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THE 12 OLYMPIANS
Mythology
What is “Olympia?”
• In Greek/ Roman
Mythology, Mount
Olympus is the
meeting place and
“home” of the major
players.
• It is unsure of
whether or not Mt.
Olympus is in
heaven or
somewhere on
earth.
Mt. Olympus
• The Greeks also
named the
highest peek in
the mountains
(between
Thessalonica and
Macedonia) Mt.
Olympus.
Why “Olympians?”
• These 12 gods and goddesses are
considered “Olympians” because
they reside on Mt. Olympus.
• The 12 Olympians were the
major gods and goddesses with
prominent roles in Greek
mythology.
• Some of the major Olympians
spent most of their time
elsewhere. Poseidon lived in the
sea and Hades in the
Underworld.
So, who are the 12?
• Various sources report up to 20 different
names, but the majority of texts concur
that these are the 12:
gods
Zeus
goddesses
Hera
Poseidon
Apollo
Ares
Hermes
Demeter
Artemis
Athena
Aphrodite
Hephaestus
Hestia
(Hades?)  in underworld
Zeus
• King of the gods, mortals, and
weather
• Roman Name: Jupiter
• Symbol: Thunder Bolt
• Either raped or married
numerous goddesses and
mortals
Hera
• Queen of gods, marriage
and birth
• Daughter of Cronus and
Rhea (Zeus’ sister and
wife)
• Roman Name: Juno
• Zeus constantly cheated
on her, and she was
always jealous
Poseidon
• God of the sea,
earthquakes, horses
• Brother to Zeus and
Hera
• Roman Name: Neptune
• Symbols: dolphins,
tridents, fish spears
Hermes
• Messenger of the gods
(guides souls of the dead
to the underworld)
• God of land travel,
literature and poetry 
he’s swift and athletic
• Son of Zeus and a nymph
• Roman Name: Mercury
Hestia
• Goddess of hearth and
home
• Zeus’ oldest sister
• Wooed by Poseidon but
swore to remain a virgin
• Roman Name: Vesta
(temple built for her in
the Forum)
Athena
• Goddess of wisdom, war,
arts and justice
• Zeus’ favorite child
• Companion: goddess of
victory, Nike
• Symbol: owl
• Roman Name: Minerva
Ares
• God of war and battle
• Son of Zeus and Hera
• Merciless and bloody; not
liked by even his father (he
supported the Trojans in the
Trojan war?)
• Accompanied on battlefield
by: Phobos (fear) and Deimos
(terror)  sons?
Demeter
• Goddess of fertility and
agriculture (fruit, grains)
and seasons
• Zeus’ sister
• Mother of Persephone
• Roman Name: Ceres
Apollo
• God of sun, archery, healing
medicine, music (lyre), and dance
• Son of Zeus and twin brother of
Artemis
• Father of Asclepius (god of
healing and medicine) whose
symbol is the wand
• Roman Name: Apollo
Artemis
• Goddess of the hunt, wild
animals, fertility, and moon
• Often identified with Selene
(goddess of the moon)
• Roman Name: Diana
• Symbols: crescent moon
above her head
Hephaestus
• God of fire and
blacksmiths
• Son of Zeus and Hera (yet
Zeus wasn’t involved)
• Roman Name: Vulcan (god
of volcanoes)
• Born weak and crippled
• Husband of Aphrodite who
cheated on him with Ares
Aphrodite
• Goddess of love, beauty and sex
• When Cronus castrated his father
Uranus, he threw his genitals into
the sea and thus Aphrodite was
born of the “foam”
• Aphrodisiac Festival: sex and
libido increasers
• Son: Eros
• Roman Name: Venus
• Symbols: dolphin, swan,
pomegranate