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Greek Religion Origin: The Greek religion is based on anthropomorphic polytheism, it comprises multiple divinities having human forms and feelings. This article gives you insight on the origin of Greek religion, Greek mythology, Greek Gods, and the various forms of Greek worship. Early Greek religion is a blend of the Achaean, Dorian, Minoan, Egyptian and the Asian cultures. It dates back to the period of the Aryan invasion during 2d millennium B.C. The Aryans mingled with the Aegean (Pelasgians) and the Minoan cultures to create the present day Greek culture. The civilization that resulted from the amalgamation flourished between 1600 B.C. and 1400 B.C. and was known as the Minoan-Mycenean civilization. Greek religion emerged as an amalgamation of various civilizations and races, Zeus, Demeter and Hestia were initially Gods of the Indo-European invaders, Rhea was a Minoan Goddess, God Athena belonged to Mycenean, Hera and Hermes were borrowed from Aegean, God Apollo came from Ionian, Aphrodite was Cyprus, Dionysus and Ares belonged to the Thrace.

Greek Mythology: Greek mythology is complete with supernatural beliefs and ritual observance of the ancient Greek and Greek religion. It contains a body of stories, myths and legends that originated since the ancient Hellenic civilization. The Greek mythology is rich with the tales of monsters, heroes, wars, and the various Greek Gods, their worship and beliefs. According to Greek mythology, Gods are assigned human form, they are immortal and are worshiped for the supernatural powers that they possess. The Greeks placed the deity of their Gods at appropriate positions around them for blessings and future favors. They invoked Gods during every memorable occasion. A conical stone of Apollo was placed in front of many of the street doors, the alter of Zeus was placed in the courtyard, Hestia was worshipped at the Hearth, the bed chamber, kitchen and storeroom each had its own specific divinity. The twelve Gods of Olympus constitute an important element in the Greek mythology...

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Historical significance: Delphi owed its international prominence to the famous oracle of the god Apollo, who foretold the future through his priestess, known as the Pythia. She responded to the questions of visitors while in a trance; her inarticulate cries were interpreted and written down by an official interpreter, in earlier times in hexameter verse, then later in prose. These oracular responses were notoriously ambiguous, and their interpretation was often only 'deduced' after the event to which they referred. This, however, did not deter visitors from journeying to Delphi from all over the Mediterranean.

During the course of the 8th and 7th centuries BC, the sanctuary grew in prestige as it received splendid dedications from legendary kings such as Gyges and Midas. Its political role expanded in the 7th century BC, when it became the seat of the Amphictyony, and individual cities began to build along the Sacred Way leading up to the temple - treasuries in which the cities' dedications to Apollo were guarded, and monuments commemorating the cities' successes. Inter-city rivalry also played out in the Pythian games at which athletes and musicians from all over the Greek world competed. This festival, which originally took place every eight years, was expanded after the first Sacred War and held every four years on a scale that rivaled the Olympic games. Thus Delphi could rightfully sustain its mythical claim of being the navel (omphalos) of the Greek world. Modern visitors can still follow in the steps of ancient worshippers such as the Roman emperor Hadrian, or of ancient tourists such as the Roman writer Pausanias. Visitors to Delphi would first encounter the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia in the East, which contained two temples, two treasuries, and the unusual round tholos building. They would then pass a recreational facility on the left that included a gymnasium, palaistra, running track and swimming pool. On the right they would encounter the Castalian spring in a cleft of the sheer rocks (known as the Phaidriades or "shining ones") that tower over it...

The Challenge: The King of Seriphos, Polydectes, was a cruel man, and when he met Danae he was enchanted with her beauty. He did everything he could to persuade her to marry him. Scared, Danae refused, but Polydectes would not leave her alone. He was trying to force her to marry him, by pretending to marry another woman. When Perseus turned up at the wedding without a wedding present, Polydectes scorned him for being a lazy good-for-nothing. Perseus reacted furiously, boasting that he could get anything in the world that the king wanted; the king demanded the head of a Gorgon. Perseus recoiled in horror, but accepted the challenge, impossible though it seemed. The king had succeeded in getting rid of Perseus. He thought Perseus would never return.

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Heracles, known to the Romans as Hercules, was a Greek hero whose most well known feature was his enormous strength inherited from his father, Zeus. Many of his exploits can be read as being historical representations of actual sociological development, for example the transition from a matriarchal society to a patriarchal one. These include descriptions of earlier ceremonies and rituals and their suppression.

Heracles' Birth and Childhood: Alcmene - Heracles' mother - was the celibate and pious wife of Amphitryon, who had gone off to avenge the deaths of her eight brothers. Zeus went to Alcmene in disguise, pretending to be her husband Amphitryon (who had by this point avenged her brothers). Zeus persuaded Helios, the Sun god, to take some time off, which meant the Moon had to orbit slowly, and thus the night was extended to 36 hours. Zeus could not keep his mouth shut and nine months later was boasting that his child was about to be born and that it would be called 'Heracles', literally, 'Glory of Hera' (his wife's name). Hera was none too pleased on hearing these rumours. Zeus wanted his new son to be High King of the House of Perseus.

Hera made him swear an unbreakable oath that any prince born before nightfall would become High King and managed to delay Heracles' birth and bring about the birth of the child of Nicippe (then seven months pregnant and wife of King Sthenelus) who was named Eurystheus. On finding out that Eurystheus had been born an hour before Heracles, Zeus fell into a towering rage. Although he could not go back on his oath and let Heracles rule the House of Perseus, he persuaded Hera to agree to Heracles becoming a god, if he could perform any 12 labours that Eurystheus might set him (see below). Exposed in a field by his mother, who feared Hera's jealousy, Heracles was found by Athene (who had been primed by Zeus) and Hera. Put to the breast of Hera, the child sucked so hard that Hera threw him off and a spurt of milk flew into the air, becoming the Milky Way. However, Heracles had now become immortal and was returned to Alcmene by a smiling Athene...

By Farid Alakbarli

Legends about the Amazons - a warlike tribe of women warriors - have existed in various cultures throughout the world. Not many people realize, however, that Amazons are closely associated with Azerbaijan. Yes, ancient Greeks believed that Caucasian Albania was the native land of the Amazons. Perhaps, much of what has been written about Amazons is only a legend; however, it is true that many Albanian women really did serve in the armies of Caucasian Albania when they fought against the Roman invaders during the 1st century BC.

Kingdom of Caucasian Albania: Caucasian Albania was a territory that covered most of entire region of modern-day Azerbaijan Republic including some additional areas in neighboring countries. Note that Caucasian Albania had nothing to do with the modern state of Albania in the Balkans. According to legends, the kingdom of Caucasian Albania was founded in the 4th century BC by king Aran. There were 26 different tribes in Albania including Udi, Sodi, Gargar (Gagarians) and Gardman. Strabo describes Caucasian Albanians as tall, blonde-haired and gray-eyed. He characterizes them as brave and warlike. Albania was a fertile agrarian state with vast wheat fields, grape vineyards and fruit gardens. People worshiped the moon and various stars and planets. There was a Temple dedicated to the Moon located in the vicinity of Gabala in northern Azerbaijan, which was the ancient capital of Albania. Sometime during the 4th-5th century AD, Albania adopted Christianity. Today we know about Albania from ancient Greek and Roman historians such as Pliny (23 AD to 79 AD), Ptolemy (100 AD to 170 AD), Strabo (64/63 BC to 23 AD), Plutarch (46 AD-after 119 AD).

Strabo and Albanian Amazons: For example, a little explicitly Strabo is reporting: "Also the Amazons, it is said, live in the mountains of the Caucasian Albania. Theophanes, who took part in Pompeius campaign (106 BC-48 BC) and marched on the country of the Albanians, says that the Geles and the Leges - Scythians - lived between the Amazons and the Albanians.There was a river called Mermadalis, running between these tribes and the Amazons. Others, however, among whom were Metrodorus the Sceptic, and Hypsicrates, who were also familiar with these regions, wrote that the Amazons lived near the border with Gagarians in the northern promontories of the Caucasus called the Ceraunian Mountains...