Essay Greek Gods - The Historical Background - 554 Words

Greek Gods - The Historical Background Greek gods were an essential part of Greek mythology. Our proper knowledge of the ancient Greek gods can be traced back to Homer who wrote The Iliad and The Odysse. It is also believed that the myths were heavily influenced by the Mycenaean culture that existed in Greece from 1700 to 1100 BC. However there is some evidence that the beginnings of Greek mythology and beliefs can be traced back to the ancient Middle Eastern cultures. There are many similarities between the mythology of these ancient Middle Eastern cultures and the ancient Greeks. Greek Gods - Religious Social Background The Greek gods were created in order to explain the world around them in order to put a reason or†¦show more content†¦Greek Gods - The Creation Myths It is difficult to trace the ancestry of the ancient Greek gods since there are several creation myths. A combination of the account put together by the Greek Poet Hesiod in the 8th century BC and an account written by a mythograhpher. Apollodrous would have been recognized by most ancient Greeks. It was as follows: The creation of the Greek gods goes as follows: The god Chaos was the foundation of all creation. Out of this god arose Gaea, Tartarus (underworld) and Eros (love). The god Eros was necessary to draw Chaos and Gaea together so that they would produce offspring. The first born of Gaea was Uranus (god of the heavens). The union of Chaos and Gaea also resulted in the creation of the mountains, seas, and gods known as Titans. The interaction of these early gods resulted in the creation of several other gods. These included figures such as Aphrodite, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. Zeus eventually waged war on the Titans. After this Zeus took on his own place and created Mt. Olympus. Zeus ruled the sky, Poseidon ruled the seas, Hades ruled the underworld. 12 Main Gods Aphrodite (Venus) | goddess of love and beauty Apollo (Apollo) | god of the arts (esp. poetry and music), archery, and divination Ares (Mars) | god of war Artemis (Diana) | goddess of the hunt and protector of children Athena (Minerva) | goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts; patron of Athens DemeterShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Hecuba Which Was Written By Euripides Essay1491 Words   |  6 Pagesof the Thrace and was also married to Priam’s eldest daughter, ODYSSEUS, who as we know was a Greek Homeric hero and AGAMEMNON who was the Greek leader. The story takes place just after the Trojan War while the Greeks are heading home. It begins with the GHOST OF POLYDORUS telling a story of how he was murdered by POLYMESTOR for treasure and his body was thrown into the sea. 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