Perseus the beginning

 The begin of the adventures of Perseus

 On the island Seriphos, a day that the wind blew strongly, washed ashore a wooden chest.It was found by a fisherman, when he open the lid he was surprised to see inside a woman with a baby in her arms. She was the royal Danae with her ​​son, Perseus.
      Danae was locked up by her father to prevent her by getting pregnant.However,Zeus transformed into goldern shower managed to get her pregnant.
       King Acrisius,the king of Argos, closed them in a chest, because he was told by an oracle that he would be killed someday by his grandson. Because he could not bear to kill his daughter and his grandson, Perseus, so he put them in a chest and threw them into the sea.
      The fisherman took Danae and Perseus to the king of the island, Polydektes, who treated them very kindly and generous. When Perseus grew up he became a clever and strong young man. But he was not happy, because Polydektes wanted to marry his mother.

      But she did not want him at all for her husband, although she felt very grateful to him.
Polydektes believed that if he could get rid of Perseus, Danae would change her mind. Well he called Perseus and told him friendly: "Perseus, you live  many years in my palace and you have grown up. It is time to prove how brave and strong man you have become. I want you to bring me the head of the Gorgon  Medusa."

Bellerophon

Bellerophon and the winged horse

      Bellerophon was a prince, who had been banished from his country and lived in the court of King Proetus. He was having a  well and good time, until the day the queen complained to her husband, that the young and charming prince had insulted her. The king, who did not know that this was a lie, got furious. At first he wanted to kill him, but then he thought if he hurt a guest, the gods would be angry with him and he would have terrible consequences.
      Then he found another way to get rid of him. Asked  him to deliver a letter to the king of Lycia, Iobates. Bellerophon willingly accepted to go, without knowing what was within this letter, Proetus demanded Iobates to kill him.

      When after a long and dangerous journey, Bellerophon arrived in Lycia, Iobates welcomed him very warmly. He  put aside the letter of  Proetus and remembered it after nine whole days. When he read it, realised that he also could not kill  Bellerophon.
He was his guest. Besides, in the meantime they became friends.
      Then he thought to send him to face Chimera, a monster with lion's head, body of a goat and serpent's tail. "I need your help," said to Bellerophon. "Go, please, release my kingdom from the Chimera.It  kills my people and destroys their fields. None of the men i sent so far, could kill that monster.  I'm sure you will succeed."
      However, inside him, he was confident that Chimaera would kill Bellerophon even before he could stretch his bow, as  it had killed all the others, .
      The young prince, wanting to thank Iobates, while he was preparing to go to fight Chimera, he was approached by a wise old man. "If you want to kill this monster," he said, "You must ride Pegasus, the horse with the long white wings. Nobody until now was able to tame it."
      Bellerophon did not know if he had to believe the words of the wise old man,so he was standing undecided, when was presented in front of him the goddess Athena. "Take these," she said, and put in his hand a pair of golden reins and disappeared before he could thank her.
      One afternoonm,while it was getting dark, Bellerophon saw Pegasus drinking water in a creek. He approached it very carefully, passed the reins and hold it tight. The animal began to wheeze, started bouncing and kicking but could not escape.
      When he finally calmed down, Bellerophon jumped spry on his back and Pegasus immediately opened his wings and was lifted into the air.
They began to fly all over the country, passing mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, until Bellerophon saw Chimera. He pulled the reins and Pegasus landed immediately.
      Secured on the horse's back, Bellerophon dodged the fire that gushed from the mouth of the monster and the poison that dripped its tail. He stretched nippy his bow and shot an arrow at the side and one in the mouth. And the monster, Chimera, was instantly killed.
When Bellerophon turned back, everyone greeted him as a hero and Iobates to thank him, wed him with his daughter and gave them ​​as gifts many good estate. In subsequent years, he continued to be known for his brave acts and everyone worshiped and admired him, saying that he looked like a god.
      He started  to believe it also, then he had an idea, because he looked like a god, to go and visit the gods. So he jumped on the back of Pegasus and flew to Olympus. But Zeus, the father of the gods became very angry with the arrogance of Bellerephon and he sent a gadfly which sting Pegasus, making ​​him go rampage and threw Bellerophon from his back. Certainly, Zeus saw him falling, but did nothing to help him. Bellerophon was not killed, only wounded. Alone now and unhappy, wandered the country without anybody paying him any attention at all. Who dared to approach someone, who had made Zeus so much angry?

Fire

Prometheus and the gift of fire

The very old time in Greek mythology,the gods and goddesses of the Greek were living in palaces built at the top of the mount Olympus.Leader of the gods,- father of the gods and human- as they called him,was Zeus.He was wise and powerful.But he was also cruel and could offen show his cruelty.He used his thunderbolts when he was getting angry,so even the other gods were afraid of him.Zeus was married with Hera and they had many children.
  The first years the gods ruled an almost empty world ,there lived only animals and were no human beings.The animals were created by the brother of Prometheus,Epimetheus,but he didnt know how to create people.

  One day Zeus asked Prometheus to create human,to live in the world.So,Prometheus took some clay,gave shape to it and created the people,men and women.He made them to look like the gods and by blowing in their mouth,gave them life.
  People were living nicely but they didn't have fire,because Zeus didn't want to give them.But,Prometheus loved the people and was pity of them,becasue they shiverd at the cold nights,they couldnt see in the dark and they ate their food raw.
  So,one day he went to Olympus,sneaked into the Palace of Zeus and took a piece of lit coal.He gave that piece to the people and tought them how to light fire.Since then human learnt to cook their food,they could stay warm in the cold night and could see in the dark.People were thankful to Prometheus and never forgot his special gift he gave them.
  When the smell of the cooked food,reached Olympus,and the light in the night could be seen,Zeus figured out what Prometheus had done.Zeus,outraged,shouted with a voice which sounded like a thunderstrike,"How dare you do that Prometheus!Ignore my orders,be prepared for your punishment!"
  In order to punish Prometheus,Zeus ordered to leash him with chains to the slope of a huge mountain,Caucasus.Everyday and eagle was eating his liver and ever night his liver grew back.Prometheus was in horrible pain,but he could not die,because as a god,he was immortal.His torture lasted for many ages,until Zeus decided to forgive him and released him.

Pandora

Pandora's Box in Greek mythology

      Zeus was very angry with the people, because they had accepted, with such pleasure the gift of fire from Prometheus,so he decided to punish them.

He called the other gods and all together created a woman,she was so pretty, as a picture and so intelligent,they named her,Pandora.

     So,the mighty god send Pandora to Epimetheus,by telling him:"She is your wife,Epimitheus.We gift her to you,because you created all the animals of the earth".

Zeus gave to Pandora and Epimitheus a sealed box.And told them:"Take this box,keep it in a safe place and never try to open it."

Epimitheus thanked Zues and turned to look Pandora.He was so charmed by her beauty,that he forgot the warning of his brother,Prometheus,never accept gifts from the other gods.

So,he married Pandora and hide the box in a dark room in his house.

    Pandora was living happily wuth Epimitheus.Everything,around her were beautiful,no one got sick or old.Everybody were happy.But,that was not enough for her,she was thinking all the time about the sealed box.She thought"What could be inside it?"Maybe jewels or any other precious objects?"

So,she asked Epimitheus,smiling at him"Let's take a look".But Epimitheus being sad,refused,by telling her that Zeus warned them,never to open it.He wanted to please her,but he also was feared the wrath of Zeus.

   Pandora kept asking Epimitheus everyday to open the box,but he refused to her everyday.

So,one day that Epimitheus was not home,Pandora went to the room where the box was,stood there and kept looking to it.And then she decided to open it.Grabbed  a tool,broke the seal,gathered all her courage and opened it slowly.Without even having time to look inside the box,terrifying voices and sounds were heard,so many crying and shout,it was like the end of the world.Pandora was scared and flinched back.Outside of the box got every horrible things,like hatred and envy,the cruelty and anger,the starvation and poverty,pain and sickness,senescense and death.

  Pandora tried to close the box,but it was to late.Everything that caused misery to the people,was thrown out from the box.However,at the end came out something little and cute,it was hope.People would suffer from many disaster but now they would have hope, so they would never give up.

The return trip

The return of the heroes to their homeland

     The gods were angered by the destruction of the temples and the general insults that the Achaeans commited. While the fleet was returning ,near Tinos broke an intense storm . In one version , Nauplios,in order to avenge misled their  fleet by sending wrong signals with the mirror from the cape of Kafirea Evia ( Cavodoro ) having as result to sink many ships.
Nestor , who was the most pious and moral character in the campaign , he had safe and quick return to home. The Ajax Locri was punished by Athena , while Athena borrowed a thunderbolt of Zeus and fired him up.



     The Teucer , son of Telamon and half-brother of Ajax, stood trial for not preventing the death of his brother and was forbidden to return home .Finaly he never returned and founded Salamis of Cyprus. Later the Athenians claimed that  as Teucrus left,  handed over the authority,to the sons of Theseus.


Neoptolemos followed the advice of Helenos and both took the land tract,to their return home. During the trip he met Odysseus in the land of Kikonon , and bury the teacher of Achilles, Phoenix.
     Then he ended up to the land of Molossos,Epirus and had a son with Andromache , Molossos, who became his successor in the region. For this later kings of Epirus , and Alexander the Great claimed to be descendants of Achilles .
     Diomedes after a storm ended up in Lycia , there the king Likos(wolf) wanted to sacrifice him to Ares , but the king's daughter Callirhoe took pity on him and helped him to escape. Then he got in Attica, where the Athenians not knowing that he was their ally,attacked him. Finally  Diomedes arrived at Argos, where he discovered that his wife Aegialeia, was committing adultery .Outraged he,left for Aetolia. According to some sources he passed through the southern Italy, where he founded a number of cities .
     Philoctetes emigrated to Sicily, where he founded a number of cities between Croton and Thurii . After military conflicts with the local populations founded the temple of Apollo where he dedicated the bow of Hercules .
     According to Homer , Idomeneus reached secure in his native, Crete . In another version, the ship sailed into a heavy storm and Idomeneus promised Poseidon that will sacrifice the first person to be seen at home if he would return home unharmed . The first person he saw , however, was his son , whom he sacrificed .          Eventually the gods were enraged and pestilence broke out in Crete, and the people sent him to exile in Calabria in Italy from where he subsequently ended to Colophon in Asia Minor, where he died.
Than their less eminent Achaeans very few reached their homelands.

Cause of the Trojan war

The cause of the Trojan war

Zeus learned from either Themis or Prometheus , after his release from Hercules , that like his father Saturn , and he will be overthrown by a son. Another version says that a son of the sea goddess Thetis , whom Zeus fell in love , would become more important than his father. For one of these reasons Thetis married the elderly mortal King Peleus , son of Aeacus , or either by the instigation of Zeus or the desire of Hera . All the gods were invited to the wedding , and brought gifts except Eris , which by order of Zeus was not allowed to approach because she always caused divisions and upset . Eris affected , flew to the wedding venue a golden apple ( the Apple of Discord ) which wrote, to the prettiest . The apple claimed by Hera , Athena and Aphrodite .



The conflict was very intense and no other god risked to express an opinion supporting any of the three, because it would provoke the wrath of the remaining two. Eventually, Zeus ordered Hermes to lead the goddesses to Paris, prince of Troy. The Paris then living as a shepherd on Mount Ida and being unaware of his royal origin, because he was abandoned from his family when he was an infant because an oracle said that he would cause the destruction of the city. The goddesses appeared to him naked and because he was  not able to choose, they offered him gifts to chose: Athena will offer wisdom and skill in battle, Hera leadership and guiding the crowds, while Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, the beautiful Helen, queen of Sparta. So Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. Later he returned to Troy, where he was acknowledged  as a member of his family.

Meanwhile Peleus and Thetis had a son and named him Achilles. According to a prophecy, Achilles would die as an old man and who lived a quiet life or would die young at the battlefield, but would gain immortality and his exploits would written  through the centuries. When Achilles was nine years old, the seer Calchas predicted that Troy would not fall again without his help. Some sources state that Thetis tried to make him immortal while still an infant: every night put him over the fire to burn the mortal flesh and every day anoint him with ambrosia. But when Peleus discovered it prevented her out of fear for the liefe of Achilles. Another source says that Thetis bathed Achilles in the Styx, in the Underworld making him immortal in the places where  the water of the river touched him.But, because she was holding him by the heels, that point remained vulnerable (Achilles heel). As he came of age he became one of the most skilled warriors. Due to the prophecy of Calchas, Thetis hid Achilles in Skyros at the palace of King Likomidis, dressed him female not to be recognized.

The most beautiful woman in the world then was thought Helen , one of the daughters of Tyndareus , king of Sparta. Her mother Leda had enchantered by Zeus , transformed into a swan , which is why some sources refer to Zeus as her father. Helen because of her exceptional beauty had many suitors , but was unwilling to choose one with the fear that she would anger the other .
Finally, a suitor, Odysseus of Ithaca, proposed a way to resolve the issue. Proposed that all suitors to defend Helen's marriage at all costs, regardless of whom you choose the same. The suitors finally swore to observe this condition as a condition for the possibility to be selected as spouses of Helen.
Finaly Tyndareus chose Menelaus, the choice was made for reasons of political expediency, since he had riches and power. In fact, his candidacy was not submited by himself but his brother Agamemnon on his behalf. Menelaus with his marriage to Helen succeeded Tyndareus at the throne of Sparta. Subsequently strengthened, and the position of Agamem
non, who married the sister of Helen, Clytemnestra and recaptured the throne of Mycenae.

And it's time to fulfill the promise of Aprodite. While Menelaus was at one version to Crete to bury his brother Krateo, Paris, the guest of Menelaus or in other fleet admiral against Greece, kidnapped with the help of Aphrodite Helen with her will (at  other version with violence initially) and sailed to Troy having grabbed the treasures of Menelaus. Hera tried to prevent them causing storms, which led the love couple in Egypt. The myth of Helen is probably attributed to the poet Stesichorus, in the 6th century BC. The ship finally arrived toTroy, after passing through the Sidon of Phoenicia.

The abduction of Helen by Paris was not the only similar event in the world of Greek Mythology. Previously, Io was abducted from Mycenae, Europe from Phoenicia, Jason kidnapped Medea from Colchis, Troas Isione was kidnapped by Hercules, who had offered her  to Telamon of Salamis. According to Herodotus, Paris did not expect some revenge by Menelaus, as neither the oldest abductions had caused severe reactions. According to mythology, Troy was besieged and conquered before, by Hercules, who immediately put on the throne the then young Priam.

Trojan War

The Trojan War in Greek mythology

The Trojan War in Greek mythology was a decade warfare, the Greeks (Achaeans or Argives or Danaans by Homer) with the Trojans under the walls of Troy. The main cause of the war was the abduction of Helen, wife of the king of Sparta, Menelaus from the Trojan prince Paris. This war is one of the main events in Greek mythology and was a source of inexhaustible inspiration in ancient Greek literature, including the works of Homer: the Iliad, which recounts a period of the last year of the war and the Odyssey, which recounts the journey back to his homeland of Odysseus, one of the Achaean leaders. Other facts about the Trojan War described in the Trojan epic cycle from which they were rescued only snippets. Events of the war also inspired the ancient Greek tragedy, Latin literature and many newer works of literature, visual arts and music.
The causes of war are reduced to divine conflict between Athena, Hera and Aphrodite, which caused Eris by giving them a golden apple with the display "to the most beautiful" . Zeus wanting to give solution to the dispute over who deserves the apple, did not refer to the Trojan prince Paris who selected Aphrodite.  As a reward for his judgment , Aphrodite rewarded him by making Helen the most beautiful mortal woman fall in love with him and follow him to Troy. Immediately after the abduction  , Agamemnon , king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband , Menelaus , led a generalized campaign of the Greeks and besieged Troy for ten years. After the deaths of many heroes, like Achilles and Ajax of Telamon and the Trojans Hector and Paris , the city was captured thanks to the ruse of the Trojan Horse . The occupation of the city by the Achaeans accompanied by slaughter and complete the destruction and desecration of the holy . This action provoked the wrath of the gods , who avenged many of the survivors Achaean kings . Very few of them were able to continue peaceful life in their home . The Romans believed that the Trojan hero Aeneas after the fall of the city fled to Lazio in the Italian peninsula and that he is considered as their ancestor .



The ancient Greeks believed that the Trojan War (like most events of mythology) was a historic event that took place in the 13th or 12th century BC and that Troy is located on the Asian side of the Hellespont (Dardanelles). Once in 1870, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann after excavations discovered until then, completely mythical Troy. Today the entire archaeological community agrees that indeed this particular location is Troy, and that certainly is one historic core,about the war. The question now is whether some particular facts and persons recounted was real or just fabrications. Researchers have argued that the date given by the ancient historian Eratosthenes: 1194-1184 BC, is the most representative, and agrees with archaeological evidence suggesting that in the city then broke disastrous fire and specifically in the layer of VIIa  Troy. 

Hephaestus

God Hephaestus in Greek mythology

Hephaestus is the god of fire and metalworking in Greek mythology. He was the son of Zeus and Hera. This refers at the Homeric verses, which were followed by later writers. However, Hesiod presents the god as the child of Hera only, who was born with parthenogenesis without the involving of  a father.Borned ugly and distorted,but his mother Hera was shamed so she, threw him from Mount Olympus.The god-infant fell into the sea, where he was collected by Thetis and Eurynome,they raised him for nine years. Once the god grew up, he immediately erected his first ironworks in the depth of the Aegean sea, hammering there beautiful objects for these two deities.
One day, Hera, envious of the jewelery of Thetis the Nereid asked them about their origins, and when she discovered that they were crafted by the son that she had despised, she went, took him and brought him back to the mountain of the gods. There, she offered him a blacksmith with 20 bellows and gave him as wife, the beautiful Aphrodite.
There is also another version,about the return of Hephaestus at the picks of Olympus,  according to which he sent a gift to his mother, a unique art throne, when she sat on it she got trapped automatically by invisible shackles and forced to seek the help of the despised son to be released.
In the Iliad, Aphrodite appears to cheat Hephaestus with the charming  Ares on the marital bed, but one day,unawared they got caught by the ugly but also clever god of fire ,trapping them in a thin gold net and then expose them in front of all the other gods . Hesiod, however, displays as a wife of Hephaestus Aglaia, the youngest of the Graces.
In a later incident, Zeus threw god-blacksmith from the god's residence because he was rushing to help Hera when she was hanging from the celestial vault, grounded for the storm she had sent against Hercules. This time, the fate of Hephaestus was to fall into shore on the island of Lemnos, where he was found by the Sintis at the evening, exhausted and broken both his legs from falling on the hard ground. The care and the hospitality of these poor people made ​​ their island the favorite place of God on earth of mortals. There, on Mount Mosychlos, he recreated, his permanent this time workshop. There he will create many exquisite objects which were  ordering the gods, and weapons for some people.
Among the crafts of Hephaestus stands out the clay woman, Pandora, whom Zeus gave to Epimetheus as a wife in order to avenge the insult  that  had  done by his brother Prometheus, when  stole the fire.

Hephaestus and volcanoes

The name of Hephaestus was given to the "volcanoes mountains," currently known in geology as volcanoes, which in turn baptized and the whole industry, the Volcanology. It is obvious why,people imagined that beneath a mountain from which derived smoke, fire and more sonorous sounds,a god had his forge. For the same reason, except Mosychlos (which for centuries was emitting fumes), other versions want the forge of Hephaestus to "conceals" in other volcanic places, usually in Etna, Mount Vesuvius or the Aeolian Islands.

Poseidon

Poseidon in Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Poseidon is the god of the land and the sea (and therefore also called Pelagaios), rivers, springs and drinking waters.
Son of Cronus and Rhea and brother of Zeus lived on Mount Olympus or at his palace in the depths of the sea, where he lived and his wife, the Nereid Amphitrite. According to one version he grew in Rhodes, where after their association with Alia, sister of Telhinia,were born six sons and a daughter, Rodi, who gave her name to the island.Poseidon was the father of Theseus,  Procrustean ,Skirona and giants: the twin Otou and Ephialtes (in association with Ifimdeia, daughter of the king of Thessaly) of Tityus (from Elara, daughter of Orchomenus and Orion (from Euryale, daughter of Minos). Yet  he considered tamer of the first horse and begetter of the mythical horse Pegasus.
The name of  god  Nethuns is Etruscan and was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology (Neptounous). Both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon. According to inscriptions, Poseidon was worshiped at Pylos and Thebes and integrated into the Olympian gods as the brother of Zeus and Hades. Poseidon gained many children. There is a Homeric hymn to Poseidon, who was the protector of many Greek cities, although he lost the contest for Athens to Athena.
As god of the sea, Poseidon was traveling with gold chariot on the waves that Shaker, while of earthquakes. With the trident could both create storms and calm the waters. Considered the patron saint of sailors and fishermen and even as responsible for geological phenomena such as earthquakes, he was offered sacrifices and prayers for soil stability and security of the buildings, while honored and horse racing. His symbols were the trident, fish (usually tuna or dolphin) and occasionally the horse or bull.

Poseidon was a major god of several cities: in Athens, he was second only to Athena in importance, while in Corinth and many cities of Magna Graecia he was the chief god of the city. In benign aspect, Poseidon was presented creating new islands and offering calm seas. But when enraged, beating the ground with his trident he caused chaos, earthquakes, shipwrecks and drownings at sea. In the Odyssey, resentment of Poseidon against Odysseus averted resourceful hero since his arrival in his homeland, Ithaca. Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage, sometimes drowning horses as a sacrifice.
According to Pausanias,  Neptune was one of the caretakers of the oracle at Delphi before  take control by the  Olympian Apollo. Apollo and Poseidon worked closely in many places: in colonization, for example. The Delphic Apollo provided the approval of human settlement in colonies, while Poseidon over the colonists helped by giving them the purifying water for the sacrifice that involved the establishment of the colony. The Anabasis of Xenophon describes a group of soldiers in 400-399 BC singing to Poseidon a paean, a kind of hymn normally sung for Apollo. Like Dionysus, which affects the maenads, Poseidon and caused certain forms of mental disturbance. A Hippocratic text of 400 BC, the sacred Diseases says he was accused of certain types of epilepsy.