2011+Greek+6

__Greek Mythology__
Greek religion is based on thousands of myths, tales, and legends. These stories usually gave explanations of how the world came to be the way it was. The Greeks worshipped many immortal gods and goddesses, who lived on Mount Olympus. The most important was Zeus. Zeus was the god of lightning, and the Greeks believed he controlled the weather. He had many children, who were gods and goddesses as well; They each had a title, making them god of that emotion, object, nature disaster, or art form. For example, there is Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Dionysus, the god of wine, and Apollo, god of the sun. Humans, compared to gods, were unimportant, weak, and meaningless, while the gods were the exact opposite. Even though one was thought of as less significant, relationships between the two were re-occuring in Greek Mythology. There were "Demi-gods", children who were half-god, half-mortal. When the gods decided to communicate with mortals, they would often do it through dreams, omens, and oracles. Oracles were people who predicted the future and your destiny. Since humans believed that the gods influenced their lives, they would make sacrifices to please them, and would pray to them often. Being the home of the gods, Olympia, a city located on the peninsula of Peloponnesus, was a highly religious place for Greeks. Temples were named after gods, like the Temple of Hera and the Temple of Zeus, both in Olympia. The Parthenon in Athens was also used for religious ceremonies, which took place in a courtyard.

Source: http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/587470?terms=greek+mythology "Greek mythology." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011 http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/575746?terms=Zeus "Zeus." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1593280?terms=Greek+gods Hansen, William. "relationship of gods and humans in Greek mythology." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //.ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1594291?terms=oracles Hansen, William. "oracles in Greek mythology." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Sept. 2011. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/587461?terms=religious+greek+buildings Davidson, Linda. "Olympia." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Sept. 2011. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/575693?terms=parthenon Langmead, Donald and Christine Garnaut. "Parthenon." // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 16 Sept. 2011.