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| All of the planets that we know were named after roman and Greek gods they are the gods of these planets. Instead of the big bang theory the Greek mythology believes that the creation of the world starts with the creation of the different classes of Gods. in this case, Gods refer to the characters that once ruled the Earth. According to Hesiod, three major elements took part in the beginning of creation. Chaos, Gaea, and Eros. It is said that Chaos gave birth to Erebos and Night while Ouranos and Okeanos sprang from Gaea. Each child had a specific role, and Ouranos's duty was to protect Gaea. Later on, the two became a couple and were the first Gods to rule the world. They had twelve children who where known as the Titans. Three others known as the Cyclopes, and the three hundred handed Giants. The situation from here on however wasn't too good. Ouranos wasn't too pleased with his offsprings because he saw them as a threat to his throne. After all, there would come a time when they would grow up, and perhaps challenge his command. Ouranos eventually decided that his children belonged deep inside Gaia, hidden from himself and his kingdom. Gaia who wasn't too pleased with this arrangement agreed at first, but, later on chose to give her solidarity to her children. She devised a plan to rid her children from their tyrant father, and supplied her youngest child Kronos with a sickle. She then arranged a meeting for the two in which Kronos cut off his father's genitals. The seed of Ouranos which fell into the sea gave birth to Aphrodite, while from his blood were created the Fates, the Giants, and the Meliai nymphs. Kronos succeeded his father in taking over the throne and married his sister Rhea. He also freed his siblings and shared his kingdom with them.Okeanos was given the responsibility to rule over the sea and rivers, while Hyperion guided the Sun and the stars. And time went by... Sooner than later Kronos had his own children, and the very same fears that haunted his father came back to torment him as well. Kronos eventually decided that the best way to deal with this problem was to swallow all his children. However, what goes around comes around, and once again the mother decided it was time to free her children. Rhea, Kronos's wife, managed to save her youngest child, Zeus by tricking Kronos into swallowing a stone wrapped in clothes instead of Zeus himself. The great Zeus was then brought up by the Nymphs in Mount Dikte in the island of Crete. In order to cover the sound of his crying, the Kouretes danced and clashed their shields. As Zeus entered manhood, he had the strength few dare dream of. He dethroned his father, and freed his siblings from his father's entrails. It was now Zeus's turn to rule the world... THE HUMAN RACE According to the myths, the immortal Gods thought that it would be interesting to create beings like them, but that were mortal. They would allow these beings to inhabit the earth. As soon as the mortals were created, Zeus, the leader of the Gods, ordered the two sons of the Titan Iapetus, Prometheus and Epimetheus, to give these beings various gifts in the hope that the mortals would evolve into interesting beings, able to amuse the Gods. So the two brothers started to divide the gifts among themselves in order to give them to the earth's inhabitants. Epimetheus asked his brother to give out the gifts first, and was granted his wish. He gave the gift of beauty to some animals, agility on other animals, strength in others, and agility and speed to some. However, he left the human race defenseless, with no natural weapons in this new kingdom. Prometheus, who liked the human race, upon realizing what had happened, promptly distributed his own gifts to mankind. He stole reason from Athena, and thus gave reason to man. He then stole fire from the gates of Hephaestus, and gave mankind this new gift, which would keep them warm. Prometheus then became the protector of the human race, and shared with it all the knowledge he had. This new situation angered Zeus, for fire until know had been a gift only reserved for the Gods.Zeus did not want the human race to resemble the Gods. Zeus's next step was to punish Prometheus. And a heavy punishment it was. Zeus chained Prometheus to a peak in the caucasus which was believed to be at the end of the world. He had an eagle eat his liver every single day for thirty years. At the end of each day, Prometheus' liver would grow back again, so he would have to suffer all over again. After thirty years, Heracles (Hercules) released Prometheus from his nightmare. THE OLYMPIANS The Olympians refers to the twelve Gods of mount Olympus which is located in the northern central part of Greece. This mountain was believed to be sacred throughout ancient times, and, it was believed to be the highest point on earth. These Gods that ruled mount Olympus, also ruled the lives of all mankind. Each and every single God (or Goddess) had their own character and domain. Gods in mythology were very human like. They had the strengths and weaknesses of mortals (as we know them today). they were truly made to represent each and every side of human nature. They supported justice, as seen by their own point of view. Gods even had children with mortals, which resulted in semi-gods like Hercules. The most amazing observation is how the Gods expresses human nature in its complete form. Strength, fear, unfaithfulness, love, admiration, beauty, hunting, farming, education, there was a God for every human activity and expression. These Gods weren't just ideal figures. they were beings with their own limitations. They expressed anger, jealousy and joy, just like us. Each God rules his own realm. they only true omnipotent God was Zeus, who ruled all. Gaea - Gaea was an earth goddess (earth) She mated with her son Uranus to produce the remaining Titans. Gaea seems to have started as a Neolithic earth-mother which was worshipped before the Indo-European invasion that eventually lead to the Hellenistic civilization. Uranus - Uranus is the sky god and the first ruler. He is the son of Gaea , who created him without help. He then became the husband of Gaea and together they had many offsprings, including twelve of the Titans. His rule ended when ,encouraged by Gaea, castrated him. He either died from the wound or withdrew from earth. quick note on mythology Before defining the term "mythology" one needs to define the meaning of the word "myth". The word itself comes from the Greek "mythos" which originally meant "speech" or "discourse" but which later came to mean "fable" or "legend". In this document the word "myth" will be defined as a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature, which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society. Furthermore, in the context of this document, all myths are, at some stage, actually believed to be true by the people. quick notes Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Astrologers also claim the planets play a role in many key factors. How do these things affect us? We will also look at astrology as a science; a way to predict and control your life and your destiny. quick notes Astrology is the study of how events that happened on earth depending of to the positions and movements of astronomical bodies, including the sun, the moon, planets, and stars. Astrologers (people that study astrology) believe that the position of astronomical bodies at the exact moment of a person’s birth and the following movements of the bodies reflect that person’s character and their destiny. For many years, scientists have rejected the principles of astrology. Still millions of people continue to believe it and practice it(Hebel). Astrologers create graphs called horoscopes, which map the position of astronomical bodies at exact times, when a person is born. A horoscope is a circle, called the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the plane on which the earth orbits around the sun in a year. It is divided into twelve sections, called the Zodiac sings, which is made by Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Astrologers assign every planet (which in astrology includes the sun and moon) with a particular sign, depending on where that planet appears on the ecliptic at the time for which the horoscope is cast. Each planet represents basic human aspects, and each sign represents a amount of human characteristics. Astrology is an ancient practice that is used even now days. mythology In order to explain certain natural events, such as earthquakes, windstorms, and thunder and lightning storms, The Greeks invented a collection of myths and characters. Just as with most modern religions, Greek Mythology bases most of it’s myths on morality and ethics issues. Unlike Egyptian Mythology, the Greeks did not focus on what was going to happen in their afterlife. They were more concerned with the here and now. There was no written special commandments in Greek Mythology. The Greeks did, however, base most of their moral and ethical ideals on the Iliad and the Odyssey, both written by Homer. In his work, Homer says that man holds his own fate in his hands. He portrays that wrath will cause much suffering, pain, and even death. Homer formed the fundamental attitude of the Greek mind. He established the foundation of excellence for all aspects of life, and the Greeks put these into their reality. Nothing was known about Homer or any part of his life, so the question arises as to whether Homer was a single individual or was he, in actuality, a collection of authors. The Greeks had a polytheistic culture. Unlike the religions of other ancient civilizations, the Greeks created the gods in their own image. They were holy deities that could make contact with humans, often in a disguise. The gods had the same desires and weaknesses as human beings and the myths often portrayed them as lustful, greedy and vengeful. There was no holy place that the Greeks went and prayed to the gods. Instead, the temples that were erected, were for the gods to come and visit. Festivals were often held to praise the gods. During these festivals, no war could be fought. The gods spoke to humans through oracles and people often went to these oracles for advise on what the gods wanted. The gods were used to explain whether humans would have great fortune or hardships. They lived at the highest point of Greece, Mount Olympus. According to the myths, there were three generations of gods. The first were the Titans. The second group of gods were the Olympians and the last were the Lessor Gods. Cronus was the leader of the Titans. He was married to Rhea. As the ruler of the Titans, he had been warned that one of his children would overthrow him. To prevent this, he swallowed all five of them. Rhea became pregnant again, and did not want her sixth child to be swallowed. She hid away until the baby was born. This baby was Zeus, later to become the king of the Olympians. When Rhea returned, she deceived Cronus by giving him a rock wrapped in cloth to swallow. After being raised by Nymphs, Zeus grew strong and went back to find Rhea. Gaea, the Earth goddess, gave Zeus a potion. Cronus was, once again, deceived and he drank the potion. The magic potion forced Cronus to vomit up all of Zeus’ brothers and sisters; Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. A war broke out between the Titans and the Olympians. It was a war of natural disasters and using thunder, lightning, rough seas and volcanoes, the Olympians were victorious over the Titans. Zeus sent his father and uncles to the underworld. Zeus was the god of the sky and the rain. His weapon was a thunderbolt. He married his sister, Hera, the goddess of marriage. Zeus gained marriage to her through trickery. He pretended to be a bird to convince Hera to feel sorry for him. As soon as she comforted the little creature, he changed back into his normal form. He then raped her. Hera only married him because of the shame that she felt. Hera was often been portrayed as a jealous nuisance but Zeus repeatedly chased earth women and goddesses, having many affairs that bore many children. The greatest temple in Greece was in honor of Hera. In actuality, the myths show that man worshipped her For before Zeus was worshipped. “god” originally was thought to have the form of the woman. Mercury Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, has almost no atmosphere, and its dusty surface of craters resembles the Moon. The planet was named for the Roman god Mercury, a winged messenger, and it travels around the Sun faster than any other planet. Mercury is difficult to see from Earth—in fact, the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, for all his years of research and observation, never once was able to see Mercury. Venus Venus is often called Earth's twin because the two planets are close in size, but that's the only similarity. The thick clouds that cover Venus create a greenhouse effect that keeps it sizzling at 864°F. Venus, named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, is also known as the “morning star” and “evening star” since it is visible at these times to the unaided eye. Venus appears as a bright, white disk from Earth. Earth Earth is not perfectly round; it bulges at the equator and is flatter at the poles. From space the planet looks blue with white swirls, created by water and clouds. Mars Because of its blood-red color (which comes from iron-rich dust), this planet was named for Mars, the Roman god of war. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, situated between Earth and Jupiter. Three-quarters red, Mars also has dark blotches on it and white areas at the poles—these are white polar ice caps. Jupiter A belt of asteroids (fragments of rock and iron) between Mars and Jupiter separate the four inner planets from the five outer planets. Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was named for the most important Roman god because of its size. About 1,300 Earths would fit into it. Viewed through a large telescope, Jupiter is stunningly colorful—it is a disk covered with bands of blue, brown, pink, red, orange, and yellow. Its most distinguishing feature is “the Great Red Spot,” an intense windstorm larger in size than Earth, which has continued for centuries without any signs of dying down. Saturn Saturn, the second-largest planet, has majestic rings surrounding it. Named for the Roman god of farming, Saturn was the farthest planet known by the ancients. Saturn's seven rings are flat and lie inside one another. They are made of billions of ice particles. Uranus Uranus is a greenish-blue planet, twice as far from the Sun as its neighbor Saturn. Uranus wasn't discovered until 1781. Its discoveror, William Herschel, named it Georgium Sidus (the Georgian star) after the English king, George III. Later its name was changed to Uranus, after an ancient Greek sky god, since all the other planets had been named after Roman and Greek gods. Neptune Neptune, named for an ancient Roman sea god, is a stormy blue planet about 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth. Neptune was discovered when astronomers realized that something was exerting a gravitational pull on Uranus, and that it was possible that an unknown planet might be responsible. Through mathematical calculations, astronomers determined there was indeed an undiscovered planet out in space—a year before it was actually seen for the first time through a telescope (in 1846). Pluto Pluto, named after the Roman and Greek god of the underworld, is the coldest, smallest, and outermost planet in our solar system. Pluto and its moon, Charon, are called “double planets” because Charon is so large it seems less of a moon than another planet. Pluto was predicted to exist in 1905 and discovered in 1930. It is the only planet that has not yet been studied closely by a space probe. During each revolution around the sun, Pluto passes inside Neptune's orbit for 20 years, making Neptune the outermost planet for that time. Pluto passed inside Neptune's orbit in 1979 and remained there until 1999. Star Legends The constellations have been called humanity's oldest picture book. For 5,000 and more years, people have looked into a clear night sky and seen the same stars we see today. They isolated groups of stars and connected them to each other with imaginary lines, much as we play connect-the-dots. In the past, people had an excellent knowledge of the night sky. They were able to tell when to plant and when to harvest, and later they navigated the seas with the stars' help. Characters of myth and legend were used to name and tell the stories of the stars. Here are a few. The group of stars that looked like a man with a sword was named Orion, for the famous hunter in Greek mythology. The pattern that looked like twin boys they called Gemini, the Twins. The large, bright group of stars in the shape of a lion is known as Leo. According to Greek mythology, Leo was the fierce lion killed by Hercules. There are millions of stars, but only 5,780 are visible to the naked eye. The largest constellation is Hydra, the Sea Serpent. The smallest constellation is Crux, the Southern Cross. Twelve constellations, together called the Zodiac, form a belt around the earth. As the earth revolves around the sun, a different part of the sky becomes visible until, after a year, the earth has completed one trip and starts again. Each month, one of the 12 constellations appears above the horizon in the east to begin its march across the sky. Night after night, the constellation appears to move across our sky until it disappears below the horizon in the west and the next constellation appears in the east. The word Zodiac comes from both Greek and Latin. It means “circle of figures” or “circle of life.” According to the ancient Romans, the year began on the spring equinox, with Aries. Aries (The Ram) March 21-April 19 ##? In Greek mythology, Aries was a winged ram with golden wool. His hide became the much-desired golden fleece. Taurus (The Bull) April 20-May 20 ##? Jupiter, the supreme Roman god, turned himself into a bull when he swam from Phoenicia to Crete. Gemini (The Twins) May 21-June 20 ##? This constellation reminded the Greeks of Castor and Pollux, the mythological twin sons of Zeus. It was thought to bring good luck to sailors since it appeared at the end of the winter storm season. Cancer (The Crab) June 21-July 22 ##? Cancer represents the crab that Juno, queen of the gods, sent to rescue Hydra. But Hercules stepped on the crab, crushing it to death. To reward the crab for its heroic attempt, Juno chose it to represent this constellation. Leo (The Lion) July 23-August 22 ##? This large constellation honors the strength and bravery of the lion. Virgo (The Virgin) August 23-September 22 ##? Virgo is traditionally depicted as a maiden holding an ear of grain to symbolize the harvest. Libra (The Scales) September 23-October 22 ##? Libra is the symbol of balance. This constellation appears at the time of the autumnal equinox, when days and nights are equal. Scorpio (The Scorpion) October 23-November 21 ##? In mythology, Scorpio (or Scorpius) was the scorpion that attacked and killed the hunter Orion. Sagittarius (The Archer) November 22-December 21 ##? This constellation is usually pictured as Chiron the archer, who is a centa |
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