Mythology Explained

Hey everyone, Welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss five of the most powerful goddesses in Greek mythology, goddesses so powerful that their powers often dwarfed those of their male counterparts.

And just a quick comment before we get started: this list isn't ranked and is by no means comprehensive, so let us know in the comments who you think deserved to be included next to these legendary ladies.

Let's get into it.

Starting off our list is Gaia.

Gaia was the personification of the earth, and along with Tartarus, Eros, Erebus, and Nyx, was one of the five first-generation primordial deities. Beyond being the manifestation of the earth, she also independently produced the observable features of the material world. Uranus, the sky, Ourea, the mountains, and Pontus, the sea, were her progeny, and she took Uranus as her consort. Together they made the Hecatonchires, the Cyclopes, and the 12 first-generation Titans. She was the preeminent force of creation in Greek mythology, and while she couldn't exert her power or impose her will in a combative sense, she could function as a sort of divine brood mother, producing powerful children that could act destructively on her behalf. Per apollodorus account, she created the giants to wage war against the Gods in retaliation for the Titans being imprisoned in Tartarus, and afterwards, she created Typhon, the most powerful monster in the Greek mythos, who would challenge Zeus for supremacy over the cosmos.

Next we have Athena.

Athena had an unconventional start in life. She was born out the side of a man's skull, instead of emerging from a woman's womb. Her mother, Metis, was prophesied to bear incredibly powerful children, first a daughter, then a son mighty enough to overthrow his father, Zeus, who forestalled such an eventuality by swallowing Metis, who was already pregnant with Athena when she entered Zeus' belly. This is all to say that Athena being extraordinarily powerful, even when compared to other gods, was written in prophecy. And she did not disappoint. She emerged fully grown, clad in armor, battle ready. She was one of the only gods to be described as killing more than one giant in the Gigantomachy, crushing Enceladus when she hurled the island of Sicily on him, and killing Pallas, flaying him, and using his skin to protect her during the war. Her great strength was matched by her deep wisdom, an attribute which made her far superior to her brother Ares. The two of them supported opposite sides in the Trojan war. Athena was for the Greeks, and Ares for the Trojans. Towards the end of the war they engaged in a one-on-one fight in which Ares was humbled. Athena backed away from Ares' spear thrust and then counterattacked by launching a boulder at his head, crumpling him to the ground in a heap.

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Hey Everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss the Aloads, Otus and Ephilates, giant twins and strong contenders for the most reckless and arrogant characters in all of Greek mythology.

They abducted Ares, the god of war, and imprisoned him for 13 months. They stacked mountains so that they could climb to the heavens and attack Mount Olympus, and they even tried to abduct a couple of goddesses, Hera and Artemis, and claim them for their own.

Let's get into it.

Otus and Ephialtes were twin brothers, the largest and most handsome the world had ever seen. Only the great hunter Orion was said to be more perfect of form and more handsome of face. Their mother was mortal, a princess of Thessaly. Iphimedeia was her name, and she was so infatuated with Poseidon that each day she would wander down to the shore and fill her lap with water. One day, Poseidon came to her daily place of yearning and bedded her, and though it was his seed that made these mighty twins, the god himself did not raise them. Another of Poseidon's sons, Aloeus, Lord of the Winds, was the stepfather, and he was the namesake for the moniker Aloadae, which meant son of Aloeus, that the twins were called.

Otus and Ephialtes were of colossal size and were blessed with prodigious strength. They were behemoths. At just nine years old, they were about 22.5 feet, or 7 meters, wide, and about 54 feet, or 16 meters, tall. They were giants, though not of the ilk of giants born from the droplets of blood that fell to the earth from Uranus' severed genitals, but giants because of their towering statures.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss, in no particular order, five of the most powerful sea monsters in Greek mythology.

Before we jump into our first entry, I'd like to quickly preface with a short disclaimer, which is that neither the Hippokampoi, half-horse, half-fish creatures, nor the Ichthyocentaurs, centaurs with lobster claws and fish tails, are going to feature on this list. So, apologies in advance if you were hoping for a spotlight on either of those. This video is going to focus on the variety bent on shedding blood and extinguishing life.

Let's get into it.

Starting us off are the Sirens.

The Sirens were female monsters of hybrid appearance, possessing human heads and the bodies of giant birds. Other descriptions gave them human arms that played musical instruments. They were originally the handmaidens of the goddess Persephone, but when she was abducted by Hades, Demeter gave them bird bodies so that they could cover more ground in the search. The sirens' song was so beautiful and enchanting that it utterly bewitched and entranced any who heard it, so that those caught in its spell could not see the thorns beneath the petals. Sailors brought their ships ever closer, desperate to hear the song as loudly and clearly as possible, but their minds were so taken that the jagged rocks their ships rapidly approached went unnoticed. Ultimately, sailors were reduced to bloated corpses, and ships were reduced to sunken wrecks that littered the ocean floor. The two most famous encounters with the Sirens were Jason and the Argonauts and Odysseus and his crew. Orpheus saved the first group by drowning out the siren's song with his own music, and Odysseus survived by lashing himself to the mast and having his crew plug their ears with beeswax.

Next we have Cetus.

Sired by the sea god Phorkys, Cetus was the sea-monster sent by Poseidon to bring death and destruction to the land of Troy after King Laomedon reneged on his promise to pay Poseidon, who worked at building the walls of Troy for an entire year. An oracle revealed that the only way Laomedon could extricate his kingdom from the plight his avarice and lack of integrity embroiled it in was by chaining his daughter to a cliff and sacrificing her to the monster. Fortunately, she didn't end up dying, for a bargain was struck in which Hercules agreed to kill the monster in exchange for Laomedon's immortal horses. But again, true to form, Laomedon reneged on his promise, giving nothing after his daughter was saved. This second slight would be tantamount to signing his own death warrant, though, for it was not wise to make yourself an enemy of Hercules, who delivered the King's comeuppance when he returned with six ships, sacked Troy, and killed Laomedon.

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Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to be discussing Zagreus, the first incarnation of the god Dionysus, a god whom Zeus bestowed with the lightning bolt, intending him to be his heir, a god who was torn to pieces when Hera set the titans on him.

Let's get into it.

To understand Zagreus' story, we have to start by unpacking Orphism, which was, essentially, an offshoot of mainstream ancient Greek religious beliefs. It was promulgated by travelling priests who preached and initiated based on the songs and teachings of the hero Orpheus - more on him later. Those who followed the Orphic teachings believed that humans were constituent of two parts: the spark of the divine, the soul, and mortal flesh. It was believed that a person's ultimate task was to liberate their soul from the fetters of flesh, something that could only be accomplished by living a life consistent with the Orphic edicts - many of which were abstemious and ascetic, calling for people to refrain from indulgence, avoiding such pleasures as meat, wine, and sexual intercourse.

Following death was the judgment of the soul. If a person led a righteous life, their soul would pass on to the paradise of Elysium, but if a person lived a wicked life, then for them, the plunge of death would herald punishment. After a time, a person's soul would be reincarnated, and if a person could lead a life characterized by piety and righteousness three times in a row, then their soul would be freed from the cycle of reincarnation.

Orpheus was a singularly talented musician. No other mortal was his equal, and it would have taken the likes of Apollo himself to best him in a contest. When he played, trees bent towards him to hear better, and rivers stopped flowing, pausing to listen. He was one of the heroes selected by Jason to accompany him on the quest for the golden fleece, and he travelled to the underworld itself to bring back his true love to the land of the living.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss the five greatest Heroes in Greek mythology.

Let's get into it.

Starting off our list is Perseus, a Hero with an impressive portfolio of heroics but whose legacy was ultimately undermined by the amount of divine support he received.

The apotheosis of Perseus' life was the slaying of Medusa, a feat that would have been close to impossible without Hermes and Athena holding his hands the whole way. First, Perseus found the Graeae, three wizened crones, and stole the single eye they shared, threatening to squish it if they didn't divulge the information he sought. They directed him to the Nymphs of the North, where he received many magic gifts and learned of the location of Medusa's lair. After slaying Medusa and collecting her severed head, Perseus made his way home, but his route was far from direct. He came across a woman chained to a cliff and slayed the sea monster that was going to devour her. This woman, Andromeda, became his wife. When Perseus finally returned home, he used Medusa's head to turn Polydectes, the king who sent him on his quest, to stone.

Next we have Theseus

After making his way to Athens and establishing himself as the legitimate heir, Theseus endeavored to win the hearts of the people. His chosen path to accomplish this was to volunteer himself as one of the 14 youths sent by Athens into the minotaur's labyrinth every nine years as recompense for killing King Minos' son years earlier. Theseus killed the minotaur with his bare hands and was then able to retrace his steps, using a ball of string to escape the labyrinth. After this, Theseus became king, but the events that followed were of a mixed sort. Certainly, there were moments of heroism, like when Theseus joined Hercules on the latter's labour to retrieve the girdle of Hippolyta, but there were also blunders, like when Theseus and Pirithous were imprisoned in the underworld by Hades for attempting to abduct Persephone.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to take a look at the five times Zeus came closest to dying, which is to say, as the notion of death pertains to gods, at the five times Zeus came closest to being permanently incapciated in some way, whether through banishment, imprisonment, or dismemberment - basically, five of the times Zeus came closest to either losing or never winning his crown.

Starting us off is the insurgency in which Hera, Athena, and Poseidon banded together to overthrow Zeus.

They staged a coup, managing to overcome Zeus and chain him up - whether through surprise, guile, or combined strength, is not specified. Thetis, Achilles' mother, saw what was happening, so she went and fetched Briareus, one of the Hecatonchires, the hundred-handers, the mere sight of whom subdued the gods attempting to supplant Zeus, causing them to immediately abandon their efforts without even the hint of a fight. Had Thetis not brought reinforcements, Zeus may have been deposed then and there, replaced by an oligarchy of gods.

Next we have Zeus' birth.

Cronus, the leader of the Titans and the lord of the Cosmos, learned of a prophecy, foretelling his downfall at the hands of one of his children. In an effort to forestall such an eventuality, Cronus swallowed each of his children as soon as they were born - his reasoning being that none of them could usurp him while they were imprisoned inside of him. Rhea, Cronus' wife, became more distraught with each child she lost, until she reached her breaking point. She couldn't bear to see her youngest child, Zeus, swallowed, so she swaddled a stone in baby's wrappings and proffered it to Cronus in Zeus' stead. Cronus, oblivious, not even suspecting that a ruse might be afoot, swallowed the stone without a moment's hesitation. Zeus was then raised in secret and, once he was in the bloom of manhood, made a triumphant return, but had his mother not made the switch, he very well might have spent an eternity in his father's stomach.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's episode, we're going to dive into a very interesting question, which is whether Greek gods can be brought to death when people no longer believe in them.

Let's get into it.

Now, I can't say for certain whether a lack of worship can result in a Greek god plunging through death's gates, passing on to the next world or being erased by oblivion, but I can say that there are two myths - the Greek creation myth and the myth of the great flood - that serve as very strong arguments, showing Greek gods to be immune to death in a world devoid of exaltation and worship being paid to them. Let's take a look at these myths.

The Greek creation myth rejects the notion that gods die when no one believes in them because, simply put, it describes gods existing before humans. At this point, You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with anything? Well, if gods existed before there were humans to worship them, then doesn't it follow that gods would be equally unaffected if there were humans who didn't worship them, as was the case when pagan religions were eventually superseded by Monotheism? I feel like it's fair to extrapolate from the Greek creation myth, which shows gods to be unaffected by a lack of worship, and conclude that gods would be equally unaffected by a lack of worship resulting from absolute disregard by humanity.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, we're going to discuss the Hecatonchires, a trio of incredibly powerful monsters in Greek mythology. Monsters so powerful that they overwhelmed the titans and even struck fear into the hearts of the gods.

Let's get into it.

Gaia, the personification of the earth, and Uranus the personification of the sky, together, had three groups of children, and each subsequent group was less monstrous than the group that came before it. First there were the three Hecatonchires, a monstrous trio, each with 100 arms; then there were the cyclopes, three beings with human-like appearance except for their single eye, and then there were the first-generation titans, a group of 12 gods.

The hecatonchires were described as unsurpassed in size and strength. A cluster of 50 powerful arms grew from each shoulder, and their bodies were surmounted by a knot of 50 heads. Their names were Briareus, derived from the Greek word for stout or strong, Cottos, Wrathful One, and Gyes, Son of the Earth. Their father found them to be so abominable that they were cast into the cavernous abyss of Tartarus. The same was also done to the Cyclopes. The Titans, however, were not subject to this fate, satisfying the arbitrary aesthetic standard their father would, apparently, go to any length to preserve, even if it meant condemning his children to interminable imprisonment in the deep dark below the earth.

The imprisonment of the Hecatonchires was a crucial moment in the Greek creation myth because it was the impetus for the first conflict. Having her children trapped inside of her was a source of great pain for Gaia, who supplicated her children to rise up as her champions. The result was Cronus castrating his father with a sickle of Adamant, dethroning Uranus to become the new king of the cosmos. The Hecatonchires and the giants were released, but their time as free monsters would prove only a brief sojourn; for they were quickly reimprisoned.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video we're discussing Argus, the monstrous thousand-eyed giant Hera set to guard Io, a woman Zeus transformed into a cow after forcing himself on her.

Let's get into it.

Called the Panoptes, meaning All-Seeing-One, Argus was a monstrous giant, a giant herdsman with eyes all over his body. Accounts describing exactly how many eyes he did have vary, ranging from as few as four to as many as 1,000.

Argus was blessed with incredible strength, which he used on many occasions to eliminate threats terrorizing the land. He slayed a fearsome bull that was ravaging the countryside. He killed a satyr that was robbing people, and there's even an account of him killing Echidna who was preying on travelers. Echidna was sometimes called the queen of monsters, for she birthed many of the monsters in Greek mythology, including the hydra, the chimera, and the sphinx.

Though many monsters fell to his might, the myth Argus most prominently featured in was the overpowering and subsequent transformation of Io. She was the daughter of Inachus, a river god, and her mother's identity, while more ambiguous, is sometimes said to be one of the Oceanid nymphs. As was so often the case, in a mythic world where gods and monsters abounded, beauty was as much a curse as it was a blessing, especially when one caught the eye of Zeus, whose roaming, lecherous gaze so often brought ruin to those who pleased it.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained.

In today's video we're going to take a dip in some controversial waters by exploring whether Gaia was, in fact, the most evil god in Greek mythology. This is definitely an unorthodox question - I mean, has the word evil and the name Gaia even been used in the same sentence before - but if you detach yourself from how she is usually portrayed and what she usually represents and, instead, consider her role in the sequence of great conflicts that constitute the Greek creation myth, then you begin to see her in an entirely different light, one that doesn't paint such a flattering portrait of her. Now, Gaia is one of my favourite figures in Greek mythology, and no, I don't really think she's evil, but if you add up everything she does throughout the Greek creation myth, the result is certainly more open to interpretation than you would think.

What this video aims to do is look at the causation behind each of the great conflicts embedded in the Greek creation myth with the goal of seeing how Gaia factors in as a catalyst, thereby developing the basis on which we'll judge where Gaia falls on the spectrum of good and evil. Was she truly a force for good and the wellspring of life, or was she really a source of insidious evil bent on creating strife and sorrow?

There were four instances of conflict that defined the Greek creation myth. Here they are in order: there was the rise of Cronus, there was the war against the titans, called the Titanomachy, there was the war against the giants, called the Gigantomachy, and finally, there was the battle against the monster Typhon.

To fully understand the depth of Gaia's involvement we have to start at the beginning of the Greek creation myth. We're going to gloss over the moments that don't feature her as a central figure.

In the beginning there was the great void Chaos. From this void emerged the first of the Primordial deities. Gaia, the personification of the earth, was one of these, and she went on to independently produce three children, three second-generation primordial deities who would be aspects of the material world. These were Uranus, the sky, Ourea, the mountains, and Pontus, the sea. Gaia took Uranus as her consort, and together they had three groups of children: three Hecatonchires, hundred-handed monsters of unmatched size and strength, three Cyclopes, colossal humanoids with but a single large eye affixed to their faces, and finally, 12 titans.

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