Greek Gods and Goddesses A brief look

Cronus Cronus is the King of the Titans after he castrates his father, Uranus. Cronus is afraid of being replaced by his children, so he eats each one that his sister/wife Rhea gives birth to. However, Rhea hides the sixth child…

Zeus Rhea hid Zeus from Cronus within Gaea (the Earth). After seventeen years, Zeus returned and destroyed his father and freed his five brothers and sisters from their father’s stomach. Zeus would become King of the Gods and would become: God of the Sky and Justice. He is known for his lightning bolts.

Poseidon Poseidon chose to be God of the sea. He is also the God of Earthquakes and horses. He likes to fight and causes many issues. He also dislikes Odysseus and is father to Theseus.

Hades Zeus’s other brother. The eldest and very angry at not being King of the Gods. He is the God of the Underworld (named after him) and the God of Wealth. Hades kidnaps Persephone which is the reason why we have Winter. He is NOT the God of Death (Thanatos)

Hera Wife and sister of Zeus. She is the Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth. Raped and tricked by Zeus. She also hates Heracles and Hephaestus.

Apollo God of Light, Healing, Truth, Prophesy, and Music. Drove Helios (the sun) across the sky. He has a twin sister named Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt and Wind). His father is Zeus.

Hephaestus God of fire, craftsmen, and weapons. He is crippled when, at birth, his mother decided he was too ugly to live (and she was angry at Zeus), so she tossed him from Mt. Olympus to the Earth. His legs and back were broken, but he survived. He is married to Aphrodite, but she cheats on him constantly.

Aphrodite Goddess of Love, Desire, and Beauty. She has two stories of birth. (Zeus/Dione vs. Uranus.) She is married to Hephaestus but carries on an affair with…

Ares The God of Offensive War. He is the son of Zeus. He carries on an affair with Aphrodite, who is his sister. The dog and vulture represent him. Constantly has his weapons broken by Hephaestus.

Athena Goddess of Wisdom, crafts, and defensive war. She was born fully-grown out of Zeus and has his temper. She is the reason why spiders and Medusa exist. Athena favors Odysseus because he is so clever.

Hermes He is the God of thieves and athletics. He is also the messenger of the Gods and helps people travel to the land of the dead. He is related to the Goddess of Victory: Nike.

Demeter Goddess of Harvest. Daughter is Persephone.

Dionysus God of wine, fertility, and theatre. He is happiness and rage together (not unlike the two sides of alcohol). His mother died when Zeus revealed his true form to her, so Dionysus was stitched into Zeus’ leg until birth.

Hestia Goddess of home, family, and hearth.

Persephone Wife of Hades. Daughter of Demeter She is kidnapped by Hades and is the reason why we have Winter. She lives in the underworld six months a year.

Muses There are nine Muses, each with her own specialty: Clio (History) Urania (Astronomy) Melpomene (Tragedy) Thalia (Comedy) Terpsichore (Dance) Calliope (Epic Poetry) Erato (Love Poetry) Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods) Euterpe (Lyric Poetry). The artists pray to the muses for inspiration.

The Fates Fates: Decide man’s (and woman’s) life and death   Clotho: Spins your life Lachesis: Measures your life Atropos: Cuts (or ends) your life

Eris Goddess of discord (chaos). She is disliked by the rest of the Gods and started the Trojan War.

Mt. Olympus Home of the Gods.

Odysseus Hero of the Trojan War. Clever. The Odyssey is his story.

Helen The face that launched 1,000 ships. She is the wife of….

Menelaus The King of Sparta once he married Helen. He rallied all of Greece to go after his wife. It was the first time Greece had come together as a whole nation to defeat a common enemy.

Paris Son of Priam. He took Helen after Aphrodite promised him her love. Paris may or may not have become Alexander the Great. His brother is Hector.

Achilles The greatest Greek warrior. He was made invulnerable (except for his heel) when his mother dipped him in the river Styx. He was killed by Paris at the end of the Trojan War.

Hector Brother of Paris. He is a Trojan warrior fought and lost to Achilles. Achilles dragged Hector’s body behind his chariot for hours to show his anger.

Trojan War Fought over Helen. It lasted ten years according to the myth. It may have actually occurred over ten days in what is now known as Turkey. The war ended when the Greeks snuck into Troy using the Trojan Horse.

Spartans Ruthless warriors. They were constantly at odds with Athens but joined with them for the war with Troy.

Trojans The warriors from Troy. They were led by Priam. After Troy fell, they sailed out. The Aeneid is that story.