Gods+and+Goddesses

**This page details the major gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology. Here, you will find descriptions, *family trees, and much more about the gods. **



Major Gods and Goddesses:

Zeus (Zoose) is the supreme ruler over all the other Olympians, and is the father of several famous heroes from Greek mythology. He is married to Hera, but had many affairs with mortal women, thus giving birth to his aforementioned demigod (half human, half god) heroes. Zeus is considered the ruler of all the Olympians, and his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, were the most powerful of all the gods. His domain was the sky, his symbol the lightning bolt.

**Poseidon ** (puh- SYE-dun) Poseidon is the Greek god of the sea, horses, and natural disasters such as earthquakes. As the god of the sea, he is the ruler of all watery territory. Son of the titans Cronus and Rhea, his siblings are Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. His children, monsters or demigods, include: Triton, Theseus, Polyphemus, and Neleus. 

**Hades ** (HAY-deez) is the oldest male child of Cronus and Rhea. He is the god of the Underworld and the strict ruler of the dead. Despite death's modern-day implication of evil, mythology describes him to be rather altruistic andonly becoming angered upon souls trying to escape the Underworld and the living attempting to enter. He became married to Persephone by abducting her.



**Aphrodite ** (a-fro-DYE-tee) is  the goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. Zeus is her father, and the goddess,Dione, her mother. She is married to Hephaestus, but also has many lovers, such as Ares. Her sacred animals include swans, doves, myrtles, and sparrows.

**Apollo ** (uh-POL-oh) is the son of Leto and Zeus, his twin is the goddess Artemis. As the god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, Apollo is most oftenly portrayed playing the lyre.

Ares  (AIR-eez) is the god of war, more precisely, the violent and physical side of it, verses Athena being the side of intelligence and strategy. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, brother of Hebe and Hephaestus. Being the lover of the A <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">phrodite, who is married to Hephaestus, myths often depict the wronged husband getting back at them with his crafty inventions. His children include: Eros, Anteros, Phobos, and Harmonia.

<span style="color: #c0c0c0; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Artemis <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">(AR-ti-mis) is the goddess of the hunt, the moon, wilderness, and virginity,and is an aid to women in childbirth. Armed with a bow, her arrows bring sudden death with their accuracy. Her sacred animal is the deer. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin of Apollo.

<span style="color: #c38e1d; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Athena <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(a-THEE-nuh) is the patron goddess of the Greek capital, Athens. She was also goddess of wisdom with the owl as her symbol. She is the goddess of wisdom, courage, civilization, law and justice, mathematics, strength, strategy, and the arts. Zeus is her father, and Metis is her mother. **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Demeter **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(de-MEE-tur) is the goddess of agriculture, and in paintings and other art forms, is often depicted to be holding a bundle of grain or wheat. She is the mother of the goddess, Persephone, and the sister of Zeus. <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;"> **<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Dionysus ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(dye-oh-NYE-sus) is the son of Zeus and the mortal, Semele. He is the Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure and festivity.

**<span style="color: #73371c; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 130%;">Hephaestus ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(he-FAE-stus) is the god of fire, crafts, and metalwork, Hephaestus constructed countless famous pieces of Greek architecture and artifacts. Beacuse he is lame, his mother, Hera, threw him off Mount Olympus. His father is Zeus. **<span style="color: #5d71f4; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Hera **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (HEE-ruh) is the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus, also her husband. She is the goddess of women and marriage, with the peacock and cow as her sacred animals. As her husband, Zeus, often has affairs with mortal women, Hera is known for her jealous and vengeful nature. <span style="color: #f5bd5b; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17px;">

**<span style="color: #f5bd5b; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Hermes ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(HER-meez) is the gods' messenger and dead souls' guide to the Underworld. He also helped many heroes in their quests. He was also known for his help towards humans. His symbol is the caduceus, and his sacred animals are the rooster and the tortoise. He is the son of Zeus and Maia.

** Hestia **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (hes-TCHI-uh) is the virgin goddess of the hearth, family, and domesticity. She is the daughter of the titans, Cronus and Rhea, and her name means "home and hearth." <span style="color: #e78dbe; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%; text-align: left;">

<span style="color: #e78dbe; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Persephone <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(pur-SEH-fuh-nee) is the daughter of Zeus and the goddess Demeter. She became queen of the Underworld, and Hades' husband, when he abducted her and carried her off to the Underworld. She is the goddess of spring growth, worshipped alongside her mother, Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;">To reach the other pages: <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;">Back to Home Page <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;">The Myths <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;">Mythology Today

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">*There are many different versions of the myths (esp. ones about birth and parents) in Greek mythology, so for this page I chose the most commonly used version.