Culture
The Ancient Greeks’ religion revolved around many gods and goddesses. They were polytheistic. The gods and goddesses had very specific and various jobs.
The gods and goddesses (they believed) lived on Mount Olympus. The Greeks thought that the gods had human features but were immortal. The gods and goddesses took part in creating everyday things like the yearly seasons. There’s a common Greek myth that explains how Demeter, the goddess of harvest, made the world’s plants and trees grow all year. Her daughter, Persephone, made her happy. Hades, god of the underworld, wanted to marry Persephone and bring her to the underworld, so he kidnapped her. Demeter was heartbroken, and couldn’t take care of the world’s plants. Zeus, Persephone’s father, commanded Hades to let Persephone go, and she could as long as she didn’t eat anything. Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds, so she would stay with her mother for six months, and then return to Hades for the other six months of the year. The Greeks thought that this was a great explanation on how the seasons of the year were created. Spring and summer occurs when Persephone is with her mother and fall and winter occurs when Persephone is in the underworld with Hades.
These stories often have morals in them to help children in Ancient Greece. One of them could be, don’t make the gods mad or else they may not take care of the world. Ancient Greeks also would ask the gods and goddesses for advice. People went to the Temple at Delphi in Athens to ask the god Apollo questions through a priestess called the oracle of Delphi. The priestess would go into a trance and Greeks thought the words she spoke were from Apollo himself. The gods and goddesses played the most important role in Greek culture.
The gods and goddesses (they believed) lived on Mount Olympus. The Greeks thought that the gods had human features but were immortal. The gods and goddesses took part in creating everyday things like the yearly seasons. There’s a common Greek myth that explains how Demeter, the goddess of harvest, made the world’s plants and trees grow all year. Her daughter, Persephone, made her happy. Hades, god of the underworld, wanted to marry Persephone and bring her to the underworld, so he kidnapped her. Demeter was heartbroken, and couldn’t take care of the world’s plants. Zeus, Persephone’s father, commanded Hades to let Persephone go, and she could as long as she didn’t eat anything. Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds, so she would stay with her mother for six months, and then return to Hades for the other six months of the year. The Greeks thought that this was a great explanation on how the seasons of the year were created. Spring and summer occurs when Persephone is with her mother and fall and winter occurs when Persephone is in the underworld with Hades.
These stories often have morals in them to help children in Ancient Greece. One of them could be, don’t make the gods mad or else they may not take care of the world. Ancient Greeks also would ask the gods and goddesses for advice. People went to the Temple at Delphi in Athens to ask the god Apollo questions through a priestess called the oracle of Delphi. The priestess would go into a trance and Greeks thought the words she spoke were from Apollo himself. The gods and goddesses played the most important role in Greek culture.