Greek Mythology Research Paper

The Ancient Greeks were well known for their mythology; these myths played an immense role in their society. Mythology was at the center of their existence, these myths and the Gods within them were used to give purpose and meaning to their lives as well as explain how the world was created. In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses as well as heroes and monsters were an important part of their culture. These stories were used to explained things from religious rituals to the weather, and they gave meaning to the world. Greek mythology, unlike the Christian Bible, has no original text that presents all of the myths’ characters and stories. The earliest of Greek myths were passed from generation to generation through oral tradition …show more content…
This account tells of the world being created from nothingness, and continues to introduce several gods and goddesses who progressed from Chaos. It begins by introducing Gaia who appeared out of the void of chaos. Gaia is one of the primordial deities, referred to as the earth or “the foundation of all” (“Gaia”). The myth continues to introduce Tartaros, “the depth in the Earth where condemned dead souls go to their punishment” (“Gaia”). Tartarus was used by the Greeks to describe the deepest region of the world, even lower than the underworld that Hades presided over, reserved for the most evil and where the gods locked up their enemies. In this myth, Tartarus is referred to as one of the elements of the world, as was Gaea (Earth) and the others. The other elements were derived from Gaia, who would give birth to three descendants. Gaia's first child was Uranus or the starry heavens that surround her (Earth) and provide a home for the humans. She would then give birth to the mountains and the forest. The final was Pontos or the sea. Then Gaia would produce offspring with Uranus (the heavens) and gave birth to Okeanos, “the ocean that circles the world” (“Gaia.”). In Greek mythology these three generations were where the entire world derived …show more content…
This is well represented in this myth as it describes this struggle for power, beginning with the titans. The titans were created by Gaia and Uranus who would have twelve children. Uranus possessed a profound hatred for the children which led him to attempt to destroy them. However, Gaia urged her sons to use a sickle on their father, Kronos would then take the sickle and cut off his father's genitals and throw them into the sea. This resulted in the Titans rise to power and would produce as a result of the sea foam, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and the only Olympian not descended from a Titan (“Greek Religion”). The leader of the Titans was Kronos, who had taken the title of ruler from his father, Uranus. It was prophesied that Kronos would be overthrown by one of his children. This led to Kronos swallowing the children that Rhea bore; however, she kept her next child, Zeus, in secret. When Zeus was grown he would save his siblings and take the throne from his