ABDER - son of Hermes, friend of Hercules

AUGIUS - son of Helios, king of Elis

Agenor - King of Sidon

AGLAVRA - daughter of Kekrop

AGLAYA - one of the graces

ADMET - king of Fer, friend of Hercules

ADMETA - daughter of Eurystheus, priestess of the goddess Hera

Hades - the god of the underworld (among the ancient Romans PLUTO)

ACID - son of Semetis, beloved of Galatea

ACRISIA - king of Argos, father of Danae

ALKESTIS - daughter of Tsar Iolk Pelias, wife of Admet

Alkid - the name of Hercules, given to him at birth

Alcyone - one of the seven daughters of Atlas

ALCMENA - daughter of the Mycenaean king Electrion, mother of Hercules

AMALTHEA - the goat who nursed Zeus with her milk

AMPHITRION - Greek hero, husband of Alcmene

AMPHITRITE - one of the daughters of Nereus, the wife of the god of the seas Poseidon

ANGEY - Greek hero, member of the Argonauts campaign

ANDROGEUS - the son of the Cretan king Minos, killed by the Athenians

ANDROMEDA - daughter of the king of Ethiopia Cepheus and Cassiopeia, wife of Perseus

ANTEUS - the son of the goddess of the earth Gaia and the god of the seas Poseidon

ANTEA - the wife of King Tiryns Pretus

Antiope - Amazon

APOLLO (PHEB) - god sunlight, patron of the arts, son of Zeus

APOP - in ancient Egyptian mythology, a monstrous serpent, the enemy of the sun god Ra

ARGOS - the shipbuilder who built the ship "Argo"

ARGUS - a mythological stout-eyed monster that guarded Io

ARES - in ancient Greek mythology, the god of war, the son of Zeus and Hera (among the ancient Romans, MARS)

ARIADNE - daughter of the Cretan king Minos, beloved of Theseus, later the wife of the god Dionysus

ARCADE - son of Zeus and Callisto

ARTEMIS - goddess of the hunt, daughter of Zeus and Latona, sister of Apollo

ASKLEPIUS (ESCULAP) - the son of Apollo and Coronis, a skilled healer

ASTEROPE - one of the seven daughters of Atlas

ATA - goddess of lies and deceit

ATAMANT - King Orchomenus, son of the god of the winds Eol

ATLAS (ATLANT) - a titan holding the entire celestial sphere on his shoulders

ATHENA - the goddess of war and victory, as well as wisdom, knowledge, arts and crafts (among the ancient Romans MINERVA)

APHRODITE - the goddess of love and beauty (the ancient Romans VENUS)

AHELOY - river god

Achilles - Greek hero, son of King Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis

BELLER - Corinthian killed by Hippo

BELLEROPHONT (HIPPONOES) - the son of King Glaucus of Corinth, one of the greatest heroes of Greece

Boreas - god of the winds

VENUS (see APHRODITE)

VESTA (see HESTIA)

GALATEA - one of the Nereids, beloved Akida

Ganymede - a beautiful young man, the son of the Dardanian king Troy, abducted by Zeus

HARMONY - daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, wife of the founder of Thebes Cadmus

HEBA - eternally young beautiful daughter of Zeus and Hera

HEKATE - patroness of night evil spirits, witchcraft

HELIOS - sun god

HELIADS - daughters of the god Helios

GELLA - daughter of Atamant and the goddess of clouds and clouds Nephele

HERA - wife of Zeus

GERION - a terrible giant who had three heads, three bodies, six arms and six legs

HERCULES - one ie greatest heroes Greece, son of Zeus and Alcmene

HERMES - in Greek micrology, the messenger of the Olympic gods, the patron of shepherds and travelers, the god of trade and profit, the son of Zeus and Maya (among the ancient Romans, MERCURY)

GERSE - daughter of Kekrop

Hesione - wife of Prometheus

HESPERIDES - daughters of Atlas

HESTIA - daughter of Kronos, goddess of the hearth (among the ancient Romans VESTA)

Hephaestus - in Greek mythology, the god of fire, the patron of blacksmithing, the son of Zeus and Hera (among the ancient Romans, VOLCANO)

GAYA - the goddess of the Earth, from which mountains and seas originated, the first generation of gods, cyclops and giants

HYADES - daughters of Atlas who raised Dionysus

GIAS - brother of Hyades, who tragically died while hunting lions

GILAS - Hercules' squire

GILL - son of Hercules

HYMENEUS - god of marriage

Himeroth - god of passionate love

HYPERION - Titan, father of Helios

HYPNOS - god of sleep

Hippocontus - brother of Tiidareus, who expelled him from Sparta

HYPPONOES (see VELLEROFONT)

Hypsipyla - queen of the island of Lemnos

GLAVK - king of Corinth, father of Bellerophon

GLAVK - soothsayer

GRANI - goddesses of old age

Danae - daughter of King Argos Acrisius, mother of Perseus

DAR DAN - son of Zeus and daughter of Atlas Electra

Daphne - nymph

Deucalion - son of Prometheus

Daedalus - unsurpassed sculptor, painter, architect

DEIMOS (Horror) - son of the god of war Ares

DEMETRA - the goddess of fertility and the patroness of agriculture

Dejanira - wife of Hercules

DIKE - goddess of justice, daughter of Zeus and Themis

DICTIS - a fisherman who found a box with Danae and Perseus in the sea

DIOMED - Thracian king

Dione - nymph, mother of Aphrodite

Dionysus - god of viticulture and winemaking, son of Zeus and Semele

Eurystheus - king of Argos, son of Stenel

HEBRITO - father of Ifit, friend of Hercules

Eurytion - the giant slain by Hercules

EUROPE - daughter of King Sidon Agenor, beloved of Zeus

EUTERPA - the muse of lyric poetry

Euphrosyne - one of the Charites (Graces)

ELENA - daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaus, because of whose abduction by Paris, the Trojan War began

ECHIDNA - monster, half-woman half-snake

ZEUS - the ruler of Heaven and Earth, the thunderer, the supreme god of the ancient Greeks (among the ancient Romans, JUPITER)

ZET - the son of the god of the winds Boreas, a participant in the campaign of the Argonauts

ID - Castor and Pollux's cousin, Castor's killer

IKAR - the son of Daedalus, who died because he got too close to the Sun

Icarius - a resident of Attica, the first to grow grapes and make wine

IMHOTEP - ancient Egyptian physician and architect

INO - daughter of the founder of Thebes Cadmus and Harmony, wife of King Orchomenus Adamant, stepmother of Frix and Gella

IO - daughter of the river god Inach, the first king of Argolis, beloved of Zeus

IOBAT - Lycian king, father of Anthea

IOLA - daughter of Bvrit

IOLAI - nephew of Hercules, son of Iphicles

IPPOLITUS - the son of the Athenian king Theseus and Hippolyta, slandered by his stepmother Fed-roy

Hippolyta - Queen of the Amazons

IRIDA - messenger of the gods

Isis - ancient Egyptian goddess, great-granddaughter of the sun god Ra

Iphicles - brother of Hercules, son of Amphitryon and Alcmene

IFIT - friend of Hercules, killed by him in a fit of madness

KADM - the son of the Sidonian king Agekor, the founder of Thebes

KALAID - the son of the god of the winds Boreas, a participant in the campaign of the Argonauts

Calliope - the muse of epic poetry

CALLISTO - daughter of the Arcadian king Lycaon, beloved of Zeus

Kalhant - soothsayer

CASSIOPEIA - Queen of Ethiopia, wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda

CASTOR - son of Leda and the Spartan king Tin-dareus, brother of Pollux

Karpo - ora of summer, one of the goddesses who were in charge of the change of seasons

KEKROP - half man, half snake, founder of Athens

KELENO - one of the daughters of Atlas

KERVER (CERBER) - a three-headed dog with a snake tail, guarding the souls of the dead in the underworld of Hades

KEFEI (see CEFEI)

KICN - Phaeton's friend who turned into a snow-white swan

KILIK - son of the Sidonian king Agenor

KLYMENE - daughter of the sea goddess Thetis, wife of Helios, mother of Phaethon

CLIO - the muse of history

KLYTEMNESTRA - daughter of Leda and the Spartan king Tyndareus, wife of Agamemnon

CAPRICORN - son of Epian, childhood friend of Zeus

KOPREI - the messenger of Bvristhey, who transmitted orders to Hercules

KORONIDA - beloved of Apollo, mother of Asclepius (Aesculapius)

Creon - Theban king, father of Megara, the first wife of Hercules

KRONOS - Titan, son of Uranus and Gaia. Having overthrown his father, he became the supreme god. In turn, he was overthrown by his son Zeus

Laomedont - King of Troy

LATONA (SUMMER) - Titanide, beloved of Zeus, mother of Apollo and Artemis

LEARCH - the son of Atamant and Ino, killed by his father in a fit of madness

LEDA - wife of the Spartan king Tyndareus, mother of Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux

LYCAON - king of Arcadia, father of Callisto

Lycurgus - Thracian king who insulted Dionysus and was blinded by Zeus as punishment

LIN - music teacher of Hercules, brother of Orpheus

LINKEY - cousin of Castor and Pollux, distinguished by extraordinary vigilance

LICHAS - messenger of Hercules

MAYA - daughter of Atlas, beloved of Zeus, mother of Hermes

MARDUK - the patron god of the city of Babylon, the supreme deity of the Babylonian pantheon

MARS (see ARES)

MEG ARA - daughter of the Theban king Creon, the first wife of Hercules

MEDEIA - sorceress, daughter of the king of Colchis Eeta, wife of Jason, later the wife of the Athenian king Aegeus

MEDUSA GORGON - the only mortal of the three Gorgon sisters - winged female monsters with snakes instead of hair; the look of the Gorgon turned all living things into stone

MELANIPPE - Amazon, assistant to Hippolyta

MELIKERT - the son of King Atamant and the sorceress Ino

MELPOMENE - muse of tragedy

MERCURY (see HERMES)

MEROPE - daughter of Atlas

METIS - the goddess of wisdom, the mother of Pallas Athena (among the ancient Romans METIS)

MIMAS - a giant struck by the arrow of Hercules during the battle of the gods with the giants

MINOS - king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europe

MINOTAUR - a monster with a human body and a bull's head, who lived in the Labyrinth, was killed by Theseus

Mnemosyne - goddess of memory and remembrance

Pug - a Greek hero who understood the language of birds and guessed the future, a participant in the campaign of the Argonauts

NEPTUNE (see POSEIDON)

NEREIDS - fifty daughters of Nereus

NEREI - sea god, soothsayer

NESS - a centaur who tried to kidnap Dejanira, the wife of Hercules, and was killed by him

NEPHELA - goddess of clouds and clouds, mother of Frix and Gella

NIKTA - goddess of the night

NOT - the god of the southern wet wind

NUT - the ancient Egyptian goddess of Heaven

OVERON - in Scandinavian mythology, the king of elves, a character in W. Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

OYNEUS - king of Calydon, father of Meleager - friend of Hercules and Dejanira - his wife

OCEANIDS - daughters of the Ocean

OMFALA - Lydian queen who enslaved Hercules

ORION - brave hunter

ORPHEUS - the son of the river god Eagra and the muse Calliope, a famous musician and singer

ORFO - a two-headed dog, a product of Typhon and Echidna

Ores - goddesses who were in charge of the change of seasons

OSIRIS - in ancient Egyptian mythology, the god of dying and resurrecting nature, brother and husband of Isis, father of Horus, patron and judge of the dead

PALLANT - a giant defeated by Athena, from whom she took off her skin and covered her shield with this skin

PANDORA - a woman made by Hephaestus on the orders of Zeus from clay in order to punish people, the wife of Epimetheus - the brother of Prometheus

PANDROSA - daughter of Kekrops, the first Athenian king

Pegasus - winged horse

Peleus - Greek hero, father of Achilles

PELIUS - king of Iolk, father of Alcestis

PENEUS - river god, father of Daphne

PERIFET - a terrible giant, son of Hephaestus, killed by Theseus

PERSEUS - Greek hero, son of Zeus and Danae

PERSEPHONE - the daughter of the goddess of fertility Demeter and Zeus, the wife of the ruler of the underworld Hades (among the ancient Romans PROSERPINA)

Pyrrha - Deucalion's wife

Pittheus - king of Argolis

Pythia - the prophetess of the god Apollo in Delphi

PYTHON - the monstrous serpent that pursued Latona is killed by Apollo

PLEIADS - seven daughters of Atlas, sister of Hyades

PLUTO (see HADES)

POLYHYMNIA - the muse of sacred hymns

POLIDEUCUS (POLLUX) - son of Zeus and Leda, brother of Castor

POLYDECT - the king of the island of Serif, who sheltered Danae and Perseus

POLYID - soothsayer

Polyphemus - Cyclops, son of Poseidon, in love with Galatea

POLYPHEM - Lapith, husband of the sister of Hercules, participant in the campaign of the Argonauts

POSEIDON - the god of the seas, the brother of Zeus (among the ancient Romans, NEPTUNE)

PRET - king of Tiryns

PRIAM - Trojan king

PROMETHEUS - the titan who gave people fire

RA - the sun god of the ancient Egyptians

RADAMANT - son of Zeus and Europa

REZIA - daughter of the Caliph of Baghdad, faithful wife of Huon

Rhea - wife of Kronos

Sarpedon - son of Zeus and Europa

SATURN (see KRONOS)

SELENA - Goddess of the Moon

SEMELE - daughter of the Theban king Cadmus, beloved of Zeus, mother of Dionysus

SEMETIS - mother of Acida, lover of Galatea

Silenus - the wise teacher of Dionysus, was depicted as a drunken old man

SINNID - a terrible robber defeated by Theseus

SKIRON - a cruel robber defeated by Theseus

SOHMET - daughter of Ra, had the head of a Lioness, the personification of the fire element

STENEL - father of Eurystheus

STENO - one of the Gorgons

Scylla - one of two terrible monsters that lived on both sides of a narrow strait and killed sailors passing between them

TAIGET - son of Zeus and Maya, brother of Hermes

TAL - nephew of Daedalus, killed by him out of envy

THALIA - the muse of comedy

TALLO - ora of spring

TALOS - a copper giant, presented by Zeus to Minos

THANATOS - god of death

TEIA - the eldest daughter of Uranus, the mother of Helios, Selene and Eos

TELAMON - a true friend of Hercules, a member of the Argonauts' campaign

TERPSIKHORA - the muse of dances

TESEN - a Greek hero, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus and the Trizen princess Etra, killed the Minotaur

TESTIUS - king of Estonia, father of Leda

TEPHIA - Titanide, wife of the Ocean

TYNDAREUS - Spartan hero, husband of Leda

Tiresias - soothsayer

TITANIA - in Scandinavian mythology, the wife of Oberon, a character in W. Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

TITON - brother of the Trojan king Priam

Typhon - a hundred-headed monster, the offspring of Gaia and Tartarus

THOT - the ancient Egyptian god of the moon

TRIPTOLEM - the first farmer who initiated people into the secrets of agriculture

TRITON - the son of the ruler of the seas Poseidon

Troy - king of Dardan, father of Ganymede

URANUS - the god of Heaven, the husband of Gaia, the father of the titans, cyclops and hundred-armed giants; was overthrown by his son Kronos

URANIA - the muse of astronomy

PHAETON - the son of Helios and Clymene, the hero of a tragic myth

FEBA - titanide

PHEDRA - the wife of the Athenian king Theseus, who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus and slandered him

Themis - goddess of justice, mother of Prometheus

PHOENIX - son of the Sidonian king Agenor

Thetis - sea goddess, mother of Achilles

FIAMAT - the ancient Babylonians have a monster from which all troubles stemmed

PHILOCTETES - friend of Hercules who received his bow and arrows as a reward for setting fire to the funeral pyre

PHINEUS - the king of Thrace, a soothsayer blinded by Apollo for revealing to people the secrets of Zeus

PHOBOS (Fear) - the son of the god of war Ares

FRIX - the son of Atamant and Nephele, the goddess of clouds and clouds

CHALKIOPE - daughter of the king of Colchis Eeta, wife of Frix

CHARIBDA - one of the monsters that lived on both sides of the narrow strait and killed sailors passing by

HARON - carrier dead souls across the river Styx in the underworld of Hades

Chimera - a three-headed monster, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna

CHIRON is a wise centaur, a teacher of the famous Greek heroes Theseus, Achilles, Jason and others.

HYUON - a knight of Charlemagne, an example of a faithful spouse

CEPHEI - king of Ethiopia, father of Ariadne

SHU - son of the sun god Ra

EAGR - river god, father of Orpheus

Euryale - one of the Gorgons

Eurydice - nymph, wife of Orpheus

EGEI - king of Athens, father of Theseus

ELEKTRA - daughter of Atlas, beloved of Zeus, mother of Dardanus and Jason

ELECTRION - Mycenaean king, father of Alcmene, grandfather of Hercules

ENDYMION - a beautiful young man, beloved of Selena, immersed in eternal sleep

ENCELADUS - the giant whom Athena filled up with the island of Sicily

ENIO - the goddess who sows murder in the world, the companion of the god of war Ares

EOL - god of the winds

EOS - goddess of the dawn

EPAF - Phaethon's cousin, son of Zeus

Epian - father of Capricorn

Epimetheus - brother of Prometheus

ERATO - the muse of love songs

Erigone - daughter of Ikaria

ERIDA - goddess of discord, companion of the god of war Ares

Erichthonius - son of Hephaestus and Gaia, second king of Athens

EROS (EROT) - god of love, son of Aphrodite

Aesculapius (see ASCLEPIUS)

ESON - king of Iolk, father of Jason

EET - king of Colchis, son of Helios

JUNO (see HERA)

JUPITER (see ZEUS)

Janus - god of time

IAPET - titan, father of Atlas

YASION - son of Zeus and Electra

Jason - Greek hero, leader of the Argonauts campaign

Tyrrhenian sea robbers / Ancient Greek myth Dionysus also punished the Tyrrhenian sea robbers, but not so much because they did not recognize him...

043. Tyrrhenian sea robbers / Ancient Greek myth

Tyrrhenian sea robbers / Ancient Greek myth

Dionysus also punished the Tyrrhenian sea robbers, but not so much because they did not recognize him as a god, but for the evil that they wanted to inflict on him as a mere mortal.

One day young Dionysus stood on the shores of the azure sea. The sea breeze gently played with his dark curls and slightly stirred the folds of the purple cloak that fell from the slender shoulders of the young god. A ship appeared out to sea in the distance; he quickly approached the shore. When the ship was already close, the sailors - they were Tyrrhenian sea robbers - saw a wondrous young man on a deserted seashore. They quickly moored, went ashore, grabbed Dionysus and took him to the ship. The robbers did not even suspect that they had captured a god. The robbers rejoiced that such rich booty fell into their hands. They were sure that they would get a lot of gold for such a beautiful young man by selling him into slavery. Arriving on the ship, the robbers wanted to shackle Dionysus in heavy chains, but they fell from the arms and legs of the young god. He sat and looked at the robbers with a calm smile. When the helmsman saw that the chains were not holding on to the hands of the young man, he said to his comrades with fear:

Unhappy! What are we doing? Do we want to bind God? Look - even our ship can barely hold it! Isn't it Zeus himself, isn't it the silver-armed Apollo or Poseidon, the shaker of the earth? No, he doesn't look like a mortal! This is one of the gods living on the bright Olympus. Release him soon, land him on the ground. No matter how he summoned violent winds and raised a formidable storm on the sea!

But the captain angrily answered the wise helmsman:

Despicable! Look, the wind is fair! Our ship will quickly rush along the waves of the boundless sea. We will take care of the young man later. We will sail to Egypt, or to Cyprus, or to the distant country of the Hyperboreans, and there we will sell it; let this young man look for his friends and brothers there. No, the gods sent it to us!

The robbers calmly raised the sails, and the ship went out to the open sea. Suddenly a miracle happened: fragrant wine flowed through the ship, and the whole air was filled with fragrance. The robbers were dumbfounded. But here on the sails vines with heavy clusters turned green; dark green ivy curled around the mast; beautiful fruits appeared everywhere; oarlocks of oars wrapped around garlands of flowers. When the robbers saw all this, they began to pray to the wise helmsman to rule as soon as possible to the shore. But it's too late! The young man turned into a lion and stood on the deck with a menacing growl, his eyes flashing furiously. A shaggy bear appeared on the deck of the ship; she bared her mouth terribly.

In horror, the robbers rushed to the stern and crowded around the helmsman. With a huge leap, the lion rushed at the captain and tore him to pieces. Having lost hope of salvation, the robbers rushed into the sea waves one by one, and Dionysus turned them into dolphins. The helmsman was spared by Dionysus. He assumed his former form and, smiling affably, said to the helmsman:

Do not be afraid! I loved you. I am Dionysus, the son of the Thunderer Zeus and the daughter of Cadmus, Semele!

Dionysus also punished the Tyrrhenian sea robbers, but not so much because they did not recognize him as a god, but for the evil that they wanted to inflict on him as a mere mortal.

One day young Dionysus stood on the shores of the azure sea. The sea breeze gently played with his dark curls and slightly stirred the folds of the purple cloak that fell from the slender shoulders of the young god. A ship appeared out to sea in the distance; he quickly approached the shore. When the ship was already close, the sailors - they were Tyrrhenian sea robbers - saw a wonderful young man on a deserted seashore. They quickly moored, went ashore, grabbed Dionysus and took him to the ship. The robbers did not even suspect that they had captured a god. The robbers rejoiced that such rich booty fell into their hands. They were sure that they would get a lot of gold for such a beautiful young man by selling him into slavery. Arriving on the ship, the robbers wanted to shackle Dionysus in heavy chains, but they fell from the arms and legs of the young god. He sat and looked at the robbers with a calm smile. When the helmsman saw that the chains were not holding on to the hands of the young man, he said to his comrades with fear:

- Unhappy! What are we doing! Do we want to bind God? Look, even our ship can barely hold it! Isn't it Zeus himself, isn't it the silver-armed Apollo or Poseidon, the shaker of the earth? No, he doesn't look like a mortal! This is one of the gods living on the bright Olympus. Release him soon, land him on the ground. No matter how he summoned violent winds and raised a formidable storm on the sea!

But the captain angrily answered the wise helmsman:

— Contemptible! Look, the wind is fair! Our ship will quickly rush along the waves of the boundless sea. We will take care of the young man later. We will sail to Egypt, or to Cyprus, or to the distant country of the Hyperboreans, and there we will sell it; let this young man look for his friends and brothers there. No, the gods sent it to us!

The robbers calmly raised the sails, and the ship went out to the open sea. Suddenly a miracle happened: fragrant wine flowed through the ship, and the whole air was filled with fragrance. The robbers were dumbfounded. But here on the sails vines with heavy clusters turned green; dark green ivy curled around the mast; beautiful fruits appeared everywhere; oarlocks of oars wrapped around garlands of flowers. When the robbers saw all this, they began to pray to the wise helmsman to rule as soon as possible to the shore. But it's too late! The young man turned into a lion and stood on the deck with a menacing growl, his eyes flashing furiously. A shaggy bear appeared on the deck of the ship; she bared her mouth terribly. In horror, the robbers rushed to the stern and crowded around the helmsman. With a huge leap, the lion rushed at the captain and tore him to pieces. Having lost hope of salvation, the robbers rushed into the sea waves one by one, and Dionysus turned them into dolphins. The helmsman was spared by Dionysus. He assumed his former form and, smiling affably, said to the helmsman:

- Do not be afraid! I loved you. I am Dionysus, the son of the Thunderer Zeus and the daughter of Cadmus, Semele!

Myths of Ancient Greece

Myth (ancient Greek μῦθος) - a legend that conveys people's ideas about the world, man's place in it, about the origin of all things, about gods and heroes.

The myth of Dionysus

Dionis - in ancient Greek mythology, the youngest of the Olympians, the god of vegetation, viticulture, winemaking, the productive forces of nature, inspiration and religious ecstasy. Mentioned in" Odyssey " .

With a cheerful crowd of maenads and satyrs decorated with wreaths, the cheerful god Dionysus walks around the world, from country to country. He walks in front, wearing a wreath of grapes, holding a thyrsus adorned with ivy. Around him young maenads whirl in a quick dance, singing and shouting; clumsy satyrs with tails and goat legs, drunk on wine, jump about.

Dionysus-Bacchus merrily walks the earth, conquering everything with his power. He teaches people to plant grapes and make wine from their heavy, ripe bunches.Dionysus goes to the deserted seashore. A sail was visible in the distance. It was a pirate ship. They quickly moored, went ashore, grabbed Dionysus and took him to the ship.

Arriving on the ship, the robbers wanted to shackle Dionysus in heavy chains, but they fell from the arms and legs of the young god. The robbers calmly raised the sails, and the ship went out to the open sea. Suddenly a miracle happened: fragrant wine streamed through the ship, and the whole air was filled with fragrance. The robbers were dumbfounded. But here on the sails vines with heavy clusters turned green; dark green ivy curled around the mast; When the robbers saw all this, they began to pray to the wise helmsman to rule as soon as possible to the shore. But it's too late! The young man turned into a lion and stood on the deck with a menacing growl, his eyes flashing furiously. Having lost hope of salvation, the robbers rushed into the sea waves one by one, and Dionysus turned them into dolphins. After that, he assumed his former form and, smiling affably, said: « I am Dionysus, the son of the Thunderer Zeus and the daughter of Cadmus, Semele!»

Adonis

Adonis - in ancient Greek mythology - according to the most popular version - the son of Kinira from his own daughter Smyrna.

Adonis was famous for his beauty: the goddess of love Aphrodite falls in love with him. He is also called the beloved of Dionysus. He was a shepherd and a hare hunter. The Muses' praise of hunting inspired him to become a hunter.

The city of Byblos is dedicated to him.

Among the Phoenicians, Adonis (Adon in Phoenician mythology) is the young resurrecting god of spring, the personification of the annual dying and revival of nature. In ancient Greece, the feast of Adonis in the middle of summer was celebrated for two days: on the first, his combination with Aphrodite was celebrated as a symbol of spring flowering and resurrection, the other day was dedicated to crying for the dead god, symbolizing the withering of nature. The women of Argive mourned him. Ancient people believed that thanks to Adonis flowers bloomed in spring and fruits ripened in summer, while in winter nature mourned the departed god. As a sign of involvement in the cult of the bewitching beauty of the god Adonis, women began to grow flowers in clay pots, which they called"gardens of Adonis". People identified him with Dionysus.

Supporters of the mythological school identified the image of the myth of Adonis with Jesus Christ.

The goddess of love Aphrodite fell in love with the son of the king of Cyprus - the beautiful young man Adonis, who surpasses the beauty of all mortals. Forgetting everything in the world, Aphrodite spent time with Adonis in Cyprus, hunting with him in the mountains and forests of the island. She tried not to part with him, but leaving him for a while, she asked him to be careful, to avoid formidable animals, such as lions and wild boars. Once, when Aphrodite was not around, the dogs attacked the trail of a huge boar and rushed after him in pursuit. Adonis was about to strike the beast with his spear when the boar rushed at him and inflicted
him a mortal wound.
Having learned about the death of Adonis and grieving it, Aphrodite went barefoot along the mountain slopes and gorges in search of him, her tender feet left bloody footprints on the stones. Finally, she found the murdered Adonis and began to lament bitterly over him. Wishing to keep his memory forever, the goddess commanded to grow from the blood of the young man beautiful flower anemone. And where drops of blood fell from the wounded legs of the goddess, scarlet roses appeared. They were luxurious, and their color is as bright as the blood of the goddess. Then Zeus took pity on the grief of Aphrodite. He ordered his brother Hades, the god of the underworld of the dead, to release Adonis to earth from the kingdom of shadows every six months. After spending half a year in the kingdom of Hades, Adonis at the same time returns to earth to meet the bright rays of the sun and the arms of the golden Aphrodite. All nature rejoices, rejoicing in their love

Prometheus

Prometheus - in ancient Greek mythology, a titan, the king of the Scythians, the protector of people from the arbitrariness of the gods. Son of Iapetus and Clymene.

The name of the titan "Prometheus" means "thinking before", "foreseeing" ( as opposed to the name of his brother Epimetheus,"thinking after") and is derived from the Indo-European root me-dh-, men-dh-, "to think", "to know".

The myth of Prometheus

According to Hesiod, Prometheus fashioned people from the earth, and Athena endowed them with breath; in a more detailed version, set forth by Propertius, he fashioned people from clay, mixing earth with water (Hesiod does not have this); or he revived the people created by Deucalion and Pyrrha from stones. Near Panopia (Phocis) in ancient times there was a statue of Prometheus, and next to it were two large stones left from the clay from which people were fashioned. Fraser visited this valley.

And I saw reddish earth at its bottom. When the gods and men bickered at Mekon, Prometheus deceived Zeus by offering him a choice, and he chose a larger but worse part of the victim. So Prometheus changed the order of sacrifices to the gods, earlier the whole animal was burned, and now only the bones. Prometheus killed the bull first. People set to burn the liver of sacrificial animals on the altars, so that the gods would enjoy their liver instead of Prometheus.

Fire theft

According to the oldest version of the myth, Prometheus stole the fire from Hephaestus, took it from Olympus and handed it over to people. He ascended to heaven with the help of Athena and raised the torch to the sun. He gave people fire, hiding it in a hollow reed stalk (narfex) and showed people how to keep it, sprinkling it with ashes.This reed has an interior filled with white pulp that can burn like a wick.

In interpretation, he invented"fire sticks" from which the fire ignites. According to another interpretation, he studied astronomy, and also comprehended the cause of lightning.

For the theft of fire, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to chain Prometheus to the Caucasus Range. He was punished for disobeying Zeus. Prometheus was chained to a rock and doomed to incessant torment: an eagle flying every day pecked at Prometheus's liver, which later grew back. These torments, according to various ancient sources, lasted from several centuries to 30 thousand years (according to Aeschylus), until Hercules killed eagle's arrow and did not free Prometheus. Prometheus showed Hercules the way to the Hesperides. In gratitude, Hercules killed the eagle with an arrow from a bow and persuaded Zeus to calm his anger. When Zeus freed Prometheus, he bound one of his fingers with a stone from a rock and iron, since then people have been wearing rings. There is a story about how Prometheus tried to bribe Charon, but to no avail.

Demeter

Demeter - in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of fertility, the patroness of agriculture. One of the most revered deities of the Olympic pantheon. Her name means« Mother Earth »

The myth of Demeter

The goddess Demeter had a young, beautiful daughter, Persephone. Zeus was the father of Persephone. One day Persephone and her girlfriends, the Oceanids, carelessly frolicked in the flowering Nisei Valley. Like a light-winged butterfly, the young daughter of Demeter ran from flower to flower. She picked lush roses, fragrant violets, snow-white lilies and red hyacinths. Persephone frolicked carelessly, not knowing the fate that her father Zeus assigned her. Persephone did not think that she would not soon see the clear light of the sun again, would not soon admire the flowers and inhale their sweet aroma. Zeus gave her as a wife to his gloomy brother Hades, and Persephone must live with him in the darkness of the underworld, deprived of the light of the hot southern sun. Hades saw Persephone frolicking in the Nisean Valley, and decided to immediately kidnap her. He begged the goddess of the earth, Gaia, to grow an unusually beautiful flower ... The goddess Gaia agreed, and a marvelous flower grew in the Nisei Valley. Persephone saw a flower and plucked it. And suddenly the earth opened up, and Hades appeared on black horses and kidnapped Persephone.

Demeter heard the cry of her daughter, the goddess Persephone was looking everywhere, but she was not there. She went to other gods for help, and Helios - the sun answered her that Persephone had been abducted by Hades. The mother got sad. She left Olympus.

All growth on earth ceased, The leaves on the trees withered and flew around. The forests became bare. But it was still the goddess Demeter. Zeus did not want humanity to perish, and begged Demeter to return. The goddess agreed, only on the condition that Persephone returned to her. But Zeus could not do this. And both sides agreed that Persephone would live with her mother for two thirds of the year, and return to her husband Hades for one third. Since then, when Persephone leaves her mother, autumn comes, and when she returns to her mother, the goddess of fertility pours her gifts to people with a generous hand and rewards the work of the farmer with a rich harvest.

The hero Theseus is the son of King Aegeus. - Procrustean bed. - Medea wants to poison Theseus. - Thread of Ariadne in the labyrinth of the Minotaur. - Ariadne abandoned by Theseus. - Black sails: the myth of the name of the Aegean Sea. - Amazonomachy. - Theseus and Pirithous in the realm of shadows. - Death of Theseus.

Hero Theseus - the son of King Aegeus

The protagonist of almost all heroic Athenian myths is Theseus. The Athenians wanted to embody in Theseus, just as the Dorians did with Hercules, all the feats and great deeds of the Athenian mythological cycle. But the Athenian hero Theseus never enjoyed such fame among all the Greeks as Hercules, although to give glory and splendor to the name of Theseus, he was credited with feats that are an exact copy of with.

Theseus is the son of the Athenian king Aegeus and Ephra, a descendant. Theseus was born near Troezena, and he was brought up by his grandfather, the wise Pittheus. taught Theseus horse riding, shooting and various gymnastic exercises.

Aegeus, going to Athens, put his sword and sandals under a large and heavy stone and told his wife to send Theseus to him only when he moved this stone and found the sword and sandals.

Sixteen-year-old Theseus picked up a stone, armed himself with a sword, put on sandals and went to Athens to seek his father and glory.

An antique bas-relief, located in the Campanian Museum, depicts the young hero Theseus, surrounded by relatives, raising a stone.

Approaching Athens, Theseus was ridiculed by a crowd of young Athenians for his long clothes, which the ancient Athenians considered a sign of effeminacy. The hero Theseus, who was called the red girl, decided not to show himself to his father Aegeus before he covered his name with glory.

PROCRUSTEAN BED

All the surroundings of Athens were in that mythical era inhabited by robbers who robbed and killed passers-by and terrified the country with their atrocities.

First of all, Theseus went to Epidaurus, where the villain Periphetes raged. Periphetes killed all passers-by with a copper club. The hero Theseus killed Peritheth and took his club for himself.

Then Theseus went to the Isthmus of Corinth and killed another robber there - Sinis. The robber Sinis had the habit of tying all travelers who fell into his hands by the arms and legs to the tops of two trees. Theseus subjected Sinis to the same fate. Several antique vases and bas-reliefs depict this feat of the hero. Theseus also established the Isthmian Games in honor of the god (Neptune). Returning from the Isthmus of Corinth, near Eleusis, Theseus killed the terrible Krommion pig Feya, which devoured people.

the villain Procrustes possessed no less original mania. Procrustes, apparently, wanted all people in the world to be the same height as him. Procrustes had a bed on which he laid his captives. If it turned out that the prisoners of Procrustes did not fit on the Procrustean bed, then he chopped off their heads or legs. On the contrary, if Procrustean bed turned out to be too long, the robber Procrustes pulled the legs of his captives by force until he tore them off.

Having killed Procrustes, Theseus went to fight with Skiron, who threw the travelers he had robbed from the top of the cliff onto the sandy seashore. There the robber Skiron kept turtles, which he fattened with human meat. Theseus in the same way gave Skiron to be eaten by turtles.

Thus, retribution, the primitive expression of justice among the ancient Greeks, plays a prominent role in all the myths about the exploits of Theseus. The hero Theseus appears in myths ancient greece, like Hercules, the champion of truth, the guardian of the law, the patron of the oppressed and the formidable opponent of all the enemies of mankind.

Having cleared Attica of the villains, Theseus decided that he could now appear before his father Aegeus, and went to Athens.

Medea wants to poison Theseus

The king of Athens, Aegeus, was then completely dependent on the sorceress Medea, with whom Aegeus entered into marriage.

Medea feared the influence of the hero-son on Aegeus. Seeing that Aegeus did not recognize Theseus, Medea persuaded the king to give the stranger a goblet of poisoned wine during the feast.

Fortunately for Theseus, the hero took out his sword to cut the meat, and father Aegeus, recognizing him by the sword, snatched the goblet from Theseus, which the hero was about to bring to his lips. The cruel Medea was forced to flee from Athens.

Many ancient bas-reliefs depict the scene of this feast. Aegeus snatches the goblet from Theseus, while Medea stands far away, waiting for the effect of the drink she poisoned.

Thread of Ariadne in the Labyrinth of the Minotaur

Theseus helped his father Aegeus get rid of his nephews, who disputed the Athenian throne with him. Then Theseus went to look for a wild marathon bull that was devastating the country. Theseus brought the bull of Marathon alive to Athens and sacrificed it to Apollo. This marathon bull, caught by Theseus, was nothing more than Hercules caught at one time, and then set free by him.

Returning to Athens, Theseus was struck by the sadness that prevailed there. Theseus answered his questions that the time had come to send tribute to the island of Crete to King Minos.

A few years ago, Minos accused Aegeus that Aegeus had killed his son, and begged his father to punish the whole country of Aegeus. The lord of the gods sent a plague on her. The oracle, asked by the Athenians, said that the plague would stop only when they promised to send seven girls and seven boys to the island of Crete every year to be devoured by the monster Minotaur, the son of Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, and a bull. Now the time has come to send this tribute a third time.

Theseus volunteered to go among the youths and kill the monster Minotaur. It was not easy to fulfill this promise, because the Minotaur possessed extraordinary strength. In addition, King Minos, not wanting to flaunt it, kept the Minotaur in a building built by the inventor Daedalus. Which of the mortals fell into the labyrinth of the Minotaur, could no longer get out of it, before all the entrances and exits were tangled there.

Theseus, realizing the danger of the enterprise, went before leaving for advice to the oracle of Apollo, who in turn advised Theseus to resort to the protection of the goddess.

Aphrodite inspired Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, with love for the beautiful hero. Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread. End threads of Ariadne remained in her hands so that Theseus could then use this guiding thread to find a way out of the labyrinth. Theseus managed, thanks to his dexterity, to kill the terrible Minotaur and, thanks to the thread of Ariadne, to get out of the labyrinth.

In gratitude for his deliverance, Theseus built a temple to the gods in Troezen.

According to many scholars - researchers of mythology, Theseus' victory over the Minotaur is, as it were, a symbol of the fact that the ancient Greek religion, becoming more and more soft and humane, began to strive to destroy human victims.

Ancient art quite often depicted the victory of Theseus over the Minotaur. Of the latest artists, Antonio Canova sculpted two sculptural groups on this mythological theme, which are in a museum in Vienna.

Ariadne abandoned by Theseus

When Theseus left the island of Crete, he was followed by Ariadne, the daughter of Minos. But Theseus, probably not wanting to incur the discontent of the Athenians by marrying a foreigner, left Ariadne on the island of Naxos, where the god Dionysus saw.

Such perfidy of the hero of the myths of ancient Greece in relation to the girl who saved his life is a very obscure and inexplicable act in mythology.

Some myths say that Theseus did this in obedience to an order, while others say that Dionysus himself asked Theseus not to take Ariadne far away, whom he chose as his wife.

The myth of Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus, served as a theme for many works of ancient art. In Herculaneum they found on the wall a picturesque image representing Ariadne on the shore; In the distance, the ship of Theseus is removed, and the god Eros, standing near Ariadne, sheds tears with her.

When, at the beginning of the 18th century, the fashion spread to paint portraits of modern faces, giving them the attributes and poses of heroes of ancient mythology and surrounding them with the appropriate setting, the French artist Larguiliere portrayed the modern actress Duclos in the image of Ariadne, but in a dress with figs and with a huge plume of feathers on her head. .

Black sails: the myth of the name of the Aegean Sea

The distraction of Theseus was the cause of the death of Aegeus: the son promised his father, if he defeated the Minotaur, to replace the black sails of the ship with white ones, but forgot to do it. King Aegeus, seeing the returning ship of Theseus with black sails and believing that his son was dead, threw himself from a high tower into the sea, which has since become known as the Aegean.

Amazonomachy

Theseus, having ascended the throne of his father, at first took up the organization of his state, and then went with Hercules on a campaign against.

Theseus married the Amazon queen Antiope, with whom he had a son, Hippolytus. But, returning to his homeland, Theseus left the Amazon Antiope to marry Phaedra, the sister of Ariadne.

The angry Amazons decided to avenge the insult inflicted by Theseus on their queen, and raided Attica, but were defeated and destroyed. This war with the Amazons (Amazonomachy), which the Athenians considered one of the most important facts in their heroic history, is reproduced in countless monuments of ancient art.

Close ties of friendship connected Theseus with the king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, who invited him, along with other noble Athenians, to his wedding with Hippodamia. During the wedding feast, the famous took place, from which Theseus emerged victorious.

Pirithous helped Theseus kidnap Helen, but her brothers took her sister away from Theseus and gave her to the Spartan king Menelaus as a wife.

Pirithous, in turn, asked Theseus to go with him to Pluto's dwelling and help him kidnap the goddess Persephone, for whom Pirithous had a strong love. It was not easy to fulfill such a request, but friendship imposes certain duties. Theseus, willy-nilly, had to agree and go to Hades with Pirithous.

This attempt, however, ended for friends not only sadly, but also shamefully, because the gods, enraged by such audacity, punished Theseus and Pirithous in the following way. Arriving in Hades, both friends sat down to rest on the stones; when Theseus and Pirithous wanted to get up, despite all their efforts, they could not do it. Friends Theseus and Pirifoy, by the will of the gods, stuck to the stones on which they sat in.

And only Hercules, when he came to Hades to get Kerberos (), begged the god Pluto to allow him to release Theseus.

As for the king of the Lapiths Pirithous, Hercules did not even think about how to get him out of such a difficult and awkward situation.

Death of Theseus

Theseus ended his earthly career very sadly: he went to Skyros to visit King Lycomedes, who, envious of the strength and courage of Theseus, decided to destroy him. The king of Skyros Lykomeds pushed Theseus off the cliff, and the glorious hero died.

There were two famous paintings depicting Theseus in Athens. One of them was written by Parrhasius, and the other by Euphranor. The artist Euphranor said that Theseus Parrhasia ate roses, while his Theseus ate meat.

This apt remark, says the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, very characteristically and correctly determined the direction of the two rival artistic schools of ancient Greece.

A beautiful antique statue of Theseus has survived to this day.

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