Superfoods and greek mythology third junior high school of corinth

And Greek Mythology Project by : 3rd Gymnasium Korinthos

Apple The Garden of the Hesperides, was Hera's orchard in the far western corner of the world where golden apples that grew. These apples granted immortality to whoever ate them.

Hera placed in the garden a never-sleeping, hundred-headed dragon as a safeguard.

The 11th Labor of Hercules was to steal the golden apples from the garden. He stole the apples by asking Atlas to steal the apples and in return he would hold up the sky for him.

Artichoke The first artichoke was a beautiful young mortal woman named Cynara. One day Zeus was visiting his brother Poseidon . As he laid eyes on the sensuous and very beautiful Cynara who was bathing on the shores, he noticed she was strong, confident and unaffected by the presence of the god. He was so impressed by her strength that he instantly fell in love and seduced her.

Zeus decided to make Cynara a goddess so she could be closer to his home on Mount Olympus. However, Cynara missed her family greatly, so occasionally she sneaked back to visit the mortals. When Zeus discovered this ungoddess behaviour, he hurled her back to earth transforming her into the first unusual but striking artichoke plant.

Crocus In classical mythology, Crocus was a mortal youth who, as he was unhappy with his love affair with the nymph Smilax, was turned by the gods into a plant bearing his name,crocus. Smilax had a similar fate and was transformed into bindweed.

In another variation of the myth, Crocus was said to be a companion of Hermes and was accidentally killed by the god in a game of discus. Hermes was so distraught at this that he transformed Crocus' body into a flower.

Egg The Orphic Egg in the Ancient Greek Orphic tradition is the cosmic egg from which hatched the primordial hermaphroditic deity Phanes / Protogenus who in turn created the other gods. The egg is often depicted with a serpent wound around it, the egg representing the cosmos and the serpent the creative spirit.

Fig tree Sykeus,one of the Titans, was pursued by Zeus and taken under the protection of his mother, Gaia (the Earth.So,she took him in her bossom and transformed him into a fig-tree. Also the town of Sykea in Kilikia was named after him.

Garlic was placed by the ancient Greeks on the piles of stones at crossroads,as a supper for Hecate-a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth,or for protection from demons. The garlic was supposed to distract the evil spirits and cause them to lose their way.

Garlic

Grape Dionysus is the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, fertility, theatre and religious ecstasy in Greek mythology. Alcohol, especially wine, played an important role in Greek culture with Dionysus embodying all the qualities that Ancient Greeks saw in it.

Another myth involves Ampelos, a satyr, who was loved by Dionysus.

As it was foreseen by Dionysus, the youth was killed in an accident riding a bull maddened by the sting of an Ate's gadfly. The Fates granted Ampelos a second life as a vine, from which Dionysus created the first wine.

Honey The Greek God Zeus brewed a beverage by mixing honey and spices, and this wonderful drink was poured and served.

This mythical mixture was known to provide a bloom to the cheek, vigor, and beauty to anyone that drank it. It was believed that the nectar from the honey possessed life-giving properties, which would lead to good health.

Lotus The Lotus-Eaters, were a tribe encountered by the Greek hero Odysseus during his return from Troy. The local inhabitants invited Odysseus’ scouts to eat of the mysterious plant.

Those who did so were overcome by a blissful forgetfulness; they had to be dragged back to the ship and chained to the rowing-benches, or they would never have returned to their duties.

Olive Athena competed with Poseidon for possession of Athens. Poseidon claimed possession by thrusting his trident into the Acropolis, where a well of sea-water gushed out. Athena took possession by planting the first olive tree beside the well. The court of gods and goddesses ruled that Athena had the better right to the land because she had given it the better gift.

Pomegranate In Ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate was known as the "fruit of the dead�and was believed to have sprung from the blood of Adonis.

Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter, went into mourning for her lost daughter, thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, could not allow the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone.

It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner, so she was condemned to spend six months in the underworld every year.

Poppy In Greek mythology, Demeter created the poppy so she could sleep. This was after the loss of her daughter, Persephone.

The twin brothers Hypnos and Thanatos were depicted with a crown of poppies.As Hypnos was the god of sleep and Thanatos was the god of death, the Greeks were obviously aware that endless sleep meant death.

Quince In Ancient Greece the quince was held sacred to Venus, the goddess of love, who is often depicted with a quince in her right hand, the gift she received from Paris.

The fruit, being dedicated to Venus, was regarded as the symbol of love and happiness, and there was the bridal custom of a quince being shared by a married couple.

Walnut In Greek mythology,Dionysus,the god of fertility, wine, music and poetry,fell madly in love with Carya,the daughter of a Laconian king. When she died, the distraught god transformed her into a walnut tree (Greek karya).

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