The AncientGreeks believed in a series of myths which explained nature, set up a moralcode for the people, and were just folk lore of the people. In this paper,the beginnings of myths, the Greek gods themselves, and several myths concerningmorals, nature, and old lore of the Ancients will be discussed.
Because themyths and details about the gods were passed along by word of mouth, some mythsor gods might be interchanged or different. The Greek myths startedas folk lore until it began to explain nature and storytellers integrated amoral code into the myths. Many myths started out as fairy tales. As newand more efficient farming methods became available to the Greek people theywere faced with more time in which to do other things.
A people who have wastedevelop a culture all their own. Because Greece was divided into differentcity- states, many of the myths are different. The culture of storytellingbegan to involve explanations of nature such as the creation of the horse,spider, and such changes as winter and fire along with the creation of manhimself. Slowly, as with any longstanding government, the morals and lawsof society leaked into Greek myths in the form of, “The slain shall be avengedby Nemesis (a force which causes people to get revenge),” or just, “Kindnessand humbleness are rewarded by the gods. ” Some myths were even created tosupport other myths. The myths started with storytelling and developed intoacomplex system of morals and explanations.
The Greek myths were almostfruitless without the intervention of the gods. The gods controlled natureand fought their own battles on the earth, which sometimes caused problems. The first god was the most powerful one until he had children. The firstgod is called Oranos or in some myths Uranus.
He was the first ruler amongthe gods. Uranus was the heavens and Gaea was the earth and thus they weremarried. The couple gave birth to many different and odd children but Uranuswas cruel to them. Then, Chronos was born as the youngest titan. Chronosdethroned his father and soon after married his sister, Rhea. He didn’t wanthis children to dethrone him so he ate them.
However, Zeus overthrew Chronosand established the first real empire of the gods. Zeus settled disputes betweenthe other gods and made sure the humans weren’t treated in the wrong way. Zeus and Hera gave birth to Ares and Hermes along with other minor gods. Herawas a cruel type person in most myths and in one she led a rebellion againstZeus and almost defeated him when he was rescued. Her favorite sign is thepeacock feather and that is her unique sign.
Zeus and Hera were the firstlasting god couple. Zeus had two brothers, Poseidon and Hades. AfterChronos had been defeated, the three brothers threw dice for who would rulein which realm. Poseidon chose the sea because there was the source of themost adventure.
Zeus chose the sky where he would rule on Mount Olympus. Hades had no choice and took the underworld because he was notoriously unlucky. Poseidon created many odd sea creatures and the dolphin. He also createdthe horse and horselike animals. Poseidon had many children by two nymphsand his first son, Achilles, was greater than himself.
Hades ruled the underworldand chose what to do with the souls of the people who came across the RiverStyx. They were judged on what they did in life. He was unloving and terribleand he rarely left the underworld. His only wife was Persephone. She was thedaughter of Demeter, goddess of corn, grain, and weather to an extent.
Demeteris a minor god except for the great influence she has on the earth. Becauseher daughter, Persephone, is abductedevery year, the crops wither and wintertakes control of the land. There were quite a few lesser gods who ruledover small parts of nature. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and passion. She was formed of the foam off the genitals of Neptune which fell into thesea.
She manipulated men and was known for her enchanted golden apples. Herson was Eros, where we get the word erotic. Eros is the Greek form of Cupid,the Roman god of love. Aphrodite also has a magical girdle that makes anyoneshe wishes to love her. Aphrodite is married to Hephaestus,
