The View From A Padded Cell: Taking a look at Greek Mythology

This is going to the the 1st in (I hope) to be a long line of articles (basically just me posting research etc but from my padded cell: D )

I love Greek mythology, the gods, the artifacts and the stories. This subject has a vast expansion of topics that could be discussed, so I was going to do a rundown of just some of the mythology for ATSers to mull over and hopefully discuss. Iv tried my best to condense as much as I can, sources and resources used are linked throughout the article. Everyone is of course more than welcome to add any they think may be of interest.

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Although in Greek mythology there are many gods, many will recognize what was known as the 12 Olympians, they are said to have ruled after the overthrow of the Titans. The Titans were what was called the elder gods and ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them. The ruler of the Titans was Cronus who was de-throned by his son Zeus. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and were punished by being banished to Tartarus . During their rule the Titans were associated with the various planets. All the Olympians are related in some way. They are named after their dwelling place which is situated at Mount Olympus.

Historians though-out history have been unsure of the exact origins about the stories of the gods but the 1st recorded mention of them was by Honer – the greek poet Who resided in Greece around 800bc. The Ancient Greek’s are believed to have contributed a lot to today’s civilization, more so than any other. They were people who were extremely knowledgeable, intelligent, and ambitious as well as a great deal of physical strength. They made many contributions in the fields of philosophy, astrology, physics, biology and mathematics as well as contributing to the dramatic arts and sports (As you may already know-they started the Olympic Games back in 776 BC). Historians say that the ancient Greeks were very religious people, and built many beautiful temples and buildings to worship their god in., their belief was that there were many gods who contribute to life, they also believed that the gods showed themselves in human form but they had superhuman powers and amazing strength.

There are many stories surrounding the gods, the most well known would be the Olympians and titans, and the Olympians overthrowing the titans is a fascinating read. Cronus (ruler of the titans) and his wife Rhea had a lot of children, but Cronus, who under the belief of being overthrown by one of them he would eat the children after they were born. Rhea who did not like the situation ended up hiding one of her sons soon after birth on the island of Crete, she managed to trick Cronus into swallowing a rock, this child was named Zeus, who went onto overthrow his father and the rest of the titans, rescuing his brothers and sisters and becoming the ruler of the Olympians.

[Size=5]The Olympians

Source

Zeus

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Philandering King of the Gods
Zeus, king of the gods, was actually the youngest of his generation. Yep, that's right - Hades, Poseidon, Demeter and Hera all had to listen to their baby brother. And you wonder why they all squabbled so much...

When he and his siblings overthrew their father, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew lots for which part of the world they would rule. Zeus lucked out and drew the sky, becoming a storm god. He married his sister, Hera (don't be too hard on the guy - there weren't a whole lot of choices), then set about populating Mount Olympus with his children.

Unfortunately, most of those kids weren't Hera's, who was none too happy about the ever-increasing number of step-kids. Zeus had a wandering eye for pretty women, and his numerous affairs - and his attempts to keep his wife in the dark - kept the ancient Greeks entertained for centuries.

God of: Storms, the sky, law, order, and justice.

Spouse: Hera

Children: Way too many to list, but most of the younger Olympians, and several notable heroes, including Hercules.

Symbols: Lightning bolt, eagle

Hobbies: Seducing women, throwing lightning bolts

Roman Name: Jupiter

Hera

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Vengeful Queen of the Gods

Hera was the queen of the gods and both the sister and wife of Zeus. She was more or less tricked into the marriage, but being the goddess OF marriage, she didn't have much choice but to stick it out through all her husband's philandering. She was the mother of Hephaestus, Hebe and Ares, and spent much of her free time trying to annihilate her husband's love interests and illegitimate children. The majority of her roles in Greek myths involved her attempts to preserve her marriage over the best efforts of Zeus - setting the many-eyed Argus to watch over Io, tricking Semele into asking to see Zeus's full godly glory, and so on.

She did have her good moments, though. She was crucial to helping Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. When the Clashing Rocks were set to squash their entire ship like a particularly pesky mosquito, she kept the cliffs apart long enough for them to escape. Later, she sent Thetis and the Nereides to guide Jason and his crew through the perils of Charybdis, Scylla, and the Drifting Rocks.

So, certain 90's television shows aside, she wasn't all bad. She was just a very proud woman whose husband never quite learned to keep his toga on.


Goddess of: Marriage and childbirth

Spouse: Zeus

Children: Hephaestus, Hebe, Ares

Symbols: Peacock, diadem and veil

Hobbies: Hunting down and punishing her husband's mistresses and children

Roman Name: Juno

Poseidon

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Moody God of the Seas

When the three brothers drew lots for which part of the world they would rule, Poseidon drew the sea. He took to his new kingdom well enough, and he became well-known as a temperamental god whose moods could change as swiftly as the realm he ruled. He is also credited with creating the horse.

A lot of the myths around Poseidon, like most of the male Olympians, involve women. For example, his tryst with Medusa in Athena's temple is what led to her becoming the snake-haired creature that could turn a person to stone with a well-placed glare. In another pivotal myth, he and Athena competed for Athens by presenting the people with gifts. His gift of a bitter spring didn't exactly beat Athena's olive tree.

As god of the sea, he was very important to the Greeks, whose peninsula was, of course, surrounded by water on three sides. He provided a rather stern and moody explanation for the temperamental seas and the occasional shaking of the earth. He was, in fact, known as the great Earth-Shaker.

God of: The sea, earthquakes, horses

Spouse: Amphitrite

Children: Aeolus, Triton, the Cyclops, Pegasus, Bellerophon, and Theseus, among others

Symbols: Trident

Hobbies: Looking for romance and building fantastic palaces on the bottom of the sea

Roman Name: Neptune

Hades

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Dark and Dour God of the Underworld

The third brother and the one who kinda got shafted in the domains department. Yep, Hades drew the short straw and got stuck with the Underworld, the Greek realm of the dead. His were the spirits of the dearly departed, and his duties included making sure the bad folks went to Tartarus and the VIPs ended up in the Elysian Fields.

The most well-known myth in which he played a major role told how he met his wife. As one of the most feared and unpopular of the gods, his dating prospects were frightfully grim, so when he saw Persephone prancing about in a field of flowers, he decided to skip the awkward small talk and go straight to kidnapping. Despite all his hard work, he only gets to see his wife part of the year, thanks to a compromise to make his mother-in-law/sister Demeter happy.

Thanks to being god of the dead, people kind of feared Hades to the point where they avoided saying his name and even averted their eyes when making sacrifices to him. No wonder he was so sulky all the time!

God of: The Underworld and the riches of the earth

Spouse: Persephone

Children: The Erinyes

Symbols: Sceptor, helmet of invisibility

Hobbies: Devising punishments and lounging in his ebony throne

Roman Name: Pluto

Demeter

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Goddess of Grain

Demeter, Zeus's older sister, was the goddess of the earth and grain. She taught humanity how to settle down and plant crops so they could stop wandering the earth.

Her most important myth comes from when Hades kidnapped her daughter, Persephone. For months, Demeter wandered around, looking for her lost daughter. Understandably distressed, she refused to let any crops grow until finally, Zeus demanded that Hades let Persephone go. However, Persephone had eaten part of a pomegranite (poor girl wasn't too bright), and Hades declared that Persephone would have to return to the Underworld for a third of the year. We call that third of the year "winter."

Other than that, Demeter tends to play bit parts here and there. Not much of a stagehog, our Demeter.

Goddess of: Grain, the harvest

Spouse: Far as I know, this dour lady never married.

Children: Persephone

Symbols: Sheaths of grains and a torch

Hobbies: Moping, watching the grain grow

Roman Name: Ceres

Aphrodite

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Goddess of Love and Beauty

Ah, the lovely lady Aphrodite... As the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and *ahem* procreation, she was pretty darn popular among the mortals. She was also extremely popular among the male Olympians, which is why Hera decided she needed to be married off the second she stepped ashore. As soon as word went out that this beautiful new love goddess was in the market for a husband, all the younger gods signed up for consideration. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to Aphrodite... and Hera decided the best match for her was the down-to-earth smith god, Hephaestus.

Now, the Olympian lads weren't known for respecting the sacrement of marriage, and darned if Aphrodite was going to. She hooked up with most of the gods and a good number of mortals, but her favorite was the god of war, Ares. Since Aphrodite and Ares weren't even considerate enough to take their affair out of the house, Hephaestus trapped them in a golden net and called all of Olympus to come and see. The goddesses politely declined, but it was definitely the show of the century for all the gods!

While there's a little disagreement about Aphrodite's parents, she was often accompanied by Eros, and known for her various clashes with the other goddesses. She was also noteable for her role in starting the Trojan War.

Goddess of: love, beauty, pleasure, and sex

Spouse: Hephaestus

Children: Hermaphroditus, Eros (in some cases), Deimos, Phobos, and lots of others.

Symbols: Dove, apple, sea shell, and, of course, the mirror.

Hobbies: Pampering herself and scoping out the gentlemen

Roman Name: Venus

Ares
Big-Talking God of War

Meet the loud-mouth of Mount Olympus! As the son of Zeus and Hera, he should have had a pretty prestigious place in mythology. Instead, everyone hoped this violent god of war wasn't bright enough to find his way to the party. About the only person who did like him, besides his own offspring, was Aphrodite... and they didn't exactly do a lot of talking.

Despite all his big talk, physical prowess, and position as god of war, Ares had the reputation as the consummate coward who set new speed records in running back to Daddy as soon as he got nicked by a sword, spear, arrow, or stray piece of paper. Besides his renowned affair with Aphrodite, Ares is best known for getting trapped in jar by a group of giants. The gods enjoyed his absence for months before someone finally convinced Hermes that the poor god had to be let out for air... eventually.


God of: War

Spouse: Ahaha.. ha... yeah, moving on.

Children: Deimos (Terror), Phobos (Fear), Harmonia

Symbols: Helmet and spear

Hobbies: Talking big, annoying his siblings, killing Aphrodite's other loves

Roman Name: Mars

Athena

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Goddess of Wisdom

Athena was the daughter of Zeus and his first wife, Metis, the wisest of the gods. Someone went and told Zeus that if Metis gave him a son, he'd be more powerful than the king of the gods, so Zeus decided the best way to deal with the threat was to swallow the pregnant Metis whole.

Zeus obviously hadn't thought the whole thing through, because in due time, he ran into a little problem: a headache an entire truckload of Tylenol couldn't touch. He called Hephaestus and demanded he do something about it. Apparently thinking that the king of the gods could use a little shut-eye, the smith god whacked him over the head. Imagine their surprise when a fully-grown (and clothed) Athena sprang forth!

Besides the rather odd circumstances of her birth, Athena was known for combining her mother's brains and her father's brawn together as a wise warrior goddess, specializing in defensive strategies. She took part in the war of the giants, and had a hand in the Trojan War. She also had a tendency to get rather touchy, as the likes of Tiresias, Arachne, and even Aphrodite soon found out.

Goddess of: Wisdom, war, arts and crafts, heroic endeavors, industry and justice.

Spouse: None. She was a virgin goddess.

Children: She adopted Erechtheus.

Symbols: Owl, Aegis, spear, shield, and a lovely helmet.

Hobbies: Strategizing, weaving, entering contests.

Roman Name: Minerva

Hephaestus

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Craftsman of the Gods

On a mountain full of divinely beautiful deities, Hephaestus was the ugly duckling. Some sources say he was born crippled, but if he wasn't, the bumpy ride down the side of the mountain when his mother Hera tossed him off for being ugly did the trick. Because of this, Hephaestus was known as the lame god, and usually showed up in art on the back of a donkey or leaning on a walking stick. Fortunately for him, he was rescued after his downfall by nymphs who took him to Lemnos to be raised by the kindly folk there.

He applied himself to blacksmithing and became quite the craftsman, creating objects of great beauty. However, he never forgot what Hera did to him, and decided to send her a little present: a fantastic throne. Hera was delighted, of course... until she sat down and found herself strapped in. None of the other gods could get her loose, and despite their best attempts, no one could get Hephaestus out of his workshop and back to Olympus.

Things were looking rather grim for Hera when Dionysus, back from his mad wanderings and not yet recognized as an Olympian, paid his step-brother a visit. With a liberal application of wine, Dionysus got Hephaestus drunk, loaded him onto the back of a donkey, and took him up to Olympus, where he convinced him to free the queen.

Afterward, Hera thanked Hephaestus with the worst present since Pandora's box: Aphrodite, as his wife. And we all know how well that went.

Other than that bit of drama, Hephaestus mostly stayed in his forge beneath Mount Etna in Sicily, crafting everything from Achilles' armor to Eros's arrows with the aid of his handy Cyclops assistants.

God of: fire, blacksmiths, craftsmen

Spouse: Aphrodite, and later, Aglaea

Children: Erechtheus, Eucleia (goddess of good reputation and glory), Eupheme (goddess of being well-spoken), Euthenia (goddess of prosperity and plenty), and a whole lot more.

Symbols: Hammer and tongs

Hobbies: Working... a lot.

Roman Name: Vulcan

Apollo

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Lovelorn Poet of the Gods

Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto and twin brother of Artemis, would have been a great guy during the Romantic period. He was the patron of music and poetry, endorsed archery as a sport, and had more tragic love stories than Lord Byron, Shelly, and Keats put together.

When he wasn't plucking the lyre, conducting the Muse Choir, or chasing after ladies (and the occasional lad), Apollo spent his time reminding humanity that he was, indeed, a god not to be messed with. In one of his best known acts, he slayed the dread Python, which was terrorizing the rural folk at Delphos. This act won him his very own oracle and the love of the farming community, but unfortunately, the Python was the beloved child of Gaia, and as a god who was supposed to stand for good and right, he had to make amends... which turned out to be entering the service of King Admetus. The king decided to set him to the task of guarding his cattle for nine years, giving Apollo plenty of time to work on his poetry.

One thing Apollo simply couldn't abide was anyone dissing his mama... which Niobe was dumb enough to do. She claimed to be superior to Leto because she had born a whole slew of kids while Leto could claim only two. Not the best idea. In a fit of rage, Apollo and his sister set about slaying all of Niobe's brood with a hail of arrows. Remember, kids: don't go insulting the gods!

God of: Music, poetry, archery as a sport, healing, disease, and prophecy.

Spouse: None, but he did have plenty of loves!

Children: Aristaeus (demi-god of cattle and fruit trees), Asclepius (god of healing), Troilius (a prince of Troy)

Symbols: Laurel wreath, bow and arrows, lyre, raven.

Hobbies: Penning poetry, chasing nymphs, archery.

Roman Name: Apollo

Artemis

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Celibate Goddess of the Hunt

Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the older twin sister of Apollo. At a pretty young age, she swore of men and took to the hills, determined to remain a virgin for all eternity. Out in the woods, she spent her time hunting the lions, bears, stags, and what have you with her contingent of celibate nymphs. And, of course, you have to have a healthy supply of beasties if you're going to hunt, so Artemis was also in charge of taking care of big game.

Artemis was very determined to remain an undefiled virgin, and woe to any man who threatened that. Poor Actaeon, for example, happened to stumble upon her favorite bathing pool and didn't stumble away fast enough. An irritated Artemis turned him into a stag and let his own hounds have at him.

Despite swearing off men, Artemis did become rather close to the giant hunter, Orion, who became her hunting companion and bodyguard. While in some versions of the myth, Artemis herself killed him, other versions say that Gaia or Apollo slew him. Either way, Artemis scattered his spirit among the stars to become the constellation Orion.

Goddess of: the hunt, wild animals, death and disease, healing, young girls, childbirth.

Spouse: None.

Children: None.

Symbols: Hunting bow and arrows

Hobbies: Hunting, animal rescue, fending off peeping toms.

Roman Name: Diana

Hermes

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Jack of All Trades

Arguable no god had more responsibilities and areas of influence than Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia. Hermes was the ultimate nightmare child, the kind who would have had all his grade school teachers tearing out their hair. Not long after being born, little Hermes snuck off and stole the herd of cattle his brother Apollo was supposed to be watching. He managed to get all the cows to walk backwards to make them harder to track. Apollo eventually figured out the trick, but not before Hermes had slaughtered one of the bovines and constructed the lyre out of various cow parts and a tortoise shell.

Apollo, of course, was a wee bit miffed, and hauled his little brother off the Zeus. Unfortunately for Apollo, Zeus thought this was all hilarious. While Apollo argued his case, Hermes started playing the lyre, and Apollo offered to forget the whole thing if Hermes handed over the instrument.

Zeus, meanwhile, realized that Hermes had a bit too much energy and a little too much mischief to be left alone, so he dubbed him his personal messenger and gave him the oh so envious job of guiding the souls of the dearly departed to the Underworld.

Because of his role as messenger, Hermes spent quite a bit of time with his old man, and as his trusted envoy, ended up with the task of trying to protect his father's lovers and kids from Hera's detection. Most notably, he freed Io, who Zeus had turned into a cow, from Hera's servant Argus by telling him so many boring tales and playing such soothing lullabies that the giant went to sleep.

Hermes dealt with mortals quite often and liked helping them out whenever possible, whether it was giving Odysseus a few hints or helping Orpheus find his dead wife. Instances of his wrath are fairly few, so if you were going to run into an Olympian god, Hermes was probably the best you could hope for.

God of: Shepherds, fertility, travel, marketplaces, weights and measures, good luck, oratory, language, writing, athletes, thieves.

Spouse: None.

Children: Pan, Hermaphroditus, Abderus, and others.

Symbols: herald's staff, winged boots, winged hat.

Hobbies: Helping out, stealing things, dallying with nymphs.

Roman Name: Mercury

Dionysus

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God of Wine, Theatre, and Madness
Dionysus is the youngest of the Olympians, and the one with the most mixed reactions. Women loved him because he encouraged them to have a little fun and be free, while men though that was the worst thing ever, but greatly enjoyed his gifts of wine and theater.

His mother, Semele, was a mortal, which caused him no end of trouble. As such, she was at the top of Hera's hit list, and skeptical people loved to deny that Dionysus could ever be a god. He usually managed to convince them otherwise... even if it killed them.

His youth was... rough, to say the least. Despite his aunt and uncle raising him as a girl and then spending a stint on Mount Nysa in the care of Silenus as a goat, Hera always seemed to find him and wreak havoc. When she led to the death of his first love, Ampelus, Dionysus went mad himself, and took to wandering the world until either a spring of Zeus or the goddess Rhea cured him. He eventually took his place on Olympus after convincing Hephaestus into freeing Hera from the golden throne.

As an incredibly bi-polar god, he could be sweet as wine or vengeful as a hangover, as his cousin Penthus found out when he declared that Semele had just shacked up with some local boy rather than Zeus. A group of pirates who kidnapped him also ran afoul of his bad side. He killed the captain and turned the rest of the crew (save the one who recognized him as a god) into dolphins.

Dionysus did have a softer side. When Theseus deserted Ariadne on an island, Dionysus took her as his wife and treated her as a queen. And don't let the Roman Bacchus fool you - Dionysus was more often seen as a beautiful, effeminate youth than the drunken butterball of Disney's Fantasia.

God of: Wine, vegitation, theater, pleasure, madness.

Spouse: Ariadne.

Children: Deianaira (Hercules' wife), lots of others.

Symbols: Thrysos, drinking cup, grape vine, and leopards.

Hobbies: Partying, hanging out with the ladies, watching the show.

Roman Name: Bacchus

The ancient Greeks are still a bit of a mystery to historians and archeologists, they have learned a vast amount from various Greek literature, paintings, pottery amongst other things. The ancient Greeks through-out their arts and works attempted to explain the origins of the world and often embodied detailed work about the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and mythological creatures.


Greek mythology is embodied explicitly in a large collection of narratives and implicitly in Greek representational arts, such as vase-paintings and votive gifts. Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the world and details the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and mythological creatures. Theres a heck of a lot of stuff that could be covered still but I have tried to condense it all.

The Age Of The Heroes

The age of the hero’s is also referred to as the heroic age. This was a time were it is said that new gods had stopped being born, and hero’s could be arisen from the dead. The ancient Greeks say that many endured the wrath of the gods, For Example: When the hero Bellerophon tried to reach the home of the gods upon the winged horse Pegasus, the gods sent a gadfly to sting the horse, which bucked and threw its rider. Bellerophon tumbled to the land and wandered blind and poor for the rest of his days. Bellerophon was not the only one to feel the vengeance of the gods; Arachne boasted that she could beat the goddess Athena in a weaving contest, and won – in her wrath and jealousy Athena turned her into a spider (thus we get the word “arachnid”). Medusa slept with a man in Poseidon’s temple and the sea god turned her and her two sisters into hideous Gorgons, with fangs, scales and snakes for hair.
When monsters such as the Gorgons and the Minotaur (who was the offspring of a bull and the King of Minos’ wife) were created, it was the duty of heroes to destroy them. Greek heroes were not full gods, but many were part-divine (Heracles was the son of Zeus and a woman, as was Perseus). In either case, they were worshipped as holy, although they were rarely praised as gods.
A list of just few other Mythical Creatures of Ancient Greece

Cyclopes

Hecatoncheires

Giants

Ash Tree Nymphs

Typhoeus

Cerberus

Sirens

The Ancient Greek Hero’s


List of just a few of the heroes and their accomplished trials

Heracles and his Labors
Achilles and the Trojan War
Odysseus and the Odyssey
Jason and the Argonauts
Perseus and Medusa/Gorgon
Oedipus and Thebes
Theseus and the Minotaur
Triptolemus and theEleusinian Mysteries


The Origins Myths

The origins of Greek mythology it seems cannot be fully placed, as their as various theories offered by many people. Historians of religion believe that the mythological legends and things derive from narratives of the scriptures, but say that the actual facts have been disguised and altered over time. They believe however that the heroes & gods were based on real human beings (the legends later being added.).

Thus the story of Aeolus is supposed to have arisen from the fact that Aeolus was the ruler of some islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea.[95] The Allegorical Theory supposes that all the ancient myths were allegorical and symbolical; while the Physical Theory subscribed to the idea that the elements of air, fire, and water were originally the objects of religious adoration, thus the principal gods were personifications of these powers of nature.[96] Max Müller attempted to understand an Indo-European religious form by tracing it back to its Aryan, "original" manifestation. In 1891, he claimed that "the most important discovery which has been made during the nineteenth century with respect to the ancient history of mankind ... was this sample equation: Sanskrit Dyaus-pitar = Greek Zeus = Latin Jupiter = Old Norse Tyr".[97] In other cases, close parallels in character and function suggest a common heritage, yet lack of linguistic evidence makes it difficult to prove, as in the comparison between Uranus and the Sanskrit Varuna or the Moirae and the Norns.[98]
Archaeology and mythography, on the other hand, have revealed that the Greeks were inspired by some of the civilizations of Asia Minor and the Near East. Adonis seems to be the Greek counterpart — more clearly in cult than in myth — of a Near Eastern "dying god". Cybele is rooted in Anatolian culture while much of Aphrodite's iconography springs from Semitic goddesses. There are also possible parallels between the earliest divine generations (Chaos and its children) and Tiamat in the Enuma Elish.[99] According to Meyer Reinhold, "near Eastern theogonic concepts, involving divine succession through violence and generational conflicts for power, found their way ... into Greek mythology".[100] In addition to Indo-European and Near Eastern origins, some scholars have speculated on the debts of Greek mythology to the pre-Hellenic societies: Crete, Mycenae, Pylos, Thebes and Orchomenus.[101] Historians of religion were fascinated by a number of apparently ancient configurations of myth connected with Crete (the god as bull, Zeus and Europa, Pasiphaë who yields to the bull and gives birth to the Minotaur etc.) Professor Martin P. Nilsson concluded that all great classical Greek myths were tied to Mycenaen centres and were anchored in prehistoric times.[102] Nevertheless, according to Burkert, the iconography of the Cretan Palace Period has provided almost no confirmation for these theories.[103]

Source

The gods created and either destroyed or retired four ages of men... the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age& Heroic age (already covered) and the Iron Age. It is believed that during the last age of man (the iron age) the gods abandoned man because of their greed

Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men too: For the father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade, nor will brothers love each other as once they did. Men will dishonour their parents as they attain Old Age, without repaying them the cost of their nurture. Might shall be right, so that one man may sack another man's city. There will be no merit for the man who keeps his word, or for the just, or for the good; rather, men will praise the evil-doer and admire his audacity and violent dealings. Strength will be right, and respect will vanish as an empty word. Peace being banished, the MUSES will depart; therefore they will lead a life in ugliness. The wicked will hurt the worthy, speaking false words against them; therefore will Envy walk along with them. The gods will forsake mortal men, letting bitter sorrows fall upon them; and being defenceless like children in the wilderness, they will not find any help against all evil they themselves created.

Ages Of Man

Here are some links in regards to their creation beliefs

Ancient Greek Creation Myth
Creation Of the world
The Creation of Man by Prometheus

As you see there is a lot more information I didn’t include, I tried to condense as much as possible. I hope that you enjoyed reading and thank you.

reply to post by ronishia


Wow! you put a lot of work into this!, Star and Flag! excellent post!

Wow Ron I love it!

I have always found Greek Mythology just as interesting as Ancient Egypt.

My personal belief is that these stories are based on actual events but elaborated. They say most myths come from something.

I love the names and the correlations to the planets and the skies. Why does every civilization seem to refer to the sky?

Venus and Mars are my favorite which is funny because Ares and Ahprodite are my favorite of the Greek Gods and well we all know my love of Mars.

Love it! can't wait to see the other parts.

I will be checking out the links you have provided too.

thanks that is a really cool chart!

Well done great op.
but i must confess you didnt mention my favourite goddess of all
Eris.
oh how she strikes a discord in my heart.
Kallisti

Originally posted by sprocket2cog
Well done great op.
but i must confess you didnt mention my favourite goddess of all
Eris.
oh how she strikes a discord in my heart.
Kallisti

ah yes eris

ERIS was the goddess or spirit (daimona) of strife, discord, contention and rivalry. She was often represented specifically as the daimon of the strife of war, who haunted the battlefield and delighted in human bloodshed.

Because of Eris' disagreeable nature she was the only goddess not to be invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. When she turned up anyway, she was refused admittance and, in a rage, threw a golden apple amongst the goddesses inscribed "To the fairest." Three goddesses laid claim it, and in their rivalry brought about the events which led to the Trojan War.

Eris was closely identified with the war-goddess Enyo. Indeed Homer uses the names interchangeably. Her Roman name was Discordia.

source

and thank you those that have replied, glad to know others share the same interest

Very wonderful summary, and excellent characterization of the deities! I was (idly) looking at revisiting some of the material after having gotten ahold of Frazier's THE GOLDEN BOUGH and wondering just how dated it would be now -- if new material has made any radical changes to what we thought we knew back in the day.

reply to post by Byrd


perhaps unrelated however i was wondering about methods used to date sculptures and artifacts etc there has been some flap about carbon dating etc not being accurate, and flaws in other methods. meaning that perhaps artifacts etc could be younger or older than first thought.

some examples

Used to estimate the age of ancient artifacts and human and animal remains, radiocarbon dating is regarded by many as one of the miracles of modern science. Some, however, have serious doubts about the credibility of this technique.

Although the theory of radiocarbon dating is interesting, there are several inherent problems with the process. The first of these problems is the fact that the original ratio of carbon and radioactive carbon is unknown. The second problem is that the possibility of contamination of the sample over time is quite high. The older the sample the higher the probability of contamination, in fact! What this means is that using carbon dating to date very old samples is really quite impractical given our current level of knowledge and technological capabilities.

read for full article www.essortment.com...

another example

Potassium-Argon dating is similar to radiocarbon dating in principle. Instead of measuring radioactive emissions, this method measures the decay of potassium (K-40) into argon gas (A-40). The K-40 method determines the ratio of potassium to argon in rocks. Theoretically, argon remains fairly constant through time, but potassium decays. Therefore, the level of potassium to argon determines the age. Theoretically, older samples will have lower potassium levels. Older samples will also have higher argon levels.22 Even paleontologists admit that potassium-argon dating is only useful for dating a limited variety of minerals.

First of all, the rate at which potassium decays in rock samples has never been accurately determined. Another difficulty is that argon is often more unstable than potassium. Geologist G.W. Wetherill admits "the two principal problems have been the uncertainties in the radioactive decay constants of potassium and in the ability of minerals to retain the argon produced by this decay."23

On occasion, even the paleoanthropologist has to undermine the accuracy of a potassium-argon dated artifact when the date for that item does not coincide with what he believes to be true about human evolution. For example, paleoanthropologist Alberto Angela, made the following statement when a potassium-argon date for an artifact did not support his previously held notion: "Of course, there may be uncertainties about the dating and interpretation of fossils (and, in fact, there are divergences)".24 In this statement, Angela has made some incredible and profound admissions. In the first place, he is saying that potassium-argon dating is an unreliable or an "uncertain" dating method. In the second place, in a display of honesty not often found among evolutionists, Angela admits that his, as well as any other paleoanthropologist's, interpretation of the fossil record can be often uncertain.

uranium dating

Uranium in rocks decays, forming helium and lead. Theoretically, the age of a rock can be determined by measuring its lead content.25 If there is a significant amount of lead within a rock, it supposedly implies that a great deal of uranium decay has taken place and the rock is very old. The evolutionists used this method to determine an extreme age for the earth (4.6 billion years old). It is also the reason paleoanthropologists believe that certain fossils, essential to evolution theory, are millions of years old.

What are the problems with uranium dating and all radioactive dating methods? All of the radioactive dating methods are unreliable in determining the age of the earth, fossils, and the strata in which fossils are found. Radiocarbon, potassium-argon, and the even less-proven uranium and radio-calcium methods depend too much on nonfluctuating radioactive conditions through time. (It has already been noted that radioactive conditions have fluctuated through time.)

source www.giftofeternallife.org...

other sources

www.conservapedia.com...
unlv.academia.edu...
art-of-facts.blogspot.com...
creation.com...

obviously alot more we need to learn. i wonder though how much we actually know.

Great thread dude. It's always good to read something presented by another person even if the subject in question has been done before. Keep it up.

reply to post by ronishia


Can you or anyone tell me if there is a Greek god that wears a silverish loincloth and who jumps down from Olympus to earth with a beautiful goddess in his arms?

reply to post by Student X


this story rings a bell but cant for the life of me remember who it was about, perhaps Hephaestus or Hermes,

a godess i do know who left Olympus was

Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and the household. She was the noblest and most lovable goddesses for the ancient Greeks and she symbolized harmony in the family and the city. Every household and public building in ancient Greece had an altar dedicated to Hestia in the centre of a room that burnt all day and night. Hestia was never married or had children. Not being able to bear the continuous quarrels between the gods, Hestia left Olympus and went to live somewhere quieter, giving her place to Dionysus.

some intresting facts i found about hera the first greek godess

there was of course The lesser known god and goddess of Greece perhaps one of them

A couple of questions:

1. Has anyone did independent research of the Greek Myths and their correlations with the Stories of the Bible? I checked a site and I found that there was some correlations between the various myths. It seemed that the origin stories of Greece: the Origins of Ionia and Pelasgus, the Argonautica, and the Trojan War are not based in the bible. However: Cadmus, Bellerophon, Sisyphus, Hermes, Perseus, and other heroes come from the personalities of the bible.

Sorry about taking away from your Geneology of the Olympians. But I wanted to know if anyone did some independent research.