You may have heard various stories on how the world was made, but, in the Greeks' version, it started with Chaos. Out of this Chaos, came Gaea. Gaea was Mother Earth. Also out of Chaos came Uranus, the sky. Ocean surrounded. The Greeks thought that southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa made up the land of the earth, and that these were encompassed by infinite water. They thought that the world was flat, topped by heaven. Underneath the surface was the Underworld.
Gaea made the plants, and Uranus watered them with rain. The water filled lakes and river. After that, they made animals and an assortment of nymphs, fauns, and other spirits of nature.
Gaea and Uranus had children called the Titans and terrible monsters with one eye called the Cyclops.The twelve Titans included Hyperion the sun god and Phoebe the moon goddess. Cronus was the most powerful of them.
Later, Gaea was furious, as Uranus had cast the Cyclops to Tartus, which was a deep pit in the Underworld. Gaea made Cronus attack his dad with a flint sickle. Cronus then banished Uranus. Before Uranus left though, he made a prediction that Cronus would also be deposed by one of his children.
Cronus then became king of the Titans, and Rhea, his sister, became his wife. Every time Rhea bore him a baby, Cronus would swallow it, to protect himself from his father's prophecy. This happened five times. Rhea didn't like this one bit, and when she was pregnant for the sixth time, she secretly went to Mt. Lycaeum in central Greece to have her baby. When Cronus asked to see the child, Rhea gave him a stone wrapped in blankets instead. Cronus swallowed this, thinking it was his child. The baby, whose name was Zeus, was whisked to Mt. Ida in Crete.
When Zeus grew older, Rhea introduced him into the court as a royal cup-bearer. Cronus had never seen his child, so this wasa easy. Zeus made a poison drink to serve to Cronus, and, very sick, Cronus regurgitated Zeus's brothers and sisters. These were Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus and his brothers overthrew Cronus and freed the Cyclops, who in return made thunderbolts for Zeus, a forked trident for Poseidon, and a helmet that could make him invisible for Hades.
The three brothers divided up the kingdom. Poseidon was god of the sea, Hades was the ruler of the land of the dead, and Zeus was the commander of the heavens and had total authority over all gods and goddesses. Demeter became goddess of the harvest, Hestia the goddess of the earth, and Hera the goddess of women and childbirth. They lived on a palace in Mt. Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece. These gods had many children, which fueled the extensive stories of Greek mythology.
Gaea made the plants, and Uranus watered them with rain. The water filled lakes and river. After that, they made animals and an assortment of nymphs, fauns, and other spirits of nature.
Gaea and Uranus had children called the Titans and terrible monsters with one eye called the Cyclops.The twelve Titans included Hyperion the sun god and Phoebe the moon goddess. Cronus was the most powerful of them.
Later, Gaea was furious, as Uranus had cast the Cyclops to Tartus, which was a deep pit in the Underworld. Gaea made Cronus attack his dad with a flint sickle. Cronus then banished Uranus. Before Uranus left though, he made a prediction that Cronus would also be deposed by one of his children.
Cronus then became king of the Titans, and Rhea, his sister, became his wife. Every time Rhea bore him a baby, Cronus would swallow it, to protect himself from his father's prophecy. This happened five times. Rhea didn't like this one bit, and when she was pregnant for the sixth time, she secretly went to Mt. Lycaeum in central Greece to have her baby. When Cronus asked to see the child, Rhea gave him a stone wrapped in blankets instead. Cronus swallowed this, thinking it was his child. The baby, whose name was Zeus, was whisked to Mt. Ida in Crete.
When Zeus grew older, Rhea introduced him into the court as a royal cup-bearer. Cronus had never seen his child, so this wasa easy. Zeus made a poison drink to serve to Cronus, and, very sick, Cronus regurgitated Zeus's brothers and sisters. These were Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus and his brothers overthrew Cronus and freed the Cyclops, who in return made thunderbolts for Zeus, a forked trident for Poseidon, and a helmet that could make him invisible for Hades.
The three brothers divided up the kingdom. Poseidon was god of the sea, Hades was the ruler of the land of the dead, and Zeus was the commander of the heavens and had total authority over all gods and goddesses. Demeter became goddess of the harvest, Hestia the goddess of the earth, and Hera the goddess of women and childbirth. They lived on a palace in Mt. Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece. These gods had many children, which fueled the extensive stories of Greek mythology.