What lesson or idea does this myth try to tell us? by 林永淨Elsie Lin

elsielin1 — 2025-10-21 03:49:20 UTC

1. Long ago, Zeus, the king of the gods, gave a woman named Pandora a beautiful box. He told her never to open it. However, Pandora’s curiosity was too strong. One day, she opened the box, and all the evils—such as sickness, greed, and sadness—flew out into the world. Frightened, Pandora quickly closed the box, but one thing remained inside: Hope.

2025-10-21 08:36:00 UTC

Long ago, a clever inventor named Daedalus and his son Icarus were trapped on an island by King Minos. To escape, Daedalus built two pairs of wings made of feathers and wax. He warned Icarus not to fly too high, or the sun would melt the wax. Excited by the feeling of flight, Icarus ignored his father’s warning and flew higher and higher. The sun melted his wings, and he fell into the sea.

2025-10-21 08:37:18 UTC

Long ago, there was a rich king named Midas who loved gold more than anything. One day, the god Dionysus granted him a wish. Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. At first, he was very happy, but soon he realized his mistake — even his food and his daughter turned to gold. Sad and regretful, Midas begged the god to take away his gift. The god agreed, and Midas learned that greed can bring great sorrow.

2025-10-21 08:37:41 UTC

Echo was an Oread who resided on Mount Cithaeron. Zeus loved consorting with beautiful nymphs and often visited them on Earth. Eventually, Zeus's wife, Hera, became suspicious, and came from Mount Olympus in an attempt to catch Zeus with the nymphs. Echo, by trying to protect Zeus (as he had ordered her to do), endured Hera's wrath, and Hera made her only able to speak the last words spoken to her. So when Echo met Narcissus and fell in love with him, she was unable to tell him how she felt and was forced to watch him as he fell in love with himself.

2025-10-21 08:37:41 UTC

In Greek mythology, the Moirae are the three goddesses of fate. Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. The three sisters weave the fate of humans and gods alike. Neither human nor God has the power to influence or question their judgment and actions! Clotho, the youngest one, spins the thread of life; she is the very origin, the creation of life itself and her thread is spun upon the birth of a person!

Lachesis, the second sister, is the one that allocates the fate of people during life. The name comes from the Greek word ‘λαγχάνω’ which means to obtain from lots. In that sense, one can understand that their destiny is chosen out of a myriad of possibilities. It is said that Lachesis measures the thread of life with her rod, determining its length and nature. The last sister of fate is Atropos, the unturning. Atropos is the cutter of the thread of life and with her shears she determines how someone will die.

2025-10-21 08:39:54 UTC

Chang'e was the wife of Houyi, who saved the world by shooting down nine superfluous suns. Houyi obtained the elixir of immortality, but Chang'e, to prevent the evildoers from seizing it, swallowed it and ascended to the Moon, separating her from her husband.

2025-10-21 08:40:02 UTC

Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. A prophecy warned that he would have a long life only if he never recognized himself.

A young admirer named Ameinias, also rejected by Narcissus, prayed to Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, to punish him. Nemesis caused Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, an image he did not realize was himself. Unable to leave this irresistible image and knowing his love could never be returned, Narcissus pined away and eventually died.

2025-10-21 08:40:33 UTC

11: eros and psyche

Driven by jealousy of Psyche's beauty, Aphrodite commanded her son, Eros, to make her fall in love with a monster. Instead, Eros accidentally pricked himself with his own arrow, falling deeply in love with her. He whisked her away to a magical palace, visiting her only under the cover of darkness, forbidding her to look upon him.

Persuaded by her jealous sisters, Psyche one night lit a lamp to see him. A drop of hot oil woke Eros, who fled, feeling betrayed. After completing a series of impossible tasks set by Aphrodite, Psyche was finally reunited with Eros and granted immortality by Zeus, becoming eternal partners.

2025-10-21 08:40:45 UTC

19.After a great war, the Norse gods made peace by spitting into a vessel, creating Kvasir, the wisest being alive. Two dwarves, Fjalar and Galar, killed him and mixed his blood with honey, forming the Mead of Poetry, which granted wisdom and inspiration. The giant Suttung later stole it and hid it, guarded by his daughter Gunnlöð. Odin, desiring the mead, disguised himself, seduced Gunnlöð, and drank all of it in three gulps. He escaped to Asgard as an eagle, but some spilled onto Earth, giving rise to poor poets—while the rest stayed with the gods, inspiring true genius.

2025-10-21 08:40:47 UTC

One morning, in a quiet cave, a child was born—Hermes.He is smart and curious, he decided to do something “interesting” on the day he was born. That night, he slipped out of his cradle and wandered to the pasture of Apollo, the god of light, where he secretly led away an entire herd of cattle.
To cover his tracks, Hermes walked backward, making the footprints point the wrong way. When Apollo discovered his missing cattle, he stormed off to confront the boy. But Hermes looked up innocently and said, “How could I steal cows? I’m only one day old!”
The gods laughed loudly.Then Hermes took out a lyre he had made from a turtle shell and played a beautiful song that Apollo’s anger melted away. In the end, Apollo traded his cattle for the lyre.
From that day on, Hermes became the god of messengers and travelers as he roamed between heaven and earth. His wit and humor made even the mighty gods remember the playful boy who outsmarted the sun god himself.

2025-10-21 08:42:30 UTC

3) Long ago, the Moon goddess Selene watched over the Earth each night. She loved to see humans dance under her light, but she noticed that when the Sun rose, they forgot to thank her. Feeling unappreciated, Selene hid behind the clouds for many nights. Without her light, travelers lost their way, and the oceans grew wild without her calm glow. The people realized how much they needed her and prayed for her return. Touched by their sincerity, Selene came back. As she smiled, a single silver tear fell from the sky— and where it landed, the first pearl was born.

2025-10-21 08:42:34 UTC

14:Hedes

Hades — Lord of the Underworld

In ancient Greek mythology, Hades (ᾍδης / Ἀΐδης), sometimes rendered as Hedes, is the god of the dead and ruler of the realm beneath the earth, where souls dwell after death. Though often mistaken for a personification of death itself, that role actually belongs to Thanatos; Hades governs the domain of the dead, not the act of dying.

Divine Lineage

He is the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, brother to Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. When the three brothers overthrew the Titans, they divided the cosmos:

Zeus took the sky,

Poseidon the sea,

Hades the underworld.

Thus, his rule was not a punishment but a share of the cosmic order.

Realm and Symbols

Hades’ kingdom—often simply called Hades as well—is a shadowed reflection of the mortal world, filled with fields of asphodel, rivers of forgetfulness, and guarded gates.

2025-10-21 08:42:56 UTC

Thor, the Norse god of thunder, once tried to catch the giant Midgard Serpent while fishing with a giant named Hymir. Using an ox’s head as bait, Thor hooked the serpent and struggled to pull it up. Just as he was about to kill it, Hymir cut the line, and the serpent escaped.

Legend says they will fight again at Ragnarok, where Thor will kill the serpent but die soon after from its venom.

2025-10-21 08:43:14 UTC

Cupid, son of Venus, was a playful boy whose arrows only caused fleeting infatuation. One afternoon, growing restless on Mount Olympus, he shot the gods, turning Jupiter's throne into sponge-cake and causing widespread chaos. The angry gods demanded action. Venus, seeing the trouble he created, broke his bow and banished him to Earth among the mortals his mischief had hurt. Forced to watch heartbroken people, Cupid finally understood the seriousness of genuine love. Pondering his past actions, he took the broken pieces to the Fates. He begged them to fill his arrows with true, lasting power—both sweet and sorrowful. They agreed, and Cupid returned, his arrows forever carrying the profound burden of deep fate.

2025-10-21 08:44:46 UTC

Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of harvest. One day, Hades, god of the Underworld, took Persephone to be his queen. Demeter’s grief caused all plants on Earth to wither, leading to the first winter. Eventually, Zeus made a deal: Persephone would spend part of the year with Hades and part with her mother. When she returns to Demeter, spring begins; when she leaves, winter returns.
The myth of Persephone explains the cycle of the seasons, but it also carries deeper ideas about change, growth, and balance. It teaches that life is full of cycles—light and dark, joy and sorrow—and both are necessary. It also shows the power of a mother’s love and how even loss and separation can lead to renewal and new beginnings.

2025-10-21 08:50:05 UTC

Apollo, the god of the sun, music, and prophecy, wanted to prove his strength and claim a sacred place for his oracle. A giant serpent named Python guarded the land of Delphi, where Apollo wanted to establish his temple. Apollo used his bow and arrows to fight and defeat Python, driving it away.

Afterward, he made Delphi the center of his prophecies, where people from all over Greece came to seek his wisdom. Apollo became famous not only for his power but also for his skill in music, healing, and knowledge, showing that he could bring both light and order to the world.

2025-10-21 08:51:37 UTC

Medusa was once a beautiful woman, but she angered the goddess Athena, who transformed her into a terrifying monster with snakes for hair. Anyone who looked directly at her would instantly turn to stone. The hero Perseus was tasked by the king to obtain her head. With the help of Athena and Hermes, he received a reflective shield, a sword, and a bag. Using the shield to avoid looking at her directly, Perseus successfully beheaded Medusa. Her head retained its petrifying power and was later used as a weapon. This story symbolizes the triumph of intelligence and strategy over brute strength, the courage to face fear, and the human fascination with danger and the unknown.

2025-10-21 08:54:06 UTC

This myth is a fable of gods and humans. It shows how Daedalus, a clever inventor, tried to escape with his son Icarus using wings made of feathers and wax. But Icarus, ignoring his father’s warning, flew too close to the sun, and his wings melted. The story teaches a moral lesson about the danger of pride and disobedience—that even humans with great skill must respect nature and the gods’ limits.

2025-10-21 08:54:07 UTC

Icarus and his father Daedalus made wings from feathers and wax to escape from Crete. Daedalus warned him not to fly too high or too low. Excited by the thrill of flying, Icarus ignored the warning and soared toward the sun. The heat melted the wax, and he fell into the sea and drowned. The story teaches us not to be overconfident and to listen to wise advice.