The Coming oj the Greeks 61 Odyssey, or the tale of the wanderings of the hero Odysseus on his return from Troy. These are the only two series of ancient Greek tales that have entirely survived ; even the ancient world had its doubts about Homer's authorship of the Odyssey. 87. The Greek Gods. In the Homeric songs and in the tales about the gods, which we call myths, the Greeks heard how the gods dwelt among the clouds on the sum- mit of Mount Olympus. There in his cloud palace Zeus, the Sky-god, with the lightning in his hand, ruled the gods like an earthly king. Apollo, the Sun-god, whose beams were golden arrows, was the deadly archer of the gods. But he also shielded the flocks of the shepherds and the fields of the plowman, and he was a wondrous musician. Above all, he knew the future ordained by Zeus, and when properly consulted at his famous shrine or oracle at Delphi he could tell anxious in- quirers what the future had in store for them. The Greeks loved to think of Athena, the warrior goddess, standing with shining weapons, protecting the Greek cities. But she held out her guiding hand over them also in times of peace, as the potters shaped their jars, the smiths wrought their metal, or the women wove their wool. These three then, Zeus, Apollo, and Athena, became the leading divinities of the Greek world. There was, moreover, a group of great gods, each controlling some special realm. In a brazen palace deep under the waters Poseidon ruled the sea. The ancient Earth Mother, whom they called Demeter, brought forth the produce of the soil. At the same time they looked also to another earth god, Dionysus, for the fruit of the grapevine, and they rejoiced in the wine which he gave them. Hermes was the messenger of the gods, with winged GARMENT WORN BY THE PHCENICIANS AND LATER ADOPTED BY THE GREEKS
