Ancient Greek Mythology
Ancient Greece was one of the earliest sources of mythology from which many stories have been passed down from generation to generation. The myths of the Ancient Greeks have been translated by more than one translator so the stories and names of the gods and goddesses vary, sometimes to the extent that the stories are completely different. It is said that in the beginning the Greeks knew nothing about how the universe was created so they made up what they believed was the creation of the world. The Greeks named gods and goddesses and gave them their different tasks which were connected to every aspect of life.
The Greeks believed that in the beginning, there was only Chaos. Chaos was a dark open, nothingness with no shape, form, sound, or living thing. It was like a dark abyss and nothing else. Chaos created Uranus (also known as Ouranos, the Sky, or the Heavens). Chaos also created Gaea (also known as Mother Earth, Gaia, Ge, and the Earth), and also Eros (also known as Desire). Eros had the power to give others the drive for desire or passion. Uranus married Gaea and they gave birth to the first 12 original Titans. There were 6 male and 6 female Titans. These Titans were, Rhea who married Cronus, Coeus married Phoebe, Crius married Mnemosyne, Hyperion married Theia, and Oceanus married Tethys. Lapetus and Themis did not marry each other. Themis was loved by her nephew Zeus, and Lapetus married the nymph Clymene (the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys). Uranus and Gaea also gave birth to the first 3 Cyclopes (giants with one eye in the middle of their foreheads) and the first 3 Hecatonchires (giant creatures with 50 heads and 100 arms)
Gaea got tired of Uranus coming down to lay with her every night and she also feared for her children. Another version of the story says that Uranus was ashamed of his deformed children and also feared them. Gaea asked her children to help her become unattached to Uranus. Only Cronus agreed to help her and she had a sickle made for him. When Uranus came down to lay with Gaea, Cronus castrated him. Cronus then became the ruler of all.
Cronus and Rhea gave birth to the first generation of Olympians who would live on Mount Olympia. Their children were Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Poseidon, and Zeus. Their father, Cronus, was afraid one of his children would overthrow him so he swallowed each of them as soon as they were born, except for Zeus, who Rhea hid. She then made Cronus regurgitate and up came the other children. When they were all grown they overthrew Cronus and the other Titans for what Cronus had done to them. Zeus then became the ruler of all gods and all living things.
|