lesson 1- the 12 olympian gods and the Greek creation myth Flashcards
Who was chronos?
The son of Ouranos (the sky god) and Gaia (the earth mother)
What was the greek creation myth?
The world first started with gaia, who bore a son, ouranos. With ouranos she gave birth to the 12 titans, the cyclopes and the hecatoncheires. However, Ouranos locked all these children away in anger in Tartarus in the underworld. Gaia mourned for her children who were locked away and decided to conspire against her husband, calling to her children for assistance. The only child willing to help was Chronos, who was gifted a scythe from Gaia to kill oruranos. That night, when Ouranos came down to lie with his wife, Gaia, Chronos hid away, catching him. With ouranos, he masturbated him, chopped off his genitals and killed him. From his blood it was believed that furies (the avenging goddesses) were born, and that his semen and genitals mixed in the ocean and created sea foam, Aphrodite was born. When Ouranos had been killed, Chronos established himself as the supreme ruler of the universe, releasing his titan siblings from the underworld but keeping the hecatoncheires and cyclopes locked away.
what are furies (goddesses) responsible for?
for torturing criminals and punishing them
what did Chronos do after he killed ouranos?
He took his sister (Rhea) as his wife. She had 5 children, and Chronos, who was afraid that his children would succeed him, decided to swallow them whole. once Rhea gave birth to zeus, she hid him away on mount ida to be raised by nymphs and took a large stone wrapped in blankets, and fed it to chronos who believed it was zeus.
what happened later on in Chronos life?
when zeus grew up, he revolted against Chronos and the Titans and banished them to tartarus in the underworld- this is known as the gigantomachy. Zeus succeeded in the battle againtst chronos and the titans as he released the cyclopes and the hecatoncheires from the underworld to defeat chronos. Zeus also made chronos vomit up his brothers and sisters using a liquid which he was gifted from Metis (Poseidon, hades, hestia, hera and demeter) who came out alive out of chronos as they were immortals
where did zeus banish chronos and the titans?
to tartarus in the underworld
who were zeus’ five siblings?
poseidon
Hera
demeter
hades
hestia
what is Zeus main responsibility?
order and justice
what are some extra details about zeus?
-he is the god of the skies and thunder (he is often depicted holding a thunder bolt )
-zeus was known to have many affairs and tricked them by transforming into different animal forms such as snakes, swans and bulls.
-zeus’ liver was eaten by an eagle daily and would regrow over night to be eaten by the same eagle again
-once zeus overthrew his father Chronos, he divided the world between him and his two brothers (hades and poseidon)
Zeus chose to rule the sky, hades the underworld and poseidon the sea
Who was hera?
The sister and wife of zeus
what was hera responsible for?
marriage and family
what are some extra details about hera?
-she was known as ‘queen of the gods’
-hera was known to be venegful and jealous due to zeus’ love affairs e.g she threatened to curse any land that would give refuge to any pregnant goddess.
-she also sent two serpents to kill heracles, but he strangled them in his cradle
what is poseidon responsible for?
sea, horses, storms, destruction and earthquakes and the protector of sailors
what is some extra information about poseidon?
-earthquakes were caused due to his anger and hades was often afraid that the roof of the underworld would cave in because of the shaking caused by the earthquakes
-he is often depicted riding in a chariot pulled by golden seahorses
-he like zeus also had many affairs which resulted in many children
-because the athenians chose athena to be the client god of the city instead of poseidon, he flooded the countryside
who is athena in relation to zeus?
his daughter
what is athena responsible for?
wisdom, craft, and heroes
what is some extra information about athena?
-she was the most courageous of all the olympians and favoured by zeus
-she was the patron goddess of Athens
-Athena was born from the head of her father after he swallowed her pregnant mother metis
-she was the one who eventually got odysseus back to the island of Ithaca after the trojan war
who is artemis in relation to zeus?
his daughter
who is artemi’s twin?
apollo
what is artemis responsible for?
archery, maidens, wild nature and hunt
