Greek Mythology

by Neil Matt Hamilton

  During this time, the first humans were born. They lived for thousands of years, maintaining a youthful look. During this time, the race of humans intermingled with the gods, living in relative peace together. During this time also, Cronus married his sister Rhea and gave birth to several children including Demeter, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus sported a scythe as a weapon, and he was associated with fertility and the harvest.

  The Titans and the Olympians

  Cronus began to despise his children because he feared that one day they would overthrow him the way he had overthrown his father. Cronus solved the problem of the threat his children posed by eating them after each was born. But Rhea managed to save her youngest child. She gave her husband a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead of the child that had been born. This child was Zeus. Zeus was spirited away to Crete where he was raised in secrecy.

  Zeus discovered a potion that would force Cronus to spit up the children that he had swallowed. Cronus no longer feared being overthrown as he believed all of his children were a god. Zeus came to Cronus disguised as a cupbearer. Zeus gave his father the potion, which caused Cronus to vomit. The stone was the first to come out, followed by Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and the others. They were vomited up in the order reverse to how they had been followed.

  Zeus feared that the Titans would come to the aid of Cronus. Cronus was weak because of the potion. Zeus went down to Tartarus where he freed his uncle gods. These included cyclopes. Zeus and his siblings went to Mount Olympus where they settled and plotted against Cronus. The cyclopes fashioned weapons for the gods, including the trident for Poseidon and the lightning bolt for Zeus. The Titans were defeated in battle, in part because of the powerful weapons they had. Because Atlas had led them, he was punished with having to hold the world on his back. This was a common image in Greek art in ancient times.

  The Titans were locked in Tartarus and guarded by monsters. The universe was divided up among the gods. Poseidon was granted the seas and oceans while Hades was granted the underworld, filled with both defeated gods and humans. Zeus was the ruler of the world and overall king of the gods.

  Pandora’s Box

  The first woman was called Pandora. It was said that she was breathed to life by the breath of the god of fire, Hephaestus. The Olympian gods granted her many gifts, including the gift of emotion, the ability to create objects with her hands which came with a fine attention to detail, and the gift of language. From Zeus, Pandora received two additional gifts: a curious nature and a large box that was screwed shut tightly. But Pandora was told the contents of the box were not for human eyes. Was curiosity a blessing or a curse?

  Pandora fell in love with Epimetheus, a Titan. Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus, who himself would be punished for giving humans fire. Pandora was excited by what she found on earth. She was pleasant but fiery and impatient. Pandora could not resist the urge to open the box. She felt that the contents of the box were itching to be freed. She began to be obsessed with the box. She felt the box calling to her: “Pandora, Pandora.”

  Pandora could not resist the urge to open it and she cracked the box just to get a peek inside. But the box flew open and all the monsters and evil things flew out. Zeus had used the box to trap those things that would bring evil into the world. Pandora began to weep at the evil she had unleashed into the world. Pandora opened the box again and saw a beam of light come out. This beam of light was hope and Pandora’s heart was somewhat set at ease that she had released this into the world, too, to temper the effects of what she had done.

  Atlas and Prometheus

  As has already been stated, Atlas was the leader of the Titans in their war against the Olympians. Atlas was the son of a certain Iapetus by Clymene. Atlas was alone among the Titans in not being confined to Tartarus, which seems to be where the ancient gods exiled all those who were defeated or whom they just did not like or wish to see much of. Atlas’s punishment was to carry upon his shoulders the sky until the end of time.

  Prometheus was another Titan, and possibly the full-brother to Atlas. Prometheus was said to be the son of Iapetus by a woman who may have been Clymene. He was the brother of the Epimetheus who married Pandora. Prometheus was notable in Greek myth for a number of reasons. Some said that he was the creator of man. Most famously (or perhaps, more accurately), Prometheus was the one to give fire to mankind. To add godly insult to injury, he also taught men how to use the fire he had given them. In addition, it has been said that Prometheus also taught men other arts, like ocean navigation, medicine, metalworking, writing, and architecture.

  Zeus was angered that Prometheus had “stolen” fire and given it to mankind. For this, the king of the gods had to come up with a creative punishment. The punishment was to have Prometheus tied and bound to a mountain, where an eagle constantly picked at his liver all day long for eternity. But Prometheus healed nightly, meaning that he could not die and be relieved of his pain, but must continually suffer it anew. It would be Heracles who would rescue Prometheus. But Zeus was not done with the Titan. To punish mankind for their covetousness, Zeus gave Pandora a box full of evil and sent her into the world, as we have already seen.

  Chapter 3: Greek Gods and Goddesses

  Greek mythology, more than any other mythical tradition, was really a drama of the gods. The gods and goddesses of the Greek world seemed to be people, just with greater power and influence than mortals. Their lives were filled with the same sort of petty dramas of mortals, and they were not above squabbling with one another in very human ways. But the gods were gods nonetheless, with control of the sky, elements, emotions, and everything else that fell within the purview of deities. The gods made sure that mortals never forgot who they were and why they were.

  In this chapter, we will be introduced to the Greek gods and goddesses, who sat at the center of Greek myth. Indeed, even stories that had a human lead, like the legends of Perseus, Theseus, Jason, Paris, and others: these myths seemed to be as much about the gods as the humans since there was always a god in the background motivating this or that or interfering with this or that. Understanding the belief system of the Ancient Greeks requires that you understand their gods. The Greek gods were not like the Norse gods. They seemed to be gods of pleasure more than gods of war, and they were fond of consorting with mortals and interfering in the fabric of their lives. Perhaps the message was that there was godliness in all men, or, at the very least, that there was a certain humanity to the gods.

  The Gods of Mount Olympus

  The Greek gods and goddesses resided upon Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus was a real place. It was located in Thessaly, in Northern Greece, and it must have seemed to the Greeks a likely place for the gods to live. Greece was a place where there were mountains and high places than there were arable ones, and it was only natural that they would place their god at the highest place in this part of the world. This white top mountain looms over Greece, a place filled with mountains, and it was to Mount Olympus that the ubiquitous shepherd and fisherman of Greece looked.

  Of course, Greece was also a land of sea and seafarers, but the gods responsible for those affairs lived on Mount Olympus, too. The Olympian gods were not the first gods, as we have already seen. The Olympians replaced the Titans, the gigantic gods who preceded them. It is interesting that many mythologies place giants before even the gods. The Norse did the same with their Jotunn, the giants who were fed by the cow of the universe Audhumla even before the sons of Borr; that is, Odin and his brothers.

  It almost seems as if early Man remembered a distant past when everything was gigantic. Indeed, Greek mythology becomes about Man overcoming his environment in the same way as other mythologies do. In Norse mythology, the gods and other creatures seem to be earthly manifestations of this or that rather than characters with distinct identities. Although this is not entirely the case with Greek myth and legend, there is some of that color to the Greek stories, too. We will begin our survey of the gods and
goddesses and their place in Greek myth by being introduced to them individually. These gods were Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Ares, Hephaestus, Hades, Demeter, Dionysus, Hermes, and Artemis. They each had stories of their own, and each played a role in the general fabric of Greek life.

  Zeus

  Most mythological traditions had a father figure, a king of sorts who presided over the other gods as a father-king presides over his kid, and this was the role that Zeus filled among the Olympian gods. Zeus was not only the king of the gods, but he was the father of several of them. Zeus features in many myths of the Greeks, even if he is on the sidelines interfering in one way or the other. The role that Zeus played perhaps echoes the central emphasis that patriarchal societies placed on the patriarch: the head of both nuclear family and clan.

  But Zeus was not alone in heading his clan, and this is something that Greek writers never let us forget. Zeus presided over the Olympians with Hera by his side. Indeed, Zeus sometimes seems to play the role of fixer to Hera’s instigator. Hera is angered by this or that, and Zeus has to fix it. Zeus has done this or that to infuriate Hera and now he has to find a way to placate her. The relationship between these two gods seemed to echo the travails of marriage, but in the end, they always remain together. No matter how often Zeus’s eye may wander, it is always to Hera that he returns. The essential patriarchy of both Greece and Rome is therefore mitigated by the ever-present woman-figure that will be explained in more detail later.

  As nearly all civilizations known to us were patriarchal, there are echoes of Zeus - or what we might term Zeus-like figures - across most mythologies. Odin might be said to be a Zeus-like figure in Norse myth. Odin was also a god of the sky and weather, and he presided over the Norse equivalent of Mount Olympus: Asgard. The Norse were obsessed with war and halls that seemed to glorify war or serve a purpose in war, so Odin presided over Valhalla, which had thousands of halls were warriors might march through after they were honored for valor in death.

  Zeus did not have the same explicitly warlike function in Greek myth that other, similar figures had in their own mythological belief systems. That being said, as king of the gods it was necessary to honor Zeus if one hoped to be victorious in war, or simply successful in this endeavor or that. As king of the gods he presided over all things and it was necessary that he be honored. As the sort of alpha male of Mount Olympus, Zeus fathered numerous children, including the gods Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, and Dionysus. In Roman myth, Zeus was known as Jupiter, and he served the same function for them that he did for the Greeks.

  Apollo

  Apollo was arguably the second most important god in Greek mythology. As god of the son, he was responsible for the light that provided men with heat in the daytime and sunshine when it was time to sow. Apollo was also associated with handsomeness among men and masculinity in general. Apollo is sort of a strange god as he seems to be sort of a mesh of a Greek element and a non-Greek element. Indeed, Apollo was the god the Greeks believed to be the advocate or embodiment of moderation, and it seemed that the god himself embodied a moderation between two disparate elements.

  One element of Apollo seemed to be a sort of Near Eastern sun god. This sort of god would likely have been appeased with ample sacrifices, and in some places was probably more important that Zeus, or whatever the local variant of Zeus was. It is important to explore this idea as Greek mythology does seem to represent an amalgamation of local belief systems. So, Apollo really represented the cynicism of different gods, creating a god who was both sun god and something else. Though we may say that there was something non-Greek about Apollo, the aesthetic element at least appears particularly Greek. Greek society was just as patriarchal as Rome, if not more, and an emphasis on male beauty and power as two sides of the same coin seems to be a natural extension of this androcentrism.

  As we have already seen, there were Apollo-like figures in other belief systems. Although other mythologies do not always have a male sun god, a god with an association with nature or an element of nature that is also associated with maleness and masculinity is not uncommon. It is hard to say who the equivalent of Apollo would be in Norse belief; perhaps it would be Thor or Baldr. Apollo was one of the few Greek gods who kept his name in Roman myth, although he had to compete with other gods that had a similar function, like Sol, Mithras, Elagabalus, and others. As Helios, Apollo was the embodiment of the sun; in this guise, he was sometimes known as Apollo Helios. There were many places sacred to him, including the island of Delos, the island of Rhodes, Delphi, and others. There would have been temples or sacred places to Apollo in most Greek cities.

  Poseidon

  This is a useful place to mention the idea of a city being devoted to a god, or under the patronage of a god. So in Greek mythology and belief, we can talk about this or that city being sacred to this or that god. This meant that the people of that place would have regarded a particular god as their patron deity, even though they would have worshipped other gods as well. This might also mean that people from other cities might come to a particular shrine in order to honor the god of that city. This was the case of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus or the shrine of Aesculapius at Epidaurus.

  Now onto Poseidon. Poseidon was the god of the sea. Most people that lived in places bordering the sea had a sea god, and as the Greeks were primarily a seafaring people it stands to reason that they would not only have a Poseidon but that Poseidon would be important. Poseidon was the protector of the creatures of the sea as well as men who traveled on the sea. So he would have been prayed to by fishermen and sailors going off to war alike.

  As king of the sea, Poseidon had some accoutrements that made him rather interesting among the gods. His weapon was the three-pronged staff known as the triton. He was often depicted with this symbol in sculpture and painting alike. He was also often depicted with a crown and one that might have elements of the sea like seashells or conchs. Poseidon presided over the humanoid creatures of the sea and of water, like nymphs and nereids. Where the Norse had their obsession with fantastic creatures like elves, dwarfs, and the like, the Greeks were obsessed with the personifications of bodies of water. This sea-fixation is a characteristically Greek “thing” and it is important to take note of it here. Poseidon was worshipped in many Greek cities, and he had a famous temple at Marathon near Athens and at Paestum in Southern Italy.

  Hera

  Hera occupied an important place in Mount Olympus. Her title was queen, as the wife of Zeus, the king, but she was more than this. Hera had a role that was nearly as important as that of her husband. She was associated with the role of wife, domestic life, and motherhood. She would have been prayed to before marriage or before birth. Because she was associated with wives and motherhood, she seemed also to be important in creation: creating a trifecta of female gods who had a generative role, namely Athena (as the generator of wisdom), Aphrodite (as generator of love), and Hera (as a generator of domesticity).

  In spite of Hera’s association with the family, wives, children, and other domestic arts, her own domestic life was somewhat of a mess. She was constantly in a state of outrage over the frequent infidelities of her husband. Zeus fathered children with goddesses, nymph, and human alike. He really did not discriminate when it came to love, and so too did Hera not discriminate when it came to the targets of her rage. Greek myth is rife with the anger of Hera, and this dynamic seemed to serve a role in the Greek psyche as some sort of reflection of the realities of life. Hera was worshipped in many places, but Argos was the city most sacred to her. In Roman myth, she was known as Juno, the wife of Jupiter.

  Athena

  Athena was one of the most important Greek divinities: a goddess associated with wisdom. This goddess was also associated with war, and she is generally shown if not dressed in armor at least wearing a helmet and carrying a spear. One wonders how significant Athena would be if it were not for Athens. It is an interesting idea to explore, as the individual Greek gods were almost l
ike the sports teams of the ancient worlds. Athena was to Athens what the Penguins are to Pittsburgh, or the Celtics are to Boston. Athens played an important role in the propaganda regarding Athena, and she, in turn, protected the city that had been named after her.

  Athena is interesting for other reasons as well. Greek legend claimed that she sprung fully-formed from Zeus’s head. She was one of many daughters of Zeus, and perhaps the most important. She was associated with wisdom, a domain that did not always have a god assigned to it in mythologies, and rarely a woman. Athena was perhaps among the most unique of the Greek gods, even seeming to have a sort of maleness to her that may suggest that she was an older goddess when it came to the relative age of worship. Athens was sacred to Athena, and to the Romans, she was known as Minerva.

  Aphrodite

  Aphrodite was a goddess of love. When it comes to being a curious god, that is, strange when all the factors are weighed together, Aphrodite gives Athena a run for her money. Aphrodite was a goddess who certainly did not originate with the Greeks. Much of Greek worship came as a result of trade. The Greeks would have been trading with the various groups of the Near East from an early period, and Aphrodite certainly was a goddess who must have been picked up by merchants who had been exposed to the worship of Astarte and other female goddesses of a sensual type in places like Phoenicia and Syria.