Apollo, Hermes, Cerberus, Pandora and Keto By John Koenig

Apollo Son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis. He was the god of music, healing, prophecy and light He gave the science of medicine to man Not only was he the god of healing, but he could also could spread disease with his silver bow. The most important daily task of Apollo was to move the sun across the sky with his four horse chariot. He served as an intermediary between gods and men.

Hermes Hermes was the Son of Zeus and Maia He was very cunning and could move between the world of gods and man quickly, thus he asked as a messenger of the gods. He served as the protector of travelers, thieves, and athletes. Guided the souls of the dead to the underworld. He liked to use his cunningness to play tricks on gods, for example when he was born he decided he wanted to steal Apollo's herd. He pulled off their hooves and put them on backwards. He then took the herd, which now appeared to be walking backwards, and hid it inside a cave. He then returned to his crib. However, Apollo wasn't fooled. He grabbed Hermes out of the crib and brought him before Zeus. Regretting what he had done, he gave Apollo the gift of a lyre, a music instrument he had created.

Cerberus Cerberus was a three-headed dog who guarded the entrance of the underworld He allowed the dead to enter, but never leave. Cerberus was the son of Typhon and Echidna. He also had a serpent's tail, a mane of snakes and the claws of a lion. Heracles learned how to enter the underworld, and assisted by some of the gods he managed to find Hades (lord of the underworld) to ask his permission to take Cerberus to the surface. Hades agreed under the condition that Heracles must not use any weapons. Heracles was successful in doing so, and overpowered the Cerberus.

Keto Keto was a primordial goddess of the sea and sea monsters such as whales and sharks. She was the daughter of Titans Pontus and Gaea Her children were all monsters including Ekhidna, Skylla, Medousaand the 100 headed serpents Ladon.

Pandora Pandora was the first human woman in Greek mythology. She was created by Hephaestus and Athena, who were following the instructions of Zeus. Zeus wanted to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans. Zeus was attempting to give humans a gift to balance the gift of fire. Pandora would be given numerous seducing gifts that would plague humanity. Numerous other gods contributed to Pandora's creation. Pandora was given a jar that held many evils, diseases and other pains. Jar in hand, Pandora was given to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother who accepted the divine gift despite his brother's warnings, who was suspicious of her. One day, out of curiosity, Pandora opened the lid of the jar and released all the evils into the world. She quickly tried to put the lid back on but trapped hope in it. This story was how the ancient Greeks thought evil came into the world.