Download Greek gods and goddesses: Family Tree

Greek gods and goddesses: Family Tree
In Greek mythology, gods “did not create the universe… the universe created the gods” (Hamilton 24).
- In the beginning… there was only _________.
From chaos emerged Gaea (Mother Earth) and Ouranos (Father Haven).
Gaea ---------------------- Ouranos
(married to)
They had three types of children, all monsters, the most important of which were the Titans. The Titans
ruled the universe until their son (Zeus) took over.
Cronus--------- Rhea
(married to)
The Twelve great gods who succeeded the Titans lived on Mt. Olympus were the following. The names in
parenthesis are the Roman gods’ and goddesses’ names.
1. Zeus (Jupiter)
2. Poseidon (Neptune)
3. Hades (Pluto)
4. Hestia (Vesta)
5. Hera (Juno)
6. Ares (Mars)
7. Athena (Minerva)
8. Apollo (Apollo)
9. Aphrodite (Venus)
10. Hermes (Mercury)
11. Artemis (Diana)
12. Hephaestus (Vulcan)
So the family tree starts to look a little something like this:
Gaea (Mother _______) ---------------------- Ouranos (Father ___________)
(The Titans)
Cronus--------- Rhea
Monster Kid
Zeus --------------- Hera
Poseidon (brother of Zeus)
(married to)
Athena
Hephaestus
Monster Kid
Monster Kid
Hades (brother of Zeus)
Confusing, yes? I know!!! Let’s fill in the following chart to help you keep the Greek
gods and goddesses straight.
Gaea, also known as ______________ Earth, was wife to Ouranos, or Father _____________.
Their children were known as the _______________.
One Titan, ___________, along with his wife/sister ____________, overthrew Ouranos because he disliked the
way he treated his children.
Their son, ____________, overthrew Cronus and Rhea and became the supreme ruler of the universe.
Zeus and the other Olympians ruled from Mt. __________________.
ZEUS
 God of the sky, ________, and justice
 King and most powerful of the gods; Ruler of ____________
 Symbol was the ____________
POSEIDON
 God of the ________ and earthquakes
 Brother of __________
 Odysseus’s enemy
 Symbol was the ____________, which he always carries
HADES
 God of the _____________
 __________ and_________’s brother
 wife was Persephone, who he stole from Earth and made Queen of the Lower World which helped
the Greeks explain the changing of the ______________
HESTIA
 Goddess of the ___________ (which is the symbol of the home… as a result, any newborn child had
to be carried around the hearth)
 one of the three virgin goddesses, along with Athena and Artemis
 no distinct personality and plays no part in the myths
 each city had a public sacred hearth to Hestia. If a new community was founded, __________ must be
carried from the mother city’s hearth to the new
HERA
 Goddess of ____________ and _______ ________
 Exceptionally _____________
 ________’s wife
 spent most of her time punishing the women Zeus cheated on her with and their children
ARES
 God of ____________
 son of _________ and _____________, though both parents detest him
APHRODITE
 Goddess of ___________ and Beauty
 usually said to be the wife of ______________________
 ____________________ loving goddess
APOLLO
 God of archery, poetry, music, medicine, and prophecy
 the master musician who plays his ______________ for the Olympians
 god of _______________ (in who there is no darkness at all) and god of ___________ (can never tell a lie)
ATHENA
 Goddess of wisdom and the arts of war and peace
 Protector of Odysseus
 Zeus’s favorite daughter
 her epithet is often “___________-eyed”
 daughter of Zeus and no mother – full grown and full-armored, she sprang from the head of Zeus
 a fierce battle-goddess who is generally only warlike to defend the State from its enemies
 Zeus’s favorite child
 City of _____________
HERMES
 Messenger god
 God of commerce, speed, and trade
 has winged ___________________ and a winged, low-crowned hat (like the Red Bull character)
 led the dead to their last home
 appears more frequently in mythological tales than any other god
ARTEMIS
 Goddess of the Wild Things, the moon, and crossways
 _________________ twin sister
 one of the three virgin goddesses (Athena was another)
 goddess of the moon – called Phoebe and Selene as a result
 also identified as Hecate, the Goddess of the Dark of the Moon, associated with deeds of darkness
(also the name of one of the witches in Macbeth!!!)
 Goddess of the Crossways, ghostly places of evil magic
HEPHAESTUS
 God of fire and the forges – Blacksmith to the gods
 blacksmith of the gods who makes their weaponry as well
 credited for being under volcanoes and causing them to erupt
 in the Odyssey, is said to be _____________________’s husband