> Information about Greek Mythology

- THE GODS

Ancient Greeks had a lot of gods who played  important role in their everyday routine. The most famous of them  are the following twelve:

ZEUS: The father of Gods and people who from the top of Olympus was punishing his enemies with the lightnings that were given by Cyclopes (it was said, indeed, that  a lot of natural phenomena were caused by that).

ATHENA: The beloved daughter of Zeus, goddess of wisdom and protector of the city of Athens (which city took its name by her). The statue of goddess was in prominent place in the temple of Parthenon that adorns the top of Acropolis in Athens.

IRA (HERA): Sister and wife of Zeus and protector of women and marriage who was punishing whoever  loved her husband.

POSEIDON: Brother of Zeus  and god of seas. To him and his trident was attributed by the Ancients the storms and the earthquakes. To his price the Isthmia used to become.

IFAISTOS: Son of Ira and god of fire. He had the same residence with Athena. He was married to beautiful Aphrodite who left him for Aris.

APHRODITE (VENUS): Goddess of beauty and love. Emerging from the foam of sea in Cyprus was one of the most beloved goddesses of Greeks.

DIMITRA: Sister of Zeus and goddess of agriculture. At her temple in Eleusis were taken place the eminent "Elefsinia Mystiria".

ARIS (MARS): Son of Zeus and Ira and god of war. He was married to Aphrodite.

ERMIS (HERMES): Son of Zeus and god of thieves and tradesmen. He was the messenger of gods and had wings on his sandals and on helmet.

ARTEMIS: Daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo. Goddess of hunting that was worshipped particularly in Ephesus where was found also her eminent temple.

APOLLO: Son of Zeus and brother of Artemis. God of fire and good arts that were worshipped particularly in Delphi.

PLUTO (HADES): Brother of Zeus and Poseidon and god of underworld.

- THE THREE MOIRAE

The Moirae were deities that were determining the life of people, according to the perceptions of ancients. These were Lachesis that dealt with passed, Clotho that spun the thread of life and Atropos, the strictest and hardest of all, the one that was cutting it.

- THE MUSES

The muses were daughters of Zeus and Mnimosynis and were nine: Calliope for the epic poetry, Clio for the history, Polymnia for the sacred song, Euterpe for the music, Terpsichore for the dance, Erato for the lyric poetry, Melpomene for the tragedy, Thalia for the comedy and Urania for the astronomy.

- ODYSSEUS

King of Ithaca and husband of Penelope. He participated to the war of Troy and was the inspirator of the eminent Trojan Horse. In the return however for his homeland he faced a lot of dangers and his journey was exceptionally adventurous and multi-annual:  he returned in Ithaca after ten years. He plays the key role in the well-known epic of Homer, Odyssey.

- THESEUS

Son of the king of Athens Aegeus. According to the mythology he killed, with the help of Ariadne and her clew (ball of string), Minotaur, monster with body of person and head of bull that lived in the labyrinth that Daedalus made in Crete. He took part in Argonautic expedition and was married to the Amazon Antiopi. He was the first that established democratic institutions.

- HERACLES

Son of king of Thebes Amphytrion and Alcmena. The Greeks believed that he was son of Zeus and that' s why goddess Hera hated him and sent to him twelve ordeals, twelve dangerous missions which he faced with success (we all know the twelve feats of Hercules). He was married to the nymph Deianira

Contact I Links I Search I Sitemap I Advertise