Welcome to r/GreekMythology

Wondering which book is better/ has more concise information in general when it comes to Greek Mythology. The two books specifically are Mythos by Stephen Fry or Mythology by Edith Hamilton. I heard good things about both and want to read them but which one is generally the “better” one of the two? Any other recommendations would be great too!

I’ve tried to draw Achilles for years but could never figure out a design that incorporated all the elements I wanted. This is my latest and most personally satisfying version. I decided to scrap trying to draw period accurate Mycenaean armor and instead have it look like it was forged by a divine smith. I still made it look like polished bronze to match up with Homer’s description. Making him supernaturally beautiful was also a must. I wanted him to have a cold and distant kind of attractiveness that he inherited from his mother. I imagine him looking very tall and thin but having supernaturally fast reflexes and surprisingly disproportionate strength.

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So essentially Pontus and Uranus must be pretty similar in "power" and status. One is the sea, one is the sky. Kronos, a titan, and Phorcys/Ceto, were half brother and sister through Gaia, and sharing a similar father, Uranus and Pontus. So why were Kronos and Rhea's kids so dang Uber powerful, while Phorcys and Ceto's kids were literally deformed and weird and quite weak? Why was Medusa mortal while her sisters were not? Also, if going by the Orvis version, why would Athena even be able to curse Medusa so easilly? They should be of a similar rank. Really, Medusa should be a much higher rank than even Zeus, her actual cousin, let alone Athena, as they are both literal GRANDCHILDREN of Gaia, separated from basically the most powerful primordial god by only one generation, Medusa's parents still had the same rank of "primordial god", while Zeus's parents were ranked Titans. And Athena was born from Zeus, was Kronos' and Oceanus' grand daughter, and her mother was an Oceanid, a daughter of the titan Oceanus, and Athena's Mom should also be equal to Medusa and Zeus in heirarchy. Now I know some children are slightly better than others, but these beings all come from the same place. So even if not going by the Orvis version, why are Medusa and the other Gorgons so weak and the pharcydes useless and disgusting, and why is Medusa even mortal? She has to be the closest offspring of Gaia who is mortal. And if going by Orvis version, how could a child of her cousin (have the same grandmother) Zeus be way more powerful than her? And at least she can turn people to stone, why are the pharcydes completely useless and even share a single eye and tooth? Man they REALLY got the shit end of the stick. Imagine your a grandchild of Gaia, cousin of ZEUS, and you can't do shit with powers, and don't even have your own eye, sharing it with not just one, but TWO others. Plus a single tooth 😭. That's just cruel.

Even the oceanids, also cousins of Zeus and Gorgons, having Gaia as their grandmother through Oceanus, and the River Gods, have the title of gods, or are powerful enough to give birth to a second generation Olympian (Metis).

Something just doesn't seem right about the children of Porchys and Ceto, who are Gaia and Pontus's children, being so weak. Even Achilles, Hercules, and Perseus are way more powerful than them.

Edit: I wasn’t trying to make it super "boxed in" and "strict" with the “rankings”, but it just feels off for Gorgons, specifically Medusa, and the three ladies who share an eye to be literal grandchildren (I mean, in the same way Zeus is) of Gaia. And it’s not like their “grandfather” was weak, it was freaking Pontus. It’s just weird how shitty their “draw” was compared to immensely powerful Olympians and even Oceanids and River Gods.

Hera in the conception of the Greeks was a rather rebellious and treacherous wife who threatens the stability of Zeus order and kingdom multiple times, yet she rarely gets punished for it, and certainly never in a permanent way, and she is still the Queen of the Gods with equal honor to Zeus. Why?

Well in my opinion and the opinion of certain scholars, Hera constantly attacking Zeus and the Olympians is her job in a sense. She's supposed to test the power and legitimacy of Zeus and the other Olympians to see whether they're worthy of truly ruling the universe. Her challenges and antagonism also have the effect of glorifying and strengthening the order of Zeus.

I think the best example I can give for this is Heracles and his relationship with Hera. His name means "Glory of Hera", but it can also mean "Glory through Hera", and indeed Hera's Antagonism is where Heracles gets a lot of his glory from, even to the point of him becoming a god and living on Olympus.

TL;DR Hera isn't punished for her actions taken against Zeus and other Olympians because it's her divine duty to antagonize them and test their worthiness and provide the means for them to gain glory.

Does anyone know of any good resources concerning the Titanomachy, I’m trying to do a bit of a writing project but I wanted to have a look at some proper sources for key events concerning the tale. Once again my apologies for being a bother.

After reading about Eros and Psyche, I feel… sorry for him, I guess! He loved someone but had to hide his true nature, and then he had to leave her because she discovered he was a god. Later, he found her being (kind of) tortured by Aphrodite. It just made me feel for the guy.

I was wondering if you can point at other stories about him.

(Picture from Stephen Fry's Mythos).

This is a basic question but just something I thought of if the Greek heros or gods were normal modern people what job would they have and why

Like I think Apollo would be a influence mainly due to his Manny talents and crave for attention

Recently I've been wondering if something will replace the Gods like the Gods did with the Titans. Will the Gods fall, and if so, who will take over? I'm thinking either the demigods or monsters- but what if there's an unknown, powerful being. I want your thoughts and opinions 🙏

Hi, i’ve been really interested in Greek/Roman mythology for a while now, and i was wondering, does anyone know a book which has a simple format about this? Like for instance, divided into parts say one about the gods, one about their backstory? I’d guess there is one, but i can’t find one which is divided into nice parts.

I'm browsing Theoi and I don't see much where Nike actually talks, instead of only really being described as present and giving her favor. Nonnos Dionysiaka's writing on Typhon is the only place right now where I'm seeing her having dialogue.

Is there more I am missing, or other places to read about them? Theoi is just my go-to for the beginning of finding references and ideas about less widely (i.e. in pop culture) known figures.

I have this dream of making a comic book about the events described in the Book of Revelations from the Bible. Basically The Apocalypse has happened and the forces of Heaven and Hell seek to recruit the varied pantheons around the world.

My main way of deciding what pantheon would join which faction would be based on how well those respective religions and traditions have fared under Christianity. For example, Irish Paganism has been more or less replaced by Catholicism, so they’d hold resentment against The Heavenly Host.

So how well have the Greek Gods fared under Christianity? Have they been able to maintain relevancy in any major way? Have any of them been incorporated in the Abrahamic religions in any capacity? Have they suffered bastardization or been demonified?

Based on your interpretations of Greek Myth based on their existence in a Christian world, would Zeus have the Olympians side with Heaven or Hell? Would there be a division amongst the Greek Gods?

Super messy Modern Apollon

Didn't I tell you to stay in the chariot? To not throw the spear? I felt betrayed thinking of your disobedience. The way your smooth tongue found a loophole amongst my words, just like Odysseus would, and you returned to me, unbreathing. Ah, Odysseus, back with his lover, Penelope, in Ithaca, and Hector with his family in the underworld. I saw the reunited family when I finally met my demise—when I saw Paris shoot that arrow towards me, guided by Lord Apollo. But to my utmost surprise, I did not see you here in Elysium. Paradise, they call it, for heroes like me. But is this even paradise when you're not here?

I wandered around, searching for your soul, wanting to express my love, gratitude, resentment, and guilt toward you. However, I am met with only great kings, princes, and other heroic demigods and mortals who know my name. Hearing my name praised by them isn't the same as hearing it from your lips—those lips I've tasted so many times. I fear the men and women after our generation would consider us mere brothers, cousins, or best friends. You are most definitely more than that to me, my Philtatos — most beloved.

As I sat by the River Lethe here in Elysium, I must confess, I wanted to bathe in it, to erase the memories of my pride overruling my judgment. Hubris, the sole reason I lost you. Then I pondered; I whispered your name, "Patroclus, glory of his father." Pater...Kleos...was the "glory" I was chasing and fighting for my whole life...you? You were there all along, begging me to help the Greeks, but my foolish self cared more for Agamemnon's insult toward me than your life. Briseis was right; you were worth ten of me…even more. I remember those nights when you, unbreathing, lay beside me. I'd jolt wide awake, screaming that I am finally here to help you win against the Trojans, against Hector. Then I look to my side, and there it is; your cold, unmoving body, your pale hands that once held my face. I shook your body. No response, and I, once again, wept.

I wish we were back in Chiron's humble abode, just eating figs, playing the lyre, and training. We could have grown old together. I could have thrown an apple at you and bound our souls together, Homophrosyne, like Odysseus and Penelope. But wishful thinking would get me nowhere now, wouldn't it?

This is my entry to my enlistment in my club at university; no one should repost this literary piece into which I poured my heart. I only wanted to share this since I am really proud of it. Please contact me IMMEDIATELY if someone reposted it on any social media platform. Thank you!

Found this ceramic dish at the antique store awhile back for the obvious Greek-ness of it, but I’ve always wondered what the lid actually depicted. Anyone know?