Mythology of ancient Greece gods. Olympian gods of ancient Greece

1st generation- gods who emerged from Chaos - Gaia (Earth), Nikta (Night), Tartarus (Abyss), Erebus (Darkness), Eros (Love); the gods that emerged from Gaia are Uranus (Sky) and Pontus (inner Sea).

The gods had the appearance of those natural elements that they embodied. Marriages were made among themselves.

2nd generation- children of Gaia (fathers - Uranus, Pontus and Tartarus) - Keto (mistress of sea monsters), Nereus (calm sea), Taumant (sea wonders), Phorcys (guardian of the sea), Eurybia (sea power), titans Hyperion (Sunlight) , Iapetus, Koi, Crius, Cronus (Time), Ocean (outer sea), Titanides Mnemosyne (Memory), Rhea, Theia, Tethys (sea element), Phoebe (Radiance), Themis (Justice); children of Nyx and Erebus - Hemera (Day), Hypnos (Dream), Kera (misfortune), Moira (Fate), Mom (Slander and Stupidity), Nemesis (Retribution), Thanatos (Death), Eris (Strife), Erinyes (Vengeance) ), Ether (Air); Apata (Deception).

A gradual transition from elemental gods to creature gods begins: the gods acquire the external features of certain creatures, becoming similar to animals, half-animals, half-humans and people. Along with monsters and giant gods, creatures that are attractive in appearance and in nature begin to appear. The first “divine clan” appears - the Titans.

3rd generation- children of the titans and gods of the second generation - Hades (Underground Kingdom), Asteria, Astraeus, Atlas, Helios (Sun), Hera (Marital Love), Hestia (Home), Demeter (Fertility), Zeus (Sky, Thunder), Iris (Rainbow), Summer, Menoetius, Muses, Nereids (Seas), Oceanids (Rivers, Streams, Sources), Oras (Seasons, Order), Persian, Poseidon (Sea), Prometheus, Selene (Moon), Eos (Dawn) , Epimetheus.

Gods with human appearance begin to displace monsters who are losing the ability to procreate: the descendants of Niktas and Erebus do not meet in the third generation, because their monster children are sterile. The last monsters appear thanks to Echidna, Typhon, Phorcys and Thaumantus, but only the offspring of Echidna and Typhon have truly ugly and formidable forms, some of the children of Phorkyus are ugly from birth, but not monstrous (grai), while the other part takes on the appearance of monsters as punishment (gorgons ), not having one from birth. Thaumant and Electra, along with the harpies (half-women, half-birds), give birth to the beautiful Iris. Thus begins the period of dominance of anthropomorphic (human-like) gods. A second “divine clan” arises, the Olympian gods, who, as a result of the victory in the Titanomachy, took a leading position and divided among themselves power over the world (Sky, Sea and Underworld).

4th generation- children of the gods of the third generation - Apollo (Sunlight, Arts), Ares (Bloody War), Artemis (Protection of all living things), Athena (Wisdom, Just War, Crafts), Aphrodite (Love, Beauty), Bia (Strength), winds Boreas, Zephyr, Noth and Eurus, Hebe (Youth), Hecate (Witchcraft, Nightmares), Hesperus (Evening Star), Hephaestus (Fire), Dionysus (Vegetation, Winemaking), stars, Zelos (Zeal), Kratos (Power) , Nike (Victory), Plutos (Wealth), Triton (Sea), Charites (Grace, Beauty).

The generation consists entirely of the grandchildren of the titans, whose fertility depended on the degree of importance of their sphere of influence. The central place is occupied by the children of Zeus and Poseidon, who shared power over the world with the gods of the third generation. The new generation no longer fights for supremacy over the world, but peacefully coexists with the generation of “fathers”. One confirmation of this is that the main Olympic gods began to include twelve representatives of both generations: Zeus, Hera, Hestia (later given way to Dionysus), Hades (later Aphrodite), Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares , Hermes and Hephaestus. New aspects of human life - crafts and art - acquire their gods. The importance of “divine newcomers” associated with human activity begins to increase in comparison with the more ancient gods who are embodiments of natural phenomena. The pantheon of Greek gods begins to divide into more and less important, aristocrats and common people, reflecting a new stage in the development of society and its division into free and slaves, the division of the free into the nobility and the poor. With the advent of the fourth generation, the glory of the immortal gods of Ancient Greece began to decline; the gods became more and more like people, losing to people in some disputes; their children were not awarded immortality and became kings or ancestors of tribes. A generation of heroes comes, whose significance becomes no less important than the significance of the gods.

5th generation- children of gods and demigods of the fourth generation - Anterot (Reciprocal Love), Asclepius (Healing), Harmony, Hermes (Trade, Dexterity), Hymen (Legitimate Marriage), Deimos (Horror), Phobos (Fear), Eros (Love).

There is a further rapprochement between the world of gods and people; immortality becomes a reward for mortals (Asclepius, Hymen).

6th generation- children of gods and demigods of the fifth generation - Hygieia (Health), Pan (Forest), Panacea (Healing), Silenus.

Aglaya- “brilliance”, “shining” - one of the three harits. Daughter of Zeus and Eurynome (according to another version - Hera), granddaughter of Ocean, sister of Euphrosyne and Thalia.

Hades (Hades, Deet)- “formless”, “invisible”, “terrible” - the ruler of the underground kingdom of the souls of the dead, the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Zeus and Poseidon, husband of Persephone. In Greek mythology of the Olympic period, he is a minor deity - no sacrifices are made to Hades, he has no children. He was not revered anywhere except Elis, where his temple was opened once a year, where only clergy were allowed to enter.

Anthea (Anthea)- “blooming” - an epithet of Hera, Aphrodite and other goddesses.

Apollo (Phoebus)- god of light and order, leader and patron of the muses, son of Zeus and the goddess Leto, brother of Artemis. Children: Orpheus, Lin (mother - Calliope), Hymen (mother - one of the muses), Asclepius (mother - Coronis), Aristeus (mother - Cyrene), Pug (mother - Manto), Philammon (mother - Chione), Femonoia, Amphiaraus, Idmon.

Boreas- god of the north wind, son of Astraeus and Eos, grandson of the titans Cria and Hyperion, brother of Zephyr, Not, Evra, Eosphorus and the stars, father of Zet, winged Kalaid, Cleopatra and Khione (mother - Orithia). He was depicted as a powerful, winged and bearded man. He lived in Thrace among cold and darkness. He had the gift of transforming into a horse.

Hebe- the embodiment of youth, the eternally young goddess. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. After Hercules ascended to Olympus, she became his wife, which was a reward for his exploits and a sign of reconciliation with Hera.

Hecate- goddess of darkness, witchcraft and mirages. Daughter of Persian and Asteria, granddaughter of the titans Koya and Kria, mother of Skilla (father of Phorcys). One of the most ancient and powerful goddesses, ruling over all ghosts and monsters in the kingdom of Hades. She had three bodies and three heads - a lion, a dog and a horse. At the crossroads of three roads, dogs were sacrificed and then Hecate helped not only in witchcraft, but also against witchcraft. At a later time, Hecate began to act as a symbol of otherworldly forces.

Helios (Helium)- Sun God. Son of Hyperion and Theia, brother of Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn). Father of Phaethon and Heliad (mother - Clymene), Electra and 7 sons (mother - Rhoda), Kirke, Pasiphae and Eeta (mother - Persian). According to some legends, he is the father of Augeas.

Gemera- goddess of the day, daughter of Nyx and Erebus, sister of Hypnos, numerous kers, Momus, Nemesis, Thanatos, Charon, Eris, Ether, Moira and Erinyes, wife of Ether.

Hera- "Madam" - the patroness of conjugal love, the mother's protector during childbirth. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister of Hestia, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus, wife of Zeus, mother of Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe and Ilithyia. For three hundred years, the marriage of Zeus and Hera was secret, until Zeus declared her his wife and queen of the gods. An archaic pre-Hellenic deity who personified femininity and procreation. Originally depicted with the head of a horse. She was especially revered in Sparta, Corinth, Olympia and Argos. The most famous temple existed in Argos, where the famous gold and ivory statue of Hera by Polykleitos was located. There, once every five years, heraia were held - holidays in honor of the goddess. The pomegranate (a symbol of marriage and love), the cuckoo, the crow and the peacock are dedicated to Hera.

Hermes- god of trade, dexterity, deception, theft and eloquence, messenger of the gods, son of Zeus and the nymph of the mountains Maia, father of Hermaphrodite (mother - Aphrodite), Pan (mother - Dryope), Silena (mother - Cybele), Autolycus (mother - Chione) , Daphnis (mother - one of the nymphs) and Abdera.

Hesion- oceanid, daughter of Ocean and Tethys, granddaughter of Uranus and Gaia, sister of three thousand oceanids and three thousand river gods, wife of Prometheus, mother of Deucalion.

Hephaestus- god of fire and blacksmithing, patron of metallurgy. Son of Zeus and Hera, brother of Ares, Hebe and Ilithyia, Aphrodite (according to another version - one of the Charites). According to one legend, he is the father of the first woman Pandora and all humanity. He was born ugly, weak and frail and was thrown by the angry Hero from heaven to a distant land. Lame when falling onto the volcanic island of Lemnos. According to another legend, he was lame from birth, and being thrown from the sky, he fell into the sea, where he was raised by Eurynoma and Thetis, who took pity on him. Having matured, Hermes took revenge on Hera - he forged and presented her with a gift of a golden throne with a secret: as soon as Hera sat in it, indestructible bonds wrapped around the body of the goddess and no one could free her. He had a forge under Mount Etna, where, according to some sources, he was helped by the Cyclopes and where he made the scepter and aegis for Zeus, the golden chariot for Helios, the armor for Achilles, the scepter for Agamemnon, and many delightful things. He built golden palaces for the gods on Olympus. Dionysus persuaded him to return to Olympus to serve the gods by giving him wine. He built himself a palace of gold, silver and bronze, and it also housed Hephaestus’s forge. The only one of the Olympian gods who engaged in physical labor. He was depicted as a bearded, broad-shouldered blacksmith with a hammer or tongs. The story of his marriage is peculiar - Hephaestus caught Aphroditau in a net when she was making love to Ares. A friend of Prometheus, forced to chain him to a rock by the will of Zeus. Initially, in areas with active volcanoes, he was revered as the god of underground fire. Above the Athenian mountain rises the Doric temple of Hephaestus (mid-5th century), which is usually called Theseum.

Gaia- goddess Earth. Came from Chaos. Children: hecatoncheires Gies, Cottus and Aegeon, cyclopes Arg, Brontus and Steropus, giants, titans Oceanus, Coy, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Cronus, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Tethys, Phoebe and Theia (father - Uranus), Typhon and Echidna (father - Tartarus), Nereus, Taumant, Phorcys, Keto and Eurybia (father - Pontus), Antaeus (father - Poseidon), Python (born without a father).

Demeter- goddess of fertility, middle daughter of Rhea and Crone, sister of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera and Hestia, mother of Persephone (father Zeus), Plutos (father Iasion), Areion and Despoina (father Poseidon).

Dionysus- god of fertility, vegetation and winemaking. Son of Zeus and Semele, husband of Ariadne. Twice born. Born by the dying Semele weak and unable to live. He was taken by Zeus, who sewed the child into his thigh. Having grown stronger in the body of Zeus, Dionysus was born a second time from his thigh. He was raised by the Hyades nymphs in the Nisei Valley. He was depicted wearing a wreath of grapes, holding a thyrsus decorated with ivy in his hand, accompanied by maenads, satyrs and his teacher Silenus. One of the most ancient and popular gods. Holidays in his honor, the Great Dionysia and the Rural Dionysia, were held from late autumn to spring and were sources of tragedy and comedy.

Zeus (Zeus)- king of the gods, thunder god, lord of the sky, patron of law and justice, father and ruler of gods and people. The youngest son of Rhea and Cronus, brother of Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia, husband of Metis and Hera. The authority of Zeus is based on power, and not on morality, therefore, in addition to his legitimate children on Olympus, he had many children “out of wedlock.” Father of Athena (mother - Metis), Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus and Ilithyia (mother - Hera), Apollo and Artemis (mother - Leto), Aphrodite (mother - Dione), Hercules (mother - Alcmene), Hermes (mother - Maya) , Dionysus (mother - Semele), nine muses (mother - Mnemosyne), Perseus (mother - Danaë), Persephone (mother - Demeter), three Charites (mother - Eurynome), Astraea and six hors (mother - Themis), Helen and Polydeuces (mother - Leda), Amphion and Zeta (mother - Antiope), Argos (mother - Niobe), Arcade (mother - Callisto), Dardana and Iasion (mother - Electra), Lacedaemon (mother - Taygeta), Minos, Rhadamanthus and Sarpedona (mother - Europa), Sarpedona (mother - Laodamia), Tantalus (mother - Pluto), Titya (mother - Elara), Eaka (mother - Aegina), Epapha (mother - Io). Attributes - thunder and lightning, forged by the Cyclopes for Zeus to fight the Titans, an eagle (a symbol of royal power). The temples of Zeus were distinguished by their special splendor - in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia there was a huge statue of gold and ivory by Phidias.

Iris- goddess of the rainbow, messenger of the gods, daughter of Thaumant and Electra, granddaughter of Gaia, sister of the five harpies

Lachesis- goddess of fate, one of the three moiras. Daughter of Erebus and Nyx, sister of Clotho and Atropos. The attribute was scales. She measured life and predicted the fate of the baby even before birth, taking out, without looking, the lot that falls to a person.

Summer- daughter of the titans Coy and Phoebe, sister of Asteria, mother of Apollo and Artemis (father - Zeus). She was born and lived in the country of the Hyperboreans. Hera, who learned that Leto was about to give birth to a child, swore that Zeus’ mistress would not find refuge on solid ground and sent Python to her, who gave her no rest and drove her across all lands and seas. Leto found refuge only on the floating island of Delos, into which her sister turned, and past which the south wind carried her. As soon as Leto was on the island, two rocks appeared from the sea, one of which stopped the island, the other - Python. Here her children were born. Killed Niobe's children for mocking her and her children.

Mayan- one of the seven Pleiades, the eldest daughter of Atlas and Pleione, sister of Alkyone, Keleno, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta and Electra, mother of Hermes (father - Zeus). She lived on Mount Killena, covered with dense forests, in Arcadia. After the death of her brother, she and her sisters committed suicide and, together with them, were turned into the Pleiades constellation. The Romans identified her with the ancient Italian earth goddess Maia.

Shrew- the most terrible of the three Erinyes, goddesses of vengeance, daughter of Erebus and Nyx, sister of the Erinyes Alecto and Tisiphone, sister of Hypnos, numerous kers, Nemesis, Momus, Thanatos, Charon, Eris, Ether and moira.

Mnemosyne (Mnemosyne)- goddess of memory, titanide, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, sister of the titans Oceanus, Hyperion, Koya, Kriya, Iapetus and Crohn and the titans Rhea, Theia, Tethys, Phoebe and Themis, hecatoncheires, cyclopes and giants, mother of nine muses: Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Thalia, Terpsichore, Urania, Euterpe and Erato (father - Zeus).

Moiraget- “driver moira” - an epithet of Zeus, and later of Apollo.

Moira- goddesses of fate, sisters of Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, daughter of Nyx and Erebus, sister of Hypnos, numerous kers, Momus, Nemesis, Thanatos, Charon, Eris, Aether and Erinyes.

Nemesis (Nemesis)- goddess of fair retribution, daughter of Nyx and Erebus, sister of Hemera, Hypnos, numerous kers, Momus, Thanatos, Charon, Eris, Ether, Moira and Erinyes. She not only punished crimes, but also rewarded for righteous deeds. Attributes - scales, sword, bridle and whip.

Nika (Nike)- “victory” - the winged goddess of victory, daughter of Pallanta and Styx, granddaughter of the titans Oceanus and Kria, sister of Bia, Zelos and Kratos. Constant companion of Zeus. She was exalted by Zeus for fighting on the side of the Olympians in the fight against the Titans. Attributes - a palm branch ("palm") and a victory wreath. Sometimes she was depicted as wingless. Sometimes identified with Athena (Temple of the Wingless Victoria on the Athenian Acropolis). Revered by the army.

Nile- a river in Africa and the god of this river. Son of Ocean and Tethys, brother of three thousand oceanids and three thousand river gods. He was depicted as a giant surrounded by sixteen children, symbols of the number of cubits by which the water level in the river rose during a flood.

Nymphs- “brides” - minor deities who personified the forces of nature. They possessed ancient wisdom, the secrets of life and death. They could both heal people and send madness to them, and conveyed the gift of foresight. They were depicted as beautiful maidens. The sanctuaries were located in caves, grottoes, groves and forests. The cult of nymphs was widespread in Greece and continued to be maintained during Roman times. The construction of nymphaeums - special pavilions with fountains - became widespread. Depending on their habitat, they had different names: alseids, hamadryads, dryads, limnads, meliads, napei, orestiads. The main ones were considered to be water nymphs - oceanids, naiads and nereids.

Ocean- god of the “outer” sea, eldest of the Titans, son of Uranus and Gaia, brother of the Titans Iapetus, Coia, Cria, Hyperion, Crohn and the Titanides Mnemosyne, Rhea, Theia, Tethys, Phoebe and Themis, Cyclopes, Hecatoncheires and Giants, husband of Tethys, father of three thousand sons (river gods) and three thousand daughters (oceanids). The stream surrounding the inhabited earth's disk, the river into which the Sun and stars land and from which reappear. In the far west it blurs the boundaries between life and death. Good-natured and peaceful. In the fight of Zeus with Cronus and the Titans, he sided with Zeus. Equal in honor and glory to Zeus.

Panacea (Panacea)- “all-healer” (Panakeia) - goddess-healer, daughter of Asclepius and Epione, granddaughter of Apollo, sister of Hygieia, Machaon, and Podaliria.

Rhea- titanide, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, sister of the titans Iapetus, Koya, Kriya, Hyperion, Kronus, Oceanus and the titans Mnemosyne, Theia, Tethys, Phoebe and Themis, Cyclops, Hecatoncheires and giants, wife of Kronus, mother of Hades, Hera, Hestia, Demeter , Zeus and Poseidon. She was revered as the mother goddess of the main gods of the Greek pantheon.

Selena- “light” - the goddess of the moon, patronizes witchcraft and is able to control love spells. Daughter of the titans Hyperion and Theia, sister of Helios and Eos. The name Selena means "bright". She was depicted in a chariot drawn by two steep-horned bulls (or horses), wearing long white clothes, with a crescent moon on her headdress. Having fallen in love with the sleeping Endymion, she endlessly extended his sleep in order to admire his beauty forever.

Tethys (Tethys)- titanide, personifying the sea element, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, sister of the titans Iapetus, Koya, Kria, Hyperion, Kron, Oceanus and the titans Mnemosyne, Rhea, Tethys, Phoebe and Themis, Cyclopes, Hecatoncheires and giants, wife of Oceanus, mother of three thousand sons (river gods) and three thousand daughters (oceanids).

Uranus- personification of the sky. Son of Gaia and one of her husbands. Children: hecatoncheires Gies, Cottus and Aegeon, cyclops Args, Brontus and Steropes, giants, titans Oceanus, Coy, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Cronus, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Tethys, Phoebe and Theia.

Themis- goddess of justice and predictions, titanide, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, sister of the titans Iapetus, Koya, Kria, Hyperion, Kronus, Oceanus and the titans Mnemosyne, Rhea, Tethys, Phoebe and Themis, cyclopes, hecatoncheires and giants, mother of six ores (father - Zeus). She was depicted with a blindfold. Attributes - scales and cornucopia.

Charites- goddesses of beauty, grace, happiness and joy, personifying feminine charm. Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome. Aglaya is shine, Euphrosyne is joy, Thalia is color. Companions of Aphrodite.

Chimera- the nymph who seduced Daphnis.

Muses
Calliope(K a l l i o p h, “beautiful-voiced”) · the muse of epic poetry and science, she “stands out among all other” muses (although in Hesiod the functions of each muse are not yet sufficiently defined). She was depicted as a girl with a wax tablet and an otyl - a sharpened slate stick for writing letters - in her hands. “Calliope keeps the songs of heroic times in the book,” wrote the ancient Roman poet Ausonius.

Clio, Klia(K l e i w) · one of the nine Olympic muses, the muse of history, the one “who glorifies.” In the imagination of the ancients, a girl with a papyrus scroll and a slate stick in her hands: obviously, the scroll contained a chronicle of bygone times. It is known about Clio that she fell in love with Pierre, the son of Magnet, and gave birth to a son, Hyacinth.

Melpomene(M e l p o m e n h) · muse of tragedy (Greek “singing”). At first, Melpomene was considered the muse of song, then of sad song, and later she became the patroness of theater in general, the personification of tragic stage art. Melpomene was depicted as a woman with a bandage on her head and a wreath of grape or ivy leaves, in a theatrical robe, with a tragic mask in one hand and a sword or club in the other (a symbol of the inevitability of punishment for a person who violates the will of the gods). From the river god Aheloy gave birth to monstrous sirens, famous for their singing.

Polyhymnia, Polymnia(P o l u m n i a) · first the muse of dance, then pantomime, hymns, serious gymnasium poetry, which is credited with the invention of the lyre. Polyhymnia helped to “remember what was captured.” The name Polyhymnia indicates that the poets acquired immortal fame for the hymns they created. She was depicted as a girl wrapped in a blanket in a thoughtful pose, with a dreamy face and with a scroll in her hand.

Talia, Falia(Q a l e i a) · one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, patroness of comedy and light poetry. She was depicted with a comic mask in her hands and an ivy wreath on her head. The Corybantes were born from Thalia and Apollo. Zeus, turning into a kite, took Thalia as his wife. Out of fear of Hera's jealousy, the muse hid in the depths of the potion, where demonic creatures were born from her - paliki (in this myth she is called the nymph of Etna).

Terpsichore(T e r y i c o r a) · was considered the muse of choral singing and dance, depicted as a young woman in the pose of a dancer, with a smile on her face. She had a wreath on her head, in one hand she held a lyre, and in the other a plectrum. She is “enjoying round dances.”

Urania(O u r a n i a) · the muse of astronomy, a girl with a globe and a compass (or pointing stick) in her hands, in other versions of the myth was considered the embodiment of sublime, heavenly love. According to some versions, the mother of the singer Lina, whom she gave birth to from Apollo.

Euterpe ( E u t e r p h) · the patron muse of lyric poetry, usually depicted with a double flute in her hand. Res, the hero who died at the hands of Diomedes under the walls of Troy, was considered her son from the god of the river Stremon.

Erato· one of the muses, she was assigned the role of patroness of lyrical and, moreover, erotic (love) poetry. She was depicted with a cithara in her hand.

The evolution of ancient Greek mythology: from chthonic creatures to heroic demigods.

The mythology of the ancient Greeks was one of the most remarkable phenomena in the culture of the Mediterranean peoples. But neither this mythology nor the religion were homogeneous and went through a complex evolution. Researchers identify three main periods in the development of ancient Greek mythology:

chthonic, or pre-Olympian, classical Olympian and late heroic. Views characteristic of the chthonic period had developed in Greek society long before the Dorian conquest of the 12th century. BC e. and even before the emergence of the first Achaean states. There are no surviving sources in which these views are presented fully and consistently. Therefore, it is necessary to use individual archaic images or mythological episodes that were accidentally reflected in texts dating back to a much later time.

First period. The term "chthonic" comes from the Greek word "chthon" - "earth". The earth was perceived by the ancient Greeks as a living and omnipotent being that gives birth to everything and nourishes everyone. The essence of the earth was embodied in everything that surrounded man and in himself, which explains the worship with which the Greeks surrounded the symbols of deities: unusual stones, trees and even just boards. But the usual primitive fetishism was mixed among the Greeks with animism, leading to a complex and unusual system of beliefs. In addition to gods, there were also demons. These are vague and terrible forces that have no form, but have terrible power. Demons appear from nowhere, interfere in people's lives, usually in the most catastrophic and cruel way, and disappear. The images of demons were also associated with ideas about monsters, which at this stage of the development of Greek religion were probably also perceived as creatures possessing divine power.

In such ideas about the gods and in the special veneration of the Earth as the Great Mother, echoes of ideas from different stages of the development of Greek society are visible - both from a very early time, when man, who did not separate himself from nature, created images of human animals, and from the period of matriarchy, when the dominance of women in society was reinforced by stories about omnipotence of the Earth-Progenitor. But one thing united all these views - the idea of ​​​​the indifference of the gods, of their deep alienation. They were perceived as powerful beings, but more dangerous than beneficent, from whom one must pay off rather than try to gain their favor. This is, for example, the god Pan, who, unlike Typhon or the Hectanocheirs, in later mythology did not turn into the final monster, but remained a god, the patron of forests and fields. He is associated with the wild, not with human society, and, despite his tendency to have fun, can instill unreasonable fear in people. Goat-footed, bearded and horned, he appears to people at midday, when everything freezes from the heat, at an hour that was considered no less dangerous than midnight. He may be both kind and fair, but it is still better not to meet with the god Pan, who has retained the half-animal appearance and disposition of the original creatures of Mother Earth.

Second period. The collapse of matriarchy, the transition to patriarchy, the emergence of the first Achaean states - all this gave impetus to a complete change in the entire system of mythology, to the abandonment of old gods and the emergence of new ones. Like other peoples, the gods-personifications of the soulless forces of nature are replaced by the patron gods of individual groups in human society, groups united along a variety of grounds: class, estate, professional, but they all had one thing in common - these were people who did not try to get along with nature, and those who sought to subjugate it, transform it into something new, make it serve man.

It is no coincidence that the most ancient myths of the Olympic cycle begin with the extermination of creatures who were probably worshiped as gods in the previous period. The god Apollo kills the Pythian dragon and giants, human demigods, sons of the gods destroy other monsters: Medusa, Chimera, Lernaean Hydra. And Zeus, the king of the gods of the Cosmos, triumphs in the final victory over the ancient gods. The image of Zeus is very complex and did not form immediately in Greek mythology. Ideas about Zeus developed only after the Dorian conquest, when newcomers from the north gave him the features of an absolute ruler god.

In the happy and orderly world of Zeus, his sons, born from mortal women, complete the work of their father, exterminating the last monsters. Demigods and heroes symbolize the unity of the worlds of the divine and human, the inextricable connection between them and the beneficial attention with which the gods watch people. The gods help the heroes (for example, Hermes - Perseus, and Athena - Hercules), and punish only the wicked and villains. Ideas about terrible demons are also changing - they now look more like just powerful spirits, inhabitants of all four elements: fire, water, earth and air.

Third period. The formation and development of the state, the complication of society and social relations, the enrichment of ideas about the world surrounding Greece inevitably increased the feeling of the tragedy of existence, the conviction that the world is dominated by evil, cruelty, meaninglessness and absurdity. In the late heroic period of the development of Greek mythology, ideas about the power to which everything that exists—both people and gods—are revived. Rock, inexorable fate reigns over everything. Even Zeus himself bows before her, forced either to forcefully extort predictions of his own fate from the titan Prometheus, or to come to terms with the trials and torments that his beloved son Hercules must go through so that he can join the host of the gods. Fate is even more merciless towards people than towards the gods - its cruel and often senseless commands are carried out with inevitable precision - Oedipus turns out to be cursed, despite all his efforts to escape from the predicted fate, Anchises, the grandfather of Perseus, also dies, hiding from the will of fate, and even the whole the Atrid family cannot escape the blind verdict of fate, being involved in an endless series of murders and fratricides.

Hercules

One day, the evil Hera sent a terrible illness to Hercules. The great hero lost his mind, madness took possession of him. In a fit of rage, Hercules killed all his children and the children of his brother Iphicles. When the fit passed, deep sorrow took possession of Hercules. Cleansed from the filth of the involuntary murder he committed, Hercules left Thebes and went to the sacred Delphi to ask the god Apollo what he should do. Apollo ordered Hercules to go to the homeland of his ancestors in Tiryns and serve Eurystheus for twelve years. Through the mouth of the Pythia, the son of Latona predicted to Hercules that he would receive immortality if he performed twelve great labors at the command of Eurystheus. Hercules settled in Tiryns and became the servant of the weak, cowardly Eurystheus...

1) The first feat. Nemean Lion.

2) Hercules Labor the second. Lernaean Hydra.

3) Hercules Labor the third. Birds of Lake Stymphalian.

4) Hercules Labor the fourth. Kerynean fallow deer.

5) Hercules' fifth labor. The Erymanthian boar and the battle with the centaurs.

6) Hercules Labor the sixth. Augean stables.

7) Hercules the Seventh Labor. Cretan bull.

8) Hercules Labor eighth. Horses of Diomedes.

9) Heracles the Ninth Labor. Belt of Hippolyta.

10) Hercules Labor tenth. Cows of Geryon.

11) Hercules Labor Eleventh. The abduction of Cerberus.

12) Hercules Labor the twelfth. Golden apples of the Hesperides.

Birth of Zeus

The Abduction of Persephone by Hades

Erischiton

Miniya's daughters

Adonis (mortal)

Bellefort

son of an Asia Minor ruler Tantalus Hippodamia, daughter of the king Pisa Oenomaus Myrtila

Zeth and Amphion

Hercules Alcides. He was given the nickname "Hercules" Delphic oracle Hera". Hercules was born in Thebes Eurysthea Iphikla

Feat 1. Strangled the Silent Lion.

Feat 2. Killed the Lernaean Hydra.

Feat 3. Caught a Kerynean doe.

Feat 4 Arkady.

Feat 5. Exterminated the Stymphalian birds.

Feat 6. Cleaned out the stables of Augeas.

Feat 7

Feat 8. Defeated the king Diomedes

Feat 9. Got the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta for Admeta, daughter of Eurystheus.

Feat 10 Erythia cows Gerion Pillars of Heracles Antaeum.

Feat 11. Got golden apples Hesperides.

Feat 12. Defeated the guard Aida- a monstrous dog Kerbera.

Iolaus Admeta Alcestis and hero Theseus Thanatos and wounding God himself Aida Iola Ifitom went in search of the herd in order to prove his innocence, but Hera overshadowed the mind of Hercules on the way and he killed Iphitus. To atone for the murder, Hercules had to serve as a slave to the Lydian queen for three years. Omphale. While serving with Omphale, Hercules caught the dwarf cecrops, then released them into the wild, and also killed the robber Silea.

Death of Hercules

Deanira's wife, out of jealousy for Iola (for whom Hercules once competed, but the father, King Eurytus, did not give it to his daughter and Hercules killed him), Deanira decided to bewitch her husband by rubbing her cloak with the blood of the centaur Nessus (there was hydra poison there), Deanira committed suicide. On a chariot, Athena and Hermes took Hercules to Olympus and so he became an immortal god, and Hera, forgetting hatred, gave her daughter the goddess Hebe as his wife

Heracleidae

After his death, the children of Hercules were persecuted by Eurystheus and took refuge with Hercules’ friend Iolaus in Athens. Having learned this, Eurystheus went to war against the city and the gods predicted that the Athenians would win if only the girl was sacrificed, Macaria (one of the daughters) sacrificed herself for the sake of her brothers and sisters, and Iolaus captured Eurystheus and Alkmene tore out Eurystheus’s eyes and killed him

Mullet and procris

Cephalus, the son of Hermes and Chersa, a hunter, was married to Procris. Once the goddess of the dawn Eos fell in love with a mullet and kidnapped him, but he loved only Procris and begged Eos to let him go, she let him go but convinced him to test his wife’s fidelity, changing his appearance, the mullet made his way into the house and for a long time persuaded Procris to cheat, but she resisted through The time was already ready when the mullet took on its former appearance and accused her of treason. Procris went into the forest and became Artemis's companion, and she gave her a spear and a dog, Laylap. The mullet could not live without procris and they made peace. One day, while hunting, the mullet was hot and he heard a song about the coolness, one of the Athenians heard this and told Procris that he was cheating on her, the next time Procris began to follow her husband in the bushes, and he, hearing the good news, launched a spear and killed her by accident. He left Athens for Thebes.

Procne and Philomena

Procne, the daughter of Pandion (king of Athens) and the wife of Tereus (he saved Athens), they lived happily, but one day Procne asked to bring her sister to visit, Tereus went, but when he saw Philomena, he fell in love with her, brought her and forcibly hid her in the forest, for her threats loudly screaming, he cut out her tongue, and told his wife that Philomena had died. But the captive wove her grief on linen and sent it to her sister. And on the holiday of Dionysus, Procne found her sister and freed her. They decide to take revenge on Tereus and Procne kills her son, she feeds her husband dinner from her son and then reveals this secret, as a result Procne turns into a nightingale and Philomena into a swallow and Tereus into a hoopoe.

Daedalus and Icarus

Daedalus was a great sculptor of Athens, and he had a nephew, Tal, but Daedalus was jealous of him and eventually threw him off a cliff, but the Athenians burned him when he was digging a grave and he was sentenced to death. Daedalus fled to Crete to King Minos and lived well with him at first, but then Minos simply did not let Daedalus go, then he decided to flee with his son Icarus. Daedalus made wax wings and they flew across the sea, but Icarus flew too close to the sun and his wings melted, he fell into the sea and drowned. And Daedalus flew to Sicily and lived there with King Kokal. Minos, having learned, demanded the extradition of Daedalus, but the daughters of Kokal, while Minos was taking a bath, poured a cauldron of boiling water on him and he died.

Aegeus could not have children, he marries an ephra, Theseus is born (but he is the son of Poseidon). When Aegeus went to Athens, he left his sword and sandals in the rock and said that when Theseus grows up, let him get it all and go to him in Athens. At the age of 16, Theseus took out his sword and sandals and went to Athens

Feats on the road to Athens:

1 defeated the periphet giant

2 pine bender sinid

3 huge boar

4 robber skiron (washing feet)

5procrustes

Theseus, having come to Athens, did not reveal himself to Aegean, but Aegean’s wife Medea learned the secret and wanted to poison him with wine, but at that time Theseus took out a sword and the father recognized his son and Medea was expelled. But Theseus did not stay to live in Athens 1 he went to free Attica from the wild bull (Hercules brought him on the orders of Eurystheus) 2 Theseus decided to free Crete from the Minotaur, calling on Aphrodite for help, Ariadne (the daughter of the Cretan king) fell in love with Theseus, she gave him a sword and a ball of thread so that he can get out of the maze. Having killed the minotaur, he and Ariad sailed home, but she was intended for Dionysus and in sadness, Theseus forgot to replace the black sails with white ones. In despair, Aegeus threw himself into the sea, thinking that Theseus was dead, so Theseus became the king of Athens 3 Theseus captured the Amazon Antiope and married her, and the rest of the Amazons went to save her, although Antiope did not want to leave Theseus and she died in battle 4 Friends of Peirifois and Theseus kidnap Helen and The lot falls on Theseus, then Peirifoi demands Persiphone as his wife and Theseus is bound by an oath, they descend to the kingdom of Hades but get stuck there, and at this time Helen’s brothers Castor and Polydeuces find their sister, take Theseus’ mother captive and give power to his enemy, Menestheus. When Theseus leaves the kingdom of Hades, he goes to Skyros, but King Lyomed does not want to give him power, he pushes Theseus off a cliff into the sea and he dies.

The son of King Kalydon Oineia, his father incurred the wrath of Artemis because at the fertility festival only Artemis did not make a sacrifice, for this she sent a large boar that began to devastate everything in its path, the boar was killed, but a dispute arose about who would win, because many took part in the hunt, and Artemis became angry with Meleager, causing an even stronger dispute. One day Meleager killed the brother of his mother Althea, she cursed him and asked Hades and Persephone to heed her prayers. Meleager learned about this and left the battlefield and immediately began to win the Kuretes. Many asked him to fight again, but he refused and only went at the request of Cleopatra’s wife. into battle, but then the gods remembered Althea’s request and Apollo’s arrows killed Meleager.

On the island of Keos there lived a beautiful deer, he was the favorite of the son of the king of Keos, cypress (Apollo’s friend). Once a cypress, while hunting, accidentally killed this deer, he was sad for a long time and asked Apollo to be sad for something, he turned him into a tree. Since then, a cypress branch has been placed in front of houses of the dead.

Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus is the son of the river god and the calypso muse, married to the nymph Eurydice. One day she went for a walk and got bitten by a snake on her leg and died. Orpheus, upset, went to Hades to beg to let his wife go. He played the cithara well and Hades told him that he would help if he did not look back at his wife on the way back, but Orpheus took it and looked back, the shadow disappeared and Hades did not allow it twice. Orpheus returned back, and 4 years later he died at the hands of the Bacchantes, returned back to the kingdom of Hades and now wife and husband are inseparable (((

Son of the king of Sparta, friend of Apollo. One day they competed in discus throwing and Apollo accidentally killed a hyacinth; in memory of his friend, a beautiful flower grew from the blood of the hyacinth.

Castor and Polydeuces

The sons of the king of Sparta Tyndareus and Leda (Polydeuces from Zeus and Castor from Tyndareus) they had cousins ​​Lynceus and Idas, one day they quarreled because they did not share the bulls and the Diascuri took revenge by stealing the entire herd and the brothers' brides, they began to fight but Zeus stopped battle and by this time Castor had already died, Zeus suggested that Polydeuces should spend a day with his brother in the kingdom of Hades and a day on Olympus)

Atreus and Thyestes

Sons of Pelops (who was cursed by King Oenomaus). Arrest became the king of Mycenae and Thyestes was jealous of him, he stole the golden-fringed ram and wanted to rule Mycenae, but Zeus was angry, then Thyestes stole the son of Polysthenes and raised him, setting him up to kill his father, but Atreus himself killed him, and when someone found out, he decided to take revenge on Thyestes. Atreus snatched up the sons of the fiesta, Polysthenes and Tantalus, and prepared dinner from them, which he fed to the fiesta. The gods got angry and sent a crop failure to the Argolid, according to the oracle it was necessary to find a fiesta in order for the crop failure to end. Many years later, the sons of Atreus Agamemnon and Menelaus found him and captured him. Atreus persuaded the son of Thyestus (Aegisthus) to kill his father, but they conspired and in the end Aegisthus killed Atreus when he was making sacrifices to the gods, and Meelai and Agamemnon took refuge in Sparta.

Esak and hesperia

Esak is the son of Priam (king of Troy), brother of Hector, he fell in love with the forest nymph Hesperia, but she was hiding from him, one day he chased her, she was stung by a snake and died, and Esak threw himself into the sea from grief, but thethetis saved him and he turned into a dive !

Birth of Zeus

Cronus is afraid that his children will overthrow him, he only devours them, Zeus takes Rhea to Crete where he is raised by the nymphs addresseya and the idea. Zeus was helped by the Cyclops and Titan, the ocean with the children with zeal, power and victory, then the earth of Gaia created Typhon and overthrew him into Tartarus

After Kron disgorged the children, Rhea’s mother took Hera to the ends of the earth, where she was raised by a fetis. Zeus saw her and fell in love, and then kidnapped her. They got married at Olympus

Zeus fell in love with her and, in order to hide her from his wife, turned her into a cow, but Hera found out this and demanded that she be given to him. Having taken possession of the cow, she gave her under the protection of Argus, Zeus sent his son Hermes and he put Argus to sleep and freed Io, she fled to Egypt where Zeus gave her her former appearance and her son Epaphus was born.

Laton's mother was persecuted by the hero (Python), she fled to Delos and there gave birth to Apollo. Apollo killed Typhon at Delphi and founded the Delphic oracle

Apollo quarreled with Erat and he pierced his heart with an arrow of love and Daphne with an arrow killing love, when Apollo saw Daphne he immediately fell in love and she ran from him so that he would not catch up with her, she prayed to her father Peleus and eventually turned into a laurel.

Apollo helped his friend Admed in conquering Alceste (her father arranged a test to harness a lion and a bear to a chariot)

Apollo sometimes dances with 9 muses

Athena (protects travelers, teaches crafts, goddess of wisdom)

Zeus knew that the goddess of reason, the mestizo, would have 2 children, but the Moirai of fate said that the boy who would be born would overthrow Zeus from the throne, he got scared and, having put the mestizo to sleep, swallowed her, but then he woke up with severe headaches and he ordered his son Hephaestus to chop his head with an ax. Athena came out from there.

Throughout Lydia she was famous for her art of weaving; she had no equal, and then one day Arachne decided to call upon Athena to compete with her in weaving. First, Athena took the form of an old woman, came to Arachne and asked her not to compete with the goddess but to beg for forgiveness, to which Arachne insulted the old woman and said that she should not be afraid of Athena, then Athena took on her usual appearance and began to compete. Athena wove a dispute with Poseidon over Attica on a bedspread, where 12 gods resolved this dispute. Arachne wove a canvas with scenes of the life of the gods where they appeared weak. Athena hit Arachne with a shuttle for this and she decided to hang herself, but Athena took Arachne off the rope, cursed her family and turned her into a spider. She sits on a branch with you and spins.

The son of Maya and Zeus, once stole Apollo's cows, and no matter how he denied that it was not he who did it, Zeus forced him to give Apollo the cows, but Apollo heard Hermes playing the flute and gave him these cows.

Hera's mother saw her ugly born son and threw him off Olympus, the boy ended up in the sea, where he was saved by the goddess Thetis and he remained to live in the kingdom of Poseidon, but Hephaestus harbored a grudge against his mother, he forged a golden chair and sent him to Olympus Hera, who was delighted with the gift village, but immediately the bonds wrapped around her, then the gods sent Hermes and Dionysus to bring Hephaestus, he didn’t want to for a long time, but they gave him something to drink and he went with them to Olympus, there he freed the goddess and forgot his offense, he remained to live on Olympus, taking the goddess as his wife grace and beauty haritu.

The Abduction of Persephone by Hades

Demeter had a daughter, Persephone, the daughter of Zeus, Hades fell in love with her and agreed with Zeus to kidnap her, one day Zeus was walking and saw a flower, trying to pick it, Hades appeared and took Persephone to him, only the sun god Helios saw. Detmeter was looking for her daughter everywhere and the god Helios told her about Hades, she was angry with the gods and left Olympus, began to live in the house of Kelei and Metainer, with her sadness the earth became barren, then he sent Hermas to her but Demeter did not want to return without his beloved daughter , then Zeus agreed with Hades and now Demeter lives with his mother for six months and with Hades for six months.

Erischiton

The king of the Scythians, cut down a perennial oak tree in a connected grove where the dryad lived (she died), Demeter sent the goddess of hunger to her, Erisphyton was attacked by hunger, he could not finally get enough, he sold his daughter several times and Poseidon freed her, then he simply began to tear his teeth body and died.

The son of Zeus and Semele, Hera took revenge and told Semele to ask her to take on Zeus's appearance. When Semele asked, she died blinded by the light; the newly born Dionysus was saved by Zeus, sewing him up in poverty. And then Hermes took Dionysus to his mother’s sister Ino and her husband, the ataman, Hera sent madness to the ataman and he chased them, Hermes saved Dionysus, taking him to the nymphs to raise.

Miniya's daughters

King Minius had 3 daughters in Orkhomenes, but the city did not want to accept the god Dionysus, one day all the women went to praise Dionysus, only the daughters of Minius did not go, they were sitting calmly at home when suddenly their house was filled with wild animals, their bodies began to shrink and they turned into bats.

Dionysus gave him grapes, but when he treated the shepherds to wine, they thought that he had poisoned them and killed him, the daughter of Erigon hanged herself near him, and they became stars.

Simela saved Dionysus's friend and in return he rewarded him with the gift of touching everything and turning it into gold. After a while he prayed and went into the river Patroclus and washed himself there.

Adonis (mortal)

The son of the king of Cyprus, Aphrodite’s beloved, she loved him very much but only asked him not to hunt boar and bear, one day he didn’t listen and went to hunt the boar and the boar tore him apart with its fangs, Aphrodite grieved for a long time, but Zeus took pity on her and now Adonis lives for six months in the kingdom of Hades and half a year on earth with Aphrodite.

The Phrygian satyr, once found a flute that Athena had thrown away, and learned to play it so well that he challenged Apollo to a competition, Apollo of course won and skinned the marsyas, which he hung in the grotto now, which always sways hearing the sounds of the flute and stands motionless hearing the sounds of the cithara

Once I was hunting with my comrades and accidentally went into the grotto where Artemis was resting, she got angry and turned Actaeon into a deer, he ran and after him his dogs chased and hunted him down, and then his comrades arrived and regretted that Actaeon was not there during such a good hunt, so he died.

The son of the lord of the winds, Aeolus, deceived the god of death, Tanat, by putting him in chains, but with (ares) liberation, Tanat and Sisyphus were taken to the kingdom of Hades, but Sisyphus was deceived again, his wife did not bury the body, and he asked to go up to her, but did not return, he was condemned to roll up a huge mountain stone

Bellefort

The son of Glaucus and Eurymede, he killed the Corinthian (or brother) Beller, they began to call him “the murderer of Beller” (Greek Bellerophon), fearing he would run to Argolis where the king’s wife, Preta Sphenebeia, falls in love with him; the king sends him to his father-in-law, Iobates, with the goal of killing him. , he gives him tasks: kill the chimera. B takes revenge when he finds out, he pretends to be in love with Sthebenekia, persuades her to fly with him on Pegasus and throws her into the sea from a height

the son of Zeus and Pluto, he was honored to take part in their feasts, but repaid them with ingratitude: according to various versions of the myth, he divulged among people the secrets of the Olympians he heard or distributed to his loved ones the nectar and ambrosia stolen at the feast from the gods in order to test the omniscience of the gods , Tantalus invited them to his place and served them the meat of his murdered son Pelops as a treat. For his crimes, Tantalus was punished in the underworld with eternal torment: standing up to his neck in water, he cannot get drunk, since the water immediately recedes from his lips; from the trees surrounding it hang branches weighed down with fruits, which rise upward as soon as Tantalus stretches out his hand to them (“Tantalus flour”). A cliff hangs over his head, threatening to fall every minute.

son of an Asia Minor ruler Tantalus, who, having invited the Olympian gods to a feast, cut his son into pieces and offered his meat to the guests. Revived Hermes From that time on, all the descendants of Pelops - the Pelopids - had a white spot on their shoulder. Having matured, Pelops began to seek his hand Hippodamia, daughter of the king Pisa Oenomaus, who was predicted to die as soon as his daughter got married. Therefore, Oenomaus set a condition for all the suitors: everyone had to compete with him in a chariot race; Oenomaus killed those who were defeated in the competition. Pelops won the victory by bribing the charioteer Oenomaus, Myrtila, son of Hermes, promising him half the kingdom in case of victory. Myrtil did not secure the pin on his master's chariot; during the competition, the wheel jumped off the axle and Oenomaus died. In order not to give Myrtil the promised half of the kingdom, Pelops threw him off a cliff into the sea. Before his death, Myrtil cursed Pelops and his entire family. This curse and the wrath of Hermes, who avenged the death of his son, became the cause of terrible misfortunes that befell the descendants of Pelops

the daughter of King Agenor of Phoenicia, she once had a dream that Asia and another continent in the form of 2 women fought for her. Zeus fell in love with her while she was walking with her friends in the meadow, he turned into a bull and carried her away, began to live in Crete, sons Sarpedon Minos Radamant were born

the founder of Thebes, the brother of Europe, went to look for his sister along with 2 brothers, stopped in Delphi and asked Apollo where it was better to stop, he indicated that Cadmus would see a cow and need to follow her and the country should be called Boeotia, he had to fight with a large serpent, pulled out his teeth and sowed warriors grew up from these teeth and began to fight each other 5 they became the founders of noble Theban families 8 years Kadmus served Ares for killing his son the snake after that he became the rightful owner of Kadmea and married Harmony

Zeth and Amphion

sons of Antiope and Zeus. Antiope took them to the mountains, fearing the wrath of the father of her god Asopus. By the will of Zeus, the shepherd found the kids and raised them. Zeth the mighty warrior Amphion played the cithara, at this time Antiope was in captivity and the pickaxe and face of the kings of Thebes. Pickaxe decided to destroy Antiope by persuading her sons to kill her, they were already ready, but the shepherd told them the truth and the brothers killed pickaxe and face. They became kings of Thebes and built a wall around Thebes

wife of Amphion, king of Thebes, had 8 sons and 8 daughters. For not worshiping Latona, her children Artemis and Apollo killed all of Niobe's children. And Niobe turned to stone and forever sheds tears of sorrow; a whirlwind carried her to her homeland in Lydia.

Hercules- epic hero, real name Alcides. He was given the nickname "Hercules" Delphic oracle and means "glorified because of persecution Hera". Hercules was born in Thebes. When Alcmene was about to give birth, Zeus announced that the hero born on that day would become the ruler of the descendants of Perseus and all earthly peoples. Jealous Hera delayed the birth of Alcmene and accelerated the birth of her grandson Perseus Eurysthea, which doomed Hercules to obey Eurystheus. Alcmene gave birth to twins: Hercules and Iphikla Hera sent two huge snakes to baby Hercules to kill the child, but Hercules strangled them. At the age of 18, Hercules returned to Thebes, but Hera sent him into a fit of madness and Hercules killed his children (megara) and 2 children of Iphicles (brother), having come to his senses in connection with the Delphic predictions, he was obliged to go serve Eurystheus

Feat 1. Strangled the Silent Lion.

Feat 2. Killed the Lernaean Hydra.

Feat 3. Caught a Kerynean doe.

Feat 4. Caught alive the Erymanthian boar, which was devastating Arkady.

Feat 5. Exterminated the Stymphalian birds.

Feat 6. Cleaned out the stables of Augeas.

Feat 7. He overpowered a Cretan bull that was spewing flames.

Feat 8. Defeated the king Diomedes, who threw foreigners to be devoured by his cannibal horses.

Feat 9. Got the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta for Admeta, daughter of Eurystheus.

Feat 10. Kidnapped those grazing on the island Erythia cows Gerion, a three-headed giant who lived in the far west, where Hercules erected the so-called. Pillars of Heracles. The victory of Hercules over Antaeum.

Feat 11. Got golden apples Hesperides.

Feat 12. Defeated the guard Aida- a monstrous dog Kerbera.

Having accomplished these feats, Hercules got rid of the service of Eurystheus. He returned to Thebes, divorced Megara, believing that this marriage was displeasing to the gods, and married her to his nephew and friend Iolaus. After this, Hercules brought his wife out of Hades Admeta Alcestis and hero Theseus, having fought with the demon of death Thanatos and wounding God himself Aida. Then Hercules went to Echalia, where he asked King Eurytus for the hand of his daughter. Iola. Autolycus stole the herd from Eurytus, and the king, suspecting Hercules of theft, refused the hero. Hercules with Iola's brother Ifitom went

Artemis– Goddess of the moon and hunting, forests, animals, fertility and childbirth. She was never married, diligently guarded her chastity, and if she took revenge, she knew no pity. Her silver arrows spread plague and death, but she also had the ability to heal. She protected young girls and pregnant women. Her symbols are cypress, deer and bears.

Atropos- one of the three moiras, cutting the thread of fate and ending human life.

Athena(Pallada, Parthenos) - daughter of Zeus, born from his head in full military armor. One of the most revered Greek goddesses, the goddess of just war and wisdom, the patroness of knowledge.

Athena. Statue. Hermitage Museum. Athena Hall.

Description:

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, just war and patroness of crafts.

Statue of Athena made by Roman craftsmen of the 2nd century. Based on a Greek original from the late 5th century. BC e. Entered the Hermitage in 1862. Previously it was in the collection of the Marquis Campana in Rome. It is one of the most interesting exhibits in the Athena Hall.

Everything about Athena, starting from her birth, was amazing. Other goddesses had divine mothers, Athena - one father, Zeus, who met with the daughter of Ocean Metis. Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife because she predicted that after her daughter she would give birth to a son who would become the ruler of heaven and deprive him of power. Soon Zeus had an unbearable headache. He became gloomy, and seeing this, the gods hastened to leave, for they knew from experience what Zeus was like when he was in a bad mood. The pain did not go away. The Lord of Olympus could not find a place for himself. Zeus asked Hephaestus to hit him on the head with a blacksmith's hammer. From the split head of Zeus, announcing Olympus with a war cry, an adult maiden jumped out in full warrior clothes and with a spear in her hand and stood next to her parent. The eyes of the young, beautiful and majestic goddess shone with wisdom.

Aphrodite(Kytherea, Urania) - goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the marriage of Zeus and the goddess Dione (according to another legend, she came out of the sea foam)

Aphrodite (Venus Tauride)

Description:

According to Hesiod’s “Theogony,” Aphrodite was born near the island of Cythera from the seed and blood of Uranus castrated by Kronos, which fell into the sea and formed snow-white foam (hence the nickname “foam-born”). The breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus (or she sailed there herself, since she did not like Cythera), where she, emerging from the sea waves, was met by the Ora.

The statue of Aphrodite (Venus of Tauride) dates back to the 3rd century BC. e., now it is in the Hermitage and is considered his most famous statue. The sculpture became the first antique statue of a naked woman in Russia. Life-size marble statue of bathing Venus (height 167 cm), modeled after the Aphrodite of Cnidus or the Capitoline Venus. The hands of the statue and a fragment of the nose are lost. Before entering the State Hermitage, she decorated the garden of the Tauride Palace, hence the name. In the past, “Venus Tauride” was intended to decorate the park. However, the statue was delivered to Russia much earlier, even under Peter I and thanks to his efforts. The inscription made on the bronze ring of the pedestal recalls that Venus was given by Clement XI to Peter I (as a result of an exchange for the relics of St. Brigid sent to the Pope by Peter I). The statue was discovered in 1718 during excavations in Rome. Unknown sculptor of the 3rd century. BC. depicted the naked goddess of love and beauty Venus. A slender figure, rounded, smooth lines of the silhouette, softly modeled body shapes - everything speaks of a healthy and chaste perception of female beauty. Along with calm restraint (posture, facial expression), a generalized manner, alien to fractionality and fine detail, as well as a number of other features characteristic of the art of the classics (V - IV centuries BC), the creator of Venus embodied in her his idea of beauty, associated with the ideals of the 3rd century BC. e. (graceful proportions - high waist, somewhat elongated legs, thin neck, small head - tilt of the figure, rotation of the body and head).

As is known, they were pagans, i.e. They believed in several gods. There were a great many of the latter. However, there were only twelve main and most revered ones. They were part of the Greek pantheon and lived on the sacred So, what are the Olympian gods of Ancient Greece? This is the question being considered today. All the gods of Ancient Greece obeyed only Zeus.

He is the god of the sky, lightning and thunder. People are also considered. He can see the future. Zeus maintains the balance of good and evil. He is given the power to punish and forgive. He strikes guilty people with lightning, and overthrows the gods from Olympus. In Roman mythology it corresponds to Jupiter.

However, on Olympus near Zeus there is also a throne for his wife. And Hera takes it.

She is the patroness of marriage and mothers during childbirth, the protector of women. On Olympus she is the wife of Zeus. In Roman mythology, her counterpart is Juno.

He is the god of cruel, treacherous and bloody war. He is delighted only by the spectacle of a hot battle. On Olympus, Zeus tolerates him only because he is the son of the Thunderer. Its analogue in the mythology of Ancient Rome is Mars.

Ares will not have long to go on rampage if Pallas Athena appears on the battlefield.

She is the goddess of wise and just war, knowledge and art. It is believed that she came into being from the head of Zeus. Her prototype in the myths of Rome is Minerva.

Has the moon risen in the sky? This means, according to the ancient Greeks, the goddess Artemis went for a walk.

Artemis

She is the patroness of the Moon, hunting, fertility and female chastity. Her name is associated with one of the seven wonders of the world - the temple in Ephesus, which was burned by the ambitious Herostratus. She is also the sister of the god Apollo. Her counterpart in Ancient Rome is Diana.

Apollo

He is the god of sunlight, marksmanship, as well as a healer and leader of the muses. He is the twin brother of Artemis. Their mother was the Titanide Leto. His prototype in Roman mythology is Phoebus.

Love is a wonderful feeling. And, as the inhabitants of Hellas believed, she is patronized by the equally beautiful goddess Aphrodite

Aphrodite

She is the goddess of beauty, love, marriage, spring, fertility and life. According to legend, it appeared from a shell or sea foam. Many gods of Ancient Greece wanted to marry her, but she chose the ugliest of them - the lame Hephaestus. In Roman mythology, she was associated with the goddess Venus.

Is considered a jack of all trades. He was born with an ugly appearance, and his mother Hera, not wanting to have such a child, threw her son from Olympus. He didn't crash, but since then he's been limping badly. His counterpart in Roman mythology is Vulcan.

There is a big holiday, people are happy, wine flows like a river. The Greeks believe that it is Dionysus who is having fun on Olympus.

Dionysus

Is and fun. Was carried and born... by Zeus. This is true, the Thunderer was both his father and mother. It so happened that Zeus’s beloved, Semele, at the instigation of Hera, asked him to appear in all his power. As soon as he did this, Semele immediately burned in the flames. Zeus barely managed to snatch their premature son from her and sew him into his thigh. When Dionysus, born of Zeus, grew up, his father made him cupbearer of Olympus. In Roman mythology his name is Bacchus.

Where do the souls of dead people go? To the kingdom of Hades, that’s how the ancient Greeks would have answered.

This is the ruler of the underground kingdom of the dead. He is the brother of Zeus.

Is the sea rough? This means that Poseidon is angry about something - this is what the inhabitants of Hellas thought.

Poseidon

This is the oceans, the lord of the waters. He is also the brother of Zeus.

Conclusion

That's all the main gods of Ancient Greece. But you can learn about them not only from myths. Over the centuries, artists have formed a consensus about Ancient Greece (pictures presented above).

Rhea, captured by Cronus, bore him bright children - the Virgin - Hestia, Demeter and the golden-shod Hera, the glorious might of Hades, who lives underground, and the provider - Zeus, the father of both immortals and mortals, whose thunder makes the wide earth tremble. Hesiod "Theogony"

Greek literature arose from mythology. Myth- This is an ancient man’s idea of ​​the world around him. Myths were created at a very early stage in the development of society in various areas of Greece. Later, all these myths merged into a single system.

With the help of myths, the ancient Greeks tried to explain all natural phenomena, presenting them in the form of living beings. At first, experiencing a strong fear of natural elements, people depicted the gods in a terrible animal form (Chimera, Gorgon Medusa, Sphinx, Lernaean Hydra).

However, later the gods become anthropomorphic, that is, they have a human appearance and are characterized by a variety of human qualities (jealousy, generosity, envy, generosity). The main difference between gods and people was their immortality, but for all their greatness, the gods communicated with mere mortals and even often entered into love relationships with them in order to give birth to a whole tribe of heroes on earth.

There are 2 types of ancient Greek mythology:

1. cosmogonic (cosmogony - the origin of the world) - ends with the birth of Kron
2. theogonic (theogony - the origin of gods and deities)

The mythology of Ancient Greece went through 3 main stages in its development:

1. pre-Olympic- This is mainly cosmogonic mythology. This stage begins with the idea of ​​the ancient Greeks that everything came from Chaos, and ends with the murder of Cronus and the division of the world between the gods.
2. Olympic(early classic) – Zeus becomes the supreme deity and, with a retinue of 12 gods, settles on Olympus.
3. late heroism- heroes are born from gods and mortals who help the gods in establishing order and destroying monsters.

Poems were created on the basis of mythology, tragedies were written, and lyricists dedicated their odes and hymns to the gods.

There were two main groups of gods in Ancient Greece:

1. titans - gods of the second generation (six brothers - Ocean, Kay, Crius, Hipperion, Iapetus, Kronos and six sisters - Thetis, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Theia, Themis, Rhea)
2. olympian gods - Olympians - gods of the third generation. The Olympians included the children of Kronos and Rhea - Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus, as well as their descendants - Hephaestus, Hermes, Persephone, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Athena, Apollo and Artemis. The supreme god was Zeus, who deprived his father Kronos (the god of time) of power.

The Greek pantheon of the Olympian gods traditionally included 12 gods, but the composition of the pantheon was not very stable and sometimes numbered 14-15 gods. Usually these were: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Hades. The Olympian gods lived on the sacred Mount Olympus ( Olympos) in Olympia, off the coast of the Aegean Sea.

Translated from ancient Greek, the word pantheon means "all gods". Greeks

deities were divided into three groups:

• Pantheon (great Olympian gods)
• Lesser deities
• Monsters

Heroes occupied a special place in Greek mythology. The most famous of them:

v Odysseus

Supreme gods of Olympus

Minor Greek gods

In addition to Olympus in Greece, there was the sacred Mount Parnassus, where they lived muses – 9 sisters, Greek deities who personified poetic and musical inspiration, patroness of the arts and sciences.

Greek muses

Lesser deities in Greek mythology they are satyrs, nymphs and oras.

Satires - (Greek satyroi) are forest deities (the same as in Rus' goblin), demons fertility, retinue of Dionysus. They were depicted as goat-legged, hairy, with horse tails and small horns. Satyrs are indifferent to people, mischievous and cheerful, they were interested in hunting, wine, and pursued forest nymphs. Their other hobby was music, but they only played wind instruments that produced sharp, piercing sounds - the flute and the pipe. In mythology, they personified the rude, base nature in nature and man, so they were represented with ugly faces - with blunt, wide noses, swollen nostrils, tousled hair.

Nymphs – (the name means “source”, among the Romans - “bride”) the personification of living elemental forces, noticed in the murmur of a stream, in the growth of trees, in the wild beauty of mountains and forests, spirits of the earth’s surface, manifestations of natural forces acting besides man in the solitude of grottoes , valleys, forests, far from cultural centers. They were depicted as beautiful young girls with wonderful hair, wearing wreaths and flowers, sometimes in a dancing pose, with bare legs and arms, and loose hair. They engage in yarn and weaving, sing songs, dance in the meadows to the flute of Pan, hunt with Artemis, participate in the noisy orgies of Dionysus, and constantly fight with annoying satyrs. In the minds of the ancient Greeks, the world of nymphs was very vast.

The azure pond was full of flying nymphs,
The garden was animated by dryads,
And the bright water spring sparkled from the urn
Laughing naiads.

F. Schiller

Nymphs of the mountains - oreads,

nymphs of forests and trees - dryads,

nymphs of springs – naiads,

nymphs of the oceans - oceanids,

nymphs of the sea - nerids,

nymphs of the valleys - drink,

nymphs of meadows - limnades.

Ory - goddesses of the seasons, were in charge of order in nature. Guardians of Olympus, now opening and then closing its cloud gates. They are called the gatekeepers of the sky. Harnessing the horses of Helios.

There are numerous monsters in many mythologies. There were a lot of them in ancient Greek mythology too: Chimera, Sphinx, Lernaean Hydra, Echidna and many others.

In the same vestibule, crowds of shadows of monsters crowd:

Two-shaped scylla and herds of centaurs live here,

Here Briareus the hundred-armed lives, and the dragon from Lernaean

The swamp hisses, and the Chimera frightens enemies with fire,

Harpies fly in a flock around three-body giants...

Virgil, "Aeneid"

Harpies - these are evil kidnappers of children and human souls, suddenly swooping in and disappearing as suddenly as the wind, terrifying people. Their number ranges from two to five; are depicted as wild half-women, half-birds of a disgusting appearance with the wings and paws of a vulture, with long sharp claws, but with the head and chest of a woman.

Gorgon Medusa - a monster with a woman’s face and snakes instead of hair, whose gaze turned a person to stone. According to legend, she was a beautiful girl with beautiful hair. Poseidon, seeing Medusa and falling in love, seduced her in the temple of Athena, for which the goddess of wisdom, in anger, turned the hair of the Gorgon Medusa into snakes. The Gorgon Medusa was defeated by Perseus, and her head was placed on the aegis of Athena.

Minotaur - a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. He was born from the unnatural love of Pasiphae (the wife of King Minos) and a bull. Minos hid the monster in the Knossos labyrinth. Every eight years, 7 boys and 7 girls descended into the labyrinth, destined for the Minotaur as victims. Theseus defeated the Minotaur, and with the help of Ariadne, who gave him a ball of thread, he got out of the labyrinth.

Cerberus (Kerberus) - this is a three-headed dog with a snake tail and snake heads on its back, guarding the exit from the kingdom of Hades, not allowing the dead to return to the kingdom of the living. He was defeated by Hercules during one of his labors.

Scylla and Charybdis - These are sea monsters located within an arrow's flight distance of each other. Charybdis is a sea whirlpool that absorbs water three times a day and spews it out the same number of times. Scylla (“barking”) is a monster in the form of a woman whose lower body was turned into 6 dog heads. When the ship passed by the rock where Scylla lived, the monster, with all its jaws open, abducted 6 people from the ship at once. The narrow strait between Scylla and Charybdis posed a mortal danger to everyone who sailed through it.

There were also other mythical characters in Ancient Greece.

Pegasus - winged horse, favorite of the muses. He flew at the speed of the wind. Riding Pegasus meant receiving poetic inspiration. He was born at the source of the Ocean, therefore he was named Pegasus (from Greek “stormy current”). According to one version, he jumped out of the body of the gorgon Medusa after Perseus cut off her head. Pegasus delivered thunder and lightning to Zeus on Olympus from Hephaestus, who made them.

From the foam of the sea, from the azure wave,

Faster than an arrow and more beautiful than a string,

An amazing fairy horse is flying

And easily catches the heavenly fire!

He loves to splash in colored clouds

And often walks in magical verses.

So that the ray of inspiration in the soul does not go out,

I saddle you, snow-white Pegasus!

Unicorn - a mythical creature symbolizing chastity. Usually depicted as a horse with one horn coming out of its forehead. The Greeks believed that the unicorn belonged to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Subsequently, in medieval legends there was a version that only a virgin could tame him. Once you catch a unicorn, you can only hold it with a golden bridle.

Centaurs - wild mortal creatures with the head and torso of a man on the body of a horse, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets, accompany Dionysus and are distinguished by their violent temperament and intemperance. Presumably, centaurs were originally the embodiment of mountain rivers and stormy streams. In heroic myths, centaurs are the educators of heroes. For example, Achilles and Jason were raised by the centaur Chiron.