KameronGrant

1OConnor
HonorsEnglish9
19August,2015

EdithHamilton
Mythology
Notes

TheGods,Creation,andtheEarliestHeroes
I.
TheTitans
A. Cronus
1. Wasthe rulerofthe Titansuntildethroned byhissonZeus.ZeusandtheGodstookover,
butsomeTitansremained.
B. OtherTitans
1. Ocean:TheriverthatencircledtheEarth
2. Tethys:Oceanswife
3. Hyperion:FatherofThesun,moon,anddawn
4. Mnemosyne:Memory
5. Themis:Justice
6. Iapetus:FatherofAtlasandPrometheus
7. Atlas:Carriedtheworldonhisshoulders
8. Prometheus:thesaviorofmankind
II.
TheGods
A. Zeus
1. Supreme ruler of the Gods, more power than any otherGod. Lord of the Skycontrols
wind,rainandstorms.Carriesathunderbolt.
B. Poseidon
1. Brother of Zeus, second only to him in power. God of the Sea, one of the Gods ofthe
Waters.Gavethefirsthorsetoman,carriesatrident.
C. Hades
1. Brotherof ZeusandPoseidon,ruleroftheUnderworld.kingofthe Dead,GodofWealth.
Ownsacapthatturnsthewearerinvisible.
D. Hestia
1. Zeuss sister, virgin goddess. Goddess ofthehearth,symbolofthehome.Offeringswere
giventoherbeforeandaftereverymeal.
E. Hera
1. Zeusswife/sister.Protectorofmarriage,especiallymarriedwomen.
F. Ares
1. SonofZeusandHera.Godofwar.Murderousandbloodthirsty,butalsocowardly.
G. Athena
1. Daughter ofZeus, sprang from his head fully grown infull battlearmor.Goddessofthe
Cityprotectorofcivilizedlife,agriculture,andcraft.
H. Apollo
1. SonofZeusandLeto,GodofLightandTruth.Masterarcher,musician,andhealer.
I. Aphrodite
1. Was earlier said to be the daughter of Zeus and Dione, but then saidto have been born
fromtheseafoam.GoddessofLoveandBeauty.Sometimessaidtobetreacherous.
J. Hermes
1. Son of Zeus and Maia, Zeuss messenger. Wore winged sandals and a winged cap.
Shrewdandcunning.
K. Artemis
1. Apollostwinsister.Ladyofwildthings,huntsmantothegods.
L. Hephaestus
1. SonofHeraandsometimesZeus.GodofFire,andSmithofthegods.

III.

LesserGodsandCreatures
A. Eros
1. God of Love, Son/Companion of Aphrodite. Often with Anteros, avenger of slighted
loveHimeros,LongingandHymen,GodoftheWeddingFeast.
B. Hebe
1. Daughter of Zeus and Hera, Goddess of youth, Cupbearer of the Gods, married to
Hercules
C. Iris
1. GoddessoftheRainbow,messengeroftheGods
D. Muses
1. The9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.Companions ofApollo. Theirsingingclearsa
manofgriefandsorrow.Eachmusespecifiedinadifferentareaofthearts.
E. Graces
1. The three daughters of Zeus and Eurynome. All share the same personality as well as
graceandbeauty.Whomevertheyvisitishappy,andtheysingalongtoApollosmusic.
F. GodsoftheWaters
1. Poseidon:ruleroftheseasandundergroundrivers
2. Ocean:LordoftheriverOceanthatsurroundstheEarth.
3. Pontus:deepsea,sonofNereus
4. Nereus:OldManoftheSea,kindandgentle,fatheroftheSeaNymphs(Nereids)
5. Triton:Trumpeterofthesea
6. Proteus:Poseidonsson/attendant,couldforetellfutureandchangeshape
7. Naiads:Waternymphsofbrooksandspringsandfountains.
G. Demeter
1. GoddessoftheCorn
H. Dionysus
1. GodoftheVine
I. Pan
1. Partgoat,thegoatherdsgodandtheshepherdsgod
J. Creatures
1. Sileni:parthorse,partman,ontwolegs
2. Satyrs:GoatmenlikePan
3. OreadsandDryads:Nymphsofmountainsandtrees,respectively
4. Aeolus:KingoftheWinds
5. Centaurs:Fourleggedhorsemen,savagecreatures
6. Gorgons:Dragonlikecreatureswithwings,theirlookturnedmentostone.
7. Graiae:Threesisterswithoneeyebetweenthem
8. Sirens:Usedtheirsingingtoluresailorstotheirdeath

IV.

V.

VI.

TheTwoGreatGodsofEarth
A. Demeter
1. Demeter has only one child, a daughter named Persephone. One day, Persephone is
kidnapped by Hades to be hisbride. Demeter becomes depressed, and nocropsgrowon
the Earth. She disguises herself as ahuman, and is found by afamily that shelters her.
She tries to make the familys youngest childimmortal, and when the family findsout
they offendher.Tocalmheranger,thetownbuildsatempleforDemeter,whereshe then
sat in despairover her lostchild.Zeus sendstheGods downto tryand convinceDemeter
to keep doing her job, but fails, and sends Hermes down to convince Hades to give
Persephone back. He obliges, but makes her eat a pomegranateseed before she leaves,
ensuringthatshemust return.AcompromiseismadethatmakesitsoPersephonestaysin
the underworldfor one thirdof the year, theWinter.WhenPersephoneisgone,Demeter
isindespair,whichiswhyplantsdontbloominthewinter.
B. Dionysus
1. Dionysus was the child of Zeus and the mortal Semele. Before Dionysuss birth,Zeus
swore that he would do anything for Semele. Hera, outraged at Zeuss affair, gave
Semele the idea that she would want to see Zeus in his trueform. Zeus was forced to
oblige, and since Semele was a mortal, she could not handle it, and burst into flames.
Zeus tookthe unbornbaby Dionysus from her burningbodyandgaveittoHermes upon
his birth, to be taken to Nysato be raised bynymphs. When hegrew up, he traveled to
many places, sharing with them his wine. He goes down to the underworld tosave his
dead mother Semele, andsends her toliveinOlympus.But althoughhebringsjoy,heis
the GodofWine, andhas adarkersideofmadness.Hismaenadsareruthless, andtearhis
cousin Pentheus apart with theirbarehands. He is also a god oftragedyanddespair,for
heisalwayskilledandrebornastheseasonspass.
TheCreationoftheWorld
A. Starts with Chaos. Chaos gives birth toNight and Erebus.Night and Erebus give birth to Love.
Love gives birthto Light and Day.Earth comesoutof Love, Light,andDay.Earthgivesbirthto
Heaven. Mother Earth and Father Heaven create life, starting with terrible monsters like the
Cyclops. Then theTitans are born, and Father Heaven is killed by Cronus, andhe takesoverthe
universewiththeTitans.FromFatherHeavensblood,FuriesandGiantsareborn.
B. Cronus thenlearnsthatheisfatedtodiebythehandsononeofhischildren.Sowheneverhehasa
child, he eats it, to ensure that hisfatewill not come true. His wife, Rhea,hides one childfrom
Cronus. This baby growsuptobeZeus, andZeusforceshissiblingsoutofCronus.Then,withthe
help of hissiblings, thefriendly Titan Prometheus, and the monsters that the Titans enslaved,he
defeats Cronus, enslavesthe Titans (except for Prometheus and his brothers) and takes Cronuss
placeasruleroftheuniverse.
TheCreationofMan
A. Myth 1: Prometheus andhisbrotherEpimetheusweregiventhetaskofcreatingman.Epimetheus,
however,wasascatterbrain,andgavealltheusefultraits toanimals.Prometheus,beingverywise,
shaped the humans after the Gods. He also went up to heaven and stolefire from the Sun, and
gaveittothehumans.

VII.

B. Myth 2: The Gods created the humans outofmetal.Starting withGold,thengoing downin value
everytime the humans went bad and Zeus startedover.The humansarenowattheIronAge.The
Golden Age became wicked when Zeus decided to punish manfor Prometheuss trickery. Zeus
created the first woman, Pandora, and gave her a box that she was told never to open. Her
curiosity got the better of her, however, and when she opened it, she released all despair and
wickedness on the world, keeping only hope in the box. Zeus then punished Prometheus by
chaining himto a rock in the Caucasus. But Zeusalso wantedinformationfromhimthenameof
the mother that would birth the child to overthrow him. Prometheus would not give up this
information,however,andwastorturedeachdaybyaneagle.
C. Myth 3: Once,Zeuswassotiredofthehumanswickednessthathedecidedtoendthemortalrace
for good. Prometheus, however, knew of this, and warned his mortal son and his wife to hide
themselves in a wooden chest. These two were the only mortals to survivethe greatfloods and
destruction broughtby Zeus.Theycaststonesbehindthem,andthosestonesbecametheancestors
oftodayshumans.
TheEarliestHeroes
A. PrometheusandIo
1. As Prometheus was in chains, being punished by Zeus, he met a cow named Io. Io told
him thatshe used to be awoman,whowasloveddearlybyZeus. WhenHerawentdown
to Earth to find him, hedisguised Io asacow.Herasuspectedthis,sotook thecowfrom
him and imprisoned it.Zeus sent Hermes tofree her,butHerasentagadflytobotherher
to noend. When she meets Prometheus, he tells her that she will soonbecomeahuman
again, and thatshewillbirthachildwithZeusmakinghertheancestorofHercules,who
wouldonedaysavePrometheus.
B. Europa
1. One dayshewasgatheringflowers, andAphroditeandCupidmade Zeusfallin love with
her. He turned intoa magnificent bull and beckoned her toclimb ontohisback.Shedid
so, and Zeus carried her to his island of Crete, and she birthed the two judges of the
underworld.
C. Polyphemus
1. A Cyclops that lived in a cave and raised sheep and goats. After the lastbattle of the
Trojan War, Odysseus and his crew entered the cave looking for supplies. Polyphemus
atemanyofOdysseussmen,untiltheystabbedhiseyeandsnuckoutofhiscave.
D. FlowerMyths
1. Narcissus
a) Narcissus was a man whowascompletelyselfobsessed,andbrokethe heartsof
all who loved him. TheGoddess Nemesis cast a curse on him making itso he
onlyloved himself,and he died staringat hisreflection.Thenymphsthatloved
himcreateaflowerafterhim.
2. Hyacinth
a) Apollo accidentally kills his friend Hyacinthwith a discus,andcreatesaflower
inhisname.
3. Adonis
a) Adonis was a man loved by everyone, including Persephone and Aphrodite.
When he is one day killed by a boar whilehunting,aflower sprouts from his
blood,namedAdonis.

StoriesofLoveandAdventure
I.
CupidandPsyche
A. Psyche was was a beautiful mortal woman, more beautifulthan evenVenus (Aphrodite)herself.
She had so muchbeauty, that Venus wasneglected,forPsychewaslovedmorethanher.Inenvy,
she called upon her son, Cupid, to make her fall in love with someone undesirable. But eventhe
God of Love could not withstand Psyches beauty.HeinsteadconvincedApollototellherfamily
toleaveherontopofahill,towaitforahideouscreaturetocomeand beherhusband.Psychewas
brought to a beautiful meadow with a grand palace, full of regal decor anddelicious food. She
begins to live there withher newhusband,butsheneverseeshisface.Oneday sheconvinceshim
to letherinvite her sisters over. TheybecomejealousofPsyche,andnexttimetheyvisit,theytry
to convince her that he is a hideous monster. When he is asleep, she looks upon his face in the
light and he flees. She then discovers that he was the son of Venus, and goes to her to beg
forgiveness. Venus makes Psyche become her servant, but in each terrible task she gives her,
someone comes and helps Psyche. While she is completing one task, Cupidgoesto her andtells
her that it will all be oversoon. He pleas to Zeustoletherbecome immortalandbehiswife,and
Zeusagrees.
II.
EightBriefTalesofLovers
A. PyramusandThisbe
1. They were two lovers that were destined never to marry. However, a crack in the wall
between their homes allowed them to speak to each other in secret. One night, they
decided to meetat nightby a mulberry bush. Thisbearrivedtherefirst,butsaw alioness
that chased afterher, making her leave her cloak on theground.When Pyramus arrived
and saw her cloak, he thought she was dead, andthought it was his fault. Sohe stabbed
himself withhis sword, and when Thisbe returned, she saw his corpseandkilledherself
too. From then on, the berries of the mulberry bush were red, to represent the blood
stainedontheberries.
B. OrpheusandEurydice
1. Orpheus was a musician as talented as the Gods. He married Eurydice, but soon
afterwards she was killed by a snake. Orpheus went through theunderworldtosaveher,
getting around all obstacles by playing music for them. Hades told him that he could
leave with his wife, butshemustwalkbehindhimonthewaytothesurface.Ifhelooked
at her in any way on the way to the surface, then she would stay in the underworld.
Orpheus, being careless,lookedat her too early, andshe hadtostayintheunderworld.In
hissorrow,hewalkedaimlessly,untilhewaskilledbyMaenads.
C. CeyxandAlcyone
1. Ceyx was a king in Thessaly, and was married to Alcyone. He was deeplytroubled, so
went on a sea voyagetoconsult inanoracle.Thatnight, astormstruckhisshipandsunk
it, killing him and his crew. Alcyone waited for him toreturn,unawareofhis death,and
prayed tothe Gods that hewould be safe, specifically Juno. Juno pitied her, so shesent
Somnus to go to her in her sleep and tell her what happened to her husband. That
morning,ingrief,shewenttotheseashore andfoundherhusbandsdeadbody.Thegods,
insteadoflettinghertakeherownlife,turnedherandherhusbandintobirds.
D. PygmalionandGalatea
1. Pygmalion was a sculptor thathatedwoman.However,he startedtosculptastatueofthe
perfect woman. he kept working on it untilit was perfect. Hefellinlovewithit.During
the feast day of Venus, he prayed that he might find a woman like his statue. Venus
insteadturnedthestatueintoarealwoman,andVenusgracedtheirmarriage.

III.

E. BaucisandPhilemon
1. They were an elderly couple living in poverty. One day,Jupiter and Mercury,disguised
as poor old men, came to their home andasked for food and shelter, afterbeingrefused
by so many others. The couple was very hospitable, inviting the gods in and feeding
them. The gods reward them by bringing a flood to their city, affecting all the wicked
inhabitants except for Baucis and Philemon. When the twogodsaskedthecoupleifthey
have any requests, they only say that they wishtodie together. Sowhen thecoupledied,
theybecametwotrees,connectedtoonetrunk.
F. Endymion
1. He isashepherdthatSelenelovesdearly.Shecastsaninfinitesleepspelloverhimso she
canalwaysvisithim,butsheisalwaysupsetbecausehecannotreturnherlove.
G. Daphne
1. She wasahunterthathated loveandmarriage.Apollolovedherverymuch,andoneday
chased after her. She ran and ran, and then begged her father Peneus the River God to
help.Heturnedherintoalaureltree,andthatbecameApollostree.
H. AlpheusandArethusa
1. Arethusa was a daughter of Artemis, ahunterwhohated men.Oneday, whilebathingin
a river, she was chased by Alpheus, a river god who loved her. Her mother turned her
into astreamthatranunderground,butAlpheusturnedhimselfintoariver,thatmixed its
waterwithArethusas.

TheQuestoftheGoldenFleece
A. Athamas (Greek king) gets tired of his wife Nephele, so marries Ino. Ino wants to get rid of
Nepheles children so her son can be king. Hermessaves Phrixus, Nepheles son, with a golden
ram,andgivesthefleecetoAeetes,thekingofthelandthatPhrixuswasbroughtto.
B. Phrixuss uncle was a king who was overthrown by his nephew, Pelias. Jason, the overthrown
kings son, returned fromgrowingupin secrettoreclaimthekingdom.Anoracletold Phrixusthat
he would be overthrown by a kinsman wearing one sandal, and that kinsman was Jason. Phrixus
fooledJasonintogoingonaquesttofindtheGoldenFleece.
C. Jason went on a journey to find the fleece, with such heroes as Hercules, Orpheus, Castor and
Pollux, and thefather of Achilles, Peleus,sailing on the
Argo
.The eventsincluded thefollowing:
Theisland ofLemnos, where thewomengavetheArgonautsfood,wine,andgarmentsHercules
friend was pulled underwater by a water nymph, and Hercules went mad looking for him The
Argonauts met a man named Phineus, who hadthe power to tellthe future, who was cursed by
Zeus. The curse sent Harpies to ruin Phineussmeals before he ate. So thesons of Boreas (The
North Wind) attacked the harpies, until Iris bid them to stop, promising that the Harpies would
leavePhineusalone.
D. Phineus told the crew of the
Argo about the Symplegades, Rocks that crushall that passthrough
them. He said that if theycouldgetadovetoflythroughunharmed,thentheywouldpassthrough
unharmed,and sotheydid. After that they passedby the Amazons, and Prometheus on hisrock,
butspedpastbothandreachedColchisthatday.

IV.

E. Hera convinces Aphroditeto help thecrewofthe

Argo
.HeramakestheArgonautsunseenontheir
way to Aeetes castle. Aphrodite's sonCupidmakesthekingsdaughterMedea, apowerful witch,
fall in love with Jason. Aeetes makes Jasondo two tasksdesigned to kill him, but Medea helps
him succeed. The first task is to fight two bronze bulls, so Medea makes him invincible. The
second is to use the bulls toplow a fieldandsowitwithdragonsteeth.Oncethefieldisplowed,
armed men come up tokill Jason, but hefollowsMedeasadvicetothrowastoneinthemiddleof
the men, which causes the men to fight each other. Aeetes hears of this, and sends his son
Apsyrtus and his men to kill them. But Medea tellsJason how tosteal the fleece, and luresher
brothertohisdeath.Jason,Medea,andtheArgonautsleavetheislandwiththefleece.
F. The
Argo encountered obstacles onthewaybackhome,includinga sheerrockcalledScyllaanda
whirlpool calledCharybdis.Butoneofthemoredangerousoneswastheencounterwiththeisland
of Crete,whichhomedthelastmanofthebronze race,Talus.He wasvulnerable inonly hisankle,
andMedeacalleduponthehoundsofHadestodefeathim.
G. When the
Argo returned to Greece, the membersdisbanded. Jasonand Medea took the fleece to
the castle, but found out that Pelias had caused the death of Jasons parents. To get revenge,
Medea trickedPeliassdaughters intokillinghim.JasonandMedeathenmovetoCorinth,andhad
two sons. But,outof ambition, Jason then married the daughter of theKingof Corinth. Theking
thenbanishesMedeaandherchildren.
H. Medea got revenge by making her sonsgivethePrincessanenchantedrobeas aweddingpresent,
When the princess put it on, sheburst into flames and died. Medea killedhertwochildren,and
fledonachariotdrawnbydragons.

FourGreatAdventures
A. Phathon
1. Phathonwas themortal son oftheSungod.Hewenttothetempleofhisfathertoaskif
he really washis son. The SungodsaidthatPhathonwashisson,andthattoproveitto
him,hewouldgivehimanything.Phathonsaidthathewishedtoridehisfatherschariot
through the sky. The Sungod tried to dissuade hisson, buthe could notstophim,ashe
had sworn by the Styx. As soon as Phathon begun, he hadlost control. Thehorses ran
wildly, andhe was lighting everything on fire. Zeus struck Phathondead to stop him,
andhisbodyfellintotheEridanus.
B. PegasusandBellerophon
1. Bellerophon wasa skilled youth who wantednothing morethantoridethewinged horse
Pegasus. He slept in Athenas temple and she gave him a golden bridle. He uses it to
tame and ride Pegasus. He flies to Argos, to be purified for the accidental death of his
brother. King Proetuss wife fallsin love withBellerophon, but when herejectsher, she
tells Proetus to kill him. Proteus didnt want to kill him, but he sent him on dangerous
quests that includedkillingtheChimaera,fightingtheSolymi,andfightingtheAmazons.
Bellerophon, full of himself, tries to fly up to Olympus, but Pegasus kicks him off.
Bellerophonbecomesawandererwhokepttohimself.PegasusstaysinZeussstables.
C. OtusandEphialtes
1. They were twins giants, and sons of Poseidon, who wanted to prove themselves to the
gods. First, they imprisoned Ares,whowas rescuedbyHermes.Then,theytriedtostack
two mountains ontopofeachothertoreachheaven,butPoseidonconvincedthemnotto.
Finally, they tried to kidnap Artemis, but she tricked them into killing each other with
spears.

D. Daedalus

1.

Daedalus was an architect whobuilt the Labyrinth in Crete. He got trapped in there by
King Minos with his son Icarus. He made wingsso they could bothfly free, butIcarus
wasfoolishandflewtooclosetothesun, burningoff hiswingsandkillinghim.Daedalus
then went to Sicily. King Minos sent out a message saying that whoever could get a
threadthroughacertainshellwouldgetareward.Daedalus completedthischallenge,and
KingMinosknew that it washim. However, the Sicilian Kingwould notgiveDaedalus
up,andslayedMinos.

GreatHeroesBeforetheTrojanWar
I.
Perseus
A. Theking of Argos, Acrisius, had onedaughter named Dana, buthewantedason.He went toan
oracle for guidance, and she told him that he would not get a son, butDanawould,andthatson
would be destined to kill Acrisius. Acrisius locked Dana away tostop her from ever having a
child, but Zeus came and gave her one. When Acrisius found out, he locked Dana and her son,
Perseus,inachest,andsentitoutto sea.Theylandedatthehomeof Dictys, akindfishermanthat
sheltered them. But the evil ruler of the land, Polydectes, fell in love with Dana, and wanted
Perseus dead. He sent Perseus on an impossibleerrandto kill Medusa, a gorgon withsnakes for
hair, whose gaze wouldturnanyonetostone.Togethelp,PerseusfirstgoestoHermes,whogives
him aswordstrongerthanMedusasscales.Heisthengivenamirroredshield, that willallowhim
to see Medusa without being turned to stone.HefindstheGraiae,threesistersthatshareonlyone
eyeball. He steals the eyeball and makes themtellhim where the Nymphs of the North are. He
findsthe nymphs, andtheygivehim winged sandals, abottomlesswallet,andacapthatturnsthe
wearer invisible. Then, Hermesand Athena help Perseus find and kill Medusa, and Perseus puts
her head in the wallet that the Nymphs gave to him. On his way back to his mother,he finds
Andromeda, a beautiful women that was chained to a rock by her mother, who thought herself
more beautiful thanthe gods. Perseus kills the serpentguardingherand takesherhomewithhim.
He returns the Dictys island to findoutthathimandDanahavegoneinto hidingbecauseDana
would not marry Polydectes. Perseus finds Polydectes eating with other evil men, and uses
Medusas head to turn them all to stone.PerseusthenmarriesAndromeda, makes Dictyking,and
goes off with Dana to find King Acrisius. They find that he has gone into hiding, but Perseus
endsupkillinghimlaterbyaccidentwithadiscus.
II.
Theseus
A. Theseuswas born to King Aegeus of Athens, but lives in the country withhismother.Hisfather
hidasword andshoesunderarock.WhenTheseusbecomesoldenoughtomovetherockandtake
the sword and shoes, he can travel to Athens. Theseus wanted to be known as a hero, so he
traveled to Athens by land,killing all bandits he encounters. When he reaches Athens, thewitch
Medea convinces Aegeus to tryand killTheseus,but he stopsonceheseesTheseusssword,and
realizesthatthathe was his son. Aegeus tells hissonaboutMinos,whosesondiedtryingtokilla
bull in Athens. Minos was outraged,andhesaidthathewoulddestroyAthensiftheydidnotsend
seven women and seven men a year to be throwninto thelabyrinth and eaten by the Minotaur.
Theseus volunteers to go into the labyrinth, andpromiseshis father that if he succeeds, thenhe
willreturnwithwhitesails.

B. When Theseus enters Crete, Minoss daughter Ariadne falls in love with him. She goes to
Daedalus forhelp,andhetellsheraplanforTheseus tosurvive.ShetellsthisplantoTheseus,and

he promises to marry her if he survives. He goes into the labyrinth letting a ball of string trail
behind him so he does not get lost. He finds the minotaur asleepand beats itto death. He then
takes Ariadne and the other Athenians back to Athens, butAriadnediesonthetripback.Theseus
then forgets to make his sails white for his return, so hisfather thinks that he is dead,and jumps
into the sea. Theseus makes Athens into a democracy, and a happy city. He ends upmarrying
Ariadnes sister Phaedra, but she fallsin love withTheseuss son Hippolytus. When Hippolytus
rejectsPhaedra,shecommitssuicideandleavesanotesayingthatHippolytusviolatedher.
III.
Hercules
A. Hercules was a son ofZeus, and the strongest manever.When hewasaninfant,hestrangledtwo
snakes that snuckinto his nursery. He has challenged gods andwon, and helpedthe gods defeat
the giants. He can only be harmedby magic. When he was young, he killedthe Thespian Lion,
and wore its skinas acloak. However, Hercules can be carelessandimpatient,andhesometimes
cannot control his own strength. He once accidentally killed oneofhisteacherswithhisstrength.
He married princess Megara of the Minyans, and has three children with her. But Hera, being
angry at Zeus for having Hercules with amortal, makes Hercules go insane and kill his family.
Theseus stops Hercules from killing himself after he sees what he had done, and he goes to the
Oracle at Delphi for adviceon wheretogetpurified.ShetellshimtogotoEurystheus,whogives
him twelve nearly impossible tasks. The tasks were the following: killing the lion of Nemea,
which was invulnerable to weaponsslaying the Hydra, anineheadeddragonthatwhenonehead
is cut off, two more take its place capture the Golden HornedStag of Artemis alive capturea
giant boar clean all of King Augeass stables in one day clear the city of Stymphalus of wild
birds that harass them capturing the wild bull of Minos capturing the flesh eating horses of
Diomedes bringing the girdle of Hippolyta capturingthe cattle of Geryonsteal Golden Apples
from the daughters of Atlas and capturing Cerberus.Herculescompletesalloftheseeasily. After
this, Hercules does even more feats, like defeating Antaeus, fighting the rivergodAchelous,and
savingthedaughterofKingLaomedon.
IV.
Atalanta
A. Atalantas father had always hopedfor a son,sowhenAtalantawas born,herfatherleftheralone
on a mountain.Shewasfoundbyabear,andraiseduntilshe wasfoundbya groupofhunters.She
grewinto thegreatest hunter of all time. She once killedtwocentaurswithabow.WhenArtemis
sent awildboartoterrorizeCalydon,Atalantawastheonewhofiredthe shotthatledtotheboars
death. Later on, she wrestled the fatherofAchilles.Shefoundherhusbandbysettingachallenge.
The challenge was ifthe man could beatherin a footrace, they could marry her.Melanion uses
goldenapplestolureAtalantaawayfromthetrack,makingitsohewouldwintherace.
TheHeroesoftheTrojanWar
I.
Prologue:
TheJudgementofParis
A. Eris, the Goddess of Discord, was not invited to the wedding of King Peleus. So she threw a
Golden Appleinthemiddleof theceremonymarkedFortheFairestThethreefairestgoddesses,
Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, went to prince Paris to judge the fairest goddess. Each goddess
bribed him. Hera promisedpower overEurope and Asia, Athena promised to lead theTrojansto
victory over Greece, and Aphrodite promised to let the fairest woman of all be his. He chose
Aphroditesbribe.

II.
TheTrojanWar
A. The fairest woman of all happened to beHelen, daughter of Zeus, who was recently married to
Menelaus of Sparta. Aphrodite took Paristo Sparta, where he stole Helen away.TheKingcalled

B.

C.

D.

E.

on allof Greece to help him, andalldidcome,exceptfortwo.Odysseusdidnotwanttoleavehis

family, and pretended to have gone mad. His trick was foiled,and he went andfound Achilles,
who wasdisguised as a woman.As theGreek armysailed to Troy, thewinds blew in thewrong
direction without stopping. It wasdecidedthatthiswasArtemissdoing,forshewasmadbecause
someone hadkilled her hare. TheGreekshadtosacrificetheCommanderinChiefAgamemnons
daughter,Iphigenia.Thewindsfromthenonwerefavorable,andtheyreachedTroy.
Theleader of theGreek armywas Achilles, and theleader of the Trojan army was Hector. Both
were skilled heroes. The two armies fought for nine years, with no significant change. Then,the
daughter of a priest of Apollo was kidnapped by the Greeks and given to Agamemnon. This
angered Apollo, and he shot fiery arrows upon the Greeks, and killed many soldiers. Achilles
made Agamemnongivethe priests daughter back.Inreturn, Agamemnonstole Briseis from him.
In retaliation, Achilles withdrew from battle, and his mothercameto him at night and told him
that she convinced Zeus to let the Trojans win. Zeus was currently neutral, and the other Gods
weresplitbetweenthemselves.
As the next battle went on without Achilles, Helen arrived and it was agreed that Paris and
Menelaus should fight it out amongst themselves.Aphroditesaved Pariss life, andthenbrought
him back to Troy. A truce was negotiated, and would have ended the war if Hera had not
convinced aTrojanto fireanarrowatMenelausandcontinuethe battle. Diomedes,oneofthe best
fighters of the Greekarmy, almost killed Prince Aeneas, the bestTrojan next to Hector. Hewas
carried off by Apollo and healed in Troy. Diomedes fought onuntil hemetHector, but he was
fighting with Ares. This made the Greeks starttofallback, untilHerarequestedtoZeusthatAres
be withdrew from the battlefield. She convinced Diomedes to attack Ares with a spear,helped
alongbyAthena.
Hector, knowing that itwasquitepossiblethatheand theTrojans wouldlose,prayedtoAthenato
spare the womenand children ofTroy,butsherefused.Thenextbattle waswonby theTrojans as
well, for Zeuswas helping them. Odysseus went up to Achilles and beggedhimtohelp,withthe
offer of many gifts and the maiden that Agamemnon stole. During the next days battle, Hera
distracted ZeusandAjaxwoundedHector,sotheGreekswereabletopushtheTrojansback.Zeus
then tookPoseidon from thebattle and Apollo revived Hector, so the battleonceagainturnedon
the Greeks. They were moments away from defeat, so Achilles friend Patroclus took Achilles
armor to scare the Trojans, and led his men onto the battlefield. They all fought bravely, but
PatrocluswasslainbyHector,andHectortookhisarmor.
After the battle, Achilles swore to kill Hector to get revenge. His mother brought him armor
forged by Hephaestus. After a long battle of Greeks against Trojans, God against God, it came
down to Achilles against Hector. Hector was destined to lose, but fought bravely. His final wish
was for his body to be delivered to his parents, but instead Achilles mauled his body. This
displeasedtheGods,andAchillesrealizedhiserror.Hectorsfunerallastedforninedays.

III.

TheFallofTroy
A. After Hectors funeral, the war rages on. Prince Memnon of Ethiopia taks Hectors place. The
Trojanshave the upper hand until MemnonisslainbyAchilles.Achillesdeathwas alsonear,for
he was vulnerable in onlyone spot his ankle.Asaninfant,Achillesmotherhaddippedhiminto

the River Styx, making him invulnerable in everywhere but his ankle, for that's where she was
holdinghim. WhenAchilles was killed by Paris, usinganarrowguidedby Apollo,hisarmorwas
to be given to one of two Greek Chieftains. In the end, It was given to Odysseus. Ajax was
outragedthatit wasnt givento him, soplottedtokillallthe chieftains.However, before hecould
get his revenge, Athena madehim go insane.Ajaxslaughteredafieldofcattlethinkingtheywere
thechieftains,andthentiedonetoapostand beatitto death,thinkingit wasOdysseus.AfterAjax
realizedwhatheddone,hekilledhimself.
B. The prophet Calchastells the Greeks that they need to capture the Trojan prophet. This prophet,
Helenus, tells the Greeks that they need thebow andarrowsofHercules.AtthetimeofHercules
death, these were giventoPhiloctetes,aGreeksoldierwhohadbeenleftonanislandbecauseofa
snake bite.Odysseus wentto steal the bowandarrows, but healsoconvincedPhiloctetestocome
back with him. He was healed, and ashe entered battle the first man his arrow struck wasParis.
Parisbegged to be brought tothenymphhelivedwithbeforethewartohealhim,butsherefused,
andkilledherselfafterwatchinghimdie.
C. Thenextinformation that the Greeksreceived told of asacred imageofAthenainTroy,thatthey
needed tosteal.OdysseusandDiomedesdidjust that,andatthatpointtheGreeksstartedtodevise
a plan to take the city. Odysseus was the mind to think of one, and knew heneeded a plan that
couldget the Greeks intothe city secretly.TheplanwasthattheGreekswouldpretendtogiveup
and sail back to Greece. The chieftains hid in a giant wooden horse that wasoffered to Troy by
Sinon. Sinon told a story to the Trojans about being a sacrifice, buthehadsnuckawayandtaken
the offering to Troy. He told them thatthe horse wasso big thattheGreeks expectedtheTrojans
toleaveitoutsidethecityandangerAthena,sotheTrojanstookthehorseintothecity.
D. Latein the night, the chieftains snuckoutofthehorse andlettheGreekarmyintothecity.Bythe
time the Trojans woke up, the city was already in flames.They tried to fight back, but it wasa
massacre. The only Trojan survivors were Aeneas and his family, and Helen (who went with
Menelaus), aside from the women and children of course, who hadbeen either captured and/or
enslaved. Hectors son was still with Andromache, sohewasthrownoffof aclifftoendHectors
legacy.ThatwastheendoftheTrojanWar.

IV.

TheAdventuresofOdysseus
A. During the Fall of Troy, A prophetessnamedCassandraisviolatedinatempleof Athena.Athena
is outraged at this,so she tells PoseidontopunishtheGreeks.Poseidon destroyedtheGreekfleet,
and because of this itwould be10years before Odysseuswouldreturnhome.Backin hishomeof

B.

C.

D.

E.

Ithaca, many men were trying to marry Odysseuss wife Penelope, and kill his son Telemachus.
Penelopekeptstallinganddelayingthemformanyyears.
Thegods beganto pity Odysseus,andwhilehewasliving ontheislandofCalypso,Hermes came
to her and told her that she had to provide Odysseus with a means to return home. Meanwhile,
Telemachus goes off tofind out what happened to Odysseus. He findsMenelausandHelen,who
tell himthatwhenMenelauswasin EgyptafterthestormsentbyPoseidon,hewastoldbyProteus
thatOdysseuswasontheislandofCalypso.
Odysseus buildsa raft and sets off on aseventeendayjourneytofindIthica,until Poseidonsends
a storm tostop him. Thegoddess Inowrapshiminaveilthatprotectshimfromharmwhileinthe
water, andheswimstoland.Hecovershimselfinleavesandsleepsundertreesontheshore. Heis
on the island of the Phaeacian people, ruled by King Alcinos. The princess of the island,
Nausica, find Odysseus while she is cleaning laundry. She lets him bathe, and she gives him
clothes, and she takes him up to the castle. The King invites him inwarmly andfeedshim,while
Odysseustellsofwhathappenedtohim.
The first encounter was on the island of the lotuseaters. Afewmentried a lotus flowerand did
not want to leave, but Odysseus forced them to. Next, They found a cave full of food,andwine,
but then find out that it belongedto Polyphemus, and Odysseuscomesup with aplanto escape,
that involved blinding the Cyclops and sneaking out under his sheep. Then, Aeolus gives
Odysseus the gift of a bag of winds, andas long as the bagisunopened,theywillhaveastraight
trip backhome.But the foolish crew think that Odysseus is hiding something in thebag,sothey
open it and let out the winds. Next,they land ontheislandofCirce,aevilyetbeautifulwitchthat
turnsmento animals. The men all get trapped ontheislandwhileOdysseusstaysontheship,but
one manages to escape and warnOdysseus. Hermes givesOdysseusanherbthatallowshim tobe
unaffected by Circes magic, and Circe falls in love with him, shelteringhim andhis crew fora
whole year. Circetells them that they must go totheUnderworldandseekadvicefromTeiresias.
Teiresias tells them how to get home, and toNOT eatthecattleofthe sun.Theshippassesbythe
Sirens,deadly creaturesthatlureinsailorsbysinging,soallofthecrew covertheir earswithwax.
Odysseus is curious, however, sohe tells his crew to tie him tothe mastandleavehisearsopen.
After the Sirens, the ship goes past Scylla and Charybdis, the sheer rock and whirlpool that the
Argo
encountered. They then reached theIslandoftheSun,andwhileOdysseusisoff somewhere
else,thecreweatthesacredcattle,and theshipisdestroyedlaterbyZeussthunderbolt.Odysseus,
beingtheonlysurvivor,swimstoCalypsosisland.
The King puts Odysseus on a ship headed for Ithaca and leaves him on the shore, wherehe is
found by Athena. Athena tells him everything that is currentlyhappening. She then turned him
into an old beggarand took him uptothehouseofaswineherd.AthenathenbroughtTelemachus
up tothe hut, and he met hisfather. The next day, Odysseus (still in disguise) wenttohishouse,
where all the suitorswere. They made fun of him and abused him, until Penelope intervened. A
nurse cleaned Odysseusup, but she recognised him by a scar onhis foot, andhetold her tokeep
quiet. Penelope makes a challenge that says whoever can shoot an arrow through twelverings
using Odysseussbow willbeabletomarryher.Allofthemenfail,soOdysseuspicksupthebow
and kills all the suitors. His wife is doubtful that it is him, but eventually she accepts him, and
Odysseusliveswithhisfamilyhappilyfromthenon.

V.

TheAdventuresofAeneas
A. Part1:
FromTroytoItaly
1. After the Fall of Troy, Aeneas along with other Trojans took off tofind somewhere to
settle. They wandered aimlessly through the Mediterranean, until Aeneas had a dream

that he was to go to Italy, then known as Hesperia or the Western Country. On their
journey, they first ran into the Harpies. They tried to fight them, butthey were not as
skilled astheArgonauts,andtheHarpieschasedthemoff. Next,theyfoundAndromache,
Hector's wife. she was married to the prophet Helenus, and he gave them advice and
directions togetaroundScylla andCharybdis.TheTrojanslandedatSicily,butitseemed
that the prophet was unaware that Cyclopseslived there. A sailor that was accidentally
left behind by Ulysses (Odysseus) warned themof the Cyclops, and they left the island
just in time, for Polyphemus discovered them sailing away. But then, they were faced
withthe most terrible storm of all time, done by Aeolus at the request ofJuno.Neptune
calmed the waters so theTrojans could land on the coast of Africa near Carthage. Juno
wanted to make Aeneas fall in love with Dido, Carthage's ruler, but Venus did the
opposite, and had Cupid make Dido fall in love with Aeneas. For a time Aeneas was
settled in Carthage, until Jupiter sentMercurytotellAeneastofulfillhis destinyinItaly.
After a long talk with Dido, Aeneasand his crew left, unaware that Dido killed herself
afterAeneasleft.
B. Part2:
TheDescentintotheLowerWorld
1. Helenustold Aeneasthatassoonashe reachedItaly,heshouldseek theSibylofCumae.
He found her, and she told him to travel to the Underworld to find his dead father,
Anchises. First, however, Aeneas had to find a golden bough on a tree, which Venus
helped him find. Aeneasentered theUnderworldwiththeSibyl,passingmanyhorrorson
the way to Charonsferry. Charon refused to take themto the Underworlduntil hesaw
the golden bough. Once they got across, they ran intoCerberus, the three headed dog.
The Sibyl gave him a cake and they moved on. Next, they passed through Fields of
Mourning,where they found Dido, who ignored Aeneas. Then, they went totheElysian
Fields, where Aeneasfound his father. They talkedfor a while, discussingthe future of
their family. Anchises thentoldAeneashowtoestablishhishomeinItalyandhowtoget
thereeasily.AeneasandtheSibylwentbackuptothesurfaceandcontinuedthejourney.
C. Part3:
TheWarinItaly
1. Aeneas and the Trojans landed atLatinum, the city oftheLatins,ruledbyKingLatinus.
Latinus had been warnedby his father that astrangerwouldcome tomarryhisdaughter,
Lavinia. He believed that Aeneas was this stranger, and invited him in hospitably.
However, Juno still hated the Trojans, and was determined to cause trouble. She sent a
furynamedAlectotocauseawar.First,AlectomadeQueenAmataofLatinumto oppose
any marriagebetweenAeneasandtheKingsdaughter.Next,sheflewtotheneighboring
Rutulians, and told their King of the potential marriage. King Turnuswanted Lavinias
hand, and upon hearing the news, he sent his army to Latinum. Finally, Alecto made
Aeneass son Ascanius kill a beloved stag, which infuriated the Latins. King Latinus
lockedhimselfupinhispalaceandletthehostilitygoonaroundhim.

2. TheTrojans were then against the formidable forceofthe LatinsandtheRutulians.The

River God Tiber came to Aeneas and told him to go down to the city of the King
Evander, a poor city that was destined to be the great city of Rome. The King gave
Aeneas horses, and his son Pallas. He also told them to go and find the Etruscans, a
powerful race whose formerleader betrayed themand washelpingTurnus. Meanwhile,
the Trojans defended themselves the best they could. They needed someone to send a

message to Aeneas of what was going on. Two inseparable comrades, Nisus and
Euryalus,volunteeredto send themessage, but were slain together. Aeneas successfully
gained the help of the Etruscans,and returnedtohelpthe Trojans. Intheend, theTrojans
defeated their enemies, after a battle between Aeneas, who had become greater than
human, and King Turnus, who was slain.Aeneas then married Lavinia and founded the
Romanrace.