Mythological Background in

Literature
The character traits of gods
 Origins

Originally Greeks viewed their gods

as elemental forces:

Zeus- God of the sky

Hera – God of the earth
 Later on
As Greek culture developed, Greeks viewed
their gods as more human by taking on
human character traits or emotions:

Athena – Stands for wisdom and

moderation
Aphrodite - Goddess of love
 Later on
As Greek culture developed, Greeks viewed
their gods as more human by taking on
human character traits or emotions:

Athena – Stands for wisdom and

moderation
Aphrodite - Goddess of love
 On a side note
In the most famous version of her myth,
Aphrodite’s birth was the consequence of a
castration:

“Cronus severed Uranus' genitals and threw

them behind him into the sea. The foam from
his genitals gave rise to Aphrodite (hence her
name, meaning "foam-arisen")”
 Contrasting character traits
Gods did not always have positive moral
traits…they were often mischievous and
sexual:

Zeus - the womaniser

Poseidon - the rapist
 View of the gods
Gods were viewed out of fear of divine
retribution. That meant to displease them
or ignore them would result in their wrath.

Can you think of an example from the

myths we have studied so far?