Greek Gods and Goddesses PDF

Greek Gods and Goddesses Olympian Gods and Goddesses Zeus ▪ The king of the gods ▪ The god of the sky ▪ Depicted as a regal, mature man ▪ Lightning bolt, royal scepter, eagle, bull, olive tree 3 Zeus ▪ The youngest child of the Titans Cronus a...

Greek Gods and Goddesses Olympian Gods and Goddesses Zeus ▪ The king of the gods ▪ The god of the sky ▪ Depicted as a regal, mature man ▪ Lightning bolt, royal scepter, eagle, bull, olive tree 3 Zeus ▪ The youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea ▪ Devoured the pregnant goddess Metis and gave birth to Athena directly from his head ▪ Married his sister, Hera, after seducing her under the guise of a peacock 4 Zeus ▪ Had many affairs with goddesses and mortals ▪ Had punished the worst villains in Greek myths for their impiety and crimes against the gods ▪ Roman counterpart: Jupiter 5 Poseidon ▪ The god of the sea, earthquakes, floods, horses ▪ A mature man holding a trident ▪ Trident, horses, dolphin, wild celery, 6 bull Poseidon ▪ Entered a contest with the goddess Athena for dominion over Athens ▪ Seduced many nymphs and mortal women in the guise of an animal or flowing water ▪ Helped build the walls of Troy ▪ Roman counterpart: Neptune 7 Hera ▪ The queen of the gods ▪ The goddess of marriage and women ▪ Depicted as a woman holding a lotus- tipped scepter and 8 accompanied by a Hera ▪ Conceived Hephaestus alone without a father ▪ Persecuted the other consorts of Zeus ▪ Persecuted Heracles and Dionysus ▪ Assisted the Argonauts in their quest of the golden fleece 9 Hera ▪ Competed against Aphrodite and Athena for the prize of the golden apple ▪ Assisted the Greeks in the Trojan War ▪ Roman counterpart: Juno 10 Aphrodite ▪ The goddess of beauty, love, pleasure, and procreation ▪ Depicted as a beautiful woman accompanied by Eros ▪ Dove, apple, scallop 11 Aphrodite ▪ Born from the sea foam ▪ Had an adulterous affair with the god Ares ▪ Her love, Adonis, was accidentally killed by a boar. ▪ Awarded with the golden apple during the judgment of Paris 12 Aphrodite ▪ Supported the Trojans during the Trojan War ▪ Brought to life the statue of Galatea ▪ Persecuted Psyche, the maiden loved by her son, Eros ▪ Roman counterpart: Venus 13 Ares ▪ The god of war, battle lust, and courage ▪ Depicted as a bearded warrior with a helm and spear 14 Ares ▪ Had an adulterous affair with Aphrodite ▪ Transformed himself into a boar and killed Adonis ▪ Apprehended the criminal Sisyphus ▪ Joined the Trojan War and sided with the Trojans 15 Athena ▪ The goddess of wisdom and good counsel, war, weaving, pottery ▪ Depicted as a stately woman with a shield and spear and Aegis 16 Athena ▪ Born from the forehead of Zeus ▪ Had a contest against Poseidon for dominion of Athens ▪ Assisted Perseus in his quest to slay Medusa ▪ Assisted Heracles with this twelve labors 17 Athena ▪ Had a weaving contest against Arachne ▪ Competed with Hera and Aphrodite for the golden apple ▪ Sided with the Greeks in the Trojan War ▪ Roman counterpart: Minerva 18 Apollo ▪ The god of prophecy, music, medicine, poetry, disease, archery ▪ Depicted as a beardless youth with long hair 19 ▪ Branch of laurel, bow Apollo ▪ Born on the island of Delos ▪ Slayed the serpent Python which guarded the oracular shrine of Delphi ▪ Destroyed Niobides whose mother offended Leto ▪ Loved Hyacinthus who was killed by a discus throw 20 Apollo ▪ Brought plague during the Trojan War ▪ Roman counterpart: Apollo 21 Artemis ▪ The goddess of hunting, wilderness, and wild animals ▪ Bringer of sudden death and disease ▪ Depicted as a young maiden with a hunting bow and 22 Artemis ▪ Born on the island of Delos and acted as a midwife ▪ Transformed Callisto into a bear ▪ Accidentally killed Orion with a distant bow-shot ▪ Transformed Actaeon into a stag when he spied her bathing 23 Demeter ▪ The goddess of agriculture, grain, and bread ▪ Depicted as a mature woman, bearing sheafs of wheat or a cornucopia 24 Demeter ▪ Had her daughter Persephone abducted by Hades and cause a long drought ▪ Assaulted by Poseidon ▪ Punished Erysichthon for cutting down her holy grove ▪ Roman counterpart: Ceres 25 Hephaestus ▪ The god of fire, smiths, craftsmen, metalworking, stonemasonry and sculpture ▪ Depicted as a bearded man holding a hammer and tongs 26 Hephaestus ▪ Fell from Mt. Olympus when Hera casted him away from birth ▪ The adultery of his wife Aphrodite with Ares ▪ Crafted Pandora, the first woman ▪ Attempted to violate Athena which resulted in the impregnation of Earth 27 Hephaestus ▪ Crafted the cursed necklace of Harmonia ▪ Crafted the armor of Achilles at the hero’s mother’s request ▪ Roman counterpart: Vulcan 28 Hermes ▪ The god of herds, flocks, travelers and hospitality, roads and trade, thieves, diplomacy, language, gymnasiums, astronomy and astrology 29 Hermes ▪ The personal messenger of Zeus ▪ The guide of the dead into the underworld ▪ Depicted as athletic, beardless youth with winged boots and a 30 Hermes ▪ Snuck out of his crib, stole the cattle of Apollo, and crafted the first lyre from a tortoise shell ▪ Transformed Battos into a stone for reporting his theft of Apollo’s cattle ▪ Sent by Zeus to slay the hundred-eyed giant Argos Panoptes 31 Hermes ▪ Assisted Perseus in his quest to slay Medusa ▪ Gave Odysseus a magical herb to protect the hero from the magic of the treacherous witch Circe ▪ Herald’s wand, winged boots, traveler’s hat 32 ▪ Roman counterpart: Mercury Dionysus ▪ The god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness ▪ Depicted as either older, bearded god or effeminate, long- haired youth 33 ▪ Thyrsos, drinking Dionysus ▪ Sewed up in Zeus thigh and carried him to term ▪ The target of distaste of Hera ▪ Inflicted madness upon King Lycurgus and the daughters of King Pentheus of Thebes ▪ Taught Icarius in the art of winemaking 34 Dionysus ▪ Married Princess Ariadne of Crete ▪ Launched a campaign against the Indian nation ▪ Recovered his mother Semele from the underworld ▪ Roman counterpart: Bacchus 35 Other Greek Gods and Goddesses Hestia ▪ The virgin goddess of the hearth, the home, sacrificial flame ▪ Presided over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal 37 Hestia ▪ Refused the marriage proposals from Poseidon and Apollo ▪ Depicted as modestly veiled woman holding a flower branch/kettle ▪ Roman counterpart: Vesta 38 Hades ▪ King of the underworld ▪ The god of the dead, hidden wealth of the earth ▪ Presided over funeral rites and defended 39 the right of the dead Hades ▪ Forcefully abducted Persephone ▪ Depicted as a dark-bearded, regal god ▪ Roman counterpart: Pluto 40 Eros ▪ The mischievous god of love ▪ Constant companion of Aphrodite ▪ Lit the flame of love in the hearts of the gods and men 41 Eros ▪ Depicted as either a handsome youth or child ▪ Bow and arrows, gifts of a lover, winged baby ▪ Roman counterpart: Cupid 42 Iris ▪ The goddess of the rainbow, sea and sky ▪ The messenger of the Olympian gods ▪ The handmaiden and personal messenger of Hera 43 Iris ▪ Usually described as a virgin goddess ▪ Depicted as a beautiful young woman with golden wings, a herald’s scepter and water pitcher ▪ The cup-bearer of the gods ▪ Roman counterpart: Iris, Arcus 44 Hebe ▪ The goddess of youth, young brides ▪ The cupbearer of the gods who served ambrosia ▪ Attendant of Aphrodite 45 Hebe ▪ Married to Heracles which reconciled him to her mother, Hera ▪ Roman counterpart: Juventas 46 Nike ▪ The winged goddess of victory ▪ One of the sentinels of Zeus’ throne ▪ Depicted with a sash, lyre, incense burner, palm branch 47 Nike ▪ One of the children of Styx ▪ Roman counterpart: Victoria 48 Persephone ▪ The goddess queen of the underworld ▪ The goddess of spring growth ▪ Depicted as a young goddess holding sheafs of grain and a 49 flaming torch Persephone ▪ Seized by Hades as his bride to the underworld ▪ Her return to the earth is marked by the coming of spring and summer and her return to the underworld is marked by autumn and winter. ▪ Roman counterpart: Proserpina 50 Hypnos ▪ The god of sleep ▪ The twin brother of Thanatos ▪ Depicted as a young man with wings on his shoulders ▪ Horn of sleep- 51 inducing opium, Hypnos ▪ Dwelt in Erebus, the land of eternal darkness beyond the gates of the rising sun ▪ Follows his mother Nyx every night ▪ Roman counterpart: Somnus or Sopor 52 Thanatos ▪ The god of peaceful death ▪ The opposite of his sisters, the Keres ▪ Depicted as a winged, beaded old man holding a down- 53 turned torch and Thanatos ▪ Was captured by the criminal Sisyphus who trapped him in a sack so as to avoid death ▪ Roman counterpart: Mors or Letum 54 Hecate ▪ The goddess of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, necromancy ▪ The only child of Perses and Asteria ▪ Depicted as a woman holding twin torches 55 Hecate ▪ Assisted Demeter in her search for Persephone ▪ Became Persephone’s minister and companion in the underworld ▪ Symbols include the black she-dog and the polecat ▪ Roman counterpart: Trivia 56 Erinyes ▪ The three goddesses of vengeance and retribution ▪ Were particularly concerned with homicide, unfilial conduct, perjury, and offenses against the 57 Erinyes ▪ Depicted as ugly, winged women with hair, arms, and waists entwined with poisonous snakes ▪ Wielded whips and clothed with long black robes or skirts 58 Erinyes ▪ Can be called by a victim to put curse upon the criminal ▪ Curse of the parent upon the child ▪ Their wrath could only be placated with the ritual of purification and the completion of some task ▪ Servants of Hades and Persephone in 59 the underworld Erinyes ▪ Vipers, screech-owl ▪ Names: Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone ▪ Roman counterparts: Furiae, Dirae 60 Moirae ▪ The three goddesses of fate ▪ The children of Zeus and Themis ▪ Clotho – the spinner ▪ Lachesis – the apportioner of lots 61 ▪ Atropos – the cutter Moirae ▪ Depicted as ugly, old women, and sometimes lame ▪ Severe, inflexible and stern 62 Moirae ▪ Assigned the fate to every person ▪ Did not abruptly interfere in human affairs ▪ Considered as prophetic deities ▪ Roman counterpart: Parcae, Fatae 63 Amphitrite ▪ The goddess-queen of the sea ▪ The wife of Poseidon ▪ Depicted as a young woman holding a fish 64 Amphitrite ▪ Fled from Poseidon when he first sought her hand and hid away near Atlas ▪ Was fetched by Delphin to wed Poseidon ▪ Roman counterpart: Salacia 65 Nereids ▪ Fifty sea-nymphs who were daughters of Nereus ▪ The goddesses of the rich bounty of the sea and protectors of sailors and fishermen 66 Nereids ▪ Dwelt with their elderly father in a silvery grotto at the bottom of the Aegean Sea ▪ Depicted as beautiful, young maidens with small dolphins or fishes on their hands, or riding on the backs of dolphins 67 Horae ▪ The goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time ▪ Presided over the revolutions of the heavenly constellations 68 Horae ▪ The sisters of Moirae ▪ Honored by farmers ▪ Eunomia – good order, good pasture ▪ Eirene – peace, spring ▪ Dike - justice 69 Pan ▪ The god of shepherds and hunters, the meadows and forests of the mountain wilds ▪ Idled in the countryside playing is panpipes and chasing nymphs 70 Pan ▪ Depicted as a man with horns, legs, and tail of a goat, a thick beard, a snub nose, and pointed ears 71 Pan ▪ Nymphs fled from his advances ▪ Pitys – transformed into a mountain- pine ▪ Syrinx – transformed into a clump of reeds ▪ Echo – cursed to fade away for spurning the god 72 Eris ▪ The goddess of strife, discord, contention and rivalry ▪ Haunted the battlefield and delighted in human bloodshed 73 Eris ▪ Was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis and was refused admittance ▪ Threw a golden apple with the inscription “To the fairest” ▪ Roman counterpart: Discordia 74 Nemesis ▪ The goddess of indignation against evil deeds and undeserved good fortune ▪ The personification of resentment 75 ▪ Depicted as a winged Nemesis ▪ Directed human affairs to maintain equilibrium ▪ Particularly concerned with matters of love in myths ▪ Roman counterpart: Nemesis, Rivalitas 76 Tyche ▪ The goddess of fortune, chance, providence ▪ Depicted holding a rudder, a ball, or the cornucopia ▪ Roman counterpart: 77 Fortuna 78