Download The Olympian Gods

Mythology Study Guide
Key Terms
Mount Olympus
Oracle
Zeus
Who is even stronger than Zeus?
What are some of the objects associated with him?
What is the aegis?
Hera
Who was she and who did she protect on earth?
What city/bird/animal are associated with her?
How would you describe her relationship with her husband?
Poseidon
What did he rule?
Where did he live?
What animal did he give to mankind?
Hades
Who and what is he king of?
What did his famous cap do to whoever wore it?
Who was his wife?
Describe his pet.
Pallas Athena
Who were her parents?
Over whom is she the protector?
What did she invent?
What words are frequently used to describe her?
What was her relationship like with Zeus?
Where is the Parthenon?
What is her bird/tree/city?
Phoebus Apollo
What instrument does he play?
What did he first teach men? Of what is he the god?
Who was Python?
What does Phoebus mean?
Artemis
What's her personality like?
What does she love to do?
Aphrodite
Of what is she the goddess?
How was she born?
Who is her husband?
What are her tree/birds?
How would you characterize her personality?
Hermes
What does he look like?
What's his magic wand called?
What did he invent?
Of what is he the god?
Ares
Who are his parents?
Of what is he the god?
What's his personality like?
Who are his companions on the battlefield?
Hephaestus
What makes him different from the other gods?
Who are his parents?
What is his job?
Who is his wife?
Who helps him in his tasks?
What is his relationship to volcanoes?
Who does he protect on earth?
Hestia
Of what is she goddess?
What was her role in founding colonies?
The Lesser Gods of Olympus
Eros
Of what is he the god?
What is his relationship to Aphrodite?
How is he frequently represented?
Muses
How many were there?
What do they do?
Proteus
What were his two useful powers?
The Underworld
Hades
Persephone
Charon
Cerberus
Styx
Elysian Fields
The Lesser Gods of Earth
Of what were Demeter and Dionysus, respectively, goddess and god?
Pan
He's part animal--which animal?
Where did he live?
What's the relationship between him and our word "panic"?
Gorgons: What did they look like?
The Graiae: What was unusual about this trio of old women?
The Sirens: What awful thing were they known to do to sailors?
Demeter
Of what was she goddess?
Who was Persephone?
Where does she go?
How does Demeter react to her disappearance?
Why does she disguise herself?
What effect did Demeter's grief have on the earth?
Why does Zeus pull rank on Hades and force him to return Persephone?
What is the importance of the pomegranate?
Dionysus: (Bacchus)
Of what was he god?
Narcissus Questions
Why did Hera punish Echo?
How did she punish her?
Who did Narcissus love?
Pyramus and Thisbe
Why couldn't Pyramus and Thisbe marry?
Why did Pyramus think Thisbe was dead?
What did Pyramus do after he thought Thisbe was dead?
What did Thisbe do when she found Pyramus?
What happened to the mulberry tree?
Orpheus and Eurydice
What was Orpheus skilled at?
After Orpheus and Eurydice were married, what happened to Eurydice?
How did this happen?
Where did Orpheus decide to go?
What did Orpheus ask?
What were the conditions of the agreement?
What happened when Orpheus broke the condition?
Pygmalion and Galatea
What was Pygmalion skilled at?
What did Pygmalion hate?
What did he make a statue of?
How did he feel about the statue?
What god/goddess helped Pygmalion?
What did Pygmalion ask of the god/goddess?
What did he find when he went home?
Daphne
What did Daphne like to do?
What did Daphne hate?
Who fell in love with her?
What did Daphne do when he started to pursue her?
What happened when she reached the river?
What did her father do to help her?
What did the god chasing her decide to do after that?
Daedalus
What was Daedulus' profession?
Who was Daedulus' son?
How did Daedulus and his son escape?
What did Daedulus warn his son of? What happened when his son did not heed this warning?
The Great Olympians
The Olympians received their name because they resided on Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.
Hestia – Goddess of the Hearth and domestic life. Zeus’ sister and one of the 3 virgin goddesses. Eventually Hestia stepped
down to allow Dionysus to live on Mount Olympus.
Demeter – Goddess of the earth, agriculture, and fertility. Her daughter, Persephone (fathered by Zeus), was abducted by
Hades. Demeter searched for her daughter for nine days and during that time, the earth did not produce crops. Demeter
refused to bring forth grain until she found her daughter. Zeus intervened and declared that Persephone would spend part
of the year in the underworld with Hades and the rest of the year on earth with her mother. This myth accounts for the
seasons, summer and winter.
Hades – God of the land of the dead, Hades was unwanted and unwelcome at Olympus. Known for his unpitying nature, Hades
was nonetheless not considered an evil god. He had a helmet which made the wearer appear invisible.
Hera – Zeus’ wife and sister – Queen of the gods. She is the special protector of married women. She was an angry goddess,
and she never forgot or forgave an insult to herself.
Poseidon – God of the seas. Zeus’ brother. Poseidon was very important to the Greeks as is evident in their stories. The
Greeks relied on the kindness of Poseidon for their livelihood. In artwork, he is always shown carrying the Trident – a threepronged spear.
Zeus – Ruler of all gods and man. When Zeus defeated his father Cronus, he and his brothers drew lots for their share of
the universe. Zeus was chosen as the supreme ruler. He controls the awful thunderbolt and is stronger than all other gods
put together.
(The remainder of the Olympians are the grandchildren of Cronus – most were fathered by Zeus.)
Ares – The Greek god of war, Ares is a ruthless god. Both Zeus and Hera (his parents) hated him. He figures little in the
Greek myths and is little more than a symbol of war.
Athena – The goddess of wisdom and Zeus’ favorite, Athena sprang fully-grown and dressed in armor from Zeus’ head. She
is the second of the virgin goddesses and is often referred to as the Maiden.
Apollo – A beautiful god and a master musician, Apollo entertains the gods by playing on his golden lyre. He is god of archery,
prophecy, and music. He is sometimes called god of the sun, but the actual Sun-god is Helios.
Artemis – The last of the virgin goddesses, Artemis is the goddess of the moon. She is known for having two faces (or
personalities): good and evil. She is also known as the goddess of the hunt.
Hermes – The god of speed and messenger of the gods, Hermes is often pictured as having winged sandals, a winged hat, and
a magic wand.
Hephaestus – The god of fire was popular on earth and on Olympus. He was born lame and ugly, yet the most beautiful of all
goddesses, Aphrodite, loved him. Hephaestus forged the gods’ armor and built their houses.
Aphrodite – Goddess of love and beauty, she is the wife of the ugliest of the gods, Hephaestus. She came out of the foam of
the sea from the blood of Uranos as he fell from the sky into Tartaros.
Dionysus - God of wine, parties, and drama. His mother was killed while he was still in the womb. Zeus rescued him and
sewed him into his thigh until Dionysus was ready to be born. His name means “born twice.” Replaced Hestia on Mt. Olympus
when she decided to step down and live among mankind.
The Olympian Gods
Name (Roman)
Animals, Plants
Objects
Attributes, Activities
Zeus (Jupiter)
Eagle, bull, oak
lightning, aegis,
throne
prophecy, weather, kingship,
justice
Hera (Juno)
cow, peacock
Apollo
snake, laurel,
hyacinth
lyre, bow &arrow
prophecy, medicine, archery,
music, moderation, law
Artemis (Diana)
Bear, deer
Bow & arrow,
moon
chastity, hunting, protecting
young, childbirth
anvil and forge
Craftsmanship, blacksmith,
lameness
Hephaestus
(Vulcan)
marriage, childbirth
Dionysus (Bacchus)
bull, snake,
panther, ivy
wine, thyrsus,
fawn skin
prophecy, tragedy, ecstasy,
violation of limits
Aphrodite (Venus)
Dove, goose, swan
(Eros)
Love
trident
earthquakes, sea
Poseidon (Neptune) bull, horse
Demeter (Ceres)
harvest, fertility, immortality
(Mysteries)
Grain
Hermes (Mercury)
hat, winged
sandals, wand
messenger, traveler, leads souls to
Hades, trickster
Ares (Mars)
chariot, armor
war
aegis, armor
wisdom, war, weaving, chastity
sacred fire
chastity, domesticity
Athena (Minerva)
owl, snake, olive
tree
Gods sometimes
included:
Hestia (Vesta)
Hades (Pluto)
lord of the Dead
Greek Gods and Goddesses Review
1. Mars is a planet NOW. THEN he was the god of ____________________________.
2. If someone has an Achilles heel, she has a tendon and a ________________________.
3. Ambrosia THEN was _________________________________________________.
4. Adonis was chased by Aphrodite because he was ______________________________.
5. The term aphrodisiac is another term for a _____________ potion and is named for the
goddess Aphrodite.
6. A book of maps NOW is named after someone who spent his time holding up the
sky____________________.
7. A Herculean task is ___________________________.
8. Owls are the symbol for ____________________________.
9. The word volcano came from ________________________, the god of ___________.
10. Who is the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes? ___________________________
11. Dionysus was the god of _______________________________________________
12. What job does Hermes have? ___________________________________________
13. What is the symbol for Zeus? ____________________________________________
14. Arachnid comes from the story of Arachne who was turned into a _________________
15. The father of all gods THEN, his name means disorder now ______________________
16. A sports team and a famous ship can be named for these giants ___________________
17. The god of the underworld ________________________________________
18. Narcissus was in love with ________________________________________
19. Where did the gods and goddesses live? ____________________________________
20. Why was Hera always mad at Zeus? _______________________________________
Zeus
Apollo
Hephaestus
Styx
Persephone
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Hera
Artemis
Hestia
Elysian Fields
Demeter
Poseidon
Aphrodite
Muses
Furies
Fate
Hades
Hermes
Nemesis
Pan
Cronus
Athena
Ares
Triton
Graiae
Proteus
Cerberus
Charon
Gorgons
Three-headed dog of Hades _______________________
Goddess of Love and Beauty _______________________
Sprang from her father’s head; Goddess of Wisdom ___________________
ruler of all gods in Olympus _________________________
punish evildoers, pursue sinners on earth _______________________
ruler of the Underworld ___________________________
ruler of the seas _______________________________
God of War; hated by both of his parents __________________________
a place of blessedness __________________________________
daughters of Zeus; thought to inspire artists and musicians _________________
Goddess of the Hearth (the symbol of home) ____________________________
Ate all of his children—except one _________________________
although the “protector of marriage,” she has marital problems of her own
_____________________________________
14. Righteous Anger _____________________
15. His winged boots are the symbol for Foot Locker and Goodyear Tires _______________
16. Goddess of the Hunt; loves all wild things; usually pictured with a young deer and a bow
_______________________
17. Sometimes stronger than Zeus __________________________
18. plays the lyre, killed a great python, part of his name- Phoebus- means brilliant
____________________________
19. kidnapped by Hades and forced to become his wife________________________
20. the only ugly immortal, workman and blacksmith __________________________
21. Poseidon’s son; trumpeter of the sea ________________________________
22. old boatman who ferries souls of the dead across the river ______________________
23. son of Hermes, had goat’s horns and hoofs, his name is the origin for our word for being scared
__________________________
24. Dragon-like with wings, their looks turned men to stone _________________________
25. sisters to the Gorgons, 3 women shared one eye ______________________
26. Poseidon’s son who has the power to tell the future and change forms ______________
27. river of the unbreakable oath by which gods swear _____________________
28. Goddess of the Corn, mother of Persephone ______________________