THE LESSER GODS OF OLYMPUS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Eros (Cupid)—often represented as blindfolded because love is often blind
Anteros—the avenger of slighted love; the one who opposes love
Hymen—God of the Wedding Feast
Hebe—Goddess of Youth; daughter of Zeus & Hera; wife of Hercules
Iris—Goddess of the Rainbow and a messenger of the gods
Graces—3 of them; Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good
Cheer); daughters of Zeus & Eurynome; Aglaia married Hephaestus
7. Muses—9 of them; Clio (history), Urania (astronomy), Melpomene (tragedy),
Thalia (comedy), Terpsichore (dance), Calliope (epic poetry), Erato (love-poetry),
Polyhymnia (songs to the gods), and Euterpe (lyric poetry); daughters of Zeus &
Mnemosyne
THE GODS OF THE WATERS:
1. Poseidon—Lord and Ruler of the Sea
2. Ocean—a Titan, Lord of the river Ocean; wife was Tethys; daughters were the
Oceanids; sons were the gods of all the rivers
3. Pontus—means the Deep Sea; mother was Mother Earth; son was Nereus
4. Nereus—called the Old Man of the Sea (the Mediterranean); wife was Doris (an
Oceanid); had 50 daughters (the Nereids): Thetis (mother of Achilles) and
Amphitrite (Poseidon’s wife) were both Nereids
5. Triton—trumpeter of the Sea (trumpet was a shell); son of the Poseidon &
Amphitrite
6. Proteus—some myths said he was Poseidon’s son and others, his attendant; had
the power of both foretelling the future and changing his shape at will
THE UNDERWORLD:
1. Hades and his Queen, Persephone—rulers of the Underworld
2. Tartarus and Erebus—2 divisions of the underworld; either name is used to refer
to the entire lower region
a. Tartarus—deeper of the 2; the prison of the Sons of Earth
b. Erebus—where the dead pass as soon as they die
3. Cerberus—on guard before the gate; three-headed dragon-tailed dog; permits all
spirits to enter, but none to return
4. Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus—3 judges who pass sentence and send the
wicked to everlasting torment and send the good to a place of blessedness, the
Elysian Fields
5. the Erinyes (Furies)—punish evildoers; usually represented as 3: Tisiphone,
Megaera, & Alecto
THE LESSER GODS OF EARTH
1. Demeter & Dionysus—supreme deities of the earth
a. Demeter—Goddess of the Corn (daughter of Cronus & Rhea)
b. Dionysus—God of the Vine
2. Pan—the chief ruler; Hermes’ son; part-animal (had a goat’s horns and hoofs);
was the goatherds’ and shepherds’ god; a wonderful musician
3. Silenus—sometimes said to be Pan’s son and sometimes his brother; jovial fat old
man; known for his perpetual drunkenness
4. Castor & Pollux—brothers who were said to live half of their time on earth and
half in heaven; sons of Lena; often called “sons of Zeus”; special protectors of
sailors; represented as riding horses
5. The Centaurs—half man, half horse; more like beasts than men, however one of
them, Chiron, was known for his goodness and wisdom
6. the Gorgons—3 dragonlike creatures with wings, whose look turned men to stone
7. the Graiae—sisters of the Gorgons; 3 gray women who only had one eye between
the 3 of them
8. the Sirens—had enchanting voices and their singing lured sailors to their death
9. the Fates—3 of them: Clotho (the Spinner, who spun the thread of life), Lachesis
(the Disposer of Lots, who assigned each man his destiny), and Atropos (who cut
the thread at death)
THE ROMAN GODS:
The influence of Greek art and literature became so powerful in Rome that ancient
Roman deities were changed to resemble the corresponding Greek gods, and were
considered to be the same. Romans adopted Greek gods because the Romans did not have
definitely personified gods of their own. They were a people of deep religious feeling, but
they had little imagination.
1. Jupiter (Zeus)
2. Juno (Hera)
3. Neptune (Poseidon)
4. Vesta (Hestia)
5. Mars (Ares)
6. Minerva (Athena)
7. Venus (Aphrodite)
8. Mercury (Hermes)
9. Diana (Artemis)
10. Vulcan or Mulciber (Hephaestus)
11. Ceres (Demeter)