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Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece
by Lucas Paros
http://www.fromgreek.com
Greek mythology with all its fascinating legends and myths
has peaked our interest for centuries. A great deal of it is
incorporated into modern life as we know it. It also exists
worldwide and many of the myths of other cultures are based
on the Greek stories.
Throughout time many of the details of the myths have become
distorted but the core elements remain strong. Many
centuries ago Greek myths were the religion for the people
of those times. The gods that were worshipped became known
as the Olympians and their legend is what continues today.
Homer and the Homeric Hymns are among the oldest of Greek
myths. These stories are so ancient and they were also the
first words written about Greek myths, so it's probably safe
to assume that they changed before actually being written
down. The legends and stories as we know them today are
probably not complete.
Irrespective of the distortion, the source or the
authenticity, Greek myths continue to ignite our interest
and captivate our imagination. Cyclopes is amongst the most
well known Greek mythical creatures. This mythical monster
had just one eye and that too in the center of its forehead.
There were three main Cyclopes: Arges, Steropes, and
Brontes. These three mythical creatures each represented the
lighting bolt, lightning itself, and thunder. It is also
recorded that these three Cyclopes were the sons of two
other Greek mythological characters. These were Uranus and
Gaea - who in turn is the mother earth.
The god of the skies and first king of the Olympians was
Uranus. He and his mother Gaea produced the Titans. In Greek
mythology it doesn't matter if mothers and sons produce
children. Some historians have trouble dealing with this
concept.
Prometheus, who was the son of Iapetus, was the wisest, most
intelligent of all the Titans. His name means "forethought".
Because he was able to see into the future, people revered
him. He was also the only Titan to battle with Zeus in a war
against Cronus.
Cronus killed his father, Uranus, becoming a Titan who was
feared by many. He murdered his father to gain power. Rhea
and Cronus were married and they produced several offspring.
Since Cronus didn't ever want to relinquish his power, he
would eat each child as it was born. Rhea finally tricked
Cronus into eating a stone instead of a baby. That child was
Zeus. When he became an adult, he and Prometheus fought
Cronus and sent him off to the underworld.
Typhoeus is another popular Greek mythological creature who
was a dragon that breathed fire with his one hundred heads.
Typhoeus is credited with becoming the basis of most Greek
art and sculpture. Eventually, Typhoeus was slain by Zeus.
The resting place of Typhoeus is said to be under Mount
Etna.
Greek as well as Roman mythology has continued to fascinate
the mankind for centuries. Both these cultures have a rich
history reaped with mythologies that have their own heroes
and monsters. Both these have contributed immensely in
shaping the arts and culture of today.
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