Zeus was the king of the gods who could control weather with his thunderbolt. Kronos was the king of the Titans who ate his children at birth fearing they would overthrow him, but Zeus was saved and later defeated Kronos to become king. The document then summarizes the domains and roles of major Greek gods including Poseidon, god of the sea; Hades, god of the underworld; Hera, goddess of women and marriage; Ares, god of war; Aphrodite, goddess of love; Hephaestus, god of fire and blacksmith; Artemis and Apollo, twin gods of the hunt and music/archery; Athena, goddess of

1. The Gods

2. Zeus
Zeus was the king of the gods. He could control the weather. His weapon was the thunderbolt.
The Ancient Greeks thought that when lightning struck, it was a sign of Zeus being near. If you
treated a guest or stranger badly you could annoy Zeus.
Kronos was the king of the Titans. He was very anxious that one of his children would kill him
just as he had killed his own father. He was so concerned by this that he started to eat his own
children after their birth. After their sixth child, Zeus, was born Rhea gave Kronos a stone to
swallow instead of Zeus. She hid Zeus in a cave and the young god was brought up by a goat.
When Zeus aged he became Kronos' servant. He put a special potion in his father's wine that
caused Kronos to vomit up his children. Then Zeus led his brothers and sisters into battle
against Kronos and the Titans. Zeus and his siblings won the battle and Zeus became the king of
the gods.

3. Poseidon
Poseidon is one of the twelve Olympian deities of the pantheon in Greek mythology.
His main domain is the ocean. He is also referred to as the Earth-Shaker due to his
role in causing earthquakes, and has been called the tamer of horses. He is usually
depicted as an older male with long hair and beard. He carries a trident and is one
of the 3 Elder Gods.

4. Hades
Hades was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. In Greek mythology, Hades is
the youngest male child of Kronos and Rhea in view of the regurgitation of the gods
by the father. Although commonly mistaken he is not the God of death but the God
of the afterlife. He is also one of the 3 eldest Gods but the only of the three not an
Olympian.
Realm of the Underworld

5. Hera
Hera is the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in Greek mythology. Her main
function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in Ancient
Rome was Juno. The cow, lion and the peacock were considered her sacred
symbols. Hera's mother is Rhea and her father Cronus. Hera was famous for hating
demigods especially those who are fathered by Zeus.

6. Ares
Ares is a war god and god of violence in Greek mythology. He was not liked or trusted by
the Ancient Greeks and there are few myths in which he plays a major role. Worshipers of
Ares are found mainly in Crete and the Peloponnese where the pugnacious Spartans
honoured him. Athena is also a war goddess, but was well-respected, as a protector of
the homeland and goddess of strategy instead of Ares' talent of chaos and obliteration.

7. Aphrodite
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. She was born when
Uranus (the father of the gods) was castrated by his son Kronos. Kronos threw the
detached genitals into the ocean which began to churn and foam about them. She
was married to Hephaestus but was often shown to have affairs with Ares.

8. Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. He is the only god to be described as ugly.
Hera, upset by having an ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus into the sea,
breaking his legs. He is the god of fire and the forge. He is the blacksmith and
armorer of the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge. He is the patron god of both
blacksmiths and weavers. He is kind and peace loving. His wife is Aphrodite,
though she doesn’t honour this. In some myths his wife is Aglaia.

9. Artemis
She was goddess of the hunt, the moon, and the environment. Artemis is the
daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo. She is the Goddess of the
wild. She is the hunter of the gods. She is the guardian of the young. Like Apollo she
searches with silver arrows. She became related to the moon.

10. Apollo
Apollo is the god of music, playing a golden lyre. He is the son of Zeus and Leto and
the twin sister of Artemis. He is also known as God of archery, shooting with a silver
bow, the god of healing who taught man medicine, the god of light, the god of truth
and he can not speak a lie.
One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses
and drive the Sun across the sky.
He is famous for his oracle of Delphi. People travelled to it from all over the Greek
empire to know their future.

11. Athena
Athena is the Greek goddess of reason, intelligence, battle strategy, arts and
literature. Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armour during a
battle from his forehead and has no mother. She is ferocious and bold in combat but,
only wars to defined the homeland from enemies. She is the goddess of the city,
crafts and agriculture.

12. Hermes
He was the messenger to the gods. 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
staff. He is the god of thieves and god of trade. He is the guide for the dead to go to
the underworld. He created the pipes, lyre, astronomy, musical scale, weights and
measures, gymnastics and boxing.

13. Dionysus
Dionysus, was the Greek god of wine and mystical ecstasy. Dionysus was the son of
Zeus and Semele. Zeus saved her unborn child and stitched it into his thigh, from
which Dionysus was later born. He was raised by the messenger god Hermes, who
left him with various foster-parents and nurses, always hiding from Hera's wrath. He
then became a god through apothesis.

14. Hestia
In Greek mythology Hestia (Roman Vesta), daughter of Kronos and Rhea, is the
goddess of the hearth, architecture, and of the right ordering of home life and
the family. She was given the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. She
was originally an Olympian Goddess but she gave up her place for Dionysus as to
restore order between the Gods.

15. Other Gods
• Erinyes - The Erinyes were three underworld goddesses who
avenged crimes against the natural order. They would punish
people who committed with murder, offenses against the gods, and
lying under oath. A victim looking for justice could curse the
criminal Erinyes upon the criminal.
• Iris - Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and is a messenger of the
Olympian gods. She was often characterised as the assistant and
personal messenger of Hera.
• Eros - Eros, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart is
famously known as Cupid. He is the son of Aphrodite.
• Tyche - Tyche was the goddess of luck, chance, foresight and
destiny. She was usually honoured in a more positive light as
Eutykhia, goddess of good fortune, success and prosperity.
• Helios - Helios was the Titan god of the sun. He was also the
protector of oaths and the god of sight.

16. • Hours - They were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural sections of time.
They were initially the representatives of nature in its seasonal aspects.
• Pan - He was the son of Hermes and Penelope (later married to Odysseus) in some
myths and the son of Zeus and the nymph Calisto in others. He is the god of flocks,
shepherds and environment. He is typically human in appearance but, with goat
horns and goat feet. He is an brilliant musician and plays the pipes. He is joyful and
often seen dancing with woodland nymphs.
• Persephone - Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was the
goddess of springtime and, after her snatching by Hades she became his partner
and Queen of the underworld for half of the year.