Greek Mythology

Did you ever wonder why there are stars in the sky? Do you ever want to know why there is fire on Earth? If you do, then you’re not alone. The ancient Greeks and Romans were puzzled by these questions. To answer them, they invented what we know today to be myths. In other words, they created and passed on stories about gods and goddesses to answer their questions. These gods and goddesses were their idols and were worshipped.

The word "myth" comes from the Greek word mythos, which means a spoken or written story. The purpose of a myth is to explain human experience. Many events in a myth are not realistic or based on fact, since the message communicated by the story is more important than telling about an actual event. Because all groups of people have myths, and often myths are associated with religion, the stories have been passed down through the ages to become the basis of a society. A collection of myths is called a "mythology." People study mythology because the stories provide a way of understanding ancient cultures.

The following table lists both the Greek and Roman name for the gods. In your research, you may find that the gods are referred to by either name so use this list to aid you in search.

The Greek and Roman Pantheon
Greek Deity	Roman Counterpart	Aspect/Domain
Zeus	Jupiter	King of gods
Poseidon	Neptune	God of the sea
Hades	Pluto	God of the underworld
Ares	Mars	God of war
Hephaestus	Vulcan	Blacksmith
Apollo	Apollo	Sun god
Hermes	Mercury	Messenger of the gods
Dionysus	Bacchus	God of wine
Hera	Juno	Queen of the gods
Demeter	Ceres	Goddess of the harvest
Hestia	Vesta	Goddess of the hearth
Athena	Minerva	Goddess of wisdom
Aphrodite	Venus	Goddess of love
Artemis	Diana	Goddess of hunting

Procedure: Use the following worksheets and associated links to find the answers to your mythology questions.

Worksheet 1

clicking on the images of the gods

Website 1

Worksheet 2

Click on the god or goddesses’ name

Website 2

Worksheet 3

Click on the god or goddesses’ name

Website 3

Websites Consulted

http://www.mythweb.com/gods/index.html

http://www.desy.de/gna/interpedia/greek_myth/olympian.html#Olympians

http://www.messagenet.com/myths/immortals.html

http://www.harpy.com/images