3. The Gods of Greece, The Gods of Rome

4. The Greek List Zeus Hera Poseidon Hades Ares Athena Artemis Hestia Aphrodite Hephaestus Apollo Hermes

5. The Roman List Jupiter Juno Neptune Pluto Mars Minerva Diana Vestia Venus Vulcan Apollo Mercury

6. Zeus=Jupiter=Jove King of the gods. His many affairs led to war and hate between his lovers and Hera. Probably the most famous son he had is Hercules. His symbol is the thunderbolt.

7. Hera=Juno Queen of the gods, protector of married women. She had a very bad temper.She tried to make everyone who had a relation with Zeus, miserable. Her animal: the cow.

8. Poseidon=Neptune God of the sea. God of horses and horsemanship. His symbol is the trident and the horse.

9. Hades=Pluto=Dis God of the underworld. God of wealth. Lived in the underworld, took Ceres’ daughter. His symbols is Cerberus and skeletons.

10. Ares=Mars God of war. His special symbols are: the spear, the torch, the vulture, and the dog.

11. Athena=Minerva Goddess of wisdom, goddess of weaving, goddess of war. Favorite daughter of Zeus. Sprung out from Zeus’s head. She was the only one allowed to play with her dad’s thunderbolt. Her sacred animal is the owl.

12. Artemis=Diana Goddess of the moon. Supreme huntress Protectress of maidens. Catullus sings to her in one of his poems.

13. Demeter=Ceres Goddess of the home. Goddess of the earth. When her daughter was stolen, she made the earth barren. She retrieved her daughter, thanks to Zeus, but she is only with her during spring and summer, she is in Hades during fall and winter. Her symbols are the hearth and fire.

14. Aphrodite=Venus Goddess of love. Goddess of beauty. She was the cause for the enmity and jealousy of Hera. Her sacred animals are the swan, sparrow, and dove.

15. Hephaestus=Vulcan God of fire. God of metal. God of workers. He was the workman of the gods.

16. Apollo=Apollo God of the sun. God of medicine. God of music and poetry.

17. Hermes=Mercury Messenger of the gods. God of commerce. He is the one who gave the news to Ceres where her daughter, Persephone, was.

18. Epilogue The Roman and Greek gods and goddesses provided them with an explanation on how things came to be. Over the years, the myths became more and more entertaining and outrageous. When Constantine converted to Christianity, the Roman church brought its holidays and gods into it, except they were “Christianized” before they did. The Romans also brought into the church their own unique way of architecture. Most churches in Rome resemble those of the “pagan” Romans.

19. The Gods of Greece, The Gods of Rome The End