ancient greek gods and lore revisited pdf

Previously, we talked about the primeval entities of both Mesopotamian and Egyptian mythologies, in the form of Tiamat and Nun respectively. The Primordial Greek Gods – 1) Gaia – The Earth Goddess Considering these historical factors, let us take a gander at 20 major Greek gods and goddesses, including both Titans and Olympians, you should know about. He was followed by various other Greek playwrights and poets (like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides) who played their part in expanding and even refashioning some elements of the vast ambit of Greek mythology. Simply put, these array of entities provided the ancient Greek folks with the meaning of worldly and natural cycles, which rather justified their existence within the framework of mythology.Īnd historically, it was probably the poet Hesiod’s Theogony that compiled the first known origin story of Greek mythology, circa 700 BC. In any case, the mythical Greek gods, heroes, and monsters (a few of whom make their way into Iliad and Odyssey), epitomized various scopes, ranging from religious rites to weather. Instead many of the characters and their backstories were borne by the oral traditions developed during the Mycenaean Bronze Age. Now, of course, the greatest example of Classical Greeks being inspired by their ‘ancestors’ comes from the epic poetry of Homer in Iliad and Odyssey. To that end, rather than a historical exposition of how Mycenaeans fought and behaved, these epic literary works should be viewed more like a compilation of folkloric traditions that were passed down through generations from around 9th-8th century BC (three centuries after the passing of the Mycenaeans). The narrative of the Greek gods, goddesses, and the related mythology, unlike the Bible, was not available to the ancient Greeks through a singular compilation of texts.

Ancient greek gods and lore revisited pdf