An Introduction To Greek Mythology

Greek mythology is a fascinating subject filled with endless stories of love, lust, power and betrayal. The ancient Greeks believed that there existed a group of gods and goddesses who were responsible for everything that existed and all situations that arose in their lives. They believed that praying to certain gods would bring about changes particular to their circumstances, particularly as every god or goddess represented a specific domain of life.

The twelve main gods and goddesses were believed to live at the top of Mount Olympus, where they could see and rule over all of mankind. This group of twelve were responsible for various key aspects of human life. Combined, they provided a balance and harmony on earth. However, to upset one of the Olympian gods was to subject oneself to great strife, as they were not the most forgiving of beings.

Zeus is known widely as the king of all gods. He ruled with the aid of his thunderbolts and commanded the sky and thunder. He was the youngest offspring of the Titan Cronus, who had been warned that one of his children would overthrow him as ruler of all things. Cronus swallowed each of his children immediately after birth as a means of presenting such a coup, until his wife Rhea, who was also his sister, wrapped a stone in place of the baby Zeus in order to preserve his life and stop him from having the same fate as his brothers and sisters. Zeus then freed his siblings when he was older and fulfilled his destiny in defeating his father as ruler of the world.

Hera is Zeus' wife and, as such, known as the queen of the gods. She is also the patron goddess of family and of marriage. She was also a very jealous goddess, as her husband had many lovers, with whom he had children.

Poseidon, Zeus' brother, is the god of the sea. Like his brother, he also had numerous lovers. Zeus' other brother, Hades, did not live on Mount Olympus as he ruled the underworld, which housed the souls of those who had passed on from the world of mortals. There are stories of much conflict between the brothers and jealousy towards Zeus and his ultimate power.

Artemis and Apollo are twins, with Artemis governing the moon and Apollo the sun. Artemis is a virgin goddess, as well as goddess of the hunt and of animals. Apollo is the god of light, music and the arts. He is often depicted holding a harp in one hand, while his sister carries a bow and arrow.

Like Artemis, Athena is also a virgin goddess. She is the goddess of wisdom and also strategic warfare. Her male counterpart is the god Ares, who is widely known as the epitomy of masculinity as the god of war. He was greatly disliked by all the other gods, with the exception of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. The two were lovers despite Aphrodite's marriage to Hephaestus, god of fire and the forge.

Rounding up the key gods and goddesses of Greek mythology are Demeter, Dionysus and Hermes. Demeter is the goddess of the seasons, fertility and agriculture. Dionysus is the god of revelry. Hermes is a very familiar character as the messenger god with winged sandals.


Start To Learn About Greek Mythology

Greek mythology is a world full of passion, power, love and betrayal. Ancient Greek civilization held onto the belief that a combination of gods, both male and female, ruled over the world and the situations in daily lives of mortals. Many of them prayed to particular gods or goddesses for assistance with specific situations in their lives, as, much like saints, each god or goddess was patron over a particular domain.

Twelve key immortals supposedly resided at the summit of Mount Olympus, the spot from which they ruled over the mortals. These twelve beings governed all parts of life, and, when done properly, maintained the balance and peace. That being said, upsetting one of the gods meant great turmoil in the life of a mortal, especially as the gods lacked forgiveness when angered.

The king of the gods is Zeus, who is also the god of thunder and the sky. As such, he rules over everything with the aid of the thunderbolt. The youngest son of Cronus the Titan and Rhea, his sister-wife, Zeus was protected by his mother as a baby. Cronus had been fearful that he would be overpowered by one of his children and so swallowed each baby following birth. Zeus' mother tricked Cronus by wrapping a stone in a blanket for him to swallow instead of Zeus, allowing Zeus to avenge his siblings and rescue them from his father's stomach when he was older, thus becoming ruler of the gods.

Zeus' wife Hera, the god queen. Hera also presides over marriage and family. She is known as being particularly jealous, due to her husband's philandering nature with other women, namely mortals.

One of Zeus' brothers is the god Poseidon, ruler of the sea. Poseidon was also a great lover of women. Hades is the third brother, who lived in the underworld as ruler of the dead. Mortal souls went to the underworld after their passing. Hades and Zeus were constantly at odds with one another due to Hades' jealousy of his brother's power.

The twins Apollo and Artemis are the god and goddess of the sun and moon respectively. Artemis, also a virgin, rules over the animals and is goddess of the hunt. Her brother rules over light, the arts and also music, often seen with a harp, while she is depicted carrying a bow and arrow.

Athena is a virgin like Artemis. The goddess of strategic warfare and wisdom, she is incredibly powerful. Ares is the male version, being the god of war. Though disliked by the other Olympians, Ares was the lover of goddess Aphrodite. She is the goddess of beauty and love, and also married to Hephaestus, the blacksmith god of fire.

Finally in the list of key Olympian gods of Greek mythology are Dionysus, Demeter and Hermes. Dionysus presides over wine and revelry, while Demeter controls the seasons, the agriculture, the harvest and, consequently, fertility. Hermes is known as the messenger of the gods, always depicted with wings on his sandals and also known for his mischievous ways.


A Beginner's Guide To Greek Mythology

To be interested in Greek mythology is to be enticed by a world where power, passion and betrayal are rife. The citizens of ancient Greece believed that they were ruled over by a team of gods and goddesses, who oversaw all happenings in the daily lives of mortals. Ancient Greeks offered prayers and gifts to patron gods and goddesses whom they believed could aid them in certain circumstances. This is because each god was responsible for a specific part of life.

At Mount Olympus' summit, according to Greek mythology, live 12 male and female gods who make up the foundation of everything that is. These gods preside over the mortals on earth, with each god taking responsibility for a specific area of life or realm of emotion. Once the gods are happy, order is maintained on earth, but to upset a god meant grave consequences for a mortal.

Zeus is the leader of all the gods, ruling with his thunderbolt. He rules both the thunder and the sky. He is Cronus the Titan's youngest child, who was rescued by his mother from being swallowed by his paranoid father, who had been warned that one of his offspring would overthrow him. Rhea, Zeus' mother, wrapped in a blanket a stone to resemble a baby and gave that to Cronus to swallow instead, allowing Zeus to return when older to defeat his father and rescue his swallowed siblings.

Hera is the queen of the gods and sits at the throne as Zeus' wife. The goddess of marriage and also of family, she is known to be jealous. This is because Zeus had a great many lovers on earth.

Poseidon and Hades are Zeus' brothers. Poseidon rules over the sea with his trident. He is also known to have many lovers. Hades, on the other hand, is not as popular as his brothers, ruling over the dead souls in the underworld, and often at odds with Zeus because of how much he envies his brother's power.

Artemis and Apollo are a twin god and goddess pair who rule over the moon and the sun respectively. Artemis, the virgin goddess, also presides over the hunt and animals, and is always portrayed with a bow and arrow. Her brother Apollo leads music and the arts, as well as light. He carries an instrument traditionally.

Also a virgin goddess is Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She is additionally the goddess of strategic warfare, unlike her brother Ares, the god of violence and war. Ares and Aphrodite are lovers, with Aphrodite ruling over both love and beauty. She is also married to god of the forge and fire, Hephaestus, although he is known to be the least attractive and not remotely seductive of the gods.

Demeter, Hermes and Dionysus round up the group of Olympian gods in Greek mythology. Demeter is responsible for the seasons, agriculture and fertility. Her brother Dionysus presides over wine and revelry, while Hermes is the winged messenger for the gods. Hermes is also known to be full of mischief, often causing trouble with his power.



