Achilles
Posted on | February 19, 2008 | 6 Comments
Achilles has been described as the most handsome warrior to fight in the Trojan War. He established an impressive war record and captured 23 Trojan villages. He was seen as a great hero and is the main character in the Iliad, whose central theme is the wrath of Achilles, in deference to his explosive and [...]
Theseus
Posted on | February 19, 2008 | No Comments
Theseus was a founder of many of the original Greek myths, as were Heracles and Perseus, and was the King of Athens. He was known as the unifying king, and is believed responsible for creating many of the traditions of Athens.
Mythology
Aethra is Perseus’mother, and his fathers were Aegeus and Poseidon. It is said that Aethra [...]
Perseus
Posted on | February 19, 2008 | 2 Comments
The victories of Perseus against mythic monsters provided the foundation for the stories of the Twelve Olympians. This founder of Mycenae and the Perseid dynasty was most famous for being the slayer of Medusa.
Mythology
Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae. Danae’s father, King Acrisius of Argos, had locked Danae in an underground bronze vault [...]
Odysseus
Posted on | February 19, 2008 | 2 Comments
Odysseus was a legendary Greek King of Ithaca, an island in the Ionian sea along Greece’s northwestern coast. He figured prominently in Homer’s epic poem Iliad, and was the hero of Homer’s The Odyssey. He was beloved by the Greeks for his cunning and resourcefulness, and became one of the most trusted advisors during the [...]
Heracles
Posted on | February 19, 2008 | No Comments
Heracles is described as the greatest of Greek heroes, the embodiment of great strength and champion fighter against the chthonic monsters. He was the patron god and protector of palaestrae and gymnasia, a responsibility he shared with Hermes. His symbols were the club and the lion skin.
In addition to enormous strength, Heracles was known for [...]
May the Gods Forgive Me
Posted on | February 16, 2008 | No Comments
I stood at the doorway of my neighbors home. In my hands I held a short-sword, a small but sturdy weapon, and upon the sword were the stains of those I had slain in the past. Those that I had slain in battle, in conflict, in justice. Today, my sword was stained [...]
Polis
Posted on | February 16, 2008 | 1 Comment
The Polis refers not necessarily to a single city, but rather to a form of governance for Greek communities, known as city-states. Following the Mycenean Age, the Greeks lived in small tribal or nomadic groups. This period, known as the Greek Dark Ages, lasted from around 1200 BC until between 800 and 700 BC. As [...]
Corinth
Posted on | February 16, 2008 | No Comments
The city of Corinth was originally founded around 6000 BC, during the Neolithic Age, by Corinthos, a descendant of the sun god Helios. Other myths claim the city was founded by Ephyra, daughter of the Titan Oceanus. The city is known both as Corinth and as Ephyra.
During the Mycenaean period Corinth may have also been [...]
The Titans
Posted on | February 16, 2008 | 2 Comments
The Titans were a race of giant, powerful gods who ruled the earth before being overthrown by Zeus and the Olympians. The twelve original Titans were the descendants of Gaia, the Earth goddess, and Uranus, the sky god. Uranus was the son of Gaia but also married her, and together they created the first generation [...]
Persephone
Posted on | February 16, 2008 | No Comments
Persephone was at the same time the queen of the underworld and the representation of the fertility of the earth’s fertility. She was the goddess of the harvest, and possessed such great beauty that everyone wanted her.
Mythology
Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. As a young girl, Persephone had been pursued by the likes [...]