Greek
Mythology
gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus
900-800 B.C. onward
Mt. Olympus
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An actual mountain in Greece.
Home of the gods/goddesses of Greece.
It formed itself for them.
Tallest mountain in Greece.
Olympus was regarded as the home of the
Twelve Olympian Gods. It is the setting of
many Greek mythical stories. Mt.
Olympus is located far above the heavens.
“Olympus was not shaken by winds nor
ever wet with rain, nor did snow fall upon
it, but the air is outspread clear and
cloudless, and over it hovered a radiant
whiteness.”
Main gods & goddesses
gods
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Zeus
Poseidon
Hades
Dionysus
Apollo
Hermes
Ares
Hephaestus
goddesses
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Hera
Artemis
Athena
Aphrodite
Demeter
Hestia
Zeus –
King of the gods and ruler of Mt.
Olympus; god of the sky and thunder.
Poseidon – God of the seas, earth
quakes and horses.
Hades - King of the
underworld, the god of
death and the dead.
god/goddess of the Underworld
Hades
• Wasn’t necessarily
associated with evil.
• The gods ruled the land,
air, sea, and underworld.
• Brother of Zeus and
Poseidon.
Persephone
• Hades tricked her and
then forced her to live in
the underworld.
• Daughter of Zeus and
Demeter.
– Greek
goddess of innocence and
queen of the underworld
Hera – Queen of the gods; goddess of
marriage and family
Dionysus – god of celebrations
and the grape harvest
Apollo – god of the sun (light),
knowledge, music, archery, and poetry.
Twin brother of Artemis.
Artemis – Goddess of the hunt,
childbirth, archery, and all animals. Twin
sister of Apollo.
Hermes – Messenger of the gods;
able to travel between worlds; god
of commerce and thieves.
Athena – Goddess of wisdom
and war
Ares – God of
war, violence,
and bloodshed
Hephaestus – Master blacksmith
to the gods; god of fire
Demeter – Goddess of nature and
the seasons.
Hestia
• goddess of the hearth
Cyclops - The Cyclopes were gigantic
one eyed monsters. Arges
(thunderbolt), Steropes (lightning),
and Brontes (thunder) are 3 of them.
Other important figures
• Persephone: goddess of the underworld.
• Perseus: Greek hero who killed Medusa.
• Medusa: Gorgon that could turn people
into stone by looking at them.
• Pegasus: winged horse.
• Hercules: demigod; son of Zeus and a
mortal mother.
• Nike: goddess of victory.
Oracle -The answer given by a god to a
question asked by a human. This is how
gods communicated to humans and gave
them advice.