GREEK GODS – The first twelve are the 12 Olympian Gods/Goddesses
Zeus,
Greatest of the gods. He followed in the place of Uranos and Kronos. While Poseidon ruled the seas and Hades
ruled the underworld, Zeus was the master of the earth and the skies. His home was on the top of Mount
Olympos or in the sky. The high soaring eagle was sacred to him as were cloud-topped mountains. Although
Zeus was the ruler and preserver of the world he had many human weaknesses. He could be jealous and he was
a notorious womanizer whose wives included Metis, Themis and Hera. Roman name -Jupiter.
Poseidon
God of the seas, 2ND son of Rhea and Kronos. also associated with water in other forms such as clouds which
were essential to agriculture. He could create springs but he could also cause floods and tidal waves when
angered. Roman name - Neptune.
Hades,
God of the underworld, the place of the dead. Third son of Rhea and Kronos, shared control of the world with
Zeus and Poseidon. The underworld is also the place from which plants obtained nutrients and men got
valuable metals. Roman name - Pluto.
Hera
goddess of storms because of the turbulent relationship she had with her husband, Zeus.
She had female qualities of fertility combined with fickleness.
She was honoured as Queen of the gods and she punished immoral behaviour by mortals - especially Zeus'
lovers. For this reason, she was the goddess of marriage. Roman name - Juno.
Aphrodite
Goddess of love. Combined qualities of beauty and nobility with coarseness, decadence and corruption. She is
the patroness of prostitutes. Some accounts identify Zeus and Dione as her parents while other say she is the
daughter of Uranus born from the foam of the sea. She was forced to marry Hephaestus who was lame and
unattractive. She quarreled with Persephone for custody of the handsome Adonis. He was later killed in a
hunting accident by either Hephaestes or Ares (Aphrodite's lover) disguised as a wild boar. Roman name Venus.
Hermes
Patron god of traders and commerce but also of thieves and rogues. Credited with great powers of oratory.
His job was to be the messenger of the gods, particularly Zeus. Roman name - Mercury.
Artemis
Virgin goddess of fertility. She was also the protector of flocks of sheep and goddess of the hunt and the forest.
When Actaeon saw her bathing, she turned him into a stag. She killed Orion for attempting to violate her
chastity. She was identified with the moon and Apollo was her twin brother. Roman name - Diana.
Apollo
Sun god and also the god of music and song which are heard during times when light triumphs over darkness.
He is associated with youth and strength. The physical aspect of Apollo is also known as Helios or Hyperion.
Romans also called him Apollo
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Hephaestus
The blacksmith of the gods. He personifies the fire in the earth that emerges from volcanoes. He is portrayed as
being deformed. The son of Zeus and Hera, he was sometimes caught in the middle of their fights. Dionysus
was his good friend. Roman name - Vulcan.
Ares
God of war. Thought of as enjoying slaughter and massacre. A son of Zeus and Hera, god of storms, especially
hurricanes. The dog and the vulture are his animal symbols. To the Romans, who held him in higher regard than
the Greeks, he was known as Mars.
Athena
Goddess of war and wisdom. Was born, wearing armor, from the head of Zeus, her father. There were two sides
to her character. She could be mighty and terrible or open gentle and pure. She led the way through victory in
battle to peace and prosperity. She was a virgin goddess, pure in her dedication to wisdom and artistic beauty. In
addition to teaching men the art of war, she is also credited with inventing spinning, weaving and the flute.
Roman name - Minerva.
Hestia
Goddess of fire and the hearth. Responsible for domestic life. Daughter of Rhea and Cronos.
She was the first of the great divinities swallowed by Cronos. Roman name - Vesta.
Demeter
Goddess of the earth who watched over the growth of grain. While searching for her daughter who had been
taken by Hades she taught her hosts the art of agriculture. Roman name - Ceres.
Eros
Son of Aphrodite. He participated in the creation of the world by bringing harmony to chaos. He swayed the
hearts of both gods and men. Roman names - Cupid and Amor.
Dionysos
God of wine and of the theatre. He is associated with joyous celebrations. His father Zeus revived him after
Hera, in jealousy, killed his mother, Semele before Dionysos' birth. As an adult, Dionysos travelled the world
teaching men how to tend vineyards. Roman name – Bacchus
Hebe
Goddess of youth, she could restore youth to the aged. She filled the cups of the gods until Ganymedes became
the cupbearer. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Heracles became her husband and she bore him two sons.
Roman name – Juventas
Others:
 Ceres (Demeter) - goddess of grain and growing
 Chaos - the beginning of creation
 Echo - a nymph punished by Hera for talking too much; punishment was that she could speak only the
last word someone else spoke
 Labyrinth - a building made by Daedulus to imprison the minotaur
 Mercury (Hermes) - messenger of the gods, noted for his speed
 Pan - a shepherd with a man's head and torso, goat's legs and horns. Liked to frighten humans.
 Phobos - son of Ares; god of fear
 Vulcan (Hephaestus) - god of fire; blacksmith for the gods
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