GRM-Background of Greek and Roman Mythology Lesson

Because mythology is largely made up of stories passed down through oral tradition, or story telling, we can see slight variations in these Greek tales.

Greek mythology begins with a creation story, as do the mythologies of most cultures. In Greek mythology, Chaos (a large void surrounding the universe) was ruled by Eurynome. Chaos was surrounded by an unending stream of water and was ruled by the god Oceanus.

Eurynome was the daughter of Oceanus. Eurynome wanted to bring order to the Chaos. Some stories say she paired with a snake, Ophion, and others say the North Wind, and gave birth to Eros, the god of love. Eros is also known as Protagonus.

Eurynome then created the land by dancing on the waves of Oceanus, and then filled it with nymphs, Furies, Charities, and monsters. Others born from Chaos were Gaia (Mother Earth), Uranus (embodiment of the sky and heavens), and Tartarus (god of the Earth).

Gaia and Uranus gave birth to the Titans, which are said to be a race of giants. Among these titans were Cronus, Rhea, Phoebe, Thea, Prometheus, Atlas, and Dione. Cronus, afraid that prophecy would come true and a son would over overthrow him some day, swallowed many of his children to prevent this from happening. Gaia was angered and tricked Cronus. When his youngest son, Zeus, was born, she gave him a swaddled rock to swallow and took Zeus to a safe place.

Zeus did in fact overthrow his father, brothers, and sisters, and brought order to Chaos. From that point, we know Zeus as the leader of the gods in Greek Mythology.

The Olympians

The Olympians were twelve gods and goddesses left to rule after the Titans were overthrown. Scroll through the tabs below to learn and study these major Olympian gods & goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology. On each card, the Greek name is listed and is followed by the Roman name. The Greek information is listed on the card, but the information is the same for both regions. The names can be interchanged.

The Olympians Activity

Reading Assignments: Excerpts from The Odyssey and The Aeneid

Below are selected portions from The Odyssey and The Aeneid. These texts represent a portion of the foundations of Greek and Roman mythology. The Odyssey tells tales of Odysseus after the Trojan War. He encounters many mythical characters as he makes his way home. The Aeneid tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan man who became the ancestor of Rome. Aeneas's story also contains several mythical figures.

The Odyssey:

Click here to read The Odyssey-Book IX Links to an external site. 

The Aeneid:

Click here to read The Aeneid-Book I Links to an external site. 

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