Immortals of Greek mythology

The Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and heroes during their time. Each one had a sole purpose in a mortal’s lifetime. Greek mythology had a huge impact on religion in Ancient Greece. The Greeks performed rituals in order to honor their gods. Mythology affected the Ancient Greeks in many ways. The origins of mythology, the influences of mythology through a human’s lifetime and lessons taught in the ancient myths will be examined.

When people wonder about Ancient Greece the first thing that comes to their minds is Greek mythology; gods and goddesses that have helped shape many historical events. “In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life.” (“Greek Mythology.”) The civilization showed that numerous characters and stories helped shape Greeks. The beliefs the Greeks had with mythologies was they understood the meaning behind all the characters that are known today. However, to the Greeks, they were not just characters, these were their gods and goddesses who gave them meaning and understanding of the world around them. Worshiping the gods and goddesses helped them with their religious rituals and the temperament of the weather. A famous wine-jar that was made during this time period was “Achilles killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, 540-530 BCE, black-figured amphora”. (Khan Academy) The civilization that they lived in grew around their worship and achievements.

He is also the son of Cronus and Rhea, and is the second most powerful god. He is one of the three supreme gods of the Earth. (Gall.)

With his shield, Aegua, he was believed to be the god able to create any of the Phenomena that the greeks had seen in the sky. He was considered to be the ruler of the realms of the sky and air, and controlled anything that happened within them. Because he was the ruler of the sky, and had helped free the Cyclops, they rewarded him with the thunder bolt, a powerful weapon that allowed him to hurl lightning bolts at anything or anyone he desired. He was known to have a short temper, and to throw lightning at anyone who made him angry, particularly liers and oath breakers. He also used it on anyone who fell in love with his wife, even though he had many affairs. He is generally thought of as “wise, fair, just, merciful, and prudent. He was also unpredictable – nobody was able to guess the decisions he would make”(greekgodsandgoddesses.net). He tried to protect people from wrongdoing, punishing those who did, and is also the god of hospitality and quests, ready to fix any wrong done to a stranger. His main symbol is the lightening bolt, as it is his favorite weapon, but he has also been represented as an eagle, as it sees all, much like him from Mount Olympus, a bull to

In Greco-Roman Culture, humans imagine the deities of mythology to be and act certain ways, due to the needs they must fill. People invented certain deities for reasons that align with what they needed from them. To examine how a deity has a certain purpose, one must first examine what they are like. Athena and Ares are examples of deities invented for very specific purposes. One must first look at Athena and Ares’ similarities and differences in relation to their characteristics, their sexuality and physical appearances, as well as their different powers and how they are worshipped, to discover why they were created.

In Greek mythology, each god or goddess has a unique affinity. For example, Athena is the Goddess of war, Poseidon is the God of the sea, and Aphrodite is a famous goddess known for representing beauty, love, and fertility. Aphrodite is quite popular in our world as she is the symbol of the infinitely desirable female.

The culture where the sculpture was produced was Roman. During this period of time, Dionysus was a religious cult figure at the temples. As a mythological personification, Dionysus was believed to be a youthful, joyful and effeminate figure. He was the God of wine, celebration and divine intoxication of power. The female figure standing next to him is Spes, the Goddess of hope, who brought harmony to society. Both statues together represented peace, calm and prosperity to the lands.

Hera: Queen of all the gods and goddesses, she is the goddess of marriage and family. Her symbols are the Peacock and the Cow. Hera is sister to Hades, Poseidon, and also wife of Zeus. Zeus had an affair with a mortal and had a kid named Heracles. When Hera heard about it she got mad so she decided to punish Heracles for it and sent snakes to attack him in his crib.

Hades: Hades was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, and the son of Cronus. After the overthrow of their father, he lost and became the lord of the underworld and the ruler of the dead. The Greeks called him Plouton, due to the precious metals mined from the earth, therefore, Hades also became the god of wealth. He preferred the underworld much more, so it was rare for him to leave his kingdom. Hades’ weapon was a pitchfork, which he used to create earthquakes.

From south to north it is Hermes (messenger god), Dionysus (god of wine), Demeter (goddess of growing grain), Ares (god of war), Iris (female messenger to the gods), Hera (goddess of marriage), and Zeus leaning over the back of his throne holding a scepter3. The second group of gods from south to north is Athena, Hephaestus (smith of the gods), Poseidon (god of the sea), Apollo, his young sister Artemis (the huntress), Aphrodite (love goddess), and her son Eros3. This group of gods is beside four men, who are thought to be magistrates or four of the ten eponymous heroes who gave their names to the ten tribes of Athens3. They serve as a transition between the gods seated on one side and the procession approaching on the other. The gods on these three long slabs are sufficiently well preserved, so there is some consensus about their identifications. This is based on reliable clues given by the carved attributes; for instance, the torch of Demeter, the throne of Zeus, the crutch tucked under the arm of Hephaistos, and the petasos and boots of Hermes5. A popular theory for the arrangement of the gods is that it references the Athenian military action. The north most four gods (Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, and Aphrodite) all relate to Theseus, and his voyage overseas to slay the Minotaur in particular5. The south most four gods have strong associations to the land. For example, Dionysos as the god of viticulture

with her reputation. The Greeks placed the goddess of love in a very important position in

and beauty. She is also said to have a magic girdle that makes anyone she

In Greek Mythology, perhaps one of the most rudimental yet one of the most important elements are the Greek Gods and Goddesses. The ancient Greeks created the stories about the lives and journeys of the Greek Gods, known as myths, simply as an endeavor to elucidate nature and all phenomena which were difficult to explain using modern science and logic. These myths about the Gods were spread around the world by explorers and storytellers, and later merged with Greek religion. To this day, numerous myths survived through many writings and through much art. Each of these myths is very unique, and moreover, tells us much about the Greek Gods. The Greek myths in particular convey to us that Greek Gods and Goddesses looked and acted like humans,

"A myth is a collective term denoting a symbolic narrative in religion, as distinguished from symbolic behavior (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples, icons)". (The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Vol. 24)Mythology is a collection of myths meant to explain the universe. Mythological stories were told in many different cultures and civilizations. The existence of myths is known in every society. Many different myths were conceived to explain occurrences that happened in nature.

Hermaphroditus is the child of Zeus, Aphrodite, Athene, and Poseidon, and therefore cursed with being its own lover (Sharman-Burke and Greene 82). In addition to these incestuous relationships, are relationships that Zeus has with his children. For example, Dionysus is attached to his thigh.