CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 6 GAEA URANUS MOTHER EARTH FATHER HEAVEN 14 THE TITANS GAEA URANUS’S OFFSPRING 18 RHEA CRONUS MOTHER FATHER OF THE GODS 20 TITANOMACHY THE WAR OF THE TITANS 22 ZEUS GOD OF THE SKY HEAVENS 24 OLYMPUS THE PALACE OF THE GODS 26 HERA GODDESS OF WOMEN MARRIAGE 29 HESTIA GODDESS OF THE HEARTH HOME 32 POSEIDON GOD OF THE SEAS 34 HADES GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD 36 DEMETER GODDESS OF THE HARVEST 38 THE UNDERWORLD THE KINGDOM OF THE DEAD 40 HERMES GOD OF TRADE TRAVELERS THIEVES 44 ATHENA GODDESS OF WAR WISDOM THE ARTS 46 ARTEMIS GODDESS OF THE HUNT 48 APOLLO GOD OF THE ARTS MUSIC HEALING LIGHT 50 HEPHAESTUS GOD OF FIRE CRAFTSMEN 52 APHRODITE GODDESS OF LOVE BEAUTY 54 EROS GOD OF LOVE 57 ARES GOD OF WAR 59 DIONYSUS GOD OF MERRYMAKING 62 PAN GOD OF NATURE RUSTIC MUSIC 64 TITANS 2 0 THE SECOND GENERATION OF GIANTS 66 PROMETHEUS TITAN OF CULTURE INTELLIGENCE 68 5 AGES OF MAN THE HISTORY OF HUMANKIND 70 PANDORA FIRST MORTAL WOMAN ON EARTH 72 THE FATES GODDESSES OF DESTINY 74 THE FURIES GODDESSES OF REVENGE 76 MINOR GODS THE SUPPORTING PLAYERS 78 7 GODS OF PERSONIFICATION SYMBOLS OF EMOTIONS ACTIONS 80 CHIRON THE KING OF THE CENTAURS 82 HERACLES A MORTAL HERO TURNED GOD 84 PERSEUS THE SLAYER OF MONSTERS 90 BELLEROPHON POSEIDON’S SON 94 THESEUS THE HERO OF ATHENS 96
JASON THE WANDERER OF THE SEA 100 ODYSSEUS THE TRAVELING KING 104 LEGENDARY LANDS WHERE THE MYTHS TAKE PLACE 108 TROY THE SITE OF THE TROJAN WAR 110 THEBES HOME TO OEDIPUS REX 116 ATHENS THE CAPITAL CITY 120 DELPHI THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE 124 CONSTELLATIONS WRITTEN IN THE STARS 128 NYMPHS NATURE’S CREATURES 132 MORPH-OLOGY MYTHIC SHAPE-SHIFTERS 136 MUSES CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS 140 THE HALL OF HORRORS MYTHICAL MONSTERS 144 GIGANTOMACHY REVENGE OF THE TITANS 148 CENTAUROMACHY AN EPIC BATTLE 150 THE AMAZONS THE FIERCEST FEMALES 152 THEBAN CYCLE A COLLECTION OF ANCIENT POEMS 154 GAME ON THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS 156 ROMANS ROMAN MYTHOLOGY 158 UNSUNG HEROES OTHER HELPERS WORTH MENTIONING 160 SHE-ROES WOMEN WHO ROCKED 162 STUMP YOUR PARENTS 164 HERO MATCHUP 166 10 WACKY FACTS ABOUT GREEK MYTHOLOGY 168 WHICH GREEK GOD DESS ARE YOU 170 SPIRIT ANIMALS 172 GLOSSARY 176 INDEX 182 PHOTO CREDITS 190
OH MY GODS Welcome to the wild wacky and wonderful world of Greek mythology mythology Passed down from generation to generation these stories or myths originated thousands of years ago as a way for ancient Greeks to understand what was going on in their lives and in the world around them Things like astronomy astronomy biology meteorology and other sciences sciences were still centuries away from being developed so the ancient Greeks came up with stories to explain it all The change in seasons The creation of the planet The reason your voice echoes when you yell into a canyon Yep there's a myth for all of that The ancient Greeks used myths to answer life's other tough questions too like where people go after they die They taught valuable lessons like the importance of being brave and of choosing good over evil Myths often were a vehicle for retelling historical events including stories of real life battles and wars Greek myths are mostly fictional But the ancient Greeks lived by them as though they were the real deal To them myths weren't just stories but a religion They worshipped worshipped the Gods and built temples to them and the ruins of some still stand These stories were a major part of their everyday lives so powerful that they are still super popular today THERE'S A MYTH FOR THAT Here's how the ancient Greeks explained certain natural phenomena 6 FIRE EARTHQUAKES SUNSET SUNRISE THE MYTH The god Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans bringing them light warmth and the power to cook their food THE MYTH The earth shook every time Poseidon the god of the sea crashed his trident to the ground THE MYTH The god Helios pulled the sun in a golden chariot Each day he'd drive the chariot along the sky causing the sun to rise and set
7 IT'S MYTHIC Some ancient Greeks wouldn't eat beans because they thought they contained the souls of the dead THE SEASONS VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS THUNDERSTORMS THE MYTH Hephaestus set off eruptions each time he created something new in his fiery workshop beneath a volcano THE MYTH Demeter the goddess of the seasons and agriculture created the seasons after her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken into the Underworld for six months of the year While her daughter was away Demeter created an endless winter THE MYTH An angry Zeus would hurl lightning lightning bolts thunder and rain down to Earth
