The Gods of Greek Mythology

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ZEUS (Jupiter)

• Lord of the Sky

• Rain God and Cloud Gatherer, whose weapon is the
  lightning bolt
  

• Supreme ruler of Mount Olympus with power
  greater than all of the other gods combined

• His womanizing led him into trouble on many
  different occasions

• His breastplate was the aegis, his bird the
  eagle, and his tree the oak

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Hera (Juno)

• Wife sister of Zeus

• Protector of marriage

• Known for her intense anger

• She never forgot any instances of infidelity

• Punished the women Zeus fell in love with, and
  their children as well

• The cow and the peacock were sacred to her

• Argos was her favorite city

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Poseidon (Neptune)

• Zeus brother

• Ruler of the Sea

• Carried a three-pronged spear, a trident, that
  he used to shake and shatter whatever he wanted,
  earning him the title Earth-Shaker

• He was also greatly revered for giving the first
  horse to man

• In addition to horses, he also had a connection
  with bulls

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Hades (Pluto)

• Brother of Zeus

• Ruler of the Underworld

• Also called the God of Wealth due to the gems
  hidden in the earth

• He had a helmet of invisibility

• King of the Dead

• Although he was relentless and uncaring, Hades
  was still fair

• He was said to be a terrible, but not an evil god

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Athena (Minerva)

• Daughter of Zeus, born out of the side of his
  head

• Fierce and ruthless battle goddess, although she
  has been portrayed as only combative when
  defending her home

• Protector of civilized life, handicrafts and
  agriculture

• The embodiment of wisdom, reason, purity

• One of the three virgin goddesses

• Athens was her special city

• The olive created by her was her tree, and the
  owl was her bird

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Phoebus Apollo

• Son of Zeus and Leto

• Archer god lord of the silver bow

• God of Light and the God of Truth

• Master musician who played a golden lyre

• Although most tales portray him as benevolent,
  some have shown him to be cruel and merciless

• Sometimes called the Lycian, or Wolf-god

• His City was Delphi, where he had his own oracle

• The laurel was his tree, and many animals were
  sacred to him, especially the crow and the dolphin

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Artemis (Diana)

• Apollos twin sister

• Lady of Wild things and the protectress of young
  animals

• Fierce and revengeful

• She was the Moon

• One of the three virgin goddesses of Olympus

• All wild animals, especially the deer, were
  sacred to her, as well as cypress trees

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Aphrodite (Venus)

• Daughter of Zeus and Dione

• Goddess of love and beauty

• She has been shown in some tales to be soft and
  weak, while in others she has been portrayed as
  using her beauty maliciously to prey on men

• She was the wife of Hephaestus

• She is said to have sprung from the foam of the
  sea

• The myrtle was her tree, and the dove her bird,
  but sometimes also the sparrow and the swan

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Hermes (Mercury)

• Son of Zeus and Maia, the daughter of Atlas

• Known for his speed and grace as Zeus messenger

• God of Commerce and the Market, he was a
  protector of traders

• He was also a Master Thief and considered to be
  extremely cunning

• As the Divine Herald he guided souls of the dead
  down to their final resting place

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Ares (Mars)

• Son of Zeus and Hera, both of whom detested him

• God of War

• Despite his ruthlessness, he was also known for
  being a coward

• His train of attendants on the battlefield
  include Eris and her son Strife, as well as Enyo,
  the goddess of war, who walks beside him with
  Terror, Trembling, and Panic

• His bird is the vulture, and his his animal is
  the dog

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Hephaestus (Vulcan and Mulciber)

• Son of Zeus and Hera, although sometimes said to
  be from Hera alone in retaliation for Zeus having
  spawned Athena

• God of Fire

• Kind and peace loving god

• Protector of the smiths, and maker of weapons
  and armor for the immortals

• He alone was ugly among the beautiful immortals

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Hestia (Vesta)

• Zeus sister

• Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the home

• One of the three virgin goddesses with Athena
  and Artemis

• Each city had a public hearth sacred to her,
  where the fire was never allowed to be
  extinguished

• In the city of Rome, her fire was kept burning
  by six virgin priestesses called Vestals

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Sources

• Hamilton, Edith. Mythology, Timeless tales of
• Gods and heroes. Warner Books, New York.
  1942.

• Pictures retrieved on September 12, 2006 from
• www.mythweb.com.

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