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Greek Mythology
Gods & Goddesses
 An organized collection of
stories (i.e., "myths") by which
we explain our beliefs and our
history.
 Beneath the story-lines, myths
usually confront major issues
such as the origin of humanity and
its traditions, and the way in which
the natural and human worlds
function on a profound, universal
level.
 Other myths seem merely to
narrate the deities' daily activities - their love affairs and pleasures,
their jealousies and rages, their
ambitions and schemes, and their
quarrels and battles.
 We commonly use the word "myth"
interchangeably with the following terms:
 1.Legends. Do not have religious or
supernatural content. Legends emphasize
the story more than the significance of
the story. An example of a legend is the
tale of Atlantis.
 2.Folklore. Generally known to be
fictitious; often told only within a limited
geographical area . Examples include the
stories of Paul Bunyan and Rip Van
Winkle from early American history.
 3.Fables. Acknowledged to be fictional -
- certainly when the characters include
talking animals. A fable's emphasis is on a
"moral."
 1.Myths grant continuity and stability to a culture. They foster a
shared set of perspectives, values, history. Through these tales, we are
connected to one another, to our ancestors, to the natural world
surrounding us, and to society; and, in the myths which have
universal (i.e., archetypal) themes, we are connected to other
cultures.
 2.Myths present guidelines for living. When myths tell about the
activities and attitudes of deities, the moral tone implies society's
expectations for our own behaviors and standards.
 3.Myths justify a culture's activities. Myths establish a culture's
customs, rituals, religious tenets, laws, social structures, power
hierarchies, territorial claims, arts and crafts, holidays and other
recurring events, and technical tips for hunting, warfare, and other
endeavors.
 4.Myths give meaning to life. We transcend our common life into a
world in which deities interact with humans, and we can believe that our
daily actions are part of the deities' grand schemes. When we read that a
particular deity experienced something which we are now enduring -perhaps a struggle against "evil forces" -- we can feel that our own
struggle might have a similar cosmic or archetypal significance, though
on a smaller scale.
 5.Myths explain the unexplainable. They reveal our fate after death,
and the reasons for crises or miracles, and other puzzles. Myths also
satisfy our need to understand the natural world (especially important
before the advent of modern science).
 6.Myths offer role models. In particular, children pattern themselves
after heroes; comic books and Saturday-morning cartoons depict many
archetypal characters, such as Superman and Wonder Woman. Adults,
too, can find role models, in the stories of deities' strength, persistence,
and courage.

The Olympians were the twelve (and as many as
fourteen) most important ruling gods and goddesses
who lived high above the clouds on majestic Mount
Olympus, partying and plotting lurid intrigues.

Among these children of Cronus and Rhea, was Zeus,
King of the Olympians, who ruled the Heavens. His
brother Hades presided over the Underworld, and the
other brother, Poseidon, had dominion over the Seas.
Hera, sister and wife to Zeus, along with Demeter and
Hestia, were the rest of the original six siblings.

The offspring of Zeus made up the bulk of the
Olympians. These consisted of the goddess of
Wisdom, Athena, who had sprung full-grown from
his forehead; Apollo, god of Prophecy and Healing,
and his twin sister Artemis, goddess of the Hunt;
Hermes, the clever and mischievous Messenger god;
and eventually Dionysus, the ever-popular god of
Wine.
 Zeus is the supreme god and ruler of
Olympus. To the ancient Greeks, he became
the undisputed master of the universe, and
as the source of all heavenly manifestations,
he caused rain, drought, good weather and
bad weather. He commanded tempests and
created storms, and nobody dared challenge
his fearsome thunderbolts.
 Zeus was the sixth child born to Cronus and
Rhea. Cronus, ruler of the Titans and the
supreme god at the time, was warned by an
oracle that one of his own children would
overthrow him, just like he overthrew his
father, Uranus. To prevent this from
happening he swallowed his first five
children as each was born to Rhea.

This, of course, infuriated Rhea and when Zeus was
born she tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock
wrapped in blankets. Cronus foolishly swallowed the
stone and thought himself safe. Then Rhea sent the
baby to Gaea (Mother Earth) who secretly took Zeus to
be raised on the island of Crete, away from his
unsuspecting father.

Zeus tricked his way into becoming the cup-bearer to
his father Cronus and with his mother Rhea and the
Titaness Metis's help he slipped his father a drink
which made him disgorge the swallowed siblings of
Zeus. The children of Cronus attacked their father, and
it was a furious battle, but at last Hades, wearing his
helmet of invisibility, snuck up behind Cronus,
Poseidon rendered him immobile with his trident, and
Zeus struck him dead with his thunderbolt.
 The three brothers then
drew lots to determine who
gets what.
 Zeus drew the heavens and
became supreme ruler.
 Poseidon became the god
of the sea and Hades the
ruler of the Underworld.
The earth remained
common ground.

Hera was the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea.

The Seasons were her nurses, which is a way of saying that Hera was
a goddess of the calendar year.

Following the Olympians' overthrow of their father Cronus, she
became Zeus’ wife. But she didn't do so willingly, and in fact she
rejected his advances when he courted her.

Zeus finally resorted to trickery in order to win her over, and
transformed himself into a sad-looking cuckoo, soaked from a
sudden thunderstorm. Hera did not see through his disguise, took
pity on this poor creature and held it in her bosom to warm it.
Resuming his true shape, Zeus then used the opportunity to ravish
her and in shame she agreed to marry him.

The wedding feast was a huge and momentous bash and all the gods
brought wonderful gifts for the new couple. In particular, Gaea
(Mother Earth) gave Hera a tree with golden apples, which she
placed in her orchard on Mount Atlas.

To them were born the gods Ares, Hephaestus , Hebe,
and Eilithyia.

Hephaestus is said to be her son alone, created when she
got angry at Zeus for giving birth alone to Athena from
his head. In disgust at the sickly and ugly child she had
birthed, Hera flung Hephaestus from Olympus.

When Hephaestus grew up and was convinced to return
to Mount Olympus and to regain his rightful place among
the gods, he crafted a mechanical chair with arms that
folded and imprisoned the sitter. Thus trapping his
mother, he made her swear an unbreakable oath by the
River Styx that indeed she alone gave birth to him, and
that he had no father.

Her personality was not as attractive, for she was frequently
petty, cruel and vindictive, and in myths is most often shown
administering some sort of revenge on one of Zeus’ lovers or his
illegitimate children. Her mythological role is usually that of
jealous wife and shrew.

When Zeus was young, he drove his wife so mad with his antics
that she convinced the other gods to join in a revolt against her
husband. Her part was to drug Zeus until he was unconscious,
and she did so successfully. The scheming gods then took away
the King of the Olympians' fearsome thunderbolts and bound
the sleeping Zeus with rawhide thongs to a couch, taking care
to tie 100 strong knots so that he could not move.

They had not, however, planned what to do next and began to
quarrel over who would take Zeus’ place. Their leader awoke
and threatened his wife and the other mutineers with certain
death unless they immediately released him, but they had
placed his thunderbolts out of reach and just laughed at him.

The hundred-handed Briareus, whom Zeus had
freed from the prison of Tartarus, overheard the
arguments and snuck into the palace. Still full of
gratitude to Zeus, Briareus was more than happy
to come to his master's aid and, using every hand
at once, was able to quickly untie the many knots.
Before the quarrelsome gods knew what was
happening, Zeus sprang from the couch and
grabbed his thunderbolts. As the gods fell to their
knees begging and pleading for mercy, he seized
Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains.

To further punish her, Zeus tied heavy anvils on
her feet to weigh her down. In excruciating pain
she moaned and groaned all night but none of the
others dared to help her. For four days and nights
she was suspended from the sky, but her loud
weeping kept Zeus from falling asleep and finally
he agreed to release her if she would swear to
never again rebel against him. She had little choice
but to agree.

Hera was the goddess of marriage and protector of
married women.

Athena is Zeus’ daughter and his favorite child. In popular myth, and in
accounts related by her own priests, she is said to have no mother, because
she sprang full grown and in full armor from her fathers head.

Athena’s mother was Metis; Zeus came to lust after her, and wasted no time
in pursuing her in his direct way. Metis wanted nothing to do with Zeus and
tried to escape as best she could, going so far as to change her form many
times, turning into various creatures such as hawks, fish, and serpents. But
Zeus was both determined and equally proficient at changing form.
Refusing to be denied he continued his pursuit until she relented.

An Oracle of Gaea (Mother Earth) then prophesied that Metis' first child
would be a girl, but her second child would be a boy that would overthrow
Zeus as had happened to his father (Cronus) and his grandfather (Uranus).
Zeus took this warning to heart. When he next saw Metis he flattered her
and put her at her ease, then with Metis off guard Zeus suddenly opened his
mouth and swallowed her. This was the end of Metis but, possibly the
beginning of Zeus's wisdom, for many claim that Zeus really had no brains
until he swallowed his wife.
 After a time Zeus developed the mother of all
headaches. He howled so loudly it could be
heard throughout the earth.
 The other gods came to see what the problem
was. Hermes realized what needed to be done
and directed the smiths god, Hephaestus, to
take an axe and split open Zeus's skull.
 Out of the skull sprang Athena, full grown and
in a full set of armor.
 The very ancient Greeks believed that men
were solely responsible for conception of a
child, and the woman’s only role was to carry it
until it was born, that's why Metis is not given
any credit for Athena birth.
 Athena was perhaps the most recognizable
of the gods.
 She was always depicted with her
unmistakable helmet and the ever-present
spear.
 Because she was Zeus’ favorite she was
allowed to use his weapons and armor,
including the awful aegis (a shield) and
even his thunderbolts.
 Her shield was also very distinctive: after
Perseus defeated the gorgon Medusa,
Athena affixed its head to her shield.
 Poseidon is the ruler of the sea, a
powerful god in Greek mythology
who is often called the "Earthshaker."
 Son of Cronus and Rhea – brother
to Zeus and Hera.
 Poseidon was very powerful,
second only to Zeus himself.
Equal to Zeus in dignity, though
not in power, he was reputed to be
a surly and quarrelsome figure.
 Poseidon at once got busy
constructing a magnificent palace
beneath the sea.
 Splendid white chariot horses with
brazen hooves and golden manes
lived in the palace's spacious stables
and an awesome golden chariot was
always ready to transport the sea god
about.
 At the approach of Poseidon's chariot,
storms and foul weather would cease,
and sea monsters would rise from the
depths, playfully frisking around it
like friendly dolphins.

The union of Poseidon and Amphitrite
produced three children: Triton, Rhode
and Benthesicyme. But, like his brother
Zeus, Poseidon wasn't a very faithful
husband and engaged in numerous
affairs with goddesses, nymphs, and even
mortals.

Understandably jealous, Amphitrite
punished many of her husband's lovers,
just like Hera did to her husband Zeus'
women.

She was particularly upset with
Poseidon's infatuation with Scylla,
gorgeous daughter of Phorcys, and was
determined to punish her. Amphitrite
threw magical herbs into Scylla's bathing
pool, and when the woman took her
bath, at once she transformed into a
barking monster with six heads and
twelve feet.

Hades is Zeus' brother and ruler of the Underworld
and the dead. He was also called Pluto - God of
Wealth - because the precious metals buried deep in
the earth were in his kingdom. Another reason that
the people called him Pluto is because they did not
like to pronounce the dreaded name of Hades.

Because of his dark and morbid personality he was
not especially liked by neither the gods nor the
mortals.

His character is described as "fierce and inexorable",
and by far of all the gods he was most hated by
mortals.

He was not however an evil god, for although he was
stern, cruel and unpitying, still he was just. Hades
ruled the Underworld and therefore most often
associated with death and was feared by men, but he
was not Death itself - The actual embodiment of
Death was another god, Thanatos.

Hades ruled the dead, assisted by demons over
whom he had complete authority. He strictly
forbade his subjects to leave his domain and
would become quite enraged when anyone tried
to leave, or if someone tried to steal his prey
from him. Very few people ever visited the
Underworld and were permitted to leave - In
Homer's Iliad, we are told that Heracles
(Hercules) was forbidden by Hades to enter his
kingdom, but the great Greek hero wounded
Hades with an arrow and attained victory.

Besides Heracles, few other living persons
ventured to the Underworld: Achilles,
Odysseus, Aeneas, and Theseus are among
those heroes who descended to Hades while they
were still living. None of them was especially
pleased with what they witnessed in the realm of
the dead.

The wife of Hades, and queen of the
Underworld, was Persephone, daughter of Zeus
and Demeter . Persephone did not marry Hades
willingly, but was abducted by him one day
while picking flowers with her friends. Even
Zeus was powerless to get her out of the
Underworld when her mother Demeter asked
him to act on her behalf.

Eventually a deal was made, with the messenger
god Hermes acting as the mediator Persephone would spend half the year with her
mother, the goddess of the harvest. The Greeks
believed that while Persephone was with Hades,
her mother missed her so much that she
withdrew her gifts from the world and winter
came. In the spring, when Persephone rejoined
her mother, Demeter would make things grow
again.

According to some, Persephone eventually
became as cruel as her husband.
 The irresistible Aphrodite was the ancient
Greek goddess of Beauty and Love, Fertility
and Desire.
 There are two accounts of her birth. In the
Iliad, Homer said that she was the daughter of
Zeus and Dione. But later myths and poems
say that the goddess of Love had risen from
the sea foam on a seashell after Cronus tossed
Uranus’ severed genitals there. Her name was
thus explained as "foam-risen" coming from
the Greek word 'Aphros', which means 'foam'.
 Both in modern and ancient times, the picture
that poets, writers and artists liked to paint of
her was of beauty and happiness; the winds
flee before her and the storm clouds; sweet
flowers embroider the earth; the waves of the
sea laugh; she moves in radiant light. Without
her there is no joy nor loveliness anywhere.

Although the later poems talked about her beauty and
sweetness, they usually showed her other side as well,
for she was treacherous and malicious, often exerting a
destructive and deadly power over men. Through this
control she gained quite an influence, both on earth
and in heaven. It was said that when she spoke, even
Zeus listened...after all, the King of the Olympians was
notorious for succumbing to Love's temptations.

The lame god of the forge and metalworking,
Hephaestus, was her husband, although he was the only
god to be physically ugly. It was an arranged marriage Some say that when Aphrodite first arrived on Mount
Olympus, Zeus was struck by her beauty and radiance
and he was certain that the other gods would fight for
her affections. So he awarded Aphrodite to the most
dependable and steady deity, Hephaestus.

Her husband did his best to please his gorgeous bride,
continuously creating and designing new golden
jewelry and furniture to please her. In addition to her
irresistible looks Aphrodite had a magical golden
girdle, made by Hephaestus, that when worn compelled
anyone she wished to desire her.

Up on Mount Olympus, Aphrodite sat on a silver
throne, inlaid with beryls and aquamarines, with
a back shaped like a scallop shell, soft swan's
down covering the seat, and a golden mat for her
feet that was embroidered with golden bees,
apples and sparrows. Once a year she would visit
Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, to swim in the
sea for good luck and to rejuvenate herself.

Opposite Aphrodite sat the god of war, Ares, and
the two had an ongoing notorious love affair that
scandalized all of Olympus. Ares and Aphrodite
were always holding hands and giggling in the
corners of the palace, which made her husband
Hephaestus very jealous. He even fashioned an
invisible net and captured the two lovebirds one
time, but when he assembled the Olympians to
render judgment, they wanted nothing to do
with punishing them. Zeus even told
Hephaestus that he was stupid to make such a
golden girdle for his wife, and that he shouldn't
be surprised that men could not resist her.

Ares was the God of War - the son of Zeus and Hera, both of
whom, Homer says, detested him. He is hateful throughout the
Iliad although it is a poem of war; rarely do soldiers in the Iliad
"rejoice in the delight of Ares’ battle," but far oftener they were
happy to "escape the fury of the ruthless god." Homer calls him
murderous, bloodstained, the incarnate curse of mortals and,
strangely, also a coward; who bellows with pain and runs away
when wounded.

Ares had an impressive escort when on the battlefield, his sister
Eris (Discord), her son Strife, Phobos (Alarm), Metus (Fear),
Demios (Dread), Pallor (Terror) as well as the Goddess of War,
Enyo (Bellona in Latin). These attendants, or sometimes said to
be his children, sympathized with his quarrelsome tastes and
were delighted to follow his lead into battle; as they moved the
voice of groaning arose behind them and the earth streamed
with blood.

Ares loved the battle and found delight in the toils and dangers
of war. No gentle deeds of kindness were ever expected from
him; no loving prayers were ever addressed to him; and the
people had no affection for him, but rather shuddered with
terror at the mention of his name.
 Athena, a far more skilled fighter than
Ares, has twice beaten him in battle; and
once the gigantic sons of Aloeus
conquered and kept him imprisoned for
thirteen months until, half-dead, he was
released by Hermes. Another time
Heracles (Hercules) sent him running in
fear back to the safety of Olympus.
 But Ares rarely appears in mythology, and
he has no distinct personality like most
other important gods, he was little more
than a symbol of war. Ares was generally
represented in a brilliant suit of armor, a
plumed helmet on his proud young head,
a poised spear in one muscular hand and
a finely wrought shield on the other.
There were no Greek cities where he was
worshipped. His bird was the vulture and
his animal was the dog.

Hephaestus was the God of Fire and the Forge, the smith,
craftsman and weapon maker of the gods. He was the son
of Zeus and Hera.

Of all the gods, Hephaestus was the only one to be
physically ugly, and he was also lame (cannot walk). But of
all the gods, it was the deformed Hephaestus who created
the greatest works of beauty.

There are two slightly different accounts of how he became
lame. One version is that Hera was so upset at having an
ugly child that she flung him off Mount Olympus and into
the sea, breaking his legs in the process.

The other version is that Hephaestus tried to, and almost
did, free his mother when Zeus punished her by hanging
her on a golden chain between heaven and earth; and Zeus,
in anger in at his son’s interference, hurled him off
Olympus himself.

Apollo and his twin sister Artemis were the children of
Zeus and the Titaness Leto. Apollo is one of the most
important deities of both the Greek and Roman religion,
immortalized throughout the centuries by countless
poets, writers and artists.

Prophecy, Archery and Music were his domains. He is a
beautiful figure in Greek poetry, the master musician
who, along with his "choir", the Nine Muses, delights the
gods of Olympus with his golden lyre at their royal
banquets.

He is the Archer-god, master of the silver bow and can
rain down death with his deadly arrows. But he is also
the god of Light - In all the Olympian gods, like in
mortal men, there is a continuous struggle between
good and evil, their light and dark sides, whatever the
proportion of one to the other might be; it must be
noted that in Apollo there was almost no darkness at all,
his primitive and cruel side was shown only briefly and
in very few myths.

He is also the god of Truth - legend has it that no false
word ever fell from his lips, and he foretold the future
with the same unerring accuracy as that of his arrows.

Artemis and her twin brother Apollo were the children of Zeus and Leto. They
were born on the island of Delos because Hera, jealous of her husband's love for
the woman, had refused Leto to give birth on either terra firma or on an island out
at sea. The only place safe enough to give birth was Delos because Delos was a
floating island.

Some versions of the twins' birth state that Artemis was born one day before
Apollo. Then the next day, Artemis helped Leto to cross to the island of Delos, and
aided Leto with the delivery of Apollo.

Like her brother, she has the power to send plagues or sudden death among
mortals, and also to heal those who please her. Artemis loves to hunt and she is the
lady of the forest and all the wild things, as well as the Huntsman-in-chief to the
gods, an unusual position for a woman. She protects little children and all baby
animals.

Like Apollo she hunts with a silver bow and silver arrows, made for her by the
Cyclopes. They had been told by Zeus to do whatever she commanded of them,
and Artemis had instructed these great smiths to create a splendid silver bow and a
quiver full of arrows.

She also had her dark side, showing her as fierce and vengeful warrior. For
example, although she is the protector of the young, she kept the Greek Fleet from
sailing to Troy, until Iphigenia, a royal maiden, daughter of the Commander in
Chief Agamemnon was sacrificed to her. All because the Greek soldiers killed one
of the creatures, a hare, together with her young. On the other hand, when women
died a quick and painless death, they were said to have been slain by Artemis’ silver
arrows.

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia, daughter of the
Titan Atlas. He is the fastest of the gods, and his
position was as messenger to Zeus and all the other
gods.

He was also the Divine Herald, the solemn guide who
knew the road to hell and would lead the souls of the
dead down to the Underworld, after Thanatos (Death)
did his job.

Hermes is also the Greek god of Commerce and the
Market, and thus the patron of traders, merchants
and thieves. His distinguishing qualities were
cunning, ingenuity, knowledge and creativity.

His realm included Gymnastics; he was the patron of
all gymnastic games in Greece, and gymnasia were
under his protection. The Greek artists derived their
ideal of the god from the gymnasium and thus they
represented Hermes as a handsome youth with
beautiful limbs harmoniously developed by athletic
exercises and gymnastic excellence.

Demeter was the goddess of Corn and the harvest. She was the first
to gather the corn, prepare and preserve it, and to instruct mankind
how to sow it.

She is usually portrayed as serious and dignified, dressed plainly in
a long robe. The beloved goddess of the harvest brought to humans
the cultivation of grain (wheat and barley) which, according to one
legend, allowed them to stand upright.

She was the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and thus Zeus’
sister. Along with Dionysus (god of Wine) Demeter was one of the
two most important gods in the everyday lives of people. While
many other gods did little to help mortal people unless it suited
their needs, these two were truly mankind’s best friends. What also
made them very different from other gods, was that they were the
only two to have known and felt suffering and true grief, while the
other gods for the most part lived happy and blissful lives, feasting
on nectar and ambrosia up on lofty Mount Olympus.

Goddess of family and peace.

Hestia is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and the sister
of Zeus. This firstborn of the Olympians is the goddess of fire,
particularly the hearth, the symbol of the house around which a
newborn child is carried before it's received into the family. The
center of Greek life was the domestic hearth, which was also used as
a sacrificial altar. Hestia, as the goddess of the hearth, represented
personal security and happiness, and the sacred duty of hospitality.

She is one of the three virgin goddesses, although both Apollo and
Poseidon wooed her as rival suitors following the dethronement of
Cronus by Zeus. Hestia at that time swore by Zeus's head to remain
a virgin forever and Zeus rewarded her efforts to keep peace among
the two gods by awarding her the first offering of every public
sacrifice.

Her temples were circular and served by virgin priestesses who
dedicated their lives to her. Each city also had a public hearth
sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed to go out.