Greek Mythology

Greek mythology is generally the study of myths and teachings that belong to the ancient Greeks. It
mainly revolves their beliefs concerning their gods, heroes, cults and ritual practices. Currently,
modern scholars study the myths in an attempt to shed light on the religious and political institutions
of ancient Greece and its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

Although when we think of mythology we think of a collection of stories, there is a beginning to

them. Understanding the beginning of the story, the creation of the world, gives us a framework to
build upon as we learn about the different myths.

In the beginning, the universe was without form. It was not nothing; there was matter, but it was
unorganized, shapeless, mixed up and dark. This was called Chaos.

After Chaos, more divinities, or gods, came into being.

Gaia, the Earth, held up Uranus, the sky. Gaia and Uranus had a bunch of kids. First they had a bunch
of monsters including the Cyclops, and then they created the Titans as the second generation. Uranus
hated all the Titans and was actually quite ugly about it but there are only a couple of Titans that
you need to remember: first, Oceanus, the god of the sea, and then Cronus, the strongest and best one
of all. Gaia was pretty ticked at Uranus for being a jerk, so she helped Cronus overthrow him.

So, let's keep this straight. Cronus is Uranus's son. Cronus became the king and married his sister,
Rhea another Titan. It's like a soap opera. This was called the Golden Age because men, who had
been made by a Titan named Prometheus, were living in harmony. Everything was hunky dory.

It didn't last, though, because Cronus heard a prophecy that one of his sons would dethrone him, so
every time his wife, Rhea, had a baby, he swallowed it. Rhea got a little sick of seeing all of her
children swallowed alive, so she tricked Cronus when her sixth child, Zeus, was born; she wrapped up
a rock to look like a baby and had Cronus swallow that instead. Zeus rescued his previously
swallowed siblings, and all was right with the world.

Now, Ill start by talking a little bit more on Greek gods and goddesses.

The Greeks believed that there were 12 major deities known as the 12 Olympians. The 12 Olympians
are Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes
and Hestia. Sometimes Hades and Persephone are included although in general Hades is excluded
because he as the god of Underworld and resided in the Underworld thus has not visited Olympus.

The 12 Olympians were the twelve deities of the Greek Pantheon, said to reside atop Mount Olympus.
The Olympians gained supremacy in a ten-year long war of gods in which Zeus led his siblings to
victory over their predecessor gods, the Titans.

Olympia is a sanctuary in ancient Greece that is known to be the site of the Olympics during the
classic times. At Olympia, there were 6 altars dedicated to six pairs of gods.

Out of the twelve Olympians, Id like to talk about Athena, the god of wisdom, craft and war.

Athena was one of the most active goddesses in human affairs. She helped out Odysseus, sponsored
the entire city of Athens and made sure the Greeks won the Trojan War. On the downside, shes
extremely proud and has a big temper. Just ask Arachne, who got turned into a spider for daring to
compare her weaving skills to Athenas. She was the patron goddess of Athens. Her symbol was the
owl. She was originally the Great Goddess in the form of a bird. By the late Classic, she had come to
be regarded as a goddess of wisdom.

Athena had proved her wisdom in many ways, such as the time when she was chosen to be the deity
of Athens. To prove her worthiness for the honor, Athena caused an olive tree to spring up on the
citadel of Athens, the Acropolis. Poseidon sought to outdo her by striking the ground with his trident
and causing a spring of water to gush forth. But as he was god of the sea, the water was salty. Athena's
gift to the Athenians was considered to be more useful, so she became the city's patron deity.

Thats all Ill be talking about today regarding Greek Mythology. Of course, this is only one of the
many gods and goddesses known in Greek Mythology as well as Mythical creatures I did not touch
upon. There are many branches to Greek mythology that can also be related to Greek philosophy that
we study in history. I hope you enjoyed listening.