Ancient Greece: Gods, goddesses and

heroes
By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.06.17
Word Count 754
Level 690L

A painting by René-Antoine Houasse shows the gods Athena and Zeus. In Roman mythology, these gods were known as
Minerva and Jupiter. Image from: Wikimedia Commons.

The ancient Greeks worshiped many gods. These powerful beings were said to
live atop Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece. Greek myths feature
these gods and goddesses. In these stories, the gods often get mixed up in the
lives of humans.

Many of these myths are from a book called "Metamorphoses." It was written by
the Roman poet Ovid. Homer was another ancient poet who wrote about the gods.
He tells about their part in the Trojan War and the adventures of Odysseus, a
Greek hero.

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Lessons And Explanations

The Greeks used myths to help explain the unknown. For example, Zeus, the king
of the gods, used lightning as a weapon. During strong storms, the Greeks said
Zeus was angry and throwing lightning bolts.

Some Greek myths offer lessons. They may warn about being greedy, for example.
Some show heroes using their courage and wits to triumph.

Gods Acted Human, But Had Special

Powers

Greek gods were powerful, but they also

acted very human. They fought among
themselves. They acted selfishly and were
jealous of each other. Zeus, for example,
often treated his wife Hera badly. In return,
Hera plotted against Zeus and punished the
people he loved. The gods, heroes and
humans in Greek myth were a mix of heroic and cruel.

There were many other gods worshiped by the ancient Greeks. They had special
powers, kind of like superheroes. Athena is recognized as the goddess of wisdom.
She was born directly from Zeus' head. Hermes, who had winged feet, was the
messenger of the gods. He could fly anywhere with great speed. Aphrodite was
the goddess of love. She was described as the most beautiful being in the
universe. Her brother Ares was the god of war. He was dangerous, violent and
mean. Poseidon ruled the sea from his underwater palace. Apollo, the god of the
sun, rode his chariot across the sky, bringing the sun with him. Hades was in
charge of the underworld. The underworld was where people went after they
died.

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Pandora And Hercules

Myths helped the Greeks understand their

world. The stories explained the beauty and
pain of life. In one myth, Zeus created a
woman named Pandora. She was very
curious. Hermes, Zeus' messenger, gave
Pandora a golden box. He warned her never
to open it. If she did, terrible things would
happen, he said.

Pandora could not contain her curiosity, of

course. Eventually she opened the box. Out
flew all the evils that still curse humanity:
hunger, sickness, sadness and other
miseries. Only one thing remained in the box: hope. That was a good thing
Pandora was able to keep. This myth gives an explanation of where human
suffering came from. At the same time, it teaches a lesson by warning of the
dangers of being too nosy.

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In addition to myths about gods, the ancient
Greeks also told thrilling stories about
heroes. One of the most famous of these was
Hercules, the world's strongest man. He
was also the son of a human woman and
Zeus.

In one story, Hera, Zeus' wife, was angry at

Zeus. She decided to punish Hercules to get
back at Zeus. She tricked Hercules into
believing his entire family were dangerous
beasts. Trusting her, Hercules killed his
family members. He was heartbroken when
he found out the truth. To make up for it,
Hercules agreed to perform 12 tasks. He
battled monsters and completed impossible
tasks to win back his honor.

References to ancient Greek myths often

show up in art today. These stories are very
old, but they still hold many lessons for
people in the modern world.

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