The achievements of the ancient Greeks in art, science and politics had a significant impact on the development of European states. Mythology, one of the most well-studied in the world, also played an important role in this process. For many hundreds of years, it has been for many creators. The history and myths of ancient Greece have always been closely intertwined. The realities of the archaic era are known to us precisely thanks to the legends of that period.

Greek mythology took shape at the turn of the II-I millennium BC. e. Tales of gods and heroes spread throughout Hellas thanks to the Aeds - wandering reciters, the most famous of which was Homer. Later, during the period of the Greek classics, mythological subjects were reflected in the works of art of the great playwrights - Euripides and Aeschylus. Even later, at the beginning of our era, Greek scientists began to classify myths, to compile a family tree of heroes, in other words, to study the heritage of their ancestors.

Origin of the gods

Ancient myths and legends of Greece are dedicated to gods and heroes. According to the ideas of the Hellenes, there were several generations of gods. The first couple to have anthropomorphic features were Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). They gave birth to 12 titans, as well as one-eyed cyclops and many-headed and many-armed hecatoncheir giants. The birth of monster children did not please Uranus, and he threw them into the great abyss - Tartarus. This, in turn, did not please Gaia, and she persuaded her children-titans to overthrow their father (myths about the ancient gods of Greece abound with similar motives). This was managed by the youngest of her sons - Kronos (Time). With the beginning of his reign, history repeated itself.

He, like his father, was afraid of his powerful children, and therefore, as soon as his wife (and sister) Rhea gave birth to another child, he swallowed it. This fate befell Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hades. But Rhea could not part with her last son: when Zeus was born, she hid him in a cave on the island of Crete and instructed the nymphs and Kurets to raise the child, and brought her husband a stone wrapped in diapers, which he swallowed.

War with the titans

The ancient myths and legends of Greece were filled with bloody wars for power. The first of these began after the grown-up Zeus forced Kronos to regurgitate the swallowed children. Enlisting the support of his brothers and sisters and calling for the help of the giants imprisoned in Tartarus, Zeus began to fight his father and other titans (some later went over to his side). The main weapons of Zeus were lightning and thunder, which were forged for him by the Cyclopes. The war lasted for a whole decade; Zeus and his allies defeated and imprisoned the enemies in Tartarus. I must say that Zeus was also destined for the fate of his father (to fall at the hands of his son), but he managed to avoid it thanks to the help of the titan Prometheus.

Myths about the ancient gods of Greece - the Olympians. Descendants of Zeus

Power over the world was shared by three titans, representing the third generation of gods. These were Zeus the Thunderer (he became the supreme god of the ancient Greeks), Poseidon (the lord of the seas) and Hades (the owner of the underworld of the dead).

They had numerous descendants. All the supreme gods, except for Hades and his family, lived on Mount Olympus (which exists in reality). In ancient Greek mythology, there were 12 main celestials. The wife of Zeus, Hera, was considered the patroness of marriage, and the goddess Hestia was considered the patroness of the hearth. Demeter was in charge of agriculture, Apollo was in charge of light and the arts, and his sister Artemis was revered as the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The daughter of Zeus, Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, was one of the most respected celestials. Sensitive to beauty, the Greeks also revered the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, and her husband Ares, the warlike god. Hephaestus, the god of fire, was praised by craftsmen (in particular, blacksmiths). The cunning Hermes also demanded respect - an intermediary between gods and people and the patron of trade and livestock.

Divine geography

The ancient myths and legends of Greece create a very contradictory image of God in the mind of the modern reader. On the one hand, the Olympians were considered powerful, wise and beautiful, and on the other hand, they were characterized by all the weaknesses and vices of mortal people: envy, jealousy, greed and anger.

As already mentioned, Zeus dominated the gods and people. He gave people laws and controlled their destiny. But not in all areas of Greece, the supreme Olympian was the most revered god. The Greeks lived in city-states and believed that each such city (polis) had its own divine patron. So, Athena favored Attica and its main city - Athens.

Aphrodite was praised in Cyprus, off the coast of which she was born. Poseidon kept Troy, Artemis and Apollo - Delphi. Mycenae, Argos and Samos offered sacrifices to Hera.

Other divine entities

The ancient myths and legends of Greece would not be so intense if only people and gods acted in them. But the Greeks, like other peoples at that time, were inclined to deify the forces of nature, and therefore other powerful creatures are often mentioned in myths. These are, for example, naiads (patrons of rivers and streams), dryads (patrons of groves), oreads (mountain nymphs), nereids (daughters of the sea sage Nereus), as well as various magical creatures and monsters.

In addition, the goat-footed satyrs who accompanied the god Dionysus lived in the forests. Many legends featured wise and warlike centaurs. The goddesses of vengeance Erinnia stood at the throne of Hades, and on Olympus the gods were entertained by muses and charites, patrons of the arts. All these entities often argued with the gods or married with them or with people. Many great heroes and gods were born as a result of such marriages.

Myths of Ancient Greece: Hercules and his labors

As for the heroes, in every region of Greece it was also customary to honor their own. But invented in the north of Hellas, in Epirus, Hercules became one of the most beloved characters of ancient myths. Hercules is known for the fact that, while in the service of his relative, King Eurystheus, he performed 12 labors (killing the Lernean Hydra, capturing the Kerinean fallow deer and the Erymanthian boar, bringing Hippolyta's belt, delivering the people from the Stymphalian birds, taming the mares of Diomedes, going to the Kingdom of Hades and other).

Not everyone knows that these deeds were carried out by Hercules as an atonement for guilt (in a fit of madness, he destroyed his family). After the death of Hercules, the gods accepted him into their ranks: even Hera, who throughout the life of the hero plotted against him, was forced to recognize him.

Conclusion

Ancient myths were created many centuries ago. But they are by no means primitive. The myths of Ancient Greece are the key to understanding modern European culture.

Heroes, myths and legends about them. Therefore, it is important to know their summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece, the entire Greek culture, especially of the late time, when both philosophy and democracy were developed, had a strong influence on the formation of the entire European civilization as a whole. Mythology has evolved over time. Tales, legends became known, because reciters wandered along the paths and roads of Hellas. They carried more or less long stories about a heroic past. Some gave only a summary.

The legends and myths of Ancient Greece gradually became familiar and beloved, and what Homer created was customary for an educated person to know by heart and be able to quote from anywhere. Greek scholars, seeking to streamline everything, began to work on the classification of myths, and turned the scattered stories into a harmonious series.

Major Greek gods

The very first myths are devoted to the struggle of various gods among themselves. Some of them did not have human features - these are the offspring of the goddess Gaia-Earth and Uranus-Heaven - twelve titans and six more monsters that terrified their father, and he plunged them into the abyss - Tartarus. But Gaia persuaded the remaining titans to overthrow her father.

This was done by the insidious Kronos - Time. But, having married his sister, he was afraid of children being born and swallowed them immediately after birth: Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, Hades. Having given birth to the last child - Zeus, the wife deceived Kronos, and he could not swallow the baby. And Zeus was safely hidden in Crete. This is just a summary. The legends and myths of ancient Greece scary describe the events taking place.

Zeus' war for power

Zeus grew up, matured and forced Kronos to return his swallowed sisters and brothers to the white world. He called them to fight the cruel father. In addition, part of the titans, giants and cyclops took part in the struggle. The struggle has been going on for ten years. The fire raged, the seas boiled, nothing could be seen from the smoke. But the victory went to Zeus. Enemies were overthrown in Tartarus and taken into custody.

Gods on Olympus

Zeus, whom the Cyclopes forged with lightning, became the supreme god, Poseidon obeyed all the waters on earth, Hades - the underworld of the dead. This was already the third generation of gods, from which all the other gods and heroes originated, about whom stories and legends will begin to tell.

The ancients refer to the cycle of Dionysus, and winemaking, fertility, the patron of the night mysteries, which were held in the darkest places. The mysteries were terrible and mysterious. So the struggle of the dark gods with the light ones began to take shape. There were no real wars, but they gradually began to give way to the bright sun god Phoebus with his rational principle, with his cult of reason, science and art.

And the irrational, the ecstatic, the sensuous receded. But these are two sides of the same phenomenon. And one was impossible without the other. The goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus, patronized the family.

Ares - war, Athena - wisdom, Artemis - the moon and hunting, Demeter - agriculture, Hermes - trade, Aphrodite - love and beauty.

Hephaestus - artisans. Their relationship between themselves and people are the legends of the Hellenes. They were fully studied in pre-revolutionary gymnasiums in Russia. Only now, when people are mostly concerned with earthly concerns, do they, if necessary, pay attention to their summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece are becoming more and more a thing of the past.

Who was patronized by the gods

They don't like people very much. Often they envied them or lusted after women, they were jealous, they were greedy for praise and honors. That is, they were very similar to mortals, if we take their description. Tales (summary), legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) describe their gods in a very contradictory way. “Nothing pleases the gods so much as the collapse of human hopes,” said Euripides. And Sophocles echoed him: "The gods most willingly help a man when he goes towards his death."

All the gods obeyed Zeus, but for people he mattered as a guarantor of justice. It was when the judge judged unrighteously that a person turned to Zeus for help. In matters of war, only Mars dominated. Wise Athena patronized Attica.

To Poseidon, all the sailors, going to sea, made sacrifices. In Delphi, one could ask for mercy from Phoebus and Artemis.

Myths about heroes

One of the favorite myths was about Theseus, the son of the king of Athens, Aegeus. He was born and raised in the royal family in Troezen. When he grew up and was able to get his father's sword, he went to meet him. Along the way, he destroyed the robber Procrustes, who did not allow people to pass through his territory. When he got to his father, he learned that Athens paid tribute in girls and boys to Crete. Together with another batch of slaves, under mourning sails, he went to the island to kill the monstrous Minotaur.

Princess Ariadne helped Theseus through the labyrinth in which the Minotaur was located. Theseus fought the monster and destroyed it.

The Greeks joyfully, freed forever from tribute, returned to their homeland. But they forgot to change the black sails. Aegeus, who did not take his eyes off the sea, saw that his son was dead, and out of unbearable grief threw himself into the depths of the waters over which his palace stood. The Athenians rejoiced that they were forever freed from tribute, but also wept when they learned of the tragic death of Aegeus. The myth of Theseus is long and colorful. This is his summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) will give an exhaustive description of him.

Epos - the second part of the book by Nikolai Albertovich Kuhn

The legends of the Argonauts, the travels of Odysseus, the revenge of Orestes for the death of his father, and the misadventures of Oedipus in the Theban cycle make up the second half of the book that Kuhn wrote, Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece. A summary of the chapters is given above.

Returning from Troy to his native Ithaca, Odysseus spent many long years in dangerous wanderings. It was difficult for him to get home on the stormy sea.

God Poseidon could not forgive Odysseus that, saving his life and the lives of his friends, he blinded the Cyclops and sent unheard of storms. On the way, they died from the sirens, who carried away with their unearthly voices and sweet-sounding singing.

All his companions perished in their voyages across the seas. All were destroyed by an evil fate. In captivity at the nymph Calypso, Odysseus languished for many years. He begged to let him go home, but the beautiful nymph refused. Only the requests of the goddess Athena softened the heart of Zeus, he took pity on Odysseus and returned him to his family.

The legends of the Trojan cycle and about the campaigns of Odysseus were created in his poems by Homer - the Iliad and the Odyssey, the myths about the campaign for the Golden Fleece to the shores of the Pontus Eusinsky are described in the poem of Apollonius of Rhodes. Sophocles wrote the tragedy "Oedipus the King", the tragedy of the Arrest - the playwright Aeschylus. They are given by a summary of "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece" (Nikolai Kun).

Myths and legends about gods, titans, numerous heroes disturb the imagination of artists of the word, brush and cinematography of our days. Standing in a museum near a picture painted on a mythological theme, or hearing the name of the beautiful Elena, it would be nice to have at least a little idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat is behind this name (a huge war), and to know the details of the plot depicted on the canvas. This can be helped by "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece." The summary of the book will reveal the meaning of what he saw and heard.

Gods of Ancient Greece and Rome

Wikipedia

The Olympic gods (Olympians) in ancient Greek mythology are the gods of the third generation (after the original gods and titans - the gods of the first and second generations), the highest beings that lived on Mount Olympus.

Traditionally, twelve gods were included in the number of Olympians. The lists of Olympians do not always coincide.

The Olympians included the children of Kronos and Rhea:

* Zeus is the supreme god, the god of lightning and thunder.
* Hera is the patroness of marriage.
* Demeter is the goddess of fertility and agriculture.
* Hestia - goddess of the hearth
* Poseidon is the god of the sea.
* Hades - god, lord of the kingdom of the dead.

And also their descendants:

* Hephaestus is the god of fire and blacksmithing.
* Hermes is the god of trade, cunning, speed and theft.
* Ares is the god of war.
* Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty and love.
* Athena is the goddess of just war.
* Apollo is the guardian of the herds, light, sciences and arts. Also, God is a healer and patron of oracles.
* Artemis - the goddess of hunting, fertility, the patroness of all life on Earth.
* Dionysus - the god of winemaking, the productive forces of nature.

Roman variants

The Olympians included the children of Saturn and Cybele:

* Jupiter,
*Juno,
* Ceres,
* Vesta,
* Neptune,
* Pluto

And also their descendants:

* Volcano,
* Mercury,
* Mars,
* Venus,
* Minerva,
* Phoebus,
* Diana,
* Bacchus

Sources

The oldest state of Greek mythology is known from the tablets of the Aegean culture, recorded in Linear B. This period is characterized by a small number of gods, many of them are named allegorically, a number of names have female counterparts (for example, di-wi-o-jo - Diwijos, Zeus and female analogue of di-wi-o-ja). Already in the Crete-Mycenaean period Zeus, Athena, Dionysus and a number of others are known, although their hierarchy could differ from the later one.

The mythology of the "Dark Ages" (between the decline of the Crete-Mycenaean civilization and the emergence of the ancient Greek civilization) is known only from later sources.

Various plots of ancient Greek myths constantly appear in the works of ancient Greek writers; on the eve of the Hellenistic era, a tradition arose to create their own allegorical myths on their basis. In Greek drama, many mythological plots are played out and developed. The biggest sources are:

* "Iliad" and "Odyssey" by Homer
* "Theogony" of Hesiod
* "Library" of Pseudo-Apollodorus
* "Myths" Gaius Julius Gigina
* Ovid's "Metamorphoses"
* "Acts of Dionysus" - Nonna

Some ancient Greek authors tried to explain myths from rationalistic positions. Euhemerus wrote about the gods as people whose deeds were deified. Palefat in his essay “On the Incredible”, analyzing the events described in the myths, assumed them to be the results of misunderstanding or adding details.

Origin

The most ancient gods of the Greek pantheon are closely connected with the common Indo-European system of religious beliefs, there are parallels in the names - for example, the Indian Varuna corresponds to the Greek Uranus, etc.

Further development of mythology went in several directions:

* accession to the Greek pantheon of some deities of neighboring or conquered peoples
* deification of some heroes; heroic myths begin to merge closely with mythology

The famous Romanian-American researcher of the history of religion Mircea Eliade gives the following periodization of the ancient Greek religion:

* 30 - 15 centuries. BC e. - Cretan-Minoan religion.
* 15 - 11 centuries. BC e. - archaic ancient Greek religion.
* 11 - 6 centuries. BC e. - Olympian religion.
* 6 - 4 centuries. BC e. - philosophical-Orphic religion (Orpheus, Pythagoras, Plato).
* 3 - 1st century. BC e. the religion of the Hellenistic era.

Zeus, according to legend, was born in Crete, and Minos, after whom the Cretan-Minoan civilization is named, was considered his son. However, the mythology that we know, and which the Romans later adopted, is organically connected with the Greek people. We can talk about the emergence of this nation with the arrival of the first wave of Achaean tribes at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. In 1850 B.C. e. Athens was already built, named after the goddess Athena. If we accept these considerations, then the religion of the ancient Greeks arose somewhere around 2000 BC. e.

Religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks

Main article: Ancient Greek religion

Olympus (Maikov Nikolai Apollonovich)

Religious ideas and the religious life of the ancient Greeks were in close connection with their entire historical life. Already in the most ancient monuments of Greek creativity, the anthropomorphic character of Greek polytheism is clearly reflected, which is explained by the national characteristics of the entire cultural development in this area; concrete representations, generally speaking, predominate over abstract ones, just as, quantitatively, humanoid gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, predominate over deities of abstract significance (who, in turn, receive anthropomorphic features). In this or that cult, various writers or artists associate various general or mythological (and mythographic) ideas with this or that deity.
We know different combinations, hierarchies of the genealogy of divine beings - "Olympus", various systems of "twelve gods" (for example, in Athens - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes). Such combinations are explained not only from the creative moment, but also from the conditions of the historical life of the Hellenes; in Greek polytheism, later stratifications can also be traced (oriental elements; deification - even during life). In the general religious consciousness of the Hellenes, apparently, there was no definite generally recognized dogmatics. The diversity of religious ideas found expression in the diversity of cults, the external situation of which is now more and more clear thanks to archaeological excavations and finds. We find out which gods or heroes were revered where, and where which one was revered predominantly (for example, Zeus - in Dodona and Olympia, Apollo - in Delphi and Delos, Athena - in Athens, Hera in Samos, Asclepius - in Epidaurus); we know shrines revered by all (or many) Hellenes, such as the Delphic or Dodonian oracle or the Delian shrine; we know large and small amfiktyony (cult communities).
One can distinguish between public and private cults. The all-absorbing significance of the state also affected the religious sphere. The ancient world, generally speaking, did not know either the internal church as a kingdom not of this world, nor the church as a state within a state: “church” and “state” were concepts in it that absorb or condition each other, and, for example, the priest was that the state magistrate.
This rule is not everywhere, however, could be carried out with an unconditional sequence; practice caused partial deviations, created certain combinations. If a well-known deity was considered the main deity of a certain state, then the state sometimes recognized (as in Athens) at the same time some other cults; Along with these nationwide cults, there were separate cults of state divisions (for example, the Athenian demes), and cults of private legal significance (for example, domestic or family), as well as cults of private societies or individuals.
Since the state principle prevailed (which did not triumph everywhere simultaneously and evenly), every citizen was obliged, in addition to his private law deities, to honor the gods of his “civil community” (the changes were brought by the Hellenistic era, which generally contributed to the process of leveling). This veneration was expressed in a purely external way - by feasible participation in certain rituals and festivities performed on behalf of the state (or state division), - participation, to which the non-civilian population of the community was invited in other cases; both citizens and non-citizens were given, as they could, wanted and knew how, to seek satisfaction of their religious needs. One must think that in general the veneration of the gods was external; the inner religious consciousness was naive, and among the mass of the people superstition did not decrease, but grew (especially at a later time, when it found food that came from the East); on the other hand, in an educated society, an enlightenment movement began early, at first timid, then more and more energetic, with one end of its (negative) touching the masses; religiosity did not weaken much in general (and sometimes even - albeit painfully - rose), but religion, that is, the old ideas and cults, gradually - especially as Christianity spread - lost both its meaning and its content. Approximately such, in general, is the internal and external history of the Greek religion during the time available for deeper study.
In the vague area of ​​the original, primordial Greek religion, scientific work has outlined only some general points, although they are usually put with excessive harshness and extremes. Already ancient philosophy bequeathed a threefold allegorical explanation of myths: psychological (or ethical), historical-political (not quite rightly called euhemeric), and physical; it explained the emergence of religion from the individual moment. The narrow theological point of view also joined here, and in essence, Kreutzer’s “Symbolism” (“Symbolik und Mythologie der alt. Volker, bes. der Griechen”, German Kreuzer, 1836) was built on the same basis, as well as many other systems and theories. , ignoring the moment of evolution.
Gradually, however, they came to realize that the ancient Greek religion had its own complex historical origin, that the meaning of the myths should not be sought behind them, but in themselves. Initially, the ancient Greek religion was considered only in itself, being afraid to go beyond Homer and in general beyond the boundaries of a purely Hellenic culture (this principle is still held by the "Königsberg" school): hence the localist interpretation of myths - from the physical (for example, Forkhammer, Peter Wilhelm Forchhammer) or only from a historical point of view (for example, Karl Muller, German K. O. Muller).
Some focused their main attention on the ideal content of Greek mythology, reducing it to local natural phenomena, others on the real, seeing traces of local (tribal, etc.) features in the complexity of ancient Greek polytheism. Over time, one way or another, the primordial significance of the eastern elements in Greek religion had to be recognized. Comparative linguistics gave rise to "comparative Indo-European mythology". This trend, hitherto prevailing in science, was already fruitful in the sense that it clearly showed the need for a comparative study of ancient Greek religion and compared extensive material for this study; but - not to mention the extreme straightforwardness of methodological methods and extreme haste of judgments - it was engaged not so much in the study of Greek religion using the comparative method, but in the search for its main points, dating back to the time of pan-Aryan unity (moreover, the linguistic concept of the Indo-European peoples was too sharply identified with the ethnic ). As for the main content of myths (“diseases of the language”, according to K. Muller), it was too exclusively reduced to natural phenomena - mainly to the sun, or moon, or thunderstorms.
The younger school of comparative mythology considers the heavenly deities to be the result of a further, artificial development of the original "folk" mythology, which knew only demons (folklorism, animism).
In Greek mythology, it is impossible not to recognize later layers, especially in the entire external form of myths (as they have come down to us), although they cannot always be determined historically, just as it is not always possible to single out the purely religious part of myths. General Aryan elements are also hidden under this shell, but it is often as difficult to distinguish them from specifically Greek ones as it is to determine the beginning of a purely Greek culture in general. It is no less difficult to find out with any accuracy the main content of various Hellenic myths, which is undoubtedly extremely complex. Nature, with its properties and phenomena, played a big role here, but perhaps mainly an auxiliary one; along with these natural-historical moments, historical-ethical moments should also be recognized (since the gods in general lived no differently and no better than people).
Not without influence remained the local and cultural division of the Hellenic world; there is also no doubt the presence of oriental elements in Greek religion. It would be too complicated and too difficult a task to explain historically, even in the most general terms, how all these moments gradually got along with each other; but some knowledge in this area can also be achieved, proceeding especially from the experiences that have been preserved both in the internal content and in the external environment of the cults, and, moreover, if possible, taking into account the entire ancient historical life of the Hellenes (the path in this direction was especially pointed out by Curtins in his "Studien z. Gesch. d. griech. Olymps", in Sitzb. d. Berl. Akad., German E. Curtins, 1890). It is significant, for example, the relation in the Greek religion of the great gods to the deities of the small, folk, and the aboveground world of the gods to the underworld; characteristic is the veneration of the dead, expressed in the cult of heroes; curious about the mystical content of Greek religion.
When writing this article, material from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907) was used.

Lists of gods, mythological creatures and heroes

Lists of gods and genealogy differ from different ancient authors. The lists below are compilations.

First Generation of Gods

First there was Chaos. The gods that emerged from Chaos are Gaia (Earth), Nikta / Nyukta (Night), Tartarus (Abyss), Erebus (Darkness), Eros (Love); the gods that emerged from Gaia are Uranus (Sky) and Pontus (inner Sea).

Second Generation of Gods

Children of Gaia (fathers - Uranus, Pontus and Tartarus) - Keto (mistress of sea monsters), Nereus (calm sea), Thavmant (sea miracles), Forky (guardian of the sea), Eurybia (sea power), titans and titanides. Children of Nikta and Erebus - Hemera (Day), Hypnos (Sleep), Kera (Misfortune), Moira (Fate), Mom (Slander and Stupidity), Nemesis (Retribution), Thanatos (Death), Eris (Strife), Erinyes (Vengeance) ), Ether (Air); Ata (deceit).

Titans

Titans: Oceanus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Kay, Krios, Kronos.
Titanides: Tefis, Mnemosyne, Rhea, Teia, Phoebe, Themis.

The younger generation of titans (Children of the titans)

* Asteria
* Summer
* Astrey
* Persian
* Pallant
* Helios (personification of the sun)
* Selena (personification of the moon)
* Eos (personification of the dawn)
* Atlant
* Menetius
* Prometheus
* Epimetheus

Olympians

Council of the Gods (Rubens)

The composition of the pantheon has changed over the centuries, so there are more than 12 gods.

* Hades is the main god. Brother of Zeus, Rom. Pluto, Hades, Orc, Dit. Lord of the underworld of the dead. Attributes: three-headed dog Cerberus (Cerberus), pitchfork (bident). Wife - Persephone (Proserpina).
* Apollo - Greek. Phoebus. The god of the sun, light and truth, the patron of the arts, sciences and healing, the god is a soothsayer. Attributes: laurel wreath, bow with arrows.
* Ares - Roman. Mars. God of a bloodthirsty, unjust war. Attributes: helmet, sword, shield. Lover or husband of Aphrodite.
* Artemis - Rome. Diana. Goddess of the moon and hunting, patroness of women in childbirth. Virgin goddess. Attributes: quiver with arrows, doe.
* Athena - Greek. Pallas; Rome. Minerva. Goddess of wisdom, just war, patroness of the cities of Athens, crafts, sciences. Attributes: owl, snake. Dressed like a warrior. On the chest is an emblem in the form of the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Born from the head of Zeus. Virgin goddess.
* Aphrodite - Rome. Cyprida; Rome. Venus. Goddess of love and beauty. Attributes: belt, apple, mirror, dove, rose.
* Hera - Roman. Juno. The patroness of family and marriage, the wife of Zeus. Attributes: fabric cloth, diadem, ball.
* Hermes - Rome. Mercury. the god of trade, eloquence, the guide of the souls of the dead to the kingdom of the dead, the messenger of Zeus, the patron of merchants, artisans, shepherds, travelers and thieves. Attributes: winged sandals, invisibility helmet with wings, caduceus (staff in the form of two intertwined snakes).
* Hestia - Roman. Vesta. goddess of the home. Attributes: torch. The goddess is a virgin.
* Hephaestus - Rome. Volcano. god of blacksmithing, patron of all artisans and fire. Chromium. Wife - Aphrodite. Attributes: pincers, bellows, pilos (craftsman's cap).
* Demeter - Roman. Ceres. goddess of agriculture and fertility. Attributes: staff in the form of a stem.
* Dionysus - Greek. Bacchus; Rome. Bacchus. god of viticulture and winemaking, agriculture. Theater patron. Attributes: a wreath of vines, a bowl of wine.
* Zeus is the main god. Rome. Jupiter. god of the sky and thunder, head of the ancient Greek Pantheon. Attributes: single prong, eagle, lightning.
* Poseidon is the main god. Rome. Neptune. lord of the seas. Attributes: trident, dolphin, chariot, wife - Amphitrite.

Gods and deities of the water element

* Amphitrite - goddess of the sea, wife of Poseidon
* Poseidon - god of the sea
* Tritons - retinue of Poseidon and Amphitrite
* Triton - water god, messenger of the depths, eldest son and commander of Poseidon
* Proteus - water god, messenger of the depths, son of Poseidon
* Roda - goddess of water, daughter of Poseidon
* Limnadas - nymphs of lakes and swamps
* Naiads - nymphs of springs, springs and rivers
* Nereids - sea nymphs, sisters of Amphitriata
* The ocean is the personification of the mythological world river washing the Oikumene
* River gods - gods of rivers, sons of the Ocean and Tethys
* Tefis - Titanide, wife of the Ocean, mother of oceanids and rivers
* Oceanids - daughters of the Ocean
* Pontus - the god of the inland sea and water (the son of the Earth and Sky, or the son of the Earth without a father)
* Eurybia - the embodiment of the sea element
* Tavmant - an underwater giant, the god of sea miracles
* Nereus - deity of the peaceful sea
* Phorkis - guardian of the stormy sea
* Keto - the goddess of the deep sea and sea monsters that live in the depths of the seas

Gods and deities of the air element

* Uranus is the personification of Heaven
* Ether is the embodiment of the atmosphere; god personification of air and light
* Zeus - the god-ruler of heaven, the god of thunder

Main article: Winds in ancient Greek mythology

* Eol - demigod, lord of the winds
* Boreas - the personification of the northern stormy wind
* Zephyr - a strong western wind, was also considered a messenger of the gods, (among the Romans, it began to personify a caressing, light wind)
* Note - south wind
* Eurus - east wind
* Aura - personification of light wind, air
* Nebula - nymph of the clouds

Gods of death and the underworld

* Hades - god of the underworld of the dead
* Persephone - wife of Hades, goddess of fertility and the kingdom of the dead, daughter of Demeter
* Minos - judge of the kingdom of the dead
* Rhadamanth - judge of the kingdom of the dead
* Hecate - the goddess of darkness, night visions, sorcery, all monsters and ghosts
* Kera - female demons of death
* Thanatos - the embodiment of Death
* Hypnos - god of oblivion and sleep, twin brother of Thanatos
* Onir - the deity of prophetic and false dreams
* Erinyes - goddesses of revenge
* Melinoe - the goddess of expiatory donations for the dead people, the goddess of transformation and reincarnation; mistress of darkness and ghosts, who, at death, being in a state of terrible anger or horror, could not get into the kingdom of Hades, and are doomed to wander forever around the world, among mortals (daughter of Hades and Persephone)

Muses

* Calliope - the muse of epic poetry
* Clio - the muse of history in ancient Greek mythology
* Erato is the muse of love poetry
* Euterpe - the muse of lyric poetry and music
* Melpomene - muse of tragedy
* Polyhymnia - the muse of solemn hymns
* Terpsichore - the muse of dance
* Thalia is the muse of comedy and light poetry
* Urania - the muse of astronomy

Cyclopes

(often "cyclops" - in Latin transcription)

* Arg - "lightning"
* Bront - "thunder"
* Sterop - "shine"

Hecatoncheires

* Briareus - strength
* Gies - arable land
* Kott - anger

Giants

(some of about 150)

* Agrius
* Alcyoneus
* Gration
* Clytius
* Mimant
* Pallant
* Polybotes
* Porphyrion
* Toon
* Hebrew
* Enkelad
* Ephialtes

Other gods

* Nike - goddess of victory
* Selena - Goddess of the Moon
* Eros - god of love
* Hymen - the god of marriage
* Irida - goddess of the rainbow
* Ata - the goddess of delusion, obscuration of the mind
* Apata - goddess of deceit
* Adrastea - goddess of justice
* Phobos - god of fear, son of Ares
* Deimos - the god of horror, the brother of Phobos
* Enyo - goddess of furious and violent war
* Asclepius - god of healing
* Morpheus - the god of dreams (poetic deity, son of Hypnos)
* Gimeroth - the god of carnal love and love pleasure
* Ananke - the deity-embodiment of inevitability, necessity
* Aloe - the ancient deity of threshed grain

Non-personalized gods

Non-personalized gods - gods-"many" according to M. Gasparov.

* Satyrs
* Nymphs
* Ores - three goddesses of the seasons and natural order

In Greek mythology, people's ideas about the origin of the world are manifested, and there is an analogy with other ancient religions.

Above all else, there was infinite Chaos in the world. It was not a void - it contained the origins of all things, gods and people. The Greeks imagined chaos in the form of a kind of open mouth (the word itself is related to the Greek "yawn") 4 . In the beginning, from Chaos arose the mother earth - the goddess Gaia and the sky - Uranus. From their union came the Cyclopes - Bront, Sterop, Arg ("thunder", "shine", "lightning"). Their only eye shone high in the middle of their foreheads, turning the underground fire into heavenly fire. The second, Uranus and Gaia, gave birth to hundred-armed and fifty-headed hecatoncheir giants - Kotta, Briareus and Giesa (“anger”, “strength”, “arable land”). And finally, a great tribe of titans was born.

There were 12 of them - six sons and daughters of Uranus and Gaia. The ocean and Tethys gave birth to all rivers. Gipperion and Theia became the ancestors of the Sun (Helios), the Moon (Selene) and the pink-fingered dawn (Eos). From Iapetus and Asia came the mighty Atlas, who now holds the firmament on his shoulders, as well as the cunning Prometheus, the narrow-minded Epimetheus and the daring Menetius. Two more pairs of titans and a titanide gave birth to gorgons and other amazing creatures. But the future belonged to the children of the sixth couple - Krona and Rhea.

Uranus did not like his offspring and he threw the Cyclopes and the hundred-armed giants into Tartarus, a terrible abyss (which was both a living being and had a neck). Then Gaia, indignant at her husband, persuaded the titans to rebel against Heaven. All of them attacked Uranus and deprived him of power. From now on, Kron, the most cunning of the titans, has become the ruler of the world. But he did not release the former captives from Tartarus, fearing their strength.

The Greeks called the reign of Cronus the Golden Age. However, this new ruler of the world was foretold that he, in turn, would be overthrown by his son. Therefore, Kron decided on a terrible measure - he began to swallow his sons and daughters. He swallowed Hestia first, then Demeter and Hera, then Hades and Poseidon. The very name Cron means “time” and it is not for nothing that people say that time swallows up its sons. The last child - Zeus, was replaced by his unfortunate mother Rhea with a stone wrapped in a diaper. Kronos swallowed the stone, and the young Zeus was hidden on the island of Crete, where the magical goat Amalthea 5 fed him with her milk.

When Zeus became an adult, he managed to free his brothers and sisters by cunning, and they began to fight against Kron and the titans. For ten years they fought, but victory was not given to either side. Then Zeus, on the advice of Gaia, freed the hundred-handed and cyclops languishing in Tartarus. From now on, the Cyclopes began to forge his famous lightning bolts for Zeus. The Hundred-Hands rained down on the titans a hail of stones and rocks. Zeus and his brothers and sisters, who became known as gods, were victorious. They, in turn, threw the titans into Tartarus (“where the roots of the sea and the earth are hidden”) and assigned hundred-armed giants to guard them. The gods themselves began to rule the world.

We consider it appropriate to characterize some of the most famous deities.

Zeus personifies the transition to patriarchy, since he is perceived as the supreme deity, the father of gods and people, the head of the Olympic family of gods. His appearance symbolizes the transition to the Olympic period, since Zeus, in order to be approved as the supreme god, is forced to fight monsters - Typhon and giants. At the same time, Zeus is close to people and, as it seems to us, only nominally has universal power. He sometimes fights for power with other gods (Hero, Poseidon, Athena), periodically he has children from mortal women (Hercules, Perseus, Minos, for example). The supremacy of Zeus is also manifested in the imposition of moral principles and statehood by him (it was Zeus who put shame and conscience into people as harbingers of morality; morality is the forerunner of law, and law arises simultaneously with the state).

In appearance, the listed and other important qualities of Zeus are manifested in the fact that he is usually depicted as a mighty giant in his prime with long hair and a beard (a symbol of worldly wisdom). The attributes of Zeus are the aegis, the scepter, sometimes the hammer (symbols of the rule of power).

Cult holidays in honor of Zeus are not numerous, since a number of his functions were assigned to other gods (Apollo - prophecy, Demeter - fertility, etc.). In honor of Zeus, the Olympic Games were held as a symbol of unity and mutual agreement of policies 6 .

However, some elements in the image of Zeus are vestiges of chthonic mythology. Zeus often appears in the form of animals (he kidnapped Europe, taking the form of a bull), one of the incarnations of Zeus is the monster Minotaur; Zeus lives in a polygamous marriage: he has three wives - Metis, Themis and Hera (only with the advent of patriarchy, people less and less remember the polygamy of the supreme god).

Pallas Athena - in Greek mythology, the goddess of just war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts; warrior, patroness of cities and states, sciences and crafts, intelligence, dexterity, ingenuity, daughter of Hera (or oceanides Metis) 7 . Favorite daughter of Zeus. Metis was the first wife of Zeus. Zeus swallowed her, because according to the prediction of moira (or according to Metis herself), after Athena she was to give birth to a son who would become the ruler of the sky. But after a while he felt a terrible headache and ordered Hephaestus to cut his head. From the split skull of Zeus, the warrior Pallas Athena came out in full armor, in a helmet, with a spear and a shield.

She was one of the most revered goddesses of Greece, competing in importance with Zeus. She was equal in strength and wisdom. She was distinguished by independence and was proud of the fact that she forever remained a virgin.

Athena was depicted as Pallas(victorious warrior) or polyades(patrons of cities and states). From the name of Pallas came the word "palladium" (a wooden image of Athena, which had a miraculous effect). The city that owned palladium was considered under the auspices of the goddess. There was a legend about the palladium stored in Troy, telling that it fell from the sky. After the Trojan War, Aeneas brought it to Rome and since then the palladium has been kept in the Temple of Vesta.

Attributes - an olive, an owl (a symbol of wisdom) and a snake (rudiments of chthonic mythology, when all living things frightened a person and seemed to him the personification of power). She was the patroness of snakes (a huge snake lived in the temple in Athens - the guardian of the Acropolis).

Her constant epithet - “light-eyed” (more precisely, “owl-eyed”) - indicates that in ancient times the goddess was represented in the form of an owl, which later became a sacred animal (hence the saying “to carry owls to Athens” - to do extra work). She also bore the epithets "Tritonida" because of her birthplace near Lake Triton in Libya, "Party snake", "Worker", "City", "City defender".

Athena is the patroness of Athens. In a dispute for the possession of Attica and for the right to give a name to the city (later Athens), Poseidon defeated. The dispute, which took place on the hill of Ares, was decided by twelve gods, including Zeus - whose gift to Attica was more valuable. Poseidon knocked out a salty spring with a trident from a barren rock (according to another legend, he created a horse), and Athena plunged a spear deep into the ground and a sacred olive (olive tree) grew.

Athena was considered the founder of the state, the inventor of the chariot and ship, flute and pipe, ceramic pot, rake, plow, yoke for oxen and bridle for horses. She taught weaving, spinning and cooking. In addition, Athena established laws and the Areopagus, the highest court in Athens 8 .

She helped Hercules, Prometheus in stealing fire for people, and also patronized the Argonauts, Odysseus, Achilles, Perseus. When Perseus defeated the Gorgon Medusa, he gave her head to Athena, and she adorned her shield with it - the aegis.

Among the victims of Athena are the princess Arachne, who was turned into a spider by the goddess, and Tiresias, who accidentally saw her while bathing and was blinded by the goddess for this.

The holidays of the first germination of bread, the beginning of the harvest, the giving of dew for crops, and the aversion of rain were dedicated to Athena.

Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, the daughter of Zeus and Dione. However, the ancient chthonic origin of the goddess is expressed in a myth, according to which she originated from the blood of Uranus castrated by Cronus, which fell into the sea and formed foam. In addition, she is the goddess of fertility.

The patronage of love is manifested primarily in the guise of a goddess. Aphrodite is a recognized beauty, whose recognition is sought by many gods. But as if to confirm that love does not depend on appearance, the husband of Aphrodite is the ugliest god of Olympus - the lame Hephaestus.

The actions of Aphrodite are also primarily associated with patronage in love. For example, she promises Helen's love to Paris and fulfills this promise. Helping those who love, Aphrodite punishes those who reject love. She punished Ipollita and Narcissus.

A fetishistic vestige in the image of Aphrodite is her belt, which she gave to Hera to seduce Zeus. This belt contains love, desire, words of seduction.

Sanctuaries of the goddess were in different regions of Greece.

Hermes is the messenger of the gods, the guide of the souls of the dead, the patron of travelers, thieves and merchants. He is an intermediary between gods and people and sometimes sends prophetic dreams. With the development of cattle breeding, Hermes is also perceived as the patron of shepherds, multiplying the offspring of livestock. Later, he was also considered the patron of trade.

The patronage of Hermes is manifested in the deeds of God. He handed Nefele, the mother of Gella and Frix, a golden-fleeced ram, on which the children escaped from their stepmother; Perseus was given a sword to kill the Gorgon Medusa; Odysseus was helped to escape Kirk's witchcraft.

The rudiment of chthonic mythology in the image of Hermes is, first of all, his name, which can be translated as "a pile of stones" - a kind of symbol of immortality. Other fetishistic rudiments are golden winged sandals and a golden magic rod, with the help of which Hermes sends dreams to people.

Hermes was revered at the anthesteria - the holiday of the awakening of spring and the veneration of the dead.

Hera is the wife and sister of Zeus in Greek mythology. Hera's marriage to her brother is a vestige of an ancient consanguineous family. Hera personifies, as mentioned earlier, a stable monogamous family. This explains her hatred for the illegitimate children of Zeus - in particular, for Hercules, whom Hera puts all sorts of obstacles. Through a monogamous marriage with Zeus, Hera gains supreme power over other goddesses. Another important function of Hera is to help women in childbirth. It follows from the main mission of the goddess - the protection of the strength of marriage bonds. Hera is the mother of the goddess of childbirth, Ilithyia, whom she sent to speed up the birth of Nikippa and thereby contribute to the accession of Eurystheus instead of Hercules.

At the same time, the image of Hera testifies to the fall of matriarchy. When Hera, in retaliation to Zeus, gives birth without a spouse Hephaestus, the child turns out to be ugly, and from evil Hera throws him off Olympus, which makes Hephaestus lame.

The archaism of Hera is manifested in the fact that one of the bloodiest gods of the pre-Olympic period, the god of war Ares, is considered her son. In addition, during the Chthonic period, Hera was usually depicted with the eyes of a cow, which is also a vestige of ancient mythology.

Demeter - in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of fertility, the patroness of agriculture; daughter of Kronos and Rhea, sister of Zeus.

The myth about Demeter, which took shape in the ancient center of her cult - the Attic settlement of Eleusis, reflected the primitive idea of ​​\u200b\u200bperiodic dying and the revival of the plant world; the daughter of Demeter - Persephone (Kora) was abducted by the god of the underworld Hades, and the angry Demeter deprived the earth of fertility; therefore, Zeus ordered Persephone to spend two-thirds of the year with her mother on earth, but for the time between the summer harvest of winter crops and the appearance of the first sprouts of a new crop in autumn, Persephone had to return to the kingdom of the dead.

The cult of Demeter, widespread in many parts of Greece, merged in ancient Rome with the cult of the Italian plant deity Ceres.

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. In the image of this god, archaic and chthonic features merged, so the deity performs contradictory functions - both destructive and beneficent. However, it is believed that Apollo appeared already in the Olympic period, since he and Artemis were born on the floating island of Asteria, since Hera forbade Leto to enter the solid land for betraying Zeus, which indicates an increase in the role of the family 9 . Apollo is a rather cruel god: with his arrows he sends sudden death to the elderly, participates in the murder of Patroclus by Hector and Achilles by Paris, fights with Hercules, destroys the children of Niobe, and flays the satyr Marsyas for the audacity of the latter. At the same time, he is a doctor who stopped the plague during the Peloponnesian War, a protector from troubles, a soothsayer, a founder and builder of cities, a patron of singers and musicians.

The image of Apollo reflected the originality of Greek mythology in its historical development. The archaic Apollo is characterized by the presence of plant functions, its proximity to agriculture and shepherding. The zoomorphism of Apollo is manifested in his connection and even identification with the raven, swan, wolf, mouse, ram 10 .

During the Olympic period, Apollo helps people, teaches them wisdom and arts, builds cities for them, protects them from enemies. The image of the deity is also undergoing changes: from now on, Apollo is perceived as the ideal of male beauty.

Dionysus is the god of the fruitful forces of the earth, vegetation, viticulture, winemaking. The cult of Dionysus appeared in Greece during the Olympian period. This was manifested in myths about the illegitimate birth of a god, his struggle for the right to enter the number of Olympic gods. Dionysus teaches people viticulture and winemaking, seeks to save them at least for a while from worries. This is manifested in the guise of the eternally young handsome Dionysus. At the same time, the archaic zoomorphic origin of Dionysus was reflected, in particular, in the myth of the pirates who wanted to sell Dionysus into slavery, but the fetters fell from the hands of the deity, and the vines entwined the tackle. The robbers turned into dolphins at the request of Dionysus.

Thus, we can say that the religious ideas and religious life of the ancient Greeks were in close connection with their entire historical life. Already in the most ancient monuments of Greek creativity, the anthropomorphic character of Greek polytheism is clearly reflected, which is explained by the national characteristics of the entire cultural development in this area; concrete representations, generally speaking, predominate over abstract ones, just as, quantitatively, humanoid gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, predominate over deities of abstract significance (who, in turn, receive anthropomorphic features). In this or that cult, various writers or artists associate various general or mythological (and mythographic) ideas with this or that deity.

We know different combinations, hierarchies of the genealogy of divine beings - "Olympus", various systems of "twelve gods" (for example, in Athens - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes). Such combinations are explained not only from the creative moment, but also from the conditions of the historical life of the Hellenes; in Greek polytheism, later layers can be traced (oriental elements; deification - even during life). In the general religious consciousness of the Hellenes, apparently, there was no definite generally recognized dogmatics.

Greece and myths- the concept is inseparable. It seems that everything in this country - every plant, river or mountain - has its own fairy tale story, passed down from generation to generation. And this is no coincidence, since the whole structure of the world and the philosophy of life of the ancient Greeks are reflected in myths in allegorical form.

And the name Hellas () itself also has a mythological origin, because. the progenitor of all Hellenes (Greeks) is considered the mythical patriarch Hellenes. The names of the mountain ranges that cross Greece, the seas washing its shores, the islands scattered in these seas, lakes and rivers are associated with myths. As well as the names of regions, cities and villages. About some stories that I really want to believe, I will tell you. It should be added that there are so many myths that even for the same toponym there are several versions. Since myths are oral art, they have come down to us already recorded by ancient writers and historians, the most famous of which is Homer. I'll start with the name Balkan Peninsula on which Greece is located. The current "Balkans" is of Turkish origin, meaning simply "mountain range". But earlier the peninsula was named after Aemos, the son of the god Boreas and the nymph Orithinas. The sister and at the same time the wife of Amos was called Rhodope. Their love was so strong that they addressed each other by the names of the supreme gods, Zeus and Hera. For their insolence, they were punished by turning into mountains.

The history of the origin of the toponym Peloponnese, a peninsula on a peninsula, no less brutal. According to legend, the ruler of this part of Greece was Pelops, the son of Tantalus, who in his youth was offered by his bloodthirsty father as a supper to the gods. But the gods did not begin to eat his body, and, having resurrected the young man, they left him on Olympus. And Tantalus was doomed to eternal (tantalic) torment. Further, Pelops himself descends to live with people, or is forced to flee, but later becomes the king of Olympia, Arcadia and the entire peninsula, which was named after him. By the way, his descendant was the famous Homeric king Agamemnon, the leader of the troops that besieged Troy.

One of the most beautiful islands in Greece Kerkyra(or Corfu) has a romantic story of the origin of its name: Poseidon, the god of the seas, fell in love with the young beauty Korkyra, the daughter of Asop and the nymph Metope, kidnapped her and hid her on a hitherto unknown island, which he named after her. Korkyra eventually turned into Kerkyra. Another story about lovers remained in the myths of the island Rhodes. This name was borne by the daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite (or Aphrodite), who was the beloved of the sun god Helios. It was on this newly born island of foam that the nymph Rhodes was married to her beloved.

origin of name Aegean Sea many people know thanks to a good Soviet cartoon. The story is this: Theseus, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus, went to Crete to fight the monster there - the Minotaur. In case of victory, he promised his father to raise white sails on his ship, and in case of defeat, black ones. With the help of the Cretan princess, he slew the Minotaur, and went home, forgetting to change the sails. Seeing his son's mourning ship in the distance, Aegeus, out of grief, threw himself off a cliff into the sea, which was named after him.

ionian sea bears the name of the princess and at the same time the priestess Io, who was seduced by the supreme god Zeus. However, his wife Hera decided to take revenge on the girl by turning her into a white cow, and then kill the giant Argos with her hands. With the help of the god Hermes, Io managed to escape. She found refuge and human form in Egypt, for which she had to cross the sea, which is called the Ionian.

Myths of Ancient Greece they also tell about the origin of the universe, the attitude to the divine and human passions. For us, they are of interest, primarily because they give us an understanding of how European culture was formed.