The ancient Greeks spoke of many myths. Some were about gods. Some were about creatures. The body of myths is called Greek mythology.
Do you know the story of Theseus and the Minotaur? There were two kings from two different Kingdoms. King Minos was the king of Crete. He was powerful and had a strong army. King Aegeus was the king of Athens. He also had an army, but it was small and weak.
King Minos had a special pet in Crete. It was a dangerous and powerful creature called a minotaur. It was kept in the middle of a large maze. It had the head of a bull and the body of a human.
For many years, King Minos attacked Athens. One day, the two kings made a deal. King Minos told King Aegeus to send seven young men and seven young women to Crete every year. He needed to feed the Minotaur. Then, Crete would stop attacking Athens. King Aegeus knew he had no choice. Every year, fourteen young people were sent to Crete. Their fate was never to return.
One day, Theseus, King Aegeus' son, asked the king a question. "Why do the young men and women never come back?" When Theseus found out the truth, he knew he had to get vengeance. He asked his father to send him to Crete.
When Theseus arrived in Crete, he met Princess Ariadne. She knew that Theseus was not an ordinary young man. She wanted to help him. Theseus was first into the maze. Before he entered, she put a sword and ball of rope in his hand. "If you kill the Minotaur, you will need to find your way out," she said. "Use the rope to show you the way out."
Theseus followed her advice. As he walked through the maze, he unwound the ball of rope. Theseus found the Minotaur in the centre. Theseus was a brave soldier and a good fighter. He fought the Minotaur for a long time.
Finally, he pushed the Minotaur onto his sharp sword. The Minotaur was dead. Theseus followed Princess Ariadne's rope back out and escaped the maze. Finally, the people of Athens were free!
This is just one Greek myth. There are myths about Titans, the 12 giants who ruled the world. They were the children of Heaven and Earth. One myth says that Prometheus, one of the Titans, gave the gift of fire to humans.
Greek mythology is full of famous tales. They teach us a lot about what the ancient Greeks believed.