12 Olympian gods

Ancient Greek beliefs and characteristics Death is inevitable and final, so the goal was to become a legend through great deeds. The Greeks were tough, restless, ambitious, hard-living, and imaginative. Honor was extremely important, and the Greeks were very vengeful if wronged. The gods mirrored human feelings and physical form. Their flaws were pride, cruelty, stubbornness, impulsiveness, lust for power, and a desire to be like the gods.

The Olympians A group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Titans All the Olympians related in some way Named after their dwelling place, Mount Olympus The Olympian Gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, and Hephaestus

Zeus Married to Hera; had many affairs and many children, some of whom were gods and goddesses because as the Greeks conquered territories, they took on the new goddesses and “married” them to Zeus

Hera Married to Zeus Jealous of Zeus’s affairs Because of this, asked a 100-eyed giant to watch him. When Hermes put the giant to sleep, she turned him into a peacock, an animal with eyes on its tail feathers.

Hestia Zeus’s sister Six priestesses called Vestals attended her temple and protected the fire; shrines were built to honor her by the fireplaces in homes

Poseidon Zeus’s brother Controls earthquakes, hurricanes, rough seas, tidal waves Gave the horse and dolphin to mankind

Realm: god of the Underworld Hades Realm: god of the Underworld Not friendly, but not evil either

Underworld features Charon, who rowed people across the river Styx Cerberus, the 3-headed dog who guarded the underworld

Ares Son of Zeus and Hera Very unpopular due to his aggressive behavior – he always started fights

Apollo’s twin sister Artemis Artemis was the first of the twins born. After being born, she then helped her mother(Leto) in the birth of her brother Apollo. One of the largest temples built to a Greek god or goddess was the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. It was so impressive that it was named one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the Ancient World.

Aphrodite Married to Hephaestus Son was Eros (Cupid) She was the model for the famous sculpture Venus de Milo.

Hephaestus Son of Zeus and Hera Thrown out of Mt. Olympus for being “too ugly” and deformed He had crippled feet; often pictured with his feet drawn backwards Husband of Aphrodite

Demeter Zeus’s sister, mother of Persephone Her sorrow causes winter every year

Athena Also called Pallas Athena Emerged from Zeus’s head fully grown City of Athens named for her after she gave them the olive tree

Apollo Some myths say he drove the sun chariot, others give this job to Helios His son Phaeton tried to drive it and burned part of the earth After defeating a Python, Apollo became the patron god of the city of Delphi. He established the Oracle of Delphi to tell the future to his followers. People in the Greek world would travel long distances to visit Delphi and hear their future from the oracle

Hermes Created the lyre Son was Pan – half man, half goat Was the only other God besides Hades and Persephone who could leave the underworld Known as a bit of a trickster Son of Zeus

Other characters in Mythology the muses Nine goddesses in charge of different sciences and arts including music, poetry, history, astronomy, dance, etc. Daughters of Zeus They were meant to inspire

The fates daughters of Zeus Three blind sisters who determined people’s lifespan One spun the thread of life (Clotho) One measured the thread (Atropos) One cut the thread with scissors of death (Lachesis) Do you remember the scene from Hercules?

Project for the Greek Gods/Goddesses Barbie Doll Project – AKA “Athena Barbie”