GREEK MYTHOLOGY The Gods & Heroes

The Beginning Zeus is the father of gods & men. His parents were of the Titans. –Saturn/Chronus was his father & Rhea was his mother. –The Titans were the children of Earth & Heaven. His Roman names were Jupiter or Jove. Zeus has children with most of the goddesses & many women.

Hera was the wife of Zeus and the queen of the gods. The peacock was her favorite bird. Her favorite messenger was Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Hera’s Roman name was Juno.

The Others Demeter was the goddess of agriculture; she made the crops grow. Her Roman name was Ceres. Her daughter, Persephone, became the wife of Hades and queen of the realms of the dead (Zeus was her father.) –Persephone ate 6 pomegranate seeds in Hades & had to spend 6 months of the year with her husband.

Hades was the god of the Underworld; he was a brother of Zeus (AKA “Hades.”) His Roman name was Pluto; he kidnapped Persephone & took her to Hades to be his wife. Demeter grieved so much that nothing would grow on the earth; Zeus negotiated a deal that would help out the situation. Persephone would spend 6 months with her husband (pomegranate seeds) & 6 months with her mother.

The god of the sea was Poseidon who was a brother of Zeus. Poseidon’s Roman name was Neptune. He is often pictured with a trident & riding in a seashell with seahorses to pull him.

Hestia is the deity that presides over the hearth & home. Her Roman name is Vesta & is where we get the word “vestabule” from & Vestal virgins, who were the holy women of ancient Rome. All the gods & goddesses lived on Mt. Olympus in Greece, except for Poseidon & Hades.

A twisted family tree Children of Zeus & Hera: –Ares (Mars): god of war –Hephaestos (Vulcan): the celestial artist; he was born lame & his mother was so displeased with his looks, so she flung him out of heaven. –Another story goes that he took his mother’s part in an argument between his parents & Zeus kicked him out.

Children of Zeus & Leto (Latona) –Phoebus Apollo was the god of archery, prophecy & music. He was also god of the sun. –Artemis (Diana) was the goddess of the hunt & her planet was the moon. Aphrodite (Venus) is the child of Zeus & his union with Dione. –Aphrodite sprang from the foam of the sea off the Isle of Cyprus. –She was received by the Seasons & then led to the assembly of the gods.

Aphrodite was the goddess of love & beauty and inspiring love in others. Zeus gave Aphrodite to Vulcan, the ugliest of the gods because Vulcan had created the thunderbolts. They had one child, Eros (Cupid), who became the god of love & Aphrodite’s constant companion. Animals sacred to Aphrodite were the swan & the dove; roses & myrtles were her plants.

Zeus & Maia had one child, Hermes. Hermes became the messenger of Zeus & wore a winged cap & winged shoes. He carried the caduceus, a rod with two snakes entwined. His Roman name was Mercury. Zeus & Semele had one child, Dionysus, the god of wine & merriment, not just the intoxicating effects of wine but its social influences as well.

Dionysus is a promoter of civilization, a lawgiver, & lover of peace. We are more familiar with his Roman name, Bacchus. Zeus had one child by himself, Athena, who sprang forth from his head completely armed. Athena (Minerva) was the goddess of wisdom; the owl was her favorite bird.

Zeus & Themis Horae—the Hours of the day & night Parcae—the Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, & Atropos –Their job was to spin the thread of human destiny, and they were armed with scissors, then they cut it off when they pleased. –Their mother was Themis who was the goddess of law; she gave counsel to Zeus Astraea—the goddess of justice

Zeus & Mnemosyne had 9 daughters called the Muses. –Calliope: epic poetry –Clio: history –Euterpe: lyric poetry –Melpomene: tragedy –Terpsichore: dance & song –Erato: love poetry –Polyhymnia: sacred poetry –Urania: astronomy –Thalia: comedy

The Muses presided over some particular department of literature, art, or science. They were responsible for inspiring people & prompting memories. To be someone’s muse is to be that person’s source of inspiration.

Zeus & Eurynome They had 3 daughters who were the Graces. They presided over banquets, dances, & all social enjoyments & elegant arts. –Euphrosyne –Aglaia –Thalia

Some other beings –Nemesis: the avenging goddess; represents the righteous anger of the gods against the proud (hubris = pride.) –Pan: the god of the flocks & shepherds –Satyrs: deities of the woods & fields –Momus was the god of laughter. –Plutus the god of wealth. –Nymphs: female spirits of the woods who drove the Satyrs crazy. (Remember “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”?)