Every myth carries a truth older than the civilization that told it.
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The myth of Charybdis: the monstrous whirlpool that swallowed the sea three times a day and dragged ships to their doom, paired with Scylla across a
The myth of the Nemean Lion: the monstrous lion with a golden hide no weapon could pierce, strangled bare-handed by Heracles in his first Labour, whose
The myth of Heracles: son of Zeus and the strongest hero of Greek legend, tormented by Hera, who performed the Twelve Labours as penance and was raised to
The myth of the Chimera: the fire-breathing lion-goat-serpent of Lycia, slain by Bellerophon on the winged horse Pegasus, whose name became the word for
The myth of Artemis: twin of Apollo, virgin goddess of the hunt and wild things, protector of young girls, and the merciless vengeance she took on Actaeon
The myth of Ares: the Greek god of war despised by gods and men alike, the foil to Athena's strategy, his scandalous affair with Aphrodite, and his
The myth of Hephaestus: the lame smith-god cast from Olympus, his volcanic forge, the wonders he made (Achilles' shield, Pandora, golden automatons), and
The myth of Dionysus (Bacchus): the twice-born god of wine, ecstasy and madness, his birth from Zeus's thigh, the maenads, the fate of Pentheus, and how
The myth of Hades: the grim, just lord of the dead who drew the underworld by lot, called Plouton for the earth's wealth — not a devil, but the lonely king whose abduction of Persephone made the seasons.
The myth of Cerberus — the three-headed hound guarding the gates of Hades, his capture as Heracles' twelfth Labour, and how Orpheus's music slipped past him.
