The Olympians



THE OLYMPIANS

APHRODITE

Goddess of LOVE and BEAUTY. She was also the protectress of sailors. There are two conflicting stories of her birth. One states that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. The other claims she rose from the foam of the sea. She was forced to marry the god Hephaestes, but she was unfaithful to him with Ares, the god of war. In the end, Aphrodite mothered several children by multiple fathers.

APOLLO

God of MEDICINE, HEALING, and PROPHECY. He was an archer and also had the power to deal a death-bringing plague. He was also associated with the sun and its voyage across the sky each day. Apollo was the patron of Delphi and was rumored to be the god behind the Oracle of Delphi and all her prophecies. Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, and was the twin brother of the goddess Artemis. He was also the choral director of the muses.

ARES

God of WAR, VENGEANCE, and ANGER. His strength lay in the unpredictable violence and bloodlust of war, as opposed to his half-sister Athena. Ares is the son of Zeus and his wife Hera. Ares is traditionally depicted as a handsome but cruel god carrying a blood-tipped spear. Ares was disliked and distrusted by the Greeks, but he was favored by the goddess Aphrodite.

ARTEMIS

Goddess of THE HUNT. Artemis was a perpetual virgin and the patron of childbirth. Though she brought life, she was also swift to bring death with her arrow to those who betrayed her. She was the twin brother of Apollo, and as he was associated with the sun, she was the goddess of the moon. She was one of the most beloved goddesses and is generally depicted with wild animals at her side.

ATHENA

Goddess of WISDOM, DOMESTIC ARTS, and WAR. Athena’s approach to war was that of strategy and consideration. Daughter of Zeus, she was the patron goddess of the city of Athens. She is the half-sister of the god of war, Ares. Athena was the helper of heroes, including Heracles, Jason, and Odysseus.

HADES

God of the DEAD and lord of the UNDERWORLD. He is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. Together with his brothers, he defeated the Titans and claimed lordship of Olympus. He pronounces judgment on the souls of the dead, and there are few exceptions that escaped his wrath. Orpheus is one notable exception.

HEPHAESTUS

God of FIRE, CRAFTS, and BLACKSMITHS. Hephaestus was crippled and ugly, and was the son of Hera. He was despised by Zeus, who was rumored to have thrown Hephaestus from Mt. Olympus to the earth. He was there raised by mortals. He was later given the goddess Aphrodite as a wife as recompense. He was also the creator of the first woman, Pandora, and her box.

HERA

Goddess of MARRIAGE, FAMILY, and MOTHERHOOD. She was the queen of the gods, and the wife of Zeus. Hera was a jealous goddess and took her jealousy out in many memorable ways. She especially hated the hero Hercules, as he was the son of her husband Zeus and a mortal mistress. She is, in some mythology, considered to be even older than Zeus himself.

HERMES

God of TRAVEL, THEIVES, and COMMERCE. He is also considered the messenger god. He wears winged shoes and guides the souls of the dead to the underworld to meet the judgment of Hades. He is the son of Zeus and an Olympian nymph. He was extremely precocious, and on the first day of his life he created the first lyre. Hermes was beloved by mortals for his kindness and aid.

POSEIDON

God of the SEA, EARTHQUAKES, and HORSES. He was the brother of Zeus and Hades. Poseidon spent most of his time in the sea with his wife, a water nymph. Though he lost the patronage of Athens to Athena, Poseidon was considered the protector of many Greek cities.

ZEUS

King of the gods. God of THUNDER and LIGHTENING. He, along with his brothers, destroyed his mother and father to take dominion over the world. He was a womanizer and fathered several children by many different women, both mortal and goddess. He was married to Hera, but was unfaithful.

DEMETER

Goddess of AGRICULTURE, HARVEST, and the EARTH. She was the sister of Zeus and the beloved mother of Persephone, who was coveted by Hades, her uncle. Demeter was a nourisher of the earth and of the youth of Greece, and a preserver of marriages. She is symbolized by the health-giving cycle of life and death.

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