10 Things You Didn’t Know About Greek Mythology
The stories of Greek mythology have shaped our understanding of ancient civilizations, offering tales like Theseus and the Minotaur or Pandora and her box. But beneath the surface lies a much darker and bizarre world. Here are ten intriguing facts about Greek mythology you might not know.
1. Hades Wasn’t a Totally Bad Guy
As the god of death and the underworld, Hades often gets a bad rap. Pop culture portrays him like the Christian devil, but that’s misleading. Hades didn’t choose his domain; he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon drew straws. Zeus got the heavens, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the underworld. Hades is fair in his role. For instance, he allowed Orpheus to try to retrieve his bride, Eurydice, from the underworld under the condition that he not look back, and he treated Hercules fairly when the hero needed his three-headed dog, Cerberus, for one of his labors. Importantly, Hades didn’t judge souls—that was up to Minos, Aiakos, and Rhadamanthys.
2. Ares Regularly Bows to a Girl
Ares, the god of war, is also a coward disliked by his family. Zeus and Hera look down on him, and his sister Athena, who also oversees war, often overshadows him. Athena represents defense and strategic battle, while Ares embodies bloodshed. In "The Iliad," Athena repeatedly bests Ares, showing his dependence on her and his cowardice.
3. Theseus Was a Jerk
Theseus is celebrated for slaying the Minotaur, but he wasn’t a hero in all aspects. He escaped the labyrinth with Ariadne's help, who gave him a magical ball of thread. However, after killing the Minotaur, he abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos. He also forgot to signal his father, Aegeus, leading to Aegeus's suicide. Theseus's darker deeds include populating Athens by raping women, earning their eternal hatred.
4. Medusa Had Equally Ugly Sisters
Medusa, known for her snake hair and petrifying gaze, had two equally monstrous sisters: Stheno and Euryale. All three were Gorgons, daughters of the sea god Phorcys and his sister Ceto. Unlike Medusa, her sisters were immortal. They had brass hands, scales, and beards, guarding the underworld.
5. Most Monsters You Know Have the Same Mother
Echidna, half-woman and half-serpent, is the mother of many famous Greek monsters. She and her husband Typhon, a hundred-headed dragon, bore creatures like the Nemean lion, Cerberus, the Hydra, the Chimera, the Sphinx, Scylla, the Colchian dragon, and the eagle that tormented Prometheus.
6. Zeus, Bestiality, and Serial Rape
Zeus, the father of the gods, is notorious for his many affairs. His first wife Metis tried to escape him through shape-shifting, but Zeus impregnated and then swallowed her, leading to the birth of Athena. Zeus often took animal forms to seduce women: a serpent for Demeter and Persephone, a bull for Europa, a swan for Leda, and even a rain of gold for Danae. He also impersonated husbands to seduce women, such as Alkmene, Hercules’s mother.
7. The Olympians Weren’t the Original Immortals
Before the Olympian gods, there were other groups of immortals. First was Chaos, from which came Gaia (Earth) and Eros (Love). Gaia gave birth to Uranus (Sky), the Sea, and the Mountains. Uranus and Gaia's offspring included the Titans. Cronus, one of the Titans, swallowed his children to prevent them from surpassing him. Zeus, saved by his mother Rhea, later freed his siblings and overthrew Cronus.
8. Pandora’s Daughter and the Great Flood
Pandora, known for releasing evils into the world, also had a significant lineage. She and the Titan Epimetheus had a daughter, Pyrrha. Pyrrha and her husband Deukalion, warned by Prometheus, survived a great flood sent by the gods to punish humanity. They repopulated the earth by throwing stones over their shoulders, which turned into people.
9. The Military Aspect of Aphrodite
Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, also had a military side. In some regions, her cult was closely connected with Ares. They had an affair resulting in children like Eros and Harmonia. Aphrodite was worshiped by sailors for safe voyages and by civil authorities for harmony in governance. She was even depicted armed and armored in some port cities.
10. Athena’s Birth Was Unique
Athena’s birth is one of the most unusual in Greek mythology. Zeus swallowed her pregnant mother, Metis, after learning that their child would be powerful. Later, Athena sprang fully grown and armored from Zeus’s forehead, symbolizing her role as a goddess of wisdom and strategic war.
Greek mythology is filled with fascinating and often surprising tales that go beyond the well-known stories, revealing a complex and intriguing world of gods, heroes, and monsters.