Religion and Mythology at ancient Greek

Religion and Mythology in Ancient Greek

The ancient Greeks believed that powerful gods and goddesses ruled the world. The most important of these were the 12 Olympians who were said to inhabit a kingdom high up on the Mount Olympus. However, there were many other gods, as well as demigods - children with one immortal and one mortal parent- and spirits. People worshiped the gods they found most useful. A Greek might have prayed to Zeus for rain, to Athena for success on the battlefield or to Apollo for healing.

Temple of Apollo at Corinth. It dates from around 540 BC.

Tales of Gods and Mortals

Many Greek myths recount the adventures of gods and goddesses, and their dealing with humans. The gods are often shown as behaving like people- they argue, fall in love and become jealous. Some tales recount how heroes overcome terrifying monsters, while other myths attempt to explain what lies behind the powerful forces of nature.

This ancient stone depicts the gods(from left) Hestia(sometimes known as an Olympian god instead of Dionysus), Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, Artemis and Apollo.

(source -Gods, Heroes and Monsters by Selene Nicolaides)