to spay everywhere, thus forming the Milky Way. Hera despised him as a child, for obvious reasons, and once put two giant snakes in his crib. The baby Herakles was later discovered holding the defeated snakes in each of his hands. He had aquired supernatural strength at an early age.
Theseus, was a mythical hero known as the founder-king of Athens. He underwent many labors and adventures such as his encounters at the Six Entrances of the Underworld, his fight with the Marathonian bull, and especially his battle with the Minotaur.
Perseus, was a legendary hero, and founder of Mycenae. His quest began when he overcame the deadly Gorgon, Medusa, who had snakes as hair, and a gaze that would turn anything into stone. Perseus was well equipped with a adamantine sword from Zeus, an invisibility cloak from Hades, winged sandals from Hermes, and a polished shield from Athena. He used his shield, as a mirror to approach Medusa. and cut off her head. He decided to take the head as a prize and also to use as a weapon.
He then traveled to Ethiopia, where the beautiful princess Andromeda was being sacrificed to a giant sea monster. She was fastened to a rock on the shore, while the giant sea serpent, known as the Cetus, emerged from the waters. Perseus came to save Andromeda, mounted on the famous winged-horse, Pegasus. He slew the sea-serpent by using Medusa's head to turn it into stone. Perseus then freed Andromeda, married her, and became king of Mycenae.
It was the Trojan War, that brought forth the culmination of Greek Heroes in one ultimate battle. The war lasted for nearly 10 years, caused by a debate amongst the gods. It began when the three goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena argued amongst themselves of which was the fairest. Unable to come to a decision, Zeus chose a shepherd-prince from Troy, Paris to make the decision. Each of the goddesses offered him a bribe. Athena offered him wisdom and skill in battle, Hera offered him political power and control of Asia, and Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. Paris thus chose Aphrodite as the fairest of them all, thus resulting in the start of the Trojan War.
The conflict began when Paris journeyed to Sparta, under the guise of a diplomatic mission between King Menelaus and the kingdom of Troy. His intentions however, were to seduce and elope with Menelaus' wife Helen. With the support of Aphrodite, Helen instantly became Paris' prisoner of love and the two secretly left Sparta together. Once Menelaus realized the deception he was outraged and went to his brother Agamemnon for aid.
Agamemnon was a war-mongering king of Mycenae, and the chief commander of the Greek Army. He called upon all the Greek Achaean kings to unite and prepare for war against Troy. He assembled 1200 ships, with an estimated force of 130,000 men to set sail for Troy. Their journey to Troy was full of obstacles caused by the gods, causing them to get lost several times. Finally they landed on the shores of Troy, and the war began.
King Priam of Troy, did not know what to make of the abduction of Helen at first. Yet he eventually came to understand and support his son action, and was prepared to face the repercussions. However his other son, the greatest Trojan warrior of them all, Prince Hector, was against the abduction. He knew that the Greeks would be arriving with a massive army, and that it could be the end for Troy. Hector was a great warrior, a peace-loving man, a loving husband, and a loving father. Unable to change his father's mind, Prince Hector, took to his role as leading the defenses of Troy.
The Greeks were led by many great heroes, such as Ajax, a man of colossal frame, said to be the tallest and strongest of all the Achaean soldiers.
The old and wise, Nestor, a former Argonaut who had fought against centaurs and the Calydonian Boar. He served more as a counselor throughout the war, especially trying to quell the disputes between Agamemnon and Achilles.
Then there was Diomedes, King of Argos, who brought 80 ships with him to the war. He is best known for his outstanding fighting abilities, wisdom, courage, and strategy throughout the war.
Then there was mighty king from Ithica, known as Odysseus, who played a vital rule throughout the war and especially after the war. He was known for his exception fighting ability, courage, resourcefulness, yet mostly for his cunning intelligence.
Yet of these warriors, the greatest of them all was without question, Achilles, the chief protagonists in The Iliad. He was born from the sea-nymph, Thetis, who dipped him in a sea of immortality, while holding his heel. He was trained as a child by a centaur known as Chiron. His father was Peleus, a great warrior and king of the Myrmidons. He became a great warrior as a young man, yet it was not until the Trojan War that he would stamp his legacy. He set sail with his army of Myrmidons knowing that he would meet both his glory and his death.
Achilles found early success in the beginning of the war, however eventually got into a dispute with Agamemnon, over the course of the war, as well as a Trojan princess named Briseis. He decided not to fight, thus causing things to go poorly for the Greeks. Hector began to find great success in repelling the Greek attacks, and eventually drove them back with a counter-attack. During this foggy battle, Hector was driven by a madness he had never known, and eventually met Achilles' nephew, Patroclus in battle. Hector then killed Patroclus, mistaking him for Achilles. This outraged Achilles who finally ended his refusal to fight, in a mad quest to avenge his cousin's death.
Achilles' battle with Hector was the ultimate meeting of champions, however did not go very favorably for Hector. Once Achilles found Hector, Hector ran away from him, around the walls of Troy three times, until finally he knew there was no hope. He finally faced Achilles, and attacked him with his word, yet the fight did not last long, until Achilles slit his neck. In one final act of humiliation Achilles tied the dead body of Hector to his chariot, and dragged it around the battlefield for nine days. King Priam finally was able to come to Achilles and beg for the body of his son. Achilles accepted the king's request, and a temporary truce was made to honor the gods through games and festivals.
Following the cease-fire, the war waged on, and Achilles continued to slaughter many Trojan heroes. The Greeks had now taken the advantage in the war, however the gods had finally decided that Achilles time had come. During one battle, he chased Trojan soldiers into their city, where he was met by a poisoned arrow from Paris. The arrow was carefully guided by the sun-god Apollo, to strike in Achilles' one weak spot, his heal. Following the death of Achilles, a great battle waged over his dead-body. Ajax played a crucial role in defending his body, while Odysseus was able to carry him out of the city-walls and back to their camp for a proper burial. Following Achilles' death, Ajax was overcome with grief and madness, and eventually took his own life.
With the death of Achilles and Ajax, things seemed quite somber once again for the Greeks. They knew there was no way they could penetrate the Trojan's mighty wall. That was until the cunning Odysseus despised a masterful plan of deception. The Greeks built a giant wooden horse to give the Trojans as a gift, and an offering to the gods for a safe trip home. Inside the horse hid many Greek warriors, while the rest of the armor, moved their ships out of sight. Once the Trojans pulled the horse into the walled-city, the Greek warriors came out of the horse at night, and opened the walls for their army to enter. The Greeks were then finally able to enter the city, and burn it to the ground. The only one to survive the sacking of Troy, was a young warrior named Aeneas who carried his father and his son, and fled from the siege. Legend tells that he eventually went on to found the city of Rome.
Following their victory, the Greeks began their long journey home, which ended in tragedy for many of the kings and heroes. The only hero to have a safe return was Nestor. Ajax the Lesser was smitten by Poseidon and drowned; Diomedes was scattered to many islands, and nearly sacrificed to a king; Menelaus' ship was blown to Egypt and it took him nearly 8 years to get home following the war, however he lived the rest of his days with Helen. Agamemnon made it back to his kingdom, yet was later killed by his wife. Yet of all these perilous journeys it was Odysseus' journey back to Ithaca, that has become the most famous.
This account is told in Homer's Odyssey, directly following the Trojan War. Odysseus' ship is blown way off course, where he encounters many adventures. He first encounters a cyclops named Polyphemus who takes them prisoners. Once he manages to escape, he journeys into Hades where he speaks with Achilles and many other fallen heroes of the war. All his men are eventually killed by the gods, and only he manages to survive. He comes to an island and lives with a nymph, named Calypso. for seven years. Finally longing for his wife, Penelope in Ithaca, he manages to sail back on a raft. He then has to defeat the many suitors of his wife, and regain his throne. Finally after 20 years he is reunited with his wife, Penelope, as king of Ithaca.
This of course is only a fraction of the countless tales of Greek Mythology, yet to me they are the most significant ones. My fascination with Greek Mythology began as a kid, watching Xena: The Warrior Princess; and during my 8th grade literature class, where Mr. Loy passionately described the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey to us. From games, television shows, books, movies, classes, I have always been inspired by the imagination of Greek Mythology. To me it is the epitome of creative literature, glorifying ancient tales with deep meaning and beautiful imagery.
The Beginning
Before there was a universe or life as we know it, there existed a vast state of nothingness, known simply as Chaos. And out of nothing came Gaia, mother of the Earth. Gaia gave birth to Uranus, father of the sky, and the two had 12 children, six males and six females, known as the Titans. Along with these 12 titans, they also gave birth to a one-eyed monster known as, Cyclopes, and the hundred-handed monster known as Hecatonchires. Fearing that they may grow more powerful than he, Uranus hid his children in the dark depths of Tartarus.
Gaia, longed for her children, and created a stone sickle to defeat Uranus. She freed her children from Tartarus, and asked for one of them to face Uranus. Her youngest son, Cronus, was the only one willing to accept the challenge, and he took the sickle and castrated Uranus. The product of Uranus’ castration created many powerful deities, such as the Gigantes and most notably Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Once Uranus was out of the picture, Cronus took to the throne, with his sister Rhea, as the queen, and the rest of his titan brothers and sisters. He re-imprisoned the monsters of the world back in Tartarus, such as Cyclopes, Hecatonchires, and the Gigantes.
Cronus feared that his son would someday do the same to him as he did to his father. Therefore he ate each of his offspring, at birth. Rhea gave birth to five children, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon, all of which were consumed by Cronus. This angered Rhea, who decided to trick Cronus on their sixth child. When the baby Zeus was born, she gave him a stone, and hid the baby in a cave on Mount Ida.
The War of the Titans
When Zeus had reached adulthood, he fed his father a poisonous drink that caused Cronus to disgorge his five children. Zeus then freed the monsters of Tartarus to aid him against the Titans. The Cyclopes, the Gigantes, and the Hecatonchires all came to the Zeus’ aid in the war against the titans. Cyclopes gave Zeus a thunderbolt, Poseidon a trident, and Hades a helmet of darkness that were all used as weapons against the Titans. The War of the Titans, known as the Titanomachy, lasted for ten years, and finally resulted in victory for the gods of Mount Olympus. Zeus had the Titans imprisoned in Tartarus and shared his world with his brothers. Zeus became god of the sky; Poseidon, god of the water; and Hades, god of the underworld. Hera became Zeus’ wife and queen of the gods; Demeter became goddess of the harvest; and Hestia was goddess of the fireplace.
The Age of Heroes
Herakles, also known as Hercules to the Romans, is the most well known of the Greek heroes. He was a half-god, son of Zeus, and the mortal Alcmene. As a child he suckled so hardly upon Hera's breast, that one day she pushed him away, causing milk to spay everywhere, thus forming the Milky Way. Hera despised him as a child, for obvious reasons, and once put two giant snakes in his crib. The baby Herakles was later discovered holding the defeated snakes in each of his hands. He had aquired supernatural strength at an early age.
As an adult, Hera later drove him into madness, and caused him to kill his own children. After realizing what he had done, he sought penance from the oracle. He was then forced to serve King Eurystheus, who wanted him dead. Eurystheus gave Herakles 12 labors.
- Kill the Nemean lion
- Destroy the Lernean Hydra
- Capture the Ceryeian Hind
- Capture the Erymanthian Boar
- Clean the Augean Stables
- Kill the Stymphalian Birds
- Capture the Cretan Bull
- Round up the Mares of Diomedes
- Steal the girdle of Hippolyte
- Herd the Cattle of Geryon
- Fetch the Apples of Hesperides
- Capture Cerberus
Theseus, was a mythical hero known as the founder-king of Athens. He underwent many labors and adventures such as his encounters at the Six Entrances of the Underworld, his fight with the Marathonian bull, and especially his battle with the Minotaur.
Perseus, was a legendary hero, and founder of Mycenae. His quest began when he overcame the deadly Gorgon, Medusa, who had snakes as hair, and a gaze that would turn anything into stone. Perseus was well equipped with a adamantine sword from Zeus, an invisibility cloak from Hades, winged sandals from Hermes, and a polished shield from Athena. He used his shield, as a mirror to approach Medusa. and cut off her head. He decided to take the head as a prize and also to use as a weapon.He then traveled to Ethiopia, where the beautiful princess Andromeda was being sacrificed to a giant sea monster. She was fastened to a rock on the shore, while the giant sea serpent, known as the Cetus, emerged from the waters. Perseus came to save Andromeda, mounted on the famous winged-horse, Pegasus. He slew the sea-serpent by using Medusa's head to turn it into stone. Perseus then freed Andromeda, married her, and became king of Mycenae.
It was the Trojan War, that brought forth the culmination of Greek Heroes in one ultimate battle. The war lasted for nearly 10 years, caused by a debate amongst the gods. It began when the three goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena argued amongst themselves of which was the fairest. Unable to come to a decision, Zeus chose a shepherd-prince from Troy, Paris to make the decision. Each of the goddesses offered him a bribe. Athena offered him wisdom and skill in battle, Hera offered him political power and control of Asia, and Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. Paris thus chose Aphrodite as the fairest of them all, thus resulting in the start of the Trojan War.
The conflict began when Paris journeyed to Sparta, under the guise of a diplomatic mission between King Menelaus and the kingdom of Troy. His intentions however, were to seduce and elope with Menelaus' wife Helen. With the support of Aphrodite, Helen instantly became Paris' prisoner of love and the two secretly left Sparta together. Once Menelaus realized the deception he was outraged and went to his brother Agamemnon for aid.Agamemnon was a war-mongering king of Mycenae, and the chief commander of the Greek Army. He called upon all the Greek Achaean kings to unite and prepare for war against Troy. He assembled 1200 ships, with an estimated force of 130,000 men to set sail for Troy. Their journey to Troy was full of obstacles caused by the gods, causing them to get lost several times. Finally they landed on the shores of Troy, and the war began.
King Priam of Troy, did not know what to make of the abduction of Helen at first. Yet he eventually came to understand and support his son action, and was prepared to face the repercussions. However his other son, the greatest Trojan warrior of them all, Prince Hector, was against the abduction. He knew that the Greeks would be arriving with a massive army, and that it could be the end for Troy. Hector was a great warrior, a peace-loving man, a loving husband, and a loving father. Unable to change his father's mind, Prince Hector, took to his role as leading the defenses of Troy.
The Greeks were led by many great heroes, such as Ajax, a man of colossal frame, said to be the tallest and strongest of all the Achaean soldiers.
The old and wise, Nestor, a former Argonaut who had fought against centaurs and the Calydonian Boar. He served more as a counselor throughout the war, especially trying to quell the disputes between Agamemnon and Achilles.
Then there was Diomedes, King of Argos, who brought 80 ships with him to the war. He is best known for his outstanding fighting abilities, wisdom, courage, and strategy throughout the war.
Then there was mighty king from Ithica, known as Odysseus, who played a vital rule throughout the war and especially after the war. He was known for his exception fighting ability, courage, resourcefulness, yet mostly for his cunning intelligence.
Yet of these warriors, the greatest of them all was without question, Achilles, the chief protagonists in The Iliad. He was born from the sea-nymph, Thetis, who dipped him in a sea of immortality, while holding his heel. He was trained as a child by a centaur known as Chiron. His father was Peleus, a great warrior and king of the Myrmidons. He became a great warrior as a young man, yet it was not until the Trojan War that he would stamp his legacy. He set sail with his army of Myrmidons knowing that he would meet both his glory and his death.Achilles found early success in the beginning of the war, however eventually got into a dispute with Agamemnon, over the course of the war, as well as a Trojan princess named Briseis. He decided not to fight, thus causing things to go poorly for the Greeks. Hector began to find great success in repelling the Greek attacks, and eventually drove them back with a counter-attack. During this foggy battle, Hector was driven by a madness he had never known, and eventually met Achilles' nephew, Patroclus in battle. Hector then killed Patroclus, mistaking him for Achilles. This outraged Achilles who finally ended his refusal to fight, in a mad quest to avenge his cousin's death.
Achilles' battle with Hector was the ultimate meeting of champions, however did not go very favorably for Hector. Once Achilles found Hector, Hector ran away from him, around the walls of Troy three times, until finally he knew there was no hope. He finally faced Achilles, and attacked him with his word, yet the fight did not last long, until Achilles slit his neck. In one final act of humiliation Achilles tied the dead body of Hector to his chariot, and dragged it around the battlefield for nine days. King Priam finally was able to come to Achilles and beg for the body of his son. Achilles accepted the king's request, and a temporary truce was made to honor the gods through games and festivals.
Following the cease-fire, the war waged on, and Achilles continued to slaughter many Trojan heroes. The Greeks had now taken the advantage in the war, however the gods had finally decided that Achilles time had come. During one battle, he chased Trojan soldiers into their city, where he was met by a poisoned arrow from Paris. The arrow was carefully guided by the sun-god Apollo, to strike in Achilles' one weak spot, his heal. Following the death of Achilles, a great battle waged over his dead-body. Ajax played a crucial role in defending his body, while Odysseus was able to carry him out of the city-walls and back to their camp for a proper burial. Following Achilles' death, Ajax was overcome with grief and madness, and eventually took his own life.
With the death of Achilles and Ajax, things seemed quite somber once again for the Greeks. They knew there was no way they could penetrate the Trojan's mighty wall. That was until the cunning Odysseus despised a masterful plan of deception. The Greeks built a giant wooden horse to give the Trojans as a gift, and an offering to the gods for a safe trip home. Inside the horse hid many Greek warriors, while the rest of the armor, moved their ships out of sight. Once the Trojans pulled the horse into the walled-city, the Greek warriors came out of the horse at night, and opened the walls for their army to enter. The Greeks were then finally able to enter the city, and burn it to the ground. The only one to survive the sacking of Troy, was a young warrior named Aeneas who carried his father and his son, and fled from the siege. Legend tells that he eventually went on to found the city of Rome.Following their victory, the Greeks began their long journey home, which ended in tragedy for many of the kings and heroes. The only hero to have a safe return was Nestor. Ajax the Lesser was smitten by Poseidon and drowned; Diomedes was scattered to many islands, and nearly sacrificed to a king; Menelaus' ship was blown to Egypt and it took him nearly 8 years to get home following the war, however he lived the rest of his days with Helen. Agamemnon made it back to his kingdom, yet was later killed by his wife. Yet of all these perilous journeys it was Odysseus' journey back to Ithaca, that has become the most famous.
This account is told in Homer's Odyssey, directly following the Trojan War. Odysseus' ship is blown way off course, where he encounters many adventures. He first encounters a cyclops named Polyphemus who takes them prisoners. Once he manages to escape, he journeys into Hades where he speaks with Achilles and many other fallen heroes of the war. All his men are eventually killed by the gods, and only he manages to survive. He comes to an island and lives with a nymph, named Calypso. for seven years. Finally longing for his wife, Penelope in Ithaca, he manages to sail back on a raft. He then has to defeat the many suitors of his wife, and regain his throne. Finally after 20 years he is reunited with his wife, Penelope, as king of Ithaca.This of course is only a fraction of the countless tales of Greek Mythology, yet to me they are the most significant ones. My fascination with Greek Mythology began as a kid, watching Xena: The Warrior Princess; and during my 8th grade literature class, where Mr. Loy passionately described the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey to us. From games, television shows, books, movies, classes, I have always been inspired by the imagination of Greek Mythology. To me it is the epitome of creative literature, glorifying ancient tales with deep meaning and beautiful imagery.
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