Ancient Greek myths in brief. The most interesting myths of ancient Greece

The Greeks believed that the gods ruled the entire world and the lives of people. They were called Olympians because they were thought to live on Mount Olympus. There were many gods. The Greeks imagined their life to be similar to human life; they believed that the gods lived as one big family. The king of gods and people was the god Zeus. When thunder roared and lightning flashed, the Greeks thought that Zeus was angry. Zeus had two brothers - the god of the seas and oceans, Poseidon, and the god of the underworld of the dead, Lida. The Russian word “hell” comes from this name. Deep in the underworld flow the river of oblivion Lethe and the river Styx. The souls of the dead are transported across the Styx by the old ferryman Charon. And the exit from the kingdom of the dead is guarded by the three-headed dog Kerberus (Cerberus). The sun rises over the earth when the sun god Helios rides into the sky on his golden chariot drawn by snow-white horses. The goddess of the dawn Eos (Aurora) pours morning and evening dew onto the ground from two jugs. The Greeks especially revered Pallas Athena, the daughter of Zeus. She was the goddess of wisdom and patroness of cities. The city of Athens is named in her honor. Athena was depicted in the guise of a majestic, beautiful woman with a helmet on her head, with a spear and shield in her hands. The symbol of the wisdom of the goddess was the owl. The goddess of agriculture and fertility was Demeter, the goddess of beauty and love was the eternally young Aphrodite (Venus), born from the foam of the sea. The Greeks deeply revered Apollo, the divine god, patron of music and poetry. He was depicted with a lyre in his hands and surrounded by nine muses, personifying different types of art. When the Greeks learned to process metals, the myth of the blacksmith god Hephaestus appeared. The Greeks thought that the volcanoes that erupted with fire and smoke were the exits from his underground forge. The god Hermes, the most cunning of the gods, was considered the patron of trade, merchants and travelers. Hermes often carried out various assignments for Zeus and was the messenger of the Olympian gods, so he was depicted wearing winged sandals. From myths we learn about other deities who lived not on Olympus, but among earthly nature. These are satyrs - forest deities in the form of goat-footed people covered with wool. These are nymphs - goddesses of streams, mountains, forests. They were imagined as beautiful girls. There were also goddesses of fate - the three Moira sisters. They spin the thread of life. When Moira cuts the thread, the person dies.

Myths and legends about the deities of ancient Greece

The Greeks imagined the gods as strong and beautiful. Temples were built for the gods and statues were erected. On holidays, statues of gods were dressed in beautiful clothes and decorated with wreaths of flowers. During religious holidays, people from all over Greece gathered in temples. The temple territory was considered sacred and inviolable. Therefore, fugitives or criminals sometimes took refuge in the temple: they could not be killed there. Rich people kept their treasures in the temple. The most famous were the temple of Zeus in the city of Olympia and the temple of Apollo in the city of Delphi, which stood in the place where gases came out of the ground. Above the cleft of the rock sat the soothsayer Pythia (Sibyl), the priestess of Apollo, on a golden tripod. On behalf of God, she answered questions and predicted the future. Every Greek who turned to Pythia was interested in the question of his fate or the success of his planned business. Often the Pythia's answers were unclear. One day the Lydian king Croesus asked if he would defeat the Persian king Cyrus. Pythia replied: if he starts a war, he will destroy a large kingdom. The king started the war and was defeated. He came to the temple and began to reproach Pythia for her false prophecy. But Pythia objected that the king did not ask whose kingdom he would destroy - his own or someone else’s! TITAN PROMETHEUS. Prometheus was a deity of the older generation - a titan. In the internecine struggle of the gods, he took the side of Zeus and helped him take the throne of the supreme god. While distributing gifts, Zeus forgot about people. Prometheus was the only one who remembered them. He stole fire from Olympus, hid it in a reed stalk, and gave it to people. For this, Zeus ordered Prometheus to be chained to a Caucasian rock. Every day an eagle flew in and pecked the liver of the immortal titan with its sharp beak. Prometheus' torment lasted for thousands of years, but he was given strength by the thought that he had done good for people. He did not want to renounce them and repent before Zeus! Since then, Prometheus has become a symbol of spiritual and physical resilience. Many writers and poets mentioned it.

Sacrifices to the gods

The Greeks made sacrifices to the gods. Most often they poured wine, olive oil, honey or milk into the fire that burned on the altar. If the fire flared brightly at that moment, it was believed that the gods accepted the sacrifice and promised people help. On special occasions, a hundred bulls were killed at once as a sacrifice to the gods. In the Iliad such a sacrifice is called a “hecatomb” (one hundred bulls). It is said that when the Greek mathematician Pythagoras discovered his famous theorem, he brought a hecatomb to the gods as a sign of gratitude. White animals were sacrificed to the Olympian gods, and black ones to the underground gods. The meat of the sacrificial animals was partially burned on fire, and the rest was eaten. The Greeks understood sacrifice as a common, friendly meal between people and gods.

From early childhood. They are studied at school, some read them to their children.

Moreover, in all languages ​​of the world there are many phraseological units and idioms borrowed from the ancient Greek language, one way or another referring us to the myths of Ancient Greece.

And in Greece itself, almost every toponym - sea, river, mountains - comes from myths, such as, for example, the Ionian Sea is associated with the seduced Io; the Athenian king Aegeus drowned in the Aegean Sea from grief, without waiting for the son of Theseus.

In Russia, the most widely known adaptation of ancient Greek legends and myths performed by Nikolai Albertovich Kun.

At first glance, the myths of Ancient Greece are funny tales of bygone times. But it's not that simple. They reflected the beliefs of the ancient people, religion, the life of the ancient Greeks, and the relationship of man with the gods.

First of all, when creating these myths, people tried to explain the origin of the world, where the earth, sky, sun, and stars came from. It was completely natural for that period to humanize these fundamental concepts in order to give them a familiar appearance, but endowing them with supernatural powers.

Each abstract phenomenon had its own deity. This is how gods and titans appeared.

Origin of the world

As in many world religions, in the myths of Ancient Greece, the world originated from eternal, limitless Chaos.

Chaos was endless and was the source of the life energy of the world. From Chaos came the goddess Gaia - Earth, and Love - Eros was born. Chaos also gave birth to Eternal Darkness and dark Night, from them came Eternal Light and bright Day.

This is how life was born. From Gaia came Uranus - Sky, he took Gaia as his wife and from them came twelve mighty titans. From their union came all the gods, including the terrible ones, who brought fear, deceit, discord, and war into this world.

The most famous and revered gods in myths were, of course, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades - the children of the titans Crohn and Rhea. They personified the elements that the ancient Greeks feared and worshiped most - Zeus was the god of thunder and lightning, Poseidon the god of the seas, Hades the god of the underworld.

Other gods - Hephaestus, and others were descendants of Zeus and other creatures.

Olympus

Most of them lived with Zeus the Almighty on Mount Olympus, in a sacred place where joy, peace, tranquility reign, where the gods always celebrate, eat ambrosia and nectar, and rejoice.

There is no way for mortals to go there, but there are exceptions. The favorites of the gods, for example, Ganymede, the son of the king, was invited to Olympus, Hercules, after his death, ascended to the sacred mountain and feasted there with the gods.

Olympus in this way is somewhat similar to the Scandinavian Valhalla, where Odin the All-Father feasts with great warriors.

Man and the ancient Greek gods

But in ancient Greek myths, the origin and existence of the Universe fades into the background.

The main thing in them is still the relationship between gods and people. The gods are described in myths as omnipotent beings, capable of both great miracles, endless mercy, and terrible cruelty.

Despite their greatness, the gods have human traits; they are capable of love, hatred, jealousy, envy, anger, and vanity. They are often weak and obsessed with human passions.

And most myths and legends tell about this, for example, the legend about the girl Arachne, who claimed that she knew how to hide better than Athena herself, the goddess of wisdom, and challenged her to a duel and lost. For this she was turned by the goddess into a spider forever.

Or the myth of the long-suffering Io, whom Zeus turned into a snow-white cow to hide from the revenge of his wife. But Hera recognized her and sent after her a monstrous gadfly, which stung her every minute.

Only when she reached Egypt did Zeus return her appearance. This myth eloquently shows the weak character traits of the gods. Zeus appears as a voluptuous man who is ready to deceive his wife and seduce human girls, but at the same time cannot help them, and Hera is shown as a jealous and vindictive woman. And these are not all examples.

Heroes

Along with the myths about the gods, there are also legends about the great heroes of Greece, such as Hercules, who performed twelve labors, Orpheus, who descended into the underworld for his beloved, conquered, defeated and saved Andromeda from the sea monster.

What unites them all is that they performed incredible feats, possessed powerful strength and ingenuity, and defeated monsters.

These myths show us not unique creatures, but an extraordinary mortal man capable of great things. Of no small importance is the fact that almost all of them were demigods, children of gods and mortals or gods and nymphs, like Orpheus.

Here it is important to observe how a person comes to realize his strength, his capabilities, his exclusivity, although it manifests itself under certain life circumstances and so far only among people of unusual origin.

The myths and legends of Ancient Greece are a huge layer of history that an educated person needs to know.

They have a close connection with history, art, and also reflect the development of human consciousness, the emergence of culture and philosophy. And this is of great importance for many sciences.

Heroes, myths and legends about them. Therefore, it is important to know their brief content. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece, the entire Greek culture, especially of the late period, when both philosophy and democracy were developed, had a strong influence on the formation of the entire European civilization as a whole. The mythology evolved over a long period of time. Tales and legends became famous because reciters wandered along the paths and roads of Hellas. They carried more or less long stories about the heroic past. Some gave only a brief summary.

The legends and myths of Ancient Greece gradually became familiar and beloved, and what Homer created was customary for an educated person to know by heart and be able to quote from anywhere. Greek scientists, who sought to put everything in order, began to work on the classification of myths, and turned disparate stories into an orderly series.

Main Greek gods

The very first myths are dedicated to the struggle of various gods among themselves. Some of them did not have human features - these were the offspring of the goddess Gaia-Earth and Uranus-Sky - twelve titans and six more monsters who horrified their father, and he plunged them into the abyss - Tartarus. But Gaia persuaded the remaining titans to overthrow their father.

This was done by the insidious Kronos - Time. But, having married his sister, he was afraid of the children being born and swallowed them immediately after birth: Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, Hades. Having given birth to the last child, Zeus, the wife deceived Kronos, and he was unable to swallow the baby. And Zeus was safely hidden in Crete. This is just a summary. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece terribly describe the events taking place.

Zeus's war for power

Zeus grew up, matured and forced Kronos to return his swallowed sisters and brothers to the world. He called them to fight their cruel father. In addition, some of the titans, giants and cyclops took part in the fight. The struggle lasted ten years. The fire raged, the seas boiled, nothing was visible from the smoke. But the victory went to Zeus. The enemies were overthrown into Tartarus and taken into custody.

Gods on Olympus

Zeus, to whom the Cyclops bound lightning, became the supreme god, Poseidon controlled all the waters on earth, and Hades controlled the underground kingdom of the dead. This was already the third generation of gods, from which all the other gods and heroes descended, about whom stories and legends would begin to be told.

The ancients attributed to the cycle about Dionysus, winemaking, fertility, the patron of night mysteries, which were held in the darkest places. The mysteries were terrible and mysterious. This is how the struggle between the dark gods and the light gods began to take shape. There were no real wars, but they gradually began to give way to the bright sun god Phoebus with his rational principle, with his cult of reason, science and art.

And the irrational, ecstatic, sensual retreated. But these are two sides of the same phenomenon. And one was impossible without the other. The goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus, patronized the family.

Ares - war, Athena - wisdom, Artemis - the moon and hunting, Demeter - agriculture, Hermes - trade, Aphrodite - love and beauty.

Hephaestus - to artisans. Their relationships between themselves and people make up the legends of the Hellenes. They were fully studied in pre-revolutionary gymnasiums in Russia. Only now, when people are concerned mostly with earthly concerns, do they, if necessary, pay attention to their brief content. The legends and myths of Ancient Greece are moving further into the past.

Who was patronized by the gods

They weren't very kind to people. They often envied them or lusted after women, were jealous, and were greedy for praise and honors. That is, they were very similar to mortals, if we take their description. Tales (summary), legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) describe their gods in very contradictory ways. “Nothing pleases the gods more than the collapse of human hopes,” Euripides believed. And Sophocles echoed him: “The gods most willingly help a person when he goes towards his death.”

All gods obeyed Zeus, but for people he was important as a guarantor of justice. It was when the judge judged unjustly that man turned to Zeus for help. In matters of war, only Mars dominated. Wise Athena patronized Attica.

All sailors made sacrifices to Poseidon when they went to sea. In Delphi one could ask for favors from Phoebus and Artemis.

Myths about heroes

One of the favorite myths was about Theseus, the son of King Aegeus of Athens. He was born and raised in the royal family in Troezen. When he grew up and was able to get his father's sword, he went to meet him. Along the way, he destroyed the robber Procrustes, who did not allow people to pass through his territory. When he got to his father, he learned that Athens was paying tribute to Crete with girls and boys. Together with another batch of slaves, under mourning sails, he went to the island to kill the monstrous Minotaur.

Princess Ariadne helped Theseus through the labyrinth in which the Minotaur was located. Theseus fought the monster and destroyed it.

The Greeks joyfully, freed forever from tribute, returned to their homeland. But they forgot to change the black sails. Aegeus, who did not take his eyes off the sea, saw that his son had died, and from unbearable grief he threw himself into the abyss of the waters above which his palace stood. The Athenians rejoiced that they were freed from tribute forever, but they also cried when they learned about the tragic death of Aegeus. The myth of Theseus is long and colorful. This is its summary. Legends and myths of Ancient Greece (Kun) will give a comprehensive description of it.

The epic is the second part of the book by Nikolai Albertovich Kun

The legends of the Argonauts, the voyages of Odysseus, Orestes' revenge for the death of his father, and the misadventures of Oedipus in the Theban cycle form the second half of the book that Kuhn wrote, Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece. A summary of the chapters is indicated above.

Returning from Troy to his native Ithaca, Odysseus spent many long years in dangerous wanderings. The way home through the stormy sea was difficult for him.

God Poseidon could not forgive Odysseus for the fact that, saving his life and the lives of his friends, he blinded the Cyclops and sent unheard-of storms. Along the way, they were killed by sirens, captivated by their unearthly voices and mellifluous singing.

All his companions died while traveling across the seas. All were destroyed by evil fate. Odysseus languished in captivity with the nymph Calypso for many years. He begged to be allowed to go home, but the beautiful nymph refused. Only the requests of the goddess Athena softened the heart of Zeus, he took pity on Odysseus and returned him to his family.

And Homer created Odysseus’s campaigns in his poems - “The Iliad” and “Odyssey”; the myths about the campaign for the Golden Fleece to the shores of Pontus Evsinsky are described in the poem of Apollonius of Rhodes. Sophocles wrote the tragedy “Oedipus the King,” and the playwright Aeschylus wrote the tragedy about the Arrest. They are given in a summary of “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece” (Nikolai Kun).

Myths and legends about gods, titans, and numerous heroes disturb the imagination of artists of the word, brush and cinematography of our days. Standing in a museum near a painting painted on a mythological theme, or hearing the name of the beautiful Helen, it would be good to at least have a little idea of ​​what is behind this name (a huge war) and to know the details of the plot depicted on the canvas. “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece” can help with this. A summary of the book will reveal the meaning of what you saw and heard.

Myth translated from Greek means - word,conversation,legend,news etc.
IN myths reality has always been depicted in a fantastic or fairy-tale form. During the first civilizations, mythology combined philosophy,history,ethics And poetry.There are still many catchphrases in society that came from myths : Achilles' heel,flour Tantalus,Sisyphean labor etc. Yes myths about creation Mira, and there is about the life of the gods. The creation of the world in myths is described as follows: first there was a primary Chaos- a boundless abyss.. From it arose Dark And Light,Day And Night,Sky (Uranus) And Earth (Gaia), as well as the underground kingdom - Tartarus.Uranus With Gay got married and Gaia began to give birth to children. First, hundred-armed monsters with 50 heads were born. Uranus got angry and threw them into the bowels of the earth. Then one-eyed cyclops - giants - began to be born, Uranus got rid of them too.

Then came titans.We know the following: Ocean- lord of the seas, children of titan Iapetus: Atlant- titanium, holding the firmament and Prometheus - titanium who gave people fire, Mnemosyne - memory, Themis- justice ,Kronos- all-consuming time. Afraid of losing power, Uranus decided to destroy them. Gaia persuaded the titans to rebel against her father. Kronos won Uranus and began to rule Peace Here, myths say, the golden age began.

Prometheus

But history repeats itself, now Kronos afraid that his children will take power away from him. Just like Uranus,Kronos decides to get rid of his children, he swallows Hestia,Demeter,Geru,Pluto,Poseidon and others. And philosophically it sounds like this: Time consumes everything born. Wife Kronos,Rhea, saves the last son - Zeus.She runs to the island Crete and gives birth there Zeus,and when Zeus He grew up and defeated his father and forced him to return everyone he had consumed.

ZEUS statue

And here begins the struggle of the gods against titans.Titanium only Prometheus helps to Zeus,A Zeus, offended that Prometheus, stole fire from the gods, gave it to people, chained it Promethea to the rock and sent an eagle to peck the titan’s liver, and thanked him.

Hera statue

And the era of the Olympic gods began. The gods live on the mountain Olympus, own the whole world. The most powerful of them are twelve: Zeus -lord of gods and men,his wife Hera- protecting the marriage, his daughter Athena- goddesswisdom, crafts and science,Brother Zeus,Poseidon- god of the seas, Hades(or Pluto) - god of the kingdom of the dead, Aphrodite- goddess of beauty and love, Ares- god of War, Gefes- God is a blacksmith, Apollo- patron god of the arts, Demeter- goddess of agriculture, Hermes- patron of livestock farming, Artemis- goddess of the hunt, they are all relatives.

Poseidon statue

The gods appear before us in the form of beautiful people, but sometimes they can turn into animals. We see this in the example of how Zeus turned into white bull and took the princess away Europe to the island Crete.Also, gods can turn into fire, rain, clouds, etc. Sometimes gods are identified.

So the sun god Helios identified with Apollo, A Artemis- With Selena- goddess of the moon. Gods often combine opposites: good and evil, life and death. Pluto- god of the kingdom of the dead and god of wealth. Apollo - God sun and resurrects and kills (his arrows bring death). The rays of the sun bring both life and death. In myths Earth- a huge cemetery and the mother of all living things. Sometimes gods can perform the same functions: Artemis- the goddess of the hunt helps women during childbirth and does the same Hera- wife Zeus, the messenger of the gods is Hermes, and the messenger - Iris.On Olympus there were also gods - strangers, for example Dionysus- patron of viticulture and winemaking from Thrace.Myths say that the gods take care of those cities that they themselves founded. The gods patronized certain geographical places. According to legend, during the reign of the king Laomedon gods Poseidon And Apollo built an indestructible wall around Troy. Myths say that the goddess Hera was the patroness Mycenae And Argos, and later became the patroness Samosa. Aphrodite bala patroness of the island Cyprus and her middle name Cypris By the way, near this island she once appeared from the sea foam. Athena has always been considered the patroness of the city Athens. Zeus patronized his native Krita And Thessaly. Apollo And Artemis were born in Delos and therefore were his patrons.Cult Artemis originated in Asia Minor, and its main temple was located in Ephesus.
In the very heart Greece, on the sacred Olympic soil, stood the fourth wonder of the world.
The creator of this masterpiece was Phidias- great sculptor Ancient Greece.Father Zeus was in heaven Cron, and on the ground Olympia -Phidias.Phidias created a magnificent statue Zeus in the temple Zeus. At the end of the 4th century AD. e. pious emperor Theodosius ordered the removal of this "pagan idol" from Olympia V Constantinople,Where statueZeus Olympian disappeared without a trace.Myths ancient Greece a lot, I will introduce you to them in the following articles.

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The most important element of Greek culture were myths, that is, tales, traditions, legends dating back to ancient times. They constitute a rich treasury of images and subjects. Myths reflect man's need for creativity, to understand the world around him and himself. Myths were created at a very early stage of the development of Greek society, in various regions of continental Greece, in Attica, Boeotia, Thessaly, Macedonia and other areas, on the islands of the Aegean Sea, on Crete, on the coast of Asia Minor. These regions developed their own

Local cycles of myths. Later they merged into a single pan-Greek system, in which the artistic talent and religious worldview of the ancient Hellenes manifested themselves.

Birth and death, the change of seasons, sea ebbs and flows, thunderstorms and rains, weather changes, flowering and withering of plants, the appearance of fruits on them - these and many other phenomena of the surrounding world were attributed to the action of certain fantastic, divine forces. These phenomena often appeared in the form of specific, visible images and were personified, that is, identified with living beings. If a person could not explain a natural phenomenon, especially

To overcome it, such as a drought or an epidemic, he attributed it to the action of some fantastic forces.

It seems that Greek nature itself predetermined that special multicoloredness that permeates mythology: valleys and mountain ranges, a sparkling blue sea with many islands, cozy bays, a blinding southern sun, evergreen vegetation, a warm climate. The earth was inhabited by fabulous creatures: mountain nymphs - oreads - lurked in the mountains, dryads - in the forests, naiads - in the rivers. But myths were not only a bold flight of human imagination. They often reflect folk wisdom, observations of life around us, and insight into human nature. Therefore, Greek mythology rightfully became part of universal human culture. That is why situations and heroes of myths have entered our everyday speech in expressions and phrases that have become popular.

We use the expression “Sisyphean work”, meaning hard, meaningless work. The origin of this concept is as follows. According to myth, Sisyphus, the king and founder of Corinth, and according to another version, the father of Odysseus, was famous for his enviable cunning and suffered punishment in the underworld for his frauds. He had to roll a heavy stone up the mountain, which, having reached the top, fell down, after which everything was repeated all over again. We are talking about “titanic” efforts, “giant” proportions. In myths, titans and giants are huge giants who fought with the gods themselves.

Myths are closely related to folk cultures and beliefs. They often absorbed popular common sense. Thus, the ancient Hellenes had the custom of making sacrifices to the gods; At the same time, a lot of good meat was lost. Then the Titan Prometheus found a way to help people. Having slaughtered the sacrificial bull, he butchered it so that two unequal heaps were formed: one contained bones and tripe, and the other - pieces of edible meat. Prometheus covered both heaps with skins and invited the supreme god Zeus to choose one of them. Zeus was flattered by a larger pile. This incident, reproduced in myth, established the rule: after the ritual of sacrifice, the Greeks began to leave inedible parts for the gods, and for themselves what could be eaten. In Greek mythology, there are a variety of creatures: demons, satyrs, unbridled and playful; semi-humans and chimeras, fire-breathing creatures, etc. The main characters of mythology are gods and heroes.

The basis of Greek religion was anthropomorphism - likening to man. The gods had a human appearance, were beautiful, and most importantly, immortal. They are characterized by a variety of human qualities, although they manifest themselves with special strength and intensity: generosity, generosity, jealousy, deceit. Gods and heroes not only resembled ordinary people, but also communicated with them, mere mortals, and could enter into love relationships. Some ancient Greek aristocrats counted gods among their ancestors and were proud of their divine origins.

Greek gods were divided into several categories according to their importance. Twelve main, supreme gods lived on the snow-covered Mount Olympus, about 3000 meters high. At the top of Olympus were the palace of Zeus and the dwellings of other gods, who were called Olympians. The name Olympus itself is close to the concept of “sky”. The Greeks believed that there were three generations of gods, and, according to legend, the younger ones overthrew the power of the older ones. Mythology thus reflected the rivalry between individual clans and tribes for supremacy.

The main supreme god, the father of all gods and people, was Zeus. He was considered the son of Cronus, the god of time, and therefore was called Kronid. Zeus rode across the sky in a golden chariot; he was depicted sitting on a throne with an eagle and a scepter in his hands and a beam of lightning as the main attributes of power. From the heights of Olympus, he scattered his gifts to people and established order on earth and established laws.

Zeus's wife Hera was the supreme Greek goddess, the queen of the gods, who patronized marriage, conjugal love and childbirth. She was portrayed as a majestic woman of rare beauty. Zeus's brother Poseidon was the god of the sea, all springs and waters, as well as the bowels of the earth and their riches; His palace was located at the bottom of the sea. The god of death was another brother of Zeus - Hades, who reigned deep underground. The kingdom of Hades, where the rays of the sun did not penetrate, looked gloomy, terrible and cold, and the afterlife was a misfortune. The son of Zeus Apollo is the god of harmony and spiritual activity, the god of the arts. He received from Hermes the lyre he invented and became the patron of the muses, hence his nickname: Apollo Musaret, that is, the leader of the muses.

Muses were goddesses, companions of Apollo, patroness of science, poetry and the arts: Clio - history, Euterpe - lyric poetry, Melpomene - tragedy, Thalia - comedy, Terpsichore - dancing, Calliope - epic poetry, Polyhymnia - hymns, pantomime, Urania - astronomy, Erato - love, erotic poetry.

The sister of the golden-haired Apollo was Artemis, the goddess of hunting, fertility, patroness of animals, as well as everything that lives on earth, grows in the forest and in the field. In sculptures she was depicted with a bow and quiver over her shoulders, hunting in forests and fields. The goddess Athena, one of the most revered in Greece, was born by Zeus himself, appeared from his head. She was the goddess of wisdom; the main city of Greece was named in her honor and the main temple, the Parthenon, was erected. Athena patronized the city-states of Greece, gave them wise advice, and saved them in times of danger. The son of Zeus, Hermes, is the god who patronizes travelers, crafts, and trade. The god of war, Ares, the son of Zeus and Hera, usually appeared in the guise of a heavily armed warrior - a hoplite. This is the least favorite of the descendants of Zeus, who was not tolerated because of his belligerence and bloodthirstiness. The son of Zeus and Hera was the god of fire, as well as the art of blacksmithing, Hephaestus. He was depicted wearing an apron and holding a blacksmith's hammer, surrounded by sparks and smoke. Hephaestus, the only Olympian engaged in productive work, was considered a skilled forger.

Ares' wife, the most beautiful Aphrodite, the goddess of love, outwardly personified the Hellenic ideal of female beauty. She awakened love in the hearts of both gods and mortals and therefore had all-conquering power and reigned over the world. One of the greatest goddesses was considered the sister of Zeus Demeter, the goddess of fertility, the patroness of agriculture: without her mighty power nothing would be born.

The favorite god was also the son of Zeus Dionysus, the patron of viticulture and winemaking. Celebrations in honor of the god Dionysus played a large role in the development of Greek theater. In addition to the main Olympic gods, there were also numerous “second-class” gods. Among them is Eros, the son of Ares and Aphrodite, a playful teenager, a winged archer, the god of love; Hypnos - god of sleep; Thanatos - god of death; Hymen: - god of marriage; Asclepius, son of Apollo and Coronis, is the god of healing; Eris - goddess of strife; Nike - goddess of victory, etc.

Along with the gods, heroes, or titans, were “involved” in myths. Heroes were considered semi-divine personalities who stood between gods and people. Heroes were also people who really existed, historical figures - the Athenian commander (Miltiades), statesmen. (Solon), founders of philosophical schools, major poets, whose activities played a large role in the life of the Greeks. Their tombs were often located in the center of cities as a reminder of past exploits. There were also heroes and legendary figures created by folk imagination.

One of the most famous and noble martyred heroes in mythology was Prometheus, who provided invaluable service to the human race. Among the most beloved folk heroes was Hercules, endowed with enormous strength. Literally, his name means “performing exploits due to the persecution of Hera.” When Hera planned to kill the baby Hercules by setting two snakes on him, Hercules strangled them. Surpassing everyone in strength and not knowing any rivals in military exercises, Hercules performed 12 labors. Among them is the killing of a monstrous lion; the destruction of the hydra - a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon; extermination of the Stymphalian birds, which devastated the area, chasing animals and people, tearing them apart with copper beaks, and many others. These and other episodes form a whole cycle of fascinating short stories.

Among the popular heroes of Greece, Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danaus, known from many myths, also accomplished many feats. Like Prometheus, he is depicted in works of world art, on the canvases of Rubens, Rembrandt and Titian. Theseus was also considered the greatest hero of Greece, who was credited with creating the ancient political system in Athens. The legendary singer Orpheus was revered as heroes; the greatest architect and builder Daedalus; the rich man Tantalus, so proud that he considered himself equal to the gods, and for this was severely punished; Pygmalion, a sculptor who can even bring his creations to life.

Mythology played a huge role in the development of ancient Greek literature. The plots and images of myths were used in many works: in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, in the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. At the same time, cults and traditions associated with mythology served as the basis for the creation of certain genres and forms of literature, for example, lyrics, tragedy, comedy, and ancient theater.

The Myth of Pygmalion

Aphrodite is favorable to those who serve her faithfully. She brought happiness to Pygmalion, the great artist from the island of Cyprus. Pygmalion lived alone, avoided women, and was not married. But one day he made a statue of a girl, inexpressibly beautiful, out of white ivory. Looking at his creation, he admired its perfection and vitality. It seemed that the girl was breathing, that she was alive. As a result, Pygmalion fell in love with his own creation. Powerless to control his passion, he even addressed the statue with words, but it was mute. Then, at a festival in honor of golden Aphrodite, he sacrificed a heifer with gilded horns to her and prayed to the goddess of love to give him a girl as beautiful as his statue as his wife. After this, the flame of the altar flared up brightly. This was a sign that the goddess heard his request. When Pygmalion returned home, he saw that the beautiful statue was alive. So the goddess of love gave Pygmalion a beautiful girl as his wife. This plot, originally rethought, is the basis of Bernard Shaw's famous play Pygmalion.

The Myth of Adonis

The goddess of love Aphrodite fell in love with the son of the king of Cyprus - the beautiful young man Adonis, surpassing all mortals in beauty. Forgetting about everything in the world, Aphrodite spent time with Adonis in Cyprus, hunting with him in the mountains and forests of the island. She tried not to part with him, and when leaving him for a while, she asked him to be careful and avoid formidable animals such as lions and wild boars. One day, when Aphrodite was not around, the dogs picked up the trail of a huge boar and rushed after it. Adonis was already preparing to hit the beast with a spear when the boar rushed at him and inflicted a mortal wound on him.

Having learned about the death of Adonis and experiencing it hard, Aphrodite went barefoot along the mountain slopes and gorges in search of him, her tender feet leaving bloody footprints on the stones. Finally she found the murdered Adonis and began to moan bitterly over him. Wanting to preserve his memory forever, the goddess commanded a beautiful anemone flower to grow from the young man’s blood. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded legs of the goddess, scarlet roses appeared. They were luxurious, and their color was as bright as the blood of the goddess. Then Zeus took pity on Aphrodite's grief. He ordered his brother Hades, the god of the underworld of the dead, to release Adonis to earth from the kingdom of shadows every six months. After spending six months in the kingdom of Hades, Adonis returns to earth at the same time to meet the bright rays of the sun and the embrace of golden Aphrodite. All nature rejoices, rejoicing in their love.

Myth of the Trojan War

Zeus and the god of the sea Poseidon argued about Thetis's love. The goddess of justice, Themis, intervened in the dispute and predicted that Thetis would give birth to a son who would surpass his own father in strength. To save themselves from possible danger, the gods decided to marry Thetis to a mere mortal Peleus. At the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, which took place in the cave of the centaur Chiron, all the Olympian gods gathered and generously presented the newlyweds with gifts. At the same time, the goddess of discord Eris was not invited to the feast. Stung by such neglect, she decided to punish the gods in a very sophisticated way. She threw a golden apple on the banquet table with the inscription: “To the most beautiful.” Since then it has become known as the “apple of discord.” Three goddesses began to argue about who should own it: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, who were by no means devoid of feminine vanity. Even Zeus refused to speak on this matter. He sent Hermes to the vicinity of Troy, where among the shepherds was the handsome Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam. According to prophecy, Paris, the son of Priam and Hecuba, was destined to become the culprit of the death of Troy. To avoid this fate, Priam ordered that Paris be taken to the forest thicket and left there. But Priam’s son did not die; he was suckled by a bear. When Hermes approached Paris with a proposal to resolve this dispute, he was embarrassed. Each of the goddesses convinced the young man to award the apple to her. At the same time, they promised him enviable gifts: Hera promised power over all of Asia; Athena - military glory and victories; Aphrodite is the most beautiful of mortal women to marry. Without hesitating for long, Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. From then on he became the favorite of Aphrodite, and Hera and Athena, as we will see, hated Troy and the Trojans.

This beautiful woman was Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. Soon Paris came to visit him. Menelaus warmly received him and arranged a feast in his honor. Seeing Elena, Paris fell in love with her. But she was also amazed by the beautiful newcomer, dressed in luxurious oriental clothes. Having left for Crete, Menelaus asked her to take care of the guest. But Paris repaid him with black ingratitude. Taking advantage of her husband's absence, he took Elena away and at the same time seized his treasures.

Menelaus regarded this not only as a personal insult, but also as a blow to all of Greece. After all, Elena was her national treasure. He gathers the leaders of the Greek tribes and sets off on a campaign against Ilion (the ancient name of Troy, from which the title of the poem comes). The commander-in-chief of the army is Menelaus' brother Agamemnon, the king of Argos, belonging to the Atrid family, over whom, as we will see later, a curse weighs. In the ranks of the Achaean (Greek) warriors are Odysseus, the king of the island of Ithaca, the courageous warrior Diomedes, the brave Ajax, and the owner of the magic arrows Philoctetes.

The bravest was young Achilles, king of the Myrmidon tribe. At birth, he was destined to have a long and happy life if he did not take part in the war, and a short, brilliant life if he began to fight. Hoping to outwit fate, Thetis bathed Achilles in the waters of the underground river Styx, making his body invulnerable. Only his heel was unprotected, by which she held the baby (hence the expression “Achilles heel”). The mother tried to hide Achilles and not give him the opportunity to take part in the campaign. She hid him by dressing him in women's clothing, but Achilles gave himself away. He became part of the Greek army, which, according to legend, numbered more than one hundred thousand people and more than a thousand ships. The army sailed from the harbor of Avdida and landed near Troy. The demand for the extradition of Helen in exchange for lifting the siege was rejected. The war dragged on. The most important events took place in the last, tenth year.

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus, the great singer, son of the river god Eager and the muse of song Calliope, lived in Thrace. His wife was the tender and beautiful nymph Eurydice. The beautiful singing of Orpheus and his playing of the cithara not only captivated people, but also enchanted plants and animals. Orpheus and Eurydice were happy until a terrible misfortune befell them. One day, when Eurydice and her nymph friends were picking flowers in a green valley, a snake hidden in the thick grass waylaid them and stung Orpheus’ wife in the leg. The poison spread quickly and ended her life. Hearing the mournful cry of Eurydice's friends, Orpheus hurried into the valley and, seeing the cold body of Eurydice, his tenderly beloved wife, fell into despair and moaned bitterly. Nature deeply sympathized with him in his grief. Then Orpheus decided to go to the kingdom of the dead to see Eurydice there. To do this, he descends to the sacred river Styx, where the souls of the dead have accumulated, whom the carrier Charon sends on a boat to the domain of Hades. At first, Charon refused Orpheus' request to transport him. But then Orpheus played his golden cithara and charmed the gloomy Charon with wonderful music. And he transported him to the throne of the god of death Hades. In the midst of the cold and silence of the underworld, Orpheus’ passionate song sounded about his grief, about the torment of his broken love for Eurydice. Everyone who was nearby was amazed by the beauty of the music and the strength of his feelings: Hades, and his wife Persephone, and Tantalus, who forgot about the hunger that tormented him, and Sisyphus, who stopped his hard and fruitless work. Then Orpheus stated his request to Hades to return his wife Eurydice to earth. Hades agreed to fulfill it, but at the same time stated his condition: Orpheus must follow the god Hermes, and Eurydice will follow him. During his journey through the underworld, Orpheus cannot look back: otherwise Eurydice will leave him forever. When the shadow of Eurydice appeared, Orpheus wanted to hug her, but Hermes told him not to do this, since in front of him there was only a shadow, and there was a long and difficult path ahead.

Quickly passing the kingdom of Hades, the travelers reached the River Styx, where Charon ferried them on his boat to a path leading steeply up to the surface of the earth. The path was cluttered with stones, darkness reigned all around, and the figure of Hermes loomed ahead and there was barely a glimmer of light, which indicated that the exit was close. At that moment, Orpheus was overcome with deep anxiety for Eurydice: was she keeping up with him, was she lagging behind, was she getting lost in the darkness. After listening, he did not discern any sound behind him, which exacerbated the uneasy feeling. Finally, unable to bear it and breaking the ban, he turned around: almost next to him he saw the shadow of Eurydice, stretched out his hands to her, but at the same moment the shadow melted into the darkness. So he had to relive the death of Eurydice a second time. And this time it was my own fault.