Olypmian Gods and Godesses

ZEUS ( Jupiter)
 Lord of the Sky

 Rain-god
 Cloud-gatherer
 Weather-god
 Main attribute – thunderbolt
 Breastplate - Aegis
 Bird - Eagle
 Tree - Oak
 Oracle - Dodona
His name means “dios” meaning bright.

He was not an omnipotent / omniscient god.
He falls in love with one woman after another and
does many tricks to hide his infidelity from his
wife Hera:
1. Metis- Athena
2. Hera – Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe & Ilithyia
3. Leto – Apollo & Artemis
4. Dione – Aphrodite
5. Leda (Spartan Queen) – Castor & Pollux,
Clytemnestra & Helen of Troy
6. Semele – Dionysus
7. Mnemosyne – Muses
8. Alcmene – Heracles
9. Ganymede (Trojan Prince and became one of the
constellations – AQUARIUS or the water carrier)
Zeus never helped liars and those who break their

oaths.
HERA ( Juno)
 Zeus’ wife and sister
 Protector of marriage and married women
 Cow and peacock are sacred to her
 Argos was her favorite city
Hera was a jealous wife who punishes many women

and even children of Zeus.
It is said that each year her virginity returns by
bathing in the well CANATHUS.
Hephaestus was said to be the son of Hera alone to
get even with Zeus who bore Athena.
POSEIDON (Neptune)
 god of the sea
 A very moody divinity
 Dolphins and trident were associated with him
 Amphitrite was his wife
Storm and calm in the sea were under his control.

One of his most notorious love affairs was with
Demeter.
Another story about him involves the competition
between him and the Athena.
PLUTO
 lord of the dead
 god of wealth
 Persephone was his wife
 His attribute was the helmet given by the
Cyclopes.
 Tartarus / Hades was the place of the dead
 Cerberus – a 3-headed dog and dragon tailed
guard in Hades.
He was not a welcome visitor in Mt. Olympus

ATHENA ( Minerva)
 goddess of wisdom, defensive war, arts, industry,
justice, skill, city
 A great inventor – chariot, briddle, ship, trumpet,
plow, rake and more
 Athens – city
 Olive – tree
 Owl – bird
 A virgin goddess
 Parthenon – her temple
 ERICHTHONIUS – half-man, half-serpent (she and
Hephaestus)
APOLLO
 The most Greek of all Gods
 god of music, archery, medicine, truth, light
 Laurel – his tree
 Delphi at Parnassus – his oracle
Apollo never married but had lovers and children:

1. Daphne
2. Cassandra
3. Hyacinthus
ARTEMIS (Diana)
 goddess of wilderness, the hunt, wild animals and
of chastity
 A virgin goddess
She is usually armed with bow and arrows made by

Hephaestus and the Cyclopes.
Artemis was very protective of her purity and gave
grave punishment to any man who attempted to
dishonor her – ACTAEON (turned into a stag)
APHRODITE (Venus)
 goddess of love, beauty and sexual desire
 Laughter-loving goddess
 Wife of Hephaestus who gave her the magical
girdle
 Some of her lovers were Ares and Adonis.
 Her children were: Eros & Anteros and Aeneas
 APHRODISIAC – her festival
HERMES ( Mercury )
 god of shepherds, land travel, merchants, weights
and measures, oratory, literature, athletics and
thieves
 His attributes were : winged sandals, winged hat
and a magic wand
 He invented foot racing and boxing
 His offspring were Pan and Hermaphroditus
Apollo gave him the Caduceus in exchange for his

flute and the cattle in exchange for the lyre.
ARES (Mars)
 god of offensive war
 Vulture – his bird
He was often accompanied by his sister, ERIS,

goddess of Discord and his twin sons PHOBUS &
DEIMUS which means “panic” and “fear”
Once in a while when he was wounded, he would

run back to his father and was healed.
HEPHAESTUS (Vulcan & Mulciber)
 god of fire and volcanoes
 Smith-god
 A lame god and was born weak and crippled
 He was a PARTHENOGENETIC, meaning he was
conceived without male fertilization.
 He helped Zeus from giving birth to Athena
 He also helped in creating Pandora
 He made weapons for the gods :
1. Aegis – Zeus & Athena
2. Arrows – Eros
3. Chariot – sun-god
4. Invincible armor - Achilles
 Peace loving god
Why was he crippled and lame?

1. Hera, displeased by the sight of her son, threw
Hephaestus from Mt. Olympus and he fell for a
whole day before landing in the sea. Nymphs
rescued him and took him to LEMNOS, where the
people of the island cared for him
2. Hephaestus took sides with Zeus & Hera when
they were quarrelling. Zeus got angry and threw
him from Olympus and he spent 9 days and 9
nights falling. He landed at LEMNOS, with lame
legs.
HESTIA (Vesta)
 A virgin goddess of the hearth, symbol of home
 Every meal began and ended with an offering to
her
 She was the peacemaker among the gods
 She was also the protector of orphans and lost
children
 In respect of her, people never let their fireplace
to grow cold
MEDUSA
MUSES
DIONYSUS (Bacchus)
EROS (Cupid)
HERMAPHRODITUS
DEMETER (Ceres) & PERSEPHONE
GANYMEDE
CRONUS & RHEA
SIRENS
POLYPHEMUS
CADUCEUS
MT. OLYMPUS

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ZEUS ( Jupiter)

 Lord of the Sky

His name means “dios” meaning bright.

Zeus never helped liars and those who break their

Hera was a jealous wife who punishes many women

Storm and calm in the sea were under his control.

He was not a welcome visitor in Mt. Olympus

Apollo never married but had lovers and children:

She is usually armed with bow and arrows made by

Apollo gave him the Caduceus in exchange for his

He was often accompanied by his sister, ERIS,

Once in a while when he was wounded, he would

Why was he crippled and lame?

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