GREEK GODS AND

GODDESSES

ZEUS

-was the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. He overthrew his father Cronus, and then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades, in order to decide who would succeed their father on the throne Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods, as well as lord of the sky and rain. His weapon was a thunderbolt which he hurled at those who displeased or defied him, especially liars and oathbreakers. He was married to Hera but often tested her patience, as he was infamous for his many affairs.

-the presiding deity of the universe, ruler of the skies and the earth, was regarded by the Greeks as the god of all natural phenomena on the sky; the personification of the laws of nature; the ruler of the state; and finally, the father of gods and men.

POSEIDON

- is the god of the sea and protector of all aquatic features. Brother of Zeus and Hades, after the overthrow of their father Cronus, he drew lots with them to share the universe. He ended up becoming lord of the sea. He was widely worshipped by seamen. He married Amphitrite, one of the granddaughters of the Titan Oceanus

-His weapon was a trident, with which he could make the earth shake, causing earthquakes, and shatter any object. He was second to Zeus in power amongst the gods. He was considered by Greeks to have a difficult quarrelsome personality. Combined with his greed, he had a series of disputes with other gods during his various attempts to take over the cities they were patrons of.

HADES

-was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. After the overthrow of their father Cronus, he drew lots with them to share the universe. He drew poorly, which resulted in becoming lord of the underworld and ruler of the dead. Nevertheless, he was not considered to be death itself, as this was a different god, called Thanatos. Greedy like his brother Poseidon, he was mainly interested in increasing his subjects, and anyone whose deeds resulted in people dying was favored by him. The Erinnyes (the Furies) were welcomed guests in his kingdom.

-Although an Olympian, Hades preferred the Underworld and rarely left his kingdom. His weapon was a pitchfork, which he used to create earthquakes, similar to the way Poseidon used his trident. He also had a helmet of invisibility, which he had received as a gift from the Cyclopes, in

order to use it during the clash of the Titans. He was married to Persephone, daughter of Demeter, whom Hades abducted and carried down to the Underworld.

APHRODITE

-was the goddess of love, desire and beauty. Apart from her natural beauty, she also had a magical girdle that compelled everyone to desire her.

-was married to Hephaestus; however, she had an affair with her

brother Ares, god of war. When Hephaestus found out about the affair, he

devised a plan and managed to humiliate his wife and her lover to the

other Olympians. Her holy tree was the myrtle, while her holy birds

were the dove, the swan, and the sparrow. Aphrodite represented sex,

affection, and the attraction that binds people together.

APOLLO

-was the son of Zeus and Leto, twin brother of Artemis. He was the god of music, and he is

often depicted playing a golden lyre. He was also known as the Archer, far

shooting with a silver bow; the god of healing, giving the science of

medicine to man; the god of light; and the god of truth. One of Apollo's

most important daily tasks was to harness his four-horse chariot, in order

to move the Sun across the sky.

ARES

- were the god of war, and son of Zeus and Hera. He represented the raw violence and untamed

acts that occurred in wartime, in contrast to Athena, who was a symbol of

tactical strategy and military planning.

ARTEMIS

-was the goddess of chastity, virginity, the hunt, the moon, and the natural environment. She was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo. As soon as Artemis was born, she helped her

mother give birth to her twin brother, thereby becoming the protector of childbirth and labor. She asked her father to grant her eternal chastity and virginity, and never gave in to any potential lovers; devoted to hunting and nature, she rejected marriage and love.

ATHENA

-was the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She was the daughter of Zeus; her birth is unique in that she did not have a mother. Instead, she sprang full grown and clad in armour from Zeus' forehead.

-She was fierce and brave in battle; however, she only took part in wars that defended the state and home from outside enemies. She was the patron of the city, handcraft, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She was the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus' favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her holy tree was the olive tree and she was often symbolized as an owl.

HEPHAESTUS

-was the Greek god of blacksmiths, sculptors, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes; thus, he is symbolized with a hammer, an anvil and a pair of tongs.

HERA

-was Zeus' wife and sister, and was raised by the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. She was the supreme goddess,

patron of marriage and childbirth, having a special interest in protecting married women. Her sacred animals were the cow and the peacock, and she favored the city of Argos.

-Zeus initially courted Hera, but after many unsuccessful attempts, he resorted to trickery. He took the form of a disheveled cuckoo; Hera, feeling sorry for the bird, held it to her breast to keep it warm. Zeus then resumed his normal form and taking advantage of Hera's surprise, he raped her. Hera then married him to cover her shame; their marriage was turbulent and they often clashed.

HERMES

- was the Greek god of commerce, son of Zeus and Maia. Quick acting and cunning, he was able to move swiftly between the world of man and the world of gods, acting as a messenger of the gods and the link between mortals and the Olympians.

- He was the protector of travelers, thieves and athletes. He occasionally tricked the other

gods for his own amusement or in an effort to protect humans. With the

ability to move freely between worlds, he also served as the guide of the

souls of the dead to the underworld and the afterlife.

HESTIA

- was the goddess of the hearth, family, and domestic life. She was not worshipped publicly, which is evident by the lack of temples and shrines attributed to her; this comes in contrast to the Roman equivalent

goddess Vesta, who represented the public hearth. Her name meant both a house and a hearth, symbolizing the home and its residents. She also represented the coalition and relationship between the colonies and the mother cities. She was Zeus' sister, but although initially she was included in the Olympian gods, she was later replaced by Dionysus. She took a vow to remain a virgin, refusing to give

in to the callings of Poseidon and Apollo; once, she was almost raped by Priapus, a lesser god of fertility, but was saved thanks to the braying of a mule.

AEOLUS

- Keeper of the Winds,

AMPHITRITE

-was a sea goddess in Greek mythology, wife of the god Poseidon. She did not play a particular role in the various myths, other than being the consort of the god of the sea. She was either the daughter of the Titans Nereus and Doris (hence being a

Nereid) or the daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys (hence being an Oceanid). Amphitrite and Poseidon had two children, a son named Triton and having the figure of a merman, and a daughter named Rhode.

APATE

-was a deity in Greek mythology, the personification of deceit. Her mother was Nyx, the primordial goddess of night, and her father was Erebos, the personification of darkness. She was the sister of Geras (old age), Oizys (suffering), Moros (doom), Momos (blame), Eris (strife), Nemesis(retribution) and Keres (carnage and violent death). When the box of Pandora was opened, Apate was one

of the evil spirits that came out of it. Her male counterpart was Dolos.

AURA

-was a deity that represented the gentle breeze of the early

morning. It appeared both in Greek and Roman mythology. She was the

daughter of Lelantos and Periboa. It is also said that Aura were similar to

ghosts, having the ability to disappear into the air.

CIRCE

-was a minor goddess of magic in Greek mythology, daughter of the Titans Helios, god of the sun, and Perse, an Oceanid. She had two brothers, Aeetes, who was the guardian of the Golden Fleece (which Jason and the Argonauts sought after), and Perses; and a sister, Pasiphae, who was the wife of Minos, king of Crete.

DEIMOS

-was a god in Greek mythology, personification of terror (his name meant "dread"). He was the son of gods Ares and Aphrodite, and had a twin brother, Phobos ("fear"). He did not appear in any stories in Greek mythology, but he was a mere representation of the terror that is brought upon humans by war.

DIONYSUS

-was the god of fertility and wine, later considered a patron of the arts. He created wine and spread the art of viticulture. He had a dual nature; on one hand, he brought joy and divine ecstasy; or he would bring

brutal and blinding rage, thus reflecting the dual nature of wine. Dionysus and his followers could not be bound by fetters.

HYPNOS

-was a primordial deity in Greek mythology, the personification of sleep. He lived in a cave next to his twin brother Thanatos, in the underworld, where no light was cast by the sun or the moon; the earth in front of the cave was full of poppies and other sleep-inducing plants. The river Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) flowed through the cave. He was the son of Nyx (night) and Erebus (darkness), while his wife, Pasithea, was one of the youngest of the Graces and was given to him by Hera. Hypnos and Pasithea had a number of sons called the Oneiroi (the dreams), who according to some sources were three in number; Morpheus, Phobetor and Phantasos.

HISTORYAccording to Greek myths, there was nothing but emptiness at first. Then

came Gaea, the earth, who gave birth to Uranus, god of the heavens. Gaea and Uranus had 12 children called Titans.

Uranus was afraid that the Titans would take his power. He was right to be afraid. The youngest Titan, Cronus, killed his father. Cronus then tried to kill his own children by swallowing them. He did not succeed. His youngest child, Zeus, overcame Cronus and helped the other children to escape. Zeus’s brothers were the gods Poseidon and Hades, and his sisters were the goddesses Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.

The new gods—the children of Cronus—were known as the Olympians because their home was on Mount Olympus.

Zeus was king of the gods. Hera was his queen. Zeus’s children included the twins Artemis, goddess of hunting, and the sun god Apollo.

Zeus was also father of the three Fates, who controlled human life and decided when people should die. Even Zeus could not make them change their decisions.

Not all the gods lived on Mount Olympus. Poseidon had his own kingdom of the sea. Sailors had to be careful not to offend him. If angry, he might start a storm.

Hades ruled the underworld—a place beneath Earth where the souls of the dead go. Hades kidnapped Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, goddess of grain. Demeter was too busy searching for her child to look after the harvest, and people began to starve.

Zeus ordered Hades to let Persephone go, but she had eaten a little of Hades’s food. Because of that, she had to spend part of every year in the underworld. When Persephone is with Hades, it is winter on Earth and nothing grows. When she returns, spring comes with her.

TROJAN WAR

The Trojan War was a major event in Greek mythology. The Greeks may actually have fought the Trojans in a long war. Myths that have a basis in history are sometimes called legends.

According to Greek legend, a Trojan prince named Paris was asked to decide which goddess was most beautiful, Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. Paris chose Aphrodite. She gave him the lovely Helen as a reward.

Helen was already married to a Greek prince. When Paris ran away with Helen, the Greeks declared war on Troy, where the Trojans lived. The fighting lasted ten years, until Athena helped the Greeks to build a giant wooden horse. The Trojans took the horse within their strong city walls without realizing that Greek soldiers were hiding inside it. At night, these soldiers came out of the horse. They opened the gates to Troy and let the rest of the Greek army inside to destroy the city.

A long poem, the Iliad, describes the Trojan War. A second poem, the Odyssey, tells the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus after the war was over. The writer of both poems is supposed to be Homer, a poet who probably lived around the 8th century BC. However, the legends are much older than that. Greek storytellers passed on the tales for hundreds of years before they were written down.