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The Extremely Short Version of How Greek Mythology Came About:

In the beginning there was Chaos. While I won't go into too much detail about the story of Chaos here, it's quite an interesting one and easy to find if you wish. But basically, Chaos is the Greek Mythology version of the creation of the universe. And actually, there are a couple of different versions of the story, some of which can be related pretty easily to some of the theories still discussed today. (Technically, I don't need to go this far back, but dude, it's Chaos! Which kind of rocks.)

The basic idea involves elements of the universe either making up Chaos or coming about from Chaos. After that comes the belief that nearly all the elements found in the world were alive and therefore needed names and personalities. That belief is how there came to be gods or goddesses for nearly every element or every aspect of life - sun, sea, war, love, wisdom, etc.

Some of the most well-known myths involving human and god interactions, such as The Gift of Fire and Pandora's Box, tend to come up very soon after the discussion of creation when studying Greek Mythology. But we won't even start to go into that or this short version would not stay short for much longer.

And now that I've completely destroyed the entire story of how it all came to be by condensing it into that, let's move on.

Another Very Short Explanation of How the Original Olympians came to be, well, Olympians:

Early Greek Mythology seems to have a long line of power-hungry rulers. The two main takeovers leading up to the original Olympians involved power struggles within families.

Uranus was the ruler of the universe (err... perhaps not the first, I'm not actually sure, but this is where we're starting). He was then umm injured to put it gently by one of his titan sons, Cronus (sometimes called Kronos or Cronos, depending on the source; there are several spelling variations throughout mythology for many characters), who then took over as ruler. Cronus became just as obsessed with power as his father had been and apparently made quite a terrible ruler. Cronus married Rhea and they had 6 children, who would become the 6 original Olympians. There had been a prophecy about one of Cronus' sons overthrowing him as ruler and he planned a way to prevent that from happening. The plan involved swallowing each newborn whole. Yes, disgusting. He did that with the first 5 children, but Rhea was able to come up with her own plan to save the youngest, Zeus. Her plan involved tricking Cronus to believe a large stone was the new baby, which he then swallowed, and Zeus was actually raised far away from his parents. Zeus eventually came up with a way to successfully save his siblings and together they went to war against Cronus and the few titans he could get to support him. The Olympians obviously won that war and took over power.

Finally, the power struggle could stop. The Olympians united and divided the power between them, though they did choose to have Zeus as the one supreme ruler. It seems the brothers (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) had the biggest part of the dividing really. They each drew lots with one getting the sky, one getting the sea, and one getting the Underworld. The sisters (Hera, Hestia, and Demeter) did not take part in the drawing, apparently that was a male only thing, but each still wielded a lot of power. And that is how those 6 became the original Olympians.

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Greek bullet The Original Olympians:
Greek bullet Zeus
Greek bullet Poseidon
Greek bullet Hades
Greek bullet Hera
Greek bullet Hestia
Greek bullet Demeter



          


Quick Facts:

Zeus:

  • God of the Sky
  • Ruler of Olympus, the gods, and men
  • Supreme authority over Earth and Olympus
  • Son of Cronus and Rhea
  • Symbols: Thunderbolt, Eagle, Oak
  • Roman Counterpart: Jupiter


    • Poseidon:

  • God of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Horses
  • Though he is the god of the sea, he actually had control of all water, both salt and fresh.
  • Symbols: Trident, Horse, Bull
  • Son of Cronus and Rhea
  • Roman Counterpart: Neptune
  • Sometimes adopted the form of a horse and would sometimes give his shape-shifting ability to others.


    • Hades:

  • Ruler of the Underworld and the Dead
  • Son of Cronus and Rhea
  • Symbols: Sceptre, Cornucopia
  • Roman Counterpart: Pluto or Dis (Dis Pater)
  • The Underworld is also sometimes referred to as "Hades" because of its ruler.
  • Not counted as one of the twelve Olympians, which is explained further down.


    • Hera:

  • Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth
  • Queen of the sky and the gods
  • Wife of Zeus
  • Daughter of Cronus and Rhea
  • Symbols: Sceptre, Diadem, Peacock
  • Roman Counterpart: Juno


    • Hestia:

  • Goddess of the Home and Hearth
  • Daughter of Cronus and Rhea
  • Roman Counterpart: Vesta
  • Not typically counted as one of the twelve Olympians, which is also explained further down.


    • Demeter:

  • Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility
  • Daughter of Cronus and Rhea
  • Symbols: Sceptre, Torch, Corn, Grain
  • Roman Counterpart: Ceres





    • But I Thought There Were 12?

    Whenever you read about the Olympians, there will almost always be something mentioned about there being 12 Olympians in total. While this is true, it can also be a bit misleading. At any single point in time there were 12 Olympians. However, you will no doubt notice that if you add up the original 6 from above and the ones listed below that there are more than 12 listed. No, this is not a mistake. So how can this be?

    Well, one instance would be when Hestia, one of the original Olympians, gave up her spot to Dionysus. It is said that Hestia gave up her spot willingly when she became tired of the godly bickering. Hestia would fade out of Greek mythology eventually.

    Persephone was sometimes, though not often, considered to be an Olympian as well. I was weary about including her in which is why she gets a lovely * by her name in the list below. Persephone was the wife of Hades (as well as the daughter of two other Olympians, but that doesn't come into play here). While Hades is an original Olympian, neither Hades nor Persephone is technically counted as part of the twelve because they ruled the Underworld, which apparently no longer qualifies them as Olympians. I don't get it entirely. It could be argued that it was because they didn't live on Mount Olympus like the others, but then again, Poseidon spent most of his time at sea and yet still counted. Regardless, Hades and Persephone don't count.

    So back to the point, how are there only 12 Olmpians? There are 15 listed, but remove Hades and Persephone and you're down to 13. Then have Hestia and Dionysus share a spot since they traded at some point and yay for being down to 12.

    The Rest of the Olympians:

  • Ares
  • Athena
  • Artemis
  • Apollo
  • Hermes
  • Aphrodite
  • Hephaestus
  • Dionysus
  • Persephone






    • Quick Facts:

    Try not to think too hard about the family tree that is created by the facts given below. It is indeed quite confusing. This page, if nothing else, definitely shows that Zeus had a serious problem when it came to women. As in, he was obsessed with them. All of them.

    Ares:

  • God of War
  • Son of Zeus and Hera
  • Symbol: Spear
  • Roman Counterpart: Mars


    • Athena:

  • Goddess of Wisdom, War, and Crafts
  • Daughter of Zeus and Metis. The story of her birth is... interesting, if somewhat disturbing. It is said she sprang out of Zeus' head fully grown and armed for battle.
  • Symbols: Aegis, Owl, Olive Tree
  • Roman Counterpart: Minerva
  • Patron deity of the city of Athens. She had a bit of a contest with Poseidon to earn that spot.
  • She was originally known as the Great Goddess in the form of a bird.


    • Artemis:

  • Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, and Childbirth
  • Mistress of Animals
  • Protector of Children
  • Daughter of Zeus and Leto
  • Twin sister of Apollo
  • Symbols: Bow, Deer
  • Roman Counterpart: Diana


    • Apollo:

  • God of the Arts, Archery, and Divination (there are often some other things thrown in there as well)
  • Leader of the Muses
  • Son of Zeus and Leto
  • Twin brother of Artemis
  • Symbols: Bow, Lyre, Laurel
  • Also known as Apollo in Roman Mythology


    • Hermes:

  • God of Merchants
  • Wife of Hephaestus. Though many myths tell of her affair with Ares, who she had 3 children with. There are myths of many other affairs (and children from those affairs) as well. Yeah, she was a busy goddess apparently.
  • Daughter of Zeus and Dione. Possibly. The myths about her birth tend to differ. Another myth says she emerged from the foam of the sea fully formed.
  • Symbols: Sceptre, Myrtle, Dove
  • Symbols: Caduceus (Kerykeion), Winged Cap and Boots
  • Roman Counterpart: Venus


    • Hephaestus:

  • Spelling Variations: Hephaistos
  • God of Blacksmiths and Metal Workers
  • Son of Zeus and Hera. Though most myths actually imply he was the son of Hera alone. Not sure how that worked but ok.
  • Symbol: Axe
  • Roman Counterpart: Vulcan


    • Dionysus:

  • Spelling Variations: Dionysos
  • God of Wine, Mysteries, and the Theatre
  • Son of Zeus and Semele.
  • Symbols: Grape Vine, Ivy, Thyrsos, Panther
  • Roman Counterpart: Bacchus
  • There is a myth about him being abducted by pirates... yay for pirates!


    • Persephone*:

  • Goddess of the Underworld
  • Wife of Hades
  • Daughter of Zeus and Demeter.
  • Symbol: Pomegranate
  • Roman Counterpart: Proserpina
  • Not typically counted as one of the twelve Olympians.


    • Aphrodite:

  • Goddess of Love, Beauty and Fertility
  • Daughter of Zeus and Dione. Wife of Hephaestus
  • Symbol: Dove, Myrtle, Sparrow, Swan and Golden Apple
  • Roman Counterpart: Venus




    • Mount Olympus:

    Mount Olympus is actually a real mountain in Greece. It is located in northeast Greece and just happens to be the tallest mountain in Greece. However, let's focus on the mountain's role in Greek Mythology.

    As discussed in previous lessons, Mount Olympus is home of of the Olympians. Yes, amazingly creative naming. The entrance to Mount Olympus is known as the Gates of the Sky, which were opened and closed by the Horae.

    Since I mentioned the Horae, perhaps I should explain them a bit. The Horae are also referred to as the Orai and consists of Eunomia (Harmony or Order), Dyke/Dike (Justice) and Eirene (Peace). Not only do they guard the Gates of the Sky, they also do such things as control the seasons of the year, which is why the three are considered goddesses of the Seasons.

    But back to Mount Olympus.

    The look of Mount Olympus seems to be very debated in Greek Mythology. Some sources say it was hidden within the clouds, with the top covered in snow. I've also read stories about mansions made of crystals at the top of Mount Olympus. Wow. Others say the top of the mountain, where the Olympians dwell, was actually made of clouds. The walls, the columns, the structures, the furniture. Yep, all made of cloud. Kind of cool in my opinion.

    The Underworld:

    The Rulers of the Underworld are Hades and Persephone. Yes, I know that you already know that.

    The Greek Underworld is the home of the dead. Every person who dies ends up there, there is no punishment or pleasure, just unending dullness. Though some sources actually do say it was only for evil people, who went there as a punishment. And yet others say that all dead souls go to the Underworld and then are judged and sent to certain parts of the Underworld depending on the judgment. Believe whatever you wish, but I'm going with the first explanation for now. I actually think the last is the most interesting, but it requires just so much more explaining.

    There are 5 rivers in the Greek Underworld: Acheron (the river of sorrow or woe), Cocytus (river of lamentation or wailing), Phlegethon (river of fire), Lethe (river of forgetfulness) and Styx (river of hate or river of unbreakable oath).

    The dead would be lead to the underworld by Hermes, the messenger of the gods, and then actually enter the Underworld by crossing the Acheron river with the help of Charon, the ferryman. Those that wished to cross the river had to pay Charon with a small coin. Yes, that's right, dying is rather expensive. The other side of the river was guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog (oh no, Fluffy flashbacks). The people that could not afford to pay the fee would be stuck wandering the banks of the Cocytus for a set amount of time, most sources seem to say 100 years. The Phlegethon river, the river of fire, is said to have flowed with fire. Fire river. Awesome. Dead souls would have to drink from the Lethe river. The Lethe river contained two pools, the Lethe pool and the Mnemosyne (memory) pool. Drinking from the Lethe pool would cause the past to be completely forgotten. Forgetfulness was believed to be necessary for reincarnation. Drinking from the other pool would allow everything to be remembered. The last river, the Styx, is the boundary between Earth and the Underworld. Apparently it circles the Underworld 20 times, though not sure how that exactly works. The gods greatly respected the Styx and would make oaths by it. The five rivers would converge in a marsh at the center of the Underworld.

    So who decides when people are sent to the Underworld? Ever heard of the Fates?

    Basically, the Fates controlled destiny. The three Fates are Clotho (spin the thread), Lachesis (measure and manipulate the thread), and Atropos (cut the thread). Only Atropos really had a role in death. Atropos is the Fate that would cut "the thread of life," which signifies the end of a person's life. She would decide when and how every mortal died. Because of how much control the Fates had they were rather feared, even by the gods.

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