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Myths of ancient Greece comics. Various myths and legends of ancient Greece

The achievements of the ancient Greeks in art, science and politics had a significant impact on the development of European states. Mythology, one of the most well studied in the world, also played an important role in this process. For many hundreds of years it has appeared for many creators. The history and myths of Ancient Greece have always been closely intertwined. The realities of the archaic era are known to us precisely thanks to the legends of that period.

Greek mythology took shape at the turn of the 2nd-1st millennium BC. e. Tales of gods and heroes spread throughout Hellas thanks to the Aeds - wandering reciters, the most famous of whom was Homer. Later, during the period of Greek classics, mythological plots were reflected in the artistic works of the great playwrights - Euripides and Aeschylus. Even later, at the beginning of our era, Greek scientists began to classify myths, compose family trees heroes - in other words, to study the heritage of their ancestors.

Origin of the Gods

Ancient myths and legends of Greece are dedicated to gods and heroes. According to the ideas of the Hellenes, there were several generations of gods. The first couple to have anthropomorphic features was Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). They gave birth to 12 titans, as well as one-eyed Cyclops and multi-headed and multi-armed giants, the Hecatoncheires. The birth of monster children did not please Uranus, and he cast them into the great abyss - Tartarus. This, in turn, did not please Gaia, and she persuaded her titan children to overthrow their father (the myths about the ancient gods of Greece are replete with similar motives). The youngest of her sons, Kronos (Time), managed to accomplish this. With the beginning of his reign, history repeated itself.

He, like his father, was afraid of his powerful children and therefore, as soon as his wife (and sister) Rhea gave birth to another child, he swallowed it. This fate befell Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hades. But Rhea could not part with her last son: when Zeus was born, she hid him in a cave on the island of Crete and instructed the nymphs and curetes to raise the child, and brought a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to her husband, which he swallowed.

War with the Titans

The ancient myths and legends of Greece were filled with bloody wars for power. The first of them began after the grown-up Zeus forced Kronos to vomit the swallowed children. Having enlisted the support of his brothers and sisters and calling upon the giants imprisoned in Tartarus for help, Zeus began to fight his father and other titans (some later went over to his side). The main weapons of Zeus were lightning and thunder, which the Cyclops forged for him. The war lasted a whole decade; Zeus and his allies defeated and imprisoned their enemies in Tartarus. It must be said that Zeus was also destined for his father’s fate (to fall at the hands of his son), but he managed to avoid it thanks to the help of the titan Prometheus.

Myths about the ancient gods of Greece - the Olympians. Descendants of Zeus

Power over the world was shared by three titans, representing the third generation of gods. These were Zeus the Thunderer (he became the supreme god of the ancient Greeks), Poseidon (lord of the seas) and Hades (master of the underground kingdom of the dead).

They had numerous descendants. All the supreme gods, except Hades and his family, lived on Mount Olympus (which exists in reality). In ancient times Greek mythology there were 12 main celestials. Zeus's wife Hera was considered the patroness of marriage, and the goddess Hestia was considered the patroness of the home. Demeter was in charge of agriculture, Apollo was in charge of light and the arts, and his sister Artemis was revered as the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The daughter of Zeus Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, was one of the most respected celestials. The Greeks, sensitive to beauty, also revered the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite and her husband Ares, a warlike god. Hephaestus, the god of fire, was praised by artisans (in particular, blacksmiths). The cunning Hermes, the mediator between gods and people and the patron of trade and livestock, also demanded respect.

Divine Geography

The ancient myths and legends of Greece create a very contradictory image of God in the minds of the modern reader. On the one hand, the Olympians were considered powerful, wise and beautiful, and on the other, they were characterized by all the weaknesses and vices of mortal people: envy, jealousy, greed and anger.

As already mentioned, Zeus ruled over gods and people. He gave people laws and controlled their destinies. But not in all areas of Greece the Supreme Olympian was the most revered god. The Greeks lived in city-states and believed that each such city (polis) had its own divine patron. So, Athena favored Attica and its main city - Athens.

Aphrodite was glorified in Cyprus, off the coast of which she was born. Poseidon guarded Troy, Artemis and Apollo guarded Delphi. Mycenae, Argos and Samos offered sacrifices to Hera.

Other divine entities

The ancient myths and legends of Greece would not be so rich if only people and gods acted in them. But the Greeks, like other peoples of those times, were inclined to deify the forces of nature, and therefore other powerful creatures are often mentioned in myths. These are, for example, naiads (patrons of rivers and streams), dryads (patrons of groves), oreads (mountain nymphs), nereids (daughters of the sea sage Nereus), as well as various magical creatures and monsters.

In addition, goat-footed satyrs lived in the forests, accompanying the god Dionysus. Many legends featured wise and warlike centaurs. At the throne of Hades stood the goddess of vengeance Erinnia, and on Olympus the gods were entertained by muses and charites, patroness of the arts. All these entities often argued with the gods or entered into marriage with them or with people. Many great heroes and gods were born as a result of such marriages.

Myths of Ancient Greece: Hercules and his exploits

As for heroes, in every region of Greece it was also customary to honor their own. But invented in the north of Hellas, in Epirus, Hercules became one of the most beloved characters of ancient myths. Hercules is known for the fact that, while in the service of his relative, King Eurystheus, he performed 12 labors (killing the Lernaean Hydra, capturing the Kerynean fallow deer and the Erymanthian boar, bringing the belt of Hippolyta, delivering the people from the Stymphalian birds, taming the mares of Diomedes, going to the Kingdom of Hades and other).

Not everyone knows that these acts were carried out by Hercules as atonement for his guilt (in a fit of madness, he destroyed his family). After the death of Hercules, the gods accepted him into their ranks: even Hera, who plotted intrigues against him throughout the hero’s life, was forced to recognize him.

Conclusion

Ancient myths were created many centuries ago. But they have by no means primitive content. The myths of Ancient Greece are the key to understanding modern European culture.

Greek mythology gave the world the most interesting and instructive stories, fascinating stories and adventures. The narrative immerses us in a fairy-tale world, where you can meet heroes and gods, terrible monsters and unusual animals. The myths of Ancient Greece, written many centuries ago, are now the greatest cultural heritage of all mankind.

What are myths

Mythology is an amazing separate world in which people confronted the deities of Olympus, fought for honor and resisted evil and destruction.

However, it is worth remembering that myths are works created exclusively by people using imagination and fiction. These are stories about gods, heroes and exploits, unusual natural phenomena and mysterious creatures.

The origin of legends is no different from the origin folk tales and legends. The Greeks invented and retold unusual stories that mixed truth and fiction.

It is possible that there was some truth in the stories - a real-life incident or example could have been taken as a basis.

The source of the myths of Ancient Greece

Where from? modern people Are the myths and their plots known for certain? It turns out that Greek mythology was preserved on the tablets of the Aegean culture. They were written in Linear B, which was only deciphered in the 20th century.

The Cretan-Mycenaean period, to which this type of writing belongs, knew most of the gods: Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, and so on. However, due to the decline of civilization and the emergence of ancient Greek mythology, mythology could have its gaps: we know it only from the most recent sources.

Various plots of the myths of Ancient Greece were often used by writers of that time. And before the advent of the Hellenistic era, it became popular to create your own legends based on them.

The largest and most famous sources are:

Homer, "Iliad", "Odyssey"
Hesiod "Theogony"
Pseudo-Apollodorus, "Library"
Gigin, "Myths"
Ovid, "Metamorphoses"
Nonnus, "The Acts of Dionysus"

Karl Marx believed that the mythology of Greece was a vast repository of art, and also created the basis for it, thus performing a double function.

Ancient Greek mythology

Myths did not appear overnight: they took shape over several centuries and were passed on from mouth to mouth. Thanks to the poetry of Hesiod and Homer, the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, we can become familiar with stories in the present day.

Each story has value, preserving the atmosphere of antiquity. Specially trained people - mythographers - began to appear in Greece in the 4th century BC.

These include the sophist Hippias, Herodotus of Heraclea, Heraclitus of Pontus and others. Dionysius of Samois, in particular, was involved in compiling genealogical tables and studied tragic myths.

There are many myths, but the most popular are the stories associated with Olympus and its inhabitants.

However, the complex hierarchy and history of the origin of the gods can confuse any reader, and therefore we propose to understand this in detail!

With the help of myths, it becomes possible to recreate the picture of the world as imagined by the inhabitants of Ancient Greece: the world is inhabited by monsters and giants, including giants, one-eyed creatures and Titans.

Origin of the Gods

Eternal, boundless Chaos enveloped the Earth. It contained the world's source of life.

It was believed that it was Chaos that gave birth to everything around: the world, the immortal gods, the goddess of the Earth Gaia, who gave life to everything growing and living, and the powerful force that animates everything - Love.

However, a birth also took place under the Earth: the gloomy Tartarus was born - an abyss of horror filled with eternal darkness.

In the process of creating the world, Chaos gave birth to the Eternal Darkness, called Erebus, and the dark Night, called Nikta. As a result of the union of Nyx and Erebus, Ether was born - the eternal Light and Hemera - the bright Day. Thanks to their appearance, light filled the whole world, and day and night began to replace each other.

Gaia, a powerful and blessed goddess, created the vast blue Sky - Uranus. Spread over the Earth, it reigned throughout the world. High Mountains proudly reached out to him, and the noisy Sea spilled over the entire Earth.

Goddess Gaia and her titan children

After Mother Earth created the Sky, Mountains and Sea, Uranus decided to take Gaia as his wife. From the divine union there were 6 sons and 6 daughters.

The Titan Ocean and the goddess Thetis created all the rivers that rolled their waters to the sea, and the goddesses of the seas, called Oceanids. Titan Hipperion and Theia gave the world Helios - the Sun, Selene - the Moon and Eos - the Dawn. Astraea and Eos gave birth to all the stars and all the winds: Boreas - northern, Eurus - eastern, Noth - southern, Zephyr - western.

The overthrow of Uranus - the beginning of a new era

The goddess Gaia - the mighty Earth - gave birth to 6 more sons: 3 Cyclops - giants with one eye in the forehead, and 3 fifty-headed, hundred-armed monsters called Hecantocheirs. They possessed limitless power that knew no limits.

Struck by the ugliness of his giant children, Uranus renounced them and ordered them to be imprisoned in the bowels of the Earth. Gaia, being a Mother, suffered, weighed down by a terrible burden: after all, her own children were imprisoned in her bowels. Unable to bear it, Gaia called on her titan children, persuading them to rebel against their father, Uranus.

Battle of the gods with the titans

Being great and powerful, the titans were still afraid of their father. And only Kronos, the youngest and treacherous, accepted his mother’s offer. Having outwitted Uranus, he overthrew him, seizing power.

As punishment for the act of Kronos, the goddess Night gave birth to death (Tanat), discord (Eris), deception (Apata),

Kronos devouring his child

destruction (Ker), nightmare(Hypnos) and vengeance (Nemesis) and other terrible gods. All of them brought horror, discord, deception, struggle and misfortune into the world of Kronos.

Despite his cunning, Kronos was afraid. His fear was based on personal experience: after all, his children could overthrow him, as he once overthrew Uranus, his father.

Fearing for his life, Kronos ordered his wife Rhea to bring him their children. To Rhea's horror, 5 of them were eaten: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.

Zeus and his reign

Heeding the advice of her father Uranus and mother Gaia, Rhea fled to the island of Crete. There, in a deep cave, she gave birth to her youngest son, Zeus.

By hiding the newborn in it, Rhea deceived the tough Kronos by allowing him to swallow a long stone, wrapped in swaddling clothes, instead of her son.

Time passed. Kronos did not understand his wife's deception. Zeus grew up while in Crete. His nannies were the nymphs Adrastea and Idea; instead of his mother’s milk, he was fed with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea, and hardworking bees brought honey to baby Zeus from Mount Dikty.

If Zeus began to cry, the young Kuretes standing at the entrance to the cave struck their shields with their swords. Loud sounds drowned out the crying so that Kronos wouldn't hear it.

The myth of the birth of Zeus: feeding the milk of the divine goat Amalthea

Zeus has grown up. Having defeated Kronos in battle with the help of the Titans and Cyclopes, he became the supreme deity of the Olympian Pantheon. Lord heavenly powers He commanded thunder, lightning, clouds and downpours. He dominated the Universe, giving people laws and maintaining order.

Views of the Ancient Greeks

The Hellenes believed that the gods of Olympus were similar to people, and the relationships between them were comparable to human ones. Their lives were also filled with quarrels and reconciliations, envy and interference, resentment and forgiveness, joy, fun and love.

In the ideas of the ancient Greeks, each deity had its own occupation and sphere of influence:

Zeus - lord of the sky, father of gods and people
Hera - wife of Zeus, patroness of the family
Poseidon - sea
Hestia - family hearth
Demeter – agriculture
Apollo – light and music
Athena - wisdom
Hermes - trade and messenger of the gods
Hephaestus - fire
Aphrodite - beauty
Ares - war
Artemis - hunting

From the earth, people each turned to their god, according to their purpose. Temples were built everywhere to appease them, and gifts were offered instead of sacrifices.

In Greek mythology, not only Chaos, Titans and Olympic Pantheon mattered, there were other gods.

Nymphs Naiads who lived in streams and rivers
Nereids - nymphs of the seas
Dryads and Satyrs - nymphs of the forests
Echo - nymph of the mountains
Fate Goddesses: Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos.

The rich world of myths has given us ancient Greece. It is filled with deep meaning and instructive stories. Thanks to them, people can learn ancient wisdom and knowledge.

How many different legends are there on at the moment, can't be counted. But believe me, every person should familiarize themselves with them by spending time with Apollo, Hephaestus, Hercules, Narcissus, Poseidon and others. Welcome to the ancient world of the ancient Greeks!

Heroes, myths and legends about them. Therefore, it is important to know their brief content. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece, the entire Greek culture, especially of the late period, when both philosophy and democracy were developed, had a strong influence on the formation of the entire European civilization as a whole. The mythology evolved over a long period of time. Tales and legends became famous because reciters wandered along the paths and roads of Hellas. They carried more or less long stories about the heroic past. Some gave only a brief summary.

The legends and myths of Ancient Greece gradually became familiar and beloved, and what Homer created was customary to know educated person by heart and be able to quote from anywhere. Greek scientists, striving to put everything in order, began to work on the classification of myths, and turned disparate stories into an orderly series.

Main Greek gods

The very first myths are dedicated to struggle various gods among themselves. Some of them did not have human features - these were the offspring of the goddess Gaia-Earth and Uranus-Sky - twelve titans and six more monsters who horrified their father, and he plunged them into the abyss - Tartarus. But Gaia persuaded the remaining titans to overthrow their father.

This was done by the insidious Kronos - Time. But, having married his sister, he was afraid of the children being born and swallowed them immediately after birth: Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, Hades. Having given birth to the last child, Zeus, the wife deceived Kronos, and he was unable to swallow the baby. And Zeus was safely hidden in Crete. This is just a summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece terribly describe the events taking place.

Zeus's war for power

Zeus grew up, matured and forced Kronos to return his swallowed sisters and brothers to the world. He called them to fight their cruel father. In addition, some of the titans, giants and cyclops took part in the fight. The struggle lasted ten years. The fire raged, the seas boiled, nothing was visible from the smoke. But the victory went to Zeus. The enemies were overthrown into Tartarus and taken into custody.

Gods on Olympus

Zeus, to whom the Cyclops bound lightning, became the supreme god, Poseidon controlled all the waters on earth, and Hades controlled the underground kingdom of the dead. This was already the third generation of gods, from which all the other gods and heroes descended, about whom stories and legends would begin to be told.

The ancients attributed to the cycle about Dionysus, winemaking, fertility, the patron of night mysteries, which were held in the darkest places. The mysteries were terrible and mysterious. This is how the struggle between the dark gods and the light gods began to take shape. There were no real wars, but they gradually began to give way to the bright sun god Phoebus with his rational principle, with his cult of reason, science and art.

And the irrational, ecstatic, sensual retreated. But these are two sides of the same phenomenon. And one was impossible without the other. The goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus, patronized the family.

Ares - war, Athena - wisdom, Artemis - the moon and hunting, Demeter - agriculture, Hermes - trade, Aphrodite - love and beauty.

Hephaestus - to artisans. Their relationships between themselves and people make up the legends of the Hellenes. They were fully studied in pre-revolutionary gymnasiums in Russia. Only now, when people are touched for the most part earthly concerns, if necessary, they pay attention to their summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece are moving further into the past.

Who was patronized by the gods

They weren't very kind to people. They often envied them or lusted after women, were jealous, and were greedy for praise and honors. That is, they were very similar to mortals, if we take their description. Tales (summary), legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) describe their gods in very contradictory ways. “Nothing pleases the gods more than the collapse of human hopes,” Euripides believed. And Sophocles echoed him: “The gods most willingly help a person when he goes towards his death.”

All gods obeyed Zeus, but for people he was important as a guarantor of justice. It was when the judge judged unjustly that man turned to Zeus for help. In matters of war, only Mars dominated. Wise Athena patronized Attica.

All sailors made sacrifices to Poseidon when they went to sea. In Delphi one could ask for favors from Phoebus and Artemis.

Myths about heroes

One of the favorite myths was about Theseus, the son of King Aegeus of Athens. He was born and raised in royal family in Troesen. When he grew up and was able to get his father's sword, he went to meet him. Along the way, he destroyed the robber Procrustes, who did not allow people to pass through his territory. When he got to his father, he learned that Athens was paying tribute to Crete with girls and boys. Together with another batch of slaves, under mourning sails, he went to the island to kill the monstrous Minotaur.

Princess Ariadne helped Theseus through the labyrinth in which the Minotaur was located. Theseus fought the monster and destroyed it.

The Greeks joyfully, freed forever from tribute, returned to their homeland. But they forgot to change the black sails. Aegeus, who did not take his eyes off the sea, saw that his son had died, and from unbearable grief he threw himself into the abyss of the waters above which his palace stood. The Athenians rejoiced that they were freed from tribute forever, but they also cried when they learned about the tragic death of Aegeus. The myth of Theseus is long and colorful. This is its summary. Legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) will give a comprehensive description of it.

The epic is the second part of the book by Nikolai Albertovich Kun

The legends of the Argonauts, the voyages of Odysseus, Orestes' revenge for the death of his father, and the misadventures of Oedipus in the Theban cycle form the second half of the book that Kuhn wrote, Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece. Summary The chapters are listed above.

Returning from Troy to his native Ithaca, Odysseus spent many long years in dangerous wanderings. The way home through the stormy sea was difficult for him.

God Poseidon could not forgive Odysseus for the fact that, saving his life and the lives of his friends, he blinded the Cyclops and sent unheard-of storms. Along the way, they were killed by sirens, captivated by their unearthly voices and mellifluous singing.

All his companions died while traveling across the seas. All were destroyed by evil fate. Odysseus languished in captivity with the nymph Calypso for many years. He begged to be allowed to go home, but the beautiful nymph refused. Only the requests of the goddess Athena softened the heart of Zeus, he took pity on Odysseus and returned him to his family.

The legends of the Trojan cycle and the campaigns of Odysseus were created by Homer in his poems - “The Iliad” and “Odyssey”; the myths about the campaign for the Golden Fleece to the shores of Pontus Evsinsky are described in the poem of Apollonius of Rhodes. Sophocles wrote the tragedy “Oedipus the King,” and the playwright Aeschylus wrote the tragedy about the Arrest. They are given in a summary of “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece” (Nikolai Kun).

Myths and legends about gods, titans, and numerous heroes disturb the imagination of artists of the word, brush and cinematography of our days. Standing in a museum near a painting painted on a mythological theme, or hearing the name of the beautiful Helen, it would be good to at least have a little idea of what is behind this name (a huge war) and to know the details of the plot depicted on the canvas. “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece” can help with this. A summary of the book will reveal the meaning of what you saw and heard.

An amazing people - the Hellenes (as they called themselves), came to the Peloponnese peninsula and settled it. In ancient times, all people tried to live next to the feeding river. But there were no big rivers in Greece. So the Greeks became a coastal people - they were fed by the sea. Brave, inquisitive, they built ships and sailed on the stormy Mediterranean Sea, trading and creating settlements on its shores and islands. They were also pirates, and they received profit not only from trade, but also from robbery. These people traveled a lot, saw the life of other peoples, and they created myths and legends about gods and heroes. The short ancient Greek myth has become a national folklore tradition. He usually narrated about certain events that happened to someone who behaved incorrectly, deviating from generally accepted norms. And usually such a story was very instructive.

Are the heroes still alive?

Yes and no. No one worships them, no one makes sacrifices, no one comes to their sanctuaries asking for advice. But every short ancient Greek myth kept both gods and heroes alive. In these stories, time is frozen and does not move, but the heroes struggle, are active, hunt, fight, try to deceive the gods and talk to each other. They live. The Greeks immediately began to imagine the gods as people, only more beautiful, more skillful and endowed with incredible qualities.

For example, a short ancient Greek text about the most important deity can tell us how high on bright Olympus, surrounded by his wayward, disobedient family, Zeus sits on a high golden throne and establishes order and his harsh laws on earth. While everything is calm, the gods are feasting. young Hebe brings them ambrosia and nectar. Laughing, joking, offering food to the eagle, she can spill nectar on the ground, and then it will pour out in a short warm summer rain.

But Zeus suddenly became angry and frowned thick eyebrows, and now the gray ones covered the clear sky. Thunder rumbled, fiery lightning flashed. Not only the earth is shaking, but also Olympus.

Zeus sends happiness and misfortune to people, drawing them from two different jugs. His daughter Dike helps him. She oversees justice, defends the truth and does not tolerate deception. Zeus is the guarantor of a fair trial. He is the last one to whom both gods and people go for justice. And Zeus never interferes in matters of war - there is and cannot be justice in battles and bloodshed. But there is a goddess on Olympus happy fate- Tyukhe. From the goat Amalthea, which was fed by Zeus, she pours gifts of happiness to people. But how rarely does this happen!

Like this, keeping everything in order Greek world, ruling over evil and good, Zeus reigns forever. Is he alive? A short ancient Greek myth claims to be alive.

What does loving only oneself lead to?

Never gets bored to modern man study ancient Greek myths. Reading short stories, wondering what deep meaning is hidden in them, is simply interesting and exciting. Let's move on to the next myth.

The handsome Narcissus considered only himself worthy of love. He didn't pay attention to anyone, he just admired and admired himself. But is this the essence of human valor and virtue? His life should bring joy, not sorrow, to many. And Narcissus cannot help but look at his reflection: a destructive passion for himself consumes him.

He does not notice the beauty of the world: dew on flowers, hot rays of the sun, beautiful nymphs yearning for his friendship. The narcissist stops eating and drinking, and feels the approach of death. But he, so young and beautiful, is not afraid, but waits for her. And, bending down on the emerald carpet of grass, he quietly dies. This is how Narcissus punished. According to the Greeks, the gods are most willing to help a person when he is heading towards his death. Why should Narcissus live? He is not happy for anyone, he has not done anything good to anyone. But on the bank of the stream, where the selfish handsome man admired himself, a beautiful spring flower grew, which gives happiness to all people.

About love conquering stone

Our life consists of love and mercy. Another short Greek myth tells the story of the brilliant sculptor Pygmalion, who carved white ivory beautiful girl. She was so beautiful, so superior in beauty to human daughters, that the creator admired her every minute and dreamed that she would turn from a cold stone into a warm, living one.

Pygmalion wanted the girl to be able to talk to him. Oh, how long they would sit, bowing their heads to each other and telling secrets. But the girl was cold. Then, at the festival of Aphrodite, Pygmalion decided to pray for mercy. And when he returned home, he saw that the dead statue had blood flowing through its veins and life and kindness shone in its eyes. Thus happiness entered the creator's house. This short story says that true love overcomes all obstacles.

The dream of immortality, or how the deception ends

Myths and Greek legends begin to be studied already in elementary school. Ancient Greek myths are interesting and fascinating. Grade 3 should read short and entertaining, tragic and instructive stories according to school curriculum. These are the myths about the proud Niobe, the disobedient Icarus, the unfortunate Adonis and the deceiver Sisyphus.

All heroes crave immortality. But only the gods can bestow it if they themselves want it. The gods are capricious and malicious - every Hellene knows this. And Sisyphus, king of Corinth, was very rich and cunning. He guessed that the deity of death would soon come for him, and ordered him to be seized and chained. The gods freed their messenger, and Sisyphus had to die. But he cheated: he did not order himself to be buried and funeral sacrifices made to the gods. His cunning soul asked to be released into the world in order to persuade the living to make rich sacrifices. They believed Sisyphus again and released him, but of his own free will he did not return to the underworld.

In the end, the gods became very angry and gave him a special punishment: to show the futility of all human efforts, he had to roll a huge stone up the mountain, and then this boulder would roll down the other side. This is repeated day after day, for thousands of years, and to this day: no one is able to cope with divine decrees. And cheating is simply not good.

About excessive curiosity

Ancient Greek myths, short for children and adults, are about disobedience and curiosity.

Zeus got angry with people and decided to “bestow” them with evil. To do this, he ordered the craftsman Hephaestus to create the most beautiful girl in the world. Aphrodite gave her an inexpressible charm, Hermes - a subtle resourceful mind. The gods revived her and named her Pandora, which translates as “endowed with all gifts.” They married her to a calm, worthy man. He had a tightly closed vessel in his house. Everyone knew that it was filled with sorrows and troubles. But Pandora was not embarrassed.

Slowly, when no one was looking, he took the lid off of it! And all the misfortunes of the world instantly flew out of him: illness, poverty, stupidity, discord, unrest, war. When Pandora saw what she had done, she was terribly frightened and waited in a daze until all the troubles were freed. And then, as if in a fever, she slammed the lid. And what's left at the bottom? The last thing is hope. This is exactly what Pandora deprived people of. Therefore, the human race has nothing to hope for. You just need to act and fight for good.

Myths and modernity

If anyone is well known to modern man, it is the gods and heroes of Greece. The heritage of this people is multifaceted. One of the masterpieces is ancient Greek myths, short. The author Nikolai Albertovich Kun is a historian, professor, teacher, but how much he knew and loved Hellas! How many myths with all the details have been conveyed to our times! That's why we read Kuhn a lot today. Greek myths- a source of inspiration for all generations of artists and creators.

The beginning of the world

Once upon a time, there was nothing in the Universe but dark and gloomy Chaos. And then the Earth appeared from Chaos - the goddess Gaia, powerful and beautiful. She gave life to everything that lives and grows on her. And everyone has since called her their mother.

The Great Chaos also gave birth to the gloomy Darkness - Erebus and the black Night - Nyukta and ordered them to guard the Earth. It was dark and gloomy on Earth at that time. This was until Erebus and Nyukta got tired of their hard, constant work. Then they gave birth to the eternal Light - Ether and the joyful shining Day - Hemera.

And so it went from then on. Night guards peace on Earth. As soon as she lowers her black covers, everything plunges into darkness and silence. And then it is replaced by a cheerful, shining Day, and everything around becomes light and joyful.

Deep under the Earth, as deep as one can imagine, the terrible Tartarus formed. Tartarus was as far from the Earth as the sky, only with reverse side. Eternal darkness and silence reigned there...

And above, high above the Earth, lies the endless Sky - Uranus. The god Uranus began to reign over the whole world. He took as his wife the beautiful goddess Gaia - the Earth.

Gaia and Uranus had six daughters, beautiful and wise, and six sons, powerful and formidable titans, and among them the majestic Titan Ocean and the youngest, the cunning Cronus.

And then six terrible giants were born to Mother Earth at once. Three giants - Cyclopes with one eye in their forehead - could frighten anyone who just looked at them. But the other three giants, real monsters, looked even more terrible. Each of them had 50 heads and 100 arms. And they were so terrible to look at, these hundred-armed giants, the Hecatonchires, that even their father himself, the mighty Uranus, feared and hated them. So he decided to get rid of his children. He imprisoned the giants deep in the bowels of their mother Earth and did not allow them to emerge into the light.

The giants rushed about in the deep darkness, wanting to break out, but did not dare to disobey the order of their father. It was also hard for their mother Earth, she suffered greatly from such an unbearable burden and pain. Then she called her titan children and asked them to help her.

“Rise up against your cruel father,” she persuaded them, “if you don’t take away his power over the world now, he will destroy us all.”

But no matter how much Gaia tried to persuade her children, they did not agree to raise a hand against their father. Only the youngest of them, the ruthless Cronus, supported his mother, and they decided that Uranus should no longer reign in the world.

And then one day Kron attacked his father, wounded him with a sickle and took away his power over the world. Drops of the blood of Uranus that fell to the ground turned into monstrous giants with snake tails instead of legs and vile, disgusting Erinyes, who had snakes writhing on their heads instead of hair, and in their hands they held lit torches.

These were terrible deities of death, discord, revenge and deception.

Now the powerful, inexorable Kron, the god of Time, has reigned in the world. He took the goddess Rhea as his wife.

But there was no peace and harmony in his kingdom either. The gods quarreled among themselves and deceived each other.

War of the Gods

For a long time, the great and powerful Cronus, the god of Time, reigned in the world, and people called his kingdom the Golden Age. The first people were just born on Earth then, and they lived without any worries. The Fertile Land itself fed them. She gave abundant harvests. Bread grew spontaneously in the fields, wonderful fruits ripened in the gardens. People just had to collect them, and they worked as much as they could and wanted.

But Kron himself was not calm. Long ago, when he was just beginning to reign, his mother, the goddess Gaia, predicted to him that he, too, would lose power. And one of his sons will take it away from Cronus. So Kron was worried. After all, everyone who has power wants to reign as long as possible.

Kron also did not want to lose power over the world. And he commanded his wife, the goddess Rhea, to bring him her children as soon as they were born. And the father mercilessly swallowed them. Rhea's heart was torn with grief and suffering, but she could not do anything. It was impossible to persuade Kron. So he has already swallowed five of his children. Another child was soon to be born, and the goddess Rhea turned in desperation to her parents, Gaia and Uranus.

“Help me save my last baby,” she begged them with tears. “You are wise and all-powerful, tell me what to do, where to hide my dear son so that he can grow up and take revenge for such a crime.”

The immortal gods took pity on their beloved daughter and taught her what to do. And so Rhea brings her husband, the ruthless Cronus, a long stone wrapped in swaddling clothes.

“Here is your son Zeus,” she told him sadly. - He was just born. Do whatever you want with it.

Kron grabbed the package and, without unwrapping it, swallowed it. Meanwhile, the overjoyed Rhea took her little son, made her way to Dikta in the dead of night and hid him in an inaccessible cave on a wooded Aegean mountain.

There, on the island of Crete, he grew up surrounded by kind and cheerful Kurete demons. They played with little Zeus and brought him milk from the sacred goat Amalthea. And when he cried, the demons began to rattle their spears against their shields, danced and drowned out his crying with loud cries. They were very afraid that the cruel Cronus would hear the child’s cry and realize that he had been deceived. And then no one will be able to save Zeus.

But Zeus grew very quickly, his muscles filled out extraordinary strength, and soon the time came when he, powerful and omnipotent, decided to enter into a fight with his father and take away his power over the world. Zeus turned to the Titans and invited them to fight with him against Cronus.

And a great dispute broke out among the titans. Some decided to stay with Cronus, others sided with Zeus. Filled with courage, they were eager to fight. But Zeus stopped them. At first he wanted to free his brothers and sisters from his father’s womb, so that he could fight with them against Cronus. But how can you get Kron to let his children go? Zeus understood that he could not defeat the powerful god by force alone. We need to come up with something to outsmart him.

Then the great titan Ocean, who was on the side of Zeus in this fight, came to his aid. His daughter, the wise goddess Thetis, prepared a magic potion and brought it to Zeus.

“O mighty and omnipotent Zeus,” she told him, “this miraculous nectar will help you free your brothers and sisters.” Just make Kron drink it.

Cunning Zeus figured out how to do this. He sent Cronus a luxurious amphora with nectar as a gift, and Cronus, suspecting nothing, accepted this insidious gift. He drank the magic nectar with pleasure and immediately vomited out first a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, and then all his children. One after another they came into the world, and his daughters, the beautiful goddesses Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and his sons Hades and Poseidon. During the time they were sitting in their father's womb, they became quite adults.

All the children of Cronus united, and a long and terrible war began between them and their father Cronus for power over all people and gods. New gods established themselves on Olympus. From here they waged their great battle.

The young gods were omnipotent and formidable; the mighty titans supported them in this struggle. The Cyclopes forged for Zeus menacing roaring thunder and fiery lightning. But on the other side there were powerful opponents. The powerful Kron had no intention of giving up his power to the young gods and also gathered formidable titans around him.

This terrible and cruel battle of the gods lasted for ten years. No one could win, but no one wanted to give up. Then Zeus decided to call to his aid the mighty hundred-armed giants, who were still sitting in a deep and dark dungeon. Huge, scary giants came to the surface of the Earth and rushed into battle. They tore entire rocks from mountain ranges and threw them at the titans besieging Olympus. The air was torn apart by a wild roar, the Earth groaned in pain, and even distant Tartarus shook from what was happening above. From the heights of Olympus, Zeus threw down fiery lightning, and everything around was blazing with a terrible flame, the water in the rivers and seas was boiling from the heat.

Finally the titans wavered and retreated. The Olympians shackled them and threw them into gloomy Tartarus, into the deep, eternal darkness. And at the gates of Tartarus, formidable hundred-armed giants stood guard so that the mighty titans could never break free from their terrible captivity.

But the young gods did not have to celebrate their victory. The goddess Gaia was angry with Zeus for treating her titan sons so cruelly. To punish him, she gave birth to the terrible monster Typhon and sent him to Zeus.

The Earth itself shook, and huge mountains rose up when the huge Typhon emerged into the light. All his hundred dragon heads howled, roared, barked, and screamed in different voices. Even the gods shuddered in horror when they saw such a monster. Only Zeus was not at a loss. He waved his mighty right hand - and hundreds of fiery lightning rained down on Typhon. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed with unbearable brilliance, water boiled in the seas - real hell was happening on Earth at that time.

But then the lightning sent by Zeus reached its target, and one after another the head of Typhon burst into flames. He fell heavily onto the wounded Earth. Zeus picked up a huge monster and threw it into Tartarus. But even there Typhon did not calm down. From time to time he begins to go on a rampage in his terrible dungeon, and then terrible earthquakes occur, cities collapse, mountains split, and fierce storms sweep away all life from the face of the earth. True, now Typhon’s rampage is short-lived, he will throw out his wild forces and calm down for a while, and again everything on earth and in heaven goes on as usual.

This is how the great battle of the gods ended, after which new gods reigned in the world.

Poseidon, lord of the seas

Deep at the very bottom of the sea, the brother of the mighty Zeus, Poseidon, now lives in his luxurious palace. After that great battle, when the young gods defeated the old, the sons of Kron cast lots, and Poseidon got power over all the sea elements. He descended to the bottom of the sea, and remained there to live forever. But every day Poseidon rises to the surface of the sea to travel around his endless possessions.

Majestic and beautiful, he rushes on his mighty green-maned horses, and the obedient waves part before his master. Poseidon is not inferior to Zeus himself in power. Of course! After all, as soon as he waves his formidable trident, a furious storm rises on the sea, huge waves rise to the very sky and, with a deafening roar, fall down into the very abyss.

The mighty Poseidon is terrible in his anger, and woe to anyone who finds himself at sea at such a time. Like weightless splinters, huge ships rush along the raging waves until, completely broken and twisted, they collapse into deep sea. Even marine life - fish and dolphins - try to climb deeper into the sea in order to wait out Poseidon’s wrath there in safety.

But now his anger passes, he majestically raises his sparkling trident, and the sea calms down. Unprecedented fish rise from the depths of the sea, attach themselves to the back of the chariot of the great god, and cheerful dolphins rush after them. They tumble in sea waves, entertain their mighty overlord. The beautiful daughters of the sea elder Nereus splash in the coastal waves in cheerful flocks.

One day, Poseidon, as always, was racing across the sea in his fast-flying chariot and on the shore of the island of Naxos he saw a beautiful goddess. It was Amphitrite, the daughter of the sea elder Nereus, who knows all the secrets of the future and gives wise advice. Together with her Nereid sisters, she was relaxing in a green meadow. They ran and frolicked, holding hands, and led merry round dances.

Poseidon immediately fell in love with the beautiful Amphitrite. He had already sent his mighty horses to the shore and wanted to take her away in his chariot. But Amphitrite was frightened by the frantic Poseidon and escaped from him. She slowly made her way to the Titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his powerful shoulders, and asked him to hide her somewhere. Atlas took pity on the beautiful Amphitrite and hid her in a deep cave at the bottom of the Ocean.

Poseidon searched for Amphitrite for a long time and could not find her. Like a fiery tornado he rushed across the expanses of the sea; All this time the fierce storm did not subside at sea. All the inhabitants of the sea: fish, dolphins, and all the underwater monsters - went in search of the beautiful Amphitrite to calm their raging master.

Finally, the dolphin managed to find her in one of the remote caves. He swam quickly to Poseidon and showed him Amphitrite’s refuge. Poseidon rushed to the cave and took his beloved with him. He did not forget to thank the dolphin who helped him. He placed it among the constellations in the sky. Since then, the dolphin has lived there, and everyone knows that there is a constellation in the sky called Dolphin, but not everyone knows how it got there.

And the beautiful Amphitrite became the wife of the powerful Poseidon and lived happily with him in his luxurious underwater castle. Since then, fierce storms have rarely happened at sea, because the gentle Amphitrite knows very well how to tame the anger of her powerful husband.

The time has come, and the divine beauty Amphitrite and the ruler of the seas Poseidon had a son - the handsome Triton. As handsome as the son of the ruler of the seas is, he is also playful. As soon as he blows into the conch shell, the sea will immediately become agitated, the waves will rustle, and a menacing storm will fall on the unlucky sailors. But Poseidon, seeing the pranks of his son, immediately raises his trident, and the waves, as if by magic, calm down and, whispering gently, serenely splash, caressing the transparent, clean sea sand on the shore.

The old man of the sea Nereus often visits his daughter, and her cheerful sisters also sail to her. Sometimes Amphitrite goes with them to play on the seashore, and Poseidon is no longer worried. He knows that she will no longer hide from him and will definitely return to their wonderful underwater palace.

Gloomy Kingdom

The third brother of the great Zeus, the stern Hades, lives and reigns deep underground. He was given the underworld by lot, and since then he has been the sovereign master there.

Dark and gloomy in the kingdom of Hades, not a single ray of light sunlight does not penetrate there through the thickness. Not a single living voice disturbs the sad silence of this gloomy kingdom, only the plaintive groans of the dead fill the entire dungeon with a quiet, indistinct rustle. There are already more dead here than living on earth. And they keep coming and coming.

Flows on the borders of the underworld sacred river Styx, the souls of the dead fly to its shores after death. They patiently and resignedly wait for the carrier Charon to sail for them. He loads his boat with silent shadows and takes them to the other shore. He only takes everyone in one direction; his boat always sails back empty.

And there, at the entrance to the kingdom of the dead, sits a formidable guard - the three-headed dog Kerber, the son of the terrible Typhon, with evil snakes hissing and writhing on his neck. Only he guards the exit more than the entrance. Without delay, he allows the souls of the dead to pass through, but not one of them comes back out.

And then their path lies to the throne of Hades. In the middle of his underground kingdom, he sits on a golden throne with his wife Persephone. One day he kidnapped her from the earth, and since then Persephone has lived here, in this luxurious, but gloomy and joyless underground palace.

Every now and then Charon brings new souls. Frightened and trembling, they flock together in front of the formidable ruler. Persephone feels sorry for them, she is ready to help them all, calm them down and console them. But no, she can’t do that! The inexorable judges Minos and Rhadamanthus sit nearby. They weigh the unfortunate souls on their terrible scales, and it immediately becomes clear how much a person has sinned in his life and what fate awaits him here. It’s bad for sinners, and especially for those who themselves did not spare anyone during their lives, robbed and killed, and mocked the defenseless. Now the inexorable goddess of vengeance, Erinyes, will not give them a moment of peace. They rush throughout the dungeon after criminal souls, chasing them, waving menacing whips, disgusting snakes writhing on their heads. There is nowhere for sinners to hide from them. How they would like, at least for a second, to find themselves on earth and say to their loved ones: “Be kinder to each other. Don't repeat our mistakes. A terrible reckoning awaits everyone after death.” But from here there is no way to earth. There are only here from the ground.

Leaning on his formidable striking sword, in a wide black cloak, the terrible god of death Tanat stands near the throne. As soon as Hades waves his hand, Tanat takes off from his place and flies on his huge black wings to the bed of the dying man for a new victim.

But it was as if a bright ray swept through the gloomy dungeon. This is the beautiful young Hypnos, the god who brings sleep. He came down here to greet Hades, his lord. And then he will again rush to the ground, where people are waiting for him. It will be bad for them if Hypnos lingers somewhere.

He flies above the ground on his light, lacy wings and pours sleeping pills from his horn. He gently touches his eyelashes with his magic wand, and everything is immersed in sweet dream. Neither people nor immortal gods can resist the will of Hypnos - he is so powerful and omnipotent. Even the great Zeus obediently closes his menacing eyes when he waves the beautiful Hypnos with his wonderful rod.

The gods of dreams often accompany Hypnos on flights. They are very different, these gods, just like people. There are kind and cheerful ones, and there are gloomy and unfriendly ones. And so it turns out: to whom which god flies, the person will see such a dream. Some people will have a joyful and happy dream, while others will have an anxious, joyless dream.

Also roaming the underworld are the terrible ghost Empusa with donkey legs and the monstrous Lamia, who loves to sneak into children’s bedrooms at night and drag away little children. The terrible goddess Hecate rules over all these monsters and ghosts. As soon as night falls, this whole creepy company comes out onto the ground, and God forbid anyone meets them at this time. But at dawn they again hide in their gloomy dungeon and sit there until dark.

This is what it is like – the kingdom of Hades, terrible and joyless.

Olympians

The most powerful of all the sons of Cronus - Zeus - remained on Olympus, he was given the sky by lot, and from here he began to reign over the whole world.

Below, on Earth, hurricanes and wars are raging, people are aging and dying, but here, on Olympus, peace and tranquility reigns. There is never winter or frost here, it never rains or the winds blow. A golden glow spreads around day and night. Immortal gods live here in the luxurious golden palaces that Master Hephaestus built for them. They feast and have fun in their golden palaces. But they don’t forget about business, because each of them has their own responsibilities. And now Themis, the goddess of law, called everyone to the council of the gods. Zeus wanted to discuss how best to control people.

The great Zeus sits on a golden throne, and in front of him in a spacious hall are all the other gods. Near his throne, as always, is the goddess of peace Eirene and the constant companion of Zeus, the winged Nike, the goddess of victory. Here are the fleet-footed Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, and the great warrior goddess Pallas Athena. Beautiful Aphrodite shines with her heavenly beauty.

The always busy Apollo is late. But now he flies up to Olympus. Three beautiful Oras, who guard the entrance to high Olympus, have already opened a thick cloud in front of him to clear his way. And he, shining with beauty, strong and mighty, throwing his silver bow over his shoulders, enters the hall. His sister, the beautiful goddess Artemis, a tireless hunter, joyfully rises to meet him.

And then the majestic Hera, in luxurious clothes, a beautiful, fair-haired goddess, the wife of Zeus, enters the hall. All the gods rise and greet respectfully great Hera. She sits down next to Zeus on her luxurious golden throne and listens to what the immortal gods are talking about. She also has her own constant companion. This is the light-winged Iris, the goddess of the rainbow. At the first word of her mistress, Iris is ready to fly to the most remote corners of the Earth to fulfill any of her instructions.

Today Zeus is calm and peaceful. The rest of the gods are also calm. This means that everything is in order on Olympus, and things are going well on Earth. Therefore, today the immortals have no sorrows. They joke and have fun. But it also happens differently. If the mighty Zeus gets angry, he will wave his formidable right hand, and immediately a deafening thunder will shake the entire Earth. One after another he throws dazzling fiery lightning. Things go badly for those who somehow displease the great Zeus. It happens that even an innocent person at such moments becomes an involuntary victim of the uncontrollable anger of the ruler. But there’s nothing you can do about it!

And there are also two mysterious vessels standing at the gates of his golden palace. In one vessel lies good, and in the other - evil. Zeus scoops up from one vessel, then from another and throws handfuls onto the Earth. All people should receive an equal share of good and evil. But it also happens that someone gets more good, while someone gets only evil. But no matter how much Zeus sends good and evil from his vessels to the Earth, he is still unable to influence the fate of people. This is done by the goddesses of fate - the Moiras, who also live on Olympus. The great Zeus himself depends on them and does not know his fate.