ZEUS (JUPITER)

The chief of the godsAKA: Lord of the Sky, Rain God, Cloud

GathererWeapon: ThunderboltBreastplate: AegisBird: eagleTree: oakOracle: DodonaFather of MANY

POSEIDON (NEPTUNE)

The ruler of the sea and second in command

AKA: Earth ShakerHusband of Amphitrite (granddaughter

of Ocean)Gave the first horse to manCarried a trident

HADES (PLUTO)

Lord of the Underworld, King of the Dead (but not death itself)

AKA: The god of Wealth (all minerals and jewels under the Earth’s surface were his)

Had a Helm of Darkness, which made the wearer invisible.

His wife was Persephone

HESTIA (VESTA)

Goddess of the hearth, symbol of the home

One of the virgin goddessesShe does not appear in myths, but

played a very important role in the daily lives of Greeks and Romans.

In Rome her perpetual fire was cared for by six virgin priestesses, called Vestals.

HERA (JUNO)

Zeus’s wife and sisterThe protector of marriageHated and sought revenge against

every woman with whom her husband had relations.

She changed the outcome of the Trojan War because of a past insult to her beauty.

The cow and peacock were sacred to her.

ARES (MARS)

The God of WarSon of Zeus and Hera (who both

detested him)Homer called him murderous,

bloodstained, the incarnate curse of mortals

His bird was the vulture, and he chose the dog as his animal (remember the “dogs of war” in Julius Caesar?)

PALLAS ATHENA (MINERVA)Zeus had a headache;out popped Athena fully grown

and armed. Metis is her mother.(FYI: Having a baby by oneself without a member of

the opposite gender to get things started is called parthenogenesis .)

One of the virgin goddesses.The Goddess of the City, protector of civilized life, and

inventor of the bridle, carrier of Aegis and a Medusa shield

She defends the state and home from enemies, and is the protector of weavers.

Her city was Athens, the olive was her tree, and the owl was her bird, her temple the Parthenon

(Pallas is just part of her name; two goddesses were merged…)

PHOEBUS APOLLOThe Archer God, lord of the silver bow,

The Healer, God of Light, and God of Truths

Also famous for athleticism and music Delphi was his oracle.He defeated the serpent, Python.His tree was the laurel, and his most

sacred animals were the crow and the dolphin.

Always depicted as extremely handsome(Phoebus means “bright”)

APHRODITE (VENUS)

The Goddess of Love and BeautyDaughter of Zeus and Dione-or sprung

from the foam of the sea near Cythera as the last of the Titans.

Her tree was the myrtle; the dove was her bird—sometimes the swan or the sparrow.

HERMES (MERCURY)The messenger of the gods.Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas).Known for winged sandals, a winged hat,

and the Caduceus (his magic wand).Also god of thieves and travelers. He

stole Apollo’s cattle, but Zeus made him return them. Apollo forgave him when he presented him with an instrument he invented-the lyre.

He was also a guide for the dead.

ARTEMIS (DIANA)

Apollo’s twin sister, daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the third of the virgin goddesses.

She was the Lady of Wild Things and the Huntsman-in-chief to the gods.

She was also the Moon.The cypress was her sacred tree, and

all wild animals were sacred to her—especially the deer.

HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)The God of Fire, and the protector of smiths.Sometimes the son of Zeus and Hera-sometimes

born from Hera alone to get even for Athena.He was known for being ugly and deformed. He

was cast out of Olympus by either his father or mother-depending upon which stories you read.

In the Iliad he is married to Aglaia, in the Odyssey he is married to Aphrodite.

He also made furniture, armor, and weapons for fellow gods.

He provided the headache “cure” to Zeus.

Dionysus (Bacchus)

The god of wine (or the vine) Son of Zeus and Semele Also the god of madness Symbols: ivy or grape vines; comedy

and tragedy masks Followers were maenads (wild

women) and Satyrs ( ½ man- ½ goat)

Demeter (Ceres)

Goddess of the harvest Mother of Persephone Did not live on Mt. Olympus Her despair over her missing

daughter caused her to stop all agriculture from producing

Persephone’s kidnapping sparked the “creation” of seasons

Click to see the Gods’ family tree… http://www.webexhibits.org/greekgods/