Greek gods and heroes were not the typical good guys. In fact, nobody in Greek myth is completely good or completely bad... and that is the beauty of it all.
Still, bad guys is an understatement for many of ancient Greece's most popular personas.
Showing posts with label greek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greek. Show all posts
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Greek Mythology Quiz: who are you?
Who are you? Who do you think you are? Which are your hidden superpowers? And what makes you unique?
Tour unique personality makes you a living legend of epic proportions! And not any legend, but a Greek myth one.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Women Creators in Greece: This Is Why This Year Will Be The Year Of Craftswoman
It is said that in times of economic crisis, there are more opportunities available and more money is made, than any other time in history. It seems that this mantra becomes a reality for Greek entrepreneurial women
Pandora, the Goddess who Unleashed both Hell and Hope upon Humanity
What do you actually know about Pandora, the first woman of mankind according to Greek Mythology? Was she a trick or treat of Zeus to humans? Learn every detail of how she was created by all Gods, how they gave her the name Pandora, how she came to earth and, finally, why she opened her famous box!
Greek Contemporary Art: Is It Worth It?
Did you know that Greece has lately developed its contemporary art wave that drives nuts tourists and foreign art investors? And is that art worth even spending time admiring it?
Where Are The Best Places To Visit In Greece
Greece is known as one of the most desirable destinations worldwide. Every year millions of people from all over the world visit Greece for their annual vacation. As Arzo, the author of Arzo Travel writes in her blog post: "Holidays to Greece can take many different forms – partying, sailing, sunning" and we can't agree more! So, which are the best places to visit in Greece?
Which Greek God Are You?
We are all human. Still, each one of us has their own " hidden superpower" that makes us overcome every problem.
Just like the ancient Greek gods, who were full of human passion and divine powers, doing everything in excess.
Now, Javier Moreno from BuzzFeed helps you discover the Greek god hidden inside you. Take the quiz and discover; are you more of a Zeus or an Aphrodite?
Backgammon: Where it all began
Everyone knows backgammon, the famous board -but also online- game, that accompanies us on trips, fills our free time and brings us closer. In Greece it is well known as "tavli" and you can find it everywhere, in coffee houses, beaches, in almost every house. Most of the people know how to play backgammon, but do they know where it came from?
The Art of War Ancient Greek Style
In the 4th c. BC, Greek military commander Aeneas Tacticus wrote the Poliorketika, or How To Survive Under Siege, now known as the first war treatise in western literature. He was also an inventor, credited with some of the earliest cryptographic systems ever used for military purposes.
What are the 9 best trips to take from Athens?
Most people visit Athens to see the Acropolis, enjoy amazing Greek food and get a nice tan under the sun. But did you know that there more that meets the eye?
Paulina Kapsali from greece-is.com discovered 9 amazing destinations in just a few hours away from Athens.
Guess Which Food Makes Your Smarter?
Truth be told, Greek food, from the simple roasted vegetable that was just cut from the garden to a ultra-difficult moussaka, is a wonderful mix of flavors that appeal to almost all tastes. But did you know that new scientific studies found that Greek (and Italian - which is similar) can make you ... smarter?
Greek Rebetiko Music Gets UNESCO Heritage Status
Rebetiko, a Greek kind of urban music got an UNESCO heritage status, being on the same heritage side as the Portuguese fado, the Spanish Flamenco, and the American Blues. As mentioned on the UNESCO website: "Rebetiko is a musical and cultural expression directly linked to song and dance that initially spread among the urban lower and working-class populations in the early twentieth century".
30 Things Only True Greeks Will Know: A (True) Story.
You could say that I was trying hard to find an article like this because it makes me smile (once in a while). Author Lauren Perry - proudly calls herself ¼ Greek - lists at least 30 things that are true when you are part of a typical Greek family - and boy she is right!
Why Everyone Loves Greek Yogurt?
Well its not a secret to be honest - Greek yogurt is a must have when it comes to good health. Out of hundreds of types of yogurts, the Greek one is the thickest, most rich, falvorsome type you could find, and it is no wonder why it is adored by chefs and nutritionist alike: its texture makes a perfect addition to food, its nutritional properties makes it ideal to your health.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Top 10 of the most famous artists coming from Greece that stimulated painting and sculpture
Since antiquity, Greece has always been the land that generated great artistic talents. It’s something special about the greek painters and sculptors that broke the barriers of traditional art and set new rules with their art. Here you can explore the work of 10 famous artists - 10 bright minds - that influenced the world of arts in the past few centuries. Each one has its own unique way of painting or sculpting, thus their work marked the history.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Hercules Beyond The Myth?
Stories about the gods, or semi-gods, were weaved thousands of years ago. and continue to this day. One of the most famous, intriguing and inspiring stories was about Hercules, a man who was strong and courageous, whose deeds were so mighty, and who so strong from all the hard lessons that life passed on to him, that when he died, Hercules was brought up to Mount Olympus to live with the gods.
The question that comes to mind, as with most of these stories, was there a real Hercules, a real man behind the stories? Could he be so strong or was the imagination of the storytellers that fueled an exaggeration of his actions and strength? We will never really know.
Lets start by putting our facts straight. First of all, his name "Hercules" is incorrect; "Heracles" [Ηρακλής] is how the ancient Achaeans (citizens of Achaia) referred to him.
As them myth goes, Hercules was the strongest of all mortals, and even stronger than many gods. He was the last mortal son of Zeus, and the only man born of a mortal woman to become a god upon his death.
Birth of a Hero?
Argos and Thebes are two areas in Greece where both claimed Heracles as its birthplace. When he was born, Zeus, the King of Gods wanted to create a strong mortal who would set the example for both gods and mortals - so he decided that Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, would do the honors and become the mother of his child. Whilst Amphitryon was away at war, Zeus took the form of Amphitryon and trick Alcmene into making love to him. When Amphitryon returned, the first thing he did was to lay with his wife. As a result, twins were born: Heracles to Zeus and Iphicles to Amphitryon.
When Hera, Zeus wife found out that her husband laid with yet another woman, she was outraged, more so as Zeus has produced yet another bastard son. She started plotting her revenge, but Hypnos took her over (she fell asleep).While she was sleeping, Hermes, the God of the Trade placed the baby on Hera’s breast. Trying to feed, Hera woke up and pushed him aside, her milk splattering across the heavens (which eventually became the Milky Way). In vengeance, Hera later on sent two snakes to the twins’ cradle. Whilst his twin brother Iphicles froze in terror, Heracles himself grabbed each snake by each hand and strangled them to death.
Early Adventures
While Heracles growing up his first real test of strength was when he was asked to kill the lion of Mount Kithaeron. The lion had been ravaging the herds of Amphitryon, and Heracles had little problem killing it. He took his skin and whilst the myth says that he it was this skin that he was always portrayed, some people say that was the Nemean lion's skin he wore.
Whilst away from his city, war broke between Thebes and the city of Orchomenus; Heracles jumped into battle and as soon as they had he flooded Orchomenus's crops. After the victory, the king of Thebes, Creon, gave his daughter Megara as his wife.
What happened with Hera in the mean time? She became once again jealous and envy and afflicted Heracles with a madness, which caused him to attack Iolaus, his brother's son who barely escaped death. When Hera lifted the madness, he discovered he had killed all of his children and two of Iphicles - talk about Greek tragedy. With deep sorrow and horror for his actions, Heracles avoided every contact with other people and asked the king of Thespieis for redemption. An oracle advised him to service the king of Argos, Eurystheus. This became the famous Labors of Heracles.
Beyond The myth
The myth may say a different story from what we come to realise. Clearly, as much as he had muscles, Heracles may lacking intelligence and was overwhelmed with emotions, which frequently got Heracles in trouble. From what we read, his pride was easily offended. His appetites for food, wine, and women were as massive as his strength.
The easiest thing to do is view Heracles as a muscled mindless creature, pretty much like the some modern bodybuilders who are only focusing on building their body. And to be accurate, if someone reviews ancient Greek comedy the play writers of the time focused on that side of Heracles. Heracles was very frequently seen as a brutal and violent person who hold grudges and let them go very rarely. And why not? There is a lot to support this: his preferred weapon was a huge club; the clothes he was wearing were of a lion skin with a lion head; he was so aggressive and violent that he also wounded some of the gods; he even threatened a priestess of Apollo at Delphi when he received no reply to a question from the God. Truth is, he was a trouble maker.
As with everything, there is another side of the story. Heracles was a true friend in its pure sense. We would do anything to help a friend, and once his mind was clear of anger he was the first one to critisize himself for his actions. Truth was that, like Superman, he was too strong for anyone to apply any form of punishment. The fact that he offered himself to be purified and get rid of guilt shows that he had, deep inside him, a sense of what was right and what was wrong. While he was self-punished, he stayed patient and resilient until the end, the fact alone was heroic on its own.
Also, he had to deal with Hera's vengeance - from sending snake to temporary getting mad, that was all Hera's fault.
Over time, the world came to realised that there was more to than just a strong man, full of anger and strong emotions. Ancient Greecs view was focused on how badly he managed despite his obvious gifts, a bed side story for kids to managed their own better than Hercules. As time passed the world began to focus purely to his virtues. Even the Romans valued him as he fit their idea of a hero. He eventually had a cult that worshiped him as a god.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
George Zongolopoulos: The famous artist that you should be aware ofThe art industry welcomes everyday more and more ambitious artists, that hope to create something new thanks to their talent and passion. Though, there are some people already established in the world of art that their work is point of reference for the younger generations. One of these people is the famous artist George Zongolopoulos. The Greek sculptor is well-known not only in Greece, but also abroad as one of the most important artists and representatives of the so called “Generation of 1930s”. Let’s get to know a little bit more about this artist, his work and how you can get familiar with his art.
The art industry welcomes everyday more and more ambitious artists, that hope to create something new thanks to their talent and passion. Though, there are some people already established in the world of art that their work is point of reference for the younger generations. One of these people is the famous artist George Zongolopoulos. The Greek sculptor is well-known not only in Greece, but also abroad as one of the most important artists and representatives of the so called “Generation of 1930s”. Let’s get to know a little bit more about this artist, his work and how you can get familiar with his art.
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