Constellations In Ancient Greek Mythology

Ancient Greek Mythology

By: Colin Smith

Ancient Greek gods created some of the things we use today, like how Zeus used to be able to change people and animals into stone and put them in the sky of the things we use today like our constellations. Hundreds of years ago the ancient Greeks believed in Ancient Greek mythology. People still study constellations, what they mean, and how they connect to each other. Many beliefs of gods and goddesses exist along with mythical creatures and constellations.

The Greeks were polytheistic, which means they believe in many gods/goddesses. The Ancient Greeks believed that a family of gods lived in a cloud palace above Mount Olympus which is the highest mountain in Greece. These gods were thought to have special powers, and each had control over a different aspect of life. Zeus became leader because he helped his siblings get out of cronus and so they made him their leader. A few examples are; Zeus the king of the gods, Poseidon the king of the oceans and water, and Athena which is the goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts, and literature. Zeus created some of these constellations many years ago.

Along with believing in many

gods/goddesses, the Ancient Greeks were also believed to be the creators of the constellations. It was believed that Zeus used to be able to change people into animals and place them as constellations. The constellations, as they were described in Greek mythology, were mostly either god-favoured or cursed heroes and beasts who received a place in the heavens in memorial of their deeds. Some of these constellations that came from Zeus are mythical animals and one like Laelaps and the Teumessian Fox was in an ancient myth that there was the Teumessian Fox that could always evade its hunter and Laelaps that could catch anything it hunted so there was a paradox created. So Zeus decided to turn them both to stone and make them constellations. You may have heard of the Milky Way, Virgo, or even Hercules. Some of these constellations are mythical creatures that have been turned to stone and put in the sky.

The mythical creatures that came from Ancient Greeks are very unusual beasts and some of them are even heros.

Some of these mythical creatures appeared in the myth of Hercules and his labors. There are creatures that helped like chiron he was a teacher and he was higher class centaur than the others. Then other ones were bad like echidna and they say she was the most dangerous and most fearsome monster of all and attacked and ate families. Some of the beasts are dead but some are still alive and so many people believe that these mythical beasts were still out there. So people still honor the people that were thought to be the slayers of the harmful beasts and to the heros that were thought to help in the slaying of the evil. Many people still believe that these mythical creatures are

alive.

So people still believe in mythical creatures and ancient greek myths. People still sacrifice animals for their many gods and goddesses. So the Ancient Greeks have created many of the myths that many people still believe in today. They were really civilized and some people believe they had some of the best myths in the world. But there are more people that do not know about it and they had some of the best myths ever. They have made some movies about their myths, people made a movie about the Labours of Hercules.