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Greek Mythology
Greek
Name
Roman
Name
Description
First Generation of Olympians
Zeus
Hera
Poseidon
Demeter
Hades
Hestia
Jupiter
The king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather,
thunder, law, order, and fate. He is the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, whom he
overthrew after Cronus swallowed his brothers and sisters and he is brother-husband
to Hera. In artwork, he was depicted as a regal, mature man with a sturdy figure and
dark beard. His usual attributes are the royal scepter and the lightning bolt, and his
sacred animals are the eagle and the bull.
Juno
Queen of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings and empires. She is the wife of
Zeus and daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She was usually depicted as a beautiful
woman wearing a crown and veil and holding a royal, lotus-tipped staff. Her sacred
animals are the heifer, the lion, the peacock, and the cuckoo.
Neptune
The god of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and the creator of horses;
known as the "Earth Shaker". He is a son of Cronus and Rhea and brother to Zeus
and Hades. In classical artwork, he was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with
a dark beard, and holding a trident. The horse and the dolphin are sacred to him.
Ceres
The goddess of agriculture, horticulture, grain and harvest. Demeter is a daughter of
Cronus and Rhea and sister of Zeus, by whom she bore Persephone. She was
depicted as a mature woman, often crowned and holding sheaves of wheat and a
torch. Her symbols are the Cornucopia (horn of plenty), wheat-ears, the winged
serpent and the lotus staff. Her sacred animals are pigs and snakes.
Pluto
King of the Underworld and god of the dead. His consort is Persephone and his
attributes are the key of Hades, the Helm of Darkness, and the three-headed dog,
Cerberus. The screech owl was sacred to him. Despite being the son of Cronus and
Rhea and the elder brother of Zeus, as a chthonic god he is only rarely listed among
the Olympians. The name Pluto became more common in the Classical period with
the mystery religions and Athenian literature.
Vesta
Virgin goddess of the hearth, home and cooking. She is a daughter of Rhea and
Cronus and sister of Zeus. She was depicted as a modestly veiled woman, whose
symbols are the hearth and kettle. In some accounts, she gave up her seat as one of
the Twelve Olympians to tend to the sacred flame on Mount Olympus for Dionysus.
Second Generation of Olympians
Athena
Minerva
The goddess of wisdom, warfare, battle strategy, heroic endeavor, handicrafts and
reason. According to most traditions, she was born from Zeus's head fully formed
and armored. She was depicted crowned with a crested helm, armed with shield and a
spear. Her symbols include the olive tree. She is commonly shown accompanied by
her sacred animal, the owl.
Ares
Mars
The god of war, bloodlust, violence, manly courage, and civil order. The son of Zeus
and Hera, he was depicted as either a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle arms,
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or a nude beardless youth with helm and spear. His attributes are golden armour and
a bronze-tipped spear. His sacred animals are the vulture, venomous snakes,
alligators, and dogs.
Aphrodite
Hephaestus
Apollo
Artemis
Hermes
Dionysus
Venus
The goddess of love and beauty. Although married to Hephaestus she had many
lovers, most notably Ares. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually
accompanied by her son Eros. Her symbols include the rose, scallop shell, and myrtle
wreath. Her sacred animal is the dove.
Vulcan
Crippled god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry, sculpture and volcanism. The son
of, he is the smith of the gods and the husband of the adulterous Aphrodite. He was
usually depicted as a bearded man holding hammer and tongs—the tools of a smith.
His symbols are the hammer, tongs, and anvil. His sacred animals are the donkey, the
guard dog and the crane. When he was born, he was thrown off of Mount Olympus
by Hera as he was considered ugly.
Apollo
The god of music, healing, plagues, prophecies, poetry, and archery; associated with
light, truth and the sun. He is Artemis's twin brother and Hermes elder brother, and
son of Zeus and Leto. He was depicted as a handsome, beardless youth with long hair
and various attributes including a laurel wreath, bow and quiver, raven, and lyre.
Animals sacred to Apollo include dolphins, roe deer, swans, cicadas, hawks, ravens,
crows and snakes.
Diana
Virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, and childbirth. In later times
she became associated with the moon. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin
sister of Apollo. In art she was usually depicted as a young woman dressed in a short
knee-length chiton and equipped with a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows. In
addition to the bow, her attributes include hunting spears, animal pelts, deer and other
wild animals. Her sacred animals are deer, bears, and wild boars.
Mercury
The god of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles, language, writing,
diplomacy, athletics, and animal husbandry. He is the messenger of the gods, a
psychopomp who leads the souls of the dead into Hades' realm, and the son of Zeus
and Maia. He was depicted either as a handsome and athletic beardless youth, or as
an older bearded man. His attributes include the herald's wand or caduceus, winged
sandals, and a traveler's cap. His sacred animals are the tortoise, ram, and hawk.
Bacchus
The god of wine, parties and festivals, madness, drunkenness and pleasure at forever
young. He was depicted in art as either an older bearded god or a pretty effeminate,
long-haired youth. His attributes include the thyrsus (a pinecone-tipped staff),
drinking cup, grape vine, and a crown of ivy. Animals sacred to him include
dolphins, serpents, tigers, panthers, and donkeys. A later addition to the Olympians,
in some accounts he replaced Hestia.
Other Deities
Eros
Hebe
Cupid
Juventas
The god of sexual love and beauty. He was also worshipped as a fertility deity, son of
Aphrodite and Ares. He was depicted often as carrying a lyre or bow and arrow.
She is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe was the cupbearer for the gods and
goddesses of Mount Olympus, serving their nectar and ambrosia, until she was
married to Heracles.
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Heracles
Pan
Hercules
A divine hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and great-grandson (and half-brother)
of Perseus. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity and a
champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters.
Faunus
The god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic
music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. The root of panic comes from the
god Pan.
Queen of the Underworld and a daughter of Demeter and Zeus. Also goddess of
spring time. She became the consort of Hades, the god of the underworld, when he
kidnapped her. Demeter, driven to distraction by the disappearance of her daughter,
neglected the earth so that nothing would grow. Zeus eventually ordered Hades to
Persephone Proserpina allow Persephone to leave the underworld and rejoin her mother. Hades did this, but
because Persephone had eaten six of the twelve pomegranate seeds in the underworld
when Hades first kidnapped her, she had to spend six months in the underworld each
year. This created the seasons when for six months everything grows and flourishes
then for the other six months everything wilts and dies.
Mythological Creatures
Centaurs, a race of half-man, half-horse beings.
Cerberus, the three-headed, giant hound that guarded the gates of Hades.
Charybdis, a sea monster whose inhalations formed a deadly whirlpool.
Chimera, a three headed monster, with the foreparts of a lion, the hind-parts of a goat and goat's-head rising
from its back, and the tail of a headed-serpent; slain by Bellerophon.
Cyclopes (Elder), three one-eyed giants who forged the lightning-bolts of Zeus.
Empusa, a vampire demon with a leg of bronze and a hoofed foot of a donkey; she seduced men in order to
feed on their flesh and blood.
Gorgons, monstrous sisters with wings of gold, brazen claws and serpents for hair; capable of turning men to
stone with their gaze.
Harpies, winged monsters with the bodies of birds and the heads and torsos of women.
Hippalectryon, a creature with the fore-parts of a rooster and the body of a horse.
Hippocampi, sea creatures with the fore-parts of horses and the tails of fish.
Minotaur, creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man. He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which
was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command
of King Minos of Crete. The Minotaur was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.
Sirens, sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with their song.
Humans
Achilles, hero of the Trojan War and a central character in Homer's Iliad.
Aegea, a queen of the Amazons.
Andromeda, wife of Perseus, who was placed among the constellations after her death.
Cassandra, a princess of Troy cursed to see the future but never to be believed.
Hector, hero of the Trojan War and champion of the Trojan people.
Helen, daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose abduction brought about the Trojan War.
Jason, leader of the Argonauts.
Midas, a king of Phrygia granted the power to turn anything to gold with a touch.
Odysseus, a hero and king of Ithaca whose adventures are the subject of Homer's Odyssey; he also played a key
role during the Trojan War.
Oedipus, a king of Thebes fated to kill his father and marry his mother.
Pandora, the first woman.
Perseus, son of Zeus and the founder-king of Mycenae and slayer of the Gorgon Medusa.
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