Myths And Legends Of Ancient Greece

Myths And Legends Of Ancient Greece

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Greek mythology with all its fascinating legends and myths has peaked our interest for centuries. A great deal of it is incorporated into modern life as we know it. It also exists worldwide and many of the myths of other cultures are based on the Greek stories.

Many centuries ago Greek myths were the only religion for the people living in those times. While passage of time have resulted in blurred images and details, the core elements of all these myths have continued to survive in one form or other. In earlier times it was the Olympians that were prayed to and now these have been replaced by gods.

Homer and the Homeric Hymns are among the oldest of Greek myths. These stories are so ancient and they were also the first words written about Greek myths, so it's probably safe to assume that they changed before actually being written down. The legends and stories as we know them today are probably not complete.

Irrespective of the distortion, the source or the authenticity, Greek myths continue to ignite our interest and captivate our imagination. Cyclopes is amongst the most well known Greek mythical creatures. This mythical monster had just one eye and that too in the center of its forehead. There were three main Cyclopes: Arges, Steropes, and Brontes. These three mythical creatures each represented the lighting bolt, lightning itself, and thunder. It is also recorded that these three Cyclopes were the sons of two other Greek mythological characters. These were Uranus and Gaea - who in turn is the mother earth.

Uranus the god of skies is also known as the very first ruler of the Olympians. Many historians have been a disturbed that Greek mythology does not pay heed to the lineage of mothers and sons. Many people find this information difficult to understand that Uranus was the son of Gaea, with whom he also produced the well known Titans.

One of popular Titans, son of Iapetus, was Prometheus. Prometheus became known as the wisest and smartest Titan (his name means "forethought"). He was also able to predict the future making him one of the most revered Titans. Of all the Titans he was the only one to fight with Zeus in the battle against Cronus.

Cronus killed his father, Uranus, becoming a Titan who was feared by many. He murdered his father to gain power. Rhea and Cronus were married and they produced several offspring. Since Cronus didn't ever want to relinquish his power, he would eat each child as it was born. Rhea finally tricked Cronus into eating a stone instead of a baby. That child was Zeus. When he became an adult, he and Prometheus fought Cronus and sent him off to the underworld.

Typhoeus had a hundred heads, each breathing fire. He was a dragon and he is the model for a great deal of Greek sculpture and art. This mythological creature was killed by Zeus who is said to have buried him under Mount Etna.

Greek as well as Roman mythology has continued to fascinate the mankind for centuries. Both these cultures have a rich history reaped with mythologies that have their own heroes and monsters. Both these have contributed immensely in shaping the arts and culture of today.

About the Author:
About the author: Lucas Paros is the chief writer at From Greek, the web's premier location when you're after accurate up to date advice and ideas about all things Greek. For more articles on all things Greek visit: http://www.fromgreek.com/articles You can swap links with us by going to: http://www.fromgreek.com/links
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