Gods and Monsters

 

For thousands of years, the epic mythic tradition of the Ancient Greeks has inspired and awed the world. A stunning assortment of gods, heroes, monsters, and magical creatures venture through landscapes from the rolling hills and plains of Greece to the palaces of the gods on the peak of Mount Olympus to the depths of the underworld. As the hub for much of Western civilization as we now know it, Ancient Greek culture, including their wealth of myths and stories, has become a part of the shared culture of Europe and America. Thousands of years after they reigned supreme in Greece, the temples of the ancient Greek gods( like the Parthenon) still stand, and these epic figures still claim a place in our collective Western culture.

While the pantheon of Greek mythology is a veritable patchwork of often-conflicting stories, much of our current understanding of the Greek mythic tradition is drawn from one literary work: Hesiod’s Theogony. This short epic poem is basically the Greek creation myth. It details the creation of the Earth from Chaos, the births of the Titans, and the subsequent births and conquests of the Olympian gods. In addition to providing the genealogy of the gods, this work also displays some important themes of the Greek mythic tradition, such as:

The Imperfection of the Gods:

Unlike the gods of most modern monotheistic religions, the Greek gods were far from good and benevolent rulers. Fickle, fierce, and often foolish, these gods and goddesses acted under the influence of very human emotions like pride, jealousy, love, and revenge. Indeed, the Greek gods were very much involved in the lives of their subjects. These gods quite often interfered in the affairs of mortals, leaving Mount Olympus to interact with men and women as patrons, enemies, and lovers. Not even the gods were above using tricks and disguises to alter the affairs of men and achieve their own will.

Mortality and Fate:

One of the underlying messages of almost all Greek myths is that human beings are mortal, and that nothing we do can alter the overarching will of the gods. While the gods rewarded honorable behavior and obedience, people who dishonored themselves or defied the gods usually paid a high price. All of the noblest heroes in Greek mythology (Odysseus, Achilles, Perseus, etc.) accept everything that happens to them as the will of the gods. By accepting their fate and working with the situation they have been given, these heroes achieve glory and success at the hands of the gods.

Transformation and Trickery:

In most Greek myths, things are not always as they appear. From the disguises the gods use to trick mortals to the wiles of men such as the infamous King Minos of Crete, the men and women in Greek myths must have the wisdom to be able to separate the true from the false.

 

As for an actual list of all of the Greek gods and goddesses, demigods, heroes, monsters, titans, and other figures of Greek mythology, they are far too numerous to list in one blog post! If you’re interested check out this page: it’s a pretty good summary of all of the many characters to grace the stories of Greek mythology. In addition, you could check out this family tree of the gods and goddesses (who are all very closely related)!

5 thoughts on “Gods and Monsters

  1. I have always found Greek Mythology to be very fascinating. I actually never thought about how imperfect they are considered when compared to other gods of different religions and cultures. My favorite Greek god was Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods, especially since I did a huge project on him in elementary or middle school.

  2. I have always loved Greek mythology! It’s always fun to hear about crazy powerful gods and how they mess up all the humans’ lives because of their problems. And it’s really nice when you understand a reference to those myths in other literature, too.

  3. Greek mythology is really interesting because there’s a new hypothesis the Greeks actually based some of their mythological monsters off of fossils they found. They think that protoceratops, a small dinosaur, was the inspiration for the griffin myth because their nests and clutches of eggs were well preserved and found in the desert by deposits of gold, which the griffins were supposedly protecting.

  4. Greek mythology was one of my favorite subjects when I was younger! I remember buying Edith Hamilton’s little compendium and reading it all throughout 7th grade..twice. Yup, Greek mythos was very interesting. I think it had to do with the unpredictability, self-consistency, and general expansiveness. I’m even hoping to get in a CAMS greek myth class if I can fit it in! Great post.

  5. I have always been interesting in Greek Mythology because the idea of mortals and immortals are usually fascinating to me. I had never known that the Greek gods were very much involved in the lives of their subjects, I always thought they were mostly controllers. It is important that I get out of my shell and learn about the beliefs and cultures of others. Great Post!

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