·The Olympin GodsBetween Macedon and Thessaly of eastern Greece there stood a high mountain.Its cloudy top rushed into the very heavens.On the top of the mountain, the home of the gods was bathed in brightness. At Olympus Zeus ruled as the father of gods and men. Zeus was not a crude ruler by any standards.All the gods listened to his final words,it was true.But Zeus made them all sit on a committee of twelve members,including six gods and six goddesses. The first in the Olympian crowd sat Zeus h……
·PandoraAfter the stealing of fire,Zeus became increasingly unkind to men.One day he ordered his son Hephaestus tobuild an image of a beautiful maiden out of clay.He then asked the gods and goddesses to award her with different kinds of gifts.Among others,Athena clothed her in an attractive coat and Hermes gave her the power of telling lies.A charming young lady,she was the first woman that ever lived.Zeus called her Pandora.Because she had received from each of the gods and goddesses a gift.The ……
·ApolloAmong the crowd of Olympian gods the one most widely admired was Apollo.He was the son of Zeus and Let to.According to Greek mythology,Leto was driven by Hera from land to land at last Poseidon took Pity on her and brought the island of Delos out of water for her to live on.There she gave birth to the twins ,Apollo and Artemis.Apollo was me sun-god.He wore a purple robe.He usually sat in his bright eastern palace early in the morning and madeready to start his daily journey across the sky.……
·Prometheus Prometheus was a Titan .In the war between Zeus the giants he had stood on the side of the new Olympiangods.Out of the clay he made the first man,to whom Athena gave soul and holy breath.Prometheus spent a lot of time and energy in creating the gift of fire.And fire raised man above all animals .Later,there held a joint meeting of gods and men.The meeting was to decide what part of burnt animals should begiven to gods and what to men.Prometheus cut up an ox and divided it into two pa……
·Nereus and ProteusOf all the small sea divinities Nereus and Proteus stood out as Peculiar sea-gods.Nereus,known as“the Old Man of the sea”,represented the pleasant aspect of ocean waters.He lived beneath the sea with his fifty lovely daughters,of whom the most famous were Amphritrite,Thetis,Galate a and Panope.It was Nereus who advised Heracles to seek Prometheus in the heros search of the golden apples.Proteus was Poseidons herdsman. He was well known for two qualities:the gift of prophecy and……
·Eros(Cupid) Eros was the god of love,better known by hislatin name Cupid.Son of Aphrodite by Ares ,he took his place among the small gods of Olympus.He was represented asa little naked boy,with sparkling wings,and he carried his bowand arrows wherever he wandered.Shooting his thrilling arrows in evils,he inspired the passion of love and provided all nature with life and power of reproduction.The lovely,naughty god had two kinds of arrows:the gold tipped arrows used to quicken the pulse of lov……
·Ares Son of Zeus and Hera,Ares was appointed god of war.Hewas terrible and majestic ,and his march shook the world.Of all the major gods at Olympus,he was the most hateful,loving struggle and war and ever thirsty for blood .On the other hand he signified courage and victory in battle,and was devoutly worshipped by soldiers going to war.Prayers were addressed to him before the war and spoils presented at his altar after it.He was the one god who ever had to submit to the power ofhis inferiors .A……
·Dionysus Dionysus was the god of wine.He was the son of Zeus by Semele. When his mother was burnt to death in the glory of Zeus .He was still a helpless infant.His father trusted his upbringing to some mountain fairy maidens .They tookthe greatest care of him. Under the tutorship of Silennus,the Satyr, he was introduced to all the secrets of nature and the culture of the wine. He travelled far and wide in his carriage drawn by wild beasts. He was said to have been to India and Ethiopia .Whereve……
·Philomela King Pandion of Athens had two daughters,Procne and Philomela.When Athens was threatened by the wild men,King Tereus of Thrace came to its help.Out of gratitude King Pandion offered Tereus either of his daughters in marriage and the Thracian king chose Procne as wife. For yearsthey lived in Thrace and had one son,Itylus by name.Then Procne became homesick and longed to see her dear sister Philomela.At her repeated requests Tereus sailed to Athens tofetch Philomela.On the way back his……
·Palladium When Ilus had first built his new seat,the city of Troy, he prayed Zeus to show some sign of blessing for it. His prayer was heard,and a wooden image of Pallas- A-thena fell from heaven to within the walls of the city. Known as the Palladium, the statue afforded the city safety and protection. At religious meetings of the goddess it was carried through the city streets amid joys and songs of praise.After the flames of war had spread for ten years before the walls of Troy, a prophet fo……
·The Flood Towards the end of the Age of Bronze the human world became very cruel.Men grew hungry,impolite and ungodly.Neither rightn or law was respected any longer,and the rule of hospitality was forgotten.Dressed up in human form,Zeus visited Arcadia andThessaly,and disliked the deadly wrongs of men .He decidedto clear the earth of them all.Without hesitation he released therainy south wind and called upon the heartless Poseidon to help.Soon the whole world sank in a vast ocean, and the entir……
·Ajax(the Great) Ajax was a man of giant stature,daring but slow.When the Trojan War was about to break out he led his forces from Salamis to join the Greek army at Aulis.As one of the trustiest champions of the Greek cause,he was given thejob of guarding one end of the Greek camp near Troy.He was noted in the battlefield for his bravery and courage.After Achilles death he became one of the two hot contestants for the dead heros shield and armour,the other being Odysseus.When the weapons were fi……