This document provides information on many important Greek gods and goddesses. It describes their roles and relationships. The supreme god Zeus ruled over the other Olympian gods who lived on Mount Olympus, such as his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Other major deities discussed include Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Demeter, Dionysus, Hera, Hephaestus, and Hermes. The document also covers the Muses and Graces who inspired arts and cultivated beauty.

1. THE
GREEK
GODS
AND
GODDESS

2. CHRONU
S
❑ Also known as
SATURN
❑ He ruled over
the
other Titans
until his sons

5. RHEA (Rheia)
❑ Queen of the Titans
❑ Daughter of the
Earth Goddess Gaia
and the Sky God
Uranus
❑ Wife and Sister of
Cronus

6. OLYMPU
S
❑ Home of the
Olympians
❑ Mt. Olympus is
identified as the
highest
mountain in
Greece located

7. ❑Great gate of clouds of Olympus was
kept by the Seasons.

8. Zeus

9. Zeus
❑(Roman Name: Jupiter)
❑Supreme Ruler of the Gods
❑Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god and the Cloud-
gatherer
❑His weapon was the might THUNDERBOLT
❑He falls in love frequently and often acts on it
(even though he is married)
❑Breastplate – Aegis (armor)
❑Bird – Eagle
❑Tree – Oak
❑Oracle - Dodona

10. HERA

11. HERA
❑Roman Name: (Juno)
❑Wife and Sister of Zeus
❑Protector of Marriage and
Married Women
❑Daughter:
ILITHYIA – helped women in child birth
❑Cow and peacock is sacred to her
❑Argos – her favorite city

12. POSEIDON

14. POSEIDON
❑Roman Name: (Neptune)
❑God of the Sea
❑He gave the first Horse to
men
❑Storm and Calm were under
his
control
❑Earth-shaker
❑Trident – a three-pronged spear
❑He had connections with bulls as with
horses

15. HADES

16. HADES
❑ Roman Name: (Pluto)
❑God of the Underworld
❑The God of Wealth of the precious metals
hidden in the earth
❑Romans call him Dis – Latin word for Rich
❑He had a far-famed cap or helmet which
made whoever wore it invisible

17. ❑His wife Persephone (Proserpine) – Queen
of the Underworld
❑He is the King of the Dead – not Death
himself
❑Death – Greeks (Thanatos) – Romans
(Orcus)
❑Cerberus – the three
headed, dragon-tailed
dog that Guard before
the gate of the
Underworld which
permits all spirits to
enter, but none to
return

18. PALLAS
ATHENA

19. PALLAS
ATHENA
❑ Roman Name: (Minerva)
❑Goddess of War, Wisdom, Reason and
Purity
❑No mother bore her. She sprang from
Zeus’
head
❑She is fierce and ruthless battle
goddesses

20. ❑ She is the inventor of the Bridle (horse headgear)
❑She is the one who first tamed horses for the men
to use.
❑She is Zeus’ favorite child. He trusted her to carry
the Aegis
(armor), his Buckler (shield) and
the Thunderbolt.
❑She was described as “Gray-eyed”
or “Flashing-eyed”
❑She is the chief of the Three Virgin
Goddesses (Athena, Artemis
and Hestia) and she was called
Maiden.
❑Temple – Parthenon
❑Athens – City

21. PHOEBUS
APOLLO

22. PHOEBUS
APOLLO
❑ Roman Name: (Apollo)
❑God of Light and Truth
❑Son of Zeus and Leto (Latona), born in
the
little island of Delos
❑He is the twin brother of Artemis
❑A beautiful figure in Greek poetry
❑The Master Musician who delights

23. ❑ The Lord of the Silver
Bow
❑The Archer-god, far
shooting
❑The Healer – who first
taught men the Healing
Art
❑No falls words ever falls
from his lips
❑The Lycian – Wolf-god
❑Oracle – Delphi
❑Phoebus – “Brilliant” and “Shining”
❑Tree – Laurel
❑Dolphin and Crow is sacred to him

24. ARTEMIS

25. ARTEMIS
❑ Roman Name: (Diana)
❑ Goddess of Hunt
❑ Twin sister of Apollo
❑ One of the Virgin Goddesses
❑ Lady of the wild Things
❑Huntsman-in-chief to the Gods
❑Protectress of the “Dewy Youth”
everywhere
❑In other stories, she is fierce and
revengeful

26. ❑ She is the Goddess of Three
Forms:
❑SELENE (Moon) in the Sky
❑ARTEMIS in Earth
❑HECATE (goddess of the Dark
of the Moon) in the Lower
World
❑ Cypress is sacred to her
❑Deer and other wild animals
are sacred to her

27. APHRODITE

28. APHRODIT
E
❑ Roman Name: (Venus)
❑ Goddess of Love, Beauty,
and Desire
❑ The laughter-loving
goddess
❑ She is said to have sprung from the foam
of
the sea and her name was explained as
meaning “the foam-risen”
❑Aphros is foam in Greek

29. ❑ Wife of Hephaestus
(Vulcan), the lame
and ugly god of the
forge.
❑ Tree – Myrtle
❑ Bird – Dove,
Sparrow
or the Swan

30. HERMES

31. HERMES
❑ Roman Name: (Mercury)
❑ Son of Zeus and Mia, his mother is the
daughter of Atlas
❑He was graceful and
swift
in motion.
❑On his feet were winged
sandals
❑Wings were on his low
crowned hat

32. ❑Caduceus - Magic
Wand
❑He was Zeus’
Messenger
❑Of all the Gods, he was
the Shrewdest and
most cunning

33. ❑ He was a God of
Commerce and
the Market
❑ Protector of
Traders
❑ He is a solemn
guide of the dead,
the Divine Herald
who led souls
down to their last

34. ARES

35. ARES
❑ Roman Name: (Mars)
❑ God of War
❑Son of Zeus and Hera
❑He is a hateful God
❑He is a murderous god, bloodstained ,
the
incarnate curse of mortals and
strangely, a coward, who bellows with
pain and runs away when he is
wounded.

36. ❑He often had
conflicts and
fights with his half-sisters
Artemis and Athena,
especially during the
Trojan War
❑In other stories, he is the
lover of Aphrodite
❑He had no cities where
he
was worshipped.
❑Spear – his symbol
❑Dog – his sacred animal
❑Vulture – his bird

37. ERIS

38. ERIS
❑She is the Goddess of Discord
and Spite
❑She is the daughter of Zeus
and Hera
❑She is Ares’ twin
❑She often accompanies Ares into battle,
bringing along her son, Strife
❑She is very unpopular, and is often snubbed by
the
other gods.
❑She is said to be the direct cause of the Trojan

39. ENYO

40. ❑Roman: (Bellona)
❑She is the Goddess of War and
Destruction
E
N
Y
O

41. ❑She walks besides
Ares
during war
❑With her are
TERROR,
TREMBLING and
PANIC
❑She was the daughter
of
Zeus and Hera

42. HEPHAEST
US

43. HEPHAEST
US
❑ Roman Name: (Vulcan
and Mulciber)
❑ God of Fire
❑Protector of Smith
❑Sometimes said to be the
son of Zeus and Hera
❑He is an ugly and lame god.
❑His wife is Aphrodite.
❑He is kindly, peace –loving god.
❑He is more popular in Earth than in Heaven.
❑He and Athena is important in life of the city

44. HESTIA

45. HESTI
A
❑ Roman
Name:
(Vesta)
❑ Goddess of
Hearth, the

46. VESTA
LS
❑ The Six Virgin
Priestesses
❑ In Rome, they
care for the fire
of Vesta

47. H
E
A
R
T
H
The
Symb
ol
Of
Home

48. THE
LESSER
GODS AND
GODDESSE

49. EROS

50. EROS
❑ Roman Name:
(Cupid)
❑ God of Love
❑“Fairest of all the
deathless gods
❑In early stories, he is often to be a beautiful
serious
Youth who gives good gifts to men and his
greatest glory is that he cannot do wrong nor

51. ❑He is the son of Aphrodite and almost invariably
a
mischievous, naughty boy or worse.
❑He was often represented blindfolded, because
“Love is blind”.

52. ❑In attendance upon him
are:
❑ANTEROS – the
Avenger of
Slighted Love,
sometimes who
opposes love
❑HIMEROS – Longing
❑HYMEN – the God of
the

53. HEBE

54. HEBE
❑ Goddess of Youth
❑She is the daughter of
Zeus
and Hera
❑She sometimes appears as
the
Cupbearer to the Gods.
❑There is no stories about
Hebe except that of her
marriage to Hercules

55. IRIS

56. IRIS
❑ Goddess of the
Rainbow
❑Messenger to
the
Gods

57. In Olympus,
there are two
bands of lovely
sisters:
The MUSES and

58. GRACES

59. GRACES
❑ Goddesses of
Charm, Beauty,
Nature, Human
Creativity and
Fertility
❑ They bestowed Charm and Goodness on
Young Women and gave joy to people.
❑The name refers to the “pleasing” or
“charming” appearance of a fertile field or
garden.

60. ❑ The number of Graces varied
in different legends, but usually
there were three:
❑Aglaia (Splendor / Brightness)
❑Euphrosyne (Mirth / Joyfulness)
❑Thalia (Good Cheer / Bloom)
❑They are said to be daughters of
Zeus and Eurynome (daughter of
the Titan, Oceanus), or Zeus and Hera, or of
Helios and Aegle, (a daughter of Zeus).
❑ They “give life its bloom”.
❑They are the “Queen of Songs”.

61. ❑ According to myths, the Graces were usually
attending the Greek Goddess of Beauty,
Aphrodite, and her companion, Eros, and loved
dancing around in a circle to Apollo’s divine
music, together with the Nymphs and the
Muses.
❑They are also known as the CHARITIES.

62. MUSES

63. MUSES
❑ Nine very intelligent, beautiful and careless divinities.
Each Muse was responsible for a different literary or poetic
genre.
❑Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory)
❑When Muses sings man will forget their sorrow and grief
in his soul or dark thoughts. Such is a holy gift of Muses to
men. They have their own special field.

64. Muse Domain Emblems
Calliope Epic Poetry Calliope's emblem is a writing tablet.
Clio History Clio's emblem is a scroll.
Erato Love Poetry
Erato's emblem is a Cithara (a musical
instrument in the lyre family).
Euterpe Lyric Poetry
Euterpe's emblem is the Aulos (which is a
Greek instrument that's similar to a flute).
Melpomene Tragedy Melpomene's emblem is a tragic mask.
Polyhymnia Songs to Gods Polyhymnia's emblem is a veil.
Terpsichore Dance Terpsichore's emblem is a harp / lyre.
Thalia Comedy Thalia's emblem is a comedic mask.
Urania Astronomy
Urania's emblems are a globe and a
compass.

65. THE MUSES' ATTRIBUTES
CALLIOPE is the superior Muse. She inspired
Homer as he wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey. She
accompanied kings and princes to help them impose
justice and serenity.
Calliope is the protector of poetic works, the
rhetoric arts, music, and writing.
Calliope is usually depicted with laurels in one
hand and two Homeric poems in the other.
CLIO is the protector of history. In ancient Greece,
the word for "history" was "clio" (which is derived from
"Kleos," the Greek word for the heroic arts). Depictions
of Clio portray her holding a clarion in her right arm and
a book in her left hand.

66. ERATO is the protector of love poetry. She
holds a lyre, love arrows, and a bow.
EUTERPE is the protector of songs and
lyrical poetry of death, love, and war. She created
several musical instruments and inspires the
creation of beautiful music. She is often portrayed
with a flute in her hands while her other
instruments surround her.
MELPOMENE is the protector of the
tragedies. She created rhetoric speech and the
melodies of tragedy. She is typically depicted

67. POLYHYMNIA is the protector of divine
hymns. She created geometry and
grammar. She is usually depicted wearing a
veil and looking up to the heavens.
TERPSICHORE is the creator and
protector of dance. She also created the
harp and education. She is usually depicted
with a laurel wreath on her head while she
holds her harp and dances.

68. THALIA is the opposite of Melpomene.
She is the protector of comedy, the
sciences (including geometry, architecture,
and agriculture,) and symposiums. She
typically holds a comedic theatrical mask in
her depictions.
URANIA is the protector of celestial
bodies. She created astronomy, and she
bears stars, a celestial sphere, and a
compass.

69. THE ROLE OF THE MUSES IN MYTHOLOGY AND
THE ARTS
Zeus brought the Muses to life to celebrate the victory of
the Olympian gods over the Titans, and to forget the evils of the
world. Their lovely voices and dancing helped to relieve the
sorrows of the past.
Each Muse had her own domain over a particular artistic
discipline. Apollo, the god of music, art, and poetry, is their
teacher.
The Muses followed Apollo, sang, and danced joyfully as
he wandered through the beauty of nature on Mount Helicon
where they lived and worshiped.
According to Pindar (c. 522 - 443 BC), a Greek lyric poet,
to "carry a mousa " is "to excel in the arts". MOUSA is a common
Greek noun. It means "arts" or "poetry."
The Muses inspire creation. Many people believe that the
inspiration they need to write literature, a poem, or create any

70. Other known
Heavenly Forms

71. Goddess of Right or
Divine Justice

72. DIKE
Goddess of Human Justice

73. NEMESIS
Goddess of Righteous
Anger

74. AIDOS
Goddess of Modesty, Shame,
Reverence and Respect

75. The Two Great
Gods of Earth
“Mankind’s Best
friends”

76. DEMETER

77. DEMETE
R
❑ Roman Name: (Ceres)
❑Goddess of Corn
❑Daughter of Chronus and
Rhea
❑Mother of Persephone (The
Maiden of Spring)

78. DIONYSUS

79. DIONYSU
S
❑ Roman Name:
(Bacchus)
❑God of Wine
❑He was born in Thebes
❑Son of Zeus and Semele
(a
Theban Princess)
❑He was the only god
whose
parents are not both
divine.
❑ The God of Wine could be kind and beneficent
❑He could also be cruel and drive men on to
frightful deeds.

80. The Gods of
Waters

81. POSEIDON

82. ❑ Roman Name: (NEPTUNE)
❑Lord and Ruler of the Sea
(Mediterranean)
❑The Friendly Sea (EUXINE, now the
Black Sea)
❑Underground rivers too were his.
POSEIDO
N

83. OCEAN

84. OCEAN
❑ Also known as
OCEANUS
❑Lord of the River
❑He is a Titan.
❑A great river encircling
the Earth
❑His wife is Tethys (also a Titan)
❑The gods of all rivers on earth are
their

86. O
C
E
A
NI
D
S
❑The Nymphs of this great river were the
daughters of Ocean and Tethys.

87. PONTUS

88. ❑Pontus was an ancient, pre-Olympian sea
god, one of the Greek primordial deities.
Pontus was Gaia's son
PONTUS
❑ Means The Deep Sea
❑Brother of Nereus, a
sea
god far more important
than he himself was

89. NEREUS

90. NEREUS
❑ The Old Man of the
Sea (Mediterranean)
❑A trusty and gentle god
❑His wife is Doris
(daughter of Ocean
❑ They have fifty (50) lovely daughters, the
nymphs of the sea, called NERIEDS
(from their father’s name
❑Two of them are Thetis (mother of
Achilles)

91. AMPHITRITE
❑The eldest of the Nereids
and
called the “Queen of the
Sea”, wife of the god

92. ❑One of the 50
Nereids (sea
Nymphs)
THETI
S

93. TRITON

94. TRITON
❑ Trumpeter of the Sea
❑His trumpet is a great
shell
❑He was the son of
Poseidon and
Amphitrite
❑Triton is a
mythological
Greek god, the
messenger of the big

95. PROTEUS
❑ Sometimes said to be
the son of Poseidon but
sometimes only his
attendant
❑He had the power of both foretelling
the future and changing his shape at will

96. TRITON
PROTEUS

97. NAIADS
❑ Water Nymphs, they
dwelt in brooks and
springs and fountains

98. The
Underworld

99. HADES

100. PERSEPHONE

101. HADES
❑ He ruled the
Kingdom of the
Dead
PERSEPHONE
❑ Queen of the
Underworld
❑Maiden of Spring
❑Daughter of
Demeter

102. TARTARUS
❑ The deeper of the two
❑The prison of the Sons of Earth
Two Divisions of
Underworld

103. EREBUS
❑ It is where the dead pass as soon as they
die.
❑The path to it leads to:
❑ACHERON – the River of Woe pours into
❑COCYTUS – the River of Lamentation
❑An aged boatman named CHARON ferries the
souls of those upon who gave the passage
money. It is the gold coin placed in the eyes of

104. CERBERU
S
❑ Guard before the gate of the Underworld
❑The three-headed, dragon-tailed dog
❑Permits all spirits to enter, but none to
return

105. The Three Rivers
that separate the
Underworld from
the World above

106. ❑ PHLEGETHON
❑The River of Fire
❑STYX
❑The River of Unbreakable Oath by
which the gods swear
❑LETHE
❑The River of Forgetfulness
Aside from Acheron and Cocytus, there are
three other rivers .that separate the
Underworld from the World above

107. ERINYES
❑ Roman Name:
(The Furies)
❑They punished
the evil doer
❑They were
usually
represented
by:
❑TISIPHONE
❑MEGAERA

108. ERINYES (THE FURIES)
❑The three Goddesses of Vengeance
❑TISIPHONE – (avenger of murder)
❑MEGAERA – (the jealous)
❑ALECTO – (constant anger)
❑They were called the Daughters of
the Night, but were actually the
daughters of Uranus and Gaea.

109. ❑Without mercy, the Erinyes or the
Furies
would punish all crime including the
breaking of rules considering all
aspects of society.
❑They would strike the offenders with
madness and never stopped
following criminals.
❑The worst of all crimes were patricide
or matricide, and first and foremost,
the Erinyes or the Furies would

110. ❑SLEEP and DEATH – are
brothers
❑They dwelt in the lower world
❑DREAMS too ascended from there
to
men.
❑They passed through two gates:
❑One of the Horn – which true dreams
went

111. SATYRS
PAN
❑The Chief
❑Son of Hermes
❑A noisy, merry God
❑He was part animal, with a goat’s horns and
goat’s hoofs instead of feet.
❑All wild places were his home.
❑Sounds heard in the wilderness at night by the
trembling traveler were supposed to make him,
so that it is easy to see how expression “panic”
fear arose.

112. Gods and Goddesses of
the Woodlands
❑OREADS –
nymphs of the
mountains
❑DRYADS –
(HAMADRYADS) nymphs of
trees, whose life was bound up

113. GODS OF THE WIND
❑AEOLUS – the King of the Winds
❑Four Chief Winds:
❑BOREAS – (AQUILO) - the North
Wind
❑ZEPHYR – (FAVONIUS) – the West
Wind

114. CENTAURS
❑They were half man,
half horse
❑The most part, they were savage
creatures, more like beast than men.
❑CHIRON – was known
everywhere for his good
-ness and his wisdom.

115. THE GORGONS
❑Earth-dwellers
❑They were three – two were immortals
❑They were dragon like creatures whose look
turns men to stone
❑PHORCYS
(son of the Sea
and Earth) was
their father and
Ceto their
mother.

116. ❑There are three Gorgon Sisters:
❑STHENO – (the Mighty / Strength)
❑EURYALE – (the Far Springer / Wide-Leaping)
❑MEDUSA – (the Queen / Ruler)
❑The Gorgons are portrayed as winged female
creatures; their hair consisted of snakes; and
they were round-faced, flat-nosed, with
tongues lolling out and with large projecting
teeth.
❑Medusa – who in later art is depicted as
beautiful
although deadly – was the only one of the

117. ❑From her blood
that ran from her
neck sprang Pegasus
❑Medusa’s severed head had the power of
turning all who looked upon it into stone.
❑They live in the west near the setting sun
❑Athena later placed an image of Medusa’s
head on her armor because she helped
Perseus to kill Medusa.

118. THE
GRAIAE
❑They were three
sisters
❑Three gray
women
who had but one
eye between
them

119. ❑The GRAEA (“the gray ones”) are the sisters of
the
Gorgons.
❑ENYO
❑PEMPHREDO
❑DEINO
❑They shared one eye and one tooth. They take
turns
in using them.
❑The GRAEA guarded the route that led to their
sisters, the GORGONS.

120. ❑They lived on an
island in the
Sea
❑They had
enchanting
voices and their
singing lured
sailors to their
death
❑It was not
known what
they look like,
for no one who
THE
SIRENS

121. THE SIRENS

122. FATES
❑Greeks: MOIRAE
❑Latin: PARCAE

123. The FATES
❑They are very important but assigned to
no
abode whether in heaven or on earth.
❑The Fates have power to determine a
person’s
destiny.
❑They assign a man to good or evil.
❑Their most obvious choice is choosing
how

124. ❑THERE ARE THREE FATES:
❑CLOTHO
❑the Spinner
❑She represents the present.
❑Her role is to spin the thread of life onto
her spindle.
❑She had the power to choose when
someone would be born.

125. ❑LACHESIS
❑the Measurer or the Disposer of Lots
❑She represents the Past.
❑Her role is to measure the thread of life and
determine the length of one’s life.
❑She also helped the dead choose their next
lives.
❑ATROPOS
❑She represented the Future
❑Her role was to choose when and how one’s
life
would end by cutting the thread of life with

126. Writers of Mythology
❑HOMER
❑VIRGIL
❑OVID
❑HESIOD
❑AESCHYLUS
❑APULEIUS
❑APOLLONIUS of Rhodes and Theocritus

127. THA
NK
YOU
Prepared by
Ms. Requiz