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Egyptian Gods

The ancient Egyptians worshipped so many gods and goddesses that it would certainly be hard to count all of them! You'll be counting for ages, trying to figure out who they all are.

To help make it easier for you, we've put together an introduction to the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses so you know who some of the most famous gods and goddesses were.

Amun

Amun was the ancient Egyptian god of the air, sun, and sky. Amun was originally a local god, and then he became a member of the eight gods collectively called the Ogdoad of Hermopolis.

He then became a member of the three gods referred to as the Triad of Thebes. During the New Kingdom, Amun became the national god of Egypt, and the head of the state pantheon merged with Ra, the sun god of Amun-Ra.

He was so important that he was also merged with the fertility god, Min, to form the god Amun-Min.

He is shown in a number of ways, as a ram-headed man, a frog-headed man, and most commonly as a man with a double-plumed crown.

Amun God With Blue Skin

Now that would be weird...having blue skin. Can you imagine what you would look like? Well, Amun who as we know was the Egyptian god of the air, sun, and the sky was originally shown with red-brown skin.

However, there was a religious revolution involving the god Aten, and Amun's cult came back to life he was painted with blue skin, symbolizing his association with air and creation.

Atum in Ancient Egyptian History and Religion

As the religious beliefs and culture of the Egyptians developed some of their ancient gods were absorbed into each other to form new gods. The practice of creating new gods by combining them with old gods was called 'syncretism', which meant the blending of religious beliefs and practices to form a new system. Atum was first worshipped as a minor, local god. He then became a member of the eight gods collectively called the Ogdoad of Hermopolis.

Amun and the Ogdoad of Hermopolis

Religious cults were the basis of Egyptian religion. The names of the cults represented the number of major gods worshipped in the cult and the location of the cult center.

The Ogdoad of Hermopolis (Khmunu) had 4 female-male pairs of water gods, the goddesses in the form of snakes or cobras, and the gods as frogs.

The word 'Ogdoad' means eight

The eight gods, the Ogdoad, were worshipped in Hermopolis, during what is called the Old Kingdom, between 2686 to 2134 BC.

The names of the gods and goddesses came from the same names

Each pair represented the female and male aspect of one of four concepts of creation

Symbols of Amun - The Amun Crown

The symbols of Amun were the Amun crown and the ram-headed sphinx. The Amun crown had a flat-topped cylindrical crown base that was topped by tall, double ostrich feathers. The ostrich was a symbol of creation and light.

Symbols of Amun - The Ram-Headed Sphinx

The ram-headed sphinx is a strong symbol of fertility and Amun is sometimes referred to as 'lord of the two horns'. The road to the Temple of Amun in ancient Thebes (now Luxor) was lined with ram-headed lion sphinxes, each one guarding between its front legs a statue of the pharaoh. There were 900 statues of the ram-headed sphinx at Thebes.

The ram heads represented Amun and were shown with the body of a lion (never winged), the hooves of a ram or a goat, and the head of a ram. The ram-headed sphinx is called a criosphinx whereas the human-headed sphinx is called the androsphinx. Now those are some words to try and wrap your head around! Bet you learned something new.

So now you know all about Amun, the powerful Egyptian god! Have we left anything out that you know? Share it with us.

Anubis

Have you ever heard of Anubis? Well, you might of, as he was a very famous god in ancient Egypt. He was linked to the mummification process, where bodies were preserved, as well as the journey to the afterlife.

Interesting Facts about Anubis

Anubis was the Greek name for 'man with a jackal head'.

Anubis was shown as having the head of a jackal, the tail of a lion, and the body of a human. Sometimes drawings showed him as a full jackal. He was often seen with a golden tie or necklace.

The skin of Anubis is often seen as very dark black or with a tinge of red. His flesh is a representation of the earthy energies with which he is connected. The color of his flesh is similar to that of the dark soil along the Nile. This rich, fertile soil was highly prized and gave the ancient kingdom the name Khem, which means 'The Black Land'. The color of Anubis could link him to Osiris, whose green flesh represents the fertile fields.

Now, this is pretty gross. In 'The Book of the Dead' Anubis is shown to be weighing a heart, during a 'Weighing of the Heart ceremony. What a strange ceremony to have!

The heart was measured against the feather of truth and justice, which belonged to Maat. If the heart was heavier than the feather, they were guilty and bad. These people were sent to Ammit, who was a lady demon with a body that was part lion, part crocodile, and part hippopotamus. She would then eat them. She must have looked rather strange!

He was the one who apparently invented the process of embalming, which is how bodies were preserved.

When Egyptians were being mummified, the head embalmer, who took care of the dead, would often wear an Anubis costume.

No one is quite sure who Anubis was the son of. In early ancient Egyptian myths, he was said to be the son of Ra, but in later myths, he was the son of Set and Nephthys. There are other myths too, which say that he was the son of Osiris. Wonder which one is true...that's quite confusing.

Imagine receiving a gift of someone's organs. That would just be weird. Apparently, when Osiris was killed by Set, Anubis received his organs as a gift. Wonder what he did with them.

His wife was called Anput and his daughter, the goddess Kebechet, was associated with purification and washing away of dirt and decay.

Anubis's jackal head was often shown to be black. The reason for this was to show his link to death.

There was another ancient Egyptian god called Wepawet. Strangely enough, he also had the head of a jackal. He was originally a god of war and was often confused with Anubis. Apparently, they got to know each other over time. In some myths, people believe that Wepawet was the son of Anubis.

There were many symbols that were associated with Anubis, including flags, jackals, ox-hide hanging from a pole, and also embalming equipment.

The reason that Anubis was given a jackal head was that jackals would often be found around tombs and graves.

Prayers to the god Anubis are found carved on the most ancient tombs in Egypt.

Apparently, his mother, Nephthys, left her son exposed to the elements. Instead of dying, he was found by Isis, who then raised him. He became a faithful helper to Isis.

After Set had killed Osiris and scattered his remains, Anubis helped Isis and Nephthys to rebuild his body.
What was Mummification?

Mummification was very skilled work...you had to be really good at what you did. It took weeks to complete. This is a bit gross, but it's what happened. First, the organs were removed, except for the heart. The body was then covered in salt and left to dry for about 40 days. After being washed, the dried body was stuffed to keep its shape. Finally, it was oiled and wrapped in layers of linen bandages. Not sure how cool a job this would be!

Anubis was a strange-looking god, but a powerful one too. It was best to live a good life and be honest otherwise he would send you to be eaten. How scary!

Horus

Horus was the Egyptian god of the Sky. That must have been a cool job to have! He was the son of Isis and Osiris. After fighting his uncle Seth, he became the king of Egypt. During this fight, he lost his eye.

That must have been one mighty fight! The Eye of Horus became one of the most important symbols in ancient Egypt.

What was The Eye of Horus?

The Eye of Horus was a powerful amulet, which is an ornament or small piece of jewelry that was thought to fight off evil, danger, and disease.

It was a sign of protection. It was also called the Wadjet Eye. The ancient Egyptians worshiped Horus partly because he had the Eye of Horus.

When he lost his eye, it was said that it grew back to become the Eye of Horus. Can you imagine losing an eye and then it growing back? Whoa, that must have been weird.

What did Horus Look Like?

Horus was considered to be very handsome. He was normally shown as a falcon or a falcon-headed man, although sometimes he appeared as a falcon-headed crocodile.

That's a weird combination! Sometimes he would take the form of a heavenly falcon with his left eye being the moon and his right eye is the sun, his speckled breast feathers were the stars and the down sweep of his wings created winds.

He was also sometimes shown with a copper knife. Wonder what he used that for. He also normally wore the double crown to show that he ruled all of Egypt and to show that he was related to the Pharaoh.

How was Horus Worshipped?

Horus was worshiped all over Egypt, especially in Pe, Bendet, and Khem, ancient Egyptian towns. There were heaps of falcon gods before Horus, but eventually, Horus symbolized all of them.

In Upper Egypt, which was the south, in the town of Edfu, there was a temple in Ptolemaic, which was just for Horus. In Kom Ombo, there was another temple for Horus called the Kom Ombo temple.

Horus was a good friend of Sobek. He was also worshipped as a guide to the pharaohs. He sure seemed important with all those temples for people to worship him.

What was Horus' Purpose?

As we said, Horus was the god of the sky. The pharaoh ruling at any given time of Egypt was always the living image of Horus.

When he died, that pharaoh became Osiris, the god of the dead and the father of Horus. The new pharaoh became Horus. He was there to protect the pharaoh.

He was a protector god, who was a god who fought evil. He was all about justice and honesty. He fought with Seth.

He did this to even the score for his father, Osiris, who was killed by Seth. When Horus beat Seth, he conquered his father, Osiris', throne, and became a protector.

Horus was certainly one important god as he was worshipped right from the very beginning of the ancient Egyptian period, right through to the end. As time went by, his jobs often changed over time.

It's a popular belief that he was the son of Isis and Osiris, but one ancient Egyptian myth says that Hathor was his mother. Other myths say that he was the son of Nut and Get and that Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys were his brothers and sisters. Wonder which myth is true?

For most of the ancient Egyptian period, the Egyptian Pharaohs believed that they were Horus in a human form. Wow, he sure was popular.

The symbol of the Eye of Horus was often painted on boats to protect them from shipwrecks and storms too.

His name means 'he who is the sky' or 'the distant one'.

Interesting Facts about Horus

Hope you've found these facts about Horus helpful. Maybe you can use them for a school project or just wow your friends and family with all this knowledge.

Ra

Discover the legends and myths and religious beliefs that surrounded Ra, the very important Egyptian sun god.

There were lots of other Egyptian gods that were often linked to him, such as Atum and Horus.

Ra was usually shown in human form with a falcon head, crowned with the sun disk encircled by the Uraeus, the sacred cobra.

The sun itself was taken to be either his body or his eye. Ra was believed to traverse the sky each day in a solar barque and pass through the realms of the underworld each night on another solar barge to reappear in the east every morning.

Ra was also considered to be an underworld god, closely associated with Osiris as Ra resurrected Osiris to rule over the dead. In this capacity, he was depicted as a ram-headed figure.

Ra in Ancient Egyptian Mythology - The Sun Gods

Ra, the Egyptian sun god, was a very old god but there were even more ancient sun gods than him. As the culture of the Egyptians changed, so some of the gods were absorbed into new gods. Now that's rather strange.

However, this way of creating new gods by combining them with old gods was called 'syncretism'.

Do you think you can pronounce that? Syncretism meant that religious beliefs and practices were literally fused together to create a brand-new system.

Ra was associated with previous sun gods. Just to add to the confusion he was also referred to as 'Re'!

As the 'father of the gods,' it was natural to the ancient Egyptians that every god should symbolize some form of him, and that he should represent every god. All the symbols and the myths as well as the looks of all the older gods were all mushed up together to form the new god Ra! How cool is that?

Because of this Ra was closely linked with the gods Atum, Horus, and other sun gods.

Ra in Egyptian Mythology

Ra starred in many stories, myths, and legends in Egyptian Mythology.

His main cult center was at Heliopolis, also called 'sun city', which is near modern-day Cairo.

Ra was said to have created himself out of the mound that emerged from the ancient waters. He then created Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), who then created the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut.

From Nut and Geb the gods Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Seth were born. Wow, that's pretty cool.

Ra and the Pharaohs

The first ever mentions of Ra date all the way back to 2686 BC - 2181 BC. That was a seriously long time ago! Ra became so important that the Pharaohs took to calling themselves the 'sons of Ra'.

He certainly was important for that to happen. He was worshipped far and wide. The Egyptian kings and pharaohs had special pyramids, obelisks, and sun temples built in his honor.

After his death, the Pharaoh was said to rise into the sky to join the people who followed Ra. During the period 2040 BC - 1782 BC, Ra was linked to more and more gods and combined with them. By 1570 BC - 1070 BC, the worship of Ra had become more complicated and people believed that Ra aged with the sun.

The walls of tombs showed Ra's journey through the underworld carrying the prayers and blessings of the living with the souls of the dead on the sun boat.

What did Ra look like?

The pictures of Ra in ancient Egyptian art are found in tombs, temples, manuscripts and hieroglyphics, artifacts, and relics of ancient Egypt.

He was often shown holding the Ankh, the key of life, which represented eternal life and the 'Was Scepter' a symbol of great power and authority.

His crown, or headdress, of the sun disk, symbolized the sun and was usually encircled by the Uraeus, the sacred cobra, a very strong emblem of royalty and authority. He sure was very, very important.

He is sometimes also shown with the head of a ram that always had the sun disk on top of it, and this showed his role as a god of the Underworld

This is how he was shown in the ancient drawings.

The Eye of Ra

Ra was also part of the myth that related to the all-seeing Eye of Ra and the Eye of Horus. The right eye of Ra represented the sun, and the left eye represented the moon.

Ra, or Re as he's sometimes called, was one mighty powerful god, that's for sure. Do you know any other cool facts to share with us about him?

Thoth

Thoth was the God of knowledge, wisdom, and hieroglyphs. Weirdly enough he created himself, who knows how, so he had no parents! Wonder how he did that.

Thoth's wife was Ma'at, the Goddess of truth and they had no children.

Being the God of knowledge and wisdom, Thoth gave advice to the Gods who battled in one of the 3 most important battles in Ancient Egyptian history. The first battle was between Ra, the God of the Son, and Apophis, the God of Chaos.

The second battle was Heru-Bekhutet against Set, the God of evil. Finally, the last battle was Horus against Set.

The Egyptian god Thoth is thought of as one of the most important of the ancient Egyptian gods.

He did many jobs in Egyptian mythology including maintaining the universe, settling arguments among the other Egyptian gods, and he judged those who would die. Bet you had to be really well-behaved around him.

The ancient Egyptians linked this powerful deity, or God, with many things which included the mind, science, logic, intelligence, knowledge, writing, and reason.

Thoth is usually shown as a human with the head of an ibis. An ibis is a long and slim bird with a curved beak. The curved beak apparently symbolizes the curve of the moon. That's pretty awesome.

He is sometimes shown as half baboon and half human or as a dog-headed baboon because the baboon was seen as a night animal just as Thoth was God of the Moon.

He is often shown wearing a crown; often this is the Atef crown which was a tall hat with ostrich feathers and a gold disk on top. He is also often shown wearing the United Crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt (also called the Pschent crown).

How did the Ancient Egyptians show Thoth?

It is believed that he was responsible for the creation of the heavens and Earth and all that is in them. He sure was powerful.

Thoth was originally regarded as a moon god but as time went by the Egyptians made him even more important.

His main temple was in the city of Khmun. The Greeks later named this city Hermopolis Magna. What weird names!

According to Egyptian mythology, he apparently wrote a lot, and all his writing was eventually put into a book called the Book of Troth. It apparently had all the secrets of the universe in it. Now that would be a cool book to read. Apparently, if you read it you would get awesome magical powers, but you would also be troubled by a life filled with disaster. Hmmm, maybe it wasn't so cool to read after all.

Thoth was said to be the inventor of hieroglyphic writing and the Egyptians believed he gave this to them as a gift.

The ancient Egyptians believed Thoth was the secretary and counselor of the most powerful god, Ra.

In Egyptian mythology, Thoth stood next to Ra, on Ra's boat, on Ra's nightly trip across the sky.

Pharaoh Djehuty who ruled Upper Egypt around 1650 BC was named after Thoth.

Interesting Facts about the Egyptian God Thoth

Many ancient Greeks noticed that Thoth had several things in common with their god Hermes; both gods were involved with writing and magic.

This led some ancient Greeks to combine the two gods into one god that they called Hermes Trismegistus. Do you think you can pronounce that? It's quite a tongue twister.

He was definitely a well-respected and cool god and everyone thought he was awesome. Do you have any other facts to share with us about this mighty powerful god? We'd love to hear from you.

Osiris

Osiris was the Egyptian god of death, the Underworld and Rebirth. He was murdered by his jealous brother Seth and became the lord of the Underworld.

He was well-known for his green coloured skin, the symbol of rebirth and regeneration.

He also had white clothing which was a sign of mummification. He also had a tall white, conical headdress called the Atef crown.

He was very closely linked to the Pharaohs of Egypt and carried the flail and the crook which were the symbols of power and kingship. He sure was very important.

Who was Osiris?

Besides being the Egyptian god of death, the Underworld and Rebirth, Osiris was also Isis' helper, who was his sister.

His famous sons were Horus by Isis and Anubis by his other sister, Nephthys. Osiris is one of the most famous and easily recognised of all the ancient Egyptian gods.

He was shown as a 'human' god without the head of an animal. He also had a false plaited beard that was tightly knotted, plaited and hooked behind the ears.

Can you imagine yourself with a beard like this? Sounds rather strange.

The Heavenly Osiris

Throughout their history the ancient Egyptians all believed that Osiris was heavenly. The ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris died by the powers of evil, Apep, who was the eater up of souls.

Wow that sounds scary. After their great struggle he rose again and became the king of the underworld and the judge of the dead.

Osiris was placed in a very high position amongst the gods and was equal to and, even sometime more superior than the sun god Ra. He certainly was an important God indeed.

Myths about Osiris

The most famous legend about Osiris is about his death by his brother Seth. Osiris was the oldest son of Geb and Nut who were the first king and queen of Egypt.

Osiris became pharaoh after Geb and married his sister Isis. Seth was always jealous of Osiris and his super important role as king of Egypt.

The evil Seth tricked Osiris making him lie in a magnificent coffin as part of a game and then murdered him.

Seth cut his body to pieces, and threw the coffin into the Nile. That was incredibly cruel! His body travelled down the Nile and across the sea to the Phoenician coast, where it eventually rested at the foot of a tamarisk tree.

As the tree grew it surrounded Osiris and the coffin in its trunk.

Later, the tree was cut down by the king of Byblos and was used as a pillar in his palace. Isis got the pillar back and moved it to Egypt. Anubis, the son of Osiris, helped Isis and her sister Nephthys to rebuild his body and Anubis was in charge of the first mummification.

This ancient Egyptian myth explains why Osiris was the god of the dead and ruler of the Egyptian underworld. The 'Raising the Djed Pillar' ceremony was a sign of the rebirth of Osiris.

When he was captured by Seth and imprisoned in a tree, this symbolised the 'Tree of Life' which was connected to abundance and looked after the grain to make sure it carried on producing fruit.

He was also associated with both the growth and the decay of vegetation.

The ancient Egyptians believed that he disappeared in the winter taking the crops into the Underworld with him.

His green face was connected to the life he brought to the ancient Egyptian people.

Interesting Facts about Osiris

Osiris was one mighty god of Egypt and was loved by most. He was special and was worshipped widely. Are there any other facts that you know about Osiris that we may have missed out? Tell us all about it, we would love to hear from you.

Isis

One of the most famous gods of ancient Egypt was Isis. She was one of ancient Egyptians most important gods.

If you lived in that time, you would definitely have to respect her, that's for sure! The ancient Egyptians built lots and lots of temples to honour her.

Did you know that lots of ancient gods in Egypt changed roles throughout the centuries?

Well they did and Isis changed roles many times indeed. Here are some super awesome facts about this goddess who was certainly rather famous!

Isis was linked to many different things. She was mostly related to protection, healing, motherhood, children and nature. Sounds like she was a great goddess don't you think?

Now this is seriously interesting. The name Isis is actually the Greek version of her name! Wow, who would have thought that? Her actual ancient Egyptian name was either 'Aset' or 'Iset'.

We already said she was super important, and she certainly was. She was seen by the Egyptians as both a protector and mother of the Pharaohs.

It is believed that she changed her role as early as 3,100BC. Now that was a long time ago. This period in time was called 'Predynastic Egypt'.

Isis was a member of a group of gods and goddesses called the Ennead. This group, which was worshipped at Heliopolis, an ancient Egyptian city, was made up of the nine original gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. They were considered to be the most important gods and goddesses of this ancient civilisation.

Apparently Isis was the daughter of Geb, the Earth god and Nut, the goddess of the Sky.

According to legend she had a sister named Nephthys and two brothers Osiris and Set.

Now this is a bit weird! Isis was said to have married her brother Osiris and together they had a son named Horus. Would you like to marry a brother or sister? We don't think so...

Like most of the gods that the ancient people of Egypt worshipped, Isis was believed to have supernatural powers. They believed she had the power to heal. There is one myth that says that the healed her son Horus from a nasty scorpion sting.

One of the most famous legends of all time was where Isis' husband, and of course brother, was killed by their other brother Set. He was apparently very jealous of them. There are quite a few myths about this, but the one that most people believe is that Isis brought Osiris back to life. How cool is that? She obviously loved him very much.

The ancient Romans became a part of ancient Egypt, but Isis was still worshipped across the land by the Roman Empire.

There has been evidence uncovered that shows that she was worshipped throughout the ancient world. This evidence was temples and engravings. She was worshipped far and wide, including Italy, Spain, Pannonia, Britain, Germany, Asia Minor, and Portugal. Wow, that is far and wide. She was one popular goddess.

Interesting Facts about the Egyptian Goddess Isis

How was the Egyptian Goddess Isis Portrayed?

Early art of Isis shows her wearing a long dress and wearing a crown which had the hieroglyphic symbol for a throne.

She is often shown holding a symbol called the Ankh. It looks like a key and supposedly symbolises the idea of eternal life, just like being immortal. Imagine being immortal? It would be cool, you could have fun forever!

Isis is also closely linked with a symbol called the Tyet. This symbol was linked to 'welfare', meaning health, or 'life' to the ancient Egyptians. The Tyet is also called the Buckle of Isis, Blood of Isis, and Girdle of Isis. It is sometimes spelled tiet, tet, and set. This symbol looks like the knot that was used to fasten the Egyptian gods clothing.

Together with her sister Nephthys; Isis is shown on many ancient coffins. It was believed that these pictures of her on their coffin would help protect the dead against evil.

Most ancient gods and goddesses were shown in different ways in drawings and carvings that were discovered. Read on to find out what Isis apparently looked like.

She was a powerful and respected goddess across many lands. Do you know any other facts about Isis that you want to share with us?

Seth

The Egyptian God Seth was also known as the god of chaos. According to popular Egyptian mythology it would certainly seem that he created plenty of mayhem and havoc.

Apparently Seth's cult was one of the oldest in Egypt.

Some pharaohs honoured him and used his name as part of theirs during certain periods.

Who was the God Seth?

How the Egyptians saw Seth over time changed quite a bit. At first, they saw him as a valuable god. They believed he lived in the kingdom of the dead.

After some time, the priests of Horus fought with Seth's supporters. Some people believe that Horus' followers conquered Seth's followers. After that his role changed completely and he became the complete opposite of Horus. Guess he wasn't loved as much anymore.

The Egyptians saw Seth as the god of darkness, chaos and the desert. He became very unpopular and was an enemy to quite a few gods.

He represented drought and as lord of the desert and drought, he was the enemy to everything that gave life. The Egyptians also saw him as a storm and war god.

The Egyptians often related him with the colour red. They hated people with red skin and, sometimes, killed animals with red fur. Wow, he certainly was hated then!

Egyptians prayed to him so that he could help their dead family members.

The Egyptians usually showed Seth as a man with the head of a fantastic animal that they called the Seth animal. It had a pointed snout, tall, rectangular ears and a thin body like a dog with a long forked tail.

Often pictures of Seth show him holding an ankh in one hand and a 'was' staff in the other. The ankh was seen as 'the breath of life' while the 'was' staff was a long staff with a forked bottom and the head of the Seth animal on top.

He was certainly linked to many different animals and was sometimes shown as just one of them. These animals were the boar, the antelope, the crocodile and a donkey. Some even saw linked him to poisonous creatures like snakes and scorpions. In some myths, Seth took the form of a hippopotamus.

Horus was seen as being completely different to Seth, but in different forms he was actually Seth's brother and nephew. Now that's pretty weird. Some legends said that Seth was the father of Anubis, but others say that Osiris was Anubis' father.

What forms did the Egyptian god Seth take?

Seth helped Ra the sun god

In some myths, Seth fought against Ra, but this wasn't true in all myths. Some stories said that Seth helped Ra. In these tales, he was a warrior on Ra's sun boat who protected the boat against Apophis, the chaos serpent. Wonder which myth is actually true. Guess we'll never know for sure.

The pharaohs really respected Seth and his power. Seth was one of the Two Lords (Horus was the other) who gave the king power and authority. Some pharaohs, like Seti I, were named after Seth. Other pharaohs used the Seth animal as part of their emblem.

There were two rather large festivals that were associated with Seth. One was one of the five Intercalary days, which were the days right before the New Year began. These were the days when Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis and Nephthys were born. The Egyptians honoured each of them on their birthday.

The other festival was rather strange indeed. It was like a ritual where a pharaoh or a priest would spear a model of a hippopotamus. Then the people all cut up and ate a cake shaped like a hippopotamus. Do you think you can make a cake shaped like a hippopotamus? This festival was in honour of Horus' defeat of Seth.

Worship of Seth

Seth was the God of chaos, darkness, the desert and drought.

The Egyptians had a religion of contrasts, where gods were the opposite of other gods. Seth was the opposite of three other major gods, which were Osiris, Horus and Ra.

There were two centres were Seth was worshipped, which were at Ombos and Avaris.

He murdered Osiris, whose son, Horus, later beat him.

The Egyptians associated the colour red with Seth.

Two of his main emblems were a mythical beast (the Seth animal) and the 'was' staff.

Interesting facts about The God Seth

Seth sure sounded like an interesting god, bringing chaos with him wherever he went! He was worshipped and he was also not all that popular at times too.

Do you have any interesting facts to share with us about Seth?

Sekhmet

Ptah's wife, the Sekhmet Goddess, was called the "Great Lady, beloved of Ptah, holy one, powerful one." She was both Ptah's sister and wife too.

This was very common in Egyptian mythology. She is one of the oldest Egyptian Goddesses around, and one of the most powerful. Her son was Nefertum, who was the God of Sunrise.

Her name comes from the Egyptian word 'Sekhem', which means power or might. This is often translated as the 'Powerful One' or 'She who is Powerful'.

Sekhmet was normally shown with the body of a woman and the head of a lioness.

Her headpiece had a sun disk on it, which linked her with the Ra, the Sun God. Her headpiece also had a uraeus, which means cobra, and she was often dressed in red.

How she looked, as well as her name, which meant "to be strong, mighty, violent" definitely showed her character. She was very well-known for her violence and her power. This was one Goddess to keep away from, that's for sure.

It was probably best to stay away from this powerful goddess.

The Book of the Dead is believed to recognize her power with the use of the harmful forces of the sun's heat. She was often called 'Nesert' which means the flame. She was also connected with the hot winds of heaven. Others believed that she was linked to the hot winds of the desert with her breath.

Sekhmet was a goddess of war and always went with the king into battle. She used weapons like arrows, swift darts, and the fiery heat of her own body, which apparently came from the heat of the sun.

She got the title 'The Scarlet Lady' as she loved blood so much. Gross! In fact, there were often celebrations and sacrifices offered to her to keep her happy after the war and the end of the destruction.

It was thought that her power was great enough not only to help Osiris but at times to rule over him.

Apparently, the Book of the Dead says that during times of storms and great floods she even had power over the great god of the underworld. Wow, she certainly was very powerful.

Sekhmet's father was apparently Ra himself. She had many aspects to her that connected her with the sun god.

In early Egyptian writing, she was often called the Eye of Ra, which was supposed to have represented the god when he was forced to take action against his enemies and was spiteful and fierce, the traditional evil eye.

Looking at the hieroglyph for this eye, people think that its power came from the fighting spirit of the uraeus (cobra) and the heat of the sun.

When Ra sent Hathor out to get revenge for human beings mistreating him, he sent her in the form of Sekhmet, the lioness. Because these two goddesses were connected, it kind of makes sense that Sekhmet was linked to loads of other goddesses including Hathor, Nut, and Bastet. Bastet was a cat and apparently, this showed the gentler side of Sekhmet. So she could be gentle then...who would have known!

Amenhotep III placed several hundred statues of Sekhmet in his temple.

There were two small things about Sekhmet that didn't really show her as being the violent goddess that she was. Firstly, she was often shown with an ankh when she was sitting, which is a sign of life, and secondly, she was also very well-known as a healer as she knew so much about magic and sorcery. Maybe she wasn't that bad after all.

If you were friends with her, and you would be lucky if you were, she would heal you. It would have been important to stay on her good side!

She was often called the 'lady of terror' and the 'lady of life'. How weird is that?

Interesting Facts about Sekhmet

Maybe you can use some of these facts for a school project or just use them for fun and impress your friends. Have we missed out any important facts that you know?

Ptah

Ptah was the God of Creation and Craftsmen.

In the Book of the Dead, he was a master architect, and responsible for building the structure of the universe.

It was said that Ptah created the great metal plate that was the floor of heaven and the roof of the sky. He also built the supports that held it up.

Some creation legends say that by speaking the names of all things, Ptah caused them to be.

What did Ptah look like?

He was one of the most unique-looking gods.

He was shown as a bald-headed man, wearing a beard and tight-fitting clothing that looked like a mummy's wrappings.

From the back of his neck a flower-shaped meaning, which is a symbol of happiness, hung. His hands came through the front to his clothing and he held a scepter.

It had 3 symbols on it which were the long pole scepter, which meant strength, the ankh, which meant life, and the djed pillar which meant stability.

It sounds like he looked rather strange indeed!

He was also often shown on the platform that was linked to Maat, who was all about truth and justice.

Ptah was called "Lord of Maat, king of the two lands, the god of the Beautiful Face in Thebes, who created his own image, who fashioned his own body, who has established Maat throughout the two lands." Wow, that certainly is a mouthful, he clearly did a lot!

He was the son of Nun and Naunet, husband of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertum, and later Imhotep.

What was Ptah's most Important Role?

He was mostly linked to being a creator, someone who makes things. He was described as the god "who has made all gods, men, and animals- he who has created all lands and shores and the ocean in his name 'fashioner of the earth.' " He was the founder of intelligence and had ways to communicate his intelligence.

He was the god who spoke the words and the craftsman who built part of the creation. Because of this Ptah was the patron of everyone who created handicrafts and worked with metal or stone.

Egyptian creation stories say that Ptah made the other gods by first imagining them in his heart and then using his voice to breathe life into them.

He went on to create other creatures from metal, stone, and wood. He also created towns and religious shrines, as well as ceremonies for worship.

Who Else was Ptah associated with?

As time went on Ptah was linked with many other gods, especially Sokaris and Osiris.

Both of these gods were connected with death. His mummy-like dress made his role even clearer that he was responsible for the souls in the underworld. He was also thought of as Lord of the Year measurer of time, but timeless himself.

This means that he was eternal and born again and again, always resurrecting himself. He was responsible for using an iron knife in the underworld to open the mouths of people who had recently died.

This was done in the belief that it would restore the senses of the dead. Wow, that just seems crazy!

Worship of Ptah

Like most gods, he was also seen as the protector of people who worshipped him. Ptah was worshipped right throughout Egypt.

He was often worshipped under the name of Ptah-Seker-Osiris. This showed his link to the gods Seker and Osiris.

He was worshipped in a temple called the 'Mansion of the soul of Ptah' in Memphis, which was an ancient Egyptian town.

In Memphis, Ptah's temple had a sacred bull known as Apis. Considered an incarnation or soul of the god in human form, the bull was Ptah's oracle. An oracle is a priest or priestess.

Ptah certainly was an interesting god and looked rather strange. Do you have any other facts to share about Ptah? We'd love to hear from you.

Hathor

In ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, Hathor (also spelled Athor) was the goddess of love, fertility, beauty, music, laughter, and fun.

She must have been awesome to be around! Or was she? Besides being really important she was very complicated too. Read on for more.

How was Hathor Shown?

She was shown either as a cow or as a woman with cow's horns with the solar disk nested between them.

The ancient worship of cows was probably the reason that the figure of Hathor was born. She is one of the oldest known gods of Egypt.

Hathor's name means 'House of Horus'. But why is this? There is an ancient myth in which Hathor stood on the Earth as a cow, so that her four legs became pillars holding up the sky, while her belly formed part of the sky. Horus, the sky god, would enter her mouth every evening in the form of a hawk and appear again each morning. How weird is that?

Because of this myth, people often thought of Hathor as Horus' mother.

Later on, Hathor was thought to be the wife of Horus.

They had a son named Harsomtus, also called Ihy or Ahy. He was worshiped as a god of music.

Hathor and her son were often seen holding a sistrum, which was a rattle-like instrument that was believed to send evil spirits away! Now that was probably a cool thing to have.

In the underworld, known as Duat, Hathor looked after the souls of the dead providing them with food. Now that was nice of her! Anyone who carried her clothing would be safe in the underworld, the place of the dead.

She was very nice and nurturing looking after people all the time. As she had this kindness in her, people often linked her to Isis, the mother goddess, but Hathor was also all about destruction. Wow, she must have had a split personality don't you think?

According to one myth, the sun god Ra, in his old age, decided to punish humans for disobeying him. He sent Hathor out to sort it out and terrorize all the people.

She was pretty wicked then and she killed so many people that Ra decided this wasn't all that cool and believed that not all humans needed to be punished. The other gods flooded the fields with a very strong drink that was dyed with red ochre. Hathor drank the beer, thinking it was blood, and became so drunk that she stopped what she was doing! Oh dear, at least she stopped terrorizing everyone around her!

She had plenty of shrines in her honor and was one of the gods worshipped at Heliopolis, an ancient Egyptian town. She was obviously very important.

She was also very popular at one point, and loads of children were named after her. How would you like to be called Hathor?

Her main temple was at Dandarah (Dendera). One of the most important festivals was to honor her birth, which was full of dancing and happiness!

She became very closely linked to Isis, who eventually became far more popular than Hathor.

Hathor was also closely linked to turquoise, malachite, gold, and copper. She was known as the 'Mistress of Turquoise' and the 'Lady of Malachite'. She also looked after all the miners to keep them safe.

The Egyptians used eye makeup made from ground malachite. It not only made them look good but it also was believed to fight eye infections. Wow. This was also closely linked to Hathor. She sure had many roles, didn't she?

Interesting Facts about Hathor

Hathor was a goddess that seemed to have very many personalities and was linked to many things. She was popular, but at the same time, she was rather vicious too. No wonder she was complicated!

Do you have any other facts on Hathor? Please share them with us.

Nephthys

Nephthys was the goddess of mourning in the Ancient Egyptian religion. She was also the goddess of night, rivers, sleep, and nature too. Wow, she sure had a few jobs on her hands.

She was a friend and protector of the dead. Nephthys were important in ancient Egyptian culture because the afterlife was highly valued in ancient Egypt. She always stood at the head of the coffin that would take the dead to the underworld with outspread wings.

Her Egyptian name was Nebt-het, which means 'Mistress of the House'. The house that we're talking about is the sky where Horus lived. Some people got this name confused and thought that she was a housewife, but that wasn't so. Her name actually means 'Mistress of the Enclosure'. This means she was like a priestess.

What did Nephthys Look Like?

She was always shown as a woman with the symbols for 'basket' and 'house' on her head. Sounds strange putting those two things together don't you think?

Her symbols are a kite, a crow as well as bones and skulls. She was sometimes given wings in the form of a bird, making her a solar god as well as a god of the dead.

She was also often shown riding in a funeral boat that took the dead to the Blessed Land. She doesn't look exactly like you would expect the picture of death to be, but she was definitely the closest to it in Egyptian belief.

Interesting Facts about Nephthys

Nephthys was very popular and was worshipped right throughout Egypt. But what's different about her is that she had no formal temples like a lot of the other gods did.

She was the sister of Osiris and Isis, and the wife of Seth, who was also her brother. They sure liked to do things differently in those days.

She was one ancient Goddess as she was written about in the Old Kingdom writings.

She was also the mother of Anubis and her mother and father were Seb and Nut.

She was also known as the 'Useful Goddess'. That's a strange name; she must have been good at helping out!

Even though she was quite popular, strangely enough, she was often ignored or pushed into the background. That's not too cool.

Now, this is interesting. She is normally shown as being good, loyal, and caring, but in some myths, she was shown as ferocious and dangerous, able to kill people with her fiery breath.

Nephthys is always shown as a loyal friend to her sister Isis after Seth killed Osiris. Seth killed Osiris as Nephthys had a son from him. She helped her sister find Osiris' body and rebuilt him to come back to life.

This is how she became associated with the dead, and was a friend to them. She guided them and comforted their families. Now that was nice of her!

She also comforted women in childbirth while standing at the head of their beds.

Nephthys and her sister Isis were often together and you could only tell them apart by the hieroglyph on their heads. Also, like her sister, Nephthys was thought to have great magical powers - she was the 'Mighty One of Words of Power'.

Nephthys and Isis were opposites of each other, where Nephthys was associated with death and Isis was associated with rebirth.

We've already seen that Nephthys had lots of names, but there are more...there sure were a lot

Some myths say there were temples, but it is mostly believed that she had no temples.

o Lady of the Body (of the Gods)
o Dweller within Senu
o Lady of Heaven
o Mistress of the Gods
o Great Goddess, Lady of Life

We hope you found this article interesting. Maybe it can help you with a school project.

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The ancient Egyptians worshipped so many gods and goddesses that it would certainly be hard to count all of them! You'll be counting for ages, trying to figure out who they all are.

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Egyptian Gods
Discover the legends and myths surrounding the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses such as Atum, the Sun god Ra, Isis, Osiris, Anubis and Horus that were worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians. The aim of this site is to provides facts and information about the ancient deities to enable kids and students to recognise and identify the different Egyptian gods in the mythology and art of ancient Egypt. Explanations and descriptions of the different symbols of Egyptian gods used in hieroglyphics and art are also available enabling kids and students to unravel the mysteries of the hieroglyphs displayed in the tombs and artefacts of ancient Egypt. Each article relating to the deities is accompanied by a fact sheet making the study of the deities and their symbols easy and informative. Kids and students will enjoy the ability to translate the images, art and pictures of the Egyptian gods and ancient Egypt and demonstrate a high level of understanding of the ancient deities, religion, goddesses and mythology of Ancient Egypt.

A - Z Egyptian Gods
The A - Z of Egyptian Gods provides fast access to interesting information and fast facts about ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Interesting Facts about the most famous deities, the major Egyptian gods of the collection of deities called the Ennead, the deities with the heads of animals, of the sky and of the Underworld. An article on Imhotep, the Egyptian architect who was deified as the god of medicine and healing after his death has also be included in our articles on Egyptian gods and goddesses.

Major Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Who are all the Egyptian divinities and deities and what are the Egyptian gods and goddess names? The following links provides access to the major Egyptian Gods and Goddesses of the sun whose religious cult center was based at Heliopolis

Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
The religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians was based on an extraordinary number of ancient Egyptian gods and Egyptian goddesses. The characteristics and appearance of some of the ancient deities closely resembled humans. However, some of the deities were perceived as 'human hybrids' taking on the form and characteristics of animals such as the crocodile, jackal, ram or falcon. The bodies of these ancient deities were human but their heads adopted the appearance of birds and animals. The worship of many divinities such as the Egyptian gods is called a polytheistic religion (as opposed to to monotheism, meaning the worship of one god). Read about the mysterious gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt including the 'divine family' of ancient Egyptian gods.

Names, List and Pictures of Egyptian Goddesses
There were many Egyptian gods and Egyptian Goddesses. The article on Egyptian goddesses includes pictures and details in a chart containing a list of names with short descriptions of the goddesses with interesting facts and information. The pictures of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses provide the meanings of their appearances and the symbols of associated with goddesses in ancient Egyptian art. The article on goddesses provides kids, schools and students with research information and clues enabling them to unravel the mysteries of the hieroglyphics of Egyptian gods and Egyptian goddesses displayed in the tombs, papyrus and artefacts of ancient Egypt.

Egyptian Gods & Goddesses - Pictures of Gods - List & Names of Gods and Goddesses - Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Gods - Goddesses - Godesses - Deities - Kids - Gods & Goddesses - Children - List & Names of Gods and Goddesses - Egyptian - Egypt - Religion - Gods & Goddesses - History - Ancient - Pictures - Images - List - Egyptian Gods & Goddesses - Egyptian Gods - Divinities - Deities - Kids - Children - Kids - Symbols - Facts - List & Names of Gods and Goddesses - Interesting - Information - Gods & Goddesses - Deities - Gods & Goddesses - Divinities - Deities - Humans - Definition - List & Names of Gods and Goddesses - Meaning - Pagan - Kids - Children - Male - Female - Deities - Kids - Research - Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Gods & Goddesses - Egyptology - Old Egypt - Religion - Religious Beliefs - Egyptology - Egypten - Egyption - Egipt - Eygpt - Travel - Tours - Nile cruise - Holiday - Cruise - Flights - Hotels - Vacation - Written By Linda Alchin

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Egyptian Gods Discover the legends and myths surrounding the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses such as Atum, the Sun god Ra, Isis, Osiris, Anubis and Horus that were worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians.

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Much of the ancient world was unknown to the people who lived in ancient Egypt, so they worshiped many gods. This helped them feel more secure and more able to cope with their surroundings. Some of the Egyptian gods are listed below, along with a description of their characteristics and duties.

Amun - King of the Egyptian Gods

Amun was also known as Amen or Ammon and his name means "hidden one of mysterious form". He was a major deity and often depicted in various forms, such as a human, a ram, or a goose. The various forms indicated that the Egyptians could never know his true identity. Amun eventually merged with the sun god Ra and became Amun-Ra; this made him head of all the gods.
Click here to learn more about Amun
Anubis - God of Death
Click here to learn more about Anubis
Anubis was the protector of the dead and was depicted as a human being but with the head of a jackal; his image is always in profile. His function was to escort the deceased to the judgment hall, where they would be held accountable for their actions during their earthly life.

Bastet
Click here to learn more about Bastet
Bastet was known as the goddess of pleasure and she was depicted in profile as a female human with the head of a cat. Her temple was filled with cats and when they died, they were mummified.

Bes

Bes was the guardian of childbirth. He was also the god of entertainment and happiness, and protected people from dangerous animals and demons. He is shown full-faced rather than in profile and he appears as a dwarf with bowed legs and his tongue sticking out.
Click here to learn more about Hathor
Hathor
Click here to learn more about Horus
Hathor was Ra's daughter and the goddess of beauty, love, music, pleasure, and women. Sometimes, she punished humans for their wrongdoings. Her image has three forms: as a cow, as a woman with a cow's ears, and as a woman wearing cow's horns.

Horus - The Egyptian Falcon God
Click here to learn more about Isis
Horus was the protector of kings, the god of the sky, and the enemy of Seth, who was the wicked god. He was also the son of Isis and Osiris and is depicted in profile as a human male with a hawk's head. Occasionally, he is shown as a young boy sitting on Isis' lap.
Click here to learn more about Ma'at
Isis - The Goddess of Fertility

Isis was the goddess of funeral rites. She was also Osiris' wife and Horus' mother. She was the goddess who protected and healed kings, and was the giver of life. She is depicted in profile with a throne atop her head.

Ma'at - The Goddess of Truth and Justice
Click here to learn more about Osiris
Ma'at is depicted in profile as a female human with an ostrich feather on her head. Ma'at symbolized justice, truth, and harmony. She was also the main judge of those who had died.

Nephthys
Click here to learn more about Ra
Nephthys was Isis' sister and Anubis' mother. She is depicted in profile as a female human with the hieroglyphs, or Egyptian letters, of a basket and a palace on her head. She and her sister Isis were the protectors of the dead and unlike other goddesses, Nephthys had no temple dedicated to her.
Click here to learn more about Seth
Osiris - God of the Underworld

Osiris is depicted as a mummified male with a white feathered headdress. He was the god of vegetation and harvest and one of Egypt's most important gods. His brother Seth killed him but his wife Isis brought him back to life. After his resurrection, he ruled the underworld and judged the dead who went there.

Ra - The Sun

Ra was the sun god and the most important of all the gods. Usually, he is depicted as a seated human, in profile, and with the head of a falcon. He sailed the skies in the "Barque of Millions of Years" during the day and then went through the underworld at night.

Seth - God of Chaos

Seth was Osiris' evil brother and the god of chaos, confusion and darkness. He is depicted in profile as a human male with the head of an indeterminate animal. He was despised by most of the other gods and often depicted as a donkey, a hippopotamus, or a pig. Although eventually defeated by Horus, their struggle connotes the ongoing battle between good and evil.

Thoth

Thoth is depicted as a human male with an ibis' head. He is shown holding a palette and pen and is the god of knowledge and writing. He was the oldest of the gods and acted as intermediary with other gods. One of his most important tasks was to record the deeds, both good and bad, of those who died and were sent to judgment.

Some other Egyptian gods are:

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Discover more about some of the most famous ancient Egyptian gods, what they looked like and how they were worshiped.

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Ancient Egypt was one of the earliest and longest-lived civilisations, spanning almost 4000 years of history. Explore the world of Ancient Egypt by playing our games.

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Ancient Greek Gods for Kids and Teachers - Ancient Greek & Roman Gods for Kids

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The magical world of the ancient Greek gods was a world full of bickering and challenges and jealousies and fights and punishment and love. Many Greek myths were based on the fact that gods, like mortal men, could be punished or rewarded for their actions. They could fall in love. They cou…

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Kids learn about Greek Mythology and the gods, goddesses, and heroes of Mount Olympus including Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Aphrodite, the Titans, Heracles, Achilles, Apollo, Artemis, and fun facts.

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History for kids - Free history network for kids

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Greek Gods

Welcome to our Greek Gods and Goddesses page here on History for Kids. We have some fun facts and pictures for you to color. You will learn some interesting facts about each God as you read down the page. Take your time there is a lot of information on this page, check out the quick facts also if you just need a quick understanding and characteristics of each one.

Athena

Athena was tall, strong, graceful, gray-eyed, and she liked owls. From the beginning, she was a pretty amazing goddess. In fact, even her birth was most unusual.

Zeus, the father of gods and goddesses, was also Athena's father. Her mother was a mortal woman named Metis. Older gods had warned Zeus that he would be in trouble if Metis gave birth to a daughter. So he swallowed Metis whole.

When it came time for Athena to be born, she sprang full grown out of Zeus's head. She was completely dressed in armor, as she always would be. She also carried a shield and a spear. As you might guess about a woman in armor, she was a great warrior.

Athena was also a goddess of wisdom. She taught people about arts and crafts. She also taught them how to think clearly and live well. She was often seen with an owl, so owls became a symbol of wisdom.

Athena didn't get along with the sea god Poseidon. For one thing, they were often rivals over one thing or another. Once the people of a new city were looking for a god to watch over and protect them. Athena and Poseidon both wanted the job.

To impress the city's citizens, the two gods gave them gifts. Poseidon struck the ground with his three-pointed spear, and water poured out. The water turned into a river that flowed into the sea. Poseidon told the people to build ships to sail to the sea. He said that they could travel everywhere. They could become the most powerful people on earth.

The citizens were indeed impressed. But then Athena told them to taste the water. It tasted awful. It was saltwater, which is impossible to drink.

Then Athena gave the citizens her gift. When she hit the ground with her spear, a tree magically grew up within seconds. She explained that it was a special tree-an olive tree. Its wood was good both for building houses and for heating those houses in winter. Better still, the tree's little green fruits, called "olives," were delicious. And oil made out of the olives was useful for cooking.

The citizens liked Athena's gift better than Poseidon's. Not only did they choose Athena to watch over them, they named the city after her. They called it Athens. Poseidon left in a huff, causing a serious flood on his way. But the Athenians weren't bothered very much. With Athena's help, their city grew to be strong and wealthy. Athens became one of the greatest cities of all time. Today it's the capital and the largest city of Greece.
Here are some historical facts about the city of Athens:

Athenians did their best to make their city live up to its name. Inspired by their tales about Athena's wisdom, Athens became a center of civilization.

Athenians turned their city into the world's first democracy.

Athenians wrote the world's first plays, both comedies and tragedies. Those plays were performed in an open-air theater. They are still popular today.

Some of history's greatest thinkers were Athenian. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were the city's most famous philosophers.

The world's first historians, Herodotus and Thucydides, lived in Athens.

Athenians created some of the world's most beautiful buildings. The ruins of its most famous temple, the Parthenon, are still standing today. The Parthenon once held a large statue of Athena.

The Athenian Hippocrates is said to be the father of medicine. He wrote a famous oath that is still spoken by doctors today.

Poseidon

The brothers Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon were the most important gods of all. Zeus was the strongest and wisest of the three and ruled over the earth. Hades ruled the Underworld, the world of the dead. Poseidon ruled the seas. He was also the god of earthquakes and horses.

Poseidon had a beard and long blue hair. He drove a golden cart called a chariot.

It was pulled by strange beasts that were half-horse and half-snake. Fish and dolphins always swam along beside the sea god's chariot.

Poseidon carried a three-pointed spear called a trident. He used this to start earthquakes or bring water out of the ground.

Like the sea he ruled, Poseidon could be either calm or stormy. As you might guess, the god of earthquakes had a short temper. He didn't get along with other gods. He didn't always get along with mortals, either.

The people of Troy once asked Poseidon to help build a wall around their city. He helped, but then he got angry when he didn't get paid for his work. He was Troy's enemy ever after that. When Troy fought a terrible war against Greece, Poseidon supported the Greeks.

Each god had a city to protect and watch over. The city showed its thanks by honoring that god especially. Maybe because he was ill-tempered, Poseidon had trouble finding a city to honor him. The people of Athens chose Athena instead of Poseidon as its protector. The people of Naxos chose Dionysus. The people of Aegina chose Zeus. Finally, all the gods had special cities except Poseidon. He was very unhappy and disappointed.

But at long last, the people of Atlantis chose Poseidon. Atlantis was a huge island, and its people loved and honored him. There he fell in love with a mortal princess named Clito. He built a palace for her, and they had ten sons. The sons grew up to be kings who ruled different parts of Atlantis. Those kings ruled wisely, and Atlantis became the greatest civilization in the world. Poseidon was proud and happy.

But bad times came. The first kings of Atlantis died, and their sons were bad rulers. And the sons who came after them were worse yet. Years passed, and Atlantis was no longer the world's greatest civilization. It was actually the worst. It had become both wicked and foolish.

Finally, the people of Atlantis forgot to worship Poseidon. The sea god became angry and used his trident to start a terrible earthquake. Atlantis sank beneath the waves, never to be seen again.

*Horses were very important in the ancient world. Poseidon's earliest worshippers may have been the people who first brought horses to Greece.
Here are some historical facts about Poseidon's story:
*There are many earthquakes in Greece. Not surprisingly, a god of earthquakes was taken very seriously there.

*The sea was very important to the Ancient Greeks. They were great explorers whose ships sailed to distant places.

*Fishermen in the ancient world caught tuna with a trident.

*Atlantis was thought to have been in a faraway ocean. Today we call that ocean the Atlantic.

*Atlantis was probably imaginary. Even so, some people still believe that it once was real. And people keep looking for it.

*Atlantis may have been based on a real place. There once was a large island called Thera. It was destroyed by a huge volcano. Like Atlantis, it sank into the sea.

Hermes

Hermes was the messenger god. He was young and intelligent-looking. He wore a winged hat and winged sandals, and he carried a magic wand. (We know what he looked like because so many sculptors made statues of him.)

Hermes was said to be the god of the marketplace. Oddly, he was also said to be the god of thieves. He himself was a clever thief. He started stealing early in life-actually on the day he was born.

His father was Zeus, the king of the gods. His mother was a young goddess named Maia. He was born in a mountain cave, and only a few minutes after his birth, Hermes decided to make himself a toy. He picked up a tortoise shell and tied strings across it, then plucked the strings. That was how Hermes invented the first musical instrument, which was called a lyre. And he invented music too!

His playing and singing put his mother to sleep. Then, when Hermes was still only an hour or two old, he left the cave and went out to look around at the world. He soon found a herd of cattle that belonged to the god Apollo. The baby Hermes liked the cattle and decided to steal them.

When Apollo wasn't looking, Hermes tied branches to the cows' tails. As he led them away, the branches dragged along and erased their hoof prints. Then he hid the cattle and went back to his cave. He climbed back up into his sleeping mother's arms. When she woke up, she had no idea that he'd even been away.

When Apollo managed to track down Hermes, he was surprised to see that the thief was just a newborn baby. Even so, he demanded his cattle back. Then Hermes started playing the lyre. Apollo was so delighted by the music that he let Hermes keep the cattle in exchange for the lyre. After that, Apollo carried the lyre everywhere and became known as the god of music.

Hermes never stopped being full of mischief. But when he grew up, the gods learned that they could count on him for one important task. With his winged hat and sandals, he ran and flew as fast as the wind, so Zeus named him the messenger of the gods.

Whenever the gods wanted to send messages to mortals, they gave the job to Hermes. Although he didn't always tell the truth himself, he always delivered those messages just the way he was supposed to.

*Along with the lyre, Hermes was said to have invented another musical instrument called a panpipe. It's a kind of flute that is still played today.

*Hermes was said to be the god of travelers. Statues of him could be found at crossroads throughout Ancient Greece. They were put there to bring travelers good luck.
Here are some interesting facts about Hermes' story.
*There were no telephones and no Internet in the ancient world. Messages were usually carried by runners on foot. So the god of messengers was considered a very important god.

*One of the most famous messengers of all time was a soldier named Pheidippides. Story has it that he ran from one city to another, carrying news that the Greeks had won the Battle of Marathon. He delivered the message and died. Today's marathon races are held in his honor.

*Hermes' magic wand was called a caduceus. It had wings, like his hat and sandals. It also had snakes wrapped around it. Today the caduceus is the symbol of the medical profession.

Ares

Ares was the god of war. He wore armor and a helmet, and he carried a shield, sword, and spear. He was big and strong and had a fierce war cry, but his war cry was mostly just a lot of noise. Ares didn't fight at all well. The armored goddess Athena was a much better warrior.

The Ancient Greeks didn't like war, and they didn't like Ares, either. They considered him a troublemaker. And like many troublemakers, Ares was a coward and a bully.

In fact, Ares was never really of use to anybody in a war. One time a group of giants declared war on the gods. The giants wanted to rule the entire universe. To keep Ares out of the fighting, they sneaked up on him and knocked him out cold, then they stuffed him into a jar.

The other gods heard Ares screaming for somebody to let him out. They just ignored him because they figured they could fight better without him. They went on to defeat the giants, and then they let Ares out of the jar after the battle was over. Ares bragged about how he could have beaten the giants if he'd been free. The other gods only laughed.

Ares never stayed loyal to one side or the other in a war. He just enjoyed watching people fighting and dying. The war between Greece and Troy was one of the worst ever fought, and even the gods joined in the battle. When the war started, Ares promised his mother, Hera, to help the Greeks. But he was in love with the goddess Aphrodite, so she easily talked him into helping the Trojans.

The Trojans would have been just as happy without Ares's help. Always the bully, he didn't pick fights with other gods. Instead, he challenged a mortal Greek warrior named Diomedes, but Diomedes wounded Ares.

Ares liked to cause pain for others, but he whined and complained whenever he got hurt. This time was no different. The wound he got from Diomedes wasn't very serious, but even so, Ares didn't keep fighting. He went running back to Olympus, the home of the gods, and wept and wailed to his father Zeus. Even though Zeus bandaged up Ares's wound, he was not at all proud of his warrior son.

That wasn't the only time Ares was wounded. The great hero Heracles wounded him twice, and one of those times he took away Ares's armor and weapons. Both times Ares ran away crying to Olympus.

*For a long time, historians thought that the city of Troy was just a legend. But the ruins of Troy have been found in modern-day Turkey.

*The Trojan War was also thought to be only a legend. But today some historians think that there really was such a war. It was fought between Greece and Troy.

*The Greeks had good reason to dislike war. The cities of Greece fought each other in a terrible war that lasted for 27 years. It's called the Peloponnesian War.
Here are some interesting facts about Ares's story:
*Although the Ancient Greeks didn't like Ares, the Ancient Romans admired him. They called him Mars. They told stories that made Mars sound like a hero.

*The Romans liked Ares because they thought that war was noble. The Romans spoke Latin. The Latin words for "war" and "beauty" are very similar. The word for "war" is "bellum." The word for "beauty" is "bellus."

Zeus

Zeus was the king of the gods. He and his brothers Hades and Poseidon were in charge of the whole universe. Hades ruled the Underworld, the world of the dead. Poseidon ruled the seas. Zeus, the greatest of the three, ruled the earth and the sky. He controlled the weather, causing wind and rain. He also caused thunder and lightning. He threw his thunderbolt like a spear.

Zeus was a good reminder that the gods were not perfect. For one thing, he was not all-powerful. His daughters, the three Fates, decided the futures of both gods and mortals. Zeus couldn't overrule their decisions.

And although Zeus was often wise, he could also be foolish. He could be selfish and even cruel. He was not a good husband to Hera, the queen of the gods. And he was not a good father to many of his children. Not surprisingly, the other gods sometimes rebelled against his rule.

Still, Zeus most gods and mortals respected Zeus. He gave laws and justice to mortals. He taught them kindness and good manners. One story shows how much Zeus prized hospitality and kindness toward strangers.

Zeus liked to travel, sometimes in disguise. Once he was traveling with his son Hermes, the messenger god, in a land called Phrygia. They were both disguised as ordinary mortal men. They stopped at all the houses in Phrygia, asking for food and a place to stay the night. Time and time again, they were rudely turned away. Even rich people turned them away.

At last they arrived at the home of an elderly couple, a woman named Baucis and a man named Philemon. Baucis and Philemon were extremely poor. Even so, they treated the travelers kindly, inviting them into their home for food and drink. They allowed the disguised gods to spend the night.

The next day, Hermes and Zeus took off their disguises. Everyone could see that they were gods. Zeus punished the couple's Phrygian neighbors with a terrible flood. All houses were destroyed, except the little hut of Baucis and Philemon. Zeus turned it into a beautiful temple.

As a reward for their kindness, Zeus offered the couple anything that they wanted. Because they had lived happily together all their lives, they asked never to be parted. Even in death they wanted to remain together. Baucis and Philemon spent the rest of their lives serving as the temple's priestess and priest. When they died they turned into two trees growing out of the same trunk.

*Weather seemed even more mysterious in ancient times than it does today. It's no surprise that the god who controlled the weather was the most powerful god of all.

*Lightning and thunder were especially puzzling to ancient people. Many cultures have had gods of thunder and lightning. In Norse mythology, it was Thor. To the Finns, it was Ukko. To the Aztecs, it was Tlaloc.

*Lightning remained a mystery for thousands of years. During the 1700s, the American scientist and thinker Benjamin Franklin helped solve that mystery. He discovered the lightning was made up of electricity. Then he invented the lightning rods to protect houses and buildings. He was nicknamed "the Man Who Tamed the Lightning."

*In ancient times, travel was difficult and dangerous. Travelers depended on the kindness of people they met along the way. The Greeks even had a word for kindness toward strangers and travelers. They called it xenios.
Here are some interesting facts about Zeus's story:
Aphrodite

Aphrodite had an unusual birth. She rose up out of sea foam, beautiful and fully grown-up. She was the goddess of love, and she liked doves, sparrows, and swans. She was married to Hephaestus, the god of the forge, but not at all happily. She was really in love with Ares, the god of war.

Aphrodite and her son Eros were in charge of making people and gods fall in love. Eros used his magic bow and arrow to make that happen.

Oddly, this goddess of love helped start a terrible war. But she didn't really mean to. Eris, the goddess of discord, liked to stir up trouble. So one day Eris made a golden apple. She wrote the words "For the Fairest" on it. Then she threw this apple where the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite would find it.

Each one of them thought she was "the Fairest"-the most beautiful goddess of all. They decided to hold a beauty contest. To judge the contest, they chose a mortal named Paris. He was a handsome Prince of Troy.

Each goddess took Paris aside and offered him a gift. If Paris chose Hera, she promised to make the ruler of the world. If he chose Athena, she promised to make him a victorious soldier. But Paris wasn't very ambitious or brave. He wasn't interested in either of those offers.

Then Aphrodite promised Paris the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. This appealed to Paris much more than the other offers did. So he judged Aphrodite "the Fairest" of the goddesses, and she got to keep the apple.

This was exactly what the troublemaking Eris had hoped for. The most beautiful woman in the world happened to be married already. Her name was Helen. She was the Queen of Sparta and the wife of King Menelaus.

When Helen and Paris ran away to Troy together, Menelaus was furious. He called all the great warriors of Greece together, and they declared war on Troy. Many thousands of warriors died in the Trojan War, which lasted ten years. It ended with the destruction of Troy.

*Today some historians believe that there really was a Trojan war. It was fought between Greece and Troy.

*The Romans called Aphrodite by the name Venus. The planet Venus is named after her.

*Venus is the planet closest to Earth. It is also the nearest planet in size to Earth. Next to the moon, it is usually the brightest object in the nighttime sky. Venus is easiest to see in the morning and evening. That's why it is called both the "Morning Star" and the "Evening Star."

*The Greeks pictured Aphrodite's son Eros as a handsome young man. The Romans called him Cupid. They came to picture him as a little boy with wings and a bow and arrow. Pictures of Cupid are very common on Valentine's Day.

*The goddess Venus was said to be the mother of the hero Aeneas. According to legend, Aeneas helped found the city of Rome. The real-life Roman general and dictator Julius Caesar claimed to be a descendent of Venus.
Here are some interesting facts about Aphrodite's story:
Hera

Hera was the queen of the gods and the protector of women. Her husband Zeus ruled the earth and sky. She was the mother of the war god Ares and the forge god Hephaestus. Her daughter, Ilithyia, was the goddess of childbirth.

Hera was beautiful and graceful. But she was also stern and bossy. And she could be very vain about her good looks. Hera was furious when she lost a beauty contest with Athena and Aphrodite. Another time, a mortal queen claimed to be more beautiful than Hera. The goddess turned that queen into a crane.

Although Hera was the goddess of marriage, her own marriage wasn't happy. For one thing, Zeus was always interested in other women. Hera had good reason to be jealous.
Once she sent a hundred-eyed monster named Argos to spy on Zeus. Even Zeus couldn't get away with much with Argos watching him!

Annoyed, Zeus called upon his son Hermes, the messenger god. He ordered Hermes to kill Argos. This was hard to do, because some of Argos's eyes were always awake and watching. But Hermes managed to put all those eyes to sleep. Then he killed Argos as Zeus had commanded.

Hera put Argos's eyes in the peacock's tail. The peacock was her favorite bird from that time on. Hera was also fond of cows, lions, and cuckoos.

Next, Zeus asked a young goddess named Echo for help. Echo was a wonderful storyteller. At Zeus's orders, Echo told Hera stories. That kept Hera's attention for hours and hours. Meanwhile, Zeus could sneak away and do whatever he wanted.

Hera figured out what was going on. She got very angry with Echo. This wasn't fair, of course. Echo couldn't help what she was doing. After all, she couldn't very well disobey the king of the gods. But when Hera was angry, she could be most unfair.

Hera cursed Echo. She took away Echo's power to tell stories. She even took away Echo's power to speak normally. Instead, Echo could only repeat things said by others.

Echo became so sad that she disappeared completely. But it is said that you can still hear her voice. If you shout in a canyon or valley, Echo might repeat your words.

*Hera was the goddess of the calendar year. The ancient Athenians didn't have just one calendar. Instead, they used a calendar for festivals, another for political matters, and another for the seasons.

*Today many cultures have different yearly calendars. The 12-month calendar mostly used in European and American countries is called the Julian calendar.

*Hera was a goddess who protected women. In Ancient Athens, women needed a protector. Even when Athens became a democracy, women had very few rights. An unmarried girl was ruled by her father; a married woman was ruled by her husband. Women could not become full citizens. Even male slaves had more rights than women did.

*Things were different in Sparta, Athens's warlike neighbor. Spartan men were often away fighting. When the men were gone, women took charge in many important ways. Some of the wealthiest and most powerful Spartan citizens were women. Even so, Spartan women could not hold political positions.

Artemis
Here are some interesting facts about Hera's story:
Artemis was the god Apollo's twin sister. She was goddess of the moon and of the hunt. She didn't like cities very much, preferring to roam forests and mountainsides.

She hunted with a silver bow and silver arrows. Like all good hunters, Artemis liked to protect wildlife. She took special care to watch over small animals.

Artemis was a strong-willed goddess. She knew what she wanted from an early age. Once when she was three years old, she was sitting on her father Zeus's knee. Zeus asked the little goddess what she most wanted in life.

First, she asked Zeus for three different names. These would fit her moods, which could be seen in the changing Moon. When she was cheerful and the moon was bright, she was called Selene. When she was in a bad mood and the moon was dark, she was called Hecate. The rest of the time she was called Artemis.

She also asked Zeus for loyal goddesses to hunt with. Zeus gave her lots of female followers called nymphs. Finally, she told Zeus that she never wanted to have much to do with men. So Zeus made sure that Artemis never fell in love with a man and never had a husband.

Although she wasn't interested in much except hunting, Artemis could also be a good warrior. In fact, she was a much better fighter than Ares, the god of war. She was also more clever. One time some giants declared war on the gods. The giants trapped Ares in a jar, so he couldn't do any fighting at all. Artemis tricked two of the giants by taking the shape of a deer and running between them. The giants both shot arrows at the deer, but killed each other instead.

Artemis was also clever about keeping men out of her life-both gods and mortals. The river god Alpheus fell in love with her and went chasing after her through the woods. Artemis smeared mud all over her own face, then told her nymphs to do the same. Alpheus couldn't tell Artemis and the nymphs apart. The river god gave up and went home, sad and disappointed.

Artemis was especially honored by a legendary race of women called Amazons. They were all warrior women who never married.

*The "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" was a list made by the Greeks of man-made marvels. A temple of Artemis was on that list. The Great Pyramids of Egypt are the only wonders on the list still standing today.

*Because she was the goddess of the Moon, Artemis has a crater on the Moon named after her. A crater is a hollow place that was formed by collision with an object from outer space.

*The moon has long been believed to affect human moods and actions. One Roman name for the goddess of the moon was "Luna." The word "lunatic," meaning insane person, came from that name.

*A lunar eclipse happens when the earth passes between the sun and the moon. On February 29, 1504, the explorer Christopher Columbus was on the island of Jamaica. He knew that a lunar eclipse was coming, and that the moon would seem to disappear. The islanders didn't know what an eclipse was. Columbus used the eclipse to trick the islanders into doing whatever he wanted.

Hades

The brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were the most important gods of all. Zeus was the strongest and wisest of the three and ruled over the earth. Poseidon ruled the seas. Hades ruled the Underworld, the world of the dead. Hades had dark hair and a dark beard, and he drove a chariot drawn by four dark horses. He was married to Persephone, the queen of the dead.
Here are some interesting facts about Artemis's story:
Neither gods nor mortals liked Hades very much. This wasn't really fair. Hades wasn't mean or cruel. It just wasn't his job to be kind or merciful. His duty was to make sure the dead stayed in the Underworld forever.

Few mortals ever went to the Underworld and made it back alive. One of these was the great singer Orpheus. When his wife, Eurydice, died, Orpheus went to the Underworld to bring her back.

Orpheus's singing delighted Hades, so he agreed to let him take Eurydice back home. Hades made one rule, though. Orpheus wasn't allowed to look at Eurydice as they fled the Underworld. But along the way, Orpheus turned to see if Eurydice was still following him. So she had to stay in the world of the dead forever.

There aren't many stories about Hades. Because he rarely left the Underworld, he seldom had adventures. He just went about the unpleasant business of ruling the dead. When he did go out into the world of the living, it usually ended badly for him.

Once Hades left his realm in search of Sisyphus, the king of Corinth. Sisyphus was one of the cleverest mortals who ever lived. He managed to cheat death time and time again.

Hades planned to put Sisyphus in handcuffs and take him to the Underworld. Instead, the tricky king talked Hades into trying on the handcuffs himself. As long as Sisyphus held Hades hostage, nobody would ever die. The gods couldn't allow that, so they pestered Sisyphus into letting Hades loose.

Sisyphus himself finally died and went to the Underworld. The gods knew that he might still be up to mischief even there. So they sentenced him to an impossible task.

Sisyphus had to roll a huge boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down again. Then he had to roll it back up the hill, only to have it roll down yet again. Poor Sisyphus had to do this again and again forever. At least it kept him from causing Hades any more trouble.

Eventually, the world of the dead itself came to be called Hades, after its king. A fierce three-headed dog named Cerberus guarded Hades. The river Styx flowed between Hades and the world of the living. A ferryman named Charon rowed dead souls across the Styx.

*The Ancient Greeks feared Hades so much that they avoided saying his name. Instead, they called him "Pluton," which meant "the Rich." This was because Hades' realm was said to be the home of precious stones and metals. The Romans renamed Hades "Pluto."

*Today, a plutocrat is someone who rules other people with wealth. A plutocracy is a government based on wealth.

*A small, distant object called Pluto was once thought to be the farthest planet from the sun. Today Pluto is no longer considered to be a planet at all. The farthest planet from the sun is called Neptune. This was the Roman name for Poseidon, the god of the sea.

*A task that seems pointless and endless is now sometimes called Sisyphean.

Apollo

Apollo was the twin brother of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and the Moon. Like his sister, Apollo loved hunting with a bow and arrow. He was the god of wisdom, poetry, and music.

Apollo was a handsome god, with long black hair. He drove a golden chariot drawn by swans. He was the leader of the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts.
Here are some interesting facts about Hades' story:
This god liked lions, wolves, stags, crows, and dolphins. He also liked cattle, and once had a herd of his own. The baby Hermes stole that herd from him. But Apollo let Hermes keep the cattle in return for his lyre. The lyre was a kind of harp that Hermes had made out of a tortoise shell.

When Apollo was still a young god, he wanted to know his future. So he went to a town called Delphi, where a priestess was said to tell fortunes. She was called an "oracle."

When Apollo arrived in Delphi, he found trouble awaiting him. A monster named Python was supposed to guard the oracle. But Python had turned cruel and was terrorizing the people of Delphi.

Apollo killed Python with his bare hands. Then the citizens of Delphi built a temple in his honor. The oracle kept telling people's fortunes there.

After that, Apollo became known as the god of prophecy-which means the ability to foretell the future. He was believed to always tell the truth.

Apollo was also known as great healer. However, he sometimes caused disease as well. His son, Asclepius, was the god of medicine for a while. But Asclepius grew so powerful that he could raise the dead. The gods couldn't allow that, so Zeus killed Asclepius with his thunderbolt.

Because Apollo was called the god of light, he was sometimes mistaken for the sun god. The real god of the sun was Helios, who drove a flaming chariot across the sky.

Helios once made a terrible mistake. He allowed his half-mortal son Phaeton to drive his chariot. But Phaeton couldn't control Helios's horses. He almost destroyed the world with that flaming chariot. Like Asclepius, Phaeton was killed by Zeus's thunderbolt.

*A huge snake called a python can be found in parts of Africa and Asia. It's named after the monster that Apollo killed.

*In ancient times Delphi was said to be the center of the world. Its ruins are still visited today.

*The Pythian Games were an athletic event held every four years in Delphi. They were named after the monster slain by Apollo. Those games were something like today's Olympics. The earliest Olympic games were also played in Ancient Greece.

*A priestess in Delphi really was believed to tell fortunes. Once she was asked about the Athenian philosopher Socrates. She said that no one in the world was wiser than he. Socrates was surprised, because he thought he knew nothing at all. He soon noticed that people who thought themselves wise knew no more than he did. So Socrates was truly wise in knowing himself to be ignorant.

*Today the word Apollonian means wise, prudent, and well thought-out. The god Dionysus was thought to be reckless and unruly, most unlike the calm and sensible Apollo. So the word Dionysian means wild, uncontrolled, and lacking reason.

Hephaestus

Hephaestus was the god of fire. He was a blacksmith whose forge was in a volcano. His helpers were one-eyed giants called Cyclopes. He worked in bronze, iron, silver, and gold. He also made things out of clay, including living creatures. From clay he made Pandora, the first mortal woman in the world.

Hephaestus made many useful things for the gods. For the messenger god Hermes, he made a winged hat and winged sandals. For the sun god Helios, he made a golden chariot to ride across the sky. For the Eros, the god of love, he made a silver bow with silver arrows.
Here are some interesting facts about Apollo's story:
Hephaestus was a good-natured god who usually got along well with everybody. Even so, his mother, Hera, once got angry with him. She threw him off Olympus, the mountain where the gods lived. When he hit the ground, he broke his foot. A goddess named Thetis nursed him back to health. But he walked with a limp ever after that.

Good-natured though he was, Hephaestus didn't forgive Hera. And he finally got even with her. He made a beautiful throne out of gold and offered it to her as a gift. When she sat on it, invisible chains wrapped around her wrists. She couldn't get out of the throne, which rose up into the air.

All the gods tried to talk Hephaestus into letting Hera loose. Hephaestus finally did when the beautiful goddess Aphrodite agreed to marry him. Theirs wasn't a happy marriage, though. Aphrodite was really in love with Ares, the god of war.

The goddess Thetis had a half-mortal son named Achilles. When Achilles was a baby, she bathed him in the river Styx. This was supposed to make him invulnerable, meaning impossible to hurt or kill. Even so, Thetis worried when Achilles got ready to go fight in the Trojan War.

Hephaestus made the best weapons and armor in the world. So Thetis asked Hephaestus to make a shield and armor for Achilles. Hephaestus was still grateful to Thetis for helping him after his fall from Olympus. So he was happy to do as she asked.

Hephaestus's armor didn't let Achilles down during the war. But Thetis had made one mistake. When she had dipped Achilles in the river Styx, she had held him by the heel. So his heel was not invulnerable. Achilles was killed by an arrow in his heel.

*Pandora, the woman Hephaestus made from clay, was said to have had a box of evils. She opened the box, letting all those evils loose in the world. Today, to "open a Pandora's box" means to cause a lot of trouble accidentally.

*The Romans gave Hephaestus the name Vulcan. That's where the word "volcano" comes from.

*The word "vulcanization" also comes from the name Vulcan. Vulcanization is a process for hardening rubber, especially for tires. It uses extreme heat and sulfur.

*Today, a person's weak spot is called an "Achilles's heel," after the story of how Achilles died.

*Human history is sometimes divided into three periods. These are named after the materials most used for tools in those times. The earliest was the Stone Age, followed by the Bronze Age, followed by the Iron Age. The stories about Hephaestus were told in the Iron Age, when blacksmithing was very important.

Hestia

The beautiful Hestia was the oldest of the gods of Olympus. She disliked gossip, so hardly any stories were told about he. But it would be a mistake to think she wasn't important. In some ways, she was the most important of all the gods.

From the earliest times, the other gods of Olympus all had duties. Hermes carried messages, Ares was in charge of war, Artemis watched over all hunters, and Zeus ruled over everybody. Other gods had other jobs. But for a time, no one seemed to know what Hestia was supposed to do.

One day the gods Poseidon and Apollo told Zeus that they both loved Hestia. Both of them wanted to marry her. They demanded that Zeus choose between them. Otherwise, war would break out among the gods. And such a war would have been terrible indeed.
Here are some interesting facts about Hephaestus's story:
But Hestia solved the whole problem very simply. She refused ever to have a husband. Zeus was relieved and grateful to avoid a war. As a reward, he gave Hestia the keys to Olympus. He put her in charge of the gods' everyday business. Hestia made sure that the gods always had plenty of food, clothing, and money. After all, even gods have to worry about such things!

Zeus also made Hestia the goddess of homes everywhere. It was she who taught mortals how to build houses. And every house had a sacred spot for her. That was the hearth, the center of family life.

Mortals prayed to Hestia more than to any of the other gods. Every family meal began and ended with a prayer to Hestia. Whenever a baby was born, the parents carried it around the hearth and prayed to Hestia. Mortals had a saying: "Begin with Hestia." In other words, when doing anything, always start out in the right way.

Hestia lived a quiet life, leaving fame and adventure to others. Zeus's half-mortal son Dionysus showed up on Olympus one day. He wanted to have a throne like the other important gods. Hestia gladly gave up her own throne for him. After all, she was too busy to spend much time sitting there.

Here are some interesting facts about Hestia's story:

*A hearth in an Ancient Greek home wasn't like today's fireplaces. It wasn't placed in a wall at the end of a room.

Instead, it was in the middle of the central room. Its coals burned all the time, whether for warmth or for cooking. In honor of Hestia, Greeks made sure that the fire never went out.

*Every Ancient Greek city also had a public hearth for all citizens. Hestia was sacred there also. When the people of one city founded another city, they took coals with them to light the new city's hearth. As in hearths in private houses, the fires in public hearths were never allowed to die out.

*In Ancient Rome, Hestia was called by the name of Vesta. The six priestesses in her temple were called Vestals. Like Vesta herself, they never married.

*An asteroid called Vesta is named after the goddess. An asteroid is a body that orbits the sun but is much smaller than a planet. Although Vesta is only the second largest asteroid, it is the one most visible from Earth. The largest asteroid is called Ceres, the Roman name for the goddess Demeter.

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Athena Poseidon Hermes Ares Zeus Aphrodite Hera Artemis Hades Apollo Hephaestus Hestia Welcome to our Greek Gods and Goddesses page here on History for Kids. We have some fun facts and pictures for you to color. You will learn some interesting facts about each God as you read down the page.

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Ancient Greece - Acropolis - The British Museum

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ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece wants the Parthenon Marbles back from the British Museum, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in London on Tuesday, trying to reinvigorate a longstanding campaign for the 2,500-year-old treasures.

British diplomat Lord Elgin removed the sculptures from the Acropolis in Athens in the early 19th century when Greece was under Ottoman rule. They comprise roughly half of the 160-metre-long frieze that was on the Parthenon temple.

Since independence in 1832, Greece has repeatedly requested their return, without success.

Tsipras, who was on his first official visit to London since he was elected in 2015, said the issue is of particular ethical importance for Greeks and he raised the matter when he met his British counterpart Theresa May.

"The Marbles belong to the world cultural heritage but their natural place is the Parthenon," he told reporters.

Britain has resisted campaigns for the return of what it calls the Elgin Marbles along with treasures from other countries including Nigeria and Ethiopia, often citing legislation that bans its museums from permanently disposing of their collections.

Greece has stepped up its campaign since 2009 when it opened a new museum at the foot of the Acropolis hill, saying this answered any suggestion that Athens lacks a suitable place to preserve the marbles.

The museum hosts priceless relics from the Acropolis, including the Caryatids, standing columns in female form. There is space for one of the six missing figures, on display at the British museum.

In 2014, a previous Greek government hired a legal team including human rights lawyer Amal Clooney to advise it on its bid to secure the return of the marbles.

"We know Britain's position but what has a particular value is that this effort is continued," Tsipras said. "In due course, we'll find increasingly more supporters of Greece's just stance."

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Greece wants Parthenon Marbles back, Tsipras tells May

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ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece wants the Parthenon Marbles back from the British Museum, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in London on Tuesday, trying to reinvigorate a longstanding campaign for the 2,500-year-old treasures. British diplomat Lord Elgin removed the sculptures from the Acropolis in Athens in the early 19th century when Greece was under Ottoman rule.

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Ancient Greece - Daily Life - The British Museum

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Ancient Greece - Acropolis - Build a Temple - The British Museum

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Michael C. Carlos Museum presents Odyssey Online's Greece

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Pencils, a pencil sharpener and eraser

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Catapult - The Children's University of Manchester

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Hour of Code

What is Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. Anyone, anywhere can organize an Hour of Code event or try any of the over 500+ one-hour tutorials, available in over 45 languages.

This year Hour of Code is exploring the limitless realms of creativity empowered by AI! Whether you or your students are experienced coders or you are setting out on your very first computer science expedition, this Hour of Code promises an extraordinary voyage.

There are several places you can start, choose which one is right for you and your students:

Lead an Hour of Code Activity

With more than 700 activities to choose from with classifications by grade level, experience, and inclusion of AI, your choices are vast. When you know your plans, please register your activity so we can celebrate all the events happening across the globe.

Grades: 2-12

Dance Party

It's time to strut your stuff! Create your own dance party featuring hits by Miley Cyrus, BTS, Lil Nas X, Harry Styles, Nicki Minaj, Rosalía, and more!

Grades: 3-12

AI for Oceans

Help A.I. clean the oceans by training it to detect trash! Learn about training data and bias, and how AI can address world problems.

Grades: 2-12

Minecraft

Build and explore with Minecraft! Learn basic computer science skills with lots of different Minecraft activities to choose from.

Learn How AI Works

Learn the inner workings of ChatGPT, computer vision, and other AI concepts, explained by the people who created these technologies through videos and accompanying lesson plans.

Lesson Plans: How AI Works

This series of short videos and accompanying in-classroom lessons will introduce you and your students to how artificial intelligence works and why it matters. You can choose individual lessons based on topic, explore the whole series of topics in one class or teach all 7 lessons to give a deeper dive.

Explore How AI Works

Engage with AI 101 for Teachers

AI 101 for Teachers is a five-part professional learning video series that will demystify AI, explore responsible implementation, address bias, and showcase how AI-powered learning can revolutionize student outcomes.

Video Series: AI 101 for Teachers

A free, foundational online learning series for any teacher and educator interested in the groundbreaking world of artificial intelligence (AI) and its transformative potential in education.

Explore AI 101 for Teachers

Go beyond Hour of Code

Teach Computer Science

Join the global community of over 2 million educators empowering the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and digital citizens.

Learn more

Explore Our Curriculum

Tap into your students' full potential with Code.org's free, flexible, and fun Computer Science curriculum. There's something for every classroom.

View Curriculum Catalog

Start Professional Learning

Our free, self-paced modules help you develop your own understanding while preparing to teach computer science in your classroom.

Learn more

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Use computer science to explore and learn about AI!

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I was so looking forward to some of these in our PACE classroom this year. I had plans to build the geodesic dome after studying Rome's beautiful Pantheon. Try to build a dome or a spaghetti bridge and send me a picture. I would love to see one! cgehlken@mcpss.com

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Explore the Pantheon of Ancient Rome. You can still tour it today!

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In Rome today, there still exists one of the most spectacular examples of Roman architecture. This is the Grand Pantheon. The Grand Pantheon was built in the early days of the empire. It was constructed to be a temple for all the Roman gods.