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The Olympians:
God and Goddesses of
Ancient Greece
Greeks and their gods
“The universe created the god”
Heaven and Earth were the parents of the first gods, the Titans.
The Titans possessed enormous strength and had a physique to
match. Cronus rules the Titans, until his son Zeus dethroned him.
Zeus became the leader of the Olympian gods, who resided at Mount
Olympus. Mt. Olympus was a place not quite on earth, but not exactly
heaven. It was untouched by weather, and its protected by the
Seasons. However, unlike many belief systems, the Greeks gods have
many faults: they are prone to fits of jealousy, vanity and temper
tantrums.
Click to learn more about the Olympian gods, some of whom will
appear in The Odyssey.
Zeus:
Roman name: Jupiter
Symbols: Thunderbolt, eagle, and oak tree.
Family: Zeus is married to Hera, his
sister. While Zeus rules the Sky, clouds,
thunderbolts and has more power than all
other gods combined, his brothers Poseidon
and Hades govern the Sea and Underworld.
Zeus has numerous famous children
including many of the Olympians, but he is
also the father of Perseus and Persephone.
The Notorious Z-E-U-S: He is infamous
for his many love affairs and bad temper.
Watch for Zeus in The Odyssey: As you
begin reading the first “book,” how does he
act as a catalyst for the plot? Think about his
relationship to the other gods and goddesses
who appear in the poem.
This is an actual Greek Sculpture of
Zeus. Do you see any of his symbols?
Hera: The Goddess of
Marriage
Roman Name: Juno
Symbols: Cow and Peacock
Family: Hera is married to Zeus and is also
his sister. Her children are Ares, Hebe and
Hephaestus and a daughter, Ilithyia.
Woman Scorned: Hera is the protector of
marriage, particularly married women. She
would torment Zeus’s other women, many of
whom were unaware they had wronged Hera
(Zeus would often disguise himself to the mortal
ladies in an effort to hide from his smart and
beautiful wife). Hera was also well known for her
horrible temper and extreme vanity. It was
Hera’s vanity that caused the ultimate fall of
Troy.
Willing to help: Hera was not without her
merits. She was a protector of heroes and a
fixture in every home. Her daughter, Ilithyia
helped women in childbirth.
Aphrodite: Goddess of
Love and Beauty
Roman name: Venus
Symbols: myrtle tree, dove, swan and
sparrow
Family: She is the daughter of Zeus and
Dione. Aphrodite is said to have been born
from the foam of the sea. She married
Hephaestus and Cupid is her son.
Legend has it: That Aphrodite’s beauty awestruck all men, no matter how wise. Although
often depicted in art for her beauty and
charm, she was also known to be
manipulative. The Three Graces were her
attendants, who born brought her up to
Mount Olympus when she was born. The
beautiful Goddess was covered in the jewels
and crowns her husband made for her but
Aphrodite was still rumored to have had an
affair with her husband’s brother, Ares
Watch for Aphrodite in The Odyssey: Is
there a comparison between Aphrodite and
any of the other women we meet in the
poem?
Does this look like Aphrodite to
you?
Ares: God of War
Roman Name: Mars
Symbols: The vulture and dog
Family: He is definitely the son of
Hera, but know one can say for
certain who his father is. Many
say his father is Zeus, but
whether Zeus is his step-dad or
biological dad doesn’t matter;
Zeus and Hera did not like Ares.
On a planet of his own: Ares does
not have the glorious tales of the
other Gods and Goddesses. He
is more a symbol of war than
anything else. Although he may
have had an affair with the lovely
Aphrodite.
Watch for Ares in The Odyssey:
Towards the end of the poem,
Homer reveals a story about the
affair between Aphrodite and
Ares. Think about why Homer
tells the story.
Athena: Goddess of Wisdom
Roman Name: Minerva
Symbols: The olive tree and owl
Family: Some say she was born of Zeus alone,
others that her mother was Metis, the wife
Zeus had to swallow. Either way, she was
born fully grown and in armor from
her father’s head. Athena never married
and had no children.
Where in Greece? You may have already
guessed that Athens was named after
this Goddess. She was in competition
with Poseidon, her uncle, for claim of the
city. Each presented the people with a gift
and Athena gave the beautiful, practical
gift of the olive tree. Needless to say, she
won and Athens is hers.
Watch for her in The Odyssey: She acts as
Odysseus’s guardian and is often referred
to as “the grey eyed goddess.”
Does she look Wise
to you?
Dionysus: God of the Vine
Roman Name: Bacchus
Symbol: the grape vine, wine
Family: The son of Zeus and the mortal
princess Semele Dionysus is the youngest
of the Gods. Hera discovered this affair of
Zeus’s and tricked the sweet princess into
her own death. Zeus was able to rescue his
son and sowed him into his thigh until he
was ready to be born.
Oh, I like dolphins: Then you better thank
this God. Known for his gentleness he
saved sailors from a watery death by
turning them into dolphins. And to think,
some people do not consider Dionysus
worthy to be an Olympian. Besides,
Dionysus is the inventor of wine.
If you look
closely, you’ll
see that the
wreath around
his head is
really
bunches of
grapes!
Artemis: Goddess of the
Hunt and Moon
Roman name: Diane
Symbols: Cypress tree and deer.
Family: The Maiden Goddess is the twin sister
of Apollo. Artemis is the daughter of Zeus
and Leto.
Am I moonstruck or was that a silver arrow?
If you died a quick and painless death it was
probably a silver arrow shot by this Goddess.
Artemis was known for her contradictions;
preserving youth but requiring the sacrifice
of a maiden from the Greek Fleet before
sailing off to Troy.
Why do you think this Greek vase is said
to depict Artemis?
Hermes: Messenger of
the Gods
Roman Name: Mercury
Symbols: Winged sandals, low helmet,
and Caduceus (his wand).
Family: Hermes is the son of Zeus and
Maia, Atlas’s daughter.
It’s Getting’ Hot in Here: Or is
Hermes just bringing you to the
underworld. One of his chief
duties was to guide people to
the underworld. He was also a
master thief and stole many of
Apollo’s cows when only one day
old! Hermes is also the most
popular god, appearing in more
tales than any one else.
Poseidon: God of the Sea
Roman Name: Neptune
Symbols: The trident, bulls and
horses.
Family: Poseidon is second in
power to his brother, Zeus.
Poseidon is also the son of
Cronus and Rhea. Poseidon
married Amphitrite and together
they had one son, Triton.
Something smells fishy: Poseidon
had a beautiful palace of coral
beneath the sea, but he was
often found in the clouds of
Olympus. Poseidon was an
important God to the Greeks,
because they relied on the sea
for much of their welfare. It
was Poseidon’s choice for the
sea to be calm or enraged with a
storm. Poseidon is also well
known for giving man the
horse.
Watch for Poseidon in The
Odyssey: Father to the Cyclops,
Poseidon is angered by
Odysseus’s actions to the oneeyed monster. As you read the
epic, decide if Poseidon was just
in his actions to the hero.
Apollo: God of Truth, Life
and Music
Roman Name: Apollo
Symbols: Laurel, dolphin and lyre
Family: Apollo is Artemis’s twin brother and
son of Zeus and Leto.
The Greekiest Greek of them all: Apollo is a
prominent figure in the arts including
poetry and music. His brother, Hermes gave
him the golden lyre for which he used to
entertain the other gods. Apollo also never told
a lie.
Demeter: Goddess of the
Harvest and Hearth
Roman Name: Ceres
Symbols: The hearthstone
Family: Demeter is the sister of Zeus,
Poseidon and Hades. She is also the mother
of Persephone whom she never let out of
her sight.
Kindest of them all: Demeter gave up her
throne on Mount Olympus to make room
for Dionysus. She instead took her place at
the hearth in the center of the thrones,
where she considered herself to rightly
belong. Demeter was devastated when her
daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped by
Hades. Each spring, Demeter would greet
her daughter at the entrance from the
underworld.
Hephaestus: God of Fire
Roman Name: Vulcan
Symbols: Hephaestus does not have
any specific symbols like the other
Gods.
Family: He is the son of Hera and
some people believe he was also the
son of Zeus. He married Aphrodite
at Zeus’s order.
Odd man out: Hephaestus did not
have the outer beauty of the other
Gods, but was noted for his
kindness. Adding to his outer
appearance is his noticeable limp.
This limp was caused by Zeus, who
through him off of Mount
Olympus for siding with Hera over
Zeus in a fight. Hephaestus is the
patron of smiths making him very
important to Greek life.
Watch for Hephaestus in The
Odyssey: Is there a parallel
between the story about his
marriage and the relationship
between Penelope and Odysseus?
Just something to think about as
you read.
Works Cited
D’Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire. D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. Garden
City, New York: Doubleday and Co, 1962.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown and Co, 1940.
Head of Dionyssos (Romn copy based on Greek prototype). 2nd-3rd century A.D. Museum of Fina
Arts, Boston, MA 11 April 2006
<http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?id=153840&coll_keywords=&coll_a
ccession=&coll_name=&coll_artist=&coll_place=&coll_medium=&coll_culture=&col
l_classification=&coll_credit=&coll_provenance=&coll_location=&coll_has_images=
&coll_on_view=&coll_sort=0&coll_sort_order=0&coll_package=2350&coll_start=4>
Oil bottle (lekythos)in the form of Aphrodite. 400-375 B.C. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
11 April 2006 <http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?coll_ke
ywords=&coll_accession=&coll_name=&coll_artist=&co
ll_place=&coll_medium=&coll_culture=&coll_classificati
on=&coll_credit=&coll_provenance=&coll_location=&c
oll_has_images=&coll_on_view=&coll_sort=0&coll_sort
_order=0&coll_package=2350&coll_start=21>.
Pan Painter. Mixing Bowl. 470 B.C. Museum of Fina Arts, Boston, MA. 11 April 2006.
<http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?recview=true&id=153654&coll_ke
ywords=&coll_accession=&coll_name=&coll_artist=&coll_place=&coll_medium=&c
oll_culture=&coll_classification=&coll_credit=&coll_provenance=&coll_location=&c
oll_has_images=&coll_on_view=&coll_sort=0&coll_sort_order=0&coll_package=235
0&coll_start=31>.
Statue of Athena the Virgin (Athena Parthenos). 138-238 A.D. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.