Gods

Gods, demi-gods, and incarnate (human-forms) of gods.

I think a college / masters thesis could be research on Greek myths in which Olympian gods appear on earth in human flesh (much like Jesus Christ for Christians). The first one to explore, perhaps: Aphrodite, the goddess, appears on earth as the incarnate Helen. Wow. 

Greek gods:

• many preceded Zeus; he began as a minor god, one among many
• Homer: made Zeus who Zeus became -- numero uno

Greek gods:

• many preceded Zeus
• one such goddess that preceded Zeus was Nemesis
• an alternate myth to the Leda (two eggs; twins with each egg)
• Leda = Tyndareus: one egg (Clytemnestra and Castor)
• Nemesis + Zeus: one egg; given to Leda who watches over the egg until it hatches (Helen / Pollux)
• the alternate myth would mean Helen is a goddess
• Helen / Aphrodite doe metaphorically merge on occasion; was Aphrodite's incarnate version, Helen?

Aphrodite's sixteen children:

• Father: Ares
• Eros
• Phobos
• Deimos
• Harmoia
• Pothos
• Anteros
• Himeros
• Father: Hermes
• Hermaphroditus
• Father: Poseidon
• Rhodos
• Eryx
• Father: Dionysus
• Peitho
• The Graces
• Priapus
• Father: Anchises
• Aeneas (Trojan, founder of Rome)

Eris: goddess of strife;

• daughter of Zeus + Hera
• her opposite: Harmonia 

Zeus children: gods

• Mother: Hera
• Eris

Zeus children: demi-gods 



Sparta: the history is complicated and the myths differ. The founding of Sparta involves two houses, both tracing their history back to Zeus

• Zeus on both sides, patriarch, as it were, of both houses
• Taygete: mother of Eurotas
• Eurotas: an ancient king, king of Laconia; bequeathed his kingdom to Lacedaemon
• Eurotas had no male heir but two daughters, Sparta and Tiasa
• Lacedaemon: son of Zeus and Taygete
• Lacedaemon: married his daughter Sparta and renamed the state after his wife
• Bettany Hughes, has the genealogy on page xxxiii: House of Atreus and the Tyndareids
• bottom line: these are two important houses in Sparta / the Pelop
• many regional geographic names come from these two families
• as usual, the gods, particularly Zeus is involved
• Taygete is a water nymph 
• down the Taygete line we end up with Tyndareus
• father of Clytemnestra / Castor and Helen / Pollux
• Through the Tantalus line (son of Zeus): Niobe and Pelops
• through Pelops, Atreus, grandfather of Agamemnon and Menelaus
• Orestes marries Hermione, abandoned daughter of Helen

House of Troy:
Zeus: grandfather of Dardanus
great-great grandfather of Tros: three children
Ilus, Assaracus, and Ganymede
Ilus to Priam (marries Hecuba)
Assaracus to Achises (+ Aphrodite) --> Aeneas (cousin of Hektor and Paris)
Priam's children:
Hektor, Paris, Troilus, Deiphobus, Cassandra, Polyxena