Greek mythology is a subject that was fascinating for me especially when I was younger: all the gods and deities that governed the everyday life of the ancient Greek. Most people know that the basic or more important gods were the 12 gods that resided on the highest mountain peak of Olympus. From there Dias (Zeus) and the rest could see everything below them in Greece. They drank nektar and ate ambrosia, which sustained their immortality, but their personalities were flawed like those of humans. The Greeks imagined their gods to have love affairs, compassion, feuds, jealousy, betrayal and everything else that happens in a human's life.
The king of the gods and father of all was Dias or Zeus as the Romans later called him. Dias is depicted as a wise old man that gets weak around women with whom he has several affairs. His symbol is the thunderbolt and it's what he he uses to punish and show his power to people.
Dias' wife is Ira (Hera). She's also his sister but that doesn't really matter to them. Ira knows of almost all of Dias' infidelities and hunts these women down behind his back. She also persecuted any bastard sons that Dias had (especially Iraklis or Hercules). She was the goddess of women and marriage and was seen as a very vengeful goddess, but also very compassionate and helpful with those she liked.
Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty. The creation myth says that she was born from the blood that dripped into the sea after Dias castrated Ouranos. It is said that she was born out of the waves in the shores of Cyprus. There are other stories of how she was born, but this is the most prominent.
Aris was the son of Dias and Ira. He was the god of war and was seen as a bloodthirsty man who was also depicted as a coward in some stories. Aris had several love affairs, but his greatest is the one with Aphrodite.
Athina was the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. She was also a warrior, but she wasn't depicted as bloodthirsty. Dias and Metis are Athina's parents. Metis was so wise and smart that Dias feared she would take over his throne, therefore he swallowed her whole while she was pregnant. When it was time for Athina to be born Dias had a such a big headache that he called on Iphestos to crack his head open with an axe. That's when Athina jumped out. She is one of Dias' favorite daughters.
Apollonas was the god of light and prophecy. He had a twin sister, Artemis, who also became an Olympian goddess. Their father was Dias and their mother was Lito, a goddess that was persecuted by Hera all over Greece when she was pregnant. Finally, in order to protect her, Dias gave rise to the island of Delos, which was supposedly hidden from the sun (and from Ira's view) where she secretly gave birth to her children. Apollonas was the protector god of the oracle of Delphi.
Artemis was the goddess of hunting and wildlife and she was the twin sister of Apollonas. She was born first and was magically able to help her mother give birth to her brother. Artemis is seen as a carefree virgin wandering the forests. She tended to get very vicious if humans disrespected wildlife or her.
Iphestos was the god of volcanoes, fire and ironsmiths. He was the ugly god with a limp. It is said that Ira gave birth to him by herself in order to avenge Dias for one of his infidelities. She was aiming to have the most handsome son, but when she saw how ugly he was, she threw him off Olympus into the sea and that's how he got the limp. His wife was Aphrodite, ironically the most beautiful goddess. He's shown as a very helpful god that gets coniving if you cross him.
Posidonas was the powerful god of the sea and earthquakes. He was Dias' brother and he was also a ladies man, fathering several children to many nymphs and deities of the sea. He assists the Greeks in the Trojan war.
Ermis was the messenger of the gods and the god of merchants and thieves. He was also the son of Dias and his mother was a nymph named Maia. Ermis is depicted wearing golden winged sandals. In several stories he steals from people or plays tricks on other gods just for fun, but he's also a very trustworthy messenger.
Dimitra was the goddess of agriculture. She was another sister of Dias. The most famous myth regarding her was the one with her daughter, Persephone. The god Adis of the underworld wanted her as his bride and abducted her. Dimitra was so devastated that she refused to allow any grain to grow on the land until her daughter was returned to her. Finally, a deal was made to allow her on the earth for 6 months - this is spring and summer. Winter and fall represent the other 6 months that Dimitra is mourning her daughter in the underworld.
Estia was the goddess of the home and hearth. She was the eldest sister of Dias and is depicted as a modest virgin goddess that guards the home, and is an integral part of every sacrifice made to the gods.
There are some accounts that include Adis (the god of the underworld and brother of Dias) and/or Dionysos (the god of wine and entertainment) in the 12 Olympian gods, while leaving out Dimitra and/or Hestia.
For more myths go to www.allthegreeks.com
Αναρτήσεις
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου