The Great Greek Myths

To earn the title of Master of Olympus, Zeus took many important steps, and overcame many challenges. His story is one of an incredible conquest of power, dating back to time immemorial, when the world began. Born from Chaos, Gaia - Mother Earth - mated with Uranus, the sky. Many children were born from their union, notably the Titans and the Cyclops. The youngest of the Titans, Kronos, revolted against his father, who had suffocated his mother and their children. Having beaten his father, he decided to swallow all his own children to avoid the risk of one of them stealing power from him. Yet the youngest child survived, and waged a war against Kronos, the Titans, and many other creatures. This God was none other than Zeus.

Having become Master of Olympus, the great seducer Zeus embarked upon many a romantic conquest, thereby reinforcing his power, through the many children he engendered. His first wife was Metis. His second, who was known as his wife on Olympus, was the jealous Hera. But there was also Themis, the goddess of Justice, with whom he produced the Hours, the Fates and the Mnemosyne - meaning “memory” - who gave birth to nine Muses. In order to achieve his aims, Zeus metamorphosed. He was an expert at changing shape and form. He turned into a charming prince in order to seduce Semele, the king of Thebes’ daughter, who gave birth to the god Dionysos. He also turned into a golden shower, a bull and even into another God. In order seduce the nymph Callisto, who was a follower of Artemis, the Goddess of Hunting, Zeus turned into Artemis herself.

Taking revenge against Prometheus, Zeus created the first woman - the beautiful Pandora. He gave her a manipulative and deceptive character, and subjected Prometheus to terrible torture. Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus were the sons of a Titan, Japetus. Japetus clashed with Zeus in the Battle of the Titans, whereas Prometheus - which means “forethought” - guessing that Zeus would be the victor, sided with him. But although Zeus and Prometheus both shared a shrewd and cunning nature, they clashed fiercely. Prometheus wanted to be of help to mankind, and managed to convince Zeus to give them fire. But when Zeus decided to relegate humans to their place, and to create a hierarchy between the gods and man, Prometheus opposed him...

Having become organiser of the world, Zeus entrusted the world of the sea to his brother Poseidon, and the underworld, or the kingdom of the dead, to Hades. Alone, in a place he had not chosen himself, Hades reigned over the people of the shadows and over the grimacing creatures that surrounded him. One day, having left his kingdom to breath a little air on the surface, he crossed paths with the beautiful Persephone, with whom he fell in love - and abducted her. Her mother, Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture and Harvest, was beside herself with grief. When she heard her daughter had been abducted, she threatened to render the earth barren and the fields impossible to cultivate. Caught between Hades’ desire and love for the young girl, and Demeter’s resolution and sadness, Zeus had to settle the dilemma swiftly.

The Goddess of War Athena was the wisest, most level headed and rational deity. She was born out of Zeus’ skull, wearing a helmet and holding a spear. She was the protector of heroes, the State, and mankind, to whom she passed on many inventions. She was also a very beautiful woman, who attracted a great deal of attention, including that of the lame god Hephaestus. She regularly clashed with her arch-rival Poseidon. At Poseidon’s expense, she won the vote of the people of Athens. Athena experienced jealousy on just the one occasion: the young woman Arachne, an expert weaver, claimed she could weave better than anybody else – including Athena. For a God, even the highly reasonable Athena, this proved difficult to bear.

Although they were the son and daughter of Zeus, Apollo and his twin sister Artemis were born under threats from the goddess Hera. Zeus’ wife Hera never forgave the twins’ mother - the nymph Leto - for her union with the King of Mount Olympus, and she forced Leto into exile. As a result, Apollo was a wandering god, who did not grow up on Olympus. He was a musician and an excellent archer, and was both gentle and cruel. He was also very handsome, but this did not spare him from being disappointed in love. At the service of his father, he created the first sacred site in Delphi, where mortals from all over the world came to question Pythia. But Apollo also incurred Zeus’ wrath several times, even endangering himself in the process, and almost found himself in the depths of Tartarus.