In ancient times, Greek myths about their gods were also told to children. These stories are called myths (short for mythology, or stories about gods). Greek stories, legends, and myths about the ancient Greek gods are still told today.
Each storyteller narrated the stories, adapting them for children , and thus Greek myths for children were born . They were told in their own way, but any power, authority, hierarchy, and personality that the gods possessed remained consistent from one legend to another. For example, Zeus was the king of all the gods, and only Zeus could throw lightning bolts.
The magical world of the ancient Greek gods was a world full of arguments, fights, wars, compromise, fear, fun, punishment, and love. Many Greek myths for children were based on morals about rewards or punishments, both for humans and for the gods. The aim was to teach children a lesson through these Greek myths.
So, here are four Greek myths for children that will entertain them and help them learn about history, educating them with these Greek myths for little ones.
1. Greek myths for children: Zeus, Hera, and the little cow.
This is one of the Greek myths for children that begins with the god Zeus, the god Poseidon, and the god Hades. These gods were the three sons of Cronus. When Cronus retired from his job as lord of all, his sons took over his work and divided the world among themselves. Zeus took the sky to live in, Poseidon took the sea, and Hades ruled under the earth, the home of the dead. At first, it was a lot of fun. But things had been a little slow lately.
One day Zeus flew down to earth and looked around for something to do and noticed two people walking quietly down the street. Zeus whispered with his voice to make it sound like someone else was talking. He was an expert at this.
“Hey, stupid,” Zeus whispered loudly, hoping to start a fight.
One man turned to the other angrily and said, “What did you say?” And in the blink of an eye, fists were flying. Zeus found it very amusing.
A glimmer in the river caught his eye. It was “Io,” a charming river nymph.
“What a beautiful young woman,” said Zeus. In that instant, he fell in love.
Hoping to hide from the eagle eye of his jealous wife, Zeus covered the world with some really thick clouds. Then he flew to where “Io” was. But the goddess Hera was not stupid. The huge, dark cloud made her suspicious.
Zeus looked up and said,“It’s Hera!” and he swallowed hard when he saw his wife coming.
Quickly, Zeus transformed the nymph Io into a cow. When the goddess Hera came down and landed, all she found was poor Zeus standing with a frightened look on his face next to a white cow.
“This little cow appeared out of nowhere,” he said to his wife, acting surprised.
Hera was not fooled. “What a beautiful cow,” she said admiringly. “Can I take her as a gift?“
Not knowing what else to do, Zeus had to agree, and so his wife took the cow away, guarded by guards. Then Zeus set out to rescue the poor little cow “Io” from the clutches of his wife. He sent his son Apollo to sing to the guard to put him to sleep. When the guard fell asleep, Zeus took advantage of the opportunity and freed the cow.
After this, the goddess Hera found out and sent a biting fly to where the cow was. When the fly found her, the little cow cried out, “Moo!”
The poor cow fled and swam across the sea, hoping that the fly would drown on the journey, but she was not so lucky. The goddess, feeling sorry for what she had done to the nymph, decided to send her to Egypt.
It was then that Hera decided that the cow had suffered enough. First, she made Zeus promise that he would never see “Io” again. Then she changed her human form back and left her in Egypt as a goddess.
2. Greek myths for children: Theseus and the Minotaur
This story begins like all Greek myths for children with the famous “once upon a time.” Among the myths of Greece for little ones
long ago, there lived a king named Minos. King Minos lived on a beautiful island called Crete. King Minos was very powerful and rich. From time to time, King Minos sent his navy to the small village of Athens, across the sea.
According to Greek myths for children, the king of Athens did not know what to do. He was desperate. He thought that if he had some time, he could build a strong navy, strong enough to send King Minos packing the next time he attacked Athens. The king of Athens offered King Minos a deal. If he did not attack Athens for nine years, Athens would send seven boys and seven girls to the island of Crete to be eaten by the horrible monster that King Minos kept as a pet, the dreaded Minotaur.
The Minotaur lived in the heart of a labyrinth on the island of Crete. King Minos loved that old monster. King Minos only attacked Athens when he was bored. He didn’t really want anything. This way, his beloved monster could look forward to a special gift every nine years or so. King Minos took the deal.
Although the city of Athens built an army, King Minos did not attack, and King Minos kept his word.
Prince Theseus of Athens knew the importance of keeping promises. But he was also sure that it was wrong to send young children to be eaten by a monster. He offered himself in place of the children and said that he would kill the Minotaur and end the terror.
“The Minotaur is a terrible monster! What makes you think you can kill him?” shouted his father.
“I will find a way,” Theseus replied gently. “The gods will help me.”
His father begged and pleaded with him not to go. But the prince took his place as the seventh Athenian boy. Together with six other Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls, Prince Theseus sailed for Crete.
When the prince and the children arrived on the island of Crete, King Minos and his daughter, Princess Ariadne, came out to greet them. Princess Ariadne said nothing. But her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Late that night, she wrote a note to Prince Theseus and slipped it under the door of his room.
“Dear Theseus,” Ariadne wrote.
“I am a beautiful princess, as you probably noticed the moment you saw me. I am also a very bored princess. Without my help, the Minotaur will surely devour you. I know a trick or two that will save your life. If I help you kill the monster, you must promise to take me away from this small island so that others can admire my beauty. If you are interested in this deal, meet me at the entrance to the labyrinth in one hour.”
Sincerely,
Princess Ariadne.
Prince Theseus left the palace and waited patiently by the gate. Princess Ariadne finally appeared. In her hands, she carried a sword and a ball of string.
Ariadne gave the sword and ball of string to Prince Theseus. “Hide them inside the entrance to the labyrinth. Tomorrow, when you and the other children of Athens enter the labyrinth, wait until the door is closed, then tie the string to the door. Unroll it as you move through the labyrinth. That way, you can find your way back again. The sword, well, you know what to do with the sword,“ she laughed.
Theseus thanked the princess for helping him.
“Don’t forget now,” she warned Theseus. “You must take me with you so that all the people can admire my beauty.”
The next morning, the Athenian children, including Prince Theseus, were pushed into the labyrinth. The door was locked tightly behind them. Following Ariadne’s instructions, Theseus tied one end of the rope to the door. He told the children to stay close to the door and make sure the rope remained tied so that the prince could find his way back. The children clung tightly to the rope as Theseus entered the labyrinth alone.
Using the sword Ariadne had given him, Theseus killed the monstrous beast. He followed the rope back and knocked on the door.
Princess Ariadne was waiting. The princess opened the doors of the labyrinth. Without anyone noticing, Prince Theseus and the children of Athens ran to their ship and sailed away silently, taking Princess Ariadne with them.
On the way home, they stopped to look for supplies on the small island of Naxos. Princess Ariadne insisted on going ashore. Soon, she grew tired and fell asleep next to a tree. All the people gathered to admire the sleeping princess. Theseus quietly slipped away with the children of Athens and left her there sleeping. After all, he had fulfilled his promise to get her off the island.
3. Greek Myths for Children: Dionysus and Ariadne
This is the third of the myths for children about Dionysus, who was the Greek god of wine, comedy, and tragedy. Like all Greeks, he loved drama and contests. His special talent was that he could transform himself into any living thing he wanted. For example, he could transform himself into a small mouse or a dangerous animal or a fierce pirate.
His favorite form was that of a handsome young man dripping with jewels. He had a great sense of humor and a lot of funny ways. This is one of the Greek myths for children that is very entertaining.
As the story goes…
Act 1: Greek myths for children. Pirates in trouble
One day, when Dionysus was transformed into his favorite form, a handsome young man covered in jewels, he was discovered by some pirates. They thought they had stumbled upon a rich prize, someone they could sell for a lot of money as a slave. Laughing cruelly, they grabbed what they thought was a rich young man (who was actually the god Dionysus), and took him to their pirate ship where they tied him tightly to the mast.
Dionysus found this quite amusing. He could have waited a little longer to see what these stupid mortals would do next, but the rope was rubbing uncomfortably against his skin. Dionysus used his magical powers to push the rope away and free himself.
One of the pirates noticed that the young man was no longer tied to the mast. The pirate gasped in surprise. He strongly suspected that he and his fellow pirates had made a terrible mistake. This was no ordinary mortal, and things would not go well for them if they did not quickly return the boy to shore. He begged the other pirates to turn the ship around. But they tied Dionysius to the mast even tighter than before and headed out to sea.
The god Dionysius waited until the ship reached very deep waters. He pulled the ropes away from his body. At the same time, he waved his arm, and thick vines emerged from the sea and entangled the ship. After this, Dionysius turned into a fearsome lion and leaped upon the terrified pirates. Some of the pirates jumped overboard to avoid his sharp claws and teeth.
Act 2: Greek myths for children. The meeting of love
Soon, the only pirate left alive on board was the pirate who had asked for his freedom. That pirate would have gladly jumped overboard with his companions, but Dionysus used his magic to ensure that the pirates’ feet were firmly stuck in place.
“Hey pirate, is this the island called Naxos?” Dionysus asked, because he happened to be looking ahead.
The pirate nodded, too terrified to speak.
“Can you drop me off there?” Dionisio said. The vines fell away, and with no one at the helm, the ship moved forward smoothly, sailing calmly toward the island of Naxos.
When they reached the island, Dionysius jumped nimbly onto the dock. He waved goodbye to the friendly pirate and gave the ship a magical push out to sea. No one knows if the pirate was able to steer the ship alone, and no one (except the pirate, of course) cared much.
It was there, on the island of Naxos, that Dionysus first saw the enchanting Ariadne. (Abandoned by Theseus, Ariadne spent her days huddled on the dock, staring out at the sea.) That day, she was fast asleep, exhausted from crying. Her beauty took the god’s breath away. He waited patiently until Ariadne opened her eyes. She saw a handsome young man admiring her. Ariadne felt better immediately. She told Dionysus about his noble efforts to save Theseus and the children of Athens.
“And look where he brought me,” she sighed, sobbing.
“Poor you,“ said Dionysus with great sympathy. He immediately asked the young Ariadne to marry him. (As often as the gods did that sort of thing, it’s no wonder that many of their marriages ended in disaster.)
Ariadne, no longer feeling abandoned or friendless, and pleased to be admired by this handsome young man, agreed to be his wife.
Believe it or not, Ariadne and Dionysus lived happily ever after. In fact, Ariadne and Dionysus were so happy that their love story inspired a 20th-century opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, written by the famous composer Richard Strauss.
4. Greek Myths for Kids: King Midas and the Golden Touch
The tale of King Midas is a very popular story among Greek myths for children. This legend has a beautiful reflection on life and an excellent lesson, making it one of the most popular Greek myths for children.
As the story goes…
Act 1: Greek myths for children. The king and the satyr
Once upon a time, long ago in ancient Greece, there lived a king named Midas. King Midas loved three things more than anything else in the world: his little daughter, his rose garden, and his gold. Nothing gave him more pleasure than watching his little daughter pick roses in the garden, roses that she placed in a golden vase to decorate the castle.
One night, while walking through his rose garden, the king stumbled upon a satyr. A satyr was half man, half goat. This satyr looked half starved and very sick. King Midas took the satyr to his castle. He made sure the satyr was washed, fed, and put to bed for a good night’s sleep.
When the satyr woke up the next morning, his fever had disappeared. The king and the satyr had a pleasant chat over breakfast. King Midas was surprised to hear that the satyr belonged to the powerful god Dionysus, the god of wine and truth.
That same day, the king personally took the satyr home in his finest carriage. The satyr might have been just a servant, but he was the servant of a god, and he deserved the best treatment, which is something the king would have done anyway, because the king had a very kind heart.
As it turned out, the satyr was more than just a servant. To Dionysus, the satyr was his teacher and good friend. Dionysus told the king that he would grant him any wish he made to thank him for taking such good care of his friend. The king wanted nothing for his daughter because he had given her everything she wanted and much more.
He didn’t want anything for his rose garden because everyone knew that he grew the best roses in the whole world. Then he thought and wished for the power to make gold with his hands.
Act 2: Greek myths for children. The golden touch
The king didn’t have much hope that his wish would be granted, because if it had been, his chariot would have turned to gold when he got in to go home, and it hadn’t. However, he was happy to have helped the satyr, and not just because the satyr was the servant of a god.
Satyrs were not always treated kindly in the ancient Greek world because they looked quite different, being half man and half goat. When the king returned to his castle, he pulled out a chair to sit at his table. The moment he touched it, the chair turned into gold.
He touched the table, he touched a vase, and as soon as he touched them, they turned into gold. King Midas ran through his castle and everything he touched and grabbed turned into gold. He was so happy. He shouted to his servants to prepare a feast in celebration.
His servants loved King Midas very much. They knew he was a fool, but he was a lovable fool. So they cooked and cooked and served him a banquet. That’s when the trouble started. Everything looked and smelled so good that King Midas didn’t wait for his daughter to appear for lunch.
He reached out and grabbed a handful of food. The food made a loud noise when he dropped it on the table in shock. It had turned to gold in his fist. He touched another piece of food, and it also turned to gold. He tried to lean over and tear off a piece of meat with his teeth, but that didn’t help.
The meat turned to gold in his mouth. The king’s heart was filled with terror. He knew that if he couldn’t eat, he would starve to death. This was terrible. The king didn’t know what to do.
Act 3: Greek myths for children. The terrible mistake
Greek myths for children say that King Midas wandered sadly into his rose garden. His little daughter was in the garden, picking roses. When she saw her father, she ran into his arms to give him a hug and turned into gold.
Then King Midas wept bitterly for what had happened to his daughter. When his tears fell on his precious roses, they turned to gold, but the king did not care. He did not care about his roses or his gold or himself. Dionysus,“hear my prayer,“the king begged. “Restore my wish!Please, restore my wish and save my daughter!” One last time, the king’s wish was granted.
