THE 12 OLYMPIANSZeus Athena Poseidon Apollo Hades Aphrodite Hestia Hermes Hera Artemis Ares Hephaestus

ELDER GENERATION OF GODS

Cronus + Rhea

Hestia Hades Poseidon Demeter Hera Zeus

CHILDREN OF ZEUS & HERA

Zeus + Hera

Hebe Hephaestus Ares

ZEUS’S IMMORTAL CHILDREN

Metis -- AtheneThemis -- Hours, Order, Justice, Peace, FatesDemeter -- PersephoneMnemosyne -- The Nine MusesLeto -- Artemis & ApolloDione -- AphroditeSemele -- DionysusMaia -- HermesHera -- Hebe, Ares, Hephaestus

ZEUS (JUPITER)Lord of the Sky, the Cloud-

gathererSupreme ruler of Mount

OlympusSpiritual leader of both gods

and menUpholder of the law, justice,

morals, and civilised conductAttributes: Thunderbolt, the

eagle, the aegis, the oak tree

POSEIDON (NEPTUNE)

Lord of the SeaGave the first horse to man

(God of Horses)The Earth-shaker (God of

Earthquakes)Submarine palaceAttributes: The trident,

dolphins, horses, bulls

HADES (PLUTO)Lord of the Underworld, Ruler

of the DeadAbducted and gave Persephone

a pomegranate, she ate and belonged to the underworld forever

The God of Wealth, possesses the riches of the earth

His name is avoidedAttributes: The scepter, the

helmet (of invisibility), the narcissus flower

HESTIA (VESTA)

Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of home and domestic life

A virgin goddess, wooed by Poseidon and Apollo but swore by Zeus to remain a virgin

Every hearth on Earth was her altar

New colonies took fire from the hearth of the mother-city

Attributes: The hearth

HERA (JUNO)

Queen of Mount OlympusZeus’s wife and sisterGoddess of Marriage and BirthAlways jealous of Zeus’s love

affairsPunishes her rivals and their

children (e.g. Zeus, Io, Helen)Attributes: The peacock, the

cow, the pomegranate, the city of Argos

ARES (MARS)God of WarHandsome but vain, cruel and

murderous; detested by gods and men

Attended by his sister Eris, the Goddess of Strife, his sons, and by Enyo, old goddess of war

Cowardly runs away when wounded

Born in Thrace, where there lives a fierce people

Attributes: The vulture, the dog, and the war gear

PALLAS ATHENA (MINERVA)Goddess of Wisdom, War, the

Handicrafts, Industry and JusticeBorn out of Zeus’s head, fully-grown

and wearing a robe and helmet, no mother

Zeus’s favourite childVirgin goddessAthena, the grey-eyed; Athena of the

flashing eyesAttributes: The olive tree, the owl,

the aegis, the city of Athens, and Parthenon temple

PHOEBUS APOLLO

God of Light (assoc. with the Sun-god Helios), Truth (can never tell a lie), Medicine, Archery, Music, Poetry

Master musician, he directed the choir of Muses

The Archer-god, the HealerTwin-brother of ArtemisKilled the dragon PythonAttributes: The lyre, the bow

and the arrow, the tripod, the swan, the laurel tree

APHRODITE (VENUS)Goddess of Love, Beauty, and

Sexual DesireThe laughter-loving, irresistible

goddess; had many loversBorn out of sea foams; the sea

carried her to CyprusMarried to Hephaestus, the ugly,

lame God of FireAphrodisiac festival celebrated

in Athens and Corinth, sexual intercourse as worship

Attributes: The myrtle tree, the dove, the swan

HERMES (MERCURY)Messenger God, God of

Commerce, Travel, Literature, Athletics

The Divine Herald, leads the souls of the dead to Hades

Cunning, shrewd, swiftGave the lyre to Apollo in

exchange for his cattleAttributes: The winged-

sandals, a broad-brimmed hat with wings, Caduceus (staff with snakes and wings)

ARTEMIS (DIANA)Goddess of Hunting, Wild Animals,

and FertilityA virgin goddess associated with

Chastity, twin-sister of Apollo, associated with Selene, the Moon

Armed with a bow and arrows, accompanied by the Nymphs

Contradictory features; protectress of women in labour and of young children, brought sudden death to labouring women by shooting arrows

Attributes: Cypress tree, the deer

HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN/MULCIBER)God of Fire, Forge, Smith of GodsThe armourer; patron of smithsHera conceived him alone, later

rejected He imprisoned his mother Hera on

a magic throne; released her after Aphrodite was given as his bride

He caught his wife with Ares with the magic chain-link net

Made the first woman,Pandora from clay

Attributes: Ugly, lame; carries an axe; wears a beard