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How many gods are there in Greek mythology?
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Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancient Greek religion 's view of the origin and nature of the world; the lives and activities of deities ...
- Overview
- The Homeric poems: the Iliad and the Odyssey
- The works of Hesiod: Theogony and Works and Days
- Other literary works
- Archaeological discoveries
Greek myth takes many forms, from religious myths of origin to folktales and legends of heroes. In terms of gods, the Greek pantheon consists of 12 deities who were said to reside at Mount Olympus: Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Poseidon. (This list sometimes also includes Hades or Hestia). Other major figures of Greek myth include the heroes Odysseus, Orpheus, and Heracles; the Titans; and the nine Muses.
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Learn more about ancient Greek religion, which is different from, but closely related to, Greek mythology.
What are some major works in Greek mythology?
Some of the most important and well-known works of Greek mythology are the epic poems of Homer: the Iliad and the Odyssey. In these, many of the characteristics of the Olympian gods and notable heroes are outlined. The fullest and most important source of myths about the origin of the gods is the Theogony of Hesiod, which also includes folktales and etiological myths. Hesiod also contributed Works and Days, an epic poem about the agricultural arts which includes elements of myth.
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The 5th-century-bce Greek historian Herodotus remarked that Homer and Hesiod gave to the Olympian gods their familiar characteristics. Few today would accept this literally. In the first book of the Iliad, the son of Zeus and Leto (Apollo, line 9) is as instantly identifiable to the Greek reader by his patronymic as are the sons of Atreus (Agamemno...
The fullest and most important source of myths about the origin of the gods is the Theogony of Hesiod (c. 700 bce). The elaborate genealogies mentioned above are accompanied by folktales and etiological myths. The Works and Days shares some of these in the context of a farmer’s calendar and an extensive harangue on the subject of justice addressed to Hesiod’s possibly fictitious brother Perses. The orthodox view treats the two poems as quite different in theme and treats the Works and Days as a theodicy (a natural theology). It is possible, however, to treat the two poems as a diptych, each part dependent on the other. The Theogony declares the identities and alliances of the gods, while the Works and Days gives advice on the best way to succeed in a dangerous world, and Hesiod urges that the most reliable—though by no means certain—way is to be just.
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Fragmentary post-Homeric epics of varying date and authorship filled the gaps in the accounts of the Trojan War recorded in the Iliad and Odyssey; the so-called Homeric Hymns (shorter surviving poems) are the source of several important religious myths. Many of the lyric poets preserved various myths, but the odes of Pindar of Thebes (flourished 6th–5th century bce) are particularly rich in myth and legend. The works of the three tragedians—Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, all of the 5th century bce—are remarkable for the variety of the traditions they preserve.
In Hellenistic times (323–30 bce) Callimachus, a 3rd-century-bce poet and scholar in Alexandria, recorded many obscure myths; his contemporary, the mythographer Euhemerus, suggested that the gods were originally human, a view known as Euhemerism. Apollonius of Rhodes, another scholar of the 3rd century bce, preserved the fullest account of the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece.
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The discovery of the Mycenaean civilization by Heinrich Schliemann, a 19th-century German amateur archaeologist, and the discovery of the Minoan civilization in Crete (from which the Mycenaean ultimately derived) by Sir Arthur Evans, a 20th-century English archaeologist, are essential to the 21st-century understanding of the development of myth and ritual in the Greek world. Such discoveries illuminated aspects of Minoan culture from about 2200 to 1450 bce and Mycenaean culture from about 1600 to 1200 bce; those eras were followed by a Dark Age that lasted until about 800 bce. Unfortunately, the evidence about myth and ritual at Mycenaean and Minoan sites is entirely monumental, because the Linear B script (an ancient form of Greek found in both Crete and Greece) was mainly used to record inventories.
Geometric designs on pottery of the 8th century bce depict scenes from the Trojan cycle, as well as the adventures of Heracles. The extreme formality of the style, however, renders much of the identification difficult, and there is no inscriptional evidence accompanying the designs to assist scholars in identification and interpretation. In the succeeding Archaic (c. 750–c. 500 bce), Classical (c. 480–323 bce), and Hellenistic periods, Homeric and various other mythological scenes appear to supplement the existing literary evidence.
- Primordial Gods: The First Greek Gods. The primordial gods helped the Greeks understand their existence. They were gods, but they were also concepts; ideas that humanized the vastness of the universe and made it easier to understand where life, and ultimately people, came from.
- The 12 Greek Titans. From the primordial gods came the Titans. This group of twelve gods were the first to rule the world in a meaningful way and help bring a lot of structure to the Greek pantheon.
- Other Important Titan Gods. Atlas: God of Astronomy. Realms: Astronomy. Family Tree: Brother of Prometheus and father of Calypso. Fun Fact: Atlas helped Hercules (Heracles) complete one of his twelve tasks.
- The 12 Olympian Gods. Zeus: God of the Sky and Thunder; King of the Olympians. Realms: god of the sky, thunder and lightning, honor, hospitality, royalty, and order.
Oct 31, 2020 · 31 October 2020. The number of Greek Gods is huge since the ancient Greeks believed in many deities and spirits. Because knowledge of the world was limited in antiquity, the Ancients were attributing natural phenomena to higher powers. Gods and goddesses could be found everywhere and defined the lives of the people.
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- Zeus or Jupiter. King of the gods is Zeus – or his Roman equivalent, Jupiter – who rules over Mount Olympus and is the god of thunder and lightning, as well as law and order.
- Hera or Juno. Hera – or Juno in Roman religion – is the wife and sister of Zeus, and is queen of the gods. Her symbols are the peacock, the cuckoo and the cow – animals she considered sacred – and her chariot is pulled by peacocks instead of horses.
- Poseidon or Neptune. God of the sea, horses and earthquakes, Poseidon – or Neptune – is often shown driving a chariot of horses or sea creatures and wielding the trident he used to control the waves.
- Ares or Mars. This Romano-British statuette shows Mars, the god of war, fully decked out in his characteristic armour, missing the original spear and shield he would once have held.
Sep 22, 2021 · The ancient Greeks were polytheistic, meaning that they worshipped multiple deities as well as other supernatural beings. At the core of their religious system were 12 gods and goddesses known as the Olympians, who were venerated around Greece, as well as in Greek cities around the Black Sea and other colonies in the western Mediterranean.
The Olympian gods, including Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, and others, became the most prominent deities in Greek mythology. Each god had a specific domain and played a significant role in Greek culture and religion. They were revered and worshipped by the ancient Greeks, and their stories and legends continue to captivate us today.
