Top 10 Things Movies And TV Get Wrong About Greek Mythology
Hollywood has a complicated relationship with the truth… Join us as we explore how films and TV shows misrepresent Greek mythology! From bird-like Sirens to Hades not being evil, we’re separating fact from fiction about these ancient tales that get twisted by modern media. Which mythological misconception surprised you most? Our countdown includes how Zeus wasn’t actually heroic, the Muses’ true role beyond just singing, the Minotaur’s tragic backstory, Persephone’s violent abduction, and Medusa’s appearance. Did your favorite mythological misrepresentation make our list? Let us know in the comments!
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#Mythology #GreekMyths #Hercules #Zeus #Hades #Medusa #Minotaur #Sirens #Persephone #ClashOfTheTitans #Disney
@WatchMojo
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Did your favorite mythological misrepresentation make our list? Let us know in the comments!
For more content like this, click here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmZTDWJGfRq2FePWZTUPzweAm8Fi0g3o8&si=cJFFcKT7WtNbTiS2
@ΔημήτρηςΚολυτάς
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
The original Greek myth doesn't depict Medusa as a woman who was turned into a monster by Athena. That's the Roman retelling by the poet Ovid.
In most authentic Greek sources, Medusa was born a monster by Phorcys and Ceto. Literally the Titans of sea monsters.
@ΔημήτρηςΚολυτάς
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
MCU Zeus isn't Greek mythology Zeus.
Yes Zeus isn't benevolent in the original myths but he does have moments of showing caring, kindness and justice towards others. As well as being a wise leader.
And no he is not a coward. He fought the monstrous Titan Typhon and defeated him all by himself when all the other gods ran away in hiding.
Zeus isn't a saint. But he's not a caricature either.
@KkMk-x5w
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Speaking of things wrong
The narrator says HER-clues
When in Greek it’s HERA-clues
@CharlotteMontagu1990
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
2:50 Zeus was a tyrant and serial sex offender.
@CharlotteMontagu1990
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
1:24 I will NOT hear a bad word against the muses. They were BRILLIANT.
@TwiKou89
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Hades wasn’t seen as a villain in Xena. In truth he showed up more in Hercules but he was never seen as a villain in Xena (well maybe to Xena at the end of the fifth season when he and other gods came after her daughter). But yeah he was never depicted as a villain in that show other than near the end of Xena S5.
@doomy_mcdoomerson
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
A few suggestions:
-Perseus didn't fight the Kraken. He fought the sea monster Cetus. The Kraken is actually from Norse Mythology.
-Argos was not the city Perseus saved from destruction. It was the country of Ethiopia.
-Zeus and Apollo are not the gods who helped Perseus on his journey. Athena and Hermes did.
-The Titans were not defeated by the Kraken. They were beaten by the Olympians.
-There is one ONE Pegasus in Greek Myth. Not multiple Pegasii. The sole Pegasus sprang from the body of Medusa after Perseus decapitated her.
-Medusa was not a Titan. She was a mortal who was cursed into a monster.
-Adding to that, Medusa was the only Gorgon that could turn people to stone. There were other Gorgons, but Medusa was specifically cursed by Athena to turn people into stone with her gaze.
-Perseus never rode the Pegasus. The first mortal to ride Pegasus was the hero Bellerophon. At one point he tried to use Pegasus to fly to Olympus and join the Gods. Zeus dismounted him from the horse with a gad-fly and he was sent plummeting back to Earth. Zeus then took possession of Pegasus.
-Perseus didn't fight the Minotaur in the maze. The hero Theseus did.
-Mount Olympus is not a volcano.
-Pandora's Box wasn't actually a box. It was a jar.
-Aphrodite is not Zeus' daughter. She's a daughter of Ouranos. Which makes her a Titan, and Zeus' aunt.
-Artemis and Athena were both eternal virgins. They took no lovers and had no children.
-Artemis and Apollo were siblings, twins in fact. Not lovers.
-While Artemis is often identified as the 'Goddess of the Hunt and Moon' SELENE is the true Goddess of the Moon.
-Zeus and Hera were brother and sister. Yes, they were married and had several children, but they were siblings, not JUST husband and wife.
-Hera was not Zeus' first wife, but his 3rd. Before Hera, he was married to Themis, and then Metis, Athena's mother.
-Hades never tried to overthrow Zeus and seize control of Olympus. It was actually Hera who at one point tried to enact a coup and failed.
-Hades actually enjoyed living in the Underworld. When Hades, Zeus and Poseidon were choosing their domains, Hades CHOSE the Underworld.
-Hades was NOT the God of Death. He was God of the Underworld (Essentially the Warden of the prison that was the Underworld). THANATOSE was the God of Death.
-Charon didn't ferry the dead down the River Styx. He ferried them down the river Acheron. The centaur Nessus ferried souls down the river Styx.
-Hercules' name is actually HERACLES (meaning 'Glory of Hera') Hercules is his ROMAN name. So, it makes no fracking sense when, in a movie about Greek mythology, the character is called by his Roman name, when all the other Gods are addressed by their Greek names. If you want to drop some real knowledge in the list, Heracles' birth name was actually ALCIDES. He didn't receive the name 'Heracles' until he started doing the 12 Labors.
-To add to that last one, Heracles actually performed far more than just 12 Labors. Those 12 Labors he performed for Hera were just the most popular ones (mainly because those are the ones that got him the name 'Heracles')
-Alcides/Heracles is not an only child. He had a twin half-brother, named IPHICLES.
-Zeus is not the rightful ruler of Olympus. Of all the Elder Olympians (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter), Zeus is actually the youngest. The oldest, and rightful heir to the Throne of Olympus, is the Goddess Hestia.
-Kratos is not Zeus' son. He's not even an Olympian. He's actually a Titan, a generation older than Zeus. And, he's a member of Zeus' retinue. Along with his siblings Nike, Zethus, and Bia, he served as Zeus' bodyguard.
-KRONOS is the King of the Titans, and Father to Zeus and his siblings. CHRONOS is the God of Time. They are not the same character.
-Kronos was not beaten by a spear created by Hephaestus. He was hacked into pieces with his own sickle.
-Io was not a mortal that refused the advances of a God and cursed with eternal youth and beauty (how could that be a CURSE?) Her Mythological story is far more tragic. First Zeus raped Io, then, when Hera was about to find out about his infidelity, he hid his misdeeds by turning Io into a heifer. Who Hera proceeded to torment.
-Deimos and Phobos (Gods of Fear and Terror) are not sons of Zeus. They're his grandsons, being children of the war god, Ares.
-Hephaestus did not creat the Labyrinth or Tartarus. The Architect Dadaelus created the Labyrinth. And Tartarus was once the domain of a Titan, named Tartarus. After the Olympians defeated the Titans, they took over Tartarus' realm and turned it into a prison.
-Theseus never fought the Titans. Upon death he did not ascend to Olympus and join the gods to wage war with the Titans. In life, he was actually known for hunting down and punishing the Demi-gods (half-mortal children of the gods) for their misdeeds.
-In Greek Myth, the Giants (or Gigantes) are not described as being composed of flesh, blood, and bone (basically looking like GIANT humans) Their bodies are described as being rock and earth. Their 'legs' are actually two serpentine tails.
@matthiasjanzen4621
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
So… Herakles is more like Kratos than Hercules?!?
@GassersGhost
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Xanadu! 🤟
@CrystalX329
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Medusa's transformation isn’t Greek, it’s Roman. Medusa was born a gorgon.
@tracyrunyan3329
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
The movie "Troy" left out the part when The Amazons came to the aid of Troy in the war.
@christiangomezrubio2077
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Fact: the war if Troy began as a womens conflict about vanity
@williamkennelly9835
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
No mention of the Greek Heracles and Roman Hercules swap?
If you have Zeus it’s Heracles
If it’s Jupiter it’s Hercules
@trentalpha7749
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Go play God of War if you want to see accurate depictions of greek mythology
@carsomyr8276
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Here's a fun fact for those of you who are curious, and since you are watching this video I assume you are:
The idea of the "Trojan Horse" does have some historical precedent, although not in the way you might think. Poseidon was the Greek God of the sea, but he was also the God of horses and earthquakes. Many scholars ascribe this to the fact that waves beating on the shore sounded similar to galloping horses. In any case, there is historical evidence of a large and fortified city (Troy) that was only conquered because an earthquake happened to shatter its walls, allowing the Greeks to enter the city. The thought is that this gave rise to the idea of the Trojan Horse.
@borisslager1906
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Helen of Troy was not kidnapped in Greek Mythology. She was Paris' gift for choosing Aphrodite the fairest of the Goddesses
@captainayaya3415
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
another one is using the name Hercules, which is the Roman name and not the correct name Heracles
@CooperCapturesGallery
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Medusa's story is even darker. She was turned into a Gorgon for "defiling" Athena's temple, where Medusa was a priestess. She was so beautiful that Poseidon lusted after her, raped her in the temple, and Medusa bore the punishment.
@EKJr-m1g
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
On Blood of Zeus, Persephone chose to be with Hades on her own freewill.
@sifilore
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Hades is done all wrong. The other parts of the underworld; Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell r address as different names. They're like different countries on the same confident. And hades rules it all, as a fair and just ruler.
The chimera is sometime said to have the tail of a dragon, instead of a full on snake.
@adrianwintz1431
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Hades was not the god of death, he was the god of the dead. That’s a crucial distinction that needs to be understood. He wasn’t seeking to kill anyone, he was just the head administrator of the afterlife.
@malalford
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Sirens & mermaids are 2 different species
@thedragonauthority
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Watchmojo, get your facts right. Hades is the God of the Underworld, not Death. Thanatos is the Greek God of Death.
@thedragonauthority
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
You guys missed the biggest mistake off all, other then the Disney movie: Hercules is the Roman version of the character. Heracles is the Greek. Everyone gets it wrong.
@justingochioco1121
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
You forgot the name of Hercules’s wife who’s named Megara aka Meg
@Grimlogic42
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
In Greek mythology Medusa was born a gorgan. Later in Roman mythology medusa is a priestess turned into a gorgan by Athena. So to be clear orginally medusa was a mosnter and then kater ahe was reimagined in Rome as a victim turned monster
@tijanamilenkovic3456
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Herc is Goku of Disney
@ArtisticHobby
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Now, wait a minute, as an avid Xena fan, Hades was not portrayed as just a villain, most of his appearances were based on Xena seeking him out and him primarily in the underworld. It wasn't until the twilight where all the gods became villains against Xena. I am a big fan of ancient mythology and enjoy most of the shows and movies, even if they are inaccurate, but that also depends on their source material and how old they are. There is many iterations out and many different branches of family trees that will contradict each other. It is a big mess when it comes to the Gods. One thing I am VERY surprised that was NOT mentioned is the constant use of HERCULES – That is his ROMAN name, his GREEK name is HERAKLES. So, let's be honest watchmojo, your video is also inaccurate since you were unable to make this point during a GREEK MYTH video and always referred to him as Hercules.
@devinfaucette
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Be careful when talking about Hades and Persephone…I'm very protective….Let's see, Mojo….and if we are being "Accurate" There are 10 labors, and they became 12 out of circumstance, yes…but WHY? mojo? Did Athena turn Medusa into this? See…you're not touching on the accuracy and reasons. You're just saying. Most people get it wrong. Because of this. Next entry….Oh. You're research is all over the place. You're going to bring up Xena? HE was NOT depicted as a villain for MOST of HTLJ, XWP, Or Young Hercules AT ALL when he was played by Erik Thompson. When stupid Stephen Lovett took over the role toward the END of Xena's redemption/Hope bullshit story arc, he was more villainous. Stephen Lovett is NOT MY Hades. He's playing a completely different character.
@derekberry6122
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Sorry if I actually step on anybody's toes with this but, One thing that they actually don't depict in movie is the fluidity of individuals intimate relationships. In several stories I know is at Zeus actually takes male characters to have relationship and many other Greece icons also take multiple relationships as well.
There are multiple different types of creatures that are not depicted in movies but only focus is on a few like the hydra, minotaur, and other creatures that are well known. Which reminds me, besides Hercules legendary journeys and Xena warrior princess that I actually shows have they ever showed a centaur in a movie that is a Greek story? I know they had a center like creature in mortal Kombat annihilation but that is actually a creature from a another realm and wasn't a purely greased story. They might have featured them in earlier movies but I haven't seen them fully utilize a creature like that in Modern Cinema.
And a lot of Hercules movies that actually made him into a heroic and Noble hero but he had a quick temper in the stories if I remember correctly. I believe a lot of the stories that actually are from Greek mythology has been influenced by other religions.
If a memory serves me correctly the story of the 300 was actually not fatefully depicted in a few amputations. Mainly Frank Miller's 300 was actually a romanticize and visual spectacle but the Spartans actually did wear armor and didn't arrive on the battlefield bare-chested.
It's kind of funny that everybody actually always refer to a gorgon as a Medusa. This is actually probably because a lot of people relate the species of the golgans to Medusa.
The question I have is that if Zeus is not actually a rogue figure, what placement would be the titans? Also fact is is that besides the video game and other projects like the blood of Zeus never really depict Gaia at all who was a Titan.
Do you think you think that they should actually make a movie about how Kronos actually gone insane and tried to kill Zeus?
@DrJeffreyLusk
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
That the Titans were gods, too, just like the Olympians. Akin to the Aesir and Vanir in the Old Norse religion.
@Gintoki-if5ho
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
There is also a version were Medusa was born as a Gorgon and the youngest and only mortal version after her sisters Euriyale and Stheno.
@marshallburlew7549
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Ok, when it comes to the whole Persephone and Hades story. It depends on what version of the story you look at as there are many different interpretations of it. While it is true that Hades did kidnap Persephone. He didn't kidnap her out of spite against Zeus or so. He had actually, fallen in love with her. He was tired of being alone and wanted to share his kingdom with someone. So, he did kidnap her and in some versions of the story, he went to Zeus to get permission from him since Zeus was Persephone's father. However, Hades was never violent towards her nor cruel. He actually treated her well when she spent her time in the Underworld and did what he could to make her happy and they became a loving couple. Yes, he did once cheat on her with a nymph and she with one of Aphrodite's lovers, but they did love each other.
Also, there's more to Hades than meets the eye. Yes, he wasn't a villain, which is the biggest misinterpretation of him in the media. He's known as the, Rich God because when he claimed the Underworld. He also claimed all the earths riches as well. He's said to be very kind at times, generous, and helps people. Hell, he even gave Orpheus a fair chance to have his wife returned to him but lost her at the last moment when he reached the entrance to the Underworld and looked back. Losing her forever. He even allowed Heracles to take Cerberus to complete his final Labor, as long as he didn't harm him and returned him once it was complete. He even gave the soul of Heracles friend, King Admetus, that he went to bring back after hearing the love story between the King and his wife.
@elidon-bardhi
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
To see all wrong about gods i will rewatch again hercules and xena that is all wrong about greek gods
@veronicavatter6436
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
I've always had a soft spot for Hades. He got the shaft.
@ZomBeeNature
April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm
If Oedipus is portrayed at all, which pretty much never happens, then they don't say or explain anything about him or his situation, or why it is such a famous story.
Comments are closed.