Myths of the twelve
Olympians
English I
Twelve Olympians
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Zeus (Jupiter)
Hera (Juno)
Poseidon (Neptune)
Hades (Pluto)
Pallas Athena (Minerva)
Apollo
Artemis (Diana)
Hermes (Mercury)
Ares (Mars)
Hephaestus (Vulcan and Mulciber)
Hestia (Vesta)
Aphrodite (Venus)_
Zeus
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Supreme ruler-Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god and the
Cloud-gatherer
Thunderbolt
Breastplate-aegis (armor plate that protects the chest)
Bird-eagle
Tree-oak
Oracle-Dodona in the land of oak trees
His will was revealed by the rustling of the oak leaves
which the priests interpreted.
Zeus
Hera
Zeus’s wife and sister
 Protector of marriage and married women
 Cow and peacock sacred to her
 Argos was her favorite city
 Shows her engaged in punishing the many
women Zeus fell in love with, even if when
they yielded only because he coerced or
tricked them
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Hera
Poseidon
Ruler of the sea
 Gave the first horse to man
 Storm and calm were under his control
 Shown carrying his trident, a threepronged spear
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Poseidon
Hades
Underworld and ruler over the dead
 Also called Pluto, the God of Wealth, of
the precious metals hidden in earth
 Wife Persephone (Proserpine) whom he
carried from the earth and made Queen of
the Lower World
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Hades
Pallas Athena
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Daughter of Zeus-sprang from his head
Goddess of the City, the protector of civilized life, of
handicrafts (weaving) and agriculture, Goddess of war,
goddess of wisdom
Inventor of bridle (a harness fitted around a horse’s
head to restrain or guide an animal) who first tamed
horses for men to use
 Temple Parthenon
 Athens her special city
 Olive created by her; was her tree
 Owl is her bird
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Pallas Athena
Phoebus Apollo
Master of musicians who delights Olympus as he plays
the golden lyre
 Archer-god
 The Healer (first taught men the healing art)
 God of Light
 God of Truth
 Oracle was at Delphi-direct link between the gods and
men
 Laurel was his tree
 Dolphin and crow sacred to him
 God of sun, music, and medicine
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Apollo
Artemis
The goddess of wilderness, the hunt and wild
animals
 Apollo’s twin sister, daughter of Zeus and Leto
 Cypress was sacred to her and wild animals
especially the deer
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Artemis
Aphrodite
The Goddess of Love and Beauty
 laughter-loving goddess
 Daughter of Zeus and Dione in The Iliad
 Myrtle was her tree
 The dove her bird—sometimes to the
sparrow and the swan
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Aphrodite
Hermes
On his feet winged sandals; wings were
on his low-crowned hat too and on his
magic wand, the Caduceus
 God of Commerce and the Market,
protector of traders
 Guide of the dead, the Divine Herald who
led the souls down to their last home
 Messenger of gods
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Hermes
Ares
God of War
 His bird was the vulture
 Dog wronged by being chosen as his
animal
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Ares
Hephaestus
God of Fire
 Kindly peace-loving god popular on earth
and heaven
 Protector of the blacksmiths—patron of
handicrafts
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Hephaestus
Hestia
Goddess of the hearth, symbol of home,
around which newborn children must be
carried before they could be received into
the family.
 Each city had a public hearth to Hestia
where the fire was never allowed to go
out.
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Hestia