THE ODYSSEY

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THE ODYSSEY

• Gods and Monsters

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What is mythology?

• The body of traditional tales concerning the
  gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks.
  Critical Greeks, such as Plato in the 5th-4th
  century BCE, recognized the considerable element
  of fiction in the myths, although in general the
  Greeks viewed them as true accounts. Greek
  mythology is rich with the tales of monsters,
  heroes, wars, and the various Greek Gods, their
  worship and beliefs.

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Mythology in ancient Greece

• Mythology was at the heart of everyday life in
  Ancient Greece. Greeks regarded mythology as a
  part of their history. They used myth to explain
  natural phenomena, cultural variations,
  traditional enmities and friendships. It was a
  source of pride to be able to trace one's
  leaders' descent from a mythological hero or a
  god. Few ever doubted that there was truth behind
  the account of the Trojan War in the Iliad and
  Odyssey.

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About the gods

• Gods are assigned human form. They are immortal
  and are worshiped for their supernatural powers.
  The Greeks placed statues of their Gods at
  appropriate positions around them for blessings
  and future favors. They invoked Gods during every
  memorable occasion. The twelve Gods of Olympus
  constitute an important element in the Greek
  mythology.

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More about the gods

• The ancient Greeks worshipped many Gods as
  personifications of the forces of the universe.
  Each God possessed and implemented his individual
  sense of justice their anger was harsh and they
  were often vengeful toward mortals and toward
  each other.
• Every Greek God was associated with specific
  aspects of life and was worshipped or called upon
  for certain abilities or interests.

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About worship

• The ancient Greeks considered sacrifice as the
  appropriate method to worship God. Public
  worships were held to obtain public blessings,
  rain, good harvest, military victories, etc.
  Private sacrifices were offered for fulfillment
  of personal goals, wishes and victories. Blood
  sacrifices of animals such as oxen, sheep,
  horses, swine, dogs, birds, fish, fowl etc were
  common in the temple of Gods. The Greek temples
  were part slaughterhouse and part barbecue.
  During sacrifices, the people offered the blood,
  bones and hides of the slaughter animal to the
  God, the remaining portions were used up as food
  for themselves.

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The 12 Olympian gods

• Olympus was the residence of the divine family,
  the twelve most important ruling gods and
  goddesses of ancient Greece, who therefore were
  called the Olympians.

APHRODITE APOLLO ARES ARTEMIS ATHENA DEMETER
HEPHAESTUS HERA HERMES HESTIA POSEIDON ZEUS
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Life on Mt. Olympus

• The entrance to Olympus was a great gate of
  clouds, kept by the Seasons. Within were the
  gods dwellings where they lived and slept and
  held court. In its great halls they feasted on
  ambrosia and nectar and were entertained by
  Apollos lyre, the Graces and the Muses.
• Minor gods and deities did not live on Olympus,
  but were summoned there when required.

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What are nymphs?

• In Greek mythology, nymphs are spirits of
  nature. They are minor female deities and the
  protectors of springs, mountains, and rivers.
  Nymphs are represented as young, pretty girls.
  Each subtype presides over a certain aspect of
  nature.

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Who are the Muses?

• The Greek goddesses who presided over the arts
  and sciences. They were believed to inspire all
  artists, especially poets, philosophers, and
  musicians.

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Who are the Fates?

• The Fates were the goddesses who controlled the
  destiny of everyone from the time they were born
  to the time they died. They were Clotho, the
  spinner, who spun the thread of a person's life,
  Lachesis, the apportioner, who decided how much
  time was to be allowed each person, and Atropos,
  the inevitable, who cut the thread when you were
  supposed to die.

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Zeus

• King of the gods on Mt. Olympus
• God of thunder and weather
• Represented by the eagle
• After overthrowing the Titans (previous rulers of
  Mt. Olympus) he shared the world with his elder
  brothers, Poseidon and Hades, by drawing lots
  Zeus got the sky and air, Poseidon the waters,
  and Hades the world of the dead (the underworld).
• Son of Cronus (a Titan)

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Athena

• Goddess of wisdom
• Favorite daughter of Zeus
• patroness of weaving, crafts and the more
  disciplined side of war.
• She is attended by an owl, and is often
  accompanied by the goddess of victory, Nike.
• She is often shown helmeted and with a shield
• Sometimes called Pallas Athena (Athena of the
  City)

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Aphrodite

• Goddess of love and beauty

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Hermes

• God of boundaries and of the travelers who cross
  them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators and
  wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of
  weights and measures, of invention, of commerce
  in general, and of the cunning of thieves and
  liars.
• Known for being the messenger of the gods,
  delivering messages to mortals.
• Son of Zeus

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Poseidon

• God of the sea
• Father of Polyphemus, the Cyclops
• Brother of Zeus
• Known as earth shaker for causing earthquakes

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Aeolus

• Keeper of the winds
• Homer refers to him as a mortal, but others
  consider him a minor god

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Calypso

• Beautiful nymph, daughter of the Titan Atlas
• Rules and lives alone on the island of Ogygia

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Circe

• Nymph on the island of Aeaea
• Daughter of Helios, god of the sun
• Transformed her enemies, or those who offended
  her, into animals through the use of magical
  potions.
• She was renowned for her knowledge of drugs and
  herbs.

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The Sirens

• Birdlike nymphs with beautiful voices that lure
  men to their island to kill them
• Represent temptation and seduction

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Tiresias

• Blind prophet in the underworld

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Polyphemus

• Giant Cyclops
• Lives on an island with other Cyclopes they are
  known for being rather dumb and rude.
• Son of Poseidon
• Man eater

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Charybdis

• A whirlpool that sucks down ships
• Originally a nymph daughter of Poseidon
• Next to Scylla

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Scylla

• Sea monster, with six long necks equipped with
  grisly heads, each of which contained three rows
  of sharp teeth
• body consisted of twelve canine legs and a cat's
  tail.
• Man eater
• Traveling between Scylla and Charybdis became
  known as being between a rock and a hard place

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Antiphates

• King of the Laestrygonians, a clan of giant
  cannibals
• The Laestrygonians inhabit their own island.