# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Although the world of the ancient Greeks is long past, it lives on in the stirring tales ​of Greek mythology. More than just gods and goddesses, this long-ago culture gave us legendary heroes and heroines whose exploits still thrill us. But who are the greatest heroes of Greek mythology? Was it the mighty Hercules? Or perhaps brave Achilles?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greatest and Mightiest Heroes of Greek Mythology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Although the world of the ancient Greeks is long past, it lives on in the stirring tales ​of Greek mythology. More than just gods and goddesses, this long-ago culture gave us legendary heroes and heroines whose exploits still thrill us. But who are the greatest heroes of Greek mythology?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There is a new Resource Pack available which is full of activity suggestions that can be applied to any of the myths. The text of each myth is also available to download from the relevant page.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There is a new Resource Pack available which is full of activity suggestions that can be applied to any of the myths. The text of each myth is also available to download from the relevant page.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The ancient Greeks believed their gods often got involved in the lives of mortals, sometimes to help, sometimes to hinder, and sometimes quite accidentally, causing all kinds of trouble. According to the storytellers, the ancient Greek gods were not always the most thoughtful of magical beings. Although the storytellers were quite inventive, and each told a myth in their own way, each god's personality and powers remained the same from story to story. That's because the ancient Greeks knew their gods well.

Here are some ancient Greek myths for kids, retold by the storyteller Lin Donn
The Truth About Myths
A series of animated Greek Myths by Geethanjali Studios, based on our Greek Myths, and used with our permission

Ancient Greek Gods by name and powers

QUIZ: Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses (Interactive with answers)

This list of original short myths tell the stories of the daily life of the ancient Greek people and of the many gods and goddesses and magical beings who helped and hindered their lives, star the Mighty Herc (known by many names including Heracles and Hercules) and the Hercules Detective Agency. See if you can solve a case as well as Herc did.

From the Case Files of the Hercules Detective Agency:

Greek Myths by other storytellers and animators

Greek Myths from Starfall

Myth of the Golden Fleece (animated, video)

Myth of Jason and the Argonauts (animated, Ted-Ed video)
Greek Myth Games (interactive)
Vase Paintings Come to Life - Poison for Good, Poison for Evil, stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Myths about the Ancient Greek Gods for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The ancient Greeks believed their gods often got involved in the lives of mortals, sometimes to help, sometimes to hinder, and sometimes quite accidentally, causing all kinds of trouble. According to the storytellers, the ancient Greek gods were not always the most thoughtful of magical beings.

# data[].attributes.body
Any names listed in red font can be clicked on for more info.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Greek mythology, as in other ancient cultures, was used as a means to explain the environment in which humankind lived, the natural phenomena they witnessed and the passing of time through the days, months, and seasons. Myths were also intricately connected to religion in the Greek world and explained the origin and lives of the gods, where humanity had come from and where it was going after death, and gave advice on the best way to lead a happy life. Finally, myths were used to re-tell historical events so that people could maintain contact with their ancestors, the wars they fought, and the places they explored.

The Telling of Myths

In modern usage the term 'myth' perhaps has negative connotations suggesting a lack of authenticity and reliability. However, it should not be assumed that myths were whole-heartedly believed in nor should it be assumed that the Greeks were wholly sceptical of them. Probably, the Greek myths, as with any religious or non-written sources, were believed by some and discounted by others. Myths were certainly used for religious and educational purposes but also may well have had a simple aesthetic function of entertainment. What is certain is that the myths were both familiar and popular with a wide section of Greek society through their common representation in art, whether that be sculpture on public buildings or scenes painted on pottery.

Without wide-spread literacy, the passing on of myths was first done orally, probably by Minoan and Mycenaean bards from the 18th century BCE onwards. This of course allows for the possibility that with each re-telling of a particular myth, it is embellished and improved upon to increase audience interest or incorporate local events and prejudices. However, this also is a modern interpretation, for it is also possible that the telling of myths followed certain rules of presentation, and a knowledgeable audience may not have willingly accepted ad hoc adaptations to a familiar tale. Over centuries though, and with increasing contact between city-states, it is difficult to imagine that local stories did not become mixed with others to create a myth with several diverse origins.

The next development in the presentation of myths was the creation of poems in Ionia and the celebrated poems of Homer and Hesiod around the 8th century BCE. For the first time mythology was presented in written form. Homer's recounts the final stages of the Trojan War - perhaps an amalgamation of many conflicts between Greeks and their eastern neighbours in the late Bronze Age (1800-1200 BCE) - and the recounts the protracted voyage home of the hero Odysseus following the Trojan War. Hesiod's gives a genealogy of the gods, and his Works and Days describes the creation of man. Not only are gods described with typically human feelings and failings but also heroes are created, often with one divine parent and the other mortal, thus providing a link between man and the gods.

The next principal representation of myths was through pottery from the 8th century BCE onwards. A myriad of mythical scenes decorate ceramics of all shapes and function and must surely have spread the myths to a wider audience.

The Greeks created myths to explain just about every element of the human condition.

The myths continued to be popular through the centuries, and major public buildings such as the Parthenon at Athens, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, and the Temple to Apollo at Delphi were decorated with larger-than-life sculpture representing celebrated scenes from mythology. In the 5th century BCE the myths were presented in the new format of theatre, especially in the works of the three tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. At the same time, from the 6th century BCE the first documented scepticism and even rejection of the myths began with the pre-Socratic philosophers who searched for a more scientific explanation for phenomena and events. Finally, in the 5th century BCE the first historians Herodotus and Thucydides sought to document as accurately as possible and record for posterity a less subjective view of events and so the modern subject of history was born.

Greek Myths - An Overview

Broadly speaking, the imaginative Greeks created myths to explain just about every element of the human condition. The creation of the world is explained through two stories where a son usurps the place of his father - Cronus from Ouranos and Zeus from Cronus - perhaps referring to the eternal struggle which exists between different generations and family members. The Olympian gods led by Zeus twice defeated the sources of chaos represented by the Titans and the Giants. These gods then, rule man's destiny and sometimes directly interfere - favourably or otherwise. Indeed, the view that events are not human's to decide is further evidenced by the specific gods of Fate and Destiny. A further mythological explanation of the seemingly random nature of life is the blind god Pluto who randomly distributes wealth. The gods also illustrated that misdemeanours would be punished, e.g., Prometheus for stealing fire and giving it to man. The origin of other skills such as medicine and music are also explained as 'divine' gifts, for example, Apollo passing on to his son Asklepios medicinal knowledge for man's benefit. Finally, certain abstract concepts were also represented by specific gods, e.g., Justice (Dike), Peace (Eirene), and Lawfulness (Eunomia).

The Heroes - the most famous being Hercules, Achilles, Jason, Perseus, and Theseus but including a great many more - all have divine parents and therefore bridge the gap between mortals and gods. They pursue fantastic adventures and epitomise ideal qualities such as perseverance e.g., Hercules' twelve labours, or fidelity e.g., Penelope waiting faithfully for Odysseus' return. Heroes also added prestige to a city by being credited as its founder, e.g., Theseus for Athens, Perseus for Mycenae, or Kadmus for Thebes. The heroes and events such as the Trojan War also represented a past golden age when men were greater and life was easier. Heroes then were examples to aspire to, and by doing great deeds a certain immortality could be reached, either absolutely (as in the case of Hercules) or through commemoration in myth and tradition.

In contrast, many mythological figures represent qualities to be avoided and their sad tales illustrate the dangers of bad behaviour. King Midas, for example, was granted his wish that everything he touched turned to gold, but when he found out that this included food and drink, his avarice almost resulted in his death from starvation and thirst. The myth of Narcissus symbolises the dangers of vanity after the poor youth fell in love with his own reflection and he lost the will to live. Finally, the story of Croesus warns that vast riches cannot guarantee happiness when the fabulously rich King misinterpreted the Delphic oracle and lost his kingdom to Persia.

Natural phenomena were explained with myth, e.g., earthquakes are created when Poseidon crashes his trident to the ground or the passage of the sun is Helios in his chariot riding across the sky. Myths such as Persephone's half year descent to Hades explained the seasons. Time itself had mythological explanations: Helios' seven herds of 350 cattle correlate to the days of the year, Selene's 50 daughters are the weeks, and Helios' twelve daughters the hours.

Greek mythology also includes a number of monsters and strange creatures such as the one-eyed Cyclops in the Odysseus story, a gigantic boar in the fabled Kalydonian hunt, sphinxes, giant snakes, fire-breathing bulls and more. These creatures may represent chaos and lack of reason, for example, the centaurs - half-man and half-horse. Fierce and fantastic creatures often emphasise the difficulty of the tasks heroes are set, for example, the many-headed Hydra to be killed by Hercules, the gorgon Medusa whose look could turn you into stone and whom Perseus had to behead, or the Chimera - a fire-breathing mix of lion, goat and snake - which Bellerophon killed with the help of his winged-horse Pegasus. Alternatively, they may represent the other-worldliness of certain places, for example the three-headed dog Kerberos which guarded Hades or simply symbolised the exotic wildlife of distant lands visited by Greek travellers.

Perhaps unfamiliar experiences were also explained in myth, for example, one can imagine that a Greek visiting King Minos' sophisticated and many-roomed palace at Knossos might have thought it a labyrinth, and the worship there of bulls and the sport of bull-leaping might be the source of the Minotaur - is it coincidence it was killed by the visiting Athenian, Theseus? Could Jason's expedition for the Golden Fleece be a reference to the rich gold of the Caucasus and a Greek expedition to plunder this resource? Do the Amazons represent an encounter with another culture where women were treated more equally than in the Greek world? Do the myths of the Sirens and Charybdis warn of the dangers of travel beyond familiar territory?

Such questions may well remain unanswered but starting with the discovery of Troy in the 19th century CE, archaeological finds have steadily contributed an ever-growing body of physical evidence which illustrates that the Greek myths had an origin and a purpose they were not previously credited with.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Greek mythology, as in other ancient cultures, was used as a means to explain the environment in which humankind lived, the natural phenomena they witnessed and the passing of time through the days, months, and seasons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greek mythology - New World Encyclopedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term Greek mythology refers to the collection of tales belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their pantheon of gods as well as their heroes, which outline their own cultic and ritual practices and view of the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Encyclopedia Mythica is the premier encyclopedia on mythology, folklore, and religion. Instant mythology since 1995.

# data[].attributes.body
Encyclopedia page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Who are some of the major figures of Greek mythology?

What are some major works in Greek mythology?

When did Greek mythology start?

Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in the 5th-4th century bce. In general, however, in the popular piety of the Greeks, the myths were viewed as true accounts. Greek mythology has subsequently had extensive influence on the arts and literature of Western civilization, which fell heir to much of Greek culture.

Although people of all countries, eras, and stages of civilization have developed myths that explain the existence and workings of natural phenomena, recount the deeds of gods or heroes, or seek to justify social or political institutions, the myths of the Greeks have remained unrivaled in the Western world as sources of imaginative and appealing ideas. Poets and artists from ancient times to the present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in Classical mythological themes.

Sources of myths: literary and archaeological

The 5th-century-bce Greek historian Herodotus remarked that Homer and Hesiod gave to the Olympian gods their familiar characteristics. Few today would accept this literally. In the first book of the Iliad, the son of Zeus and Leto ( Apollo, line 9) is as instantly identifiable to the Greek reader by his patronymic as are the sons of Atreus ( Agamemnon and Menelaus, line 16). In both cases, the audience is expected to have knowledge of the myths that preceded their literary rendering. Little is known to suggest that the Greeks treated Homer, or any other source of Greek myths, as mere entertainment, whereas there are prominent Greeks from Pindar to the later Stoa for whom myths, and those from Homer in particular, are so serious as to warrant bowdlerization or allegorization.

The fullest and most important source of myths about the origin of the gods is the Theogony of Hesiod (c. 700 bce). The elaborate genealogies mentioned above are accompanied by folktales and etiological myths. The Works and Days shares some of these in the context of a farmer's calendar and an extensive harangue on the subject of justice addressed to Hesiod's possibly fictitious brother Perses. The orthodox view treats the two poems as quite different in theme and treats the Works and Days as a theodicy (a natural theology). It is possible, however, to treat the two poems as a diptych, each part dependent on the other. The Theogony declares the identities and alliances of the gods, while the Works and Days gives advice on the best way to succeed in a dangerous world, and Hesiod urges that the most reliable-though by no means certain-way is to be just.

Other literary works

Fragmentary post-Homeric epics of varying date and authorship filled the gaps in the accounts of the Trojan War recorded in the Iliad and Odyssey; the so-called Homeric Hymns (shorter surviving poems) are the source of several important religious myths. Many of the lyric poets preserved various myths, but the odes of Pindar of Thebes (flourished 6th-5th century bce) are particularly rich in myth and legend. The works of the three tragedians- Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, all of the 5th century bce-are remarkable for the variety of the traditions they preserve.

In Hellenistic times (323-30 bce) Callimachus, a 3rd-century-bce poet and scholar in Alexandria, recorded many obscure myths; his contemporary, the mythographer Euhemerus, suggested that the gods were originally human, a view known as Euhemerism. Apollonius of Rhodes, another scholar of the 3rd century bce, preserved the fullest account of the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece.

In the period of the Roman Empire, the Geography of Strabo (1st century bce), the Library of the pseudo- Apollodorus (attributed to a 2nd-century-ce scholar), the antiquarian writings of the Greek biographer Plutarch, and the works of Pausanias, a 2nd-century-ce historian, as well as the Latin Genealogies of Hyginus, a 2nd-century-ce mythographer, have provided valuable sources in Latin of later Greek mythology.

Archaeological discoveries

The discovery of the Mycenaean civilization by Heinrich Schliemann, a 19th-century German amateur archaeologist, and the discovery of the Minoan civilization in Crete (from which the Mycenaean ultimately derived) by Sir Arthur Evans, a 20th-century English archaeologist, are essential to the 21st-century understanding of the development of myth and ritual in the Greek world. Such discoveries illuminated aspects of Minoan culture from about 2200 to 1450 bce and Mycenaean culture from about 1600 to 1200 bce; those eras were followed by a Dark Age that lasted until about 800 bce. Unfortunately, the evidence about myth and ritual at Mycenaean and Minoan sites is entirely monumental, because the Linear B script (an ancient form of Greek found in both Crete and Greece) was mainly used to record inventories.

Geometric designs on pottery of the 8th century bce depict scenes from the Trojan cycle, as well as the adventures of Heracles. The extreme formality of the style, however, renders much of the identification difficult, and there is no inscriptional evidence accompanying the designs to assist scholars in identification and interpretation. In the succeeding Archaic (c. 750-c. 500 bce), Classical (c. 480-323 bce), and Hellenistic periods, Homeric and various other mythological scenes appear to supplement the existing literary evidence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greek mythology | Gods, Stories, & History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Greek mythology, oral and literary traditions of the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes and the nature of the cosmos. The narratives influenced the arts of later centuries so that such stories as the abduction of Persephone and those from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey remained popular in the 21st century.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Zeus' Family Tree

Could you imagine having around 100 children? How about being married to your sister? These are all true things about Zeus' life. Zeus is one of the most popular characters in Greek mythology, a story handed down throughout the ages that is not true. Zeus has a lot of great stories which involve many people in his family. Let's check some out!

Where Did Zeus Come From?

Zeus' dad, Cronus, was the leader of the Titans and the god of time. Cronus' wife, Rhea, who was also his sister, was the Titan goddess of fertility and Zeus' mom. Cronus was given a prophecy, which means he was told about something that was going to happen to him in the future, that his children would overthrow or get rid of him. Therefore, out of the six children that Rhea gave birth to, Cronus ate the first five!

Rhea got really mad about this, so she had Zeus in secret. Rhea then fooled Cronus by giving him a rock to swallow wrapped up in a blanket. Cronus now thought he was safe. However, when Zeus got older, he mixed an elixir, a magic potion, into his father's drink. This caused his father to throw up Zeus' now fully-grown siblings, and they joined Zeus in his fight against Cronus. That sounds pretty disgusting, doesn't it?

Zeus' Many Relationships

Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder, became the ruler of all the gods and lived on Mt. Olympus, which was the home to many gods and goddesses. He had many relationships with women, both goddesses and human women. Although it is impossible to get an actual total, it is believed Zeus had around 100 children with these women. You can see a few of the most important in this picture of Zeus' family tree.

Zeus swallowed his first wife, Metis, because he was afraid she would have a child who would become more powerful than him. He then married Hera, his sister, and she was known as the queen of the gods.

Zeus' Kids

Here, you can see the names of eight goddesses who had his children. Some of those children include:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
zeus's family tree: lesson for kids - video & lesson transcript | study.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Zeus's Family Tree: Lesson for Kids - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Could you imagine having around 100 children? How about being married to your sister? These are all true things about Zeus' life. Zeus is one of the most popular characters in Greek mythology, a story handed down throughout the ages that is not true.

# data[].attributes.body
Wondering why you need these links? Read about it

# data[].attributes.body
Need another copy?  Print this link! Take notes to help you study for the quiz!

# data[].attributes.body
The British Museum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient Greece - Gods and Goddesses - The British Museum

# data[].attributes.body
Resources (short videos and articles) from the History Channel

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Myth has two main functions," the poet and scholar Robert Graves wrote in 1955. "The first is to answer the sort of awkward questions that children ask, such as 'Who made the world? How will it end? Who was the first man? Where do souls go after death?'...The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and account for traditional rites and customs." In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life. They explained everything from religious rituals to the weather, and they gave meaning to the world people saw around them.

Greek Mythology: Sources

In Greek mythology, there is no single original text like the Christian Bible or the Hindu Vedas that introduces all of the myths' characters and stories. Instead, the earliest Greek myths were part of an oral tradition that began in the Bronze Age, and their plots and themes unfolded gradually in the written literature of the archaic and classical periods. The poet Homer's 8th-century BC epics the Iliad and the Odyssey, for example, tell the story of the (mythical) Trojan War as a divine conflict as well as a human one. They do not, however, bother to introduce the gods and goddesses who are their main characters, since readers and listeners would already have been familiar with them.

Did you know? Many consumer products get their names from Greek mythology. Nike sneakers are the namesake of the goddess of victory, for example, and the website Amazon.com is named after the race of mythical female warriors. Many high school, college and professional sports teams (Titans, Spartans and Trojans, for instance) also get their names from mythological sources.

Around 700 BC, the poet Hesiod's Theogony offered the first written cosmogony, or origin story, of Greek mythology. The Theogony tells the story of the universe's journey from nothingness (Chaos, a primeval void) to being, and details an elaborate family tree of elements, gods and goddesses who evolved from Chaos and descended from Gaia (Earth), Ouranos (Sky), Pontos (Sea) and Tartaros (the Underworld).

Later Greek writers and artists used and elaborated upon these sources in their own work. For instance, mythological figures and events appear in the 5th-century plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides and the lyric poems of Pindar. Writers such as the 2nd-century BC Greek mythographer Apollodorus of Athens and the 1st-century BC Roman historian Gaius Julius Hyginus compiled the ancient myths and legends for contemporary audiences.

Greek Mythology: The Olympians

At the center of Greek mythology is the pantheon of deities who were said to live on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. From their perch, they ruled every aspect of human life. Olympian gods and goddesses looked like men and women (though they could change themselves into animals and other things) and were-as many myths recounted-vulnerable to human foibles and passions.

The twelve main Olympians are:

Zeus (Jupiter, in Roman mythology): the king of all the gods (and father to many) and god of weather, law and fate

Hera (Juno): the queen of the gods and goddess of women and marriage

Aphrodite (Venus): goddess of beauty and love

Apollo (Apollo): god of prophesy, music and poetry and knowledge

Ares (Mars): god of war

Artemis (Diana): goddess of hunting, animals and childbirth

Athena (Minerva): goddess of wisdom and defense

Demeter (Ceres): goddess of agriculture and grain

Dionysos (Bacchus): god of wine, pleasure and festivity

Hephaistos (Vulcan): god of fire, metalworking and sculpture

Hermes (Mercury): god of travel, hospitality and trade and Zeus's personal messenger

Poseidon (Neptune): god of the sea

Other gods and goddesses sometimes included in the roster of Olympians are:

Hades (Pluto): god of the underworld

Hestia (Vesta): goddess of home and family

Eros (Cupid): god of sex and minion to Aphrodite

Greek Mythology: Heroes and Monsters

Greek mythology does not just tell the stories of gods and goddesses, however. Human heroes-such as Heracles, the adventurer who performed 12 impossible labors for King Eurystheus (and was subsequently worshipped as a god for his accomplishment); Pandora, the first woman, whose curiosity brought evil to mankind; Pygmalion, the king who fell in love with an ivory statue; Arachne, the weaver who was turned into a spider for her arrogance; handsome Trojan prince Ganymede who became the cupbearer for the gods; Midas, the king with the golden touch; and Narcissus, the young man who fell in love with his own reflection-are just as significant. Monsters and "hybrids" (human-animal forms) also feature prominently in the tales: the winged horse Pegasus, the horse-man Centaur, the lion-woman Sphinx and the bird-woman Harpies, the one-eyed giant Cyclops, automatons (metal creatures given life by Hephaistos), manticores and unicorns, Gorgons, pygmies, minotaurs, satyrs and dragons of all sorts. Many of these creatures have become almost as well known as the gods, goddesses and heroes who share their stories.

Greek Mythology: Past and Present

The characters, stories, themes and lessons of Greek mythology have shaped art and literature for thousands of years. They appear in Renaissance paintings such as Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Raphael's Triumph of Galatea and writings like Dante's Inferno; Romantic poetry and libretti; and scores of more recent novels, plays and films.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Myth has two main functions," the poet and scholar Robert Graves wrote in 1955. "The first is to answer the sort of awkward questions that children ask, such as 'Who made the world? How will it end? Who was the first man?