#had no clue about leto and hera having history

[unworthy-stars]

Embracing Greece- Week 3

This week’s theme: Mythology!

Last week we embraced Greece via Naming! Now this week I have decided to show you a first dose of Greek Mythology (Basics).

You may perhaps know the Dodekatheum (Δωδεκάθεο- Dodekatheo), the whole Greek Pantheon and that we, Greeks, have a rich Mythology thanks to our ancestors. Perhaps the names “Zeus” (Δίας- Dias) , “Persephone” (Περσεφόνη-Persephoni) , “Hera” (Ήρα- Ira) sound familiar…

But what are all these? And how are they connected?

Let’s find out!

So, this whole “Mythology” (Μυθολογία- Mithologia) started when the old Greeks wondered “Why does this happen? Why is nature like this? Who is in charge?”. So they tried to explain all nature phenomena by putting a deity in charge of them. Specifically, twelve main “boss” gods and goddesses.

~Zeus (Δίας), the God of Thunder and all Weather Phenomena as well as Hospitality. Son of Cronus. ~Hera (Ήρα), the Goddess of Marriage and Zeus’s wife. Daughter of Cronus. ~Athena (Αθηνά), the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge also daughter of Zeus (yes, entirely Zeus. No woman involved. A big story) ~Poseidon (Ποσειδώνας), the God of Sea and Ships. Son of Cronus. ~Demeter (Δήμητρα), the Goddess of Agriculture. Daughter of Cronus. ~Dionysus (Διόνυσος), the God of Wine and Entertainment. Son of Zeus and Semele (heroic mortal) ~Ares (Άρης), the God of War. Son of Zeus and Hera. In love with Aphrodite. Also a big story. ~Apollo (Απόλλωνας), the God of Music, Prophecy, Poetry, Healing, Truth, Light, Archery and the list goes on and on forever. He is the son of Zeus and Leto and also brother of Artemis. ~Artemis (Άρτεμης), the Goddess of Hunting, Wilderness, Animals, Virginity, Pureness and protector of young girls.  ~Hermes (Ερμής), the God of Trade, Thievery, Travelling and Athletes. The Messenger of the Gods. ~Hestia (Εστία), the Goddess of Home, Family, Hearth. Daughter of Cronus. ~Aphrodite (Αφροδίτη), the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Sexuality. Her birth is still not clearly discovered. ~Hephaestus  (Ήφαιστος), the God of Fire and Craftsmanship. Child of Zeus and Hera, making the other Gods’ weapons.

Okay but…how did they exist? Like they always existed?

Nope. No, my pal, they didn’t.

First existed Chaos (Χάος). Then out of a sudden came Gaia (Γαία), the personification of Mother Earth. She created Uranus (Ουρανός) by herself who is the personification of Sky with whom she bore the Titans, the Giants, the hills and Pontus (a sea). Yes Mother (?) x Son (kind of).

Okay here’s what happened with the Titans. Oops, we will skip this whole gruesome story and proceed to where Cronus and Rhea (Sibling Titans) bear six familiar children known as the big six; Zeus, Hades*, Poseidon (Big Three Alpha Males) and Hestia, Hera, Demeter (Big Female Deities of the Dodekatheum ).

*Side Note; Hades (Άδης) isn’t part of the Dodekatheum even if he is in the Big Three Cronus’ sons. You wonder why? Simply, because he is the God of the Dead and the whole Underground is his kingdom so he doesn’t need to be together with the rest of the Gods in Mount Olympus (their hideout). He is kinda like the emo cousin at the corner of the event.

So basically in the past Cronus overthrown his father Uranus. So Zeus decided that it would be pioneering to overhtrown his parent too. So he overthrown Cronus.

This is a long story called; Titanomachy (War of the Titans). Basically something like Attack on Titan but with Greek Gods. 

The most important divine struggle in Greek mythology was the Gigantomachy, the battle fought between the Giants and the Olympian gods for supremacy of the cosmos.

Guess who won?

The Squad™

So, yeah that’s basically i- oh no wait there is more. Woops  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So how do all these happen with Odysseus? Helen of Sparta? Like ya know the fun stuff!

Slowwwww down there kid. Sheesh.

I shall explain you basically how every single Myth works. Including Heracles’s and Helena of Sparta’s:

(open to see better)

Yes. That’s basically the thing.

B-but the fights and swords? Calypso? What do I read in a Percy Jackson book?

Basically, my dear friend, you read a wonderful piece of fanfiction. It is proven historically that Homer’s Iliad and later Odyssey were the first fanfictions in history *praise*.All the action is spread across many plays, poems and tablets that haven’t been found or finished. Currently everyone hopes to find a miracle that will add a clue about the whole religion and let us know more about our ancestors and their beliefs.

There are though some myths that are actually note-worthy! Check them below;

a) Prometheus and Fire

Prometheus (Προμηθέας) was one of the Titans. Till some point fire was only available in Mount Olympus to protect the Gods. He was the one who saved mankind and brought fire to the people. This of course was against Zeus’s order. Theories vary about his punishment.

b) Persephone and the Lily

Persephone (Περσεφόνη) was Demeter’s, Goddess of Harvesting/Agriculture, daughter due to her sexual bonding with Zeus. Persephone was a young lad when Hades tricked her and abducted her. To be precise, she saw a beautiful flower called Κρίνος (Lily). She approached it and Hades took her away from her mother and forced her to become his wife and Queen of the Underworld.

c) Moirai

The Moirai (Αί Μοῖραι in Ancient Greek) are the main deities concerning life and death of a human. In English they are known as “Fates”. They are pictured as three old ladies; Clotho (Κλωθώ), who was the spinner, Lachessis (Λάχεσις), the allotter, and Atropos (Άτροπος), the unturnable.  The gods and men had to submit to them, although Zeus's relationship with them is a matter of debate: some sources say he is the only one who can command them.

d) Heracles and the 12 Tasks

Heracles was a divine hero in Greek Mythology. He is said to be a demigod, a child of Zeus, himself, (what a surprise really) and son of Alcmene (pretty mortal). Hera despised the poor baby because of him being a child of Zeus’s infidelity. Zeus made love to her after disguising himself as her husband, Amphitryon, home early from war (Amphitryon did return later the same night, and Alcmene became pregnant with his son at the same time, a case of heteropaternal superfecundation, where a woman carries twins sired by different fathers). How cool is that?  Thus he was always cursed. However as a symbold of masculinity and manliness he was always successful with his 12 Labours to do unbelievably difficult tasks. 

Perhaps you should read the Wikipedia Page for that or if you want I can have a post explaining The Myth of Heracles. It’s up to you.

e) Theseus and the Minotaur

Like many other heroes of myth and legend, Theseus was born and raised in unusual and dramatic circumstances. His mother was Aethra, daughter of King Pittheus of Troezen. Son of King Aegeus of Athens, who had stopped at Troezen after consulting the oracle at Delphi. The oracle had warned Aegeus not to get drunk or father a child on his way home to Athens—or one day he would die of sorrow.  Upon arriving in Athens, Theseus found King Aegeus married to an enchantress named Medea. Medea tried to poison Theseus. But when Aegeus saw the young man's sword and sandals, he realized that Theseus was his son and saved him from the poison. Anyway. There was this law in Athens that every year they should send as a wage 7 girls and 7 boys to get eaten by the Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man, which existed in Dedalus’s Maze in Crete, That ship had black masts in grief. One time Theseus went there and with the help of Minos’s daughter (King of Crete at the time. The evil one here), Ariadne, he managed to kill the Minotaur and get out of the Maze. He then started his way back. Though he had forgotten to change the mast from black to white thus when Aegeus saw the black masts he feel into the sea in despair and grief for his “lost” son. That’s why the sea is called by his name.

f) Jason and the Argonaut Campaign

In Greek mythology, Jason (Ιάσων) was the hero who led the Argonaut Campaign. Little Jason was raised in Pelion by Centaur Chiron, who taught him Medicine. At that time, Pelias (brother and king of Iolkos) ordered Jason to perform this mission’ bring the Golden Fleece. Yet another tradition, however, states that Jason took the decision to go and carry the fleece himself: With the ship “Argo” they sailed all the way to Pontus. There Jason was supposed to fight a mighty monster to get it, however Medea (an enchantress) fell in love with him and thus gave him a liquid to prevent the flames of the dragon to hit him. Though, he promised he would take her to Greece. He took the fleece and Medea and returned home. However...yeap Medea didn’t have a nice ending  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  (shame on you Jason)

g) Pandora’s Box

Hephaestus was once told by Zeus to make a beautiful woman named Pandora (Πανδώρα= all gifts). Zeus sent Pandora down to earth and gave her as a present to Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus. Zeus told Epimetheus that he should marry Pandora. Also, Zeus sent Pandora with a little box, with a big lock on it. He ordered not to ever open the box. But Pandora was very curious about what was in the box. She begged Epimetheus to let her open it, but he always said no. Finally one day he fell asleep, and she stole the key and opened it. Basically all bad things happened after that. Disease, fear, despair, hurricanes etc.But the very last thing to fly out of the box, as Pandora sat there crying, was not as ugly as the others. In fact it was beautiful. It was Hope.

That’s all for this week folks! What would you like me to explain next?

Image Source (the second one is my drawing): http://elviajedelahistoria.blogspot.gr/2017/01/bloque-3-mitologia-y-religion.html

Little aid from some sites: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Sp-Tl/Theseus.html http://quatr.us/greeks/religion/myths/pandora.htm