Republic of the Philippines
MINDORO STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
Bongabong Campus
Labasan, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro
College of Teacher Education
MODULE IN MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLOREMYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLOREMYTHOLOGY
AND FOLKLORE
The Ancient Gods
The Ancient Gods of Greek Mythology
All of the ancient gods of Greek mythology and legend were immortals, they could
not die. However, they were vulnerable and could be wounded or replaced by stronger
gods. The Greek Creation myth creates a supernatural world in which various generations
of gods supplanted the elder gods who were confined in the depths of the Underworld.
The ancient gods of Greece formed three major groups:
The Primeval Gods
The Titans
The Olympian Gods
The Ancient Gods - the Creation Myth
The Creation myth of the ancient Greeks started with Chaos, a careless god who
inhabited a dark, chaotic void in which all things were a confused mass. There was no
solid land, no sun, no moon, no fluid sea, no flowing rivers or fresh water, no mountains
and no pure air. Chaos created Nyx out of the darkness and they produced Erebus whose
province was the Underworld. Erebus then took his mother Nyx as his wife. The offspring
of Erebus and Nyx were Aether and his sister Hemera who brought light and day. Chaos,
Erebus, and Nyx were deprived of their power by Aether and Hemera. The union of Aether
and Hemera produced Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (Hell), Pontus (sea) and Eros (Love). These
were the first primeval deities who were initially born out of chaos. Gaia, the Earth Mother
then created Uranus and together they overthrew the elder gods and produced twelve
gigantic children who became collectively known as the Titans.
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The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - the
Titans
Uranus was frightened of the strength of his gigantic children and to prevent their ever
making use of their strength against him,
he seized them immediately after their
birth and hurled them down into a dark
abyss, below the Underground, called
Tartarus, where he kept this generation
of the ancient gods in chains.
The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - the Titans
The names of the Ancient Gods referred to as the Titans were:
Male Titans: Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus
Female Titanides: Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea and Themis
The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - the Cyclopes and the Centimani
Following the imprisonment of the 12 Titans Uranus and his wife Gaia produced
another three giant sons, the Cyclopes. The Cyclopes were one-eyed giants called
Brontes (Thunder), Steropes (Lightning), and Arges (Sheet-lightning). Once again Uranus
threw them into Tartarus with the 12 captive Titans. In due time their number was again
increased by three more sons of Uranus called the Centimani (Hundred-Handed Ones),
who were giants of incredible strength and ferocity that surpassed that of all Titans. The
names of the Centimani were Cottus, Briareus, and Gyes.
The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - Cronus defeats Uranus
Gaia hated the treatment that her children had received at the hands of Uranus. She
pleaded with him to release them from Tartarus but Uranus refused. Gaia swore revenge
on her husband, and descended into Tartarus, where she convinced the Titans to
conspire against Uranus and take his throne. Cronus, the youngest of the Titans, hated
Tartarus and hated his cruel father for his cruelty. Cronus showed courage and agreed to
face his father. Gaia released him from his chains, and gave him a weapon, an incredibly
sharp scythe, to attack his father. Cronus vanquished his father and bound him in chains.
Cronus then took possession of the vacant throne, intending to rule the universe forever.
Uranus cursed his son, and made the prophecy that a day would come when Cronus
would also be supplanted by his children and suffer just punishment for his rebellion.
The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - The Rule of the Titans
Cronus released his brothers and sisters from the horrors of Tartarus and ruled as
the king of these ancient gods. Each of his siblings were given a portion of the world to
govern.
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Cronus was the Titan god of time and the ages
Coeus was the god of Intelligence
Rhea was the goddess of fertility and the mother of gods
Phoebe goddess of the Moon
Oceanus lord of the ocean
Tethys goddess of the rivers
Iapetus was the god of Mortal Life
Hyperion was the lord of light
Mnemosyne was the goddess of memory and the inventor of words
Theia was the Mother of the Sun and goddess of all that glitters
Crius was the god of the constellations
Themis was the goddess of justice and order
Immortal Gods
The Ancient Gods
Their powers were legendary and seemingly limitless. But how did the ancient Greeks
perceive the Ancient Gods? What were the Ancient Gods like?
The Ancient Gods lived forever - they were vulnerable, they could be wounded but
they could not be killed
They lived in beautiful golden palaces, golden chariots drawn by fabulous creatures.
They had mechanical servants similar to robots but who could talk and think
They had fabulous weapons such as the thunderbolts hurled by Zeus
They could control the weather
They had the magical power of transformation - the gods and goddesses could
transform themselves into animals or inanimate objects. They also had the power to
transform others in terrible monsters or objects such as trees
Their blood was a bright unearthly fluid called Ichor that had the power of producing
new life
The Immortal gods were perceived as resembling mortals, but they were superior in
every way
o They were more beautiful
o They were taller
o They were stronger
o They had superior mental capabilities
The Immortal gods married and had families
The Immortal gods needed food, drink and sleep to nourish their bodies
The Immortal gods wore the same styles of clothes to mortals but were made of
finer materials
The Immortal gods used similar styles of weapons as humans
The Immortal gods had the same emotions as mortals and displayed feelings of
love, gratitude, jealousy, hate and revenge
In Ancient Greek mythology the Immortal gods and deities visited humans. fell in
love and their children were called 'demigods' or 'Heroes' who were famous for their
courage and great strength
Ancient Gods family tree and Genealogy
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The Ancient Gods family tree provides an instant overview of the genealogy of the
ancient Greek gods and goddesses - a 'who's who' of the famous names, family
connections, genealogy and relationships between the main characters who feature in the
legends and mythology of the Immortal gods and deities.
The Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology – Chaos
Chaos was the first of all gods or divinities, a careless deity who ruled over
confusion which was defined as the void of emptiness, within the universe. Chaos
provided an explanation of the nature and genesis of the universe.
Ancient Gods family tree and Genealogy
The Ancient Gods family tree provides an instant overview of the genealogy of the
ancient Greek gods and goddesses - a 'who's who' of the famous names, family connections,
genealogy and relationships between the main characters who feature in the legends and
mythology of the Immortal gods and deities.
The Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology – Chaos
Chaos was the first of all gods or divinities, a careless deity who ruled over confusion
which was defined as the void of emptiness, within the universe. Chaos provided an
explanation of the nature and genesis of the universe.
The Ancient Gods were born out of Chaos
The Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology - The First Ancient Gods
The first Ancient Gods came from Chaos and Nyx and emerged self-formed at the
beginning of the creation of Earth who would create 'Order out of Chaos'. The names of the
first Ancient Gods were Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (Hell) and Eros (Love) and Erebus (Darkness).
The first Ancient Gods included Earth, Air, Sea, Sky, Darkness, Night, Light, Day, Fresh
Water, Underworld, Procreation and Time. These primeval, immortal gods were inseparable
from their native elements but also had genders and domains assigned to them.
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The race of giants
The most famous of these primeval gods, the first of the Ancient Gods, were
Uranus, Gaia, Erebos, Tartarus, Pontus and Eros (not to be confused with the later god
Eros who was the son of Aphrodite)
Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology - The Titans
The first Ancient Gods were overthrown by their offspring, led by Cronus, who
became known as the Titans. The names of the Ancient Gods referred to as the Titans
were:
Male Titans: Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus
Female Titanides: Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea and Themis
The Children of the Titans - Ancient Gods
Each of the first generation of males joined with one of his sisters (the Titanides) to
produce children. The second generation of Ancient Gods consisted of:
Eos, Helios, and Selene, Leto, Asteria, Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius,
Metis, Astraeus, Pallas, Perses, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus
The Ancient Gods - The Olympians
Some of the children of the Titans rebelled against the first Ancient Gods starting a
ten year conflict called Battle of the Titans (the Titanomachy). In Greek mythology the first
generation of the Ancient Gods, the Titans, used Mount Othrys as their base. This was
was assaulted by the younger Ancient Gods, led by Zeus, who used Mount Olympus as
their base. The younger Ancient Gods were victorious and became known as the
Olympians. The names of the principle Olympian gods, who were also Ancient Gods,
were:
Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hestia or Dionysus, Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, Poseidon,
Demeter, Artemis, Hephaestus and Hermes
The Titanomachy - The
Battle of the Titans
against the Olympians
Other Ancient Gods
There were many other lesser deities who were also classed as Ancient Gods such
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as the Nymphs, Dryads and Sirens. The children of unions between the gods and mortals
were called Demigods and many of these were also considered as Immortal.
LEARNING RESOURCES
Kathleen Sears. Mythology 101 From Gods and Goddesses To Monsters And Mortals, Your Guide To Ancient
Mythology
Megan E. Bryant . Mythopedia: Oh My Gods!
Folklore unit notes.pdf
Prepared by:
Reggie Carlo A. Reamosio
Instructor 1
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