Greek and Roman Mythology

Greek and Roman Mythology A Review of Heroes, Monsters, and Adventures

Heroes • Perseus • Theseus • Hercules • Atalanta

Perseus • Son of Zeus and Danae (a mortal) • Aided by Hermes and Athena • Tricked the Gray Women • Slew Medusa • Married Andromeda • Accidentally killed his grandfather (fulfilling an oracle’s prophecy)

Theseus • Son of Athenian King Aegeus • Slew Sciron and Procrustes • Slew the Minotaur (Ariadne and Daedalus helped) • Ruled Athens well • Married Phaedra (drew Aphrodite’s wrath) • Killed by his “friend” King Lycomedes

Hercules (Heracles) • Greatest Greek Hero • Son of Zeus and Alcamena (a mortal) • Not too bright; often impulsive • Cursed by Hera; kills wife and sons • Completed “Twelve Labors” • Taken to Olympus after he died • Married Hebe

Atalanta • Her dad wanted a boy, left her to die • Raised by bears, later hunters • Helped slay the Calydonian Boar • May have sailed with Argonauts • Would only marry the man who beat her in a race • Melanion tricked her, won the race • They were turned into lions.

Pandora Prometheus Europa Polyphemus Narcissus Psyche Jason Phaeton Bellerophon Pegasus Chimera Daedalus Minotaur Chiron Sisyphus Procrustes Griffin Other Significant Stories, Adventures, and Monsters

Pandora • First woman on earth • Hephaestus made her of water and earth, and all the gods gave her a gift or talent (Pandora = “all gifted”). • Her curiosity caused her to open the jar (or box) containing all the evils, but she closed the lid before Hope could escape.

Prometheus • A Titan who stole fire from the sun to give to mortals • Angered Zeus, who chained him to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver out daily for all of eternity. • Hercules later killed the eagle and freed Prometheus.

Europa • A mortal girl that Zeus fell for • He tricked her by taking the form of a beautiful white bull. • Zeus swept her away to Crete, where she bore him three children. • She later married the king of Crete.

Polyphemus • The most well-known cyclops due to his roll in The Odyssey • Son of Poseidon • Tricked and blinded by Odysseus

Narcissus • Many young women were in love with him, but he rejected them all. • One young woman, Echo, went to a lonely place and faded away until her sad cries were all that was left of her. • The goddess Nemesis, in anger, made Narcissus fall in love with his own reflection in the pool.

Psyche and Cupid • Aphrodite, jealous of Psyche’s beauty, sent her son Eros (Cupid) to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly man. • But Eros fell in love with her himself. • He visited her nightly, but never allowed her to see his face. • At the instigation of her sisters, Psyche sneaks in to look at him one night when he is asleep. He awakes and leaves her. • She wandered the earth in search of a lover for many years but was later reunited with Eros.

Jason • King Pelias sent Jason on a seemingly impossible quest to bring back the Golden Fleece. • Argo = ship / Argonauts = crew • With help from Medea, Jason gets the fleece. • When he abandons Medea, she kills their children, and Jason is ruined.

Phaeton • Mortal son of Helios (the sun god) • Phaeton convinces Helios to let him drive the chariot that pulls the sun across the sky. • The horses get out of control, threatening to scorch the earth. • Zeus destroys Phaeton before the earth can be burned up.

Bellerophon and Pegasus • Sent by a king to slay the Chimera (as task that is supposed to be impossible) • With Athena’s help, Bellerophon captures Pegasus, the winged horse. • They slay the Chimera. • Later, in pride, Bellerophon tries to ride Pegasus to Mt. Olympus. • Zeus knocks him back to earth, and he wanders lonely for the rest of his days.

Chimaera • Hideous monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon. • Terrorized Lycia until Bellerophon and Pegasus killed it. • Any multi-faced or confusing problem is now referred to as a chimera.

Daedalus • Famous architect and inventor • Built the labyrinth for the Minotaur • He and his son Icarus are later trapped in the labyrinth, so he crafts wings for them to fly out. • Icarus flies too close to the sun, melts his wings, and drowns in the sea.

Minotaur • Monster with the body of a man, but the head and tail of a bull. • Kept in the labyrinth in Crete, where every year 14 young people were sacrificed to this monster. • Theseus volunteered to be one of the sacrifices and slew the Minotaur.

Chiron • The only good centaur • He was very wise and had great knowledge of the healing arts. • Tutor of many heroes (Achilles, Theseus, etc.) • Hercules accidentally shot him with a poison arrow. • To escape the pain, he relinquished his immortality. • He is now the constellation of Sagittarius.

Sisyphus • He betrayed the secrets of the gods, cheated Death, and was then punished by Hades. • In the underworld, he his doomed to forever roll a huge boulder up a hill, where it then rolls back to the bottom, and he starts all over again.

Procrustes • Legendary robber • He captured travelers and forced them to stay in one of his “beds.” • Short people were stretched on a rack until they were the right length. • Tall people had the parts that were too long chopped off. • Theseus killed him.

Pan • God of shepherds and flocks as well as of male fertility. • A satyr • Son of Hermes • Chased nymphs through the forests in the shape of a goat • Not well-liked by other gods

Griffin • Legendary creature with the head, beak, and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion.

Sources • Graphics in this presentation were taken from the following web sites: • http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/search.html • http://www.pantheon.org/ • http://www.messagenet.com/myths/ • http://mythman.com/ • http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html • http://www.paleothea.com/ • http://www.entrenet.com/%7Egroedmed/greekm/myth.html • This presentation is for educational purposes only; it has not been and should not be sold or used as a vehicle to make money.

The End

Greek and Roman Mythology