Greek mythology (3)

Greek mythology Greece is a country which has got many more myths than legends.

Greek mythology concerns all the gods and heroes as well as the nature of the world that ancient Greeks believed in. Here are some of the most important features of the Greek mythology.

The Olympian Gods The twelve gods of Olympus are the main gods of Greek mythology who lived on Mount Olympus. The Olympians gained power after defeating the Titans. In fact, the ancient Greeks didn’t have just twelve gods but had larger and smaller gods and others who were worshipped locally. The gods who are called the Twelve Olympian Gods are:

Zeus: King of the Gods. God if the sky, lightning, thunder, law order and justice.

Hera: Queen of the Gods and the goddess of marriage and family. Wife of Zeus.

Poseidon: God of the seas, tidal waves and earthquakes.

Olympian Gods

Demeter: Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature and the seasons.

Athena: Goddess wisdom, reason intelligent activity

of and

Apollo: God of light, prophecy, inspiration, poetry , music and arts.

Artemis: Goddess of hunting, archery, the moon and all animals.

Olympian Gods

Ares: God of war and violence.

Aphrodite: Goddess of love, beauty and desire.

Hephaestus: Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods. God of fire.

Hermes: Messenger of the gods, god of commerce.

Hestia: Goddess of domestic life and family.

Heracles Another character that is famous from Greek mythology is Heracles or also known as Hercules. He was the son of Zeus and mortal Alcmene. He is famous for his strength and his “Twelve Labours” which are extraordinary achievements. One of these was killing Lernaia Hydra, a monster with nine heads. Using a knife he started to cut the heads of Lernaia Hydra but in their place 2 more heads were born. Only by burning them, he could stop them from multiplying. When he cut the 9th head, he buried it in the ground and put a stone on top of it.

That’s how Heracles managed to kill Lernaia Hydra.

Trojan War The most famous war of Greek mythology. The war began after the abduction of Queen Helen of Sparta by the Trojan prince Paris.

Helen’s husband Menelaus convinced his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, to lead an expedition to get her back. Agamemnon was joined by the Greek heroes Achilles, Odysseus, Nestor and Ajax, and accompanied more than a thousand ships from throughout the Hellenic world. They crossed the Aegean Sea to Troy in Asia Minor and demanded Helen’s return by Priam, the Trojan king.

Trojan War The war lasted more than 10 years during which the Trojan prince Hector and the nearlyinvincible Achilles died. However, one morning the Greek armies left their camp, leaving a large wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. The Trojans pulled the mysterious gift into the city. When night fell, the horse opened up and a group of Greek warriors, led

by Odysseus, climbed out and beat the Trojans. Nowadays, a "Trojan Horse" has come to mean any trick that causes a target to allow an enemy into a securely protected space. A malicious computer program which tricks users into willingly running it is also called a "Trojan horse".

Odysseus After the Trojan defeat, the Greek heroes slowly made their way home. Odysseus took 10 years to make the often-interrupted journey home to Ithaca recounted in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Nowadays, we call an “Odyssey” a long journey full of adventures.