MYTHOLOGY
Discover the Ancient Secrets of the Greeks, Egyptians, and the Norse
Martin R. Phillips
© 2015 Copyright.
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Hill Tech Ventures Inc.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MARTIN R. PHILLIPS
Martin R. Phillips is an extremely passionate historian, archaeologist, and most recently a writer. Ever since Martin was a young boy he has been fascinated with ancient cultures and civilizations.
In 1990, Martin graduated with distinction from the University of Cambridge with a double major in History and Archaeology. Upon graduation, Martin worked as an archeologist and travelled the world working in various excavation sites. Over the years, while working as an archaeologist, Martin became very well cultured and gained great insights into some of the most historic civilizations to ever exist. This first hand insight into the ancient cultures of the world is what sparked Martin's newest passion, history writing and story telling.
In 2012, Martin decided to retire from archeology to focus on writing. Over the years he has seen and experienced a great deal of fascinating things from all over world. Martin now spends the majority of his free time putting all of his research, experience, and thoughts onto paper in an attempt to share his knowledge of the ancient cultures with the world.
Over the past few years Martin has excelled in his writings. His narrative style has a way of combining the cold hard facts with a story teller's intrigue which makes for an excellent reading experience.
"Live your life to the fullest and enjoy the journey!”
- Martin R. Phillips
PART 1
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Introduction
1 – In the Beginning, There was Chaos
2 – The Titans’ Rule
3 – The Olympian Rule
4 – Hercules and the Twelve Labors
5 – Other Important Beings in Greek Mythology
6 – Mythology and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
7 – Meet Your Roman Doppelgangers
Conclusion
PART 2
EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY
Introduction
8 – The Creation
9 – How to Usurp a God
10 – Morality, Life, Death and the Afterlife
11 – The Pantheon and the Deeds of the Gods
12 – Two Tales of the Ancients
13 – Monuments and the Parts of the Soul
Conclusion
PART 3
NORSE MYTHOLOGY
Introduction
14 – Creation of the Cosmos, the World and the Gods
15 – The Aesir-Vanir War and the Mead of Poetry
16 – Freyja, Loki and Thor, Myths and Legends
17 - Central Myths, Legends and Stories
18 - Central Myths, Legends and Stories: Ragnarök
19 - Morality, Life and Death
20 - From Chosen Tradition to Forced Conversion
Conclusion
PART 1
Greek Mythology
Discover the Ancient Secrets of the Greeks
INTRODUCTION
One of the most interesting aspects of the ancient Greeks is their mythology. Although only a small handful of people still believe the myths to be true, what remains is that Greek mythology fascinates us in a way that is almost incomparable to other ancient systems of belief.
Culture has yet to turn away from the mythology of the ancient Greeks, and this fact can be seen in various aspects of our modern life. Through various forms of entertainment, we come across themes and events depicted in Homer’s works of the Iliad and Odyssey. We find ourselves viewing and referencing the strength and trials of Heracles. We even find various parallels between the lives and myths of the ancient Greeks to our own modern world.
The history of Greece herself cannot be separated by the mythology of its ancient peoples. From heroes such as Heracles and Perseus, to the underhanded dealings of gods and mortals alike, their story is one a creative attempt to understand the forces which dwell about us and within us.
In this book you will find specific stories central to Greek mythology. This is a key into understanding the mindset, not only of these ancient peoples, but of our modern world as well. We may not subscribe as the Greeks did to these myths as factual accounts of historical events, however, these tales allegorically represent the things that humankind still endures and rejoices in.
In this text, you will find the spirit of love, of nature, of war and of peace. These myths often deal with very blunt subject matter, as they were the dominant lens through which the world was viewed during much of ancient Greece.
The research and writing involved in bringing you this collection of Greek mythology has been an absolute pleasure, and I hope that you are as fascinated in reading this as I was in putting it together.
CHAPTER 1
In the Beginning, There was Chaos
In this chapter, we will be discussing the origin of the universe according to Greek mythology and the generations of the primordial gods, the Titans, and the Olympians.
According to Greek mythology, the universe began as an abyss. There was no matter, no light, no life or consciousness outside of this primordial chasm. Yet it was out of this very void, known as Chaos (or Khaos) that not only the Titans and later the gods of Olympus were sprung, but existence itself.
It was from Chaos that Gaia (or Gaea, “mother earth”) was formed. Along with Gaia, Tartarus (the abyss, often described as a vast cave-like space beneath the earth, comparable to hell in Judeo-Christian belief), Eros (desire/biological imperative; some myths include him as a primordial god, while others claim him as a child of Aphrodite) Erebus (darkness) and Nyx (the night) were also spawned of Chaos. While other beings that would represent other necessary factors for life as we know it were later formed by Gaia and her ilk, the initial building blocks of reality were spawned directly from Chaos.
The Chaos mythos in ancient Greek religion is an interesting one. Although the myths were around long before them, two poets were the earliest sources of known, written accounts dealing with the religion of ancient Greece. Those two men were Homer and Hesiod.
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bsp; Homer is best known for his two epics Iliad and Odyssey which deal largely with the Trojan wars; wars that up until more recently were considered to be a complete fabrication. It’s not within the scope of this book to delve too deeply into the purported Trojan wars themselves outside of the later chapter regarding Homer’s works; however, reference to these epics form much of the basis of our understanding of Greek mythological belief.
Hesiod is also best known for two epic poems, Theogony and Works and Days. It is with Theogony that this text is primarily concerned, as it delves into the mythological creation and formation of all that exists, along with the Olympian gods, their progenitors and progenies.
At the earliest times within the Greek creation myth, there was, as yet, no male presence. Gaia took it upon herself to rectify this by birthing Uranus. Gaia produced other children asexually, they were: Ourea (mountains) and Pontus (sea). Thus completes the basic structure of the planet as the Greeks would view it.
Gaia bore many other children however. With her son Uranus, she bore the Hecatonchires (indomitable giants with a hundred hands), the Titans (a powerful race of deities with whom the next chapter is primarily concerned), the Cyclopes (more commonly Cyclops; one-eyed giants) and Echidna (often known as the mother of all monsters).
With Tartarus, she conceived and gave birth to her final son Typhon. Typhon was a dragon with a hundred heads, considered the most deadly of all monsters, and in some traditions, considered the father of all monsters.
Other primordial gods produced their own offspring which covered much of life’s experience. Erebus and Nyx generated Aether (the heavens, also the air which the gods breathed) and Hemera (day). On her own, Nyx generated many descendants. These were Apate (deception), Eris (discord), Geras (maturation, or aging), Hypnos (sleep), the Keres (eaters of the dead or wounded on the battlefield), the Moirai (the fates), Momus (blame or denunciation), Moros (doom), Nemesis (revenge or retribution), Oizys (suffering), Oneiroi (Dreams), Philotes (affection) and Thanatos (death).
Uranus also produced his own children, although this was not by choice. His children were purportedly spawned when Cronos {one of the principle Titans} castrated Uranus. The blood that had spilled would go on to create the Erinyes (the furies, female deities of vengeance), the Giants (aggressive and strong beings, although not necessarily larger than human), the Meliae (ash tree nymphs). Also, when the severed genitals of Uranus washed ashore, Aphrodite (the goddess of love among other things) came into being among the sea foam.
While there are many other gods in the Greek pantheon, the present list is intended to show the first few emanations of Greek deities from Chaos to Aphrodite. Other gods, their children, consorts, etc. will be referenced in later chapters.
It is interesting to note that while Greek mythology was unique in many ways, there are common threads throughout many of the world’s religions. For instance, in the belief of Judaism and its descendants Christianity and Islam, at the time of creation, the world was without form and [was] void. The formation came through god’s will. Although these religions are monotheistic (belief in one god) as opposed to the polytheistic (belief in multiple gods) religion of the ancient Greeks, the story of creation has its similarities. The primary difference being that where the Greeks saw many emanations of gods that created existence, in the monotheistic religion, this was carried out by one god alone.
Other religions with similarities are the Babylonian where the earth began as a dark, watery chaos; the Hindu cosmology, the universe began as empty and dark. Even Norse mythology has its origin story begin in chaos.
It is hardly difficult to realize that in order to have an account of creation, there has to be something before creation. Even the scientific theory of the big bang has the universe composed with all matter in an infinitely small point; outside of this was nothingness (which could be called chaos).
CHAPTER 2
The Titans’ Rule
The story of the rise of the Titans begins with the god of the sky, Uranus. Uranus (the sky) and Gaia (the earth) were spouses, lovers and, together, parented the Hecatonchires, the Cyclopes, the Echidna and the Titans.
Uranus and Gaia’s love affair was the stuff of legend (forgive the pun.) Uranus so loved Gaia that at night, he embraced her on all sides, mating with her. He was a devoted spouse, but was obsessed with power.
While Uranus was affectionate toward Gaia, and favored those that he would come to call Titans, he feared and despised the Hecatonchires, the Giants and the Cyclopes. He imprisoned them all in Tartarus, deep within Gaia.
The imprisonment of her children caused Gaia great pain emotionally and physically. In order to reap vengeance on her consort Uranus for what he had done to her and her children, Gaia fashioned a sickle made of flint and approached her Titan children for help. The plan was to castrate Uranus.
None of the Titans were willing to risk a confrontation with Uranus with the exception of the youngest and the most ambitious Titan. His name was Cronus.
Cronus took the sickle and laid in wait for his father to arrive. When Uranus came, Cronus ambushed him and succeeded in castrating him. Cronus cast the severed genitals into the sea, the blood of which would create the giants, the meliae and the erinyes. When the genitals washed up to shore, Aphrodite was created.
Uranus cursed his children and called them Titanes theoi, or “straining gods.” There are differing legends on what happened to the sickle at this point. Some claimed that the sickle was buried in Sicily. Others would claim that the sickle had been cast into the sea. One Greek historian claimed to have found the sickle at Corcyra.
With Uranus out of the picture as ruler, Cronus came to power. Although his mother Gaia had intended for her other children, the Cyclopes and the hundred-handed ones to be released from their captivity, Cronus left them prisoners inside Tartarus. Along with them, he also imprisoned the giants. Having now angered both of his parents, Gaia and Uranus prophesied that Cronus would be himself overthrown by one of his children.
Cronus had married his sister Rhea and, fearing the prophecy of the earth and the sky, he took upon himself a desperate plan to preserve his power. When Rhea began to bear children, Cronus immediately devoured them. Although his children were immortal like him, they would, in their turn, be imprisoned within his belly.
Each of his children, the first of those who would come to be the gods of Olympus, were devoured by Cronus in this manner with the exception of the youngest child. Rhea was fed up with Cronus’s actions and when she was about to bear her sixth and final child, she hid away and, once her child was born, she hid him in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete. This child’s name was Zeus.
Knowing that Cronus would insist upon devouring the child, Rhea took a stone and wrapped it in swaddling clothes. Cronus devoured the stone, thinking it to be his child.
Despite Cronus’s treatment of his children, the time during the rule of Cronus and Rhea was referred to as The Golden Age of the Gods. The earth was devoid of immorality. The inhabitants of the earth were moral on their own, and so did not require laws to keep them in line. This was before the existence of humankind.
There are different myths as to how Zeus was raised. One has him being raised by Gaia herself. Another has him being raised by a nymph named Adamanthea who, in order to protect the child, suspended him from a tree between the sky, the sea, and the earth, therefore keeping him just outside his father’s kingdom and therefore outside of his perception. Another myth has Zeus being raised by a shepherd family in exchange for the protection of their flocks. In another telling, he was raised by a different nymph named Cynosura. In this myth, Zeus’s gratitude would lead him to place Cynosura among the stars.
Yet another, and one of the more popular myths of the time, has Zeus being raised by a goat. His cries are said to have been covered by a group of armored dancers who would bang their shields together, shout and clap in order to mask the child’s cries, thus keeping him outside the knowledge of Cronus.
Re
gardless the differing myths associated with his infancy, Zeus grew to become very powerful. When he reached manhood, he was set on overthrowing his father Cronus, and releasing his siblings from within the ruler’s body. He met with Metis, a Titan of deep knowledge and wisdom. She gave him an emetic (a substance which causes one to purge) potion to give to his father.
According to one myth, Zeus slipped the concoction into Cronus’s nightly drink of mead. Upon drinking the mixture, Cronus began to grow violently ill. He first vomited up the stone which he had thought to be Zeus, and then the children whom he had eaten. These children of Cronus and Rhea were quick to ally themselves with Zeus. They were Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia and Poseidon.
Mythology: The Ancient Secrets of the Greeks, Egyptians, Vikings, and the Norse (Mythology, Gods, Myths, and Legends) Page 1
