How to Study Greek Mythology
Learn the gods., Get to know the great heroes of Greek mythology., Study the major myths.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn the gods.
Greek mythology has a dizzying cast of characters.
You don’t need to know them all, but learning the major Olympian gods is an important first step in understanding Greek mythology.Zeus – King of the Gods and of the heavens.
Controls lightning.
Hera – Goddess of the family and Zeus’s wife.
Also his sister.
The Greek gods were an incestuous bunch.
Poseidon – Zeus’s brother and god of the seas.
Hades – Zeus’s brother and god of the underworld.
Demeter – Zeus’s sister and goddess of the harvest.
Athena – Daughter of Zeus and the Titan Metis.
The goddess of wisdom.
Apollo – Son of Zeus by the Titan Leto.
The god of music and prophesy.
Also controls the sun Artemis – Daughter of Zeus by the Titan Leto.
The goddess of the hunt.
Ares – Son of Zeus by Hera.
The god of war.
Hephaestus – Son of Zeus by Hera.
He is lame.
The smith of the gods, he crafted their weapons.
Hermes – Son of Zeus by the minor god Maia.
He is the messenger of the gods and the god of trade and travelers.
Aphrodite – Depending on which myth you read, either the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione, or she emerged from sea foam after the Titan Ouranos was castrated and his testicles thrown into the sea.
The goddess of love.
Dionysus – Son of Zeus and the mortal princess Semele.
The god of wine. -
Step 2: Get to know the great heroes of Greek mythology.
While the same gods appear in myth after myth, they are rarely the protagonists the leading characters of Greek myths, who are typically human or half-human (quite a few have one divine parent).
These heroes are famous for a variety of reasons, from fighting monsters to winning glory on the battlefield to suffering family tragedies.
The most famous include:
Heracles (Hercules) – Stronger than even the gods, he also had a horrible temper.
Completed 12 labors to absolve the guilt of killing his own family in a fit of madness.
Perseus – If you have seen Clash of the Titans, then you know the basic outline of his story: cast into the sea in a chest as a child; defeated the gorgon Medusa; and married Andromeda.
Theseus – A cousin of Hercules, he was as wise as Hercules was strong.
He defeated the minotaur and escaped the labyrinth on Crete and became the king of Athens.
Achilles – The hero of Homer’s Iliad, which tells the tale of the Trojan War.
His mother, the nymph Thetis, dipped him in the river Styx as a child to make him immortal, but since she held him by the heel, this part of him remained vulnerable.
After killing Hector, the greatest warrior of the Trojans, he is struck in the heel by a poisoned arrow and dies.
Odysseus – The hero of Homer’s Odyssey.
He had the idea for the Trojan horse – a giant hollow horse with Greek warriors hidden inside – which as used to defeat Troy.
After the war, he spent 10 years returning home, battling monsters, gods, and witches along the way.
Jason – Set sail with the Argonauts and, after fighting off monsters and sirens, found the golden fleece with the help of the which Medea, who fell in love with him. , While the heroes each have their own stories, there are a number of other myths featuring less prominent protagonists that have become famous, such as the story of Narcissus, who was so vain that he became transfixed upon seeing his reflection in a pond, and stayed staring at it until he died.
Other important myths include:
Sisyphus – A trickster who cheated the gods more than once, he is famous for his punishment after death: in the underworld of Hades, he is condemned to forever roll a boulder to the top of a steep hill; and as soon as the boulder reaches the top, it rolls down the far side and he must start again.
Tantalus – Tantalus was a favorite of the gods, and invited them to a feast at his home, where he had his own son cooked up and served to them.
This was not a good idea.
He, too, became famous for his punishment: forever standing in a pool of clean water, with delicious fruits hanging from trees overhead.
Yet when he reached for the fruit, the wind tossed the branches out of reach, and when he bent down to drink, the water drained away.
Pygmalion and Galatea – Pygmalion was a sculptor who created a statue so beautiful and lifelike that he fell in love with it.
Aphrodite took pity on him and brought the statue to life as the woman Galatea.
Persephone – The beautiful daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, she was abducted by Hades, who took her to the underworld to be his wife.
She was forced to dwell there four months a year, while she could spend the rest of the time on earth.
This myth explains the seasons: the winter months are the ones in which she is in Hades.
Midas and the Golden Touch – King of Phrygia, Midas found favor with the god Dionysus who offered to grant him whatever he wished.
He asked for the power to turn whatever he touched to gold, and then quickly realized his mistake, when everything he tried to eat or drink turned to gold.
Prometheus the Fire Thief – He stole the fire of the Zeus and taught mankind how to use it.
As a punishment, he was chained to a rock and each day an eagle came and ate out his liver, which was magically restored overnight.
Europa – A woman so beautiful that Zeus fell in love with her.
He came to her in the guise of a beautiful white bull, and bowed before her.
When she climbed on his back, he carried her to a cave where he revealed his true nature.
Europe is named after her.
Daedalus and Icarus – Daedalus designed the labyrinth on Crete, where king Minos later had him and his son Icarus imprisoned.
Daedalus built wings of wax and feathers for himself and his son so they could fly to freedom, but Icarus flew too high and his wax wings melted.
He fell and drowned in the Icarian Seas, which was named after him.
Orpheus and Eurydice – Orpheus was a great musician.
When his love Eurydice died, he went down to the underworld and played his lyre so beautifully that Hades agreed to let Eurydice go, so long as Orpheus agreed not to look on her until they reached the surface.
But Orpheus worried that he had been tricked.
He looked back only a few feet from the surface, only to see Eurydice be whisked away back to the underworld because he had looked too soon. -
Step 3: Study the major myths.
Detailed Guide
Greek mythology has a dizzying cast of characters.
You don’t need to know them all, but learning the major Olympian gods is an important first step in understanding Greek mythology.Zeus – King of the Gods and of the heavens.
Controls lightning.
Hera – Goddess of the family and Zeus’s wife.
Also his sister.
The Greek gods were an incestuous bunch.
Poseidon – Zeus’s brother and god of the seas.
Hades – Zeus’s brother and god of the underworld.
Demeter – Zeus’s sister and goddess of the harvest.
Athena – Daughter of Zeus and the Titan Metis.
The goddess of wisdom.
Apollo – Son of Zeus by the Titan Leto.
The god of music and prophesy.
Also controls the sun Artemis – Daughter of Zeus by the Titan Leto.
The goddess of the hunt.
Ares – Son of Zeus by Hera.
The god of war.
Hephaestus – Son of Zeus by Hera.
He is lame.
The smith of the gods, he crafted their weapons.
Hermes – Son of Zeus by the minor god Maia.
He is the messenger of the gods and the god of trade and travelers.
Aphrodite – Depending on which myth you read, either the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione, or she emerged from sea foam after the Titan Ouranos was castrated and his testicles thrown into the sea.
The goddess of love.
Dionysus – Son of Zeus and the mortal princess Semele.
The god of wine.
While the same gods appear in myth after myth, they are rarely the protagonists the leading characters of Greek myths, who are typically human or half-human (quite a few have one divine parent).
These heroes are famous for a variety of reasons, from fighting monsters to winning glory on the battlefield to suffering family tragedies.
The most famous include:
Heracles (Hercules) – Stronger than even the gods, he also had a horrible temper.
Completed 12 labors to absolve the guilt of killing his own family in a fit of madness.
Perseus – If you have seen Clash of the Titans, then you know the basic outline of his story: cast into the sea in a chest as a child; defeated the gorgon Medusa; and married Andromeda.
Theseus – A cousin of Hercules, he was as wise as Hercules was strong.
He defeated the minotaur and escaped the labyrinth on Crete and became the king of Athens.
Achilles – The hero of Homer’s Iliad, which tells the tale of the Trojan War.
His mother, the nymph Thetis, dipped him in the river Styx as a child to make him immortal, but since she held him by the heel, this part of him remained vulnerable.
After killing Hector, the greatest warrior of the Trojans, he is struck in the heel by a poisoned arrow and dies.
Odysseus – The hero of Homer’s Odyssey.
He had the idea for the Trojan horse – a giant hollow horse with Greek warriors hidden inside – which as used to defeat Troy.
After the war, he spent 10 years returning home, battling monsters, gods, and witches along the way.
Jason – Set sail with the Argonauts and, after fighting off monsters and sirens, found the golden fleece with the help of the which Medea, who fell in love with him. , While the heroes each have their own stories, there are a number of other myths featuring less prominent protagonists that have become famous, such as the story of Narcissus, who was so vain that he became transfixed upon seeing his reflection in a pond, and stayed staring at it until he died.
Other important myths include:
Sisyphus – A trickster who cheated the gods more than once, he is famous for his punishment after death: in the underworld of Hades, he is condemned to forever roll a boulder to the top of a steep hill; and as soon as the boulder reaches the top, it rolls down the far side and he must start again.
Tantalus – Tantalus was a favorite of the gods, and invited them to a feast at his home, where he had his own son cooked up and served to them.
This was not a good idea.
He, too, became famous for his punishment: forever standing in a pool of clean water, with delicious fruits hanging from trees overhead.
Yet when he reached for the fruit, the wind tossed the branches out of reach, and when he bent down to drink, the water drained away.
Pygmalion and Galatea – Pygmalion was a sculptor who created a statue so beautiful and lifelike that he fell in love with it.
Aphrodite took pity on him and brought the statue to life as the woman Galatea.
Persephone – The beautiful daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest, she was abducted by Hades, who took her to the underworld to be his wife.
She was forced to dwell there four months a year, while she could spend the rest of the time on earth.
This myth explains the seasons: the winter months are the ones in which she is in Hades.
Midas and the Golden Touch – King of Phrygia, Midas found favor with the god Dionysus who offered to grant him whatever he wished.
He asked for the power to turn whatever he touched to gold, and then quickly realized his mistake, when everything he tried to eat or drink turned to gold.
Prometheus the Fire Thief – He stole the fire of the Zeus and taught mankind how to use it.
As a punishment, he was chained to a rock and each day an eagle came and ate out his liver, which was magically restored overnight.
Europa – A woman so beautiful that Zeus fell in love with her.
He came to her in the guise of a beautiful white bull, and bowed before her.
When she climbed on his back, he carried her to a cave where he revealed his true nature.
Europe is named after her.
Daedalus and Icarus – Daedalus designed the labyrinth on Crete, where king Minos later had him and his son Icarus imprisoned.
Daedalus built wings of wax and feathers for himself and his son so they could fly to freedom, but Icarus flew too high and his wax wings melted.
He fell and drowned in the Icarian Seas, which was named after him.
Orpheus and Eurydice – Orpheus was a great musician.
When his love Eurydice died, he went down to the underworld and played his lyre so beautifully that Hades agreed to let Eurydice go, so long as Orpheus agreed not to look on her until they reached the surface.
But Orpheus worried that he had been tricked.
He looked back only a few feet from the surface, only to see Eurydice be whisked away back to the underworld because he had looked too soon.
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Rebecca Stevens
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