Greek and Roman Mythology
A Review
of
The Principal Gods and Goddesses
What is a myth?
A traditional story rooted in primitive
folk beliefs of cultures
 Uses the supernatural to interpret
natural events
 Explains the culture’s view of the
universe and the nature of humanity
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In the beginning...
…was Chaos (shapeless nothingness)
 Chaos had two children:
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– Night (darkness)
– Erebus (death)
“All was black, empty, silent, endless.”
 Mysteriously, Love was born of darkness
and death.
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And then...
When Love was born, order and beauty
began to flourish.
 Love created Light and Day.
 Earth was created.
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– She was the solid ground, but also a
personality.
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The Earth bore Heaven to cover her and
be a home for the gods.
The First Parents
Mother Earth = Gaea (Gaia)
 Father Heaven = Ouranos (Uranus)
 They had three kinds of children:
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– Three monsters with 100 hands and 50
heads
– Three cyclopes
– The titans
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These were the first characters that had the appearance of life,
although it was unlike any life known to man.
The Titans (The Elder Gods)
There were many of them.
 Enormous size, incredible strength
 Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans
 Rhea: Wife of Cronos
 Ocean: River that encircled the world
 Iapetus: Father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)
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The Principal Gods
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Cronos and Rhea
were parents of
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Zeus (Jupiter, Jove)
Poseidon (Neptune)
Hades (Pluto)
Hera (Juno)
Hestia (Vesta)
Demeter (Ceres)
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Other Olympians
include
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Athena (Minerva)
Ares (Mars)
Hebe (Juventas)
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
Apollo (Apollo)
Artemis (Diana)
Hermes (Mercury)
Aphrodite (Venus)
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Persephone
The Olympians
Zeus
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Roman Name: Jupiter
(also Jove)
Supreme god of the
Olympians, god of the
heavens and earth, ruler
of weather, giver of
justice.
Fathered many
characters in mythology
Symbols: lightning bolt,
eagle, and mighty oak
tree
Zeus
Hera
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Roman Name:
Juno
Zeus’s sister and
wife
Jealous protector
of marriage
Punished the
women Zeus fell in
love with
Symbol: peacock
Poseidon
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Roman Name:
Neptune
God of the seas,
waters, and
earthquakes
“The Earthshaker”
Symbols: trident,
dolphins, and
horses
Hades
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Roman Name: Pluto
God of the
Underworld/ Dead
Kidnapped
Persephone
Guard of the dead,
and in charge of
gems, minerals, and
wealth
Symbols: bident,
Cerberus, or
cypress tree
Hestia
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Roman Name:
Vesta
Goddess of
hearth and home
Known for her
pure and simple
life
Powerful
protector
Symbol: hearth
fire
Demeter
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Roman Name:
Ceres
Goddess of the
harvest and all
growing things
A goddess of the
earth
Persephone is her
daughter
Symbols: sheaf of
wheat and the
cornucopia
Athena
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Roman Name:
Minerva
Goddess of
wisdom,
statecraft, and
war
Sprang from
Zeus’s head
Symbols: owl
and olive tree
Ares
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Roman Name:
Mars
God of war,
hatred, and
violence
Son of Zeus and
Hera
Bloodthirsty and
merciless
Symbols: dogs,
vultures, or a
spear and shield
Hephaestus
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Roman Name:
Vulcan (Mulciber)
God of blacksmiths,
metalworkers, and
craftsmen
“Ugly” son of Zeus
and Hera
Kind, unlike his
brother Ares
Symbols: forge and
anvil
Apollo
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Roman Name:
Apollo
God of sunlight,
truth, poetry,
music, and
healing
Twin brother of
Artemis
Symbols: lyre
and the laurel
wreath
Artemis
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Roman Name:
Diana
Goddess of the
moon, single
women, hunting,
and childbirth
Twin sister to
Apollo
Symbols: crescent
moon crown, a
stag, or a bow and
arrows
Hermes
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Roman Name:
Mercury
God of trade,
travel, and theft
Messenger of the
gods
Symbols: bag of
money or winged
staff with two
snakes around it
Aphrodite
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Roman Name: Venus
Goddess of love and
beauty
Sprang from the
ocean foam and rode
to shore on a seashell
Symbols: dove,
sparrow, rose, and
myrtle
Dionysus
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Roman Name:
Bacchus
God of wine,
parties, and drama
Patron god of the
Greek stage
A god of the earth
Symbols: ivy or
bunches of grapes,
a wine cup, or a
leopard
Persephone
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Roman Name:
Proserpina
Goddess of the
Underworld
Daughter of Zeus
and Demeter
Abducted by Hades
Symbols:
pomegranate or
wreath of spring
flowers
Hebe
Roman Name:
Juventas
 Goddess of
youth
 Cupbearer to the
gods
 Restored youth
to the aged
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Eros
Roman Name:
Cupid
 Young god of
love
 Son of
Aphrodite and
Hephaestus
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Iris
Goddess of the
Rainbow
 Messenger for
Zeus and Hera
 Daughter of the
titan Thaumus
and the nymph
Electra
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The Muses
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Nine daughters of
Zeus and
Mnemosyne
Inspired artists of all
kinds
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Goddesses who
presided over the
arts and sciences
“He is happy whom
the muses love.”
Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia
The Erinnyes (The Furies)
Roman Name: Furiae
or Dirae (The Furies)
 Three Goddesses of
Vengeance
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– Tisiphone
– Alecto
– Megaera
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They punish
evildoers.
The Fates
Roman Name: Parcae, Moirae
 Three sisters
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– Clotho (“The Spinner”)
– Lachesis (“The disposer of lots”)
– Atropos (“The cutter”)
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They weave, measure, and cut the
thread of life for humans.
The Satyrs
Gods of the woods
and mountains
 “Shepherd gods”
 Goat men (like Pan)
 Companions of
Dionysus
 They like to drink,
dance, and chase
nymphs.
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The Gorgons
Three snakehaired monsters
 Medusa is most
well-known
 Their look turns
men to stone.
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The Centaurs
Half man, half
horse
 Savage
creatures
(except Chiron)
 Followers of
Dionysus
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Sources
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Graphics in this presentation were taken from
the following web sites:
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http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/search.html
http://www.pantheon.org/
http://www.messagenet.com/myths/
http://mythman.com/
http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html
http://www.paleothea.com/
http://www.entrenet.com/%7Egroedmed/greekm/myth.html
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only; it has not been and should not be sold
or used as a vehicle to make money.