Rhea, christened by Kron, bore him bright children, - the Virgin - Hestia, Demeter and the golden-shod Hera, the glorious power of Hades, who lives under the earth, And the providence - Zeus, the father of both immortals and mortals, whose thunders tremble the wide earth. Hesiod "Theogony"
Greek literature originated from mythology. Myth- this is the idea of an ancient person about the world around him. Myths were created at a very early stage in the development of society in various areas of Greece. Later, all these myths merged into a single system.
With the help of myths, the ancient Greeks tried to explain all natural phenomena, presenting them in the form of living beings. At first, experiencing a strong fear of the elements, people portrayed the gods in a terrible animal form (Chimera, Gorgon Medusa, Sphinx, Lernean Hydra).
Later, however, the gods become anthropomorphic, that is, they have a human appearance and they have a variety of human qualities (jealousy, generosity, envy, generosity). The main difference between the gods and people was their immortality, but with all their greatness, the gods communicated with mere mortals and even often entered into love relationships with them in order to give birth to a whole tribe of heroes on earth.
There are 2 types of ancient Greek mythology:
The mythology of Ancient Greece went through 3 main stages in its development:
On the basis of mythology, poems were created, tragedies were written, and lyricists dedicated their odes and hymns to the gods.
There were two main groups of gods in Ancient Greece:
The Greek pantheon of the Olympian gods traditionally included 12 gods, but the composition of the pantheon was not very stable and sometimes consisted of 14-15 gods. Usually they were: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Hades. The Olympic gods lived on the sacred Mount Olympus ( Olympos) in Olympia, off the coast of the Aegean Sea.
Translated from ancient Greek, the word pantheon means "all gods". Greeks
divided the deities into three groups:
Heroes occupied a special place in Greek mythology. The most famous of them:
v Odysseus
Supreme gods of Olympus
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Greek gods |
Functions |
roman gods |
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god of thunder and lightning, sky and weather, law and fate, attributes - lightning (three-pronged pitchfork with notches), scepter, eagle or chariot drawn by eagles |
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goddess of marriage and family, goddess of the sky and starry skies, attributes - diadem (crown), lotus, lion, cuckoo or hawk, peacock (two peacocks drove her wagon) |
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Aphrodite |
"foam-born", the goddess of love and beauty, Athena, Artemis and Hestia were not subject to her, attributes - a rose, an apple, a shell, a mirror, a lily, a violet, a belt and a golden bowl that bestows eternal youth, a retinue - sparrows, doves, a dolphin, satellites - Eros, charites, nymphs, ororas. |
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god of the underworld of the dead, "generous" and "hospitable", attribute - magic cap of invisibility and three-headed dog Cerberus |
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the god of insidious war, military destruction and murder, he was accompanied by the goddess of discord Eris and the goddess of violent war Enyo, attributes - dogs, a torch and a spear, there were 4 horses in the chariot - Noise, Horror, Shine and Flame |
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god of fire and blacksmithing, ugly and lame on both legs, attribute - blacksmith's hammer |
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the goddess of wisdom, crafts and art, the goddess of just war and military strategy, the patroness of heroes, the “owl-eyed”, used male attributes (helmet, shield - aegis from the skin of the goat Amalthea, decorated with the head of Medusa Gorgon, spear, olive, owl and snake), was accompanied by Nicky |
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god of invention, theft, trickery, trade and eloquence, patron of heralds, ambassadors, shepherds and travelers, invented measures, numbers, taught people, attributes - a winged rod and winged sandals |
Mercury |
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Poseidon |
god of the seas and all water bodies, floods, droughts and earthquakes, patron of sailors, attribute - a trident that causes storms, breaks rocks, knocks out springs, sacred animals - a bull, a dolphin, a horse, a sacred tree - a pine |
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Artemis |
goddess of hunting, fertility and female chastity, later - goddess of the moon, patroness of forests and wild animals, forever young, she is accompanied by nymphs, attributes - hunting bow and arrows, sacred animals - doe and bear |
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Apollo (Phoebus), Kifared |
“golden-haired”, “silver-armed”, god of light, harmony and beauty, patron of arts and sciences, leader of the muses, predictor of the future, attributes - silver bow and golden arrows, golden cithara or lyre, symbols - olive, iron, laurel, palm tree, dolphin , swan, wolf |
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goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire, virgin goddess. was accompanied by 6 priestesses - vestals who served the goddess for 30 years |
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"Mother Earth", the goddess of fertility and agriculture, plowing and harvest, attributes - a sheaf of wheat and a torch |
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god of fruitful forces, vegetation, viticulture, winemaking, inspiration and fun |
Bacchus, Bacchus |
Minor Greek gods
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Greek gods |
Functions |
roman gods |
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Asclepius |
"opener", god of healing and medicine, attribute - a staff entwined with snakes |
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Eros, Cupid |
the god of love, the “winged boy”, was considered the product of a dark night and a bright day, Heaven and Earth, attributes - a flower and a lyre, later - arrows of love and a flaming torch |
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"the sparkling eye of the night", the goddess of the moon, the queen of the starry sky, has wings and a golden crown |
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Persephone |
goddess of the realm of the dead and fertility |
Proserpina |
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the goddess of victory, depicted winged or in a pose of rapid movement, attributes - a bandage, a wreath, later - a palm tree, then - a weapon and a trophy |
Victoria |
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goddess of eternal youth, depicted as a chaste girl pouring nectar |
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“pink-fingered”, “beautiful-haired”, “golden-throned” goddess of the dawn |
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goddess of happiness, chance and good luck |
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god of the sun, owner of seven herds of cows and seven herds of sheep |
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Kronos (Chronos) |
god of time, attribute - sickle |
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goddess of furious war |
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Hypnos (Morpheus) |
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goddess of flowers and gardens |
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god of the west wind, messenger of the gods |
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Dike (Themis) |
goddess of justice, justice, attributes - scales in the right hand, blindfold, cornucopia in the left hand; The Romans put a sword into the hand of the goddess instead of a horn |
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god of marriage |
Thalassium |
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Nemesis |
winged goddess of revenge and retribution, punishing for violation of social and moral norms, attributes - scales and bridle, sword or whip, chariot drawn by griffins |
Adrastea |
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golden-winged goddess of the rainbow |
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earth goddess |
In addition to Olympus, in Greece there was a sacred mountain Parnassus, where muses - 9 sisters, Greek deities who personified poetic and musical inspiration, patrons of the arts and sciences.
Greek Muses
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What patronizes |
Attributes |
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Calliope ("beautiful") |
muse of epic or heroic poetry |
wax tablet and stylus (bronze rod for writing) |
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("glorifying") |
muse of history |
papyrus scroll or scroll case |
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("pleasant") |
muse of love or erotic poetry, lyrics and marriage songs |
kifara (stringed musical instrument, a kind of lyre) |
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("beautiful") |
muse of music and lyric poetry |
avlos (a wind musical instrument similar to a pipe with a double tongue, the predecessor of the oboe) and syringa (a musical instrument, a kind of longitudinal flute) |
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("celestial") |
muse of astronomy |
spotting scope and leaf with celestial signs |
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Melpomene ("singing") |
muse of tragedy |
wreath of vine leaves or ivy, theatrical mantle, tragic mask, sword or club. |
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Terpsichore ("delightful dancing") |
muse of dance |
head wreath, lyre and plectrum (mediator) |
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polyhymnia ("multi-singing") |
muse of sacred song, eloquence, lyric, chant and rhetoric |
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("blooming") |
muse of comedy and bucolic poetry |
comic mask in hands and wreath ivy on the head |
Inferior deities in Greek mythology, these are satyrs, nymphs and ororas.
satires - (Greek satyroi) - these are forest deities (the same as in Rus' goblin), demons fertility, retinue of Dionysus. They were depicted as goat-legged, hairy, with horse tails and small horns. Satyrs are indifferent to people, mischievous and cheerful, they were interested in hunting, wine, pursued forest nymphs. Their other hobby is music, but they only played wind instruments that make sharp, piercing sounds - flutes and pipes. In mythology, they personified a rough, base beginning in nature and man, therefore they were represented with ugly faces - with blunt, wide noses, swollen nostrils, disheveled hair.
nymphs - (the name means "source", among the Romans - "bride") the personification of living elemental forces, noticed in the murmur of a stream, in the growth of trees, in the wild charms of mountains and forests, spirits of the earth's surface, manifestations of natural forces acting in addition to man in the solitude of grottoes , valleys, forests, away from cultural centers. They were depicted as beautiful young girls with wonderful hair, with a dress of wreaths and flowers, sometimes in a dancing pose, with bare legs and arms, with loose hair. They are engaged in yarn, weaving, sing songs, dance in the meadows to the flute of Pan, hunt with Artemis, participate in the noisy orgies of Dionysus, and are constantly fighting with annoying satyrs. In the view of the ancient Greeks, the world of nymphs was very extensive.
The azure pond was full of flying nymphs,
Dryads animated the garden,
And the bright water spring was sparkling from the urn
Laughing naiads.
F. Schiller
Nymphs of the mountains oreads,
nymphs of forests and trees - dryads,
spring nymphs - naiads,
nymphs of the oceans oceanides,
nymphs of the sea nerids,
nymphs of the valleys sing,
meadow nymphs - limeades.
Ory - the goddess of the seasons, they were in charge of order in nature. Guardians of Olympus, now opening, then closing its cloudy gates. They are called gatekeepers of heaven. Harness the horses of Helios.
In many mythologies, there are numerous monsters. In ancient Greek mythology, there were also many of them: Chimera, Sphinx, Lernean Hydra, Echidna and many others.
In the same vestibule, the shadows of monsters crowd around:
Scylla biform here and herds of centaurs live,
Here Briares the hundred-handed lives, and the dragon from Lerna
The swamp hisses, and the Chimera intimidates enemies with fire,
Harpies fly in a flock around the three-bodied giants ...
Virgil, "Aeneid"
Harpies - these are evil abductors of children and human souls, suddenly flying in and just as suddenly disappearing like the wind, terrifying people. Their number ranges from two to five; depicted as wild, half-female, half-birds of a disgusting appearance with wings and paws of a vulture, with long sharp claws, but with the head and chest of a woman.
Gorgon Medusa - a monster with a woman's face and snakes instead of hair, whose gaze turned a person to stone. According to legend, she was a beautiful girl with beautiful hair. Poseidon, seeing Medusa and falling in love, seduced her in the temple of Athena, for which the goddess of wisdom in anger turned the hair of the Gorgon Medusa into snakes. The Gorgon Medusa was defeated by Perseus, and her head was placed on the auspices of Athena.
Minotaur - a monster with a human body and a bull's head. He was born from the unnatural love of Pasiphae (wife of King Minos) and a bull. Minos hid the monster in the labyrinth of Knossos. Every eight years, 7 boys and 7 girls descended into the labyrinth, intended for the Minotaur as victims. Theseus defeated the Minotaur, and with the help of Ariadne, who gave him a ball of thread, got out of the labyrinth.
Cerberus (Cerberus) - this is a three-headed dog with a snake tail and snake heads on its back, guarding the exit from the kingdom of Hades, not allowing the dead to return to the kingdom of the living. He was defeated by Hercules during one of the labors.
Scylla and Charybdis - These are sea monsters located at the distance of an arrow flight from each other. Charybdis is a sea whirlpool that absorbs and spews water three times a day. Scylla ("barking") - a monster in the form of a woman, whose lower body was turned into 6 dog heads. When the ship passed the rock where Scylla lived, the monster, opening all its mouths, abducted 6 people from the ship at once. The narrow strait between Scylla and Charybdis was a mortal danger to all who sailed through it.
Also in ancient Greece, there were other mythical characters.
Pegasus - a winged horse, a favorite of the muses. Flying at the speed of the wind. To ride a Pegasus meant to receive poetic inspiration. He was born at the origins of the Ocean, therefore he was named Pegasus (from the Greek "stormy current"). According to one version, he jumped out of the body of the Gorgon Medusa after Perseus cut off her head. Pegasus delivered thunder and lightning to Zeus on Olympus from Hephaestus, who made them.
From the foam of the sea, from the azure wave,
Faster than an arrow and more beautiful than a string,
An amazing fairytale horse is flying
And easily catches heavenly fire!
He likes to splash in colored clouds,
And often walks in magic verses.
So that the ray of inspiration in the soul does not go out,
I saddle you, snow-white Pegasus!
Unicorn - a mythical creature symbolizing chastity. Usually depicted as a horse with one horn coming out of his forehead. The Greeks believed that the unicorn belonged to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Subsequently, in medieval legends, there was a version that only a virgin could tame him. Having caught a unicorn, it can only be held by a golden bridle.
centaurs - wild mortal creatures with the head and torso of a man on the body of a horse, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets, accompany Dionysus and are distinguished by their violent temper and intemperance. Presumably, centaurs were originally the embodiment of mountain rivers and turbulent streams. In heroic myths, centaurs are the educators of heroes. For example, Achilles and Jason were raised by the centaur Chiron.
Agamemnon- one of the main heroes of the ancient Greek national epic, the son of the Mycenaean king Atreus and Aeropa, the leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War.
Amphitryon- the son of the king of Tiryns Alkey and the daughter of Pelop Astidamia, the grandson of Perseus. Amphitryon took part in the war against the teleboys who lived on the island of Taphos, which was waged by his uncle, the Mycenaean king Electrion.
Achilles- in Greek mythology, one of the greatest heroes, the son of King Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons and the sea goddess Thetis, the grandson of Aeacus, the protagonist of the Iliad.
ajax- the name of two participants in the Trojan War; both fought near Troy as applicants for the hand of Helen. In the Iliad, they often appear side by side and are compared to two mighty lions or bulls.
Bellerophon- one of the main characters of the older generation, the son of the Corinthian king Glaucus (according to other sources, the god Poseidon), the grandson of Sisyphus. Bellerophon's original name is Hippo.
Hector- one of the main characters of the Trojan War. The hero was the son of Hecuba and Priam, the king of Troy. According to legend, he killed the first Greek who set foot on the land of Troy.
Hercules- national hero of the Greeks. Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. Gifted with mighty strength, he performed the most difficult work on earth and accomplished great feats. Having atoned for his sins, he ascended Olympus and achieved immortality.
Diomedes- the son of the Aetolian king Tydeus and the daughter of Adrasta Deipyla. Together with Adrast he took part in the campaign and the ruin of Thebes. As one of Helen's suitors, Diomedes subsequently fought near Troy, leading a militia on 80 ships.
Meleager- the hero of Aetolia, the son of the Calydonian king Oineus and Alfea, the husband of Cleopatra. Member of the campaign of the Argonauts. Meleager was most famous for his participation in the Calydonian hunt.
Menelaus- King of Sparta, son of Atreus and Aeropa, husband of Helen, younger brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus, with the help of Agamemnon, gathered friendly kings for the Ilion campaign, and he himself put up sixty ships.
Odysseus- "angry", king of the island of Ithaca, son of Laertes and Anticlea, husband of Penelope. Odysseus is the famous hero of the Trojan War, also famous for his wanderings and adventures.
Orpheus- the famous Thracian singer, the son of the river god Eagra and the muse Calliope, the husband of the nymph Eurydice, who set trees and rocks in motion with his songs.
Patroclus- the son of one of the Argonauts Menetius, a relative and ally of Achilles in the Trojan War. As a boy, he killed his friend during a dice game, for which his father sent him to Peleus in Phthia, where he was brought up with Achilles.
Peleus- the son of the king of Aegina Aeacus and Endeida, the husband of Antigone. For the murder of his half-brother Phocus, who defeated Peleus in athletic exercises, he was expelled by his father and retired to Phthia.
Pelops- the king and national hero of Phrygia, and then the Peloponnese. Son of Tantalus and the nymph Euryanassa. Pelops grew up on Olympus in the company of the gods and was the favorite of Poseidon.
Perseus- the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the king of Argos Acrisius. Slayer of the Gorgon Medusa and savior of Andromeda from the dragon's claims.
Talphibius- a messenger, a Spartan, together with Eurybatus was the herald of Agamemnon, carrying out his instructions. Talthybius, together with Odysseus and Menelaus, gathered an army for the Trojan War.
Teucer- the son of Telamon and the daughter of the Trojan king Hesion. The best archer in the Greek army near Troy, where more than thirty defenders of Ilion fell from his hand.
Theseus- the son of the Athenian king Aeneas and Ethera. He became famous for a number of exploits, like Hercules; kidnapped Helena with Peyrifoy.
Trophonius- originally a chthonic deity, identical with Zeus the Underground. According to popular belief, Trophonius was the son of Apollo or Zeus, the brother of Agamed, the pet of the goddess of the earth - Demeter.
Phoroneus- the founder of the Argos state, the son of the river god Inach and the Hamadryad Melia. He was honored as a national hero; sacrifices were made at his grave.
Frasimede- the son of the Pylos king Nestor, who arrived with his father and brother Antiloch near Ilion. He commanded fifteen ships and took part in many battles.
Oedipus- the son of the Finnish king Lai and Jocasta. He killed his father and married his mother without knowing it. When the crime was discovered, Jocasta hanged herself, and Oedipus blinded himself. Died pursued by Erinyes.
Aeneas- the son of Anchises and Aphrodite, a relative of Priam, the hero of the Trojan War. Aeneas, like Achilles among the Greeks, is the son of a beautiful goddess, a favorite of the gods; in battles he was defended by Aphrodite and Apollo.
Jason- the son of Aison, on behalf of Pelias, went from Thessaly for the Golden Fleece to Colchis, for which he equipped the campaign of the Argonauts.
Kronos, in ancient Greek mythology, was one of the titans, born from the marriage of the sky god Uranus and the earth goddess Gaia. He succumbed to the persuasion of his mother and castrated his father Uranus in order to stop the endless birth of his children.
To avoid repeating the fate of his father, Kronos began to swallow all his offspring. But in the end, his wife could not stand such an attitude towards their offspring and let him swallow a stone instead of a newborn.
Rhea hid her son, Zeus, on the island of Crete, where he grew up, fed by the divine goat Amalthea. He was guarded by kuretes - warriors who drowned out the cry of Zeus with blows to the shields so that Kronos would not hear.
Having matured, Zeus overthrew his father from the throne, forced him to rip out his brothers and sisters from the womb, and after a long war took his place on the bright Olympus, among the host of gods. So Kronos was punished for his betrayal.
In Roman mythology, Kronos (Chroos - "time") is known as Saturn - a symbol of inexorable time. In ancient Rome, festivities were dedicated to the god Kronos - saturnalia, during which all rich people changed their duties with their servants and fun began, accompanied by abundant libations. In Roman mythology, Kronos (Chroos - "time") is known as Saturn - a symbol of inexorable time. In ancient Rome, festivities were dedicated to the god Kronos - saturnalia, during which all rich people changed their duties with their servants and fun began, accompanied by abundant libations.
Rhea("Ρέα), in ancient myth-making, a Greek goddess, one of the Titanides, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, the wife of Kronos and the mother of the Olympic deities: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter and Hera (Hesiod, Theogony, 135). Kronos, fearing, that one of his children would deprive him of power, devoured them immediately after birth. Rhea, on the advice of her parents, saved Zeus. Instead of the born son, she planted a swaddled stone, which Kronos swallowed, and secretly from her father Rhea sent her son to Crete, to the mountain Dikta. When Zeus grew up, Rhea attached her son to Kronos as a cupbearer and he was able to mix an emetic potion into his father's cup, freeing his brothers and sisters. According to one version of the myth, Rhea deceived Kronos at the birth of Poseidon. She hid her son among the grazing sheep, and She gave Kronos a foal to swallow, citing the fact that she gave birth to him (Pausanias, VIII 8, 2).
The cult of Rhea was considered one of the very ancient, but was not very common in Greece itself. In Crete and Asia Minor, she mingled with the Asian goddess of nature and fertility, Cybele, and her worship came to a more prominent plane. Especially in Crete, the legend about the birth of Zeus in the grotto of Mount Ida, which enjoyed special reverence, was localized, as evidenced by the large number of dedications, partly very ancient, found in it. In Crete, the tomb of Zeus was also shown. The priests of Rhea were here called Curetes and identified with the Corybantes, the priests of the great Phrygian mother Cybele. Rhea entrusted them with the preservation of the baby Zeus; clattering with their weapons, the curets drowned out his crying so that Kronos could not hear the child. Rhea was depicted in a matronal type, usually with a crown of city walls on her head, or in a veil, mostly sitting on a throne, near which sit the lions dedicated to her. Its attribute was the tympanum (an ancient musical percussion instrument, the forerunner of the timpani). In the period of late antiquity, Rhea was identified with the Phrygian Great Mother of the gods and received the name Rhea-Cybele, whose cult was distinguished by an orgiastic character.
Zeus, Diy ("bright sky"), in Greek mythology, the supreme deity, the son of the titans Kronos and Rhea. The almighty father of the gods, the lord of the winds and clouds, rain, thunder and lightning caused storms and hurricanes with a blow of the scepter, but he could also calm the forces of nature and clear the sky of clouds. Kronos, fearing to be overthrown by his children, swallowed all the older brothers and sisters of Zeus immediately after their birth, but Rhea, along with her youngest son, gave Kropos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the baby was secretly taken out and raised on the island of Crete.
The matured Zeus sought to pay off his father. His first wife, the wise Metis ("thought"), the daughter of the Ocean, advised him to give his father a potion, from which he would vomit all swallowed children. Having defeated the Kronos who gave birth to them, Zeus and the brothers divided the world among themselves. Zeus chose the sky, Hades - the underworld of the dead, and Poseidon - the sea. The land and Mount Olympus, where the palace of the gods was located, were decided to be considered common. Over time, the world of Olympians changes and becomes less cruel. Ores, daughters of Zeus from Themis, his second wife, brought order into the life of gods and people, and Charites, daughters from Eurynome, the former mistress of Olympus, brought joy and grace; the goddess Mnemosyne gave birth to Zeus 9 muses. Thus, law, sciences, arts and moral norms have taken their place in human society. Zeus was also the father of famous heroes - Hercules, Dioscuri, Perseus, Sarpedon, glorious kings and sages - Minos, Radamanth and Aeacus. True, Zeus's love affairs with both mortal women and immortal goddesses, which formed the basis of many myths, caused constant antagonism between him and his third wife Hera, the goddess of legal matrimony. Some children of Zeus born out of wedlock, such as Hercules, were severely persecuted by the goddess. In Roman mythology, Zeus corresponds to the omnipotent Jupiter.
Hera(Hera), in Greek mythology, the queen of the gods, the goddess of the air, the patroness of the family and marriage. Hera, the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, raised in the house of Oceanus and Tethys, sister and wife of Zeus, with whom, according to Samos legend, she lived in a secret marriage for 300 years, until he openly declared her his wife and queen of the gods. Zeus honors her highly and communicates his plans to her, although he keeps her on occasion within her subservient position. Hera, mother of Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus, Ilithyia. Differs in imperiousness, cruelty and jealous disposition. Especially in the Iliad, Hera shows quarrelsomeness, stubbornness and jealousy - character traits that have passed into the Iliad, probably from the oldest songs that glorified Hercules. Hera hates and pursues Hercules, as well as all the favorites and children of Zeus from other goddesses, nymphs and mortal women. When Hercules was returning on a ship from Troy, she, with the help of the god of sleep Hypnos, put Zeus to sleep and, through the storm she raised, almost killed the hero. As punishment, Zeus tied the treacherous goddess to the ether with strong golden chains and hung two heavy anvils at her feet. But this does not prevent the goddess from constantly resorting to cunning when she needs to get something from Zeus, against whom she can do nothing by force.
In the struggle for Ilion, she patronizes her beloved Achaeans; the Achaean cities of Argos, Mycenae, Sparta are her favorite places of residence; she hates the Trojans for the Judgment of Paris. The marriage of Hera with Zeus, which originally had an elemental meaning - the connection between heaven and earth, then receives a relation to the civil institution of marriage. As the only legal wife on Olympus, Hera is the patroness of marriages and childbirth. A pomegranate apple, a symbol of marital love, and a cuckoo, a messenger of spring, the pores of love, were dedicated to her. In addition, the peacock and the crow were considered her birds.
The main place of her worship was Argos, where stood a colossal statue of her, made of gold and ivory by Polykleitos, and where the so-called Hereias were celebrated every five years in her honor. In addition to Argos, Hera was also honored in Mycenae, Corinth, Sparta, Samos, Plataea, Sicyon and other cities. Art represents Hera as a tall, slender woman, with a majestic posture, mature beauty, a rounded face, bearing an important expression, a beautiful forehead, thick hair, large, strongly opened "cow" eyes. The most remarkable image of her was the above-mentioned statue of Polikleitos in Argos: here Hera was sitting on a throne with a crown on her head, with a pomegranate in one hand, with a scepter in the other; at the top of the scepter is a cuckoo. Above the long tunic, which left only the neck and arms uncovered, a himation was thrown over, entwined around the camp. In Roman mythology, Hera corresponds to Juno.
Demeter(Δημήτηρ), in Greek mythology, the goddess of fertility and agriculture, civil organization and marriage, daughter of Kronos and Rhea, sister and wife of Zeus, from whom she gave birth to Persephone (Hesiod, Theogony, 453, 912-914). One of the most revered Olympian deities. The ancient chthonic origin of Demeter is attested by her name (literally, "mother earth"). Cult references to Demeter: Chloe ("greenery", "sowing"), Carpophora ("giver of fruits"), Thesmophora ("legislator", "organizer"), Sieve ("bread", "flour") indicate the functions of Demeter as goddess of fertility. She is a goddess gracious to people, of a beautiful appearance with hair the color of ripe wheat, an assistant in peasant labors (Homer, Iliad, V 499-501). She fills the farmer's barns with supplies (Hesiod, Opp. 300, 465). They call on Demeter so that the grains come out full-fledged and that the plowing is successful. Demeter taught people plowing and sowing, combining in a sacred marriage on a thrice-plowed field of the island of Crete with the Cretan god of agriculture Jason, and the fruit of this marriage was Plutos, the god of wealth and abundance (Hesiod, Theogony, 969-974).
Hestia-goddess of the virgin hearth, the eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, the patroness of unquenchable fire, uniting gods and people. Hestia never returned her advances. Apollo and Poseidon asked for her hands, but she vowed to remain a virgin forever. One day, the drunken god of gardens and fields, Priapus, tried to dishonor her, sleeping, at a festival where all the gods were present. However, at the moment when the patron of voluptuousness and sensual pleasures, Priapus prepared to do his dirty deed, the donkey screamed loudly, Hestia woke up, called for the help of the gods, and Priapus turned in fear and fled.
Poseidon, in ancient Greek mythology, the god of the underwater kingdom. Poseidon was considered the ruler of the seas and oceans. The underwater king was born from the marriage of the goddess of the earth Rhea and the titan Kronos and immediately after birth was swallowed up by his father, who was afraid that they would take away his power over the world. Zeus later freed them all.
Poseidon lived in an underwater palace, among a host of gods obedient to him. Among them was his son Triton, Nereids, Amphitrite's sisters and many others. The god of the seas was equal in beauty to Zeus himself. By sea, he moved in a chariot, which was harnessed to wondrous horses.
With the help of a magic trident, Poseidon controlled the deep sea: if there was a storm on the sea, then as soon as he held out the trident in front of him, the enraged sea calmed down.
The ancient Greeks greatly revered this deity and, in order to achieve his location, brought many sacrifices to the underwater ruler, throwing them into the sea. This was very important for the inhabitants of Greece, since their well-being depended on whether merchant ships would pass through the sea. Therefore, before going to sea, travelers threw a sacrifice to Poseidon into the water. In Roman mythology, it corresponds to Neptune.
Hades, Hades, Pluto ("invisible", "terrible"), in Greek mythology, the god of the kingdom of the dead, as well as the kingdom itself. Son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. When the world was divided after the overthrow of his father, Zeus took the sky for himself, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld; the brothers agreed to rule the land together. The second name of Hades was Polydegmon ("recipient of many gifts"), which is associated with the countless shadows of the dead that live in his domain.
The messenger of the gods, Hermes, forwarded the souls of the dead to the ferryman Charon, who transported only those who could pay for the crossing through the underground river Styx. The entrance to the underground kingdom of the dead was guarded by the three-headed dog Kerberos (Cerberus), who did not allow anyone to return to the world of the living.
Like the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks believed that the kingdom of the dead is located in the bowels of the earth, and the entrance to it is in the extreme west (west, sunset are symbols of dying), beyond the Ocean River, washing the earth. The most popular myth about Hades is associated with the abduction of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and the goddess of fertility Demeter. Zeus promised him his beautiful daughter without asking her mother's consent. When Hades took the bride away by force, Demeter almost lost her mind from grief, forgot about her duties, and hunger seized the earth.
The dispute between Hades and Demeter over the fate of Persephone was resolved by Zeus. She must spend two thirds of the year with her mother and one third with her husband. Thus, the alternation of the seasons was born. Once Hades fell in love with the nymph Minta or Mint, who was associated with the waters of the realm of the dead. Upon learning of this, Persephone, in a fit of jealousy, turned the nymph into a fragrant plant.
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Ancient Greece is one of the richest sources of myths about gods, ordinary people and
the mortal heroes who protected them. Over the centuries, these stories have been created
poets, historians and simply "witnesses" of the legendary deeds of fearless heroes,
having the powers of demigods.
1
Hercules, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, was famous for special honor among the heroes.
Alcmene. The most famous myth of all can be considered a cycle of 12 exploits,
which the son of Zeus performed alone, being in the service of King Eurystheus. Even
in the celestial constellation you can see the constellation Hercules.
2
Achilles is one of the bravest Greek heroes who undertook a campaign against
Troy led by Agamemnon. Stories about him are always full of courage and
courage. No wonder he is one of the key figures in the writings of the Iliad, where he
given more honor than any other warrior.
3
He was described not only as an intelligent and brave king, but also as
great speaker. He was the main key figure in the story "The Odyssey".
His adventures and return to his wife Penelope found an echo in the hearts
of many people.
4
Perseus was no less a key figure in ancient Greek mythology. He
is described as the winner of the monster Gorgon Medusa, and the savior of the beautiful
princess Andromeda.
Theseus can be called the most famous character in all of Greek mythology. He
most often appears not only in the Iliad, but also in the Odyssey.
6
Jason is the leader of the Argonauts who went to search for the golden fleece in Colchis.
This task was given to him by his father's brother Pelius in order to destroy him, but it
brought him eternal glory.
7
Hector in ancient Greek mythology appears before us not only as a prince
Troy, but also the great commander who died at the hands of Achilles. He is placed on a par with
many heroes of that time.
8
Ergin is the son of Poseidon, and one of the Argonauts who set off for the Golden Fleece.
9
Talai is another of the Argonauts. Honest, fair, smart and reliable -
as described by Homer in his Odyssey.
10
Orpheus was not so much a hero as a singer and musician. However, his
the image can be "meet" in many paintings of that time.
The myths of Ancient Greece about heroes developed long before the advent of written history. These are legends about the ancient life of the Greeks, and reliable information is intertwined in legends about heroes with fiction. Memories of people who committed civil feats, being generals or rulers of the people, stories about their exploits make the ancient Greek people look at these ancestors of theirs as people chosen by the gods and even related to the gods. In the imagination of the people, such people turn out to be the children of the gods who married mortals.
Many noble Greek families traced their lineage back to divine progenitors, who were called heroes by the ancients. Ancient Greek heroes and their descendants were considered intermediaries between the people and their gods (initially, a “hero” is a dead person who can help or harm the living).
In the pre-literary period of Ancient Greece, stories about the exploits, suffering, wanderings of heroes constituted the oral tradition of the history of the people.
In accordance with their divine origin, the heroes of the myths of Ancient Greece possessed strength, courage, beauty, and wisdom. But unlike the gods, the heroes were mortal, with the exception of a few who rose to the level of deities (Hercules, Castor, Polydeuces, etc.).
In the ancient times of Greece, it was believed that the afterlife of heroes is no different from the afterlife of mere mortals. Only a few favorites of the gods migrate to the Isles of the Blessed. Later, Greek myths began to say that all the heroes enjoy the benefits of the "golden age" under the auspices of Kronos and that their spirit is invisibly present on earth, protecting people, averting disasters from them. These performances gave rise to the cult of heroes. Altars and even temples of heroes appeared; their tombs became the object of worship.
Among the heroes of the myths of Ancient Greece there are names of the gods of the Cretan-Mycenaean era, supplanted by the Olympic religion (Agamemnon, Helen, etc.).
Legends and myths of Ancient Greece. Cartoon
The history of heroes, that is, the mythical history of ancient Greece, can be started from the time of the creation of people. Their ancestor was the son of Iapetus, the titan Prometheus, who made people from clay. These first people were rude and wild, they did not have fire, without which crafts are impossible, food cannot be cooked. God Zeus did not want to give people fire, as he foresaw what arrogance and wickedness their enlightenment and domination over nature would lead to. Prometheus, loving his creatures, did not want to leave them completely dependent on the gods. Having stolen a spark from Zeus's lightning, Prometheus, according to the myths of Ancient Greece, gave fire to people and for this he was chained by order of Zeus to the Caucasian rock, on which he stayed for several centuries, and every day an eagle pecked out his liver, which grew anew at night. The hero Hercules, with the consent of Zeus, killed the eagle and freed Prometheus. Although the Greeks revered Prometheus as the creator of people and their helper, Hesiod, who was the first to bring the myth of Prometheus to us, justifies the actions of Zeus, because he is confident in the gradual moral degradation of people.
Prometheus. Painting by G. Moreau, 1868
Outlining the mythical tradition of ancient Greece, Hesiod says that over time, people became more and more arrogant, less and less respected the gods. Then Zeus decided to send them tests that would make them remember the gods. At the command of Zeus, the god Hephaestus created a female statue of extraordinary beauty from clay and revived her. Each of the gods gave this woman some gift that increases her attractiveness. Aphrodite endowed her with charm, Athena - with the skill of needlework, Hermes - with cunning and insinuating speech. pandora(“gifted by all”) the gods called the woman and sent her to earth to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. No matter how Prometheus warned his brother, Epimetheus, seduced by the beauty of Pandora, married her. Pandora brought to the house of Epimetheus as a dowry a large closed vessel given to her by the gods, but she was forbidden to look into it. One day, tormented by curiosity, Pandora opened a vessel, and from there flew out all the diseases and disasters that mankind suffers. Frightened, Pandora slammed the lid of the vessel: only hope remained in it, which could serve as a consolation to people in distress.
Time passed, mankind learned to overcome the hostile forces of nature, but at the same time, according to Greek myths, it turned away from the gods more and more, became more and more arrogant and impious. Then Zeus sent a flood to the earth, after which only the son of Prometheus Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, the daughter of Epimetheus, survived.
The mythical ancestor of the Greek tribes was the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, the hero Hellen, who is sometimes called the son of Zeus (by his name the ancient Greeks called themselves Hellenes, and their country Hellas). His sons Eol and Dor became the progenitors of the Greek tribes - the Aeolians (who inhabited the island of Lesbos and the adjoining coast of Asia Minor) and the Dorians (the islands of Crete, Rhodes and the southeastern part of the Peloponnese). The grandchildren of Hellenus (from the third son, Xuthus) Ion and Achaeus became the progenitors of the Ionians and Achaeans, who inhabited the eastern part of mainland Greece, Attica, the central part of the Peloponnese, the southwestern part of the coast of Asia Minor and part of the islands of the Aegean Sea.
In addition to the general Greek myths about heroes, there were local ones that developed in such regions and cities of Greece as Argolis, Corinth, Boeotia, Crete, Elis, Attica, etc.
The ancestor of the mythical heroes of Argolis (a country located on the Peloponnese peninsula) was the river god Inah, the father of Io, the beloved of Zeus, which was mentioned above in the story of Hermes. After Hermes freed her from Argus, Io wandered throughout Greece, fleeing from the gadfly sent by the goddess Hero, and only in Egypt (in the Hellenistic era, Io was identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis) regained her human form and gave birth to a son Epaphus, to whose offspring belong brothers Egypt and Danai, who owned the African lands of Egypt and Libya, located to the west of Egypt.
But Danaus left his possessions and returned to Argolis with his 50 daughters, whom he wanted to save from the marriage claims of 50 sons of his brother Egypt. Danaus became king of Argolis. When the sons of Egypt, having arrived in his country, forced him to give them Danaid as a wife, Danai handed his daughters a knife each, ordering them to kill their husbands on their wedding night, which they did. Only one of the Danaids, Hypermnestra, who fell in love with her husband Linkei, disobeyed her father. All Danaids remarried, and from these marriages came generations of many heroic families.
As for Linkei and Hypermnestra, the progeny of heroes descended from them was especially famous in the myths of Ancient Greece. Their grandson, Acrisius, was predicted that his daughter Danae would give birth to a son who would destroy her grandfather, Acrisius. Therefore, the father locked Danae in an underground grotto, but Zeus, who fell in love with her, entered the dungeon in the form of a golden rain, and Danae gave birth to a son, the hero Perseus.
Upon learning of the birth of his grandson, Acrisius, according to myth, ordered to put Danae and Perseus in a wooden box and throw it into the sea. However, Danae and her son managed to escape. The waves drove the box to the island of Serif. At that time, the fisherman Diktis was fishing on the shore. The box is tangled in its nets. Dictis dragged it ashore, opened it, and led the woman and the boy to his brother, the king of Serif, Polydectes. Perseus grew up at the court of the king, became a strong and slender young man. This hero of ancient Greek myths became famous for many feats: he beheaded Medusa, one of the Gorgons, who turned everyone who looked at them into stone. Perseus freed Andromeda, the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, who was chained to a cliff to be torn to pieces by a sea monster, and made her his wife.
Perseus saves Andromeda from a sea monster. ancient greek amphora
Broken by the disasters that befell his family, the hero Cadmus, together with Harmonia, left Thebes and moved to Illyria. In extreme old age, both of them were turned into dragons, but after their death, Zeus settled them in the Champs Elysees.
Hero Twins Zeta and Amphion were, according to the myths of ancient Greece, born antiope, the daughter of one of the subsequent Theban kings, the beloved of Zeus. They were brought up as shepherds and did not know anything about their origin. Antiope, fleeing the wrath of her father, fled to Sicyon. Only after the death of her father, Antiope finally returned to her homeland to her brother Lik, who became the Theban king. But the jealous wife of Lika Dirk turned her into her slave and treated her so cruelly that Antiope again fled from home, to Mount Cithaeron, where her sons lived. Zeta and Amphion took her in, not knowing that Antiope was their mother. She didn't recognize her sons either.
At the feast of Dionysus, Antiope and Dirk met again, and Dirk decided to give Antiope a terrible execution as her runaway slave. She ordered Zeta and Amphion to tie Antiope to the horns of a wild bull so that he would tear her to pieces. But, having learned from the old shepherd that Aithiope is their mother, and having heard about the bullying she suffered from the queen, the twin heroes did to Dirka what she wanted to do to Antiope. After her death, Dirka turned into a spring named after her.
Lai, the son of Labdak (grandson of Cadmus), having married Jocasta, received, according to ancient Greek myths, a terrible prophecy: his son was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. In an effort to save himself from such a terrible fate, Lai ordered the slave to take the born boy to the wooded slope of Kieferon and leave it there to be eaten by wild animals. But the slave took pity on the baby and gave it to the Corinthian shepherd, who took it to the childless king of Corinth, Polybus, where the boy, named Oedipus, grew up, considering himself the son of Polybus and Merope. Having become a young man, he learned from the oracle about the terrible fate destined for him and, not wanting to commit a double crime, left Corinth and went to Thebes. On the way, the hero Oedipus met Laius, but did not recognize him as his father. Having quarreled with his confidants, he interrupted them all. Lai was among those killed. Thus, the first part of the prophecy came true.
Approaching Thebes, continues the myth of Oedipus, the hero met with the Sphinx monster (half-woman, half-lion), which asked a riddle to everyone passing by him. A person who failed to solve the riddle of the Sphinx immediately died. Oedipus solved the riddle, and the Sphinx threw herself into the abyss. The Theban citizens, grateful to Oedipus for getting rid of the Sphinx, married him to the widowed queen Jocasta, and thus the second part of the oracle came true: Oedipus became the king of Thebes and the husband of his mother.
How Oedipus found out about what happened and what followed is told in Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus Rex.
In Crete, from the union of Zeus with Europe, the hero Minos was born, famous for his wise legislation and justice, for which, after his death, he became, along with Aeacus and Rhadamanthus (his brother), one of the judges in the kingdom of Hades.
The king-hero Minos was, according to the myths of Ancient Greece, married to Pasiphae, who, along with other children (including Phaedra and Ariadne), gave birth, falling in love with a bull, a terrible monster of the Minotaur (Minos bull), devouring people. To separate the Minotaur from the people, Minos ordered the Athenian architect Daedalus to build a Labyrinth - a building in which there would be such intricate passages that neither the Minotaur, nor anyone else who got into it, could get out of there. The labyrinth was built, and the Minotaur was placed in this building along with the architect - the hero Daedalus and his son Icarus. Daedalus was punished for helping the killer of the Minotaur, Theseus, escape from Crete. But Daedalus made wings for himself and his son from feathers fastened with wax, and both flew away from the Labyrinth. On the way to Sicily, Icarus died: despite his father's warnings, he flew too close to the sun. The wax that held Icarus' wings together melted and the boy fell into the sea.
In the myths of the ancient Greek region of Elis (on the Peloponnese peninsula), a hero, the son of Tantalus, was revered. Tantalus brought upon himself the punishment of the gods by a terrible atrocity. He planned to test the omniscience of the gods and prepared a terrible meal for them. According to myths, Tantalus killed his son Pelops and served his meat under the guise of a gourmet dish to the gods during a feast. The gods immediately comprehended the evil intent of Tantalus, and no one touched the terrible dish. The gods revived the boy. He appeared before the gods even more beautiful than before. And the gods cast Tantalus into the kingdom of Hades, where he suffers terrible torment. When the hero Pelops became king of Elis, southern Greece was named the Peloponnese after him. According to the myths of Ancient Greece, Pelops married Hippodamia, the daughter of the local king Enomai, defeating her father in a chariot race with the help of Myrtilus, the charioteer of Enomai, who did not fix the check on his master's chariot. During the competition, the chariot broke down, and Enomai died. In order not to give Myrtilus the promised half of the kingdom, Pelops threw him off a cliff into the sea.
Pelops takes away Hippodamia
Before his death, Myrtilus cursed the house of Pelops. This curse brought a lot of trouble to the Tantalus family, and first of all to the sons of Pelops, Atreus and Fiesta. Atreus became the founder of a new dynasty of kings in Argos and Mycenae. his sons Agamemnon and Menelaus(“Atridy”, that is, the children of Atreus) became the heroes of the Trojan War. Thyestes was expelled from Mycenae by his brother because he seduced his wife. In order to take revenge on Atreus, Fiesta tricked him into killing his own son Pleisfen. But Atreus surpassed Fiesta in villainy. Pretending that he did not remember evil, Atreus invited his brother to his place along with his three sons, killed the boys and Fiesta treated them to meat. After Fiesta had had his fill, Atreus showed him the heads of the children. Fiesta fled in terror from his brother's house; later son of Fiesta Aegisthus during the sacrifice, avenging his brothers, he killed his uncle.
After the death of Atreus, his son Agamemnon became king of Argos. Menelaus, having entered into marriage with Helen, received the possession of Sparta.
Hercules (in Rome - Hercules) - in the myths of ancient Greece, one of the favorite heroes.
The parents of the hero Hercules were Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of King Amphitryon. Amphitrion is the grandson of Perseus and the son of Alcaeus, therefore Hercules is called Alcides.
According to ancient Greek myths, Zeus, foreseeing the birth of Hercules, swore that the one who was born on the day appointed by him would rule the surrounding peoples. Having learned about this and about the connection of Zeus with Alcmene, Zeus's wife Hera delayed the birth of Alcmene and accelerated the birth of Eurystheus, the son of Sthenelus. Then Zeus decided to give his son immortality. At his command, Hermes brought the baby Hercules to Hera without telling her who it was. Delighted by the beauty of the child, Hera brought him to her chest, but, having learned who she was feeding, the goddess tore him from her chest and threw him aside. The milk that splashed from her breast formed the Milky Way in the sky, and the future hero gained immortality: a few drops of the divine drink were enough for this.
The myths of ancient Greece about heroes tell that Hera pursued Hercules all his life, starting from infancy. When he and his brother Iphicles, the son of Amphitrion, lay in the cradle, Hera sent two snakes at him: Iphicles wept, and Hercules grabbed them by the neck with a smile and squeezed them with such force that he strangled them.
Amphitryon, knowing that he was raising his son Zeus, invited mentors to Hercules to teach him military arts and noble arts. The ardor with which the hero Hercules devoted himself to his studies led to the fact that he killed his teacher with a blow from a cithara. Out of fear that Hercules would not do something else like that, Amphitrion sent him to Cithaeron to graze herds. There, Hercules killed the Cithaeron lion, which destroyed the herds of King Thespius. Since then, the protagonist of ancient Greek myths has worn the skin of a lion as clothing, and used his head as a helmet.
Having learned from the oracle of Apollo that he was destined to serve Eurystheus for twelve years, Hercules came to Tiryns, which was ruled by Eurystheus, and, following his orders, performed 12 labors.
Even before serving with Omphala, Hercules married another time Dejanira, daughter of the Calydonian king. Once, having gone to Perseus to save Andromeda on a campaign against his enemy Eurytus, he captured the daughter of Eurytus Iola and returned home with her to Trachin, where Dejanira remained with her children. Upon learning of Iola he had taken prisoner, Dejanira decided that Hercules had cheated on her and sent him a cloak soaked, as she thought, with a love potion. In reality, it was a poison given to Dejanira under the guise of a love potion by the centaur Nessus, who was once killed by Hercules. Putting on poisoned clothes, Hercules felt unbearable pain. Realizing that this was death, Hercules ordered to be transferred to Mount Etu and build a fire. He handed over his arrows, smashing to death, to his friend Philoctetes, and he himself ascended the fire and, engulfed in fire, ascended to heaven. Dejanira, having learned about her mistake and about the death of her husband, committed suicide. This ancient Greek myth is the basis of Sophocles' tragedy "The Trachinian Women".
After death, when Hera reconciled with him, Hercules in ancient Greek myths joined the host of gods, becoming the spouse of the eternally young Hebe.
The protagonist of myths, Hercules was revered everywhere in Ancient Greece, but most of all in Argos and Thebes.
According to ancient Greek myth, Jason and Medea were expelled from Iolk for this crime and lived in Corinth for ten years. But, when the king of Corinth agreed to give his daughter Glaucus (according to another version of the myth to Creusa) to Jason, Jason left Medea and entered into a new marriage.
After the events described in the tragedies of Euripides and Seneca, Medea lived for some time in Athens, then she returned to her homeland, where she returned power to her father, killing his brother, the usurper Persian. Jason, on the other hand, once passed through the Isthmus past the place where the Argo ship stood, dedicated to the god of the sea Poseidon. Tired, he lay down in the shade of the Argo under her stern to rest and fell asleep. When Jason slept, the stern of the Argo, which had fallen into disrepair, collapsed and buried the hero Jason under its rubble.
By the end of the heroic period, the myths of ancient Greece coincide with two of the greatest cycles of myths: the Theban and the Trojan. Both legends are based on historical facts, colored by mythical fiction.
The first amazing events in the house of the Theban kings have already been described - this is the mythical story of his daughters and the tragic story of King Oedipus. After the voluntary expulsion of Oedipus, his sons Eteocles and Polynices remained in Thebes, where Creon, brother of Jocasta, ruled until they came of age. As adults, the brothers decided to reign alternately, one year at a time. Eteocles was the first to take the throne, but after the expiration of the term, he did not transfer power to Polynices.
According to myths, the offended hero Polynices, who by that time had become the son-in-law of the Sikyon king Adrast, gathered a large army in order to go to war against his brother. Adrastus himself agreed to take part in the campaign. Together with Tydeus, heir to the throne of Argos, Polynices traveled all over Greece, inviting heroes who wished to participate in the campaign against Thebes to his army. In addition to Adrast and Tydeus, Capaneus, Hippomedon, Parthenopaeus and Amphiaraus responded to his call. In total, including Polynices, the army was led by seven generals (according to another myth about the Campaign of the Seven against Thebes, Eteocles, the son of Iphis from Argos, entered this number instead of Adrast). While the army was preparing for the campaign, the blind Oedipus, accompanied by his daughter Antigone, wandered around Greece. When he was in Attica, an oracle announced to him the near end of suffering. Polynices also turned to the oracle with a question about the outcome of the struggle with his brother; the oracle answered that the one who side with Oedipus would win and to whom he would appear in Thebes. Then Polynices himself sought out his father and asked him to go with his troops to Thebes. But Oedipus cursed the fratricidal war conceived by Polynices and refused to go to Thebes. Eteocles, learning about the oracle's prediction, sent his uncle Creon to Oedipus with instructions to bring his father to Thebes at any cost. But the Athenian king Theseus stood up for Oedipus, driving the embassy out of his city. Oedipus cursed both sons and predicted their death in an internecine war. He himself retired to the Eumenides grove near Colon, not far from Athens, and died there. Antigone returned to Thebes.
Meanwhile, the ancient Greek myth continues, the army of seven heroes approached Thebes. Tydeus was sent to Eteocles, who made an attempt to peacefully settle the conflict between the brothers. Not heeding the voice of reason, Eteocles imprisoned Tydeus. However, the hero killed his guard of 50 people (only one of them escaped) and returned to his army. Seven heroes settled down, each with his warriors, at the seven Theban gates. The battles began. The attackers were lucky at first; the valiant Argive Capaneus had already climbed the city wall, but at that moment he was struck by the lightning of Zeus.
The episode of the assault on Thebes by the Seven: Capaneus climbs the stairs to the city walls. Antique amphora, ca. 340 BC
The besieging heroes were seized with confusion. The Thebans, encouraged by the sign, rushed to the attack. According to the myths of Ancient Greece, Eteocles entered into a duel with Polyneices, but although both of them were mortally wounded and died, the Thebans did not lose their presence of mind and continued to advance until they scattered the troops of seven commanders, of whom only Adrastus survived. Power in Thebes passed to Creon, who considered Polynices a traitor and forbade his body to be buried.
Formed the basis of Homer's poems. In Ilion, or Troy, the main city of the Troad, located near the Hellespont, reigned Priam and Hecuba. Before the birth of their youngest son Paris, they received a prophecy that this son of theirs would destroy their native city. To avoid trouble, Paris was taken away from the house and thrown on the slope of Mount Ida to be eaten by wild animals. Shepherds found and raised him. The hero Paris grew up on Ida and became a shepherd himself. Already in his youth, he showed such courage that he was called Alexander - the protector of husbands.
At this very time, Zeus became aware that he should not enter into a love union with the sea goddess Thetis, since from this union a son could be born who would surpass his father in power. At the council of the gods, it was decided to marry Thetis to a mortal. The choice of the gods fell on the king of the Thessalian city of Phthia Peleus, known for his piety.
According to the myths of Ancient Greece, all the gods gathered for the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, except for the goddess of discord, Eris, who they forgot to invite. Eris avenged her neglect by tossing a golden apple with the inscription "to the most beautiful" on the table during the feast, which immediately sparked a dispute between the three goddesses: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. To resolve this dispute, Zeus sent the goddesses to Ida to Paris. Each of them secretly tried to persuade him to his side: Hera promised him power and power, Athena - military glory, and Aphrodite - the possession of the most beautiful of women. Paris awarded the "apple of discord" to Aphrodite, for which Hera and Athena forever hated both him and his hometown of Troy.
Shortly thereafter, Paris came to Troy for the lambs taken from his flock by Priam's eldest sons Hector and Helen. Paris was recognized by his sister, the prophetess Cassandra. Priam and Hecuba were happy to meet their son, forgot the fatal prediction, and Paris began to live in the royal house.
Aphrodite, fulfilling her promise, ordered Paris to equip a ship and go to Greece to the king of Greek Sparta, the hero Menelaus.
According to the myths, Menelaus was married to Helen, daughter of Zeus and Ledy wife of the Spartan king Tyndareus. Zeus appeared to Leda in the guise of a swan, and she bore him Helen and Polideuces, at the same time with whom she had children from Tyndareus Clytemnestra and Castor (according to later myths, Helena and Dioscuri - Castor and Polydeuces hatched from eggs laid by Leda). Elena was distinguished by such extraordinary beauty that the most glorious heroes of Ancient Greece wooed her. Tyndareus gave preference to Menelaus, taking an oath from the rest in advance not only not to take revenge on his chosen one, but also to help if any trouble befalls the future spouses.
Menelaus met the Trojan Paris cordially, but Paris, seized with a passion for his wife Helen, used the trust of a hospitable host for evil: having seduced Helen and stealing part of the treasures of Menelaus, he secretly boarded a ship at night and sailed to Troy along with the kidnapped Helen, taking away wealth king.
Elena's kidnapping. Red-figure Attic amphora, late 6th c. BC
All Ancient Greece was offended by the act of the Trojan prince. Fulfilling the oath given to Tyndareus, all the heroes - the former suitors of Helen - gathered with their troops in the harbor of Aulis, a port city, from where, under the command of the Argos king Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus, they set off on a campaign against Troy - the Trojan War.
According to the story of ancient Greek myths, the Greeks (in the Iliad they are called Achaeans, Danaans or Argives) besieged Troy for nine years, and only in the tenth year they managed to capture the city, thanks to the cunning of one of the most valiant Greek heroes Odysseus, king of Ithaca. On the advice of Odysseus, the Greeks built a huge wooden horse, hid their soldiers in it, and, leaving it at the walls of Troy, pretended to lift the siege and set sail for their homeland. A relative of Odysseus, Sinon, under the guise of a defector, appeared in the city and told the Trojans that the Greeks had lost hope of winning the Trojan War and stopped fighting, and the wooden horse was a gift to the goddess Athena, angry with Odysseus and Diomedes for the abduction of the "Palladium" from Troy - the statue of Pallas Athena, the shrine that defended the city, once fell from the sky. Sinon advised to bring a horse into Troy as the most reliable guard of the gods.
In the story of Greek myths, Laocoön, the priest of Apollo, warned the Trojans against accepting a dubious gift. Athena, who stood on the side of the Greeks, sent two huge snakes to Laocoön. The snakes attacked Laocoön and his two sons and strangled all three of them.
In the death of Laocoön and his sons, the Trojans saw a manifestation of the displeasure of the gods with the words of Laocoön and brought the horse into the city, for which it was necessary to dismantle part of the Trojan wall. For the rest of the day, the Trojans feasted and rejoiced, celebrating the end of the ten-year siege of the city. When the city fell into a dream, the Greek heroes got out of the wooden horse; By this time, the Greek army, following the signal fire of Sinon, left the ships ashore and broke into the city. Unprecedented bloodshed began. The Greeks set fire to Troy, attacked the sleepers, killed the men, and enslaved the women.
On this night, according to the myths of Ancient Greece, the elder Priam died, killed by the hand of Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles. The Greeks threw little Astianax, the son of Hector, the leader of the Trojan army, from the Trojan wall: the Greeks were afraid that he would avenge them for his relatives when he became an adult. Paris was wounded by the poisoned arrow of Philoctetes and died from this wound. Achilles, the bravest of the Greek warriors, died before the capture of Troy at the hands of Paris. Only Aeneas, the son of Aphrodite and Anchises, escaped on Mount Ida, carrying his aged father on his shoulders. With Aeneas, his son Ascanius also left the city. After the end of the campaign, Menelaus returned with Elena to Sparta, Agamemnon to Argos, where he died at the hands of his wife, who cheated on him with his cousin Aegisthus. Neoptolemus returned to Phthia, taking Hector's widow Andromache as a prisoner.
Thus ended the Trojan War. After her, the heroes of Greece experienced unprecedented labors on their way to Hellas. Odysseus could not return to his homeland for the longest time. He had to endure many adventures, and his return was delayed for ten years, as he was pursued by the wrath of Poseidon, the father of the Cyclops Polyphemus, blinded by Odysseus. The story of the wanderings of this long-suffering hero is the content of Homer's Odyssey.
Aeneas, who escaped from Troy, also underwent many disasters and adventures in his sea travels until he reached the shores of Italy. His descendants later became the founders of Rome. The story of Aeneas formed the basis of the plot of Virgil's heroic poem "Aeneid"
We have briefly described here only the main figures of the ancient Greek myths about heroes and briefly outlined the most popular legends.
