Greek mythology is a collection of stories that explore the origins of the world, the nature of the gods and the adventures of heroes and monsters. These stories have been told for thousands of years by the ancient Greeks and have influenced many aspects of Western culture, such as literature, art, philosophy and science. In this blog post, we will explore some of the best myths and legends that originated in Greece and who are the main gods and goddesses that feature in them.
The 12 Olympians
The most important gods and goddesses in Greek mythology are the 12 Olympians, who live on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. They are:
-
Zeus
: The king of the gods and the god of the sky, thunder and lightning. He is married to Hera, but has many affairs with other goddesses and mortal women. He is often depicted with a thunderbolt, an eagle or a bull. -
Hera
: The queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage, women and childbirth. She is jealous of Zeus’s infidelities and often punishes his lovers and children. She is often depicted with a peacock, a cow or a pomegranate. -
Poseidon
: The god of the sea, earthquakes and horses. He is the brother of Zeus and Hades, and rules over the oceans with his trident. He is often depicted with a dolphin, a horse or a bull. -
Athena
: The goddess of wisdom, war and crafts. She is the daughter of Zeus and Metis, who was swallowed by Zeus when she was pregnant. Athena sprang from Zeus’s head fully grown and armed. She is often depicted with an owl, an olive tree or a shield. -
Apollo
: The god of light, music, poetry and prophecy. He is the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis. He plays the lyre and drives the sun chariot across the sky. He is often depicted with a laurel wreath, a bow and arrow or a raven. -
Artemis
: The goddess of hunting, wild animals and the moon. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She is a virgin goddess who protects young girls and women. She is often depicted with a deer, a bow and arrow or a crescent moon. -
Ares
: The god of war, violence and bloodshed. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, but neither of them like him. He is often accompanied by his lover Aphrodite, his sons Phobos (fear) and Deimos (terror) and his sister Eris (discord). He is often depicted with a helmet, a spear or a vulture. -
Aphrodite
: The goddess of love, beauty and desire. She was born from the foam of the sea when Uranus’s genitals were cut off by his son Cronus and thrown into the ocean. She is married to Hephaestus, but has many affairs with other gods and mortals. She is often depicted with a dove, a rose or a mirror. -
Hephaestus
: The god of fire, metalworking and crafts. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, but he was thrown off Mount Olympus by his mother because he was lame. He makes weapons and armor for the gods in his forge under a volcano. He is often depicted with a hammer, an anvil or a quail. -
Hermes
: The god of travel, trade, thieves and messenger
s. He is the son of Zeus
and Maia
,
a nymph
.
He wears winged sandals
and
a hat
,
and carries
a staff
called
a caduceus
.
He guides
the souls
of
the dead
to
the underworld
.
He is often depicted with
a tortoise
,
a rooster
or
a ram
. -
Demeter
: The goddess of agriculture, fertility and seasons. She is the sister of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, and the mother of Persephone by Zeus. She makes crops grow or wither depending on her mood. She is often depicted with wheat, poppies or a torch. -
Dionysus
: The god of wine, parties and theater. He is the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal woman who died when Zeus revealed his true form to her. He was born from Zeus’s thigh and raised by nymphs. He travels the world with his followers, the satyrs and the maenads, spreading joy and madness. He is often depicted with grapes, a leopard or a thyrsus (a staff with a pine cone).
Some of the best myths and legends
There are hundreds of myths and legends in Greek mythology, but some of the most famous and popular ones are:
-
The creation of the world
: In the beginning, there was only Chaos, a dark and formless void. From Chaos emerged Gaia (Earth), who gave birth to Uranus (Sky), Pontus (Sea) and the Titans, the first generation of gods. Uranus hated his children and imprisoned them in Tartarus, the deepest part of the underworld. Gaia asked her youngest son Cronus to castrate his father and free his siblings. Cronus did so and became the king of the gods, but he also feared that his children would overthrow him, so he swallowed them as soon as they were born. His wife Rhea hid their youngest son Zeus and gave Cronus a stone wrapped in cloth instead. Zeus grew up and forced his father to vomit his siblings: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. Zeus then led a war against Cronus and the Titans, with the help of the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires, who gave him thunderbolts as weapons. After ten years of fighting, Zeus and his siblings defeated the Titans and banished them to Tartarus. Zeus became the king of the gods and divided the world among his brothers: Poseidon got the sea, Hades got the underworld and Zeus got the sky. -
The Trojan War
: The Trojan War was a legendary conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans, sparked by the abduction of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, by Paris, a prince of Troy. Helen was married to Menelaus, the king of Sparta, who asked his brother Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, to help him get her back. Agamemnon gathered a great army of Greek heroes, such as Achilles, Odysseus, Ajax and Diomedes, and sailed to Troy. The war lasted for ten years, with many battles and deeds of heroism on both sides. The gods also took sides in the war, with Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo and Ares supporting the Trojans, and Hera, Athena, Poseidon and Hermes supporting the Greeks. The war ended when Odysseus came up with a clever plan: he built a huge wooden horse and hid some Greek soldiers inside it. He then pretended to abandon the siege and left the horse as a gift for the Trojans. The Trojans took the horse inside their city walls, thinking it was a sign of victory. At night, the Greek soldiers emerged from the horse and opened
the gates for their comrades
.
The Greeks
sacked
the city
and burned
it to
the ground
.
They killed
most
of
the Trojans
and took
the survivors
as slaves
.
Helen
was reunited
with Menelaus
and returned
to Greece
. -
The labors of Hercules
: Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene,
a mortal woman
.
He was
a hero
of extraordinary strength
and courage
,
but he also had
a tragic flaw
:
he was easily angered
and prone to madness
.
He married Megara,
the daughter of Creon,
the king of Thebes,
and had two children with her.
But Hera,
who hated Zeus’s illegitimate offspring,
sent him into a fit of rage,
in which he killed his wife and children.
To atone for his crime,
he had to perform twelve impossible tasks,
known as
the labors of Hercules
.
They were:-
Killing the Nemean lion,
a beast with impenetrable skin. -
Killing the Lernaean hydra,
a multi-headed serpent that grew two heads for every one cut off. -
Capturing the Ceryneian hind,
a deer with golden horns that belonged to Artemis. -
Capturing the Erymanthian boar,
a huge and ferocious wild pig. -
Cleaning the Augean stables,
which housed thousands of cattle and had not been cleaned for years. -
Killing the Stymphalian birds,
man-eating birds with bronze beaks and feathers. - Capturing the
-
Killing the Nemean lion,
