The mythology of ancient Greece was of great importance for mankind and, first of all, for the development of culture. For ancient peoples, polytheism is characteristic, that is polytheism. The Greek gods were like ordinary people, because they did not have immortality and had vices. They lived on the highest mountain of Olympus, where ordinary people could not reach. In mythology, there are many gods who had their destiny and significance for man.
Important gods of Greek mythology
The most important thing on Mount Olympus was Zeus, who was considered the omnipotent father of the gods. He was the patron of the wind, thunder, lightning and other phenomena of nature. He had a scepter, thanks to which he could cause storms and also soothe them. Other important deities:
- The Greek god of the sun Helios could see everything that happens in the universe, so often he was called still all-seeing. The Greeks turned to him to find out important information. They portrayed Helios as a young guy with a ball in one hand, and in another cornucopia. One of the ancient seven wonders of the world is the Colossus of Rhodes, which is a statue of Helios. Every morning the sun god on his chariot drawn by four winged horses went to heaven and gave people light.
- The Greek god Apollo was the patron of many directions: medicine, archery, creativity, but more often he was called the god of light. Its unchangeable attributes are: lyre, larva and plectrum. As for animals, swans, wolves and dolphins were considered sacred for Apollo. They portrayed this god as a young guy who always had a bow in his hand, because he was an excellent shooter, and a lyre. In honor of this God passed various holidays and festivals.
- The God of dreams in Greek mythology is Morpheus . He had the ability to penetrate into the dreams of people, and in the image of any person. The God of sleep thanks to his powers copied voice, habits and other qualities. Represented Morpheus a slender young man, who had wings on his temples. There are a small number of images of this god in the image of an old man with a poppy in his hands. It was this flower that was the invariable attribute of Morpheus, because he possessed lulling properties. The emblem of this god was a double gate to the world of dreams. One half was made of ivory and she opened the entrance to untrue dreams, and the other half of the horns was responsible for truthful dreams.
- The god of healing in Greek mythology is Asclepius . On many images he is represented by an old man with a big beard. Its attribute - the staff that the snake wraps around, symbolizes the eternal rebirth of life. The image of the staff to this day is considered a symbol of medicine. He knew all the medicinal properties of plants, discovered antidotes from bites, and also developed surgery. In honor of Asclepius, many churches were built, where there was certainly a hospital.
- The Greek god of fire is Hephaestus . He was considered the patron of the blacksmith's trade. He manufactured various products that used the other gods of Olympus. Hephaestus was born a sick and lame child. That's why his mother, Hera, threw him off Olympus. The products of Hephaestus were not only strong, but also beautiful and maximally believable. They portrayed the god of fire as ugly, but at the same time a broad-shouldered man.
- The Greek god Hades was the ruler of the underworld . People did not consider him evil and portrayed as a powerful man of age. He had a big beard. In general, he was very much like his brother Zeus. This god had several attributes. The main thing was a helmet that gives invisibility. In his hands, Hades held a two-toed forks or a scepter with the heads of three dogs. The symbol of the god of the underground kingdom was considered wild tulips. As a sacrifice, the Greeks brought Aida to the black bulls.