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In the beginning…. …there was chaos. And out of chaos…. Gaea, Mother Earth, was created. And Gaea gave birth to Uranus, the sky. Uranus rained down on Gaea…. And plants, animals, and rivers appeared. Gaea and Uranus had many children….
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In the beginning… …there was chaos
And out of chaos…. Gaea, Mother Earth, was created
Uranus rained down on Gaea… And plants, animals, and rivers appeared
Gaea and Uranus had many children….. Their first born were the twelve Giant Titans, six boys and six girls.
Later more children were born….. • Three were the mighty Cyclops, one-eyed giants • And three were the Hecatoncheires, monsters with a hundred arms and fifty heads
Uranus hated the Cyclops and the Hecatoncheires, because they were ugly • And he threw them into Tartarus – the deepest pit of the underworld.
Gaea was furious. She urged the Titans to overthrow their father and rescue their brothers in Tartarus.
Only Cronus, the youngest , was brave enough. • He attacked Uranus with a sickle and banished him from earth. • Cronus replaced his father as Lord of the Universe. But he was cruel and did not free his brothers from Tartarus. • Cronus married his sister, Rhea, • and they had many children.
Cronus was afraid that one of his own children might overthrow him just as he had overthrown his father. • So as each child was born, he swallowed it whole. (Remember he was a giant Titan and his children were much smaller. ) • Also the children were gods (immortals) so they could not die. They remained alive and grew inside his stomach. (Imagine the indigestion.)
Rhea was horrified and finally she tricked Cronus by feeding him a rock wrapped in a blanket. • Zeus was raised on the island of Crete by gentle woodland nymphs who fed him honeyed milk. When the baby would cry, the Curettes – Zeus’s guards – clashed their weapons to hide the sound from Cronus.
Zeus grew into one of the strongest gods and Rhea, his mother, wanted him to overthrow Cronus. Rhea gave Cronus a drink thatmade him throw up the stone and his unharmed children – among those were: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.
The children were all reunited and gratefully joined their brother. Zeus freed their uncles (the monsters) from Tartarus, and together they prepared to fight the Titans. The cyclops made weapons.
They gave Hades a helmet of darkness that made him invisible to his enemies.
For ten years a war raged between the old gods (Titans) and the new gods (Olympians). At last Cronus and the Titans were defeated and thrown into Tartarus to be guarded by their own hundred-armed brother.
Mother-Earth , Gaea, was finally at peace. The universe was divided among the three brothers. Zeus was King of the gods and heaven and earth.Poseidon became god of the seas.AndHades became god of the underworld.
The Cyclops (children of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea) built the “Olympians” a palace on Mt. Olympus. • Zeus lived there with his brothers, sisters, six of his children, and Aphrodite (goddess of love) forever. • The gods dined on nectar and ambrosia, the food and drink of the gods and they could change shape or form to mingle and control the mortals on earth.
Each god and goddess has special powers and we will learn about each one. These are the gods and goddesses that live on Mount Olympus.
Mt. Olympus Mount Olympus is a real mountain in the north of Greece. Gradually, it became associated less and less with an actual mountain and more with an imaginary place high above the earth. According to the ancient Greeks, the gate to Olympus was made of clouds and it was guarded by four goddesses, the Seasons. Each god had his or her own dwelling place, but Olympus was home base.
Zeus King of the gods • Women loved him and he loved them. • He changed this shape as easily as he changed the weather. • He was fair and wise but got angry when someone missed behaved. • He was dominating and powerful. • Symbol: Lightning bolt
Hera Queen of the gods • Goddess of the family • Very beautiful but jealous! • She schemed against his many wives and children. • Symbol: pomegranate (symbol of fertility) Hera, queen of the gods
Poseidon • Ruler of the sea • Responsible for natural and supernatural events • He is moody, his temper could be as violent as the sea that he rules. • He created the first horse, from a rock. • He rides the waves and travels to Olympus in his horse-drawn chariot. • Symbol: Trident
Hades • Supreme ruler of the underworld • God of the dead • He is grim and gloomy. • He lives in the underworld. • Symbol: Helmet (helped him stay invincible)
Top Ten Olympic Gods and Goddesses!
Aphrodite • Goddess of love and beauty • Mother of Eros • Wife of Hephaestus • She has no parents, she rose out of the sea on a cushion of foam. • She is beautiful and sometimes jealous. • Symbol: Dove
Apollo • God of sun, music, poetry • Twin to Artemis • Gift of prophecy • Dangerous with his arrows. • He is very thoughtful and offers good advice. • He has a tender side, he heals the sick, cares for animals and brings delight with his music. • Symbol: Lyre
Ares • God of War • Not well liked by the other gods • Ares and Aphrodite had a daughter—Harmony • He is a cruel, bad-tempered coward who loves war. • He is a bad loser and stirs up trouble. • Symbol: Spear and dogs
Artemis • Goddess of moon and hunt • Twin to Apollo • Absolute power over nature • Was given a boy and arrow from her father so she could hunt with her brother Apollo • She is determined and strong. • She loves animals and children. • Symbol: Bow
Athena • Goddess of wisdom and war • Approached war in terms of Justice • She was born by springing out of Zeus’s head when he had a headache. • She was her father’s favorite advisor. • She was a warrior who hated war. • She admired courage and fairness and sought peace. • Symbol: Staff and Owl
Demeter • Goddess of agriculture (grain) • Mother of Persephone • Taught mortals harvest • Loved her daughter and took her wherever she went as she tended her grain fields • Symbol: Wheat
Dionysus • God of wine and festivities • Party Guy • He traveled the world over, teaching the art of wine making. • His mother was struck dead by lightning before he was born (accident by a jealous Hera). • Symbol: Grapes
Hephaestus • God of metal working • Born with bad luck • He was so weak and lame that Hera took one look at him and dropped him out of Olympus. • Thetis (sea goddess) recused him and he lived with her in secret). • Only physically ugly god • Husband to Aphrodite • She played him • Symbol: Fire, ax, and hammer
Hermes • Messenger God • Fastest because of his winged shoes • Only god who could visit heaven, earth, and underworld • He is a very clever boy, his father Zeus is amused by his behavior. • He is Zeus’s personal messenger and helper. • Symbol: Wings
Hestia • Goddess of the hearth • She rarely left her place by the hearth, her job was to make sure the sacred fire of Olympus never died out. • She as the gentlest of the Olympians and chose not to marry. • Kind and forgiving • Symbol: Flame
Other Important Near Deities
Persephone • We will read the story. • Hades loved her and stole her from her mother, Demeter • She spends 6 months with Mom and 6 months with husband
Cerberus • Watch dog of the underworld • Prevent the dead from exiting • Three heads, very scary
Eros • God of Love • Son of Aphrodite • Is wild and mischievous • His greatest delight is to zip around shooting arrows of desire to innocent victims who fall instantly in love! • Falls in love with beautiful, mortal Psyche • Convinces Zeus to make her immortal
Muses • 9 beautiful, intelligent deities • Each Muse was in charge over an intelligence • Required to praise them in epic poetry
