SUMMARY OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD required all the prowess of the gods and the assistance of the

s and the assistance of the mortal

(GREEK MYTHOLOGY) Heracles to subdue and kill the Giants. Having vanquished the Titans,
In the beginning there was only Chaos, an empty void. But the dragon Typhoeus, and the Giants, the rule of the Olympians was
somehow this enormous vacancy gave birth to Gaea, the earth, to undisputed.
Tartarus, the great region beneath the earth, and to Eros, the shining Eurynome, the goddess of all creation, arose from Chaos and
god of love and attraction. Chaos also bore Erebus, the darkness of separated the sea from the sky. Then, dancing naked upon the
the netherworld, and Night, the darkness over the earth. Then Erebus waves, she created the wind and rubbed it in her hands to create the
slept with Night, who gave birth to Ether, the heavenly light, and to serpent Ophion, who made love to her. Pregnant, Eurynome became
Day, the earthly light. Later Night alone produced such beings as a dove and laid the World Egg, and Ophion coiled about the Egg and
Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis, and a long list of other hatched it. This Egg brought forth the cosmos and everything in it.
atrocities that steal upon men in darkness. Then Eurynome and Ophion settled on Olympus, but their union was
Meanwhile Gaea, without help, gave birth to Uranus, the starry unhappy. When Ophion proclaimed himself the Creator, Eurynome
sky, to the Mountains, and to Pontus, the sterile sea. Uranus then banished him to the netherworld. Finally Eurynome established the
became Gaea's mate and equal, for he covered her on all sides. This seven planets, each with a Titan and Titaness to rule it. When man
primordial couple, sky and earth, produced the twelve Titans, the appeared he sprang from the soil, and the first man, Pelasgus, taught
three towering wheel-eyed Cyclopes, and the three terrible the others to eat acorns, build huts, and make a rude garment.
Hecatoncheires with fifty heads and a hundred arms apiece. GREEK GODS AND GODDESSES
However, Uranus proved to be a harsh husband and father. The Titans
Each of the Hecatoncheires hated him, and he hated them in return. Gaea (Ge), the earth, and her son Uranus, the heavens,
In his anger Uranus pushed them back into Gaea's womb and kept produced the Titans, among other beings. The Titans were the old
them there. Gaea writhed in pain at this and plotted revenge upon her gods who were supplanted by the Olympian gods. Their mother Gaea
mate. She fashioned a flint sickle and called upon her other children to was probably a neolithic earth-mother who was pushed into the
avenge her. The Titans and Cyclopes recoiled in fear of their father, background by the patriarchal gods of the Indo-Europeans who
and only the last-born Titan, Cronus, was daring enough. invaded Greece during the second millennium B.C., but her worship
That night when Uranus came to lie without Gaea the crafty persisted even into the Classical Age.
Cronus was hiding in ambush. He grabbed his father's genitals and Cronus was the chief Titan, a ruling deity who obtained his
severed them with his mother's sickle. As the blood fell to earth the power by castrating his father Uranus. Cronus married his sister
Furies, who punish crimes, the Ash-Tree Nymphs, and the race of Rhea, and together they produced the Olympian gods, whom Cronus
Giants were created. Cronus heaved the members into the sea, and swallowed at birth to prevent them from seizing the throne. His son
from the foam arose Aphrodite, the beautiful goddess of love, who Zeus defeated him and the other Titans and bound them in the
floated along and stepped ashore at Cyprus. The mutilated Uranus underworld. Cronus' Latin name was Saturn.
either withdrew forever from the earth or else he perished. But before Rhea was Cronus' wife. Vexed at having him swallow their
he did so he promised that Cronus and the other Titans would be children, she hid Zeus from him and gave him a stone to swallow
punished. instead.
After confining the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires to Tartarus, Oceanus was the unending stream that encircled the world, a
Cronus established his reign. He married his sister Rhea, and under Titan, who with his wife Tethys produced the rivers and the three
his lordship the Titans produced many offspring. Yet Cronus could not thousand ocean nymphs.
allow his own children to survive, for both Gaea and Uranus had Hyperion was the Titan of light, the father of the sun, the moon,
prophesied that Cronus would be supplanted by a son. When Rhea, and the dawn.
his wife, gave birth to the gods and goddesses Cronus swallowed Mnemosyne was the Titaness of memory and the mother of the
Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon shortly after each was Muses. Zeus fathered the Muses.
born. Rhea was furious and took pains to save her sixth child, Zeus, Themis was the Titaness of justice and order. She gave birth to
from his father. She bore Zeus in secret and then gave Cronus a the Fates and the seasons.
stone wrapped in swaddling bands to swallow instead. Iapetus was the Titan who fathered Prometheus, Epimetheus,
Attended by nymphs, Zeus grew to manhood on Crete. Cronus, and Atlas.
meanwhile, was growing old. So Zeus sought advice on how to defeat Other Titans include Coeus and Crius. Other Titanesses include
him from the Titaness Metis, who prepared an emetic potion. Phoebe and Thea. Their attributes and functions were either forgotten
Disguised as a cupbearer, Zeus gave this potion to Cronus, who or insignificant.
vomited up Zeus's brothers and sisters, as well as the stone Rhea had Like the original twelve Titans, their children and grandchildren
given him. The gods were alive and unhurt, and together with Zeus were also called Titans.
they triumphed over Cronus and bound him in Tartarus. Zeus then set Prometheus was the wisest Titan, a benefactor to mankind,
up the stone at Parnassus, a monument to his victory over the Titan whom he created. His name means "forethought." Originally an ally of
king. Zeus, he later tricked Zeus and was chained in the Caucasus
Zeus's triumph, however, was far from secure. The other Titans, Mountains, where an eagle fed upon his liver daily.
with the exception of Prometheus and Oceanus, rebelled under these Epimetheus was a stupid Titan whose name means "after-
upstart gods. For ten years the fighting lasted, a cosmos-shaking thought." He accepted the gift of Pandora from Zeus; and Pandora,
battle in which the elements of nature raged without check. Neither the first woman, unleashed all the evils of the world on mankind.
the gods nor the Titans could secure a decisive victory. But then Zeus Atlas, for warring against Zeus, was forced to bear the vault of
went down to Tartarus and released the Cyclopes and the hundred- the heavens upon his shoulders at the edge of the world.
handed monsters. The Cyclopes awarded Zeus their weapons of
thunder and lightning, and the Hecatoncheires pelted the Titans with Other Primordial Deities
boulders. And at last the Titans were defeated. Zeus imprisoned them Eros, along with Gaea, was the child of Chaos in early Greek
in Tartarus, and he condemned the rebel Atlas to stand forever at the mythology. He represented the creative principle of attraction that
edge of the world and bear the heavens on his shoulders. brings beings together, establishes friendships and marriages, creates
Gaea was enraged at the downfall of her children, the Titans. cities, and so on. In later myths he was the son of Aphrodite and
And through her union with Tartarus she gave birth to one last represented lust.
monster, Typhoeus, a dragon with a hundred heads that never rested. The Cyclopes were one-eyed monsters, the children of Gaea
Terrified, most of the gods fled. But Zeus was captured and confined. and Uranus. There were at first three of these storm-demons, and
Released by Hermes, Zeus finally destroyed the dragon by hurling they represented the thunder, lightning, and the thunderbolt. They
lightning at it again and again, and by burying it under Etna in Sicily. helped Zeus against the Titans.
There was one more attempt to dislodge Zeus and the other The Hecatoncheires were three more monsters produced by
Olympians from their mastery of the world. The Giants, who had Gaea and Uranus. Each had fifty heads and a hundred arms of
sprouted from Uranus' blood, were dissatisfied, so they laid siege to prodigious strength. These creatures represented the cataclysmic
Olympus by piling mountain upon mountain in an attempt to scale it. It forces of nature. Briareus was distinguished by the fact that he once
served as Zeus's bodyguard. Together they helped Zeus defeat the Dionysus, a fertility god and a god of the vine, was the son of
rebellious Titans. Zeus and Semele. He served to liberate the emotions and to inspire
The Giants were generated by Uranus' blood when Cronus men with joy. Like the grape vine, he suffered death butwas
mutilated him. Eventually they became powerful enough to attack the resurrected. His female worshipers were the frenzied Maenads. Yet
whole Olympian order and were vanquished only after an earth- out of his celebration grew the tragic theater. He was also known as
shattering battle. Bacchus, Latin Liber, a god of drunkenness.
The Furies, who pursued and punished sinners, also sprang
from the blood of Uranus. Specifically, they punished matricides. Other Gods
>>Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera, was the goddess of youth and
The Olympian Gods acted as a cupbearer to the gods.
Zeus was the supreme deity of the Greeks and was depicted as >>As a youth, Ganymede was abducted by Zeus in the form of an eagle
a robust, mature man with a flowing beard. At first a storm-god who that carried the boy to Olympus. There Zeus gave him immortality, made
wielded the thunderbolt, Zeus became the All-Father who populated him his lover, and established him as a cupbearer.
the heavens and the earth by his promiscuous liaisons; and he finally >>Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and sometimes a messenger of
became the grand dispenser of justice. His palace was on Mount the gods.
Olympus, together with the homes of the other Olympians. Jupiter and >>The Three Graces presided over banquets and festivities. They
Jove were his Latin names. represented splendor, mirth, and good cheer.
Hera was the jealous wife and sister of Zeus, the protectress of >>The Nine Muses were part of Apollo's retinue and were the daughters
marriage and childbirth. In several myths she was quite vindictive of Mnemosyne, or memory. These were goddesses of inspiration: Clio of
history, Melpomene of tragedy, Urania of astronomy, Thalia of comedy,
toward those with whom Zeus fell in love. Her Latin name was Juno.
Terpsichore of dance, Calliope of epic poetry, Erato of love verse,
Poseidon, a brother of Zeus, was lord of the sea and a god of Euterpe of lyric poems, and Polyhymnia of sacred songs.
horses. A wrathful, moody god, he carried a trident and traveled in the >>Persephone was the lovely daughter of Zeus and Demeter, a goddess
company of sea nymphs and monsters of the deep. His Latin name of springtime. After Hades abducted her she became the queen of the
was Neptune. underworld. Proserpina was her Latin name.
Demeter was Zeus's full sister, a goddess of vegetation and >>Pan, the son of Hermes, was the god of flocks. He had the torso and
fertility. She had various lovers, including Zeus, and a daughter, head of a man, but the hindquarters and horns of a goat. A marvelous
Persephone, who was taken by Hades. In Demeter's grief the earth musician, he played the pipes and pursued various nymphs, all of whom
grew barren, and only when her daughter returned to her for six rejected him for his ugliness.
months of each year did the earth become fruitful. Her Latin name >>The Satyrs were originally men with horses' haunches and tails, two-
was Ceres. legged as opposed to the four-legged Centaurs. But in Roman times they
Apollo, the son of Zeus, was the god of light, of intelligence, of were confused with Fauns, or goat-men who roamed the woods.
healing, and of the arts. His most important shrine was at Delphi, >>The Centaurs were principally savage beasts, half-horse and half-
where an oracle prophesied. Apollo had several love affairs and a few man. Chiron was the exception, a Centaur famous for his virtue and
rejections that he punished. He was also called Phoebus Apollo. wisdom.
Artemis was Apollo's twin sister and a daughter of Zeus. The >>The Dryads were tree-nymphs and had beautiful female shapes.
goddess of chastity, she was a virgin huntress who was shown There were also mountain nymphs, wood nymphs, stream nymphs, and
carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows. By some quirk she also sea nymphs, all in female form.
presided over childbirth and was associated with the moon. Her name >>The Gorgons were three hideous dragonish sisters that could change
in Latin was Diana. men to stone at a glance. Medusa was the most famous one.
Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was either born of >>The Sirens were sisters who sat on rocks by the sea and lured sailors
the sea-foam or was the daughter of Zeus. She represented sex, to their doom by singing to them.
affection, and the power of attraction that binds people together. >>Helios was the sun god, but he did not play a large part in Greek
mythology.
According to some myths Hephaestus was her husband, Ares her
>>Aeolus was the custodian of the four winds.
lover, and Eros her son. Aphrodite's Latin counterpart was Venus, a >>Castor and Polydeuces (or Pollux) were famous twins who protected
more erotic goddess. sailors. Polydeuces' brotherly devotion when Castor died made their
Athena was the virgin goddess of wisdom, a warrior who sprang names a by-word for fraternal affection.
fully armed from the head of Zeus after he had swallowed the >>Proteus, the son or attendant of Poseidon, had the ability to prophesy
Titaness Metis. She was also a goddess of the arts and the guardian and to change his shape at will.
of Athens. Her chief traits were prudence and valor. She was >>Triton was the trumpeter of the sea and was depicted blowing a large
sometimes called Pallas Athena. Athena's Latin name was Minerva. conch shell.
Hestia was the mild virgin goddess of the hearth, the family, and >>The Fates were three powerful goddesses who determined the lives of
peace. She was Zeus's sister. Her Latin name was Vesta. men. Clotho wove the thread of life; Lachesis measured it out; and
Ares, the bullying god of war, was the son of Zeus and Hera. A Atropos cut it off with her scissors of death.
brutal deity who delighted in slaughter and looting, he was also a
coward. In his adulterous affair with Aphrodite, Ares was caught and
exposed to ridicule by her husband, Hephaestus. His Latin name was
Mars.
Hephaestus was the lame, ugly god of the crafts, a skilled
artisan who created many wonderful things. He was injured by his
father Zeus for defending Hera in a quarrel. He was identified with the
Latin god Vulcan, a deity of volcanic fire.
Hermes, the cleverest of the Olympian gods, ruled wealth and
good fortune, was the patron of commerce and thievery, promoted
fertility, and guided men on journeys. He was herald and messenger
of the gods, a conductor of souls to the netherworld, and a god of
sleep. Hermes was the son of Zeus and was depicted with a helmet,
winged sandals, and the caduceus. Mercury was his Latin name.
Hades was lord of the underworld, the region of the dead. Since
he was a brother of Zeus, he was sometimes included among the
Olympians. He was a stern, dark, inexorable god, and his kingdom
was gray and lifeless. He abducted Persephone, the daughter of
Demeter, and made her his queen. His Latin names were Dis and
Pluto.