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Mythology of all cultures
The role of the gods in ancient Greece
The role of the gods in ancient Greece
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Greek and Roman Mythology From the beginning of time, humans have created myths in order to explain the everyday occurrences in their world. The tales of mythological creatures were spun as a means of understanding nature and the manifestations of her power. For example, thunder frightened many people, and no one understood where it came from or why it happened. So, to ease their minds, a story of a great god, Zeus, that ruled the sky was created. From then on, great gods and goddesses were created for a myriad of reasons. Numerous stories concerning the mythological Greek and Roman gods, goddesses, and monsters around the world continue to be passed from generation to generation via books, lineage, and beliefs. Greek mythology was …show more content…
Two of the better known goddesses of Greek mythology are Aphrodite and Athena. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, and she is known as a very passionate character (Bolton 60). She is described as generous and benevolent in everything she does and to everyone she meets. Despite her appearance, she enjoys intervening in other humans, gods, and even goddesses’s lives (60). However, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, war, crafts and skills, and was held highly by mortal and immortals alike (Bolton 58). Unlike her brother, she is not bloodthirsty, and would rather see peace among friends than war …show more content…
Medusa’s life was ended by Perseus when he beheaded her to defeat the Kraken. In these myths numerous monsters were created to challenge the gods (Cartwright). A Chimaera is a fire-breathing monster, with a head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. She is the daughter of Typhon and Echidna, and she spent her time terrorizing the people of Lycia (Bolton 208). A minotaur has the body of a man with the head of a bull. He is the son of Pasiphae, and he constructed an enormous maze underground (Bolton 211). A Cacus is also a fire-breathing monster and a three-headed giant. He is the son of Hephaestus and Medusa, and he lived in a cave and stayed to himself. His most famous myth involves the quest of Heracles (Bolton
Greek mythology is something that everyone knows of, not only because it is so interesting, but because of the many gods and goddesses. One of the most well known goddesses being Goddess Athena who portrayed so many good characteristics. Although Goddess Athena is best known for wisdom, military skill, and crafts, she is also known for her mythological influence on the modern day world and her acts of heroism.
These three goddesses represent three different types of women in Greek society. Sarah Pomeroy, author of Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, believed that “the goddesses are archetypal images of human females, as envisioned by males” (8). Pomeroy understands the significance of the differences between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and what those differences meant for the women of Greece who were required to follow three important rules. The first rule was for the women to live a life of domesticity and motherhood. This was very important to the men in the society.
Perhaps it would be best to begin with the originating source of the goddess. She was not born to any parents but rather came into the universe in a very violent and grotesque manner. She was born from the sea foam surrounding the castrated genitals of Uranus. During a family spat, the agitated Cronus decided to sever his own father’s sexual organs. Certainly this explains the sensuality that was passed down to Aphrodite, as offspring from these disembodied objects. However, it also goes that while she is this emblem of beauty and passion that she should also be a symbol of violent aggression. As it becomes apparent in stories of her various acts and interactions with other gods, goddesses and mortals; Aphrodite is far from innocent. In fact she has the ability to be down right vindictive and cruel.
Athena was one of the twelve gods in Greek mythology that lived on Mount Olympus. She was the daughter of Zeus the ruler of all the gods and the god of the sky. Athena had many titles is Greek mythology but her two most influential were the goddess of war and the goddess of wisdom. Some of the stories that will be discussed in this paper have multiple versions to them depending on who is telling them or what culture is telling them.
Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom who embodies power, victory and justice. She took part in battles that defended her country and helped her allies out greatly. Athena created many inventions that helped mankind. She created the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, and the ship. Athena was known for helping others with their quests. Athena improves heroes lives through guidance. A hero is somebody admired for their achievement and courage. The list is very long on who she helped. People she helped greatly in their journeys was Odysseus, Hercules, the Greeks and Perseus.
It is said that the Grecians were the first people responsible for giving life to god and goddesses that looked like actual human beings. They made beautiful men and women. They made people with humor and dignity, as well as animals, including monsters (Daly). All of their gods and goddesses had rare capabilities, but there was one who was very distinctive and was loved by many gods and mortals. We all know her as the goddess of love, beauty, femininity and sexuality. Her name, Aphrodite.
Athena is the goddess of several different categories including wisdom, war, and crafts. She is one of the most well-known Olympian goddesses. Athena had a strange birth, followed by an odd life. Athena combines several personalities of different gods into one goddess with her traits of wisdom, power, and craftiness.
Απηροδιτε is her name in Greek and her name is venus in roman . ( the origin of her name is Greek ). Aphrodite’s powers are love , beauty and pleasure . Aphrodite can be found at mount Olympus or at the sea with the three beautys (Hera, Aphrodite and Athena ). She also goes to the mainland to search for love .
Aphrodite was one of the nine that were known as the Great Goddesses, “an awful and lovely goddess,” according to Hesiod (Theogony), born of the foam that ensued when Kronos cut off Uranos’ genitals and they fell into the sea. She first walked ashore in Cyprus, and was welcomed by the Seasons (Hours):
Today we look at Aphrodite as a goddess of love, desire, and beauty, but in ancient Greece she was an Olympian who was worshipped on many other occasions for a great array of reasons. Her powers carried weight in the many realms of love, protection, desire, and even war.
Aphrodite and Athena were both great powerful women who were revered as goddesses in greek mythology. They both were greatly worshipped, however due to their distinct personality traits they were worshipped and spoken about and very different ways. Both goddesses are immortal and female, and both seem to distinguish the incongruous gender roles between men and women throughout ancient Greece. What makes these two goddesses interesting, however, is their differences, which will determine how they will be reflected in myth. On one hand you have Athena, the androgynous goddess of war and wisdom. On the other you have Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexuality. During this time, even among the immortals, women were seen as inferior and less
Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.
The Greek goddess Athena is usually portrayed as one of the strongest gods in Olympia. As Greek civilization shapes gods that represent their desired identity, representing the god of war and the immortal spirit of wisdom, Athena is the goddess of the balance between intelligence and power. Through Athena 's existence, she embodies victory and judgment, while her influences on other gods and mortals demonstrate the power of intellect and civilization. By fusing characteristics of multiple gods to one body.
In Greek mythology, twelve Gods and Goddesses rule the universe from atop Greece 's Mount Olympus. These Olympians had come to power after their leader, Zeus, overthrew his father, Kronos, leader of the Titans. All the Olympians are related to one another. The Romans adopted most of these Greek Gods and Goddesses, but with new names. The Gods and Goddesses were a major part of everyday life in ancient Greece, and each had a particular role. The mythology is used to explain the universe and the things humans witness and endure. They connect religion to the world, explain the Gods, creation, and eternity and help everyone live a happy life. The myths are also another way of exploring the world and recording
Throughout studying many myths, I came up with many new observations. Many questions came into my mind about these myths. Greek mythology takes us back to a time when people had a connection with nature and when nature played a major role in people’s lives. The religious beliefs of the people who wrote the myths are found in the background of these myths; however, they are not to be read like religious texts. The myths try to offer explanations of “how”, which makes us think deeply about the purpose of these myths and the questions they draw to our minds. According to the myths we studied in class, the world created the gods, not the other way around. The gods were always created in the image of man, which shows how much men were important in their society. Furthermore, many of these Greek myths show us the difference between the views of the Greek then and our view towards many aspects of the society, including nature. Monsters appear in Greek myths and have different representations and roles. Greek mythology reflects a view of the Greeks towards the world and how certain aspects of their lives are similar and different to modern society.