Aspazomai, my demigods, future heroes, and epic people! 😀 You are all aware I love teaching, anime, manga, Disney, movies, and of course, writing between my careers and posts on here and my other medias. However, something you may not know is I am a HUGE fan of history. My father was a high school and college history teacher for 42 total years; it’s in my blood and my environment. I like a lot of aspects of studying the past, but the one era I adored researching was ancient Greece, including the gods and goddesses. My gosh! The myths and lores are so wild and entertaining! And I love how they have been reimagined in such creative formats from Disney to movies to one of my favorite comics ever (I will discuss this one in detail in my next post), and of course, by my favorite author, Rick Riordan (known for “The Percy Jackson” series). In fact, I love his series so much, that I teach two Greek Mythology classes with the wonderful, modern fun and sass-style of “Percy Jackson” at my local college for intermediate and middle school kids. It is an epic way for them to learn these testaments of time and I have just as much fun as them! 😉
While some ancient Greek myths are imaginative, cool, scary, and full of drama, there are also several that are strange and beyond! So, on here, I am going to list my favorite stories and Greek mythology, most involving the gods or heroes; these interactions are key to this culture. Now, there are several versions of the same stories since they are so old, little details changing. So, I will either explain the most well-known version OR my favorite telling of the original tale.
Which Greek gods/goddesses/heroes/monsters/myths do you like? Share in the comments below. Now, let us grab our bronze weapons, Greek fire, and run bravely into the battle of learning more about this enchanting and bewildering culture!
Morgan’s Favorite Greek Mythology Stories:
- Hades and Persephone- Ah. I have always adored this couple. I think Hades in the myths gets a bad rep. I mean, he gets tricked by Zeus to get The Underworld and if you are surrounded by all that death and depression, I would be gloomy too. The legend goes he saw the beautiful Persephone, the goddess of spring, daughter of his sister Demeter, goddess of the harvest. It is said Hades kidnapped her to the Underworld. Devasted, Demeter, so desperate to find her favorite child, had other deities search for her because Demeter’s sadness was making all nothing grow. Zeus, Persephone’s father and Hades’ brother (I know; incest. Happens a lot between immortal beings), begged Hades to bring her back. He did, but before he released her, he tricked Persephone into eating a pomegranate from his world. That bound her to return to The Underworld 3-4 months of the year (depending on the legend). This is how winter is made each year. It says in the fall, things slowly start to die because she knows she will soon return to the Underworld. See, I know kidnapping is not a great way to start a romance, but I feel for one of the Kings of the Gods, Hades is very decent. He’s only had a few other romances other than his lovely wife (which is SUPER rare with the gods). He adores her and even gave her a special place where she can grow plants in The Underworld. I feel over the years, as she matured, she saw good in him and learned to accept their fate. She also has had only one other love. I just ship this couple!
- Hermes Steals Apollo’s Cows– HA! Hermes is so cunning and this funny tale proves it! When Hermes, the messenger of the gods and always a trickster, was born, he already set out on a mission. He waited until his mother was asleep, worn out from giving birth. So, he went out, ONE DAY OLD, on an adventure. Along the way, he found an empty turtle shell and some string. Tightening them together, made a neat sound. He kept it. Soon, he came upon the places that held Apollo’s sacred red cattle. Being the god of thieves too, baby Hermes took the red cattle. Apollo, enraged, went out looking for his cattle. Zeus, seeing what happened, asked Hermes to return the cattle. Baby Hermes listened to his dad, even convincing the cows to walk BACKWARDS to cover their tracks! Apollo caught them, but then Hermes had an idea to get out of trouble; he offered him the shell with the sting. The sound dazzled Apollo, the god of music, so they traded. Hermes took the cattle back, them walking in their original tracks, to his place and went back into his crib before his mother woke up. She had no clue! What an epic one-day-old! LOL!
- Perseus Saves Andromeda- Perseus was a hero with an intense start like most: Zeus fell in love with his moral mother, Danaë. His grandfather imprisoned his mother. Zeus sprinkled golden dust on the current apple of his eye, it making her pregnant. Worried about the prophecy about his grandson one day killing him, Danaë’s own father shipped his own pregnant daughter out to sea in a sealed box! Zeus begged his brother, the god of seas, Posiden, to help them land safely on an island. Years later, an evil king tried to marry Perseus’ mother. He said he would stop if Perseus could bring him the head of the gorgon Medusa, whose gaze turns those who look at her into stone. Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Hermes decided to help him with a shield and advice. Perseus defeated her by her looking at her own reflection. After chopping her head, the first Pegasus emerged from her. Perseus rode the loyal winged beast. On his way, he sees a beautiful girl named Andromeda, chained to a rock as a sacrifice to be eaten by a sea monster. Her mother was bragging about how her daughter was more radiant than any sea nymph of the queen of the sea herself! Feeling sorry for the innocent girl, Perseus destroyed the sea monster with pegasus and the head of Medusa, recusing Andromeda. Together, they fell in love and married. There is more to the story about their wedding, but it involves murdering wedding guests! I like Perseus for his adventures and also he is the only hero that got a happy ending, which is why Percy is named after him.
- The Birth of Aphrodite- Ah. The goddess of love, beauty, and lust! She must have had a lovely birth. Well, yes and no. When Chronos and the other Titans decided to chop up their father Uranus, who is now the sky, the pieces rained down to Earth from the heavens. From them emerged the furies, harpies, and, ironically, Aphrodite. YES! The incarnation of love and beauty was created from the chopped-up body parts of her adapted great-grandfather! In art, it says she emerged fully grown, perfect, coming out of a massive clamshell. Winged deities fluttered to worship her, flowers growing with each step she took. For her looks and powers, she was extremely popular among the gods and joined The 12 Olympians easily. Her birth is one of my favorite pieces of art of all time.
- Hephaestus Catches Aphrodite and Ares in the Golden Net- Hephaestus, the god of the forge and inventions, had such a rough life. He is the son of Zeus, King of the god and skies, and Hera, his queen and the goddesses of marriage (some say that she was so mad at Zeus for cheating, she decided to use her powers to have a baby on her own.) Hera was so obsessed with having the perfect family that when she saw the ugly baby Hephaestus, she threw him off the cliff! Luckily, when he grew up, after getting revenge on his mother with his invention, he was allowed on Mt. Olympus for his skill, becoming one of the 12. Now, recall Aphrodite? She was so pretty that all the male gods were fighting over who got to marry or ‘court’ her, even the married ones. So, King Zeus, not wanting to cause a war, gave Aphrodite’s hand in marriage to the one staying quiet: the shy Hephaestus. Aphrodite was disappointed although Hephaestus did treat her well. Soon, she was sneaking off to be with Ares, the hot-headed god of war, who was also Hephasestus’ full-blooded brother! Duh-duh-DUH! Usually nice, Hephaestus was tired of being mistreated, so he came up with a plan. When Aphrodite and Ares were on a date, they were captured suddenly by a golden net that Hephaestus set up. They could not get out of it! All the other gods saw it and pointed and laughed at them. I find this amusing! Hephaestus has great power. He even made his wife’s magic golden girdle that charmed those who looked at her. Like she needed that?!
- Hercules Creates the Milky Way- So, Hera and Zeus are an odd pairing and rulers (other than being siblings). Being the example of a ‘healthy marriage,’ they are so far right you can barely see them! Hera stayed loyal through and through, but Zeus had at least 104 recorded, known children with other goddesses or mortals or beings, but it is likely there are tons more. And Hera was a vengeful goddess! She did HORRIBLE things to Zeus’ lovers and some of his children by them (most of the ladies didn’t even know it was Zeus, poor things). The mighty, famous Hercules, was no exception. He was the son of the mortal princess, Alcmene and Hercules had a twin brother. Hera sent down twin snakes in their crib to kill the infants, but little Hercules killed them, laughing with delight. Wanting to get in Hera’s good graces, Alcmene asked the goddess of wisdom, Athena, to take Hercules to Hera, saying the infant was abandoned in the woods. Athena did just that. Heartbroken for the poor, lost baby, Hera’s motherly instincts took over and she tried to feed him some of her ‘godly milk.’ Hercules got some, but then he bites down on her. Hera jerked back, some of the milk shooting across the skies, creating The Milky Way Galaxy! I love this creation story!
- The Birth of Athena- I relate to this story so much! Well, part of it. Zeus was on the prowl again, falling for a lovely woman named Metis. She became pregnant (surprise). Then, Zeus heard a prophecy that one of his children would overthrow him. It is ironic since when his father, Chronos, had heard this, he swallowed most of his kids whole! I guess this family doesn’t learn for Zeus swallowed Metis WHOLE! Then, he got a splitting headache and nothing was helping (this is where I feel you. Shouldn’t have eaten a person though). He begged his son, Hephaestus, to chop his head open with an ax. His deformed son obeyed and out of Zeus’ head popped out a fully grown and armored Athena, the goddess of wisdom and strategy. Zeus took one look at her and loved her instantly. She is one of his favorite children.
- Posideon and Athena Make Gifts for Athens- Contests can always be intense! One against immortal beings with powers? Oh boy! A main, focal town in Greece was deciding which god/goddess they should mainly worship and name after. This being an important place, Posideon and Athena took up the challenge. The two have an abutting head history: Athena caught Posideon making out with a woman in HER sacred temple. Angry, Athena turned the woman into a gorgon. You might know her as…Medusa, oh snap! Anyway, both beings presented the town with gifts: Posideon made the first horses for them out of seafoam. Athena made the first olive tree. Ultimately, the people chose Athena’s olive tree, her becoming their Patreon and naming their beloved city Athens. Heard of it? 😉 Personally, I would have chosen the horse for their uses and to not enrage the god of the seas, their main form of travel back then. But, that’s just me. I get the use of olives (and Europe does seem to like to cook with olive oil, so what do I know? LOL!)
- Prometheus Creates the First Humans- Prometheus is a cool dude. He was a Titan, but not savage like most. He sided with Zeus in the Titan war and was very diplomatic and creative. One of his most sacred projects was he created the first humans (only men. *Sighs*) out of clay! He loved them so much and was in charge of protecting them. The gods liked them at first; they were entertaining, easy to mess with, but they also worshipped the gods due to their powers (the immortals LOVED that). Prometheus gave his crafted children a lot of things: meat to eat (we were supposed to give the meat to the gods as a daily sacrifice to the gods, but Prometheus taught the humans to wrap up the bones so the gods would want that instead. It worked). Prometheus also stole a single flame from the sacred fire of Mt. Olympus, giving the torch to the humans. With fire, we became civilized. Zeus, upset, chained his former advisor to a rock and made him have his liver picked out every day by an eagle (Zeus sacred animal) for 500 years until Hercules came along and freed him. Zeus also presented Prometheus the first ring as a promise of loyalty, which is why we use them in marriage ceremonies.
- The Love of Eros and Psyche– OH! What a tragic love story! Psyche was a beautiful young woman. So breathtaking that people were saying she was prettier than Aphrodite and they wanted to worship this mortal instead! That really made the goddess furious. So, she sent her son/helper (depending on if you believe Eros/Cupid is a deity born from chaos who helped Aphrodite or the son of Aphrodite and Ares) to shoot a love arrow at Psyche so she would fall madly in love with the ugliest beast ever. But, Eros took one look at Psyche and fell in love with her himself! So, he sent her to a lovely house with invisible servants. At night, she felt someone with her in the bed and heard a smooth voice saying that he loved her and they were married. But, he could never look at his face or there would be a punishment and he would have to leave. There was a weird arrangement, but he took good care of her and they both loved each other. She was fine with their arrangement until her jealous older sisters visited and got the idea in her head that he might be an evil monster or be hiding something. Scared, she lit her candle and saw Eros and his wings! Heartbroken she broke her promise, he flew away and Aphrodite emerged, punishing her. She begged to be forgiven, wanting to go see Eros and apologize, but Aphrodite said only if she could complete four impossible challenges. And they were impossible. One was sorting a warehouse full of different seeds and grains by sunset, but she did get some help. The final was going through the Underworld. In some versions, she gets trapped there, looking for her lost love for all eternity. I like the other ending where she wins, Aphrodite keeps her promise, and she and Eros reunite. I love their dynamic together, the twists behind it. If you can guess, our psyche, mental state, comes from her name and all she has to endure.
- Athena and Arachne- Arachne was a mortal who was an excellent weaver. She thought she was so great that she bragged that she was a better weaver than Athena, who was not only the ideal of wisdom and strategy but also handicrafts. When will mortals learn? *Facepalm* Athena came down and the two had a weaving contest, making a tapestry. They were judged and although both were incredible, Athena was selected as the winner. For revenge, Athena turned Arachne into a spider, so she could and her children would weave forever. I like how all Athena children in “Percy Jackson” are scared to death of spiders! Nice touch!
- Narcissus and Echo- Another sad soul. Echo was a lovely mountain nymph. Hera asked her to spy on Zeus and his affairs then report to her. However, her downfall was Echo loved to gossip. This caused her to lose track of Zeus’ whereabouts. Hera was mad that she failed, so cursed her to only repeat the last few words spoken around her. Later, she fell in love with a handsome man named Narcissus. Every female wanted Narcissus and he knew it! The word narcissist, someone who is full of themselves, comes from his name and attitude. Echo tried to approach and speak to him, but she could only repeat what he said. Annoyed, he told her to go away and stomp off. Echo cried into the mountains, almost disappearing from sorrow. Nemesis, the goddess of revenge and friends with Echo, led the vain hunter to a pool and made him fall in love with his own reflection! He would not eat, drink, or move. Many nymphs begged him to stop gazing at himself, even Echo returning from her heartbroken state to try. But, he died there from a lack of needs. Think Echo had enough? NO! Pan, the satyr god of the wilds, wanted Echo for himself. She refused and ran, but he tackled her. Still, she fought him off. Enraged, he ripped the poor girl to shreds! Filled with sorrow for the innocent nymph, Gaea, the being of the Earth and earth itself, let her voice live on forever, that is why repeating words is called an echo.
- Odysseus- Ah! The epic tale of Odysseus, as written down by Homer! What a fine story. The prince of the small island of Ithaca, a playful warrior who loves stories, fell in love with Penelope, the pretty, but the overlooked cousin of the gorgeous, sought-after Helen of Troy. Odysseus and Penelope had a son and were very happy. Odysseus was drafted into a battle, promising his wife he would return soon, but in case, never remarry until their baby son started growing a beard. He and his crew enraged the sea god of Posideon on their way back home and it was a heck of a journey for him to get back! Getting stuck on the witch Circe’s island where most of his men were turned into pigs, trying not to become drowned victims to the sirens’ songs, cyclopes, being trapped on Calypso’s magical island paradise for ten years, losing all his men to these hardships along the way. Luckily, he had Hermes and Athena, who favored the hero, to help him finally get home right before his boy became a man. He was able to sneak back to his island home, disguised. Over the years he was away, 100 men were there, being rude, eating him out of house and home, all of them there wanting to marry Penelope. She promised she would choose once she finished a giant tapestry (which she would unravel her work each night to give her husband more time to return). An old man approached her and said he could shoot the bow that was mounted on the wall. It was complex and made just for her husband. He shot it perfectly, the two reunited at last! But not before he shot all the 100 lowlife men that had been destroying his home and harassing his wife and son! Ah, a happy ending for all! I do love all the adventure!
- Dionysus’ Double Birth and Childhood- Another strange birthing story, here we come! Seleme is the latest mortal beauty here. Hera didn’t like this, again. So, she came down and told her to beg Zeus to show the mortal his true divine form. Hera convinced Seleme that is if Zeus didn’t show it to her, then the King of the Gods didn’t love her. Panicked and worried, Seleme begged Zeus to show her his godly form. He tried to tell her it wasn’t safe, but she didn’t listen. Sad, Zeus did so and turned into a pure ball of light so intense it instantly burned his lover. Zeus was distraught, but he was able the unborn baby in the ash. Desperate to save him, he sewed the fetus into his thigh! Once the baby was nine month in the ‘womb,’ he was born again out of Zeus’ leg, him going through labor pains! Out popped out Dionysus! The boy grew u, helping farmers grow grapes well, and traveled to share his tricks to help them make an amazing new drink: wine! Oh, they loved it. Dionysus did travel with satyrs since they liked to party (goes good with wine, I guess, lol!) One of his best satyr friends was killed, which enraged him and changed his life. He was also mentored and partly raised with a satyr who was intoxicated often. HA! Dionysus had a pure mortal mother. making him a demigod. Because of how great the invention of wine was and his skills with parties, and madness, he was offered godhood and he could make his wife one an immortal too. Yet, there were already 12 Olympians; they couldn’t add another (poor Hades wasn’t even one technically because he ruled the Underworld). They fought of who should be booted out. So, Hestia, the kind goddess of the hearth, home, and family, gave up her seat to Dionysus and is now the eternal keeper of the sacred flame/hearth of Mt. Olympus.
- Erysichthon is So Hungry That He Eats Himself to Death- This one was insane! There was a greedy and rich man, who didn’t care about honoring like the gods. One day, he cut down some of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, sacred groves. This made her super mad, obviously! So, she cursed this jerk to be filled with neverending hungry. He ate all the food he had, then spent every cent he had on more to eat. Then, lowly, he sold his daughter for food too! Still, he was starving. Poor and with nothing, he then crashed down and started eating his flesh until there was nothing left of him! Phew! What a fate. See, kids; trees are important!
- Leda Gets Down and Dirty with a Swan- This one is just…wrong. Old, flirty King Zeus is back again with another poor, unsuspecting woman (I don’t know why Hera deals with other than being a queen). Zeus admired Leda from afar. He decided to turn into a swan, looking all beautiful (ironic, this is Aphrodite’s sacred animal). For some reason, Leda found the swan very charming and then two, hmmm…’hooked up.’ Yes, a swan and a human! From this union, Leda gave birth to two sets of twins. One of the four kids came out of an egg and that was…Helen of Troy! Yes, the most beautiful woman in the world that caused the Trojan War! 0.o Good grief!
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Dive into this ancient culture, demigods Stay geeky! 🙂
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Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice, and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real-life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her “bubbliness.” It is Morgan’s mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.
For more information about Morgan and her works, check out her website, which also has links to all her social medias: http://morganscomnick.com
