Used under the Creative Commons License-Pandora by Henry Bates
Pandora's Box
Pandora is known as the first woman on earth. Hephaestus (God of Metalworking) created Pandora from the earth and water by the order of Zeus.
Pandora's creation was the outcome of the michevous doings of two Titan brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus. Prometheus had the gift of foresight, while Epimetheus had the gift of afterthought. Zeus (King of Gods) had ordered his cousins Prometheus and Epimetheus to bring gifts to all the animals. In doing this task, Prometheus stole fire from the Gods by tricking Zeus. Prometheus then gave fire to Man. After hearing this, Zeus decided to punish both Man and Prometheus. Prometheus was then bound, an eagle would rip his liver from his body daily. Gods cannot die, so his liver would just grow back. Prometheus knew Zeus had it out for Epimetheus and him, so he told his brother to never accept any gifts from Zeus, becuase it would be a trick. Zeus punished Man by ordering Hephaestus to create a women that looked like a Goddess. Aphrodite gave Pandora grace along with unspeakable beauty, Hemes gave her a artful mind along with a clever tongue. Athena taught her the art of weaving and crafts. Poisedon gave Pandora a pearl neckalace that prevented her from drowning. Zeus blessed her with a incautious, devilish nature. Lastly, Hera bestowed Pandora the gift of curiosity.
Epimetheus fell head over heels in love with Pandora when he first layed eyes on her. In result, Pandora and Epimetheus got married. At the reception, Hermes showed up with a wedding gift from Zeus himself. Hermes didn't make a big deal over the gift so Epimetheus wouldn't become suspicious. Epimetheus was so beyond flattered that his brothers words rolled right over his head. Pandora and Epimetheus went on then be married and blissfully ignorant of what was to come. After a few weeks, Pandora's gift of curiosity, began to itch. Pandora was beginning to wonder what was in the box. She could no longer handle the curiousty. She just took a peek, just a simple peek. In doing this, Pandora realeased all the evils within the box like death, illness, and famines, all the bad things in the world. Pandora slammed the box shut, but it was already to late. Everything had escaped, along with hope. Now eveything that escaped still continues to plague the earth.
Sources:
The Myth of Pandora's Box. Suite 101. 25 March 2013. Web. 18 July 2013.
Pandora, the first woman on earth. Greeka. n.d. Web. 18 July 2013.
To find out more about Greek Mythology, use this database/resouces.
These pages are intended to be informational and not meant to be directly cited. Please use the articles, books, and websites listed.
Sources:
Theoi Greek Mythology. The Theoi Project, n.d. Web. 10 July. 2013.
The Short Family Tree. n.d. http://www.theoi.com/Tree.html. Web. 10 July. 2013.
Reasoning: Greek Mythology was created for two major reasons. First, the Greeks didn't know much of the creation of the world, so to solve this problem they created stories that contained Gods, Goddesses, and monsters. They began to create detailed stories for each individual God so things would make more sense. Second, in ancient Greece, they believed the stories would be helpful to "explain everything from religious rituals to the weather, and they gave meaning to the world people saw around them."
The Trojan War: The Trojan War is an extremely historical event in Greek Mythology history. The Greeks declared war against the Trojans in the city of Troy. The Trojans attacked the city for ten years as a result of Paris' (prince of Troy) mistake.
Used under the Creative Commons License Greece- Scene of the Trojan War by Casbr
The Apple of Discord:
This whole event began with a simple argument between the goddesses. Eris(Goddess of Discord) had given the Gods a golden apple, it was deemed for "only the fairest." Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera began to quarrel as to who should receive the apple. Zeus became annoyed by there presence, so he had Hermes lead the three goddesses to Paris (the prince of Troy). The three of them appeared unto him naked. Paris was to decide who would receive the apple. All three of the goddesses began to bribe him to win his favor. Hera offered Paris political power along with total control of Asia. Athena promised Paris knowledge and victory in war, while Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman. Paris favored with Aphrodite, so he awarded her the apple. With the help of Aphrodite, Paris abducted Helen ("the most beautiful of women") from her husband King Menelaus. Thus creating the conflict which caused the Trojan War.
Sources:
Greek Mythology. History Channel. n.d. Wed. 10 July. 2013.
The Trojan War. The Finer Times. n.d. Web. 2 July. 2013.
"Paris, in Greek Mythology." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press, 2013. Electronic.
Articles containing the tales of Hercules, Hephaetus, and Jason.
Bulfinch's Mythology - All Three Volumes - the Age of Fable, the Age of Chivalry, and Legends of Charlemagne by 
Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman Mythology by In creating this guide i found a useful resource in this book. It is interesting as well as easy to understand. It's a page turner.
Treasury of Greek Mythology by Donna Jo Napoli
