The stories of Gods and mortals created by the Greeks thousands of years ago are all around us today.You will be more culturally literate if you know Greek mythology.It is fun!Greek myths are great stories, which is why Hollywood keeps looking at them.To study Greek mythology, you need to know something.You can enroll in an online class or explore mythology by reading.
Step 1: The gods can be learned.
There are a lot of characters in Greek mythology.Learning the major Olympian gods is an important first step in understanding Greek mythology.King of the Gods, the heavens, weather, and law and order.He is known for his unfaithfulness to his wife and wields a thunderbolt as a weapon.The Goddess of the family and marriage protects married women and women in childbirth.She is the sister and wife of Zeus.She is known for being jealous of her husband as well as his lovers and illegitimate children.Zeus is the god of the seas.He is a god of earthquakes and horses.The god of the dead is Zeus's brother.The goddess of the harvest, grains, and agriculture is Zeus's sister.The daughter of Zeus and the Metis.The goddess of war and crafts.She is competing with Poseidon.The son of Zeus and the Titan Leto.The god of music, prophecy, archery, and medicine protects young boys.Apollo is also known as a god of the sun.Twin sister of Apollo.The goddess of the hunt, the moon, wilderness, and wild animals are also protectors of young girls.The founder and leader of the Hunters of Artemis, an all-girls group of young girls who dedicated their lives to the hunt, swore off all romance and lived until they were killed in battle.Hera is the son of Zeus.The god of courage and war.Hera is the son of Zeus.He is the god of fire.He is disabled as well.The smith of the gods created their weapons.His mother wanted to throw him off the top of the mountain.Maia is the minor goddess of Zeus.The god of thieves, trade, travelers, shepherds, roads, cunning, and language is the messenger of the gods.Depending on which myth you read, the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione emerged from sea foam after the titan was castrated and his testicles thrown into the sea.She is the epitome of beauty and love.The mortal princess Semele was the son of Zeus.He is the god of wine, madness, theater, and vegetation.
Step 2: You can learn about the great heroes of Greek mythology.
The leading characters of Greek myths are usually human or half-human and have one divine parent.These heroes are famous for a variety of reasons, from fighting monsters to winning glory on the battlefield to suffering family tragedies.He was the strongest human and had a horrible temper.He completed labors to make up for the guilt of killing his family.As a child, I was cast into the sea in a chest and married a woman named Andromeda.He was as wise as Hercules.He escaped the labyrinth on Crete and became the king of Athens.The hero of Homer's Iliad is the one who tells the tale of the war.As a child, Thetis dipped him in the river to make him immortal, but since she held him by the heel, this part of him remained vulnerable.He was killed by a poisoned arrow after killing the greatest warrior of the Trojans.The hero of Homer's Odyssey.The idea for the giant hollow horse with Greek warriors hidden inside was used to defeat Troy.He battled monsters, gods, and witches for 10 years after the war.After fighting off monsters and Sirens, the golden fleece was found with the help of the witch, who fell in love with him.
Step 3: Take a look at the major myths.
While the heroes each have their own stories, there are a number of other myths featuring less prominent protagonists that have become famous, such as the story of Narcissus, who was so vain that he became transfixed upon seeing his reflection in a pond, and stayed staring at it until he diedA trickster who cheated the gods more than once is known for his punishment after death, which is to roll a boulder to the top of a hill.Tantalus invited the gods to a feast at his home, where he had his own son cook and serve them.This was not a good idea.He became famous for his punishment of standing in a pool of clean water with delicious fruits hanging from trees overhead.When he reached for the fruit, the wind tossed the branches out of reach, and when he bent down to drink the water drained away.The sculptor Pygmalion fell in love with the statue he created.The statue was brought to life as Galatea by Aphrodite.The beautiful daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, was kidnapped and taken to the Underworld to be his wife.She was forced to live there for four months a year.The winter months in which she is in are explained by this myth.The god Dionysus offered to grant the King whatever he wanted.Everything he tried to eat or drink turned to gold when he asked for the power to turn it.He taught mankind how to use Zeus' fire.He was punished by being chained to a rock and an eagle ate hisLiver, which was restored overnight.Zeus fell in love with a woman who was so beautiful.He bowed before her as he came in the guise of a white bull.He revealed his true nature when he carried her to the cave.Europe is named after her.King Minos imprisoned the man and his son after he designed the labyrinth.His wax wings melted when he flew too high, but he built wings for himself and his son so they could fly to freedom.He drowned in the Icarian Seas, which was named after him.He was a great musician.When his love Eurydice died, he went down to the Underworld and played his lyre so well that he was allowed to go if he didn't look at her until they reached the surface.He was worried that he had been tricked.Eurydice was whisked away from the surface because he looked too soon.
Step 4: You can take a class at the college.
If you don't already have a class studying mythology, you can take one at the nearest university or community college.Many colleges offer Greek mythology in both the spring and fall semester, as well as over the summer.The cost of courses varies from community colleges to universities.Senior citizens can often take classes for free at community colleges.
Step 5: A course can be taken online.
You can take a course online if you can't make it to class.Many universities offer online courses, while you can also find them for free.Online courses on Greek myths and heroes are offered by universities.Harvard Professor Nagy's course "Concepts of the Hero in Greek Civilization" is offered for free.The most well-known series of for-profit courses online are offered by The Great Courses.There are a number of websites that offer free mythology courses from across the web, including www.mooc-list.com and oedb.org.
Step 6: You can use an app.
Greek mythology is an example of an app for just about everything.You can learn the basics of mythology from your phone.GreekMythology.com is an app that offers more detailed information on mythology and the ancient Greek world.
Step 7: There are websites dedicated to Greek mythology.
There are many websites that give free information on the gods, heroes, myths, and locations of Greek mythology.They can be used as a reference or as an introduction to mythology.There are some good websites.
Step 8: The first thing to do is to start with an introductory text.
Multiple ancient Greek authors have been synthesised by several authors in order to create compendiums of mythology.Professor March's work provides a clear, easy to read retelling of the major myths, alongside the latest scholarship on their origins, development, and meanings.The myths are placed in their social and cultural context.His book has many extras such as genealogy tables and beautiful illustrations.All the great Greek and Roman writers are included in Hamilton's introductory text that covers all the key gods and myths.The densest introduction to Greek mythology is written by Gant.In order to recreate the myths as they were in the days of Homer and Aeschylus, he draws on both early Greek writers and art.Graves is an anti-Gantz.He is a great writer and his myths make for an easy introduction to Greek mythology.His scholarship is sub-par and his theories of the origins of Greek mythology and the relations between its cast of characters have been disproven.
Step 9: The Library of Apollodorus is a good place to start.
Modern re-tellings to the original sources are not enough if you want to be interested in Greek mythology.The 2nd century AD collection of myths was not written by Apollodorus of Athens.The compendium brings together most of the major Greek myths and orders them in a way that is still used by the writers of compendiums today.You can find a translation online at http://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html.
Step 10: The poet Hesiod wrote about the origins of the gods.
A Greek poet from the 8th century BC, his Theogony details the origins and genealogy of the gods, while his poem Works and days give insight into daily life in ancient Greece.Works of Hesiod and the Homeric Myths was a recent translation that won an award.Hesiod's works can be found on the internet.
Step 11: The poems of Homer are epic.
The two greatest epics of Greek mythology were written in the 8th or 7th century BC and are attributed to the poet Homer.There are asides that touch on many other classical myths while they focus on the Trojan War and Odysseus.Robert Fagles has written an authoritative translation of both The Iliad and The Odyssey.You can find online translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey.You can find the original Greek at the library.
Step 12: Apollonius Rhodius is a book about the story of the Argonauts.
Apollonius was an Alexandrian who was born in 295BC.You can find it online at http://www.theoi.com/Text/ApolloniusRhodius1.html.
Step 13: There are three great tragic playwrights.
The tragic plays of profound psychological insight produced by Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles have influenced writers to this day and continue to be performed.Prometheus Bound and the Oresteia Trilogy: Agamemnon are the most famous of his seven surviving plays.His works can be found at http://www.theoi.com/Text/AeschylusPrometheus.html.His plays are unique in that his characters often question the gods and fight against their fates.Nineteen of his plays are still alive.The Bacchae, The Trojan Women, and Orestes are some of the most famous.His works can be found online at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper.He was born around 486BC and was a priest of Asclepius who had seven plays.His works can be found at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper.
Step 14: Lighten up with the playwright.
Men marrying their mothers or serving their children to the gods were not exclusive topics of the Greek theater.The last comic playwright of the age was born about 450BC.The Clouds, The Birds, and The Wasps are some of the plays that survive intact.You can find his work online.