Gods of Greece

Zeus

Zeus was the King of the Gods. He ruled over all the heavens. He was born of Cronus and Rhea. With his mother's help, Zeus overthrew Cronus and saved his brothers and sisters. He then won Universal control in a game of dice with his brothers. He chose his sister, Hera, as his queen. He was not by any means loyal to her. He had many different wives and and even more children. The Titans had armed Zeus with earthshaking thunderbolts and he was quick to punish dishonorable mortals and sometimes gods too. Roman Name:Jupiter

Poseidon

Poseidon was another son of Cronus and Rhea. After he  aided Zeus in the overthrowing of Cronus, he took control of the sea. He chose a nyad named Amphtrite for his queen. At first she refused his affections and fled to the Atlas Mountains. Poseidon then sent out a dolphin named Delphines to bring her home. The dolphin was so successful, Poseidon made him a constellation. Poseidon was armed with a magic trident that raised the seas and shook the earth. Roman Name:Neptune

Eros

Eros was the God of Love. He is not to be confused with Aphrodite for she is the Goddess of Love. Eros was born of Chaos. He was symbolized as a small winged youth, slight yet beautiful.  He carried silver arrows that when shot into the hearts of men they fell recklessly in love. Roman Name:Cupid

Pan

Pan was the god of woods and fields and fertility. He was the son of Hermes and a nymph. He had the hooves, horns, and ears of a goat. He was wonderful at music and often tried to impress the woodland nymphs(Dryads) on his pipe of reeds. The nymphs rejected him, though, because of his ugly appearance. Roman Name:Innus

Hera

Hera was the most powerful Olympian goddess. She ruled over marriage and childbirth. Born of Cronus and Rhea. She was imprisoned in Cronus's stomach until Zeus set her free. The Zeus took Hera as his queen and they had four children. Hephestus, Ares, Hebe,  and Eilithyia. Hera was known to be outspoken and meddlesome. Roman Name:Juno

Hermes

Hermes, messenger of the gods, was the son of the god Zeus and of Maia, the daughter of the Titan Atlas. As the special servant and courier of Zeus, Hermes had winged sandals and a winged hat and bore a golden Caduceus, or magic wand, entwined with snakes and mounted by wings. He conducted the souls of the dead to the underworld and was believed to possess magical powers over sleep and dreams. Hermes was also the god of commerce, and the protector of traders and herds. As the deity of athletes, he protected gymnasiums and stadiums and was believed to be responsible for both good luck and wealth. Despite his virtuous characteristics, Hermes was also a dangerous foe, a trickster, and a thief. Hermes was represented in early Greek art as a mature, bearded man; in classical art he became an athletic youth, nude and beardless. Roman Name:Mercury

Apollo

Apollo, in Greek mythology, son of the god Zeus and Leto, daughter of a Titan gifted musician, who delighted the gods with his performance on the lyre. He was also a master archer and a respected athlete, credited with having been the first victor in the Olympic games. His twin sister, Artemis, was the guardian of young women, and Apollo was the special protector of young men. He was also the god of agriculture and cattle and of light and truth. He taught humans the art of healing. Some tales depict Apollo as pitiless and cruel. Apollo answered the prayers of the priest Chryses to obtain the release of his daughter from the Greek general Agamemnon. He did s sorrows into the Greek army. Perhaps because of his beauty and perfect physique, Apollo was represented in ancient art more frequently than any other deity.

Roman Name:Sol

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Hepheastus

Hepheatus, god of smiths and the forge, was the son of Zeus and Hera. He was a hard working and peace loving god. Although he was not the most handsome of gods, he made up for it with his gentle heart. He was married to Aphrodite and often fashioned valuable jewels for her. His forges were located in volcanoes on earth. His helpers were the one eyed Cyclopes. Roman Name:Vulcan Hades Hades was Greek god of the Underworld. He too was A son of Cronus and Rhea and like his brothers he won his control in a dice game. Only he lost the game so he was stuck with control of the Underworld. There fore his personality doesn't exactly go with his job. He was not evil just unpitying. The greatest story of Hades is when he stole Pershephone for his queen. Roman Name:Pluto Athena

Athena

Athena had a very unusual birth. Zeus had been pursuing a nymph named Metis and one day he lured her into a garden and swallowed her. That night Zeus had a terrible headache and from his head sprang Athena, full grown and wearing armor. Athena was the godess of arts and handicrafts. She was the wisest and the personal advisor to Zeus. She was the only person in the universe Zeus would trust with his thunderbolts. She was also a virgin goddesses. Hestia Hestia was a daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She was probably the gentlest of the gods. As godess of hearth and home she didn't hold a throne on Olympus, but in the hearts of people everywhere. Roman Name:Vesta Ares Ares was the God of war. He was a son of Zeus and Hera but neither of his parents liked him because of his bad personality. Ares was a ruthless coward who cheered when others were murdered but bellowed when he felt pain himself. He is often associated with Eris the Goddess of Discord. Roman Name:Mars

Artimes

Artimes was the Daughter of Leto and Zeus and twin sister of Apollo. Soon after the birth of Artimes and Apollo Zeus brought the twins to his palace to give them both wondrous gifts. He already had Apollo's gifts ready, but he let Artimes choose her gifts for herself because he preferred her. She choose to have a company of woodland nymphs and hounds to play with, and she wanted a silver bow and arrows, she asked to have many names and to always stay a child, and Zeus also granted her the gift of chastity. She became the goddess of the moon and hunt. Roman Name:Diana Dionysus Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele. He was raised in women's quarters and disguised as a girl to protect him from the jealous Hera. He was safe as a boy, but in manhood Hera found him and drove him mad. He journeyed through Asia committing murders on innocent victims. Later he visited Rhea who cleansed his soul of wrongdoing and Dionysus continued to journey but this time to get people to worship the Greek Gods. When Zeus saw that Dionysus was establishing worship he brought him to Olympus and gave him a throne. Roman Name:Bacchus

Aphrodite

The Goddess of Love and beauty who tempted all, men and Gods alike was the mystic Aphrodite. She was almost like a siren. She would tempt men and then break their hearts ruthlessly and laugh at the trouble she caused them. Roman Name:Venus

Persephone

In Greek mythology Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Hades fell in love with Persephone and asked Zeus if he could have her for his queen and Zeus agreed. When Demeter heard that her Daughter was descend to become Queen of the underworld she rejected. When Hades heard he made a plan to steal Persephone and bring her to the underworld. Hades went through with his plan and brought the beautiful goddess of Spring into the despair of the underworld. While she was there she ate three pomegranate seeds so when her mother appealed to Zeus to bring her back to the world Zeus said she would have to spend three months in the Underworld with Hades. During the time her daughter is in the Underworld, Demeter makes the world barren and cold. Roman Name:Proserpina

Aelous

Aelous was King of the winds. Zeus gave him the power to control wind and he lived on a floating Island called Aeolia with his six daughters. Aeolus is most famous for his association with Odysseys. Aelous gave him a bag filled with winds and Odysseys sailors opened the bag and were blown back to Aeolia and Aelous refused to help them again. Roman Name: Aeolus

Nike

Nike is the goddess of Victory. She fought along Zeus during the battle with the Titans. She is a patron of sports and is often depicted as the hand of winning. Roman Name:Victory

Nemesis She was the goddess of Delivered Justice and she delivered the vengeance of the gods. She was the daughter of Nyx the god of night. She sought out the cruel and haughty mortals and delivered a righteous sentence. She also rewarded mortals who were good and kind. Roman Name:Nemesis 

Iris

Iris was the messenger goddess. She was a servant to Hera and Zeus. Iris was also called the rainbow goddess. She was pictured as a beautiful maiden unlike her sisters the Erinies. When she delivered messages to mortals she would disguise herself as someone the person knows. She helped Queen Dido to die by cutting the hair of gold that kept her soul attached to her body. She was born of Electra and Thaumus.

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