Pick two of the gods or goddesses of Greek mythology described in the Article. Tell how they are the same and different. Also, e
xplain why you chose them. Use facts and details from the Article in your answer.
The article:
Before there was a world, there was only Chaos, the goddess of nothingness. Then, other immortals surfaced. One is Gaia, the goddess of Earth. Others include Thanatos, the god of death, and Eros, the god of love.
From these deities came powerful forces: night and day, fate and doom. They, in turn, created fierce beings. There were giants called Titans and one-eyed monsters called Cyclopes. There were also creatures with 100 hands and 50 heads. These were called Hecatoncheires.
The gods often battled each other. In the end, 12 gods and goddesses remained. They ruled the universe from a mountain in the sky.
Does this sound like the latest sci-fi adventure? It isn't. These characters from Greek mythology are thousands of years old.
Ancient people once built great temples to win the favor of these gods and goddesses. More recently, household items, illnesses, and trips to outer space bear their names. And so, the characters demand attention.
Zeus and Hera
There's the mythological deity of Zeus, the king of the gods. He rides a horse with wings and throws thunderbolts when he's angry. He's the lord of justice, yet he can be terribly unfair. In fact, he's a god of many contradictions. He's kind yet cruel. He's playful yet stern. He's a leader yet small-minded. Zeus often pretends to be an animal and drops in on the human world, where he's got a few girlfriends.
According to the myths, this angers Zeus's wife Hera. (She's the goddess of marriage after all.) Hera gets jealous and is mean to Zeus's girlfriends and their children. She especially hates Zeus's son Heracles, a super strong warrior. When Heracles was born, Hera sent two snakes to kill him in his crib. It didn't work, according to the stories, And it made Hera try to think of other ways to kill him.
Sci-fi action-adventure? How about dysfunctional family?
The Brothers
In Greek mythology, Zeus rules the world with his two brothers. One is Poseidon, the god of the sea. The other is Hades, the god of the underworld. (Zeus and Poseidon clearly got the better deal.) Poseidon is as moody as Zeus. Every time he bangs his spear, an earthquake strikes. He may allow seafarers safe passage—or not. He is said to be especially hard on a great war hero named Odysseus, who blinded Poseidon's son—a big mistake if you need to get home by wooden boat.
Hades is also responsible for the seasons. Blame it all on love. He's smitten with Persephone, the goddess of grains, so he takes her to the underworld. In her absence, Earth's temperature plunges. When Persephone revisits the living world for six months of the year, spring and summer reportedly return.
The Others
There are other mythological deities. Athena is the goddess of wisdom. She sprang out of her father Zeus's head fully grown. Apollo is the god of the sun, who lights the world each day when he rides across the sky in a carriage drawn by fiery horses. There's Hermes, the god of speed and travel; Ares, the god of war; and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Many more oversee the world and turn it into their playground.
Sure, they fall in and out of love, seek revenge, and rage over every problem. They plan ways to get what they want. But they also laugh and cry. They suffer and celebrate. If they were any more human, they wouldn't be deities at all.
Maybe that's why Greek myths have lasted for thousands of years. In the gods and goddesses, we see parts of ourselves—the good and the bad.
