Gaea
Gaea is the Earth goddess. She mated with her son Uranus to produce the remaining Titans. Gaea seems to have started as a neolithic earth-mother worshipped before the Indo-European invasion that eventually lead to the Hellinistic civilization.
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Uranus
Uranus is the sky god and first ruler.
He is the son of Gaea, who created him without help.
He then became the husband of Gaea and together they had many offspring,
including twelve of the Titans.
His rule ended when when Cronus, encouraged by Gaea, castrated him. He either died from the wound or withdrew from earth
Cronus
Cronus was the ruling Titan who came to power by castrating his Father
Uranus. His wife was Rhea.
There offspring were the first of the
Olympians. To insure his safety
Cronus ate each of the children as they were born. This worked until
Rhea, unhappy at the loss of her children, tricked
Cronus into swallowing a rock, instead of
Zeus. When he grew up Zeus would
revolt against Cronus and the other Titans, defeat them, and banish
them to Tartarus in the underworld.
Cronus managed to escape to Italy, where he ruled as Saturn. The period of his rule was said to be a golden age on earth, honored by the Saturnalia feast.
Rhea
Rhea was the wife of Cronus. Cronus made it a
practice to swallow their children. To avoid this, Rhea tricked Cronus
into swallowing a rock, saving her son Zeus.
Oceanus
Oceanus is the unending stream of water encircling the world.
Together with his wife Tethys produced
the rivers and the three thousand ocean nymphs.
Tethys
Tethys is the wife of Oceanus. Together they
produced the rivers and the three thousand ocean nymphs.
Hyperion
Hyperion is the Titan of light, the father of the sun, the moon, and
the dawn.
Mnemosyne
Mnemosyne was the Titan of memory and the mother of
Muses.
Themis
Themis was the Titan of justice and order. She was the mother of the
Fates and the Seasons.
Iapetus
Iapetus was the father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas.
Coeus
Titan of Intelligence. Father of Leto. Crius
No details available. Phoebe
Titan of the Moon. Mother of Leto. Thea
No details available. Prometheus
Prometheus was the wisest Titan. His name means "forethought" and he was
able to foretell the future. He was the son of Iapetus.
When Zeus
revolted against Cronus Prometheus deserted the
other Titans and fought on Zeus side.
By some accounts he and his brother Epimetheus were delagated by Zeus to create man. In all accounts, Prometheus is known as the protector and benifactor of man. He gave mankind a number of gifts including fire. He also tricked Zeus into allowing man to keep the best part of the animals scarificed to the gods and to give the gods the worst parts.
For this Zeus punished Prometheus by having him chained to a rock with an eagle tearing at his liver. He was to be left there for all eternity or until he agreed to disclose to Zeus which of Zeus children would try to replace him. He was eventually rescued by Hercules without giving in to Zeus.
Epimetheus
Epimetheus was a stupid Titan, whose name means "afterthought".
He was the son of Iapetus.
In some accounts he is delegated, along with his brother
Prometheus by Zeus
to create mankind.
He also accepted the gift of Pandora
from Zeus, which lead to the introduction of evil into the world.
Atlas
Atlas was the son of Iapetus. Unlike his brothers
Prometheus and Epimetheus,
Atlas fought with the other Titans supporting Cronus
against Zeus. Due to Cronus's advance
age Atlas lead the Titan's in battle. As a result he was singled out by
Zeus for a special punishment and made to hold up the world on his back.
Metis
Metis was the Titaness of the forth day and the planet Mercury.
She presided over all wisdom and knowledge. She was
seduced by
Zeus
and became pregnant with Athena.
Zeus became concerned over prophecies
that her second child would replace Zeus. To avoid this Zeus ate her.
It is said that she is the source for Zeus wisdom and that she still
advises Zeus from his belly.
It may seem odd for Metis to have been pregnant with Athena but, never mentioned as her mother. This is because the classic greeks believed that children were generated soley from the fathers sperm. The women was thought to be nothing more then a vessal for the fetus to grow in. Since Metis was killed well before Athena's birth her role doesn't count.
The Olympians
The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthow
of the Titans.
All the Olympians are related in some way.
They are named after their dwelling place
Mount Olympus.
Zeus
Zeus overthew his Father Cronus. He then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky, the rain god. His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls at those who displease him. He is married to Hera but, is famous for his many affairs. He is also known to punish those that lie or break oaths.
Poseidon
Poseidon is the brother of Zeus.
After the overthow of their Father Cronus
he drew lots with Zeus and Hades,
another brother, for shares of the world.
His prize was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen.
He married Amphitrite,
a granddaughter of the Titon
Oceanus.
At one point he desired Demeter. To put him off Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful animal that the world had ever seen. So to impress her Poseidon created the first horse. In some accounts his first attempts were unsucessful and created a varity of other animals in his quest. By the time the horse was created his passion for Demeter had cooled.
His weapon is a trident, which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. He is second only to Zeus in power amongst the gods. He has a difficult quarrelsome personality. He was greedy. He had a series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities.
Hades
Hades is the brother of Zeus.
After the overthow of their Father Cronus
he drew lots with Zeus and
Poseidon, another brother, for shares of the world.
He had the worst draw and was made lord of the
underworld, ruling over the
dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly
concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling
increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The
Erinnyes are welcomed guests.
He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.
He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has a helmet that makes him invisable. He rarely leaves the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious. His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but, death itself is another god, Thanatos.
Hestia
Hestia is Zeus sister. She is a virgin goddess.
She does not have a distinct personality. She plays no part in myths.
She is the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the house around which
a new born child is carried before it is received into the family.
Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was
never allowed to go out.
Hera
Hera is Zeus wife and sister.
She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys.
She is the protector of marrage and takes special care of married women.
Hera's marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Zeus courted her unsuccesfully. He then turned to trickery, changing himself into disheveled cuckoo. Hera feeling sorry for the bird held it to her breast to warm it. Zues then resumed his normal form and taking advantage of the suprise he gained, raped her. She then married him to cover her shame.
Once when Zeus was being partcularly overbearing to the other gods, Hera convinced them to join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to drug Zeus, and in this she was successful. The gods then bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch taking care to tie many knots. This done they began to quarrel over the next step. Briareus overheard the arguements. Still full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped in and was able to quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grapped up his thuderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy. He seized Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains. She wept in pain all night but, none of the others dared to interfere. Her weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to release her if she would swear never to rebel again. She had little choice but, to agree. While she never again rebeled, she often intrigued against Zeus's plans and she was often able to outwit him.
Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus's infidelities. Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. Her favorite city is Argos.
Ares
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera.
He was disliked by both parents. He is the god of war. He is considered
murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward. When caught in an act
of adultery with Aphrodite her husband
Hephaestus is able publically ridicule him.
His bird is the vulture.
His animal is the dog.
Athena
Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full
grown in armour from his forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce
and brave in battle but, only wars to defined the state and home
from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts,
and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame
horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow,
the yoke, the ship, and the chariot.
She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity.
She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons
including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city is Athens. Her tree is the
olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.
Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto.
His twin sister is Artemis.
He is the god of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting
with a silver bow. The god of healing who taught man medicine. The god
of light. The god of truth, who can not speak a lie.
One of Apollo's more importaint daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky.
He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People travled to it from all over the greek world to devine the future.
His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The dolphin his animal.
One says she is the daughter of Zeus and
Dione.
The other goes back to when Cronus
castrated Uranus and tossed his severed
genitles into the sea. Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant
scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus.
She is the wife of Hephaestus.
The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swann, and the sparrow her birds.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty.
In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels
anyone she wishes to desire her.
There are two accounts of her birth.
Hermes
Hermes is the son of Zeus and
Maia.
He is Zeus messenger. He is the fastest of the gods. He wears winged
sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He is the god
of thieves and god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to
the underworld.
He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy
, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.
Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and
Leto.
Her twin brother is Apollo.
She is the lady of the wild things. She is the huntsman of the gods.
She is the protector of the young.
Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows.
She became associated with the moon.
She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides
over childbirth, which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back
to causing Leto no pain when she was born.
She became associated with Hecate.
The cypress is her tree. All wild animals are scared to her, especially
the deer.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera.
Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father.
He is the only god to be physically ugly. He is also lame. Accounts as
to how he became lame vary. Some say that Hera, upset by having an ugly
child, flung him from Mount Olympus
into the sea, breaking his legs. Others that he took Hera's side in an
arguement with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus.
He is the god of fire and the forge. He is the smith and armorer of the gods.
He uses a volcano as his forge. He is the patron god of both smiths and
weavers. He is kind and peace loving.
His wife is Aphrodite.
Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia.
Places in the Greek Myths
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus towers up from the center of the earth. Here the major gods
live and hold court. The myths are somewhat vague on weather it is
an actual mountain or a region of the heavens.
The Underworld
The underworld is hidden in the earth. It is the kingdom of the dead
and ruled over by Hades.
Hades is a greedy god who is greatly
concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling
increase the number of dead are seen favorably.
The Erinnyes
are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly
disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.
For most, life in the underworld is not particularly unpleasent. It is rather like a miserable dream, full of shadows, without sunlight or hope. A joyless place where the dead slowly fade into nothingness.
Geographically, the underworld is surrounded by a series of rivers: The Acheron (river of woe), The Cocytus (river of lamentation), The Phlegethon (river of fire), The Styx (river of unbreakable oath by which the gods swear), and The Lethe (river of forgetfulness). Once across the rivers an adamantine gate, guarded by Cerberus, forms the entrance to the kingdom. Deep withen the kingdom is Hades vast palace, complete with many guests.
Upon death a soul is lead by Hermes to the entrance of the underworld and the ferry across the Acheron. There is a single ferry run by Charon to take the souls across the river. Only those who can pay the fare, with coins placed on their lips when buried, receive passage. The rest are trapped between two worlds. The souls then enter through the gates. Cerberus will allow all to enter but, none to leave. The souls then appear before a panel of three judges, Rhadamanthus, Minos I, and Aeacus, who pass sentence. The very good go to the Elysian Fields. Others are singled out for special treatment. Sisyphus and Tantalus being prime examples of the later.
Tartarus
Tartarus lies far beneth the disk of the world. Deeper then
Hades kingdom of the
underworld. It is used as the ultimate of
prisons, unpleasent and inaccessable.
The Lessor Gods
Demeter
Demeter is the godess of corn, grain, and the harvest.
She is the daughter of Cronus and
Rhea.
It is Demeter that makes the crops grow each year.
The first loaf of bread from the harvest is scarificed to her.
Demeter is intimately associated with the seasons. Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld. In her anger at her daughter's loss Demeter laid a curse on the world that caused plants to wither and die, the land became desolate. Zeus became alarmed and sought Persephone's return. However, because she had eaten while in the underworld Hades had a claim on her. Therefore, it was decreed that Persephone would spend four months each year in the underwold. During these months Demeter greves her daughters absence, and withdraws her gifts from the world, creating winter. Her return brought the spring.
Demeter is also known for founding the Eleusinian Mysteries. These were huge festivels held every five years. They were importaint events for many centuries. Yet, little is known of them as those attending were sworn to secrecy. The central tenant seems to have been that just as grain returns every spring after its harvest and wintery death, so too the human soul could be reborn after the death of the body.
Persephone
Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and
Demeter. After her abduction by
Hades she became his wife and Queen
of the underworld.
Dionysus is the son of Zeus and
Semele. He is the only god to have a
mortal parent. Zeus came to Semele in the night, invisable, felt only
as a devine presence. Semele was pleased to be a lover of a god,
even though she did not know which one. Word soon got around and
Hera
quickly assumed who was responsible. Hera went to Semele in disguise
and convinced her she should see her lover as he really was.
When Zeus next came to her she made him promise to grant her one wish.
She went so far as to make him swear on the
River Styx that he would
grant her request. Zeus was madly in love and agreed. She then asked
him to show her his true form. Zeus, was unhappy, and knew what would
happen but, having sworn he had no choice. He appeared in his true form
and Semele was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory.
Zeus did manage to rescue Dionysus and stiched him into his thigh to
hold him until he was ready to be born. His birth from Zeus alone
conferred immortality upon him.
Dionysus
Dionysus is the god of the vine. He invented wine and spread the art of
tending grapes. He has a dual nature. On the one hand bringing joy and
devine ecstasy. On the other brutal, unthinking, rage. Thus, reflecting
both sides of wines nature.
If he choses Dionysus can drive a man mad.
No normal fetters can hold him or his followers.
Dionysus wandered the world actively encouraging his cult. He was accompanied by the Maenads, wild women, flush with wine, shoulders draped with a fawn skin, carrying rods tipped with pine cones. While other gods had templaces the followers of Dionysus worshipped him in the woods. Here they might go into mad states where they would rip apart and eat raw any animal they came upon.
Dionysus is also one of the very few that was able to bring a dead person out of the underworld. Even though he had never seen Semele he was concerned for her. Eventually he journeyed into the underworld to find her. He faced down Thanatos and brought her back to Mount Olympus.
Dionysus became one of the most important gods in everyday life. He became associated with several key concepts. One was rebirth after death. Here his dismemberment by the Titans and return to life is symbolically echoed in tending vines, where the vines must be pruned back sharply, and then become dormant in winter for them to bear fruit. The other is the idea that under the influence of wine, one could feel possessed by a greater power. Unlike the other gods Dionysus was not only outside his believers but, also within them. At these times a man might be greater then himself and do works he otherwise could not.
The festivel for Dionysus is in the spring when the leaves begin to reapper on the vine. It became one of the most important events of the year. It's focus became the theater. Most of the great greek plays were initially written to be performed at the feast of Dionysus. All who took part writers, actors, spectators were regaurded as scared servents of Dionysus during the festivel.
Eros
Eros is the son of Aphrodite.
Eros is the god of love. In particular erotic, romantic, love.
He is often represented blindfolded because, love is often blind.
His "weapon" is darts or arrows. In either case the tips have been
magically treated to produce either uncontrolable love or unsurmountable
disintrested in the first person seen be Eros's victim after wounding.
Hebe
Hebe is the daughter of Zeus
and Hera.
She is the goddess of youth. She, along with Ganymede
are the cupbearers to the gods. Hebe is Hercules wife.
Eris
Hebe is the daughter of Zeus
and Hera.
She is the goddess of discord. In addition to her main activity of
sowing discord, she frequently accompanies her brother
Ares to battles. On these occasions
she rides his chariot and brings her son Strife.
Eris is unpopular and frequently snubbed as a guest by the other gods and mankind. This was not always a safe thing to do. The most dramatic example being the Trojan War, which was an indirect result of not inviting Eris to a wedding.
Helios
Helios was the greek sun god. He may be thought of as a personification
of the sun. He plays little role in the myths. He became rather
overshadowed by Apollo the lord of the sun.
He was the son of Hyperion.
Thanatos
Thanatosos was the greek god of death. He may be thought of as a
personification of death. He plays little role in the myths. He became rather
overshadowed by Hades the lord of the sun.
Pan
Pan is the son of Hermes.
He is the god of goatherds and shepherds.
He is mostly human in appearnce but, with goat horns and goat feet.
He is an excellent musician and plays the pipes. He is merry and
playful frequently seen dancing with woodland nymphs. He is at home
in any wild place but, is favorite is Arcady, where he was born.
He is always in pursuit of one of the nymphs but, always rejected
because he is ugly.
His name is the basis for the word "panic". There are two differing explanations for this. The first is that he was present when Zeus defeated the Titans and claimed that it has his yelling that caused the Titans to flee. However, this seems at odds with his being Hermes son. The second is that he created the noises in the woods at night the scared travelers.
Nemesis
Nemesis means righteous anger, due enactment, or devine vengence.
This god helped to avenge those who were wronged. The Graces
They are the daughters of Zeus and
Eurynome. There are three Graces: Aglaia (Splendor),
Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good Cheer). The are known for singing and
dancing for the gods.
The Muses
They are the daughters of Zeus and
Mnemosyne.
They are known for the music of their song, which brings joy to any who
hear it. There are nine Muses, each with her own specialty:
Clio (History), Urania (Astronmy),
Melpomene (Tragedy), Thalia (Comedy), Terpsichore (Dance), Calliope
(Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry), Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods),
Euterpe (Lyric Poetry).
The Erinnyes
Also known as the Furies, punish crime. They persue wrong doers relentlessly,
until death, often driving them to suicide. They are particularly concerned with
matricide. There are three Erinnyes, Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto.
The Erinnyes came from the blood of Uranus
when he was castrated.
The Fates are old and predate the gods. It is not entirely clear how
far their power extends. It is possible that they determine the fate
of the gods as well. In any case, not even the most powerful is willing
to triffle with them.
The Fates
The Fates have the subtle but, awesome power of deciding a mans destiny.
The assign a man to good or evil. There most obvious choice is chosing
how long a man lives. There are three Fates. Clotho, the spinner, who
spins the thread of life. Lachesis, the measurer, who choses the lot
in life one will have and measures off how long it is to be. Atropos,
she who can not be turn, who at death with her shears cuts the tread
of life.
Herakles
(Heracles, Roman Hercules)
Greek hero, worshipped as a deity. It has been variously
speculated that the mythical Herakles may have derived from an
actual Greek chieftain or shaman who protected his people from
external dangers which later became the labours of Herakles. Some
parallels can be seen with the Mesopotamian figures of Ninurta and
Gilgamesh.
He was the son of Zeus and Alkmene, and the husband of
Deianeira. The jealous Hera sent two snakes to kill Herakles in
his cradle, but the infant strangled them. When he grew up, he was
forced to serve King Eurystheus, who assigned him his twelve
labours.
- (1) the slaying of the Nemean lion;
- (2) the slaying of the Lernaean Hydra;
- (3) the capture of the Arcadian stag;
- (4) the destruction of the Erymanthian boar;
- (5) the cleansing of the Augean stables;
- (6) the shooting of the man-eating birds of the Stymphalian marshes;
- (7) the capture of the Cretan bull;
- (8) the capture of the man-eating horses of Diomedes;
- (9) the theft of the girdle of the Amazon queen Hippolyta;
- (10) the capture of the cattle of Geryon;
- (11) the acquisition of the golden apples of the Hesperides; and
- (12) the capture of Cerberus.
Athenia's Birth
Zeus came to lust after
Metis, and chased her in his direct way.
Metis tried to escape, going so far as to change her form many times.
Turning into various creatures such as hawks, fish, and serpents. However,
Zeus was both determined and equally proficient at changing form. He
continued his persuit until she relented.
An Oracle of Gaea then prophesied that Metis first child would be a girl but, her second child would be a boy that would overthrow Zeus as had happened to his father and grandfather. Zeus took this warning to heart. When he next saw Metis he flattered her and put her at her ease. Then with Metis off gaurd Zeus suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed her. This was the end of Metis but, possibly the beginning of Zeus's wisdom.
After a time Zeus developed the mother of all headaches. He howled so loudly it could be heard throughout the earth. The other gods came to see what the problem was. Hermes realized what needed to be done and directed Hephaestus to take a wedge and split open Zeus's skull. Out of the skull sprang Athena, full grown and in a full set of armour. Due to her manor of birth she has dominion over all things of the intellect.
Zeus Lovers
As the sky god Zeus had easy access to
the women of the world and took full advantage of it.
Also, his power as a supreme god made him difficult to resist.
Prior to his marrage to Hera
he was married first to Metis,
then Themis. He was interested in
Demeter but she resisted him.
His third wife was Mnemosyne.
The list of lovers after his final marrage, to Hera, is considerable:
Europa
Europa was the daughter of the King Agenor of Sidon. She had the continent of Europe named for her. Somewhat miraculesly Hera was distracted during her affair with Zeus and never punished her for it.One night Europa had a dream. In this dream two continents, which were in the forms of women were arguing over Europa. Asia maintained that since Europa had been born in Asia she belonged to it. The other continent, which was nameless, said that her birth was not important, that Zeus would give her to it.
It was early morning, disturbed by the dream Europa did not go back to sleep. She summoned her companions, who were all daughters of nobility and of her age. It was a beautiful day and they went off gathering flowers by the sea. Zeus noticed this charming group, particularly Europa, who was the prettest of the maidens. Some say that Eros, induced him into action with one of his darts. Although, Zeus often made due with self motivation. In any case, Zeus appeared to the group as a white bull. A white bull more beautiful then any other. A bull that smelled of flowers, and lowed musically. A bull so obviously gentle that all the maidens rushed to stroke and pet it.
The bull laid down in front of Europa. She slid on to its back. Instantly, the bull charged off, plunging into the sea, and began to swim rapidly from the shore. Europa saw that a procesion had joined them, Nereids riding dolphins, Triton blowing his horn, even Poseidon. From this she realized that the bull must be a god. She pleaded with him to pity her. Zeus spoke to her and explained his love. He took her to Create, where he had been raised. He promised that she would bear him many famous sons.
Her sons included Minos I and Rhadamanthus.
Io
Zeus fell in love with Io and seduced her.
To try to keep Hera from
noticing he covered the world with a thick blanket of clouds. This
backfired, arousing Hera's suspicions. She came down from
Mount Olympus
and begain dispersing the clouds. Zeus did some quick thinking and
changed Io's form from being a lovely maiden. So as the clouds dispersed
Hera found Zeus standing next to a white heifer. He then swore that
he had never seen the cow before, it had just sprang right out of the
earth. Seeing right through this Hera complimented the cow and asked
to have it as a present. As turning such a reasonable request down
would have given the whole thing away, Zeus presented her with the cow.
She sent the cow away and arranged Arges to watch over it. Since Arges had a hundred eyes and could have some of them sleep while others were awake he made a fine watchman. Desperate, Zeus sent Hermes to fetch Io. Disgused as a shepard, Hermes had to employ all his skill as a musician and story teller to gain Arges confidence and lull him to sleep. Once asleep Hermes killed Arges. As a memorial, Hera took his eyes and set them into the tail of her favorite bird, the peacock.
While Io was now free Hera sent the mother of all gad-flys to sting the still bovine Io. This pushed her near madness, trying to escape she wandered the world. During her wanders she came across Prometheus while chained. He gave her hope. He predicted that she would have to wander for many years. But, she would eventually be changed back into human form and would bear a child. He predicted that a decendent of this child would be a great hero and set him free.
His predictions came true. During her wanderings many geographical features where named after her including the Ionian Sea, and the Bosphorus (which means ford of the cow). She eventually reached the Nile where Zeus did restore her to human form. She bore Epaphus and eleven generations later her descendant Hercules would set Prometheus free.
Semele
Semele was a Thebian princess. She is the only mortal to be the
parent of a god. She was one of
Zeus many lovers and like most
came to an unfortunate end due to
Hera's jealous hatred. She is
best known as the mother of Dionysus.
While she was killed shortly before giving birth the child was resuced by Zeus.
Eventually Dionysus, who had never seen her, managed to rescue her
from the underworld. and arrange for
her to live on Mount Olympus.
The Wanderings of Dionysus
Once he had grown to manhood Dionysus
decied to wander far and wide, including areas outside of greece.
Where ever he went he taught men how to cultivate vines, and the
mysteries of his cult. He was accepted until he returned to his own
country of Thebes.
As he journeyed back to greece he was spotted by pirates. He appeared to them as a rich young man. He might even be the son of a king. He certainly looked like his parents would pay a rich ransom for his safe return. Happy at their good luck the pirates siezed him and brought him aboard their ship. They then attempted to tie him to the ship but, the ropes refused to hold. Anyplace a rope touched him it just fell apart. Dionysus watched calmly, smiling.
After some time the helmsman realized that only a god could be responsible. He called out that the crew should free Dionysus and beg his forgiveness. But, the captain mocked the helmsman as a fool and called for the crew to set sail. The crew raised the sail and caught the wind but, the ship did not move. Looking around they saw the ship quickly becoming overgrown with vines that held it fast. Dionysus then changed himself into a lion and began to chase the crewmen. To escape they leaped overboard but, as they did they were changed to dolphins. Only on the helmsman did Dionysus have mercy.
As he passed through Thrance he was insulted by King Lycurgus, who bitterly opposed his new religion. Initialy Dionysus retreated into the sea but, he returned, overpowered Lycurgus and imprisoned him in a rocky cave. Dionysus planned to let him reflect and learn from his mistakes. However, Zeus did not care to have the gods insulted, so he blinded then killed Lycurgus.
He pressed on to Thebes, ruled by his cousin Pentheus. However, Pentheus did not know of Dionysus. Dionysus was with a group of his followers, who were naturally singing and dancing loudly, flushed with wine. Pentheus disliked the loud, strangers, and ordered his guards to imprison them all. He refered to their leader as a cheating sorcerer from Lydia. When he said this the blind old phophet Teiresias, who had already dressed as one of Dionysus's followers gave Pentheus a warning: "The man you reject is a new god. He is Semele's child, whom Zeus rescued. He, along with Demeter, are the greatest upon earth for men." Pentheus, seeing the strange garb Teiresias had on, laughed at him and ordered his guards to continue.
The guards soon found that ropes fell apart, latches fell open, and there they could not imprison Dionysus's followers. The took Dionysus to Pentheus. Dionysus tried to explain at length his worship but, Pentheus listened only to his own anger and insulted Dionysus. Finally, Dionysus gave up and left Pentheus to his doom.
Pentheus persued Dionysus followers up into the hills where they had gone after walking away from his prison. Many of the local women including Pentheus's mother and sister had joined them there. Then Dionysus appeared to his followers in his most terrible aspect and drove them mad. To them Pentheus appeared to be a moutain lion. In a berserk rage they attacked him. Now Pentheus realized he had fought with a god and would die for it. His mother was the first to reach him, and ripped his head off, while the others tore off his limbs.
Creation of the World
In the begining there was only chaos. Then out of the void appeared
Erebus, the unknowable place where death dwells, and Night. All else
was empty, silent, endless, darkness. Then somehow Love was born
bringing a start of order. From Love came Light and Day. Once there
was Light and Day, Gaea, the earth appeared.
Then Erebus slept with Night, who gave birth to Ether, the heavenly light, and to Day the earthly light. Then Night alone produced Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis, and others that come to man out of darkness.
Meanwhile Gaea alone gave birth to Uranus, the heavens. Uranus became Gaea's mate covering her on all sides. Together they produced the three Cyclopes, the three Hecatoncheires, and twelve Titans.
However, Uranus was a bad father and husband. He hated the Hecatoncheires. He imprisoned them by pushing them into the hidden places of the earth, Gaea's womb. This angered Gaea and she ploted against Uranus. She made a flint sickle and tried to get her children to attack Uranus. All were too afraid except, the youngest Titan, Cronus.
Gaea and Cronus set up an ambush of Uranus as he lay with Gaea at night. Cronus grabed his father and castrated him, with the stone sickle, throwing the severed genitales into the ocean. The fate of Uranus is not clear. He either died, withdrew from the earth, or exiled himself to Italy. As he departed he promised that Cronus and the Titans would be punished. From his spilt blood came the Giants, the Ash Tree Nymphs, and the Erinnyes. From the sea foam where his genitales fell came Aphrodite.
Cronus became the next ruler. He imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires in Tartarus. He married his sister Rhea, under his rule the Titans had many offspring. He ruled for many ages. However, Gaea and Uranus both had prophesied that he would be overthrown by a son. To avoid this Cronus swallowed each of his children as they were born. Rhea was angry at the treatment of the children and ploted against Cronus. When it came time to give birth to her sixth child, Rhea hid herself, then she left the child to be raised by nymphs. To concel her act she wrapped a stone in swaddling cloths and passed it off as the baby to Cronus, who swallowed it.
This child was Zeus. He grew into a handsome youth on Crete. He consulted Metis on how to defeat Cronus. She prepaired a drink for Cronus design to make him vomit up the other children. Rhea convinced Cronus to accept his son and Zeus was allowed to return to Mount Olympus as Cronus's cupbearer. This gave Zeus the opertunity to slip Cronus the specially prepaired drink. This worked as planned and the other five children were vomitted up. Being gods they were unharmed. They were thankful to Zeus and made him their leader.
Cronus was yet to be defeated. He and the Titans, except Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Oceanus, fought to retain their power. Atlas became their leader in battle and it looked for some time as though they would win and put the young gods down. However, Zeus was cunning. He went down to Tartarus and freed the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires. Prometheus joined Zeus as well. He returned to battle with his new allies. The Cyclopes provided Zeus with lighting bolts for weapons. The Hecatoncheires he set in ambush armed with boulders. With the time right, Zeus retreated drawing the Titans into the Hecatoncheires's ambush. The Hecatoncheires rained down hundreds of boulders with such a fury the Titans thought the mountains were falling on them. They broke and ran giving Zeus victory.
Zeus exiled the Titans who had fought against him into Tartarus. Except for Atlas, who was singled out for the special punishment of holding the world on his shoulders.
However, even after this victory Zeus was not safe. Gaea angry that her children had been imprisoned gave birth to a last offspring, Typhoeus. Typhoeus was so fearsome that most of the gods fled. However, Zeus faced the monster and flinging his lighting bolts was able to kill it. Typhoeus was burried under Mount Etna in Sicily.
Much later a final challenge to Zeus rule was made by the Giants. They went so far as to attempt to invade Mount Olympus, piling mountain upon mountain in an effort to reach the top. But, the gods had grown strong and with the help of Heracles the Giants were subdued or killed.