Creation, Gods and Their Tasks in Greek Mythology.
What is Greek Mythology?
Greek Mythology includes the stories and teachings about the creation process of the universe, the life of gods, goddesses and heroes in Ancient Greece.
In addition, this mythology forms the basis of the ancient Greek religion. The sources we have reached today are the written versions of these tales and legends created by the compilers who were defined as the mythos authors at that time.
Clues from the artworks of the period are also collected to get detailed information about mythology. It is because of this that one of the subjects of the science of art history is mythology.
Greek mythology is also important as it influenced most European mythologies, and even Near Eastern mythology. He accepted all Greek gods in the Romans and used different names.
In this article, we will try to explain Greek mythology in general. Intermediate stories, narratives and Greek mythology legends in the article are detailed as special articles at the bottom of the page. The article will be an introduction to Greek mythology.
You can also access special articles about Greek mythology gods, goddesses and mythological creatures by clicking on the images at the bottom.
Greek Mythology – Creation
In Greek mythology initially there was Khaos. Khaos is an eternal emptiness. From this gap;
Gaia: Mother Earth
Tartaros: The Deepest Place in the Land of the Dead
Eros: Love
Erebos: Underground Darkness
Nkys: Night
Prisoner: the luminous layer that surrounds the world
Hemera: Day
existed.
Gaia, coming out of Khaos, gives birth to Uranus (Sky) and Pontus (Seas) alone, and creates mountains. Then it unites with Uranus and Pontus and fills the universe with the Greek gods.
Six male gods from union with Uranus, Okeanos, Krios, Hyperion, Iapetos, Koios, Kronos and six female gods, Theia, Rhea, Themis Phoebe, Tethys, Mnemosyne and three kyklops, Brontes (Thunder), Steropes (Lightning), Arges (lightning) and Hekatonkheirs, Kottos, Briareus, Gyes, are born. These 12 Gods are referred to as Titans in Greek mythology.
Sea gods and goddesses are formed from the union with Pontus. The three male sea gods, Nereus, Phorkys, Thaumas, and the two female goddess names are Eurybia and Keto.
Born of the union of Gaia and Uranus, Kronos does not take pity on his father Uranus, who disgusted his children and closed them to the depths of the earth as soon as they were born.
From the blood of Uranus spilled on the ground,
- Erinsyler (Avenging Goddesses)
- Gigantts (Giants)
- Forest Fairies
- Aphrodite is born from the phallus that fell into the sea.
After these events 12 Titans are overthrown and the gods of Olympus take over, a different order is formed. Again, 12 Gods start to reside on Olympos Mountain. The number twelve does not change, if a god is added a god relinquishes his duty, the number twelve is constant.
The gods of Greek mythology are gods of extraordinary abilities, who do not get sick, do not hurt except for a very high-level event, and are immortal. They also stay young constantly as they feed on ambrosia and nectar.
Greek gods identify with certain aspects of life. For example, Athena in the logo of historlisanat.com is the goddess of wisdom and war. Hades is the ruler of the underworld, and Poseidon is the absolute ruler of the seas.
- Greek Mythology Gods and Their Missions
- Zeus (Sky and Weather Events)
- Poseidon (Seas and Earthquakes)
- Hades (Underground)
- Hephaistos (Blacksmithing and Fire)
- Ares (Combat)
- Hermes (Theft, Healing, Travel, Communication)
- Dionisos (Wine, Grape, Entertainment, Parties)
- Artemis (Archery, Hunting, Moon, Virginity)
- Aphrodite (Love and Beauty)
- Athena (Wisdom and battle strategy)
- Hera (Marriage, Abundance, Family)
- Apollon (Light, Art, Poetry, Archery, Medicine)
- Heracles
The name of Heracles, one of the gods of Greek mythology, is Hercules in Roman mythology. Heracles’ mother, Alkmene, is married to Amphitryon, but she falls in love with Zeus Alkmene and disguises herself to be with her and takes over her husband and acquires her. Alkmene gets along with her husband during the day, and as a result, they have twins.
Herakles is the son of Zeus and Iphicles is the son of Amphitryon. When Hera realizes that Heracles is the son of Zeus, she seeks revenge.
Previously, he had Zeus tricked and swore that the first child born of Perseus’ lineage would become the ruler. At that time, he was pregnant with Eurystheus, the wife of Stheneos, a descendant of Perseus.
Hera delays the birth of Alkmene and allows Eurystheus to be born earlier. In this way, before Heracles was born, his right to the throne was taken away. You can read the whole story from the Story of Heracles and 12 Missions.
Poseidon
God of the seas and lands, creator of earthquakes and owner of the trident wild, Zeus’ brother Poseidon. It is known as Neptune in Roman mythology. His father is Kronos and his mother is Rhea.
Kronos swallowed all his children except Zeus, and Poseidon is one of them. Zeus fought Kronos and saved Poseidon along with the others.
You can read all the information about Poseidon in our article titled Poseidon – Ruler of the Seas and Lands.
Demeter
Demeter, one of the goddesses of Greek mythology, is the goddess of agriculture, fertility, grain and harvest. It is known as Ceres in Roman mythology. It symbolizes crops and most importantly wheat.
It also represents maternal love. You can read more about Demeter in our article titled Demeter – The Goddess of Fertility and the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Serapis
The common god of Greek and Egyptian culture, Mirage is such an interesting god that even Egyptians have no idea of his true character.
In addition, no original source has been found regarding the religious rituals of this god. You can read the detailed article about Serapis in our article titled Serapis – Hidden Heroes of Mythology.
Hera
Zeus has been with many women in Greek mythology. It is only Hera known as the only and permanent wife of Zeus, who cannot be stopped in this regard. He is also the brother of Zeus.
You can find detailed content about Hera in our article titled Hera – Queen of Greek Mythology Gods (Juno).
Apollo
Apollo is the god of light and art. He appears as a very good archer in the Iliad. Along with his twin brother Artemis, their skills in archery give them a great advantage.
To die with their arrow is like falling into a sudden sweet sleep. You can find information about Apollo in our article titled Apollo – God of Light and Art.
Artemis
In Greek mythology, Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo. Apollo is associated with light and fire, while Artemis is associated with the moon. There are several versions of Artemis, but the first and best known of these is Artemis, the symbol of hunting and virginity.
You can find information about Artemis in our article titled Artemis (Diana) – Goddess of Greek Mythology.
Helios
In Greek mythology, Helios is one of the gods that existed from the union of the titans named Hyperion and Theia. Although Helios is known as the sun god, he is actually the sun itself.
The moon goddess and the goddess Dawn are her sisters. You can find information about Helios in our article titled Helios – The Sun God and the Statue of Rhodes.
Hestia
Hestia, one of the children swallowed by Kronos, which we described in the creation part of Greek mythology, is the eldest among the siblings. It is known as the most generous and virtuous of the divine beings. Those who worship him see him as a symbol of virtue. No myth has ever been found that could undermine Hestia’s reputation. You can find information about Hestia in our article titled Hestia – Goddess of Eternal Fire.
Sisyphos
In Greek mythology, Sisyphos, the son of the wind god Aeolos, who lived on the island of Aiolia and hid his winds in his overalls… You know, Prometheus was chained because he stood the fire from the gods and gave it to the people and then challenged the order. If you ask me, Sisyphos is Prometheus’ half-brother, at the point of endless suffering.
Hades
In Greek mythology, Hades is known as Pluto in Roman mythology. He is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. While Zeus shared the world among his brothers, he took the sky to himself, gave Poseidon the seas and Hades the underground.
Zeus
Zeus, known as the father of Greek mythology gods and people. To get to know him better, we need to look at his birth and legends. The Greeks prayed to this selfish, arrogant and flirtatious god for thousands of years.
Asclepius
In Greek mythology, Asclepius, the god of medical science and health, is the son of Apollo and Koronis. There is a very interesting birth story. One day Koronis, the daughter of King Phlegyas of Tehssallia, would be with Apollo and became pregnant.
Icarus
The character of Icarus in Greek mythology has deeply influenced many people and encouraged them to think. Apart from being a lesson to humanity in his story, his death actually reminds humanity that many things need to be questioned.
Medusa
There are several different legends about Medusa in Greek mythology. Some of these myths are that when he was a very beautiful girl, he turned into a creature with a snake hair as a result of a punishment, and the other is that Medusa was born with her other two siblings as creatures.
