Ancient Greek &
Ancient Roman Gods
Greek
Roman
Zeus
Jupiter
Hera
Juno
Poseidon
Neptune
Hades
Pluto
Ares
Mars
Hermes
Mercury
Apollo
Apollo
Artemis
Diana
Athena
Minerva
Hestia
Vesta
Demeter
Ceres
Aphrodite
Venus
Hephaestus
Vulcan
Heracles
Hercules
Eros
Cupid
Orpheus
Orpheus
Pandora
Pandora
Pegasus
Pegasus
Cerberus
Cerberus
Roman Gods Family Tree
Greek God Family Tree
Roman Myths
Greek Myths
Mount Olympus & the
Olympians
The Council of 12 Roman
Gods
Roman Games
Greek Games
Roman Gods Clipart
Greek Gods Clipart
Lesson Plans for Teachers
Lesson Plans for Teachers
Ancient Greek and Roman Gods and
Goddesses
The first name listed for each god below is the Greek name.
The second name listed is the Roman name for the same god.
Zeus / Jupiter
Hera / Juno
Poseidon / Neptune
Hades / Pluto
Ares / Mars
Hermes / Mercury
Apollo / Apollo
Artemis / Diana
Athena / Minerva
Hestia / Vesta
Demeter / Ceres
Aphrodite / Venus
Hephaestus / Vulcan
Heracles / Hercules
Eros / Cupid
Orpheus / Orpheus
Pandora / Pandora
Pegasus / Pegasus
Kerberos / Cerberus
Ancient Greek Gods
The main Greek Gods were:
Zeus
(Roman name Jupiter) Married to Hera. Zeus is lord of the
sky, the rain god. His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls
at those who displease him.
Symbol or Attribute: Thunderbolt
Find out more.....
Poseidon
Brother of Zeus. The God of the sea and worshiped by
seamen. He married Amphitrite. His weapon is a trident,
which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. He is
second most powerful god.
Symbol or Attribute: Three-pronged trident
Find out more.....
Hades
Brother of Zeus. God of the underworld, ruling over the dead.
He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined
from the earth. Hades has a helmet that makes him invisible.
Hades springs out of the earth and captures Persephone,
dragging her off to be his queen in the Underworld. Her
mother Demeter searches for her and stops all foods from
growing until Persephone is returned. Finally, a deal is
worked out where Persephone stays one-third of the year with
Hades, one-third of the year serving as a handmaiden to Zeus
at Mount Olympus, and one-third with her mother.
Symbol or Attribute: Scepter or horn of plenty.
Aphrodite
Wife of Hephaestus. Goddess of love, desire and beauty.
Aphrodite rises from the foam of the waves of the sea,
enchanting anyone who sees her and inciting feelings of love
where ever she goes.
The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swan, and the sparrow
her birds.
Symbol or Attribute: Her Girdle, which has magical powers
to compel love.
Find out more.....
Hestia
Sister of Zeus. Goddess of the Home. Each city had a public
hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed to
go out.
Symbol or Attribute: The hearth (fire place)
Hera
Married to Zeus and is his sister too. Hera is the goddess of
marriage and childbirth. Her sacred animals are the cow and
the peacock.
Symbol or Attribute: The peacock
Find out more.....
Ares
Son of Zeus and Hera. God of war. His bird is the vulture. His
animal is the dog.
Symbol or Attribute: The spear. He is also associated with
vultures and dogs.
Find out more.....
Apollo
Son of Zeus and Leto. Zeus's wife Hera was outraged and
convinced the earth to refuse to allow Leto to give birth
anywhere on its surface. But the island of Delos allowed Leto
to take refuge there and give birth to Apollo and his twin
sister, Artemis.
Apollo is the god of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer,
far shooting with a silver bow. The god of healing who taught
man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth, who can not
speak a lie. His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The
dolphin his animal.
Symbol or Attribute: The Sun itself, the lyre (a type of
musical instrument), the bow, and the chariot he drives across
the sky daily.
Find out more.....
Artemis
Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo .
Artemis is the huntsman of the gods. She is the protector of
the young. Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows.
Symbol or Attribute: Her bow, which she uses to hunt, and
her hounds. She often wears the lunar crescent on her brow.
Find out more.....
Athena
Daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armor from his
forehead, thus has no mother. Goddess of the city, handicrafts,
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. Her tree is the olive.
The owl is her bird.
Symbol or Attribute: Owl, signifying watchfulness and
wisdom.
Find out more.....
Hermes
Son of Zeus and Maia. He is the messenger of the gods. He is
the fastest of the gods. He wears winged sandals, a winged
hat, and carries a magic wand. Hermes is the god of thieves
and god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to the
underworld.
Symbol or Attribute: His staff, called kerykerion in Greek,
caduceus in Latin.
Find out more.....
Hephaestus
Son of Zeus and Hera. His wife is Aphrodite. He is the only
god to be physically ugly. He is also lame. Accounts as to how
he became lame vary. Some say that Hera, upset by having an
ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus into the sea,
breaking his legs. Others that he took Hera's side in an
argument with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus.
Hephaestus is the god of fire and the forge. He uses a volcano
as his forge. He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers.
Symbol or Attribute: The forge and fire.
Find out more.....
Ancient Roman Gods
Jupiter
was the most powerful of the gods. Should he have to bring order, he
would hurl a thunderbolt. Jupiter was not afraid of anyone or anything except perhaps
his wife, Juno. Share in the adventure of Jupiter, Juno, and Little Io.
Juno was the sister and wife of Jupiter, and thus, the Queen. Juno was the goddess
of marriage, children, and the home.
Neptune, the lord of the sea, was the brother of Jupiter. Neptune was very
powerful. He could raise his hand and a new island would appear! People were
terrified of Neptune, especially the people who made their home along the coast.
Pluto, another brother of Jupiter, was the lord of the underworld. Come visit the
River Styx! Find out what happened to the world when Pluto fell in love.
Mars, Jupiter's son, was the god of war.
He tall and handsome but cruel and vain.
Mercury was Jupiter's son and the messenger of the gods. Things were always
going on in the roman mythical world. The job of messenger to the gods allowed
Mercury to have the inside scoop on just about everything. There was warmth about
Mercury. The other gods trusted him. In fact, if it was not for Mercury, Apollo would
not have his harp.
Apollo was Jupiter's son and god of the sun, light and music. Come meet
Apollo's Oracle at Delphi. Find out what happened when Apollo fell in love with
Cassandra.
Diana was goddess of the hunt and Apollo's twin sister.
Minerva was the goddess of wisdom.
Vesta was the goddess of hearth and home, and Juno's sister.
Ceres was the goddess of the harvest, and Juno's other sister. Discover what the
ancients thought was the reason for the seasons.
Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. Venus did not set out to start the Trojan
War, but that's what happened all the same.
Vulcan was the son of Jupiter and Juno,
and the husband of Venus, the goddess of
love. Vulcan made the first woman out of clay. He named her Pandora.
Hercules was another of Jupiter's sons, although his mother was a mortal. Hercules
was half man, half god, and very strong. Hercules had great adventures, discovered
true friends, and rid the world of some really nasty critters.
Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. He carried a bow and arrow to
shoot people. When you were shot with Cupid's arrow, you fell in love with the very
next person you saw.
Orpheus was the son of Apollo and Calliope. He was the most famous musician in
the ancient world. The story of Eurydice and Orpheus is a famous love story.
Pandora was the first woman formed out of clay by the gods. Jupiter ordered
Vulcan to create her. Read the story of Pandora's Box.
Pegasus was a winged horse who could fly. People were always trying to steal
Pegasus, which caused them no end of trouble!
Cerberus was the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the
underworld. Cerberus was friendly to those arriving. He only became dangerous to
those trying to leave without permission.
The Muses were the 9 daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne.
They made such
beautiful music with their singing that it brought joy to everyone who heard them. The
Muses were patrons of the arts and sciences.