Olympians
Apollo
One of the most important Olympian gods; son of Zeus
and Leto, twin brother of Artemis. He was also called Delian from Delos,
the island of his birth, and Pythian, from his killing of Python, the fabled
serpent that guarded a shrine on the mountains of Parnassus. Acersecomes(unshorn).
Acesius(healer). Cynthius. Sun God. Lyaeus(liberator). Lycius(Wolf God).
Moeragetes. Musagetes. Nomios. Paean(healer). Phoebus. Pytheus. Shining.
Basileus. Clarius. Loxias. Smintheus. He was concerned with prophecy, medicine
(he was the father of Asclepius), music and poetry (he was also the father
of Orpheus and the patron of the Muses). He was associated with law, philosophy,
and the arts. He sometimes gave the gift of prophecy to mortals whom he
loved, such as the Trojan princess Cassandra. He was also a master archer
and a fleet-footed athlete, credited with having been the first victor
in the Olympic games. Some tales depict Apollo as pitiless and cruel. According
to Homer's Iliad, Apollo answered the prayers of the priest Chryses to
obtain the release of his daughter from the Greek general Agamemnon by
shooting fiery, pestilence-carrying arrows into the Greek army. He also
abducted and ravished the young Athenian princess Creusa and abandoned
her and the child born to them.Patron of priests, poetry, music, medicine,
healing. God of intellect, the arts, healing, light, sun, archery, agriculture,
animal husbandry, crops, cattle, farmers, shephards, sheep, song, physicians,
morality, ethics, solar light, oracles, reason, inspiration, magick, divination,
harmony, spiritual goals gained through use of the arts, ravens, earthquakes,
woodlands, springs, vaticination.
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Aphrodite
foam-born
Acidilia. Cypris. Cytherea. Eriboea. Erycian. Paphia.
Paphian Goddess(erotic and illict love). Pelegia. Pntia. Pandemos(sex,
common love). Foam-Born. Moon Goddess. She Who Binds Hearts Together. She
Who Came From the Sea. Despina. Kypris. Aphrodite, the goddess of love
and beauty, the western corner, the joy of physical love, sensuality, passion,
generosity, all forms of partnerships and relationships, affection, fertility,
renewal, continued creation, sexual rapture, was born from the foam of
the sea that arose when Uranus' severed penis fell into the ocean. She
was married to Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithy to the gods. Sacred
to her are the myrtle, rose, apple, poppy, sparrow, dove, swan, swallow,
tortoise, ram, the planet Venus, and the month of April. Eros was produced
from a liason with Zeus. Her favorite lover is the god of war, Ares. She
represented sex, affection, and the attraction that binds people together.
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Ares
male warrior
Gradivus. Quirinus. Enyalius. Ares was the bullying
god of war, terror, uncontrolled anger, courage without thought, raw energy,
brute strength, untamed passions. He was considered to be overly fond of
looting and slaughter, and cowardly besides. Son of Zeus and Hera. (He
was identified with the Roman god of war Mars, who was looked on with respect
by the Romans.) The Greeks, however, looked on Ares as a quarrelsome god
who sent war and pestilence and delighted in destruction. Aggressive and
bloodthirsty, Ares personified the brutal nature of war. He was unpopular
with both gods and humans. Among the deities associated with Ares were
his consort Aphrodite and such minor gods as his sons Deimos (Fear) and
Phobos (Rout). Although fierce and warlike, Ares was not invincible, even
against mortals. Ares was not widely worshiped by the Greeks.
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Artemis
Huntress Goddess. Moon Goddess. Auge(childbirth).
Phoebe. Virgin Goddess. The Huntress. Maiden. Bear Goddess. Hunter of Souls.
Shape-Shifter. Cynthia. Chief Hunter of the Gods. Virgin Huntress. Protector
of young girls and animals. Patroness of nurturing, fertility, births,
singers. Twin sister to Apollo, she was goddess of chastity, virginity,
the hunt, the moon, childbirth, wild things, animals and places, magick,
sorcery, enchantments, psychic powers, women's fertility, purification,
sports, exorcise, good wheather for travellers, countryside, mental healing,
dance, forests, mountains, woodland medicines, juniper, healing, virgins,
night and the natural environment. She was chief hunter to the gods and
goddess of hunting and of wild animals, especially bears. She is the daughter
of Zeus and Leto. Even though she is a virgin goddess, she also presides
over childbirth. Sacred to her are the laurel, fir tree, fish, stag, boar,
bear, dog, goat, bee and other animals. Although traditionally the friend
and protector of youth, especially young women, Artemis prevented the Greeks
from sailing to Troy during the Trojan war until they sacrificed a maiden
to her. According to some accounts, just before the sacrifice, she rescued
the victim, Iphigenia.
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Athena
Warrior Goddess. Alalcomenean Athena. Athene. Athena
Parthenos(virgin). Mechanitis. Pallas. Pallas Athena. Parthenos. Pathenos(virgin).
Promachos. Soteira. Tritogeneia(thrice-born). Tritonia. Virgin Goddess.
Holy Virgin. Maiden Goddess. Mother Goddess of Athens. Bright-Eyed. Polias.
Protectorof cities. Patroness of all craftsmen. Athena is the virgin goddess
of wisdom, reason in war and peace, intelligent activity, arts and literature,
industry, justice, skill, freedom, women's rights, writing, music, the
sciences, sculptures, potters, architects, renewal, true justice, protection
both psychic and physical, prudence, wise councel, embroidery, horses and
oxen, snakes, pillars, trees, olive boughs, battle strategy. She sprang
full grown from Zeus' head. She is Zeus' favorite and is allowed to use
his weapons including his thunderbolt. The goddess was usually shown wearing
a helmet and carrying a spear and shield. Like her father, she also wore
the magic aegis, a goatskin breastplate, fringed with snakes, that produced
thunderbolts when shaken. Athena was very different from the war god Ares.
She represented the intellectual and civilized side of war; she was not
so much a fighter as a wise and prudent adviser. Sacred to her are the
olive, serpent, owl, and crow. She invented the bridle, the trumpet, the
flute, the rake, the plow, the yoke, and (in some myths) the chariot. Her
most important temple was the Parthenon. A virgin goddess, Athena is depicted
as a stately figure, armored, and wielding her breastplate, the aegis.
The Romans identified her with Minerva.
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Hades
(Pluto)-sightless
Ades. Aides. Aidoneus. The Invisible One. Ruler of
the Underworld and Wealth. He was one of the Olympian gods. God of the
underworld, death, prosperity, crops, minerals, spring water, gemstones,
material gain, elimination of fear of death, astral projection. He was
the son of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea, and the brother of Zeus and Poseidon.
When he and his brothers drew lots to divide the world after they had deposed
of their father, Cronus, Zeus won command of the heavens, Poseidon of the
sea, and Hades of the underworld. He became known as Pluto, the god of
wealth, because of the precious metals in the Earth.It was rare for Pluto
to leave his realm to visit the Earth or Olympus. (His most famous visit
to Earth was the time he saw Persephone and carried her off to be his wife.)
Appropriately the planet named for Pluto is the one farthest from the sun.
Although he was a grim and pitiless god, unappeased by either prayer or
sacrifice, he was not evil. As Pluto he was called the lord of riches,
because both crops and precious metals were believed to come from his kingdom
below ground.
The name was also used for the underworld itself.
This world of the dead was ruled by Pluto and Persephone. Guarded by Cerberus,
the three-headed, dragon-tailed dog, it was either underground or in the
far west and was separated from the land of the living by five rivers.
One of these was the Styx, across which the dead were ferried. Somewhere
in the darkness of the underworld, Hades' palace was located. It was represented
as a many-gated, dark and gloomy palace, thronged with guests, and set
in the midst of shadowy fields and an apparition-haunted landscape. Three
judges in the Erebus region, where the dead pass as soon as they die, decided
the fate of souls; heroes went to the Elysian fields (Elysium), and evildoers
to Tartarus, lowest region of Hades, where the wicked were punished.
The five rivers of Hades were: Phlegethon, Acheron,
Styx, Lethe, and Cocytus.
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Hephaestus
Mulciber. God of fire and metalwork, crafts, fire,
volcanoes, blacksmiths, metalworkers, thunder, lightning, industry, artisians,
craftsmen, jewelry making, mechanics, micro-electronics, manual dexterity,
hard work, inventiveness, all creative crafts, engineering, building, construction,
the son of the god Zeus and the goddess Hera, or sometimes the son of Hera
alone. In contrast to the other gods, Hephaestus was lame and awkward.
Shortly after his birth, he was cast out of heaven, either by Hera, who
was repelled by his deformity, or by Zeus, because Hephaestus had sided
with Hera against him. In most legends, however, he was soon honored again
on Olympus and was married to Aphrodite, goddess of love, or to Aglaia,
one of the three Graces. As the artisan among the gods, Hephaestus made
their armor, weapons, and jewelry. His workshop was believed to lie under
Mount Etna, a volcano in Sicily. He worked at huge furnaces, aided by Cyclopes.
Originally he was a Middle Eastern fire god. Hephaestus is often identified
with the Roman god of fire, Vulcan.
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Hera
protectress
Queen of the Gods. Queen of Heaven. Lady, Holy One.
Great Lady. Mother of the Gods. Earth Goddess. Great Mother. Protectress
of marriage, childbirth, home. She was sister, and wife, of Zeus. Hera
is the supreme goddess of the Greeks and goddess of marriage and childbirth,
women , protection of the home, children, all phases of feminine life,
women's fertility, renewal, purification, the moon, the sky, flowers, willow,
myrtle, wreath, death, pain, punishment. Her children are Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus
and Eris. Sacred to her are the peacock, pomegranate, lily and cuckoo.
She was extremely jealous and vindictive, and visited dire consequences
upon those mortal women with whom Zeus carried on affairs.
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Hermes
Messenger of the Gods. Argiphontes(slayer of argus).
Oneicopompus. Psychopomus(conductor of souls to Hades). The Ram-Bearer.
Leader of Souls. He was the cleverest of the Olympian gods. He ruled over
wealth, good fortune, commerce, fertility, and thievery. He brought the
souls of the dead to the underworld, and was honored as the god of sleep.
Controller of the four elements, winds, seasons, solstices, equinoxes.
Protector of travellers, merchants, thieves. Patron of merchants, thieves,
deception, shephards, flocks, alchemists, philosophy, Hermetic magick.
God of good luck, wealth, commerce, roads, fertility, sleep, dreams, trade,
travellers, manual skill, eloquence, thieves, wind, travel, hunting, exploring,
embassies, fortune, all kinds of profit, transport, liars, treaties, boxing,
gymnastics, alphebet, letters, orthodox medicine, occult wisdom, measuring
and weighing, astronomy and astrology, music, divination by dice, cunning,
magick, success, gambling, mischief, crossroads, athletics, speed, ingenuity,
inteeligence, diplomacy, finding the way when lost, journalism.
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Hestia
hearth
She was the virgin goddess of the hearth, family,
and peace, fire, circles, discipline, dedication to duty, humility, modesty,
prudence, acceptance, continuity, service to others and the inventor of
domestic architecture. She was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and Zeus's
sister. Of all the Olympians, she is the mildest, most upright and most
charitable.
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Poseidon
Earthshaker. Supreme Lord of the Inner and Outer
Seas. Overlord of Lakes and Rivers. Basileus. Enosichthon(earthshaker).
Master of storms, lakes, rivers. God of the sea, earthquakes, shores, islands,
storms, all marine life, intuition, human emotions, sailors, ships, hurricanes,
rain, weather, revenge, protector of all waters. Powerful, violent, and
vengeful, he carried the trident, with which he caused earthquakes. The
son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and the brother of Zeus and Hades, Poseidon
was the husband of Amphitrite, one of the Nereids, by whom he had a son,
Triton. Poseidon had numerous other love affairs, however, especially with
nymphs of springs and fountains, and was the father of several children
famed for their wildness and cruelty, among them the giant Orion and the
Cyclops Polyphemus. Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa were the parents of
Pegasus, the famous winged horse. The Romans identified Poseidon with their
god of the sea, Neptune.
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Zeus
bright sky
Supreme God. Mechaneus. Moeragetes. Olympian. Panhellenius.
Soter(savior). Terminalis. Father of the Gods and Mortals. Master of Destiny.
Great God. Lord of the Heavens. Basileus. Ceneus. Guardian of the law and
upholder of morality. Protector of guests, laws, justice, the weak. Zeus
was the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. He was considered
the father of the gods, and of mortals, although he did not create either;
he was their father in the sense of being the ruler both of the Olympian
gods and of the human race. God of the sky, weather, all high things, clouds,
rain, wind, thunder, lightning, mountaintops, wisdom, justice, popularity,
the law, honor, riches, health, friendships, luck, the heart's desire.
He was the rain god, and the cloud gatherer, who wielded the terrible thunderbolt.
His breastplate was the aegis, his bird the eagle, his tree the oak. Zeus
was the youngest son of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea, and the brother of
the Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, and Hera. According to one of the
ancient myths of the birth of Zeus, Cronus, having heard the prophecy that
he might be dethroned by one of his children, swallowed them as they were
born. Upon the birth of Zeus, Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes
for Cronus to swallow and concealed the infant god in Crete, where he was
fed on the milk of the goat Amalthaea and reared by nymphs. When Zeus grew
to maturity, he forced Cronus to disgorge the other children, who were
eager to take vengeance on their father. In the war that followed, the
Titans fought on the side of Cronus, but Zeus and the other gods were successful,
and the Titans were banished to Tartarus. Zeus henceforth ruled over the
sky, and his brothers Poseidon and Hades were given power over the sea
and the underworld, respectively. The earth was to be ruled in common by
all three. He is represented as the god of justice and mercy, the protector
of the weak, and the punisher of the wicked. As husband to his sister Hera,
he is the father of Ares, the god of war; Hebe, the goddess of youth; Hephaestus,
the god of fire; and Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth. At the same
time, Zeus is noted for falling in love with one woman after another and
resorting to all kinds of tricks to hide his infidelity from his wife.
Stories of his escapades were numerous in ancient mythology, and many of
his offspring were a result of his love affairs with both goddesses and
mortal women. Zeus' image was represented in sculptural works as a kingly,
bearded figure. Zeus corresponds to the Roman god Jupiter.
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