Edith Hamilton and the lesser gods Mythology

1. The Lesser Gods of
Olympus & Earth

2. Eros
 Cupid
 God of Love
 Son of Aphrodite
 Married to Psyche

3. Iris
 Goddess of the Rainbow
 Messenger to the gods
(like Hermes)

4. Graces
 3 daughters of Zeus
 Represent Splendor, Mirth
& Good Cheer
 Always together

5. Muses
 9 daughters of Zeus
 Goddesses of music,
poetry & the arts
 Inspire men
 Each muse has a specialty
 Calliope: muse of epic
poetry

6. Demeter (Ceres)
 Goddess of the Corn &
Harvest
 Mother of Persephone
 Lives on Earth

7. Dionysus (Bacchus)
 God of Wine
 Lives on Earth
 Mother was mortal
 Can bring joy, but can
also cause madness &
brutality

8. Pan
 Son of Hermes
 Part man, part goat
• Companion of the
nymphs
• Played the pipes

9. Satyrs & Centaurs
 Satyr: half man, half goat  Centaur: half man, half
horse

10. Nymphs & Dryads
 Nymphs: minor nature
goddesses that lived in
rivers, trees, caves, etc.
 Dryads: tree nymphs

11. Gorgons
 3 females
 2 are immortal, the 3rd is
Medusa
 Gaze turns men into stone

12. Aeolus
 King of the Winds
 Lives on an island, Aeolia

13. The Graiae
 Sisters of the Gorgons
 Old gray women
 Share an eye

14. The Fates
 Clotho: the Spinner
 Lachesis: Disposer of Lots
(assigns destiny)
 Atropos: cuts the thread at
death