Olympian Gods The Olympian Gods dwelled on the peaks of Mt. Olympus or somewhere high in the sky. They ruled after the overthrow of the titans, and Zues became the supreme leader. Aphrodite Goddess of love, desire, and beauty Aphrodite's Roman name was Venus and was married to Hephaestus. No one knows the exact origin or her, but some say she was the daugter of Zues and Dione, while others say she originated from the sea foam produce when Uranus's genitals were castrated into the sea by Cronus. Aphrodite's tree was the myrtle and the dove, swan, and sparrow were her birds. Apollo God of music, prophesy, and healing The offspring of Zues and Leto, Apollo main daily chore was to harness his four horses and drive the sun across the sky. He had a twin sister Artemis. Apollo's oracle was at Delphi, his tree was the laurel, his bird the crow, and his animal was the dolphin. Ares God of war Ares Roman name was Mars and his parents were Zues and Hera. His bird was the vulture and his animal the dog. Artemis Goddess of chastity Artemis was the daugter of Zues and Leto. She was also the twin brother of Apollo. She enjoyed hunting a lot, and often hunted with the giant, Orion. Apollo despised this, and decide to stop her from seeing Orion. He challenged her to an archery contest to shoot a floating object in the sky. Her amazing accuracy proved ironic as she killed her beloved Orion. The cypress was her tree and all wild animals were afraid of her. Athena Goddess of city, handicrafts, and agriculture Athena originated from Zues's head and aided the heroes Perseus, Jason, Cadmus and Heracles in their quests. She also invented the bridle, trumpet, flute, pot, rake, plow, yoke, ship, and the chariot. Her favorite city was Athens, her tree was the olive, and the owl was her bird. Hades God of wealth The Romans called Hades Pluto and he lived in the underworld. He was wealthy do to the precious metals the were mined from the earth. Hephaestus God of fire and forge Hephaestus was the offspring of Zues and Hera, but some accounts say Hera alone. He was a lame and the most ugliest god physically. His wife was Aphrodite. Hera Goddess of marriage Hera was the wife of Zues and often called the female goddess of Olympus. The animals scared of her were the cow and the peacock and her favorite city was Argos. Hermes God of thieves and commercere The Romans called Hermes Mecury and he was the son of Zues and the mountain nympth, Maia. He was a messenger and carried messages to the underworld. He invented the first lyre on his first day of life by taking a tortoise shell and stringing sinews across it. Hestia Goddess of Hearth Hestia was the sister of Zues. She was one of the origal 12 supreme gods, but gave it up to Dionysus. Poseidon God of the sea, earthquakes, and horses Poseidon was called Neptune by the Romans and was the brother of Zues and Hades. The 3 gods divide all of creation into 3 parts, with Poseidon taking the watery realm. Because of this, his weapon was the trident, and was the second most powerful god. Zeus God of the sky, rain and the cloud gatherer Zues's Roman name was Jupiter. Cronus, the father of Zues, was overthrown by his son allowing Zues to become the next overlord. Zues's chosen weapon was the thunderbolt and he used this to defeat his enemies or punish them for lying or breaking oaths, which he did not tolerate. His tree was the oak and his oracle at Dodona, the land of the oak trees.