THE 12 OLYMPIANS Zeus Athena Poseidon Apollo Hades Aphrodite Hestia Hermes Hera Artemis Ares Hephaestus
ELDER GENERATION OF GODS
CHILDREN OF ZEUS & HERA
ZEUS’S IMMORTAL CHILDREN Metis -- Athene Themis -- Hours, Order, Justice, Peace, Fates Demeter -- Persephone Mnemosyne -- The Nine Muses Leto -- Artemis & Apollo Dione -- Aphrodite Semele -- Dionysus Maia -- Hermes Hera -- Hebe, Ares, Hephaestus
ZEUS (JUPITER) Lord of the Sky, the Cloud-gatherer Supreme ruler of Mount Olympus Spiritual leader of both gods and men Upholder of the law, justice, morals, and civilised conduct Attributes: Thunderbolt, the eagle, the aegis, the oak tree
POSEIDON (NEPTUNE) Lord of the Sea Gave the first horse to man (God of Horses) The Earth-shaker (God of Earthquakes) Submarine palace Attributes: The trident, dolphins, horses, bulls
HADES (PLUTO) Lord of the Underworld, Ruler of the Dead Abducted and gave Persephone a pomegranate, she ate and belonged to the underworld forever The God of Wealth, possesses the riches of the earth His name is avoided Attributes: The scepter, the helmet (of invisibility), the narcissus flower
HESTIA (VESTA) Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of home and domestic life A virgin goddess, wooed by Poseidon and Apollo but swore by Zeus to remain a virgin Every hearth on Earth was her altar New colonies took fire from the hearth of the mother-city Attributes: The hearth
HERA (JUNO) Queen of Mount Olympus Zeus’s wife and sister Goddess of Marriage and Birth Always jealous of Zeus’s love affairs Punishes her rivals and their children (e.g. Zeus, Io, Helen) Attributes: The peacock, the cow, the pomegranate, the city of Argos
ARES (MARS) God of War Handsome but vain, cruel and murderous; detested by gods and men Attended by his sister Eris, the Goddess of Strife, his sons, and by Enyo, old goddess of war Cowardly runs away when wounded Born in Thrace, where there lives a fierce people Attributes: The vulture, the dog, and the war gear
PALLAS ATHENA (MINERVA) Goddess of Wisdom, War, the Handicrafts, Industry and Justice Born out of Zeus’s head, fully-grown and wearing a robe and helmet, no mother Zeus’s favourite child Virgin goddess Athena, the grey-eyed; Athena of the flashing eyes Attributes: The olive tree, the owl, the aegis, the city of Athens, and Parthenon temple
PHOEBUS APOLLO God of Light (assoc. with the Sun-god Helios), Truth (can never tell a lie), Medicine, Archery, Music, Poetry Master musician, he directed the choir of Muses The Archer-god, the Healer Twin-brother of Artemis Killed the dragon Python Attributes: The lyre, the bow and the arrow, the tripod, the swan, the laurel tree
APHRODITE (VENUS) Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Sexual Desire The laughter-loving, irresistible goddess; had many lovers Born out of sea foams; the sea carried her to Cyprus Married to Hephaestus, the ugly, lame God of Fire Aphrodisiac festival celebrated in Athens and Corinth, sexual intercourse as worship Attributes: The myrtle tree, the dove, the swan
HERMES (MERCURY) Messenger God, God of Commerce, Travel, Literature, Athletics The Divine Herald, leads the souls of the dead to Hades Cunning, shrewd, swift Gave the lyre to Apollo in exchange for his cattle Attributes: The winged-sandals, a broad-brimmed hat with wings, Caduceus (staff with snakes and wings)
ARTEMIS (DIANA) Goddess of Hunting, Wild Animals, and Fertility A virgin goddess associated with Chastity, twin-sister of Apollo, associated with Selene, the Moon Armed with a bow and arrows, accompanied by the Nymphs Contradictory features; protectress of women in labour and of young children, brought sudden death to labouring women by shooting arrows Attributes: Cypress tree, the deer
HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN/MULCIBER) God of Fire, Forge, Smith of Gods The armourer; patron of smiths Hera conceived him alone, later rejected He imprisoned his mother Hera on a magic throne; released her after Aphrodite was given as his bride He caught his wife with Ares with the magic chain-link net Made the first woman,Pandora from clay Attributes: Ugly, lame; carries an axe; wears a beard