Many centuries ago Greek myths were the only religion for the people living in those times. While passage of time have resulted in blurred images and details, the core elements of all these myths have continued to survive in one form or other. In earlier times it was the Olympians that were prayed to and now these have been replaced by gods.

Homer and the Homeric Hymns are among the oldest of Greek myths. These stories are so ancient and they were also the first words written about Greek myths, so it's probably safe to assume that they changed before actually being written down. The legends and stories as we know them today are probably not complete.

Even though we know these mythical stories aren't exactly the same as they were originally, they still fascinate us. One of the best known creatures of that era is the Cyclops. It was a horrible looking monster who had only one eye, and it was in the middle of his forehead. There were actually three famous Cyclops: Arges, the lightning bolt, Steropes, lightning itself, and Brontes, was thunder. These Cyclops were sons of Uranus and Gaea (Mother Earth), two more Greek mythological creatures.

Uranus is known as the very first ruler of the Olympians and as the god of skies. He was also the son of Gaea, with whom he produced the well known Titans. Greek mythology pays no mind to the lineage of mothers and sons, which for many historians has been a disturbing piece of information to understand.

Prometheus, who was the son of Iapetus, was the wisest, most intelligent of all the Titans. His name means "forethought". Because he was able to see into the future, people revered him. He was also the only Titan to battle with Zeus in a war against Cronus.

Who was Cronus? Cornus was a Titan that killed his father, Uranus, to gain power. This made him one amongst the most feared Titans. He married Rhea and had several children with her. However, he always wanted to retain power and that's why he ate each of his children while they were being born. Eventually Rhea once managed to fool Cronus into eating a stone instead of one of her children. This child that she saved was later known as Zeus. In later years, Zeus fought teamed up with Prometheus to fight Cronus. Cronus was vanquished and was banished to the underworld.

Another Greek mythological creature is Typhoeus. Typhoeus was a dragon who breathed fire with his one hundred heads. This mythical creature has become the basis for much Greek art and sculpture. Typhoeus was eventually slain by Zeus and his resting place is said to be under Mount Etna.

You could spend hours learning about Greek mythology. The legends seem to ho on forever and are very interesting. The Romans had their own mythology complete with monsters and heroes. These two cultures are immensely interesting and the legends help give them life. Even today mythology contributes to art and music.