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Hestia    [pronounced in English as Hes'-tee-uh]

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Hestia    [pronounced in English as Hes'-tee-uh]

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Hestia was the goddess of the home, family, and domestic life. She was not worshipped publicly, which is evident by the lack of temples and shrines in her honor.  Her name meant both a house and a hearth, symbolizing the home and all who dwell or live within it. As the goddess of the hearth she personified the fire burning in the hearth of every home in Greece.  In Greek households, the first offering at every sacrifice in the household was in her name and families dedicated the richest portion of food to her. She also represented the alliance and relationship between the colonies of Greece and the mother cities which founded the civilization.

Her powers include pyrokinesis (the psychic ability to manipulate fire), healing, cooking skills, good looks, and unmatched charisma (charm that can inspire devotion in others).

She is a goddess of the Olympian generation, daughter of Cronus and Rhea and sister to Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter and Hera. When Cronus swallowed his children for fear one would dethrone him, Hestia was the eldest and thus swallowed first.  Although originally she was included in the Olympian gods, she was later replaced by Dionysus. In Rome, she would be known Vesta.

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Hera       [pronounced in English as hare-uh] 

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Hera       [pronounced in English as hare-uh] 

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Hera was the queen of the gods.  She was also the goddess of marriage and family. She had super strength, immortality and resistance to injury, and because of the particular section of Greek life that she resided over (marriage and women), she had the ability to bless and curse marriages.

She is both Zeus’ sister and wife.

Hera is described as a young, beautiful woman.  She was said to be the most beautiful of all goddesses, even beating out Aphrodite.

Hera is very relationship-oriented.  There are many myths about Hera’s jealousy, anger, and revenge.  She was able to punish people by turning them into monsters and animals.  When she’s really angry with Zeus, she usually wanders off by herself, always hoping Zeus will miss her and go looking for her.  However, she usually relents and returns without being sought after.

Sacred animals associated with Hera are the cow and the peacock.

Her favorite city is Argos.

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Athena      [pronounced in English as a-thee'na]

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Athena      [pronounced in English as a-thee'na]

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Athena is one of the most beloved goddesses. She is the goddess of wisdom, honorable war, and justice. The owl was always known as Athena's pet because she is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. Her mother is Metis, Zeus’ first wife, but Athena came out of Zeus’ head after he devoured her mother.   (Zeus feared that Metis would give birth to a child more powerful than him).

Of all his children, Zeus most favors Athena. There’s nothing much to say about her, other than the fact that she’s really nice.

She is the goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, defense and strategic warfare. One of her epithets (titles) is “Grey-eyed”.

Her gift to the Greeks was the useful olive tree. The underside of the olive tree’s leaf is grey, and when the wind lifts the leaves, it shows Athena’s many “eyes”.

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Aphrodite      [pronounced in English as af-roh-dy'-tee

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Aphrodite      [pronounced in English as af-roh-dy'-tee

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Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty.  Her symbols include the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, and rose.  Aphrodite was able to affect emotions such as love. She also used her beauty as a power.

Aphrodite was an exception to the family tree of the Greek gods. Some say her parents were unknown, and that she was born from the sea foam. Others, like the poet Homer, say she was a daughter of the mighty Zeus, king of all the gods. No one fully agrees where to place her on the family tree of the Greek gods.

Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus.

Legend says that Aphrodite could be kind or merciless. But the truth is that most of the myths about Aphrodite are, well, rather focused on Aphrodite. Not that she was vain. Aphrodite knew that she was the fairest in the land.

To be fair to Aphrodite, she was not at all like Ares, the god of war. Ares loved to cause pain and havoc. Aphrodite was only merciless if you did something that truly angered her.  However, Aphrodite was easier angered, especially when it came to vanity.

When the ancient Romans heard the many Greek myths about Aphrodite, they loved them!  The only thing the Romans changed was her name.  The ancient Romans called this famous goddess Venus.

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Zeus          [pronounced in English as zoos]

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Zeus          [pronounced in English as zoos]

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Zeus was the god of the sky and thunder.  In Greek mythology, Zeus was the ruler of all the gods of Mount Olympus.  He ruled them as a father rules his family.

Zeus was the father of many of the major gods and goddesses, including Athena, Hephaestus, the twins Apollo and Artemis, and Hercules. Aside from that, he was also the father of many mortals as well including Helen of Troy and Perseus.

In works of art, Zeus is depicted as a bearded, old but youthful-looking man.  He is usually shown carrying a couple of thunderbolts which are his weapons of choice.  Zeus had a quick temper and a big sense of humor.

Zeus could also shape shift, and look like anybody. In fact, he was so good at shape shifting that he could shape shift into the form of an animal. He could throw lightning bolts.  His horse, Pegasus, carried his lightning bolts for him.

Zeus is also a sports fanatic.  The ancient Olympic Games were always played to honor his name.

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Ares         [pronounced in English as air - eez]

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Ares         [pronounced in English as air - eez]

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Ares is impulsive and reckless.  He is the Greek god of war. More accurately, he is the god of savagery and brutality in warfare.  Meanwhile, Athena is the goddess of war strategy.  Ares' talent is being an elite soldier.

According to legend, Ares is the ancestor of the warrior Spartans.  While some people like collecting comic books or baseball cards, this guy enjoys wreaking havoc among warring armies. He does whatever he wants and often starts wars based on a whim or impulse.

He is often portrayed with a spear, armor, and an eagle owl, which is sacred to him. Soldiers would often sacrifice a dog to Ares to gain his favor before an upcoming battle.

Ares was an unpopular god with Greeks.  Why do you think this is?

Ares was happiest when surrounded by battle and violence.  This love of violence was so bad that his own father, Zeus, declared his hatred for him.  It is important to note that the Greek Ares and the Roman version called Mars have very little in common. The Roman version of Ares was well-liked.

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Hades and Zeus were brothers.  Hades had a seat on Mount Olympus, the magical mountain on which all the main gods, the Olympians, lived. However, Hades did not live on Mount Olympus.

When the three sons of Cronos divided up the world, Zeus took the sky, Poseidon took the sea, and Hades took the underworld. Zeus became the king of the gods, and Poseidon was happily married.  Meanwhile, Hades was stuck living in the Underworld.

Hades was NOT the lord of death. His job was to run the Underworld. He was a good ruler. Parts of the Underworld were very nice, like the Elysian Fields, where heroes dwelled after they died. Parts were not so nice. Those were for people who were not so nice during their lifetime.

Hades is one of the most powerful Greek gods, rivaled only by his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon. He ruled the Underworld and had control over the dead and riches (metals and precious stones), and as such had some power over the earth. He possessed a powerful helmet which rendered him completely imperceptible to most beings. Hades also inspired so much fear, that he could drive humans insane just by his mere presence. It is also noted that Hades had control over darkness. The pitchfork is Hades' weapon, and one of his symbols.

You might think Hades would be terribly lonely, surrounded by the souls of the dead.  However, he wasn't lonely at all. His brother Zeus visited, as did his nephews Apollo, Hermes, and Ares. Hades came up to the surface now and then if he had to be on Mount Olympus for a meeting of the gods or something. The truth was, Hades preferred the Underworld.  It was home.

Hades had everything he needed. He had an invisible helmet, which he liked very much. He had a golden chariot, which was his pride and joy. He also had his faithful and deeply loved companion, Cerberus, a three-headed dog.  He was perfectly content.

At least he was content, until he fell in love with the beautiful Persephone. But that's a different story.

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Poseidon is the lord of the seas, earthquakes and horses. His symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin and trident.  A trident is a three-pronged staff.

He is the middle son of Cronus and Rhea. He is also the brother of Zeus and Hades.  Poseidon is married to the Nereid Amphitrite.

Poseidon is believed to be the force behind earthquakes.  This is an odd thing to connect to the power of a sea god, but it is possibly due to the association between earthquakes and tsunamis in Greece. Some scholars believe he was first a god of the earth and earthquakes and only later took on the role of sea god.

In addition to creating horses, he is also credited with the creation of the zebra.

Poseidon was a good looking fellow. He had deep, blue eyes and streaming, green hair.  He was a restless fellow, always on the move.

Poseidon was very powerful. He could raise his hand and a new island would appear! The Greeks were terrified of Poseidon.

All the Greeks, but especially those who lived in coastal towns, built temples to honor Poseidon. They brought special gifts to the temples every day, hoping to keep him happy. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't. Poseidon was very moody.

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Hermes    [pronounced in English as hur'-meez

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Hermes    [pronounced in English as hur'-meez

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Hermes was the messenger of the Gods.  He was also the god of commerce (trading) and thieves.

His symbols include the caduceus.  The caduceus [Kuh–Doo–See–Us] is a staff with two entwined snakes winding up along it and topped with a pair of wings.  Hermes also wore winged sandals which allowed him to fly and move quickly.  He also wore a winged cap.

Hermes was the son of Zeus.  He is the second-youngest Olympian, just older than Dionysus. He married Dryope, the daughter of Dryops, and their son Pan became the god of nature, lord of the satyrs, inventor of the panpipes, and friend of Dionysus.

In addition to being the messenger god, Hermes is also known as “the guider of souls.”  With his caduceus in his hand, and his winged sandals on his feet, he is swift to lead the souls of the dead to the Underworld where Charon, the ferryman, can then take them over the river Styx and into the realm of Hades.

Hermes is also known as god of thieves.  When he was just an infant, he stole Apollo’s herd of cattle, and then to make up for it, gave him the lyre (harp-like instrument) which he made out of a tortoise shell.

Things were always going on in the mythical world.  The job of messenger to the gods allowed Hermes to have the inside scoop on just about everything.  It is no wonder that there are probably more myths that include Hermes than any other god in Greece.

The other gods trusted Hermes.  Hermes had a true warmth.  He was playful enough to be interesting. He was also very bright and very loyal.  He was the best negotiator in the world. He was always cracking deals to get himself and others out of trouble.

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Apollo was the god of light, music, poetry, prophecy (future-telling) and archery.

Apollo was four days old when he demanded a bow and arrows.  Hephaestus created them for him.  Apollo immediately went hunting with them.

His symbols include the sun, lyre (harp-like instrument), bow and arrow, raven, dolphin, wolf, swan, and mouse.

Apollo wasn’t originally thought of as the god of music, but he became god of music after he received musical instruments as a gift from Hermes.

Artemis was his twin sister.  He was the youngest child of Zeus and Leto.

Apollo is also a master archer, defeating monsters like the snake-like Python with his bow and arrows. The island of Delos is sacred to him, as this is the place where he and Artemis were born. In art, he is depicted as a clean-shaven young man carrying a lyre or a bow.

The city of Delphi was dedicated to him.

When the ancient Romans heard the many Greek myths about Apollo, they loved them! The ancient Romans were always borrowing gods from other cultures.  When they ran into a myth they liked, they renamed the god and made him, or her, a Roman god.  However, they loved the myths about Apollo so much that they did not even change his name.  Apollo is called Apollo in Greek and in Roman mythology.  The stories about him are the same too.

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Hephaestus           [Pronounced in English as huh-fes'-tuhs]

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Hephaestus           [Pronounced in English as huh-fes'-tuhs]

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Hephaestus is a master blacksmith and craftsman for the gods.  He is also credited as the god of fire, volcanoes, and metalworking.  He is in charge of creating weapons for the gods, and his hearth (stove) is located in the fiery pits of Mount Etna.

He was the son of Zeus and Hera.  Hephaestus was born crippled and unable to walk.  This made his parents disown him and throw him out of Mount Olympus, the home of the gods.  It was said that he fell for nine days before landing on the island of Leto, where he was cared for by the natives.  Later, when the gods recognized his blacksmith skills, he was brought back to Olympus.

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Artemis    [pronounced in English as ahr'-tuh-mis]

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Artemis    [pronounced in English as ahr'-tuh-mis]

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Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, archery, and all animals.

She is usually shown as a young, beautiful, energetic, and strong woman. Her bow and arrow reflect Artemis's love of hunting and her responsibility as the Goddess of the Hunt. The color of Artemis's bow and arrows are silver. The moon is also associated as a symbol of Artemis.

Artemis is a freedom-loving, young woman who enjoys roaming the forests hunting.  She doesn’t care for city-life and keeps to the natural, wild environment.

Artemis had a twin named Apollo.  In one legend, Artemis was born one day before her brother Apollo.  Her mother gave birth to her on the island of Ortygia, then, almost immediately after her birth, she helped her mother to cross the straits of Delos, where she then delivered Apollo.  This was the beginning of her role as guardian of young children and patron of women in childbirth.

Artemis was very different from her brother Apollo.  It took a lot to get Apollo angry. He was usually pretty gentle and full of warmth.  Meanwhile, Artemis was nearly always cold and unforgiving. The only things Artemis loved, besides her family, were her floppy-eared dogs.