Greek Mythology
The ancient Greeks believed in many gods, which made them polytheistic. It is hard to tell how many Greek gods there were, because different Greeks believed in different gods (source: Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses). These gods were at the center of Greek mythology- a body of stories about heroes and gods that try to explain how the world works. Each story, or myth, explained natural or historical events.
One Greek myth says that the reason there is winter is because the goddess of agriculture, Demeter, does not let plants grow in that time because she is separated from her daughter, but she does in the summer when she is reunited from her daughter.
To keep the gods happy, the Greeks built great temples to honor them all around Greece. In return, they expected the gods to help them in times of need. However, not all myths were about gods. Many told about the adventures of great heroes. For example, one story says that the hero Theseus traveled to Crete to kill the Minotaur, a terrible monster that was half human and half bull (Ancient Civilizations).
Click on the following videos to watch the myth Arachne and Athena by Nick Kozis (story of how spiders came to be).
One Greek myth says that the reason there is winter is because the goddess of agriculture, Demeter, does not let plants grow in that time because she is separated from her daughter, but she does in the summer when she is reunited from her daughter.
To keep the gods happy, the Greeks built great temples to honor them all around Greece. In return, they expected the gods to help them in times of need. However, not all myths were about gods. Many told about the adventures of great heroes. For example, one story says that the hero Theseus traveled to Crete to kill the Minotaur, a terrible monster that was half human and half bull (Ancient Civilizations).
Click on the following videos to watch the myth Arachne and Athena by Nick Kozis (story of how spiders came to be).