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The pantheon of Greek gods
The Greek gods and goddesses can be divided into 8 classes.
Although all Greeks would have been familiar with the famous gods,
many lesser gods were only worshipped in specific communities.
The first class of Greek gods were the Protogenoi
Protogenoi-(FIRST BORN GODS) These were the primeval gods that form the fabric of the
universe. They were elemental gods (earth, sea, sky, day, night, etc.).
Uranus-rulerof Protogenoi; god of the sky
Gaia-the goddess of earth
Pontos-the sea god
The second class of gods were the Daimones (spirits)
& the Nymphai – nymphs and dryads nurtured
life of the four elements (earth, wind, water &
fire). For example, the Satyroi took care of the
beasts of the world. (note-daimon is the root of the English
word demon, though it was not a negative creature in
Greek mythology)
The third class of gods were the body and mind daimones
like Hypnos (sleep), Eros (love), Phobos (fear), Euphrosyne (joy), Eris (hate), Thanatos (death),
Geras (Old Age)
Protogenoi
The fourth class of gods were the Theoi –they controlled the the forces of nature and gave the
Greeks the civilized arts.
THEOI-there are gods for everything
 THEOI OURANIOI (Sky Gods). E.g. Helios (Sun), Anemoi (Winds), etc.
 THEOI HALIOI (Sea Gods). E.g. The Nereides, Triton, Glaukos, etc.
 THEOI KHTHONIOI (Underworld Gods). E.g. Hades, Persephone, Hekate,
etc.
 THEOI GEORGIKOI (Agricultural Earth Gods). E.g. Ploutos, etc.
 THEOI NOMIOI (Pastoral Earth Gods). E.g. Pan, Aristaios, etc.
 THEOI POLIKOI (City Gods). E.g. Hestia, Eunomia, etc.
 THEOI OLYMPIOI (Olympian Gods). E.g. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, The Mousai,
Hebe, etc.
 THEOI TITANES (Titan Gods). E.g. Themis, Kronos, Prometheus, etc.
 APOTHEOTHENAI (Deified Mortals). E.g. Herakles, Asklepios, etc.
**Note-you will often see different spellings for these gods; these
are a more authentic Greek spelling, most of the time you will see their
spelling more anglicized (Cronus instead of Kronos)
The TITANS-these were the original
“main” gods of the Greeks, until they were overthrown by the
Olympian gods under Zeus. Kronos (Cronus) was the ruler of
the Titans, before being dethroned by his son, Zeus, and exiled
to Tartarus.
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Gaia-wife of Uranus, mother of Cronus. Mother Earth.
Uranus-God of the sky & heavens. Father of the Titans. Ruler of the Protogenoi until he was overthrown by his son Cronus.
Cronus-God of time. Kronos overthrew his father Uranus to become ruler of the Greek gods. His wife as Rhea. To avoid being
overthrown by his own sons, he ate each of his children as they were born, until Rhea tricked him and made him swallow a rock instead
of Zeus. When Zeus grew up, he did overthrown his father and banish him to Tartarus. Kronos came to rule Italy as the god Saturn.
Rhea-wife of Cronus.
Oceanus-the unending body of water that circles the earth. Father of sea nynphs
Tethys-wife of Oceanus; creator of rivers with Oceanus
Hyperion-god of light
Mnemosyne-Titan goddess of memory; mother to the Muses
Themis-Titan goddess of justice & order; mother of the Fates & the seasons
Iapetus-father to several gods, including Prometheus
Coeus-Titan god of intelligence; father of Leto
CriusPhoebe-Titan goddess of the moon; mother of Leto
Thea
Prometheus-the wisest Titan; gifted with premonition. In the war, he sides with
– the Olympians. Protector of mankind who gives us the use of fire. There are GREAT stories
– about him in Greek mythology.
Epimetheus-the unintelligent Titan, brother to Prometheus. It is he who was given the gift of
– Pandora’s box, which, when opened, released evil into the world.
Atlas-Titan god who carried the world on his back
Dione-thought to be the mother of Aphrodite
Metis-goddess of wisdom & knowledge; has the gift of foresight. She is the mother of Athena.
– Zeus eats her when she refuses to tell him which of his children will overthrow him.
The 12 OLYMPIANS-Zeus overthrew his father Cronus to
become ruler of the Greek gods. He moved the Greek gods to
Mount Olympus. They are all related in some way.
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Zeus-ruler of the gods; god of lightening, thunder, and the heavens
Poseidon-god of the sea & earthquakes; brother to Zeus
Hades-god king of the underworld; brother to Zeus
Hestia-goddess of home
Hera-goddess of women, marriage, & goddesses; wife of Zeus
Ares-god of chaotic war
Athena-goddess of wisdom, art, poetry & war strategy
Apollo-god of prophecy, music, & healing
Aphrodite-goddess of love, beauty, & fertility
Hermes-god of commerce & travel; messenger of the gods
Artemis-goddess of moon, hunting, & nursing
Hephaestus-god of fire & blacksmiths; makes the gods’ weapons
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Other important gods & goddesses
Dionysus-god of wine & pleasure
Demeter-goddess of the harvest
Kratos-god of strength & power
Mania-goddess of insanity & the dead
Nemesis-goddess of retribution (revenge)
Pan-god of woods, fields, & flocks. He is a satyr (goat-man)
Persephone-goddess of Spring who lives half the year in the Underworld with Hades
Selene-goddess of the moon & “mother” of vampires
Life on Olympus
The Greek gods are not “nice
guys.” They can be petty,
jealous, and just plain mean,
much like normal people!
To the Greeks, the main
difference between mortals and
gods was the fact that gods have
power over nature, and don’t have to eat
food. The food of the gods, when they eat,
is ambrosia.
The rest of the gang…
• The spirits of the constellations (like Orion),
included the 12 zodiac signs.
• The monsters, beasts, and giants of myth were
also important, like the gigantes (giants),
drakones (dragons), kentauroi (centaurs), Sphinx,
minotaurs, and sirens.
• Heroi hemitheoi (demigods)-real world heroes
who were worshipped as minor gods after their
deaths. These include Achilles, Theseus, and
Helene.
Achilles
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4IoxEU
mHM
Theseus
• Athens was forced to send 14 tributes, 7
young men & 7 young women, to Crete’s King
Minos as punishment for the death of Minos’s
son in Athens years before. These young
people were thrown in a labyrinth to be eaten
by a minotaur. (Sound familiar? The Hunger
Games are an allusion to this Greek myth!)
• http://www.mythweb.com/heroes/theseus/in
dex.html