Greek Mythology Gods and Goddesses

• Zeus- King of the Gods (lightening bolt); freed the sons of Mother Earth from Tartarus; overthrew the Titans with the help of these mobsters.
• Poseidon - God of the ocean, earthquakes, and horses (trident).
• Hera - Zeus's wife, Queen of the gods, guardian of marriage. very jealous
• Athena - Goddess of wisdom and war (owl); favorite child of Zeus; sprung fully grown from her father's head; mother Metis whom Zeus had swallowed. the spirit of victory, only fought for just causes. watched over her city, Athens.
• Apollo - God of poetry, music, light and medicine (lyre & sun)
• Artemis - Goddess of hunting and wild beasts (moon); she was cold and pitiless; never married.
• Ares- God of war (battle helmet); handsome and vain; cruel, none of the gods liked him
• Why was Ares disliked?

  violent, aggressive. unsuccessfully fought Hercules, enraged Poseidon by killing his son, seduced Aphrodite while she was married.
• Hephaestus- God of fire and blacksmiths; son of Zeus and Hera (blacksmith hammer); Zeus flung him out of Olympus by his legs for siding with his mother; his legs were forever weak, skilled with his hands. married Aphrodite.
• what was Hephaestus special ability?

  he could craft anything imaginable
• Aphrodite- goddess of love and beauty (apple). married to Hephaestus, but admired her brother Ares' good looks
• Hermes- messenger of the gods and god of science, travel and invention. he is a trickster and a troublemaker.
• Hestia- goddess of hearth and home (persons home and family life)
• Demeter- goddess of agriculture and harvest. Demeter was angry at Hades for taking Persephone away, so she refused to let any crops grow until Persephone returned. This led to famine and suffering among humans. Eventually, Persephone came back part time, allowing some crops to grow again. This is why we have seasons.