Ancient Greek Mythology

All about Corybantes: Greek Dancers Protecting Zeus

Greek mythology is a complex blend of stories and beliefs, most homegrown within the Greek lands but many others imported from neighboring regions, especially Asia Minor. Most of the time, the end result is a chaotic mishmash that historians struggle to make sense of. The Corybantes are a perfect illustration of this cultural puzzle. The …

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All About Astarte: Ancient Goddess of Fertility

Astarte was a highly-regarded mother goddess, associated with the moon, who was worshiped under different names throughout the Middle East, including Ishtar in Mesopotamia and Ashtart or Asherah by the Phoenicians and Canaanites. The Greeks referred to her as Astarte and associated her to their own goddess of love and fertility, Aphrodite. Many clay plaques …

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11 Acanthus Leaf & Flower Symbolic Meanings

Acanthus is a thistle like plant found in warmer climates. According to the Ancient Greeks, the acanthus flower was said to be a nymph loved by Apollo called Acantha, however the god eventually changed her into the acantha flower. The sinuate, notched leaves of two kinds of acanthus in the Mediterranean region provided the pattern …

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Greek Myth of Erysichthon: Man Cursed with Endless Hunger

Erysichthon had the wicked audacity to cut down the tallest oak in a grove sacred to Ceres. His servants shrank from the sacrilege when he ordered them to fell it; whereupon he seized an ax himself and attacked the mighty trunk around which the dryads used to hold their dances. Blood flowed from the tree …

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Story of Pygmalion: Sculptor in Love with the Statue Galatea

NOTE: This story is told only by Ovid and the Goddess of Love is therefore Venus and/or Aphrodite. It is an excellent example of Ovids way of dressing up a myth. A gifted young sculptor of Cyprus, named Pygmalion, was a woman-hater. Detesting the faults beyond measure which nature has given to women, he resolved …

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