Before we talk about Facts About Greek Mythology, we need should know about the Greek civilization. The Greek civilization has been one of the most influential civilizations in Tain world history. All the newest thoughts and technologies can be somehow traced back to the Greeks. Not just the field of Philosophy of Mathematics, Greeks gave us things like democracy, drama, music, literature, and much more. Greek civilization is also known for its mythology that has been adapted in many cultures.
So, here we come up with 15 interesting facts about Greek Mythology that you might not have heard of:
1. One of the Facts About Greek Mythology is their Sad Upbringing:
Zeus had plenty of children outside his marriage with Hera. This made Hera very angry, and to take revenge, she claimed that their son, Hephaestus, was a virgin birth. This means that Hephaestus was not from Zeus which made the Thunder god very furious. And he took out his anger on Hephaestus by throwing him from the top of Mount Olympus.
2. “Taking the Bull by the Horns”:
This phrase was actually given by Heracles. This was one of the 12 tasks that he had to do to repent his act of killing his wife and children. He saved the city of Crete from a raging bull by his horns.
3. Trojan War from Chaos:
Eris, the goddess of Chaos and Strife was the dark sister of Ares, the God of War. It was because of Eris, that the most drastic event of history i.e., Trojan War took place. Eris was the one who sparked the conflict between the two sides. The reason was that she was not invited to a wedding.
4. Historical Adultery in Greek Mythology:
One of the Facts About Greek Mythology is their Historical Adultery. Ares had an affair with Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. When Aphrodite’s husband Hephaestus got to know about this, he took his revenge by ensnaring Ares and Aphrodite in a net when they were lying in a bed, making love. He then dragged them to the top of Mount Olympus to shame them in front of other gods.
5. History of Athens:
Athena and Poseidon both wanted to be the guardian of a city. So, they decided to gift the city one thing each. Poseidon gifted the city water in the form of spring but the water was salty and hence was of no use. Whereas, Athena gifted an olive tree that provided the people with food, oil, and wood. Athena won the contest, and hence the city came to be known as Athens.
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6. The antagonist in Heracles Life:
It was actually Hera, Zeus’ wife, who was the real villain in the story of Heracles. Hera despised Heracles as he was one of the illegitimate children of Zeus. Ironically, Heracles was named thus by his mortal parents only to please Hera as the name means “Glory of Hera”.
7. Apollo’s Wrath:
One of the Facts About Greek Mythology is Apollo’s Wrath. Apollo had a fair share of time with both men and women, but the fact that he was an Olympian, he was rejected often. One of his love interests was Cassandra, a princess of Troy. He wooed her by giving her the gift of prophecy but she rejected him after receiving the gift. As revenge, Apollo added a curse to his gift that she will be able to see the future, but no one will believe her.
8. Occurrence of Seasons:
Seasons came into being when Persephone, daughter of Demeter, the goddess of harvest was abducted by Hades as he was lonely in the underworld. He dragged her to the underworld to be his bride. Demeter neglected her duties in grief which led to all crops being withered and dead. Later, Zeus found out and ordered Hades to release Persephone. But by then she had eaten six seeds from pomegranate in the underworld meaning she would have to stay in the underworld for 6 months every year. Since that day, the winter comes where Demeter grieves for her daughter only to reunite in the spring and summer.
9. Fortune Telling:
One of Apollo’s legacies was Oracle at Delphi. People traveled from all across the ancient world to come to Oracle with their problems of the present and the future. Apollo was said to possess the high priestess and answer. Oracle would speak in a cryptic language and one had to decipher to get their answers.
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10. Let the Hatred Go:
As mentioned above, Hera despised Heracles. And this hatred only went when he saved her and the other gods from the giants. She was so impressed with Heracles that she even offered her daughter and his cousin, Hebe, to be his bride.
11. Virginity Restoration:
Hera was the sister of Zeus, who later became his wife as she was madly in love with him. She used a charm by Aphrodite to make Zeus fall in love with her. An interesting part about this was she could restore her virginity every year by bathing in Kanathos, a sacred spring.
12. He Who Shall Not be Named:
Since Hades was the god of death, he was a terrifying figure. The death was feared to an extent that he was rarely portrayed in the artwork. It is said that whenever his worshippers sacrificed to him, they would avert their gaze. The fear was so intense that even his name was rarely taken.
13. Doctor Who Could Bring Back the Dead:
Apollo’s son, Asclepius, became an even better doctor than Apollo himself. He mastered his skills in medicine to such an extent that he could bring back the dead which angered Hades as this was against his deal with Zeus. Therefore, Zeus killed Asclepius. But he was able to make such an impact on the world that his personal staff, along with intertwined serpents, have become a symbol for medicine in the modern world.
14. The Thousand Grey Eyes:
The Olive tree that Athena gifted to the city to become its guardian actually had a thousand eyes of Athena as the leaves of the tree. The leaves of the olive tree are still grey from behind and whenever the wind blows, it lifts the leaves up which seems like Athena’s eyes are watching over the city.
15. Pandora’s Box in Greek Mythology:
Pandora was the first mortal woman made by Zeus. She received one gift from each god to make her a perfect woman. Zeus gave Pandora to Epimetheus who was warned by his brother Prometheus to not receive any gift from Zeus. But Epimetheus was so enchanted by Pandora’s beauty that he accepted her. He even gave her a box and asked her never to open it but Pandora got curious and opened the box, which led to her releasing all the evil in the world.
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