Gods and Goddesses of ancient Greek mythology

The book "Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greek Mythology" by an Italian author Giada Francia suitable both for family reading and for independent acquaintance of young readers with the main characters of myths and legends created by the people who lived on the Balkan Peninsula and the islands of the Aegean Sea. Plots, heroes, symbols of ancient Greek mythology created the foundation on which the entire European culture is based, from literature, art, architecture to applied psychology and design.

The book consists of stories about 12 the most important characters of the numerous pantheon of gods and goddesses of the ancient Greeks. The story about the six gods and six goddesses will be interesting to the reader because they were really part of the everyday life of the Greeks. The gods were not only worshiped and offered gifts or sacrifices, the Greeks believed that each city had its own patron deity, such as Athena, the goddess of wisdom and courage, after whom the city of Athena was named, that deities controlled certain natural elements, such as Poseidon seas and oceans, or give special talent and character, like Artemis - the goddess of desire. People expected help from their patrons, or on the contrary, they feared their revenge if they did something that might displease a certain deity. The Greeks endowed their gods with superhuman abilities, but at the same time with character traits inherent in ordinary people. Therefore, often, under certain circumstances, the gods, omnipotent and powerful, in mythical stories behave just like ordinary people: they are happy or angry (when it is Poseidon, for example, a storm starts at sea), they are cunning, they make mistakes, they even fall in love and are jealous. The ancient Greeks dedicated solemn songs (hymns) and poetry, plays to their gods; beautiful buildings: temples, altars, gardens; created sculptures embodying their likeness, which have survived to our time.