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Greek and Roman Mythology
A Review
of
The Principal Gods and Goddesses
What is a myth?
A traditional story rooted in primitive
folk beliefs of cultures
 Uses the supernatural to interpret
natural events
 Explains the culture’s view of the
universe and the nature of humanity

In the beginning...
…was Chaos (shapeless nothingness)
 Chaos had two children:

– Night (darkness)
– Erebus (death)
“All was black, empty, silent, endless.”
 Mysteriously, Love was born of
darkness and death.

And then...
When Love was born, order and beauty
began to flourish.
 Love created Light and Day.
 Earth was created.

– She was the solid ground, but also a
personality.

The Earth bore Heaven to cover her
and be a home for the gods.
The First Parents
Mother Earth = Gaea (Gaia)
 Father Heaven = Ouranos (Uranus)
 They had three kinds of children:

– Three monsters with 100 hands and 50
heads
– Three cyclopes
– The titans

These were the first characters that had the appearance of life,
although it was unlike any life known to man.
The Titans (The Elder Gods)
There were many of them.
 Enormous size, incredible strength
 Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans
 Rhea: Wife of Cronos
 Ocean: River that encircled the world
 Iapetus: Father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)

The Principal Gods

Cronos and Rhea
were parents of
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Zeus (Jupiter, Jove)
Poseidon (Neptune)
Hades (Pluto)
Hera (Juno)
Hestia (Vesta)
Demeter (Ceres)
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Other Olympians
include
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Athena (Minerva)
Ares (Mars)
Hebe (Juventas)
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
Apollo (Apollo)
Artemis (Diana)
Hermes (Mercury)
Aphrodite (Venus)
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Persephone (Proserpina)
The Olympians
Zeus
Roman Name:
Jupiter (also Jove)
 Supreme god of the
Olympians.
 Fathered many
characters in
mythology

Zeus
Hera
Roman Name:
Juno
 Zeus’s sister
and wife
 Jealous
protector of
marriage
 Punished the
women Zeus fell
in love with

Poseidon
Roman Name:
Neptune
 God of the Seas
and Waters
 “The
Earthshaker”

Hades
Roman Name:
Pluto
 God of the
Underworld/
Dead
 Kidnapped
Persephone

Hestia
Roman Name:
Vesta
 Goddess of
Home
 Powerful
Protector

Demeter
Roman
Name: Ceres
 Goddess of
the Harvest
 A Goddess of
the Earth

Athena
Roman Name:
Minerva
 Goddess of
Wisdom and
War
 Sprang from
Zeus’s head

Ares
Roman Name:
Mars
 God of War
 Son of Zeus and
Hera
 Bloodthirsty and
merciless

Hephaestus
Roman Name:
Vulcan (Mulciber)
 God of Fire/Forge
 Son of Zeus and
Hera
 Kind, unlike his
brother

Apollo
Roman
Name: Apollo
 God of
Light/Sun and
Music
 Brother of
Artemis

Artemis
Roman
Name: Diana
 Goddess of
the Moon/
Hunt
 Sister to
Apollo

Hermes
Roman Name:
Mercury
 Messenger of
the Gods
 Appears in
more myths
than any other
character

Aphrodite
Roman Name:
Venus
 Goddess of
Love and
Beauty
 Sprang from
the ocean
foam

Dionysus
Roman Name:
Bacchus
 God of Wine
 Patron god of
the Greek stage
 A God of the
Earth

Persephone
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Roman Name:
Proserpina
Goddess of the
Underworld
Daughter of Zeus
and Demeter
Abducted by
Hades
Hebe
Roman Name:
Juventas
 Goddess of
Youth
 Cupbearer to the
Gods
 Restored youth
to the aged

Eros
Roman Name:
Cupid
 Young God of
Love
 Son of
Aphrodite and
Hephaestus

Iris
Goddess of the
Rainbow
 Messenger for
Zeus and Hera
 Daughter of the
titan Thaumus
and the nymph
Electra

The Muses

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Nine daughters of
Zeus and
Mnemosyne
Inspired artists of all
kinds

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Goddesses who
presided over the
arts and sciences
“He is happy whom
the muses love.”
Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia
The Graces
Three Goddesses of
Grace and Beauty
 “They give life its
bloom.”
 Aglaia (Splendor)
 Euphrosyne (Mirth)
 Thalia (Good
Cheer)

The Erinnyes (The Furies)
Roman Name: Furiae
or Dirae (The Furies)
 Three Goddesses of
Vengeance
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– Tisiphone
– Alecto
– Megaera

They punish evildoers.
The Fates
Roman Name: Parcae, Moirae
 Three sisters

– Clotho (“The Spinner”)
– Lachesis (“The disposer of lots”)
– Atropos (“The cutter”)

They weave, measure, and cut the
thread of life for humans.
Pan
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Roman name: Faunus
God of shepherds and flocks,
woods, hunting and rustic
music
Lover of nymphs who typically
ran from his advances
Invented pan pipes
hindquarters, legs, and horns
of a goat
Panic
The Satyrs
Gods of the woods and
mountains
 “Shepherd gods”
 Goat men (like Pan)
 Companions of
Dionysus
 They like to drink,
dance, chase nymphs.

The Gorgons
Three snakehaired monsters
 Medusa is most
well-known
 Their look turns
men to stone.

The Centaurs
Half man, half
horse
 Savage
creatures
(except Chiron)
 Followers of
Dionysus

Sources
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Graphics in this presentation were taken from
the following web sites:
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http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/search.html
http://www.pantheon.org/
http://www.messagenet.com/myths/
http://mythman.com/
http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html
http://www.paleothea.com/
http://www.entrenet.com/%7Egroedmed/greekm/myth.html