Download “The Gods”

Study Guide
#1 The Twelve Gods of
Olympus
A. Zeus
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One of the 5 children of the Titans,
Cronus and Rhea
Supreme/chief Greek god
Lord of the sky
Many lovers
Power greater than all the rest combined
Animal = eagle
Tree = oak
Symbol = aegis
Hera is wife/sister
B. Hera
One of the 5 children of the Titans,
Cronus and Rhea
 Wife/sister of Zeus
 Protector of marriage—wives and
mothers
 Often punished Zeus’ lovers
 Animals = cow and peacock
 City = Argos
 Vain and arrogant
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C. Poseidon
One of the 5 children of the
Titans, Cronus and Rhea
 God of the sea
 2nd in power to Zeus
 Gave humanity the horse
 Responsible for earthquakes…often
called “Earth Shaker”
 Symbol = trident
 Controlled …caused/prevented storms
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D. Hades
One of the 5 children of the Titans,
Cronus and Rhea
 Ruler of the underworld, but he is
NOT Death
 Kidnapped/married Persephone
 Had invisibility cap
 Had information about the wealth in the
ground
 Brother to Zeus
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E. Athena
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Daughter of Zeus alone…came from
his head
Goddess of wisdom and weaving
A battle goddess
Zeus’ favorite child
Temple = Parthenon 
Gave humanity olives
Animal = owl
City = Athens
A maiden goddess
F. Apollo
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God of truth and light
Archer god
God of music…plays the lyre
God of healing
Twin brother to Artemis
One of Zeus’ sons
Oracle was at Delphi
Animal = crow
Sometimes associated with the sun
G. Artemis
Twin sister to Apollo…a daughter of
Zeus
 Goddess of the hunt…associated with
the bow
 Protector of the young
 A maiden goddess
 Lady of the Wild Things
 Associated with the moon
 Animal = deer
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H. Aphrodite
Goddess of beauty and love
 Married to Hephaestus…lover to Ares
 Men and gods found her irresistible
 Said to have come from the foam of the
sea
 Animals = swan and dove
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I. Hermes
Zeus’ messenger god
 Fast…winged sandals and helmet
 Magic wand called a caduceus
 Appears in myth more than anyone
 One of Zeus’ sons
 Smartest of the gods
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J. Ares
God of war
 Associated with fighting and
destruction
 Son of Zeus and Hera, but they hated
him
 Had no city where he was worshipped
 Animals = vulture and dog
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K. Hephaestus
God of fire and the forge
 Forger of weapons but peaceful
 Deformed
 Sometimes the son of Zeus and
Hera…sometimes Hera’s alone as
revenge for Zeus having Athena
 Husband of Aphrodite
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L. Hestia
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One of the 5 children of the Titans,
Cronus and Rhea
Sister of Zeus
Not found in many myths
Goddess of home and hearth
Maiden goddess
Meals began and ended with offerings to
her
Each city had a public hearth dedicated to
her. The fire was never allowed to go out.
#2 The Lesser Gods and
Mythological Characters of
Olympus
A. Eros
God of love
 Sometimes seen as the son of Ares and
Aphrodite
 Carried a magical bow
 Often depicted as being blindfolded to
show that “love is blind”
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B. Hebe
Goddess of youth
 Cupbearer to the gods…she carried the
drink of ambrosia for the gods
 Daughter of Zeus and Hera
 Later marries Hercules
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C. Iris
Goddess of the rainbow
 Zeus’ secondary messenger…after
Hermes
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D. The Graces
Triplets of Zeus and a Titan
 Symbols of grace and beauty
 They entertained the gods
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E. The Muses
9 daughters of Zeus and a Titan
 They were in charge of the arts
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#3 The Gods and Mythological
Characters of the Waters
A. Ocean
A Titan
 Was thought to be the river than circled
the earth
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B. Triton
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Trumpeter of the Sea
C. Proteus
Son of Poseidon
 He can tell the future
 A shape-shifter…he can change his
shape
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D. Naiads
Water fairies…female
 Often connected with fertility and crop
growth
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#4 The Gods and Mythological
Characters of the Underworld
A. Charon
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Ferryman of the Underworld. He ferries
the dead across a river to the shores of
Hades
B. Cerberus
3-headed guard-dog
 Allows souls to enter but not leave
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C. Acheron, Cocytus Styx
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Some of the rivers located in Hades
D. The Furies
Punishers of evil-doers
 They were fair.
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E. Sleep and Death
Brothers in Hades
 They send dreams to people.
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#5 The Lesser Gods and Mythological
Characters of the Earth
A. Demeter
Goddess of agriculture
 Associated with grain and the
harvest
 Zeus’ sister
 She gets her own chapter in the book
because she was a favorite of the
people.
 Daughter was Persephone, the maiden
Hades kidnaps and marries
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B. Dionysus
God of wine and revelry
 Gets his own chapter because he was
so important to the people
 A son of Zeus
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C. Pan
Associated with the forest
 Son of Hermes
 A satyr…goat-man
 Sounds of the wilderness were
associated with him…PANIC
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D. Castor and Pollux
Twins of Zeus
 They become a constellation in the sky.
 They protected sailors.
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E. Satyrs
Goat men
 Found in wild places
 Scare tactic for young girls…they would
attack women who walked alone
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F. nymphs
Fairy-like creatures…female
 Some are for springs and rivers—naiads
 Some are for mountains
 Some are for forests
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G. Boreas, Notus, Eurus, Zephyr
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The 4 winds—North, South, East, and
West
H. Centaurs
Part horse, part man
 Savage and violent
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I. Gorgons
Dragon-like creatures with snakes for
hair
 Can turn men to stone with a look… “if
looks could kill”
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J. Sirens
Sea demons who lured men to their
deaths with song
 Some areas believed no one ever lived
to sea one and describe it.
 Other areas describe them as part bird,
part woman
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K. Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos
The Fates
 The spinner of the life thread
 The giver to lots and fate
 The cutter of the thread
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#6 Two Roman Gods
A. Saturn
Protector of sowers and seed
 Often associated with Cronus, the
leader of the Titans
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B. Janus
God of beginnings
 God with 2 faces…one looking back and
one looking forward
 January from him
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