The Greek Creation Myth: from Chaos to the Olympians
The Greek creation myth in Hesiod's Theogony: from primordial Chaos to Gaia, from the Titans to the Olympians, the ordered birth of the cosmos.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology stories
Greek myths did not reach us as a single body of work. Hesiod's Theogony orders the birth of the world and the Titanomachy, the Iliad and the Odyssey fix the Trojan War and Odysseus' homecoming, the Athenian tragedians take up the curses of the Atreids and the Labdacids, and Ovid, much later, gives the metamorphoses of Daphne, Arachne and Narcissus their best-known form. Each story is told step by step, with its ancient sources and the variants that change its meaning. They are grouped here by theme, from the creation of the world to death and the afterlife.
Creation myths
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Prometheus and the Theft of Fire: the punished benefactor
The myth of Prometheus: the Titan who steals fire from the gods for humankind, tricks Zeus at the sacrifice, and endures eternal torment in the Caucasus.
The Abduction of Persephone: the Greek myth of the seasons
The abduction of Persephone by Hades: Demeter's grief-stricken search, the pomegranate seeds, and the bargain with Zeus that explains the origin of the seasons.
The Myth of Pandora: the jar of evils and the origin of human suffering
The Greek myth of Pandora: the first woman fashioned by the gods, her marriage to Epimetheus, the jar that unleashed all evils, and the Hope that remained inside.
Flood myths
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Mythical wars
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Seven Against Thebes: the War Between the Sons of Oedipus
Seven Against Thebes: Oedipus's curse, Polynices and Eteocles, the seven champions and their defeat, with versions from Aeschylus, Euripides and Apollodorus.
The Judgement of Paris: the apple of discord and the Trojan War
The Judgement of Paris: the apple of discord, the three goddesses' rival offers, Paris's fatal choice of Aphrodite, and the abduction of Helen that triggers the Trojan War.
The Trojan Horse: the Story of the Trick That Ended the Trojan War
The Trojan Horse myth: Odysseus's plan, Epeius's wooden horse, Laocoon's warning and the fall of Troy, with accounts from Homer, Virgil and Apollodorus.
The Trojan War: the great epic of Greek mythology
The Trojan War in Greek mythology: from the Judgment of Paris to the sack of Ilium — ten years of siege, immortal heroes, and the quarrelling gods of Olympus.
Titanomachy: the war between the Olympians and the Titans
The full story of the cosmic war between Zeus and the Olympians against Cronus and the Titans, which established the Greek divine order.
Journeys & quests
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Daedalus and Icarus: the Myth of the Wax Wings and the Fall
The myth of Daedalus and Icarus: Minos' prison, the wings of feathers and wax, the warning to fly the middle course, the fall, and Ovid's version.
Jason and the Golden Fleece: the quest of the Argonauts in Greek mythology
Jason assembles the Argonauts to seize the Golden Fleece from Colchis: the Clashing Rocks, Medea's magic, fire-breathing bulls, and the sleepless dragon.
The Odyssey: Odysseus's journey home in Greek mythology
Homer's Odyssey: Odysseus's ten-year journey home from Troy to Ithaca — Cyclops, Circe, the Underworld, and the final revenge against the suitors.
The Twelve Labors of Heracles: the cycle of impossible trials
The Twelve Labors of Heracles: the origin of the cycle, the twelve impossible tasks imposed by Eurystheus, and the meaning of this founding heroic journey.
Theseus and the Minotaur: the labyrinth, Ariadne's thread, and the founding of Athens
The Theseus and Minotaur myth: the labyrinth built by Daedalus, Ariadne's thread, the hero's victory over the monster, and its role in the founding myth of Athenian democracy.
Aphrodite and Adonis: The Goddess, the Hunter and the Anemone
Adonis, born from a myrrh tree, was loved by Aphrodite and claimed by Persephone. Killed by a boar, he became the anemone. The myth, its variants and the Adonia.
Orpheus and Eurydice: descent into the Underworld and impossible love
Orpheus and Eurydice in Greek mythology: the descent into the Underworld to reclaim the beloved, the power of the lyre, Hades' impossible condition, and the fatal backward glance.
Metamorphoses
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Apollo and Daphne: The Myth Behind the Laurel Tree
The story of Apollo and Daphne: Cupid's golden and lead arrows, the chase, the nymph turned into a laurel tree, Greek variants and Bernini's famous statue.
Arachne and Athena: The Weaver Turned into a Spider
Arachne, a Lydian weaver, challenged Athena to a contest. Her flawless tapestry exposed the gods' misdeeds, and the goddess turned her into a spider. Ovid's myth.
Leda and the Swan: the Myth of Zeus, the Egg and Helen's Birth
Leda and the Swan: Zeus, Helen's birth, the Dioscuri and the egg, with the Nemesis variant and ancient accounts from Euripides, Apollodorus and Hyginus.
Perseus and Medusa: the myth of the hero and the Gorgon
The Perseus and Medusa myth: how the hero beheads the Gorgon with divine aid, gives birth to Pegasus, rescues Andromeda, and creates the Gorgoneion of Greek art.
The Myth of Callisto: Artemis's Companion Turned into a Bear
Callisto, a huntress of Artemis seduced by Zeus, was turned into a bear, nearly killed by her son Arcas, and set in the sky as the Great Bear, from Hesiod to Ovid.
The Myth of Narcissus: Fatal Love of One's Own Reflection in Greek Mythology
The myth of Narcissus: Echo's punishment by Hera, the beautiful hunter's fatal obsession with his own reflection, and his transformation into a flower in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
The Myth of Niobe: The Weeping Mother Turned to Stone
Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, mocked Leto for having only two children. Apollo and Artemis killed hers, and the queen of Thebes became a weeping rock.
Death and afterlife
This theme across all mythologies →
The Death of Achilles: Paris' Arrow and the Fatal Heel
How Achilles died: Penthesilea and Memnon, Paris' arrow guided by Apollo, the late origin of the heel story, the fight over his body and his fate after death.
The Oresteia: Agamemnon's Murder, Orestes' Revenge and the Furies
The Oresteia explained: Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon, Orestes avenges him, the Furies hunt him and Athena's court acquits him, from Homer to Euripides.