GREEK MYTHOLOGYGods and Goddesses

ZEUSROMAN NAME:

JUPITERo Ruler of the

Olympianso Realm: the Heavenso Weapon: Lightning

bolto Sacred animal: Eagleo Husband to Hera (his

sister)o Liked pretty women

(a lot!)o Terrifying when angry

HERAROMAN NAME:

JUNOo Wife of Zeuso Mother of

Haephestuso Realm: generally

Heavenso Guardian of

marriageo Extremely jealous of

Zeus’s girlfriends – was often cruel to those women

o Animal: Peacock

POSEIDONROMAN NAME:

NEPTUNEGod of the SeasRealm: the OceansWeapon: TridentBrother to Zeus, HadesGod of EarthquakesPercy Jackson’s father

HADESROMAN NAME:

PLUTOo God of the

Underworld, the deado Brother to Zeus,

Poseidono Wife: Persephone

(Porsepine in Roman); he kidnapped her

o Gloomy and frightening

o He does NOT talk like James Woods

ATHENAROMAN NAME: MINERVAo Goddess of wisdom and

war/strategic planning (in Roman tradition, Minerva is NOT the goddess of war; only the goddess of wisdom)

o Daughter of Zeus – sprang completely formed from Zeus’s head, after he had a bad headache

o Protector of the city of Athens

o Prefers reason to violenceo Turned Arachne into a spider

for bragging about weavingo She carries Zeus’s shield,

Aegiso Animal: the owl

APOLLOROMAN NAME: APOLLO

o Twin to Artemiso God of the sun (or

light). Also of poetry, music and medicine

o His oracles (women who predict the future) were famous – Oracle at Delphi most popular

o Symbols: Golden bow and arrows

o Wears a laurel wreath in honor of Daphne, who didn’t want to marry him and was turned into a laurel tree to get away from him

ARTEMISROMAN NAME:

DIANAo Twin of Apolloo Goddess of the

hunt, chastity, the moon

o Virgin goddesso Protector of

women., small children

o Independento Doesn’t like meno Symbols: 3 hunting

hounds; bow; fawno Realm: Forest.

glades

APHRODITEROMAN NAME: VENUS

o Is a Titan, not an Olympian

o Born of the sea foam and blood of Uranus

o Goddess of love and beauty

o Wife of Hephaestuso Charming, fickle, vain

and competitiveo Symbol: Cestus (magic

belt)o Mother of Eroso Has a relationship with

Ares

HERMESROMAN NAME:

MERCURYo God of science and

inventiono Messenger of the

godso Symbols: Winged

helmet, winged shoes

o Said to have invented the alphabet, boxing and gymnastics

o Realm: All realms

ARESROMAN NAME:

MARSo God of war and

frenzyo Would fight both

sides of a war if he could

o Young, strong, handsome

o Dressed only in battle clothes

o Realm: battlefieldso Son of Hera

HEPHAESTUSROMAN NAME: VULCANo God of the Forge;

blacksmitho Realm: the Gods’ forgeo Born lame; the only

Olympian with a disability

o Hera threw him off Mount Olympus when she was angry, making his lameness worse

o Married to Aphrodite (not a happy marriage)

o Made Zeus’s lightning bolts as well as most of the famous weaponry for other Olympians

o Was the creator of Pandora

HESTIAROMAN NAME:

VESTAo Goddess of the

hearth (fireplace) and home

o Sister to Zeuso Did not have a lot of

adventures, so she rarely appears in art.

o Realm: the homeo Kind and gentleo Once had a throne on

Mount Olympus, but stepped down to allow Dionysus the throne. She retired to tend the hearth.

DEMETERROMAN NAME:

CERESo Goddess of the harvesto Symbols: torch; crown;

scepter; stalk of graino Daughter: Persephoneo Demeter was so distraught

with the kidnap of Persephone, she halted crop growth. In a deal with Hades, he agreed Persephone could return to the world of the living 6 months out of the year. The other 6 months she would stay in the Underworld. It is during those 6 months that the earth goes through fall and winter

o Realm: Fields of crops

DIONYSUSROMAN NAME: BACCHUS

o Son of Zeus (by another woman not Hera)

o Called “Twice Born”o God of wine, vegetationo Major partier!o Taught people how to make

wine and have a good timeo Took over the throne Hestia

vacatedo Realm: Grapevineso Maenads; “raving ones”:

Women followers of Dionysus who drank and often times would lose self-control and engage in immoral behaviors including cannibalism and murder.