Theseus was the fruit of dual paternity: Aegeus King of Athens slept with Aethra when she had just been raped by Poseidon, God of the Sea. Theseus, who grew into a strong, brave young man, therefore had a double lineage - both divine and royal. Unsurprisingly, once he was old enough to fight, he decided to leave for Crete to take on the terrible Minotaur, which devoured 14 young Athenians a year, delivered to Minos, King of Crete. The Minotaur, one...

On certain evenings, the constellation of Lyra is visible in the skies. Following Orpheus' death, Zeus placed the constellation in the sky, as a tribute to the greatest poet and musician in Greek mythology. Watched over by the muses from birth, Orpheus' talent enchanted nature, both trees and animals alike. A brave young man, Orpheus left with Jason's crew on board the Argo, to conquer the Golden Fleece. But what poets and artists remembered most...

Bellerophon, the grandson of Sisyphus, one of the Greek world's worst criminals, dreamt of becoming a hero, of being equal to the Gods. But his plans got off to a bad start with the accidental murder of his brother. Forced into exile, he took refuge in Tyrins. But there too, nothing went according to plan: accused of rape by Queen Stheneboea, he left to visit the King of Lycia, who in a bid to get rid of him, imposed fearsome challenges on him. Bellerephon...

Hermes was the youngest of the Gods of Olympus. Right from birth, he was an insolent, thieving, trickster God. While still a baby, he escaped from the cave in which his mother Maia gave birth to him, and stole Apollo's herd. He subsequently invented the first lyre, which he offered him as a sign of reconciliation. Zeus admired the young God Hermes, and entrusted him with several missions: to become a messenger, to become an intercessor between the...

The Master of Olympus succumbed to the pleasures of seduction, because just like for a simple mortal, it was no easy task for him to overcome his desires. Having become Master of Olympus, the great seducer Zeus embarked upon many a romantic conquest, thereby reinforcing his power, through the many children he engendered. His first wife was Metis. His third, who was known as his wife on Olympus, was the jealous Hera. But there was also Themis, the...

To earn the title of Master of Olympus, Zeus took many important steps, and overcame many challenges. His story is one of an incredible conquest of power, dating back to time immemorial, when the world began. Born from Chaos, Gaia - Mother Earth - mated with Uranus, the sky. Many children were born from their union, notably the Titans and the Cyclops. The youngest of the Titans, Kronos, revolted against his father, who had suffocated his mother and...

In this myth, many versions of which have been passed down through the ages, Psyche is the Beauty. Concerned that his daughter did not have a suitor, Psyche's father consulted Pythia, who announced grave news: Psyche's father must leave her on a hilltop, from where a monster would come take her away. In fact, Psyche was welcomed into a magnificent castle. Instead of being a monster, her husband was reassuring and tender. His only request was that...

Having become organizer of the world, Zeus entrusted the world of the sea to his brother Poseidon, and the underworld, or the kingdom of the dead, to Hades. Alone, in a place he had not chosen himself, Hades reigned over the people of the shadows and over the grimacing creatures that surrounded him. One day, having left his kingdom to breathe a little air on the surface, he crossed paths with the beautiful Persephone, with whom he fell in love - and...

Odysseus and Telemachus are reunited, and their plan almost undone by the old nurse who washes the feet of Odysseus-disguised as a beggar-and recognizes the scar on his foot. Penelope is nearly at the end of her ability to put off the suitors, her nightly unravelling of the robe she is supposed to be weaving for her marriage having finally been betrayed. In the contest to see who can bend the mighty bow of Odysseus, the suitors are slain and Odysseus...

Arriving in Hades, Odysseus consults Tiresias, the soothsayer of Thebes, to ascertain the cause of his many misfortunes and learns that Poseidon is the father of the Cyclops. Meeting the shade of Agamemnon, he inquires after the cause of the Argive's death and is in turn warned about the fickleness of women. Arriving next on the Island of the Cattle of the Sun, Odysseus' men disregard the warnings not to eat Apollo's cattle; disobeying, they incur...