Greek Gods Essay, Research Paper

Greek Gods

Welcome to my report on Greek gods and myths. You will learn about the

gods and what they did. It is also about the myths and legends of Greece.

greek gods

The gods of Greece are alike many other types of gods. They were

pictured a lot like human men and women. The Greeks didn’t worship any animals.

The gods, like people were endowed with many weaknesses. The gods could be

jealous, envious, spiteful, and petty. The gods were held to be immortal, but

they had a beginning. The rites of many gods came from Egypt. Most of the gods

lived on Mt. Olympus.

the first gods

The first gods were the Titans. They were before all the other gods.

The Titans were the brothers Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, and

Cronus. Also the sisters Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosye, Phobe, and Tethys.

the gods

Zeus was the strongest of all the gods. He ruled the weather by himself,

and the universe with 11 other gods. Zeus was the spiritual father of the gods.

He was usually armed with a thunderbolt He was also called Thunder. Hera was

the wife of Zeus. She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth. She was also

the queen of heaven . Poseidon was Zeus’ somewhat unruly brother. He was god

of the sea, of earthquakes, streams, and horses. Hesta was the sister of Zeus.

She was the goddess of the household. Ares was one of Zeus’ sons. He was the

god of war. He loved Aphrodite. Apollo was also a son of Zeus. Apollo drove

the chariot of the sun across the skies. He was the music maker of the gods and

was the god of light, music, medicine, agriculture, and prophecy. He was also

Known as Helios, the sun god. Hermes was the messenger of the gods and the

protector of travelers who escorted the dead down to Hades. He was also a son of

Zeus. Athena was Zeus’ favorite daughter because she had sprung fully armed

from his head when Zeus swallowed her mother, Metis. She was the goddess of

wisdom and war. Frequently she was called Pallas. Artemis was the twin

sister of Apollo. She was the moon goddess and also the goddess of vegetables,

birth, and the hunt. She was the favorite among people. Artimes was often

pictured with a stag or hunting dogs. Hades another one of Zeus’ daughters was

the ruler of the underworld. Later she was called Pluto. Aphrodite was the

goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. Hephaestus was the only ugly god. He

was the god of fire. He was skilled in craftsmanship. He forged the armor of

the gods. He was patron of handicrafts and protector of blacksmiths. Demeter

was the goddess of the Earth’s fruits. She was the mother of Persephone the

seed corn. Dionysus also Bacchus was the god of wine and intoxication. He was

a nature god of fruitfulness. The female worshippers of him were called

Meandads. They roamed around in a frantic drugged condition, hunting animals

and devouring their raw flesh. Pan was another god. He was a half man half

goat. The Fates were three old hags that were more powerful than the gods,

because they knew the past, present, future. Nine goddess called Muses, were

the patrons of music, poetry, dance, and literature.

heroes

The Heroes along with the gods were the characters in the myths and

legends. Hercules was the strongest and mightiest of all Greek heroes. Theseus

was another hero. He defeated the Minotaur. Polythemus was the hero that

defeated the Cyclops. Jason got the golden fleece. Preseus defeated Medusa.

Pandora was also a hero in a way. She was the one that opened the box with evil

spirits and hope inside.

legends and myths

The legends of Greece were made to explain the things they didn’t know

about. They also wrote myths and legends for entertainment. The myths and

legends had the gods and heroes as the characters. Some of the stories are

Theseus and the Minotaur, Pandora’s Box, Medusa and Preseus, and the story

of Polythemus and the cyclops.

making of man

The Greeks believed that Prometneus was the maker of man. He made man

by molding him out of clay. Then he got some of the gods together and used

their powers to make man live.

death

Greek ideas about the soul and afterlife were really not exact. But it was

thought apparently that the popular thought was that the soul hovered above its

tomb or departed to a shadowy region were it led a melancholy existence in

offerings brought by relatives. The disembodied soul was also presumed to have

the power of inflicting injury on the living. Proper funeraling nights were

held necessary to ensure the peace and good will of the deceased.

That was my report on the gods and myths. I hope you enjoyed learning

about the myths and gods.