Arachne

The story of Arachne in Greek mythology 

    Arachne(gr.spider) sitting in front of her loom,was weaving magnificent designs with lustrous threads.While working she was smiling and singing a cheerful song.All the people from her village and the surrounding villages came to see the wonderful wefts which the young lady made. The praises that she heard about her skill,made her happy but also made her  very cocky.
      One day she braged to an old lady by saying "I can weave even better than goddess Athena".
"Hush!!The goddess might hear you",whispered the old lady.
"I dont care!",Arachne said loudly.

     Everyone knew that it was very dangerous to talk that way about the gods and the goddesses.If they heard something they didnt like,they could play dangerous games with people.
At that moment,in front of the door at the Arachne's house,Athena showed up.Arachne flnched and kneel infront of the weaving goddess.But her look was still full of pride."I think i heard you mention my name and i came to see your wefts",said Athena.A smile was painted at her face,but the tone of her voice was icy.Anyone who would hear her would run scared far away. Athena looked the weft which was lying on the loom and said"Yes,i admit it is very good!"
"Can you weave better?" Arachne dared to asked.
"We will see",replied the goddess."We will compete,you and me and we will see".
Athena and Arachne  at on their looms and weaved for many days.They used the most lustrous threads and created original designs.When they finished,they took the wefts and lay them on the ground next to each other.Everybody came to see and admire them and try to distinguish which one was better.
     Athena stook and looked silent.Both were the same gorgeous.The weft of Athena,depicted the gods punishing the people who didnt show respect,while the weft of Arachne  howed the gods with their meanness and their weaknesses and was making fun of them.That provoked the goddess and made her very angry.Outraged she shouted "If you can weave so good,i will make you weave continuously.But the wefts you will make,will not ever anybody want!".
     She pushed Arachne  slightly and threw her on the ground,she shrank and became a tiny little thing with eight legs,which run away and hide in a dark corner.The goddess had transformed her into a spider.
     Since then spider and her descendants weave wonderful nets.You can see them hanging at the dark corners or if you wake up,you can see them shining in the morning dew.

King Midas

The story of king Midas in Greek mythology

      Midas was a fool and greedy king,but when he wanted,he could be kind and generous.One day the old-Silinus who was a satyr,visited the king's palace.The satyrs had body of a goat and human head.As he was tired and hungry from his traveling around the hills and mountains,asked from Midas to host him.And he did it,he treated him very well and gave him to eat the best food.
    But,Silinus was one of the companions of the god Dionysus and the god was very happy,from the treatment of king Midas to the satyr.So,one day Dionysus visited him "Tell me what you wish mostly and i will make your wish come true,whatever you want",he said.
The king after some thinking replied to the god by saying,"Whatever i touch,i want it to turn into gold".But the god told him that could be dangerous and asked him if that was his final decision. "Yes,that's what i want",responded Midas."Very well,your wish is granted" said Dionysus and disappeared.
   When Midas was left alone,he looked around and touched the table.Instantly the table became gold,"Lovely",shouted, Midas "I will become the richest man in the world",he continued.After that he started touching every object he could find in the palace,and everything turn into gold.
   Then he ordered to prepare him,a richy meal.When they placed the food on the table and he tried to take a plate,it became golden.Also,when tried to eat,the food became gold.He felt so anxious,realised that he can't eat nor drink anything.
   In the same time,his son came in,asking "What happened to the palace father?",Midas touched him at his shoulders and wright away,the young boy transformed into a golden statue.The fool king shouted,"What have i done!"  and burst into tears.
   At the night,Midas being lonely and hungry begged Dionysus to save him,before he die from starvation.
"I have warned you" the god said,who appeared suddenly infront of him."Tomorrow go and wash in the river and everything will be as before.And let what happened to you,become a lesson".
  When dawned,Midas run fasta at the river and dip into the water.When he came out,touched the shore,but nothing happened,the shore was as before,full with mad."I am saved.." sighed with relief.When he returned to his palace,he saw that everything was like before and his son came running to welcome him.
  Midas has stopped being greedy,but he still was fool.Someday god Apollo and god Pan compete to see who plays the better music.Apollo played so beautifully with his lyre that even the birds stopped singing,to listen his music.Pan played a sad and maudlin music."The winner is Apollo" said the judge.But king Midas,who also had heard them playing, shouted "Pan was better!".
  God Apollo gor angry and said "It seems that your ear are to small and can't hear good.I will make them bigger!" and with his finger pointed the head of Midas.
  The king put his hands on his head and grope two big ears,as the donkey.He covered them with his coat and run to the palace.There he was wearing a tall skull cap,which was hiding his ears and which he didnt take off ever when he went to sleep.
   The time was passing and the king's hair grew.He had to get a haircut.So,he called his barber and made him swear that he wont say anything to anyone about his ears."If you say anything,you will die",the king said.
   At the begining,the barber didnt say anything.But as the time passed he wanted to tell someone about the king's mishap.When he could not anymore keep it secret,went to the shore of the river and dug a hole,bended over it and whispered"The king has donkey's ears".And covered the hole with soil.
   Spring came,the shore was full of reeds and as the gentle wind was playing with them,they were whispering whistling softly,"The king has donkey ears,The king has donkey ears".That way the secret of king Midas was known to everyone.

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.

The siege of Troy

The Siege of Troy

Arrival in Troy

Calchas predicted that the first Achaean who would set foot in the Trojan land will be the first casualty of thewar. Thus even Achilles hesitated to attempt it. Odysseus from his ship, threw his shield on the shore and jumped over on his shield.He was followed by Protessilaos, the leader of Thessaly guard who stepped first on the Trojan land. Achilles landed second and killed the Swan, son of Poseidon. The Trojans finally forced to retreat behind their walls. Protessilaos killed many Trojans but finally killed by Hector (or other sources say he got killed by Agate and the other by Euphorvos). The Achaean bury their first dead with great prices in Thrace, across the Hellespont. After the death of Protesilaos, his brother, Podarkis took part in the war, thus replenishing the loss.

The Greeks besieged Troy for ten years. The more information was saved the last year of the war, with the result we have less information  for the first nine years of the war. After the initial landing and their consolidation in the coastal zone of Troy they began to plunder the countryside, conquering adjacent to Troy ally towns, even loot the opposite Thracian coast. Troy did not get a combined mass siege and as the ninth year in business and communication with the mainland of Asia continued undisturbed. On their side the Greeks accepted significant military aid even before the war ended. However they failed to penetrate the hinterland and to surround the Trojans, who kept contact even with their allies on the European shore.

The campaigns of Achilles

Achilles was the most active of the Achaean hero. According to Homer, captured 11 cities and 12 islands. According to Apollodorus pillaged the country of Aeneas in the Troad region and stole his cattle. Also occupied the Lyrnisso, the Pidasso, Lesvos, Colophon Clazomenai and many other neighboring cities, also killed the minor Troilus, son of Priam. There was oracle said that if Troilos reached 20, Troy would not fall ever. John Kakridis Homeric analyst, says that the list of achievements is wrongly vastly extensive, south of Troy.

Among the spoils of looting were the priestesses Briseis, from Lyrnisso and Cressida, from Ippoplakies Thebes, which was offered to Agamemnon. Achilles captured Lycaon and, one of the sons of Priam. Patroclus sold him later as a slave in Lemnos, but bought him the Aetion of Imbros and returned to Troy. Eventually killed by Achilles 12 days after the death of Patroclus.

The death of Palamedes

Odysseus sometime sent to Thrace to bring wheat, but returned empty-handed. This provoked the contempt of Palamedes , who took his own initiative and was finally able to provide the Achaean army with large quantities of wheat.

Odysseus always watched him suspiciously Palamides especially since he had put his son's life in danger. Organized a whole plot to be blamed unjustly : he wrote a fake letter,supposedly Priam to Palamedes , and buried gold near Palamedes tent. The letter and gold , by the plan of Odysseus discovered by the Achaeans and Agamemnon ordered the death by stoning as the evidence for the alleged betrayal seemed irrefutable .

The father of Palamedes , Nafplio, when learned the news rushed to Troy and demanded the justice to be done , though he was not listened . As revenge , he traveled to all the palaces of the Achaean kings, and spread their wives that their husbands had already contracted relationships with concubines Trojan women , in order to make them official wives when they return to their homeland . Many queens believing Nauplios broke their ties with the most typical case of Clytemnestra , wife of Agamemnon , contracted an affair with Aegisthus , son of Thyestes . Exception was Penelope , which remained faithful to Odysseus.

Apostasy of the Greek soldiers

When approaching the end of the ninth year, the army of the Greeks, exhausted by the long conflict and the lack of supplies, refused to obey the orders of their leaders and demanded to return home. In "Cyprus", Achilles forced the soldiers to stay. According to Apollodorus, to solve the problem of supply, Agamemnon brought growers of vineyards the daughters of Anios (granddaughters of Apollo), which magically produced wine, olives and wheat with just a touch.

The Trojan horse

The war ended with a special trick. Odysseus devised to build a large -size replica hollow wooden horse , the Trojan Horse . The horse was an animal sacred to the Trojans believed would we moved as a talisman , inside their city after they had prepared all the conditions that would give the impression that the Greeks left permanently. Was made by engineer Epios,under the guidance of Athena and abroad bore the inscription:

" Dedicated to Athena by the Greeks to return home "

In the Trojan Horse stepped in an Achaean group led by Odysseus, while the rest of the army burned the camp so the Trojans believe that the Greeks left forever , and sailed for Tenedos .

The next morning, the Trojans discovered that the rival camp was abandoned . In their enthusiasm, believed that the ten-year war has ended and felt it necessary to move the Trojan Horse in the inner city . Some individual Trojans considered it as damned and that must throw it off the cliff or burn it.

Priam's daughter Cassandra and the priest of Poseidon Laokoon warned that the horse  would bring only disaster to the city.  But while Cassandra had clairvoyance, from Apollo to anticipate events,also had the curse because she broke her promise to be given to him,so she was not able to persuade anyone. In particular Laocoon and his two sons were attacked by huge sea snakes which drowned them in the sea. Aeneas and his followers believing these predictions retreated to Mount Ida. The Trojans finally full of enthusiasm decided to transfer  the Trojan Horse within the walls of the city. Indeed, because it was quite large manufacturers were forced to demolish a portion of the main gate of the city, the "Sky Gate." Immediately after the went to the streets to celebrate the successful outcome of the war. At midnight,Sinon, an Achaean spy, signaled the Achaean fleet at Tenedos to approach, at the same time the soldiers in the Trojan Horse came out and killed the guards.

The Fall of Troy

The Greeks entered the city and killed its population while they were sleeping in their homes . The massacre continued the next day. Any Trojans anticipated , fought desperate with great stubbornness , although found startled , disorganized and without a leader to guide them . Some defenders hurled pieces of the roofs of their houses on the damaged  streets of the city to prevent the intruders . Finally , the last defenders were lost in the whirlwind of destruction and massacres .

Neoptolemus killed Priam who had fled as suppliant in the temple of Zeus. Menelaus killed Diifovo , the husband of Helen and moved to kill Helen but once he saw her beauty he lowered his sword and forgave her infidelity.

The Ajax Lokrian raped Cassandra in the temple of Athena. Because of this hubris decided by the Achaeans , with the encouragement of Odysseus, to stone him to death , but he fled to the sanctuary of Athena and saved.

Antenor, who had hosted Menelaus and Odysseus when they had sent an embassy to ask Helen, was not altered neither he nor his family. The Trojan Aeneas took his helpless father in the back and fled. According to Apollodorus, was allowed to leave because of his moral character.

The Greeks razed the city and divided the spoils. Cassandra was given to Agamemnon, Andromache to Neoptolemus and Hecuba Odysseus.

The Greeks threw Astyanax, the infant child of Hector from the city walls in order to prevent possible revenge when he came of age. Also sacrificed Polyxena on the grave of Achilles as demanded by oracles.

The Aethra, Theseus' mother had come to Troy with Helen, old anymore, was saved by her  grandsons, Demophon and Akamas.

The prophecy about the war

At the end of the tenth year, an oracle said that Troy will fall only with the bow of Hercules, which was in the possession of Philoctetes who was on Lemnos. For this purpose Odysseus and Diomedes brought him in Troas, in between whose wound had healed . During the upcoming clashes Philoctetes killed Paris with this arc.

According to Apollodorus, Helenus and Diifovos asked the hand of Helen. Diifovos eventually prevailed and Helenus retired to Mount Ida. Calchas knew that Helenus knew about the coming destruction of Troy, so Odysseus chased and captured him. Eventually forced after interrogation to confess that the Greeks would win only if they brought the remains of Pelops, as they did.

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.