1. 12 Great Olympians

2. Zeus (Jupiter)
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades drew lots to determine realms of power
Hades – underworld
Poseidon – sea
Zeus – “supreme ruler” & lord of the sky

3. Zeus (Jupiter) Zeus – most powerful of the gods
More powerful than rest combined
Not omnipotent / omniscient
Could be opposed/deceived
Constantly seducing mortal women
Angers Hera (wife)

4. Zeus (Jupiter) Demanded more than sacrifice
“right action”
Remember, Zeus is Justice for ALL, not just the wealthy/”beautiful people”
Symbol – eagle (bird), oak (tree)

5. Hera (Juno) Zeus’ wife / sister Symbol – peacock (bird), cow
“protector of marriage”
Punishes women who Zeus seduces, and sometimes their offspring
Even if Zeus tricked/deceived the mortal woman
Venerated (revered) in all homes (particularly married homes)
Symbol – peacock (bird), cow

6. Poseidon (Neptune) Ruler of the sea Symbol – horse
Zeus’ brother, 2nd only to him in eminence
Gave 1st horse to man
As revered for this as for being god of the sea (Greeks were seafarers)
Symbol – horse

7. Hades (Pluto) Ruler of the underworld (Zeus’ third brother)
Lord of the dead
Power over “precious metals” hidden in the earth
Rarely left Hades (also name for the realm he ruled over)
Not as welcome in Olympus
Just, not evil
Had to rule over & “judge” spirits of the dead
NOT “death” itself (Thanatos / Orcus)

8. Pallas Athena (Minerva)
Daughter of Zeus ALONE (not Hera as well)
Sprang “fully grown, in full armor” from Zeus’ head
Goddess of the City
handicrafts
agriculture
Zeus’ favorite child

9. Pallas Athena (Minerva)
Embodiment of wisdom, reason, purity
City – Athens
Olive – tree
Owl - bird

10. Phoebus Apollo Son of Zeus God of Light God of Truth
Master musician (greatest musician in Olympus)
Archer (bow)
Healer (god of healing/medicine)

11. Phoebus Apollo Delphi Foot of Mt. Parnassus Oracle Vital to mythology
“center of the world”
Priestess answers questions of pilgrims while in “trance”
Direct link between gods & Delphi

12. Phoebus Apollo “Sun-god” Actually Helios, not Apollo Laurel – tree
Dolphin & crow – animal

13. Artemis (Diana) Apollo’s twin sister Huntsman-in-chief to the gods
Protector of youth
Moon (Phoebe/Selene & Luna) to Apollo’s sun (Helios)

14. Artemis (Diana) Three forms? Selene in the sky Artemis on earth
Hecate (goddess of magic) in the lower world
Cypress – tree
Deer – animal

15. Aphrodite (Venus) Goddess of Love & Beauty
Daughter of Zeus (?)
“sprung from the foam of the sea”(?)
Depicted as soft, “weak” (battle stories)
Treacherous/malicious
Wife of Hephaestus
Myrtle – tree
Dove – bird (sparrow & swan too?)

16. Hermes (Mercury) Messenger God God of Commerce & the Market
Master Thief
God of Commerce & the Market
Protector of trade
Son of Zeus & Atlas’ daughter
Winged sandals, Cadeuceus (wand, now symbol of medicine)

17. Ares (Mars)
God of War
Son of Zeus & Hera (appropriate, given their “combative” marriage)
BOTH parents “detested” him
“Mars” more loved/honored than “Ares”
cultural
Little more than a “symbol of war” in mythology
No cities / temples to worship him
Vulture – bird
Dog - animal

18. Hephaestus (Vulcan and Mulciber)
God of Fire
Son of Zeus & Hera (Hera alone?)
Some accounts have H. as the “Athena” of Hera’s creation (fully formed from her)
Alone among the gods as “ugly” / deformed
“honored by the gods
“workman of the immortals”
Armorer & smith
Often his “forge” is under a volcano (science explanation)
Patron of “handicrafts” w/Athena honored in cities

19. Hestia (Vesta) Zeus’ sister Virgin goddess (Artemis & Athena)
Goddess of the Hearth
Symbol of the home
No real “personality”
Each city had a hearth sacred to Hestia