The Greek and Roman Gods

GREEK AND ROMAN GODS GREEK MYTHOLOGY ШI Greek mythology has inspired art and literature for centuries after people stopped believing in it. There were literally hundreds of gods worshipped, for every aspect of life. The twelve most revered Olympians resided on Mount Olympus. There are many other gods who serve similar functions. For example, Hades is the god of the underworld but Thanatos is the personification of death. THEOGENY OLYMPIC FAMILY TREE Rebellion GAIA URANUS Cronus usurped his father (EARTH) (SKY) Uranus and ruled with the titans. Fearing a prophecy, he ate his own children. Titanomachy Cronus' wife Rhea hid Zeus, OTHER RHEA CRONUS CYCLOPES TITANS who later challenged his father and the titans. With Poseidon and Hades, after a ten year war, Cronus was overthrown. DEMETER POSEIDON HADES ZEUS HERA HESTIA Olympus Mt. Olympus became the home of the gods, where the twelve most powerful reigned: SEMELE Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Athena, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and either Dionysus or Hestia LETO MAIA METIS (HUMAN) ARTEMIS APOLLO HERMES ATHENA DIONYSUS ARES HEPHAESTUS APHRODITE THE OLYMPIANS ZEUS/JUPITER HERA/JUNO God of the Sky King of weather, judgment, gods Goddess of Motherhood Queen of gods, marriage Patron of: Patron of: Rulers, judges Marriages About: About: Zeus' wife, she constantly punishes his lovers for his infidelity, while she remained pure. Husband and brother to Hera, he was king of the gods after overthrowing his father Cronus. POSEIDON/NEPTUNE HADES/PLUTO God of the Sea God of the Underworld Lord of water, horses, earthquakes Lord of dead, earth, treasures Patron of: Patron of: Sailors, fishers The dying, miners About: About: Easily angered, he lost patronage of Athens to Athena, so he sent a Resides in the underworld, not on Mount Olympus. Isn't evil, but didn't let the dead escape justice. monster to attack it. ARES/MARS APHRODITE/VENUS God of War Goddess of Love Lord of warriors Lady of love, beauty, sex Patron of: Patron of: Warriors, athletes, Sparta Lovers Related to: About: Worshipped for war, but some- Born from Uranus in the sea, she times considered too blood was given Hephaestus as husband, thirsty and extreme. but cheats on him with Ares APOLLO ARTEMIS/DIANA God of the Sun Goddess of the Moon Lord of light, music, arts Lady of the hunt, night, virginity Patron of: Patron of: Musicians Hunters, young women About: About: Twins with Artemis, he is associated with the arts, knowledge, and the oracle of prophecy. Twin with Apollo, she is a sworn virgin and protects young women's virtue. HEPHAESTUS/VULCAN ATHENA/MINERVA God of the Forge Lord of fire, crafts Goddess of Wisdom Lady of wisdom, handicrafts, warfare Patron of: Patron of: Craftsmen, cripples Philosophers, Athens About: About: Crippled, he forges the weapons of the gods. Given Aphrodite by his mother, Hera, their relationship isn't successful. Springing from Zeus' head after he ate her mother, she is the patron of Athens and her wisdom rivals her fathers'. HERMES/MERCURY DEMETER/CERES God of Messengers Lord of messages, oratory, commerce Goddess of the Harvest Lady of plants, growth Patron of: Patron of: Messengers, merchants, thieves Gardeners, farmers About: About: Messenger of the gods, he was always on the move and loved playing tricks on others. Hades took her daughter Persephone as wife for part of the year, winter, during which Demeter refuses to produce food. DIONYSUS/BACCHUS HESTIA/VESTA God of Wine Goddess of the Hearth Lord of parties, wine Lady of home, domesticity, family Patron of: Patron of: Partiers Servants, mothers About: About: A popular god whose status as an Olympian is in question with One of Cronus' daughters, her status as one of the 12 Olympians sometimes is replaced by Dionysus Hestia. He loved festivities. GENDER ROLES Representations While many of the male gods represent forces of nature, many of the females represented feminine ideals like marriage, love, virginity, and domesticity. Double standard Males like Zeus cheated on their wives all the time, but few females other than Aphrodite ever cheated on their husbands, and many stayed virgins. Heroes Demigods, or heroes, like Heracles, were the children of a godly parent and a human. Some were tragic heroes, but many were exemplars of masculine ideals. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Greek Roman Christian These gods were created by the Greeks When the Romans conquered the and organized by storytellers like Hesiod and Homer. For many years When the Romans adopted Christianity, in order to help the transition, some of the old gods' functions were replaced by saints from Christian history. Greeks, they adopted their gods, gave them different names, and created they worshipped these gods. some of their own. Example: Peter is the patron saint of fishermen. Created by Matthew Barrett