Gods and Heros

The Colossus of Rhodes

Built as a celebration of freedom originally, the Colossus stood over 2,000 years ago at the Islands of Rhodes; located off of the southwestern tip of Asia Minor, where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean Sea. The capital city, Rhodes, was built in 408 B.C.

In 357 B.C the island which was conquered by Mausolus of Halicarnassus fell to the Persians in 340 B.C. and was finally captured by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.

When Alexander died the decision of who would reign could not be determined by the people. Ptolemy, Seleucus, and Antigous divided the kingdom between themselves. Antigous sent his son Semetrious to capture Rhodes. The war was lasted for long a long period and the city suffered. The city was protected by a strong wall.

The people of Rhodes put up a daring resistance, and with some help from King Ptolemy their cities withstood the assault. When several of Demetrius 's siege towers were destroyed flooded  by the people of Rhodes, Antigonus realized that his son's forces could no longer prevail, and ordered Demetrius to abandon the island. Demetrius moved on to other conquests.

To celebrate their freedom, the people of Rhodes built a giant statue of their patriot God Helious. Colossus was a Latin word, meaning any statue that is larger than life size. The people of Rhodes immediately set about erecting a suitable monument to their victory. They had been praying to their patron god Helios for deliverance throughout the ordeal, so they constructed the enormous statue the Colossus of Helios at Rhodes.            

Colossus was built in 304 B.C. and it took twelve years to build it. The statue was said to be 110 feet high. In the traditional Greek style the Colossus stood nude, wearing a  crown, with his right hand lifted while holding a cloak over his left hand.
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Colossus stood for  less than 60years.  An earthquake struck Rhodes, and the statue collapsed. Huge pieces lay in the harbor for a long time. Of all of the wonders, Colossus was the one that stood the least amount of time but was famous throughout the entire civilized world.

Placed upon a 50-foot marble pedestal, the statue's great size ensured that it was visible to ships approaching Rhodes from many miles away. It was an indestructible monument to the power of Rhodes.

The Three Graces Mirth, Splendor and Good Cheer

They are the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, a daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. There are three Graces: Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia. They are known for their singing and dancing for the gods.  The Graces were not major goddesses but who symbolized beauty charm, and goodness.

The Graces were usually found as a group and they were also linked with the Muses.

The main function of the Graces was to bestow beauty, charm, and goodness on young women and to give joy to people. They were frequent companions of Aphrodite the goddess of love and they entertained the gods by dancing to the music of Apollo's lyre.  The Graces presided over banquets, dances, and all other social events, and brought joy and benevolence to the gods and mortals.

 In some legends Aglaia was wed to Hephaestus, the craftsman who created Zeus’ thunderbolts. 

Their traditional association was with the arts and like the Muses, inspired artists and poets with the ability to create beautiful art. They are usually represented as slender young girls, dancing in a circle.

The Graces symbolize the beauty of emotions such as joy and beauty as in the arts.  These three goddesses were to be found in meadows and fields dancing among the flowers which enhanced their own beauty.

Some Popular Heroes and Heriones

Achilles was best known as the central figure in The Trojan War. It is said that without the help of Achilles, the Greeks would have never defeated the Trojans. Achilles was a great hero his birth was magical and supernatural.

  It was foretold that the son of Thetis would be greater than his father. . Thetis was a sea-nymph she knew that her son was destined to be a hero that would die in battle. In order to make him invulnerable she bathed him in the river Styx. However,  his ankle the place where she held the child  was not bathed in the river.

 He was a mighty warrior at Troy, but was killed in battle when Paris learned of his vulnerable spot and shot a poisoned arrow into his heel.

Atlanta was a renowned huntress her skills were so great that she joined the group of hunters on the Calydonian Boar hunt. She made the first strike and was awarded the prize.When Atlanta was born ner father Iasus was disappointed that he had a daughter that he placed her on Mount Parthenon and left her in the open to die. A she bear later found the baby and reared as its own. Atlanta became a renowned huntress her skills were so great that she joined the group of hunters on the Calydonian Boar hunt.  King Iasus acknowledged her as his daughter, and commanded that she marry. Atlanta agreed but with the condition that the man have to be able to beat her in a foot race, if not, she could choose to behead him.

Only Melanion with the help of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love was able to win her hand in marriage. Melanion was only going to be able to be Atlanta in a foot race with the help of the mighty Aphrodite. Aphrodite gave him with three golden apples and told him that he was to run the race carrying them. During the race he fell behind and then threw a golden apple in front of Atlanta. These apples were so  appealing to her that she stopped three times to pick them up. By doing this she fell far enough behind that she lost the race.  

Atlanta married Melanion  and had one son who became a hero when he came of age.

Hercules is considered one of the greatest heroes in mythology. He was a demigod and possess\ed great strength and courage. Hercules accomplished great tasks from  birth when he strangled two snakes that Hera sent to kill him. Hercules was known for his anger.  

One of the most famous acts  was to perform 12 labors for his cousin King Eurystheus for offending the Gods. The Nemian Lion-Hercules trapped the lion in its own cave and strangled it with his bare hands. The Hydra of Lernea the hydra was able to generate a new head each time one was cut off. With the help of Iolaus, Hercules defeated the hydra by burning the cut section off each time they were cut off. .

The Wild Boar of Erymanthus was a beast that he had hunted and after defeating him, Hercules returned the dead beast to the king. The Hind of Ceryneia was a special deer that had feet of bronze and antlers of gold. It took Hercules 1 year to accomplish this task. The Stymphalian Birds these birds had wings, beaks, and claws of bronze. Hercules scattered them by shaking a bronze rattle that Athena helped him to make. The Augean Stables The stables of King Elis of Augeus were filthy and contaminated. Hercules managed toclean them by diverting the two nearby rivers and flooding the stables. The Cretan Bull was a bull Hercules captured that had been plaguing the island of Crete. The Horses of Diomedes these were wild beasts that Hercules captured.  They were known to eat human flesh and that Hercules fed Diomedes to them. The Girdle of the Amazon The  girdle of the famed Queen Hippoloyta of the amazons. Hercules seduced her and took the girdle. The Cattle of Geryon a three-headed monster who had great cattle Hercules managed to capture them. The Stealing of Cerberus the three-headed dog of Hades. Help by the Gods Hermes and Athena he was able to bring the dog to the land of the living. The Apples of the Hesperides  were golden apples that belonged to Hera. He tricked the god Atlas, by taking the arth upon his own shoulders while Atlas obtained the apples and then with deception managed to make Atlas  take up the Earth again.

These heroes and heroines stories have survived time and are considered some of the greatest heroes of all time. Some of the content of these myths are moral in nature while some myths are thought to be historically based. 

Heroes and Heroines

The Greek Gods

Bellerophon The Hero

Bellerophon’s story shows what becomes between the relationship of a mortal and the Gods. He found the favor of the Gods by honoring them but, his arrogance resulted in his downfall. The son of Eurynome by Posidon but,as the wife of Glaucus., he was raised by Glaucus who thought that Bellerophon was his own son. He had the desire to have Pegasus. He failed to capture the famous horse and finally asked for assistance from the seer Polyeidus. With Polyeidus’ advice he slept at an alter or Athena. He had a dream of the goddess giving him a magical bridle. When he awoke the bridle from his dreams lay at his side. He went to where Pegasus grazed and was able to bridle and ride the unique horse with ease.  Iobates solution was to ask Bellerophon was ordered to undertake a series of heroic tasks by the King Iobates. Bellerophon's courage and  with Pegasus as a mount allowed him to prevail in his endevores.  His first task was to kill the terrible Chimaera. Once succeeding here he was sent to conquer the neighboring Solymi tribe, who were Iobates enemies. He again completed and defeated them. The King sent him to fight the Amazons, victorious with this quest the King set an ambush against Bellerophon using his army This Bellerophon conquered and the army was defeated.. Iobates realized that the gods favored Bellerophon. Iobates made to please the Gods gave Bellerophon half his kingdom and his daughter Philonoe in marriage. His deeds were widely know. He was happily married and had two sons, Isander and Hippolochus,and two daughters, Laodameia and Deidameia. As a king he was loved and honored. When his pride at his accomplishments overcame him he attempted to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus and visit the Gods themselves. Zeus sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus who threw Bellerophon. He spent the rest of his life wandering the earth. The overconfidence to believe that as a mortal even a hero has lead many to end their fate by dishonoring the Gods and Bellerophon was no exception. Clearly this is a story with a meaningful ending.