10 FAMOUS GREEK MYTHS AND LEGENDS - HISTORY - 2024

The myths and legends Greek part of ancient Greek mythology. They have elements of a religious nature that served as influence to shape the culture of the ancient civilizations that inhabited this European region.

From the Greek myths also gave rise to the various gods who, it was believed, ruled the world and its different aspects. This concept includes all the fantastic teachings and beliefs that were present in the culture of the inhabitants of this civilization.

Greek mythological beliefs encompass a whole series of magical narratives, usually telling legends of heroes and the relationship they had with the gods. In addition, they were used as inspiration by artists in the creation of their works.

Greek myths and legends were passed from generation to generation through the works of local musicians, who sang their epic stories to the inhabitants of the region around the 18th century BC. C.

However, the greatest amount of knowledge that exists today about myths comes from ancient Greek literature.

The most accurate source of Greek mythological culture is currently being studied by archaeologists, using vessels and works of art from that time.

Main myths and legends of Ancient Greece

The creation

The Greek creation story is considered one of the first attempts in the written history of mankind to explain the origin of the universe.

According to legend, at first there was only chaos. From this empty infinity Gaia (Earth) and other entities such as love, emptiness and darkness were created.

Gaia had a son, Uranus, who represented heaven. Uranus fertilized Gaia, and from this 12 Titans were born. After this, all the gods that are popularly known today emerge, each with its own particular legend and some more relevant than others.

According to the creation story, the gods, titans, and demigods repeatedly had conflicts with each other. Murders, incest, and exiles were common in the mythological stories of the Greeks.

Minotaur

The Minotaur was a monster from Greek mythology, which was half human and half bull. It was born from the union between a goddess and the Bull of Crete, a city in which it was said it lived. She lived in a labyrinth located in the same city of Crete.

According to legend, he lived there because the king of the city, Minos, was advised by the oracle to hide him given his violent nature. In fact, as it was a supernatural creature, it only ate humans in its diet.

When the son of Minos was killed by accident in an event in Athens, the king ordered that 14 young men be sent every year to feed the Minotaur.

However, as the story goes, the hero Theseus went to the labyrinth, used a tin ball to stay on course, and killed the minotaur.

Cyclops

Cyclops were creatures with human form, but of a gigantic size and with only one eye. The most recognized of the Cyclopes was Polyphemus, who was blinded by Odysseus in the famous literary work of Homer. Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon (the god of the seas) and the rest of the Cyclops were his brothers.

Legend has it that they were creatures with little attachment to the law or good social customs. They were not afraid of the gods; they had a wild life, since they cared little about the good assets of those around them.

Cerberus

Cerberus, also known as Can Cerbero, was a giant three-headed dog tasked with guarding the entrance to the underworld, where Hades (god of death) resided. It was an intimidating creature that was in charge of not letting anyone out of "hell" and of protecting Hades.

Only the spirits of the dead were allowed to enter the underworld; no spirit could escape from there.

The existence of this myth is believed to be related to the inherent fear that the ancient Greeks had for wild dogs. The characteristics of Cerberus were also a representation of the importance they gave to dogs as guardians.

The king midas

The Midas story is a popular myth used to relate the consequences of greed. Midas was a powerful king of Phrygia, who possessed a great fortune.

However, he always wanted more money, so he asked the gods to grant him the blessing of turning everything he touched into gold.

The gods granted Midas's wish, but his new ability turned out to be nothing more than a curse. She could not eat, for the same food turned to gold as soon as it came into contact with the king. In desperation, he asked the gods to forgive his greed and return him to normal.

The gods granted his wish. From that moment, Midas began to share his fortune with the people, becoming a much more generous king and loved by his people.

Chimera

The Chimera was a female creature that was made up of the parts of three different animals. Its front part was that of a lion, its rear part that of a dragon and the middle part was that of a goat.

She brought destruction to the cities of Caria and Lycia until she was killed by the mighty warrior Bellerophon.

The Chimera was widely used in various artistic works of the ancient Greeks, generally represented as a grotesque creature with different features of the three animals that made it up.

Pegasus

The Pegasus was a creature with the shape of a horse and giant eagle wings. He was the son of Poseidon and Medusa, the monster capable of turning to stone whoever saw her in the eye.

Legend has it that he was born when Perseus murdered Medusa; By cutting the monster's neck, Pegasus flew out of it and was released.

It was a majestic creature that inspired hundreds of Greek artists. In addition, there is a constellation of this beast, which is thought to have been created by Zeus after his death, to honor Pegasus.

The legend of Perseus

Perseus was a demigod, son of Zeus.

According to legend, he was the grandson of a Greek king named Arcisio. This king had never had children, and so he decided to consult the oracle if he would ever have them.

The oracle told him yes, and that one day his grandson was going to assassinate him. This caused panic in the king, and when his daughter was finally born, he locked her in a cell.

However, it was Zeus who got her pregnant. Unable to murder her daughter or grandson, Arcisio banished them from the city. During his exile, Perseus grew up to be a powerful warrior.

On one of his trips, Polidectes fell in love with his mother. Perseus was very overprotective towards her, so she never let him get close to her.

Polydectes challenged Perseus to murder Medusa and bring her head, or he would take his mother as a consolation prize. Enraged, Perseus went to the monster's lair and murdered Medusa. He tore his head off and took it to Polidectes.

Later, Perseus rescued Andromeda from the clutches of Polidectes, who wanted to marry her. After escaping, he married her. Perseus never had a grudge for his grandfather, who had banished him and his mother, but in the end it was he who ended his life, despite not knowing him in person.

The prophecy of Arcisio's death was fulfilled by accident. At a sporting event, Perseus threw a puck uncontrollably and it struck the king, who died instantly. The event devastated Perseus, but his grandfather was buried with honor.

jellyfish

Medusa was a monster belonging to the family of the Gorgon sisters, who descended from the Earth and the Ocean. However, Medusa was not a goddess; she was the only mortal of her sisters.

Unlike the tales of today, in Greek mythology Medusa was not a beautiful woman. In fact, according to the original legend, she had a hideous face and snakes instead of hair.

She was originally a beautiful woman, belonging to a group of priestesses from Greece. When she fell in love with Poseidon, the gods decided to punish her heavily, transforming her into a repulsive monster.

The Argonauts

The Argonauts were the 50 heroes who traveled on the ship "Argo" with Jason, on a mission whose objective was to get the precious Golden Fleece belonging to Chrysomalus.

Jason wanted to obtain this piece because Arcisio, who had usurped the throne that belonged to his father, promised to return it to his family if this object was given to him.

All the Argonauts were local heroes of Greece, belonging to local tribes and the same family as Jason. Additionally, heroes from other legends such as Dioscuri and Castor were also recruited for the expedition.

After the arrival of the Argo, he was placed in a cave protected by Poseidon, located on the Isthmus of Corinth, a city in the Peloponnese.

References

1. Ancient Greeks Myths, Stories & Legends; Greeks & Goddesses Website, (nd). Taken from greeksandgoddesses.net
2. Greek Mythology, Wikipedia in English, April 26, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
3. Cyclopes - Cyclops, Greek Mythology Website, April 25, 2018. Taken from greekmythology.com
4. Medusa, Greek Mythology Online, (nd). Taken from greekmythology.com
5. Minotaur, Greek Mythology Website, April 25, 2018. Taken from greekmythology.com
6. Cerberus, Greek Gods and Goddesses, February 7, 2017. Taken from greekgodsandgoddesses.com
7. King Midas, Greeka - Greek Island Specialists, (nd). Taken from greeka.com
8. Chimera, Encyclopaedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from britannica.com
9. Pegasus, Mythical Animals, (nd). Taken from animalplanet.com