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Chaos
A Nebulous
Entity
|
A
vast nebulous entity without shape or form. Chaos gave birth to Night,
Darkness, Erebos (the deepest part of the Underworld), Love and Earth.
Erebos and Darkness later gave birth to Day and Space. Erebos
was also said to have been the son of Aphrodite who was the goddess
of love. Erebos fell in love with a mortal woman whose name
was Psyche. Eventually, with the permission of the other gods,
he raised her to the status of goddess. |
| Earth |
The
child of Chaos. Earth gave birth to the Heavens, Mountains and the
Sea. |
|
Eros
The Love
God
|
Eros
was the child of chaos and was born out of nothingness. Eros was the
most powerful of all gods because none could withstand her. |
|
Uranus
The First
One
|
Uranus
was the god of the heavens and as a god he could not die. Cronos last
born of the Titans cut him into a thousand pieces, and his dismembered
body was scattered about the Earth. Uranus’ "seed"
fell into the sea and from its foam "Aphrodite" was born. |
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Prometheus
The Wisest
of all Gods
|
Prometheus,
whose name means forethought, was the grandson of Ocean, the
Titan, and the son of Iapetos whose brother was Cronos. He helped
Zeus in the war against Chronos and the Titans. Prometheus mixed earth
with water and made man in the image of the gods. He also gave mankind
wisdom to be used to make tools to till the soil. Prometheus
appointed himself the protector of all humankind and defied Zeus by
stealing fire from the heavens and taking it to mankind. Man could
now make weapons to fight, heat his homes, and make tiny objects from
metal. As punishment for his offence, Zeus ordered Prometheus seized
and bound to a mountain peak in a place where it always snows and
where the wind howls ceaselessly. Prometheus, the friend of man, was
sentenced to spend eternity, chained to a crag, two vultures’
hovering about him, tearing at his belly and eating his liver. As
a god, Prometheus was immortal and could not die, but he could suffer
and suffered through long centuries for giving mankind the gift of
fire. |
| Epimetheus |
Epimetheus,
whose name means afterthought, was the son of Iapetos and brother
to Atlas and Prometheus. He could not decide which side to take in
the battle between the Titans against Zeus and therefore did nothing.
It was Epimetheus’ job to make man and the animals however after
he was finished making the animals he found he had nothing left that
was good and strong for man. Epimetheus made man in the shape of the
gods but Prometheus mixed earth with water and made man in the image
of the gods. |
| Atlas |
Atlas
was brother to Prometheus and Epimetheus and son of Iapetos. He was
battle chief for Chronos and the Titans in their war against Zeus.
Atlas, as punishment for siding against Zeus was made to carry the
world and the skies on his shoulders for all eternity and still does
today. |
| The
Creation of Man |
The
Gods however were fascinated with mankind because they possessed that
which other animals did not: self-consciousness, a sense of the future,
a shuddering aversion to death and remarkable skill at evading it.
Man was most entertaining because they were questioners and always
groped about for answers in an effort to understand what was happening
to them. As a result, hunting humans became the gods’ favorite
pastime and the "herds" of man were dwindling rapidly. Prometheus
made a plea on mans behalf saying that they would soon be hunted to
extinction and Zeus imposed game laws that limited each god’s
monthly kill to exceed no greater than six. Hera complained and Zeus
raised her monthly portion. The other gods complained when they learned
this and demanded that Zeus raise their own monthly allotments. Zeus
was furious and because he was by far the most powerful of the gods,
the other gods could do nothing when he reduced their numbers from
six to four. |
| The
Titans |
The
first race born to Uranus (the first one) and Mother Earth. |
| 100
Handed Monsters |
The
last race born to Uranus and Mother Earth. |
| The
Cyclops |
The
second race of children born to Uranus and Mother Earth. |
|
Chronos
The Father
of the Gods
|
The
last born of the Titans, cut his father, Uranus into a thousand pieces
with a scythe. The weapon was forged by the Cyclopes and given to
him by Rhea, his mother. Chronos was also known as "the cannibal
God". |
|
Rhea
The Mother
of the Gods
|
Rhea
was both sister and wife to Uranus. She despised Uranus because of
he was jealous of and cruel to his children. She plotted with Chronos,
last born of the Titans, to dismember Uranus and scatter his pieces
over the Earth. |
|
Mt. Olympus
Home of the
Gods
|
Mr.
Olympus was thought to be in Thessaly but was later moved to some
mysterious place beyond the heavens. |
| The
Twelve Major Greek Gods |
|
Zeus
King of the
Gods
|
Zeus
was the last child of Chronos and Rhea. He was born in secret and
hidden with a family of sheepherders to ensure his protection against
his cannibalistic father. Zeus led the 10-year war which against Chronos
and the Titans. The war so terrible that it almost destroyed the world.
|
|
Hera
Queen of
the Gods
|
Hera
was both wife and sister to Zeus. She was the third child born to
Cronos and Rhea and was known for her great hatred of Hercules. Hera
was also the "protector of marriage" even though her own
floundering marriage to Zeus. Hera despite all her wealth, power and
beauty was not happy. |
| Hestia |
Goddess
of the Hearth. The first child born to Cronos and Rhea. |
|
Demeter
Goddess of
the Harvest
|
Demeter
was the second child born to Cronos and Rhea. Her name means "Barley-mother"
and she was also called "Ceres," from which the word "cereal"
is derived. |
|
Hades
God of the
Dark Realm
|
Hades
was the first son and fourth child born to Cronos and Rhea. He was
thought to be jealous of his brothers and ruled his kingdom with dark
relish. Hades appointed Hecate, Queen of the Harpies, as his chief
aide. Hades borrowed the tribe of Cyclopes and a band of Hundred-handed
Giants from Zeus’ kingdom, and kept them working night and day
to model the underworld to his demented design. Hades commissioned
his nephew, Hephaustus, the smith god, to make silver moon that worked
by invisible strings and pulleys that would perform exactly like the
real moon. The Cyclopes stuck diamonds into the black dome to imitate
the stars. Hecate and her harpies were overseeing another party of
Cyclopes and Giants, who were constructing the roasting pits and torture
pens of Tartarus, and stoking furnaces for a Lake of Fire that burned
with a perpetual flame. The banks of fire were designed to recede
before a swimmer trying to reach shore. Hades had a secret entrance
to his realm so that none but the dead could enter. He chose a lake
in the Saronic mountains and had the Cyclopes and Giants empty it
of its cold blue waters. Hades named the chasm Avernus after the vanished
lake and it led to the banks of the River Styx over which all the
newly dead must pass. The rivers bordering the Land Beyond Death were
named The Styx, Aceron, Phylethon, and Cocytus --- or Hatred, Fire
and Wailing Waters. Hades and his Queen lived in a great palace made
of black rock. |
|
Poseidon
The Sea God
|
Poseidon
was the fifth child born to Cronos and Rhea. He carried a trident
and was a very difficult god. Poseidon is described as being greedy,
aggressive and quarrelsome. In addition, he bore grudges but loved
to concoct practical jokes. Poseidon, in an effort to gain Demeter’s
favor, created the horse. |
|
Apollo
The Sun God
|
Apollo
was the most beautiful of the gods. His hair was dark gold, his eyes
stormy blue and he wore a tunic of golden panther skin. Apollo was
one of twins born to Zeus and Leto and he carried a golden bow with
a quiver filled with golden arrows. He rode in a chariot of beaten
gold drawn by white horses with golden manes and was the patron of
music, poetry, mathematics and medicine. Apollo was also known as
the God of Healing and the God of Truth. Apollo hunted
and killed the Python that chased his mother. Mother Earth complained
to Zeus about the death of her Python and Apollo, as an apology, instituted
the annual games at Delphi in celebration of his victory and called
them the Pythian games in honor of his enemy. Apollo also named the
oracles Pythonesses. |
|
Artemis
Goddess of
the Hunt
|
Artemis
was Apollo’s twin sister and the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She
carried a bow made of silver, which was forged deep beneath the ocean
by her cousins, the Cyclopes. Pan, the wood God, gave her 10 of his
best hunting dogs. |
|
Hermes
The Messenger
God
|
Hermes
was the son of Zeus and the titaness, Maia. He wore a pair of winged
sandals and was the patron of liars, thieves and gamblers. He was
also the god of commerce, framer of treaties and guardian of travelers.
Hermes was thought to have invented the alphabet, astronomy, scales,
playing cards and card games. Apollo traded his golden herdsman’s
staff and rod of authority to Hermes for his pipes and lyre. |
|
Athene
Goddess of
Wisdom
|
Athene
was the gray-eyed and wide-browed daughter of Zeus and the Titaness,
Metis. She was born wearing armor and holding a long spear in her
hands. Athene taught man to invent the ax, the plough, the ox-yoke,
the wheel, and the sail. She also taught his wife how to spin and
weave. She also concocted the science of numbers and taught it to
man but never to woman. Athene hated her half brother Ares, the God
of War, and took pleasure in thwarting him on the battlefield. Captains
prayed to her for tactical strategy before battle and judges prayed
to her for wisdom in rendering their judgment. It was Athene who stated
that, "compassion was the best part of valor." |
|
Hermes
The Messenger
God
|
Hermes
was the son of Zeus and the titaness, Maia and wore a pair of winged
sandals on his feet. He was the patron of liars, thieves and gamblers.
Hermes was also the god of commerce, framer of treaties and guardian
of travelers. He invented the alphabet, astronomy, scales, playing
cards and card games. Apollo traded his golden herdsman’s staff
and rod of authority to Hermes for his pipes and lyre. |
|
Ares
The God of
War
|
Ares
was the first child and the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked
by his half sister Athene who took great pleasure in thwarted him
on the battlefield. |
|
Hephaustus
The Smith
God
|
Hephaustus,
the son of Zeus and Hera was also known as the great artificer and
Lord of mechanics. He was born shriveled ugly and lame. Hera, his
mother, hurled him off Mt. Olympus because she did not wasn’t
Zeus to see him. Hephaustus’ body fell for one whole night and
day and struck the ground with such force that it shattered both his
legs. His body lay by the edge of the sea and was soon washed out
to sea by a wave. Thestis, a playful Naiad, caught him as he sand
and made a pet out of him. She was amazed at the crippled child’s
skill as he worked shells and bright pebbles into jewelry. Hephaustus’
skill reached Hera who realized the child’s true heritage. |
|
Aphrodite
The Goddess
of Love
|
Aphrodite
was born out of murder when Cronos butchered his father Uranus. Uranus’
"seed" fell into the sea and from the foam rose a
tall beautiful maiden. The sand wherever she stepped turned to grass
and flowers and later married the Smith god, Hephaustus |
| ErisThe
goddess of Discord |
Eris
was the daughter of Zeus and Hera. |
|
| Pandora |
Pandora
is the name of woman made in heaven. Her name means "all’s
gift." Zeus wrapped her in a robe of innocence and before she
left heaven he gave her a box with a surprise inside. Pandora was
warned by Apollo never to open the box but she was curious about everything.
Pandora was sent to live with Prometheus and Epimetheus but when they
learned that the box was a gift from Zeus, both suspected that there
must be some trick somewhere in the box. Epimetheus took Pandora as
his wife and placed the box in the shadow and on the highest shelf
of a cupboard. Pandora had to know more about the box and even though
warned by Epimetheus and Prometheus, her curiosity got the best of
her. She opened it with trembling fingers. Suddenly, out of the box
rushed awful things. Winged things and crawling things. Slithering
things and creeping things, bringing with them a slime of dark and
gray despair. Some creatures had pointed ears and wicked eyes and
others were fanged, with scaly arms ad hands. There were plagues of
sorrow and pain and misery, envy and all descriptions of other terrible
things. At the very bottom of the box lay one thing quivering on the
floor. Its scent was sweet and Pandora took hold of its wings and
felt its warm trembling. "Who are you " Pandora asked. "I
am Hope," it said. "If I do not hurry, humans will have
so little reason to life." Having said this Hope flew away and
caught up to the ugly things of the world. When Hope was among them,
the creatures seemed less sure of themselves. This was how hunger,
poverty, despair and ugliness came into the world of humans. |
|
Isis
Hera’s
Messenger
|
Isis
was the Goddess of Storms and mother to Iole. She served as Hera’s
messenger and her sweet, good natured and obliging nature made her
popular among the gods. Her popularity enabled her to act as peacemaker
and she flittered about Mr. Olympus, seeking to patch up feuds among
these temperamental and jealous gods. |
| Hercules |
Hercules
was the son of Zeus and Europa. He was said to be more than six cubits
in height and was hated by Hera because of all of Zeus’ paramours
she was the most beautiful. |
| Europa |
The
mother of Minos and was a high-spirited and reckless girl. Zeus came
upon her on a Phoenician beach where she was playing ball with her
handmaidens. Zeus appeared in the form of a huge white bull on whose
back Europa leapt without hesitation. Zeus then galloped away into
the sea and took her to a cave gouged into he side of Crete’s
Mount Ida. Zeus stayed with Europa for a week, planted a son in her,
and left, promising to return. . |
| Minos |
Minos
was the son of Zeus and Europa and later king of Crete. He was both
a miserable bluish scrap of flesh, too feeble even to cry. When he
was two years old he still suckled at his mother’s breast. Minos
married Pasiphae and had two daughters, Adriane and Phaedra. |
| Dryope |
A
shepherdess and mother to Amphissus. She was just one of Apollo’s
many conquests. |
| Amphissus |
Amphissus
was the son of Apollo and the shepherdess Dryope. He was the founder
of cities and builder of temples. |
| Thalia |
Thalia
was a muse and Queen of festivities during Apollo’s contest with
Marsyas. |
| The
Corybantes |
The
Corybantes were crested dancers who shaved their heads to a forelock
and danced at the great rituals of the gods. They were a race born
out of the union between Apollo and Thalia. |
| Cyrene |
Cyrene
was a huntress who reminded Apollo of his sister. She was a huntress
who chased deer on foot, hunted bears and wolves. Cyrene was wrestling
a full-grown lion when Apollo stumbled upon her and Aristeus’
mother. |
| Aristeus |
Aristeus
was the son of Apollo and Cyrene. He taught man bookkeeping, olive
culture, cheese-making ad other useful arts. |
| Asclepius |
Asclepius
was the son of Apollo and a Lapith princess named Coronis. Apollo
abducted Coronis on her wedding night but she ran away from him and
returned to her husband. This saddened the sun god and an enraged
Artemis, who considered herself his protector, sped to Arcadia where
the young couple had fled and slew them with her silver arrows. Asclepius
was born during his mother’s death throws. Asclepius began his
study of anatomy while still in his mother’s womb and continued
to watch the events of his birth with such concentration that he uttered
no cry – leading his midwife to think that he had been born dead.
Hermes gave him to the Centaur to raise and they knew more about herbs,
poisonous and benign, than any other living creatures. The Centaurs
taught Asclepius all that they knew. Asclepius dosed and splinted,
presided over the birth of the Centaur colts, and began to practice
battlefield surgery at a very early age. He found that sunlight and
music were the best medicines and dragged his patients out of their
dark homes into the sunlight. Asclepius angered Hades because he continually
snatched men from the doors of his domain. |
| Cerebes |
A
three-headed dog that had an appetite for live meat and attacked anyone
but spirits. Cerebes stood guard at the entrance to Hades. |
| Field
of Asphodel |
The
souls who were judged to be not too good and not too bad waited here
for nothing! |
| Elysian
Fields |
The
souls of those judged to be of unusual virtue were sent here. It was
always holiday and the air was full of music. |
| Isles
of the Blest |
A
special part of the Elysian Fields in which those who have been three
times born and three times gained Elysium. |
| Minos,
Rhadamanthys & Aeacus |
The
three judges which rendered their judgment of the spirits entering
the underworld. |
| The
Cyclopses |
Uranus married
Gaia, whose name means Earth, was afraid that his children would
be so beautiful that they would gain his wife’s favor above
himself so he fashioned a curse upon the fruits of her womb. The
curse, formed in the shape of a bat, flew into the cave where the
unborn infants lay. The bat plucked an eye from each head and ate
them like grapes. Mother Earth went into labor. The plains quaked,
mountains gushed fire, the Ocean floor shook, starting tidal waves.
When the sea withdrew, two children loomed on the wet beach: a boy
and a girl. Giants they were, born full-grown, tall as trees, and
magnificently muscled. Each had only one eye set in the middle of
the forehead.
Uranus was pleased
and chuckled to himself "A fine pair of monsters. Not even
their mother can love them" The Cyclopse Twins were shunned
by everyone and had only each other in the new world. Mother Earth,
again with child, began to look for a secret place to bear her child.
She went deeper than she had ever gone before into the entrails
of the earth and there heard a curious mewing sound. Holding her
torch high she saw that her blighted children were breeding true
and producing blighted grandchildren.
Fearing that
these demi-gods would one day be as numerous as the Titans, she
sought to occupy their terrible hands and taught them tool-making,
how to uproot trees, trim the trunks, and fit the great wooden shafts
into lumps of iron, making huge sledgehammers. The Cyclopes made
tools ad weapons of iron --- hammers, hooks, shovels, swords, spears,
and knives. They made ornaments of tin and copper, silver and crystal,
as well as lovely baubles of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and
sapphires.
The Cyclopes
fought on the side of Zeus in his war against Chronos and the Titans.
They also made the scythe that slew Uranus, the bows and arrows
for Apollo and Artemis.
|
Classic Literature- Characters.
