We love Greek mythology so we’ve created six unique free PDF format Greek mythology colouring pages to print off, colour in and learn a little about the myths at the same time. You’ll find below links to colouring pages about the naming of Athens, the labours of Heracles (aka Hercules), Icarus the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, and more. They’re educational too … our printables include some very brief text on each of the Greek myths so that children who are colouring in the sheet have an understanding of what the image means and what opportunities there are to draw in additional detail or characters.
Historians and scholars have long used all of the amazing myths told by the ancient Greeks to understand their culture, society, politics, religion and their views on life in general. They also had an enormous influence on arts, literature and poetry as well as providing a window into Greek life as far back as the 18th Century BC.
The Naming of Athens Colouring Page
This free printable PDF colouring sheet represents the naming of Athens. Athena and Poseidon argued over who would name the greatest city in Greece so they agreed that whoever gave the city the best gift would get the honour of naming it. This Greek mythology colouring page shows Poseidon’s gift (a river) and also Athena’s gift (an olive tree). The story goes that the citizens decided that Athena’s gift was the best and so named the city after her: Athens.
Heracles and the Golden Apples Colouring Page
Q. HERACLES?!? … who’s he?
A. Heracles is Hercules. And Hercules is Heracles. It’s the same person.
The name Heracles (pronounced herra-klees) means ‘glory of Hera’ and he was given this name by Zeus the god of thunder, the sky and lightning. It was the Romans who later changed his name to Hercules and it’s that name that we are most familiar with. Our free printable colouring page shows the story of Heracles being tasked with getting some golden apples but nearly ends up being tricked by Atlas into holding up the sky.
The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus Colouring Sheet
In Greek mythology the myth of Icarus flying too close to the sun is well known; his father Daedalus is a not so well known Greek mythological character. Homer first mentions Daedalus as the creator of a dancing place for Ariadne (a Cretan princess and the daughter of Minos) and also the creator of a Labyrinth on Crete in which the Minotaur (part bull and part man) was kept.
Our free printable Greek mythology colouring page illustrates the myth of Icarus flying too close to the sun.
The Judgement of Paris Colouring Page
That’s Paris doing the judging … not Paris being judged.
Paris was chosen to judge who was the fairest … Hera, Athena or Aphrodite. They all tried to bribe him but it was Aphrodite who was successful in winning him over. You can learn a little more historical detail from the informative text on our printable PDF format ‘Judgement of Paris’ colouring page but – in summary – his judgement started the Trojan War which almost certainly wasn’t the result that Paris wanted.
Pandora’s Box Colouring Page
You’ve probably heard people mention Pandora’s box … they might say something like “I’m not getting involved with that problem, it’s like Pandora’s box”. This refers to the Greek myth where Pandora was given a present from Zeus (sometimes described as a jar, vase or box depending on the source) but was told never to open it. Unfortunately she did and our Pandora’s box colouring page shows all the bad things being released such as sickness, hatred and envy. Luckily, though, there was also a spark of hope …
We’re working away frantically to get this next sheet complete … should be ready by mid September 2020.