Fatal Mistake In Greek Mythology

Within Greek Mythology, people are offered life lessons. Myths are stories that teach people to behave better and help with the decisions that they make. In the story of Otus and Ephialtes, the two brothers make a fatal mistake due to their arrogance and ego.
Otus and Ephialtes were the sons of Poseidon, the god of the sea. They were twin brothers and giants. They were also known as the Aloadae. It was said that at age 9 they were 54 feet tall.(Greek-Gods) At that same age they thought they were superior to the gods and began to challenge them. The first challenge was to abduct and imprison Ares, the god of war. He was imprisoned for thirteen months until Hermes, the messenger god, released him. The second challenge was to pile mountains on top of each other to climb to the heavens. Zeus found out about their plan and was about to hit the brothers with his lightning bolt until Poseidon convinced him not to. (Guide to Greek-Mythology) …show more content…
Otus and Ephialtes thought it would be a great adventure to carry women off. Otus loved Hera, the goddess of marriage and family, and Ephialtes loved Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. In truth the brothers only loved each other.(Hamilton 144) They decided who would seize their lady first. The decision came down to Ephialtes and Artemis. The brothers looked for Artemis everywhere over the hills and in the woods. Artemis knew of their plan and also knew how to punish them. Artemis lured them to the island of Naxos. She disappeared and the brothers couldn't find her. Looking everywhere on the island they stumbled across a majestic deer. This deer was Artemis in disguise. The brothers completely forgot about Artemis and chased the deer. Once they got at a good angle they threw their javelins at the deer. Artemis vanished and the javelins hit Otus and Ephialtes.The Aloadae were killed by the ones they truly loved, each

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