The Rich Tapestry of Greek Mythology: Gods, Oracles, and the Underworld

1. Greek Mythology

2. Greek Religious Beliefs • Polytheistic – believed in many gods • Believed they could communicate directly with the deities • Gods were anthropomorphic – possessed human characteristics • Gods experienced: conflict, joy, anxiety, love, jealousy, deceitfulness, dilemmas, passion, aggression, euphoria • In short… Greek myths represented the trials and tribulations of the human condition

3. Gods believed to control all aspects of human life and death • Passed down through myths and legends • Book of Orpheus • Collection of teachings of Greek priests and comes close to a sacred text • Duty of all Greeks to visit a shrine, altar, or temple to the gods and say a prayer and leave a small gift

4. How the World Began • Gaea (Mother Earth) rose out of chaos • She gave birth to a son, Uranos (Sky), who became her husband • They had many children – most important were the 14 Titans • Cronos led others in a rebellion against their father and deposed him

5. Cronos married his sister, Rhea • Their son Zeus led his siblings against the Titans; he deposed Cronos and became leader of the new gods • New rulers lived on Mount Olympus and were known as Olympians

6. Omens • Specially trained priests read signs to determine the will of the gods • Divining – reading the entrails (liver) of animals • Augury – reading flight patterns of birds • Soothsayers (i.e. oracles) could see into the future

7. Oracles • People would inquire about personal or national problems to the gods through oracles • Most famous oracle at Delphi where Apollo spoke through his priestess, the Pythia • The Pythia gave oracles once a year but Delphi became so popular that they were given every week and two priestesses were needed

9. Oracles to Delphi • The Pythia gave her oracles in an inner sanctuary • First she bathed in a holy fountain, drank from a sacred spring, inhaled smoke of burning laurel leaves • Temple priests posed people’s questions to the Pythia • They then interpreted her replies… often vague and could be interpreted multiple ways

10. Death and the Underworld (Hades) • Styx • River marking the boundary between world of the living and the underworld • Charon (Ki-Ron) • Ferryman who took dead across River Styx • Dead had to have a coin to pay for the crossing or the soul would wander lost on the riverbank • Cerberus • Three-headed guard dog at the gates of Hades • Job was to stop souls from leaving Hades and the living from entering the Underworld

11. Tartarus • Souls of wicked sent to Tartarus where they were condemned to eternal punishment • Worst sin to commit was to abuse the gods’ hospitality • Asphodel • Souls of common people who had not been too bad or too good were sent to this grey, lifeless, boring place to drift aimlessly for eternity • People here lost all of their memory and therefore had nothing to talk about • Elysian Fields • Souls of those who were virtuous were sent to a happy place filled with golden sunlight