Download Greek Gods and Goddesses

Gods and
Goddesses of
Ancient Greece
• Cronus
o King of the Titans
o Had the following children with his wife, Rhea
• Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon
o Swallowed his children after they born to protect
himself against a prophecy
o When son Zeus was born, Rhea tricked him into
swallowing a rock
• Zeus grew up and forced his father to remove
his siblings
• Zeus and his siblings, along with Giants and
Cyclopes, overthrew Cronus and the other
Titans.
o Was sent to Tartarus
• Atlas
o Titan that was punished by having to hold up the
sky
• Prometheus
o Titan that punished for stealing fire from Zeus to
give to mortals
o He was bound to a rock, where every day an
eagle would eat his liver. The next day it would
grow back and the process would begin again
• The Kraken
o Titan feared by all of the Olympians
o Was caged by Poseidon
o Only could do Zeus’ bidding
• Zeus split the world with his brothers
o Zeus got the sky and air
o Poseidon got the waters
o Hades got the world of the dead
• Zeus (Jupiter)
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King of the gods
Ruler of Mt. Olympus
God of sky, weather, thunder, lightning
Husband to Hera
Pictured as a mature man
Shown with a royal scepter and lightning bolt
Sacred animals
• Eagle and bull
• Eris
o Greek goddess of strife and discord
• Nemesis
o Spirit of divine retribution
o Goddess of revenge
• Tyche
o God the governed the fortune and success of a
city
• Orion
o Giant huntsman
o Became a constellation
• Castor and Pollux
o Twin sons of Zeus
o Became the constellation of Gemini
• Minos
o King of Crete
o Every 9 years he would make King Aegeus pick 7
men and 7 women to go into the labyrinth to be
eaten by the Minotaur
o After his death became a judge of the dead in
Hades
• Hera (Juno)
o Queen of the gods
o Goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and
kings
o Wife of Zeus
o Shown as a beautiful woman wearing a crown
and carrying a lotus-tipped staff
o Sacred animals
• Lion, peacock, and cuckoo
• Aphrodite (Venus)
o Goddess of love and beauty
o Married to Hephaestus, but wasn’t faithful
o Shown as a beautiful woman
o Her symbols
• Rose, scallop shell, pomegranate, and myrtle
wreath
o Sacred animal
• Dove
• Apollo (Apollo)
God of music, healing, poetry, and archery
Twin brother of Artemis
Son of Zeus
Shown as a handsome, beardless youth with long
hair.
o Symbols
• Laurel wreath, bow and quiver, and lyre
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o Sacred animals
• Dolphins, swans, cicadas, hawks, ravens,
crows
• Ares (Mars)
o God of war, violence, manly courage, and civil
order
o Son of Zeus and Hera
o Pictured as dressed in battle gear; golden armor
and bronze-tipped spear
o Sacred animals
• Vulture, venomous snakes, alligators, and dogs
• Poseidon (Neptune)
o God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts,
earthquakes, and creator of horses
o Known as “Earth Shaker”
o Brother to Zeus
o Pictured as older man holding a trident
o Sacred animals
• Horse and dolphin
• Hades (Pluto)
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King of the Underworld
God of the dead
Brother of Zeus
Husband to Persephone
o Symbols
• Key of Hades and Cerberus (three-headed
dog)
o Sacred animal
• Screech owl
• Artemis (Diana)
o Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, and
young girls
o Associated with the moon
o Twin sister of Apollo
o Pictured as a young woman with a hunting bow
and quiver of arrows.
o Symbols
• Hunting spears, animal pelts, wild animals
o Sacred animals
• Deer, bears, and wild boars
• Athena (Minerva)
o Goddess of wisdom, warfare, battle strategy,
and crafts
o Was born from Zeus’ head fully formed
o Pictured with a crested helmet, shield, and spear
o Symbol
• Olive tree
o Sacred animal
• Owl
• Demeter (Ceres)
o Goddess of agriculture and the harvest
o Mother of Persephone
o Pictured as a mature woman crowned holding
wheat
o Symbols
• Cornucopia and winged serpent
o Sacred animals
• Pigs and snakes
• Dionysus (Bacchus)
o God of wine and parties
o Son of Zeus
o Pictured as an older man drinking from a cup
o Sacred animals
• Dolphins, tigers, and donkeys
• Hephaestus (Vulcan)
o God of metalworking, sculpture, stonemasonry,
and volcanism
o Son of Hera
o Smith of the gods
o Husband of Aphrodite
o Pictured as a bearded man holding a hammer
and tongs
o Symbols
• Hammer and anvil
o Sacred animals
• Donkey, guard dog, and crane
• Hermes
God of travel, messengers, trade, and thievery
Messenger of the gods
Leads souls of the dead into Hades
Son of Zeus
Pictured as a handsome, athletic man
Symbols
• Winged sandals and traveler’s cap
o Sacred animals
• Tortoise, ram, and hawk
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• Hestia (Vesta)
o Goddess of hearth, home, and cooking
o Sister of Zeus
o Symbols
• Hearth and kettle
o Some stories say that she gave up her seat as an
Olympian to Dionysus