Roman and Greek Mythology

• Greek Mythology is a collection of myths that Greeks used to explain their world.
• Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature
and visual arts of the Romans.
The Greek and Roman Writers of Mythology:
Ovid
• He is a compendium of mythology. Wrote during the reign of Augustus. He was a good
poet and a good storyteller and able to appreciate the myths. He wrote, I prate of ancient
poets’ monstrous lies, Ne’er seen or now or then by human eyes. ”That means, “never
mind how silly they are”. I will dress them up prettily for you that you will like them”.
Hesiod
• He was a poor farmer whose life was hard and bitter. In his poem, the Works and Days
which tries to show men how to live a good life in a harsh world. In his second poem,
Theogony is entirely concerned with mythology. The theogony is an account of the
creation of the universe and the generations of the gods.
Illiad and Odyssey
• contain the oldest Greek writings we have.
Homeric Hymns
• is a poems written to honor various gods.
Pindar
• The greatest lyric poet of Greece, began to write toward the end of sixth century. He
wrote Odes in honor of the victors in the games at the great national festivals of Greece,
and in every one of his poems myths are told. He is a quiet as important for mythology as
Hesiod.
Aeschylus
• The oldest of the three tragic poets. The other two, Sophocles and Euripides, were a
little younger. Euripides is the youngest, died at the end of the fifth century.
Aristophanes
• The Great writer of comedy. who lived in the last part of the fifth century and the
beginning of the fourth, refers often to the myths, as do also two great prose writers,
Herodotus – the first historian of Europe who was a contemporary of Euripides.
Apollunios of Rhodes
 • Who told at length the Quest of the Golden Fleece, and in connection with the story a
number of other myths. Apollunios and the three other Alexandrians, who also wrote
about mythology, the pastoral poets Theocritus, Bion, and Moschus have lost the
simplicity of Hesiod’s and Pindar’s belief in the goads.
Apuleius
• He wrote Cupid and Psyche.
Lucian
• Satirized the gods. Nevertheless, he gives by the way a good deal of information about
them.
Plato
• the philosopher, who lived less than
• a generation later.
Apolloduros
• He is also a Greek. The most voluminous ancient writer on mythology.
The Greek Pausanian
• An ardent traveler, the author of the first guidebook ever written, has a good deal to say
about the mythological events reported to have happened in the places he visited.
Virgil
• He did not believe in the myths any more than Ovid did. But he found human nature in
them and he brought the mythological personages to life as no one had done since the
Greek tragedians.
Catullus
• Tells several of the stories and Horace. But none of them are important in mythology.
• The best guides to a knowledge of Greek mythology are the Greek writers, who believed
in what they wrote.
 Major Greek and Roman Deities
Olympian Gods and Goddesses

Greek Deity Roman Name Role

Zeus Jupiter King of the Gods, god of the Sky and

Hera Juno Goddess of Marriage

Poseidon Neptune God of the Sea, Earthquakes and Horses

Demeter Ceres Goddess of Agriculture and Grain

Hestia Vesta Goddess of the Love and Beauty

Hephaestus Vulcan God of Metalworking and Fire

Ares Mars God of War and Battlelust

Hermes Mercury God of Messengers, Trade and Thieves

Apollo Apollo God of Music, Prophecy and Healing

Athena Minerva Goddess of Wisdom, War ad Craft

Artemis Diana Goddess of Hunting, Animals and

Dionysus Bacchus God of Wine and Festivity

In the beginning…
• Chaos
• In the beginning there was no earth, sky or sea. There was only confusion and darkness,
called Chaos.
Chaos has two children:
- Night (darkness)
- Erebus (death)
Mysteriously, Love was born of darkness and death.
- Love created light and Day.
- Earth was created
- The First Parents:
Chaos gave birth to Gaea (Mother Earth)
Gaea (Mother Earth)
- Eventually gave birth to a son, Uranus, also known as Father Heaven
Uranus (Father Heaven)
- He s the sky god and first ruler. He is the son of Gaea, who created him without help.

Three kinds of children:

The Monsters
First, they had three monstrous sons. Each had fifty heads and one hundred hands.
The Cyclops
- They had three more sons. They were just as big and as ugly. They had one eye in the
middle of their foreheads. They were as strong as Earthquakes and Tornadoes combined.
- The Titans
- The first gods. They have enormous size and incredible strength.
Six sons and six daughters
 Brothers: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Cronus
 Sisters: Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys.

Birth of Olympics:
• Among their children was the greatest Titan, Cronus.
• Cronus gained power from his power, Uranus, by castrating him.
• Then, Cronus became ruler over heaven and Earth and married his sister, Rhea.
Zeus is born…
• Power changed Cronus and made him evil. He was so afraid that one of his sons will
overthrown him. That is why he swallowed all of his children immediately after their
birth. Rhea secretly gave birth to her sixth child, Zeus, and gave him to Mother Earth.

Rhea’s Plan…
When Cronus asked to see the sixth child, Rhea handed him a rock wrapped in a blanket. Just
like her previous children Cronus swallowed the rock without hesitation, just as she had planned.
Zeus’ Promise…
Zeus was safely being raised by Nymphs and shepherds. Eventually, Zeus grew up and Rhea, his
mother, told him about what Cronus did to his siblings. Zeus made a promise to his mother that
he would make Cronus pay for what he did.
Zeus’ Revenge…
When Zeus returned to his mother, she disguised him as a servant and concocted a poisonous
potion for him to put into Cronus’ drink. The concoction caused Cronus to vomit up each of his
five children, one by one. Once everyone was freed, the six children decided to battle against
Cronus.
After the battle was over…
Poseidon
Would rule the sea
Zeus
would rule the heaven and become ruler of all the gods of Mt. Olympus.
Hades
Would rule the underworld.

The Olympic Gods and Goddesses

Hera
Description: Queen of the Greek gods, and wife of Zeus, Hera was the goddess of marriage and
family.
Parents: Cronus and Rhea
Symbols: Crown, sceptre, pomegranate

Zeus
Description: Zeus, king of gods, and was the most powerful of all those in Greek mythology.
Parents: Cronus and Rhea
Symbols: Lightning bolt, scepter
Poseidon
Description: Poseidon was the god of the sea.
Symbols: Trident, horse, dolphin

Demeter
Description: Demeter was the goddess of agriculture and harvest.
Symbols: Grain, cornucopia (horn of plenty)

Aphrodite
Description: Aphrodite was actually the first of the Olympian gods. Known as a gorgeous
woman, often unclothed.
Parent: descended by Uranus
Symbols: Associated with symbols such as an apple, scallop shell, or a dove.

Seven of Zeus and Hera’s children became the second generation of

Athena
Description: Athena was the goddess of warfare and wisdom.
Parents: Daughter of Zeus and the titan Metis.
Symbols: Helmet, armor, owl, olive tree

Artemis
Description: Artemis was the goddess of hunting, nature and chastity. Twin sister of Apollo
Parents: Zeus and Leto
Symbols: Bow and arrow, stag, hunting dog

Apollo
Description: Apollo was the god of music, prophecy, and archery.
Parents: Zeus and Leto
Symbols: Lyre, the laurel tree

Hermes
Description: He was the messenger to the gods and the god of travel and trade.
Parents: He was the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia
Symbols: Winged sandals or helmet and sometimes with a sheep on one shoulder.

Hephaestus
Description: He was the god of fire and craftsmanship. He is unique in that he was the only god
with a disability (a lame foot).
Parents: He was the son of Hera, and only Hera as she conceived him on her own.
Symbols: He was almost always depicted as an unkept bearded man with a hammer and an
anvil.

Ares
Description: He was the god of war and the son of Zeus and Hera. Among the other Greek gods,
and the Greek people he was worshiped more in the north of Greece.
Parents: Only son of Zeus and Hera
Symbols: He was primarily depicted in full armor, with a helmet and shield.

Dionysus
Description: He was a favorite amongst the Greek people. He was the god of wine of course. He
stood for rebellion, ecstasy, frenzy, and sexual madness.
Parents: He was the son of Zeus and Semele, the Greek princess of Thebes.
Symbols: He was usually depicted as a beardless, attractive, and androgynous looking young
man, often with a cup of wine.