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God and Goddesses
of Ancient Greece
Greeks and their gods
“The universe created the god”
Heaven and Earth were the parents of the first gods, the Titans.
The Titans possessed enormous strength and had a physique to
match. Cronus rules the Titans, until his son Zeus dethroned him.
Zeus became the leader of the Olympian goads, who resided at Mount
Olympus. Mt. Olympus was a place not quite on earth, but not exactly
heaven. It was untouched by weather, and its protected by the
Seasons. However, unlike many belief systems, the Greeks gods have
many faults: they are prone to fits of jealousy, vanity and temper
tantrums.
Zeus:
Roman name: Jupiter
Symbols: Thunderbolt, eagle, and oak tree.
Family: Zeus is married to Hera, his sister.
While Zeus rules the Sky, clouds,
thunderbolts and has more power than all
other gods combined, his brothers Poseidon
and Hades govern the Sea and Underworld.
Zeus has numerous famous children
including many of the Olympians, but he is
also the father of Perseus and Persephone.
The Notorious Z-E-U-S: He is infamous
for his many love affairs and bad temper.
Hera: The Goddess of Marriage
Roman Name: Juno
Symbols: Cow and Peacock
Family: Hera is married to Zeus and is also his
sister. Her children are Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus
and a daughter, Ilithyia.
Woman Scorned: Hera is the protector of marriage,
particularly married women. Hera was used to an
unfaithful husband and her jealousy was well
known throughout Greece. She would torment
Zeus’s other women, many of whom were unaware
they had wronged Hera. Zeus would often disguise
himself to the mortal ladies in an effort to hide
from his smart and beautiful wife. Hera was also
well known for her horrible temper and extreme
vanity. It was Hera’s vanity that caused the ultimate
fall of Troy.
Willing to help: Hera was not without her merits.
She was a protector of heroes and a fixture in every
home. Her daughter, Ilithyia helped women in
childbirth.
Aphrodite: Goddess
of Love and Beauty
Roman name: Venus
Symbols: myrtle tree, dove, swan and
sparrow
Family: She is the daughter of Zeus
and Dione. Aphrodite is said to have
been born from the foam of the sea.
She married Hephaestus and Cupid is
her son.
Legend has it: That Aphrodite’s
beauty awe-struck all men, no matter
how wise. Although often depicted in
art for her beauty and charm, she was
also known to be manipulative. The
Three Graces were her attendants, who
born brought her up to Mount
Olympus when she was born. The
beautiful Goddess was covered in the
jewels and crowns her husband made
for her but Aphrodite was still
rumored to have had an affair with her
husband’s brother, Ares
Ares: God of War
Roman Name: Mars
Symbols: The vulture and dog
Family: He is definitely the son of
Hera, but know one can say for
certain who his father is. Many
say his father is Zeus, but
whether Zeus is his step-dad or
biological dad doesn’t matter;
Zeus and Hera did not like Ares.
On a planet of his own: Ares not
have the glorious tales of the
other Gods and Goddesses. He is
more a symbol of war than
anything else. Although he may
have had an affair with the lovely
Aphrodite.
Athena: Goddess of Wisdom
Roman Name: Minerva
Symbols: The olive tree and owl
Family: Some say she was born of Zeus alone,
others that her mother was Metis, the wife
Zeus had to swallow. Either way, she was
born fully grown and in armor from her
father’s head. Athena never married and
had no children.
Where in Greece? You may have already
guessed that Athens was named after this
Goddess. She was in competition with
Poseidon, her uncle, for claim of the city.
Each presented the people with a gift and
Athena gave the beautiful, practical gift of
the olive tree. Needless to say, she won
and Athens is hers.
Dionysus: God of the Vine
Roman Name: Bacchus
Symbol: the grape vine, wine
Family: The son of Zeus and the mortal
princess Semele Dionysus is the youngest
of the Gods. Hera discovered this affair of
Zeus’s and tricked the sweet princess into
her own death. Zeus was able to rescue his
son and sowed him into his thigh until he
was ready to be born.
Oh, I like dolphins: Then you better thank
this God. Known for his gentleness he
saved sailors from a watery death by
turning them into dolphins. And to think,
some people do not consider Dionysus
worthy to be an Olympian. Besides,
Dionysus is the inventor of wine.
If you look
closely, you’ll
see that the
wreath around
his head is
really
bunches of
grapes!
Artemis: Goddess of the
Hunt and Moon
Roman name: Diane
Symbols: Cypress tree and deer.
Family: The Maiden Goddess is the twin
sister of Apollo. Artemis is the daughter
of Zeus and Leto.
Am I moonstruck or was that a sliver
arrow? If you died a quick and painless
death it was probably a silver arrow shot
by this Goddess. Artemis was known for
her contradictions; preserving youth but
requiring the sacrifice of a maiden from
the Greek Fleet before sailing off to Troy.
Hermes: Messenger of
the Gods
Roman Name: Mercury
Symbols: Winged sandals, low helmet,
and Caduceus (his wand).
Family: Hermes is the son of Zeus and
Maia, Atlas’s daughter.
It’s Getting’ Hot in Here: Or is
Hermes just bringing you to the
underworld. One of his chief duties
was to guide people to the
underworld. He was also a master
thief and stole many of Apollo’s
cows when only one day old!
Hermes is also the most popular
god, appearing in more tales than
any one else.
Poseidon: God of the Sea
Roman Name: Neptune
Symbols: The trident, bulls and horses.
Family: Poseidon is second in power to his
brother, Zeus. Poseidon is also the son of
Cronus and Rhea. Poseidon married
Amphitrite and together they had one son,
Triton.
Something smells fishy: Poseidon had a
beautiful palace of coral beneath the sea,
but he was often found in the clouds of
Olympus. Poseidon was an important God
to the Greeks, because they relied on the
sea for much of their welfare. It was
Poseidon’s choice for the sea to be calm or
enraged with a storm. Poseidon is also well
known for giving man the horse.
Apollo: God of Truth, Life
and Music
Roman Name: Apollo
Symbols: Laurel, dolphin and lyre
Family: Apollo is Artemis’s twin brother and
son of Zeus and Leto.
The Greekiest Greek of them all: Apollo is a
prominent figure in the arts including poetry
and music. His brother, Hermes gave him the
golden lyre for which he used to entertain the
other gods. Apollo also never told a lie.
Demeter: Goddess of the
Harvest and Hearth
Roman Name: Ceres
Symbols: The hearthstone
Family: Demeter is the sister of Zeus, Poseidon
and Hades. She is also the mother of Persephone
whom she never let out of her sight.
Kindest of them all: Demeter gave up her
throne on Mount Olympus to make room for
Dionysus. She instead took her place at the hearth
in the center of the thrones, where she considered
herself to rightly belong. Demeter was devastated
when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped
by Hades. Each spring, Demeter would greet her
daughter at the entrance from the underworld.
Hephaestus: God of Fire
Roman Name: Vulcan
Symbols: Hephaestus does not have any
specific symbols like the other Gods.
Family: He is the son of Hera and some
people believe he was also the son of
Zeus. He married Aphrodite at Zeus’s
order.
Odd man out: Hephaestus did not have the
outer beauty of the other Gods, but was
noted for his kindness. Adding to his
outer appearance is his noticeable limp.
This limp was caused by Zeus, who
through him off of Mount Olympus for
siding with Hera over Zeus in a fight.
Hephaestus is the patron of smiths
making him very important to Greek
life.