| Zeus | male | The ruler of the sky and all Greek Gods | Zeus overthrew his Father Cronus. He then drew lots with his brothers
Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods.
He is lord of the sky, the rain god. His weapon is a thunderbolt which
he hurls at those who displease him. |
| Poseidon | male | The ruler of the sea | He is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father
he became the lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen.
He married Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus.
He is the patron of horses and his weapon is a trident,
which can shake the earth, and shatter any object.
He is second only to Zeus in power among the gods. |
| Hades | male | The ruler of the underworld | Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus he had the
worst draw when drawing lots and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead.
His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but,
death itself is another god, Thanatos. |
| Hestia | female | She is the Goddess of the Hearth | Hestia is Zeus sister. She is a virgin goddess.
The Hearth with its is the symbol of the house around which
a new born child is carried before it is received into the
family. Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia,
where the fire was never allowed to go out. |
| Hera | female | She is the protector of marriage | Hera is Zeus wife and sister.
She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys.
Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. |
| Ares | male | The god of war and warlike frenzy | Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera but was disliked by both.
He is considered murderous and bloodstained
carrying a bloodstained spear. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the dog. |
| Athena | female | She is the goddess of combat, the city, handicrafts, and agriculture | Athena is the daughter of Zeus and a virgin goddess.
She sprang full grown in armor from his forehead,
thus has no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but, only fights
to protect the state and home from outside enemies. She invented the bridle,
which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot,
the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot.
She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity.
She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his
weapons including his thunderbolt.
Her tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. She is . |
| Apollo | male | The god of lore, prophecy, music, and medicine | Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis.
He is the god of lore and music, playing a golden lyre.
The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow.
The god of healing who taught man medicine.
The god of truth, who can not speak a lie.
The god of prophecy and he is famous for his oracle at Delphi.
His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The dolphin his animal. |
| Aphrodite | female | She is the goddess of love, desire and beauty | In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle
that compels anyone she wishes
to desire her. There are two accounts of her birth.
One says she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
The other goes back to when Cronus castrated Uranus and
tossed his severed genitals into the sea. Aphrodite then
arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked to shore
in Cyprus. She is the wife of Hephaestus.
The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swan, and the sparrow her birds. |
| Hermes | male | He is Zeus messenger | Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia.
He is the fastest of the gods. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat,
and carries a magic wand. He is the god of thieves and god of
commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to the underworld.
He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy ,
weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees. |
| Artemis | female | She is the goddess of hunting | Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto.
Her twin brother is Apollo .
he is the lady of the wild things.
She is the huntsman of the gods.
She is the protector of the young.
Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows.
She became associated with the moon.
She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of
chastity. She also presides over childbirth,
which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back
to causing Leto no pain when she was born.
She became associated with Hecate.
The cypress is her tree. All wild animals are scared to her, especially the deer. |
| Hephaestus | male | He is the god of fire and the forge | Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera.
Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father.
He is the only god to be physically ugly. He is also lame.
Accounts as to how he became lame vary. Some say that Hera,
upset by having an ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus
into the sea, breaking his legs. Others that he took Hera's side
in an argument with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus.
He is the smith and armorer of the gods.
He uses a volcano as his forge.
He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers.
He is kind and peace loving. His wife is Aphrodite.
Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia. |
