The document describes the roles of various Greek gods and goddesses in the Trojan War. Apollo aided Paris in killing Achilles and inflicted a plague on the Greeks. Ares fought for the Trojans until being wounded by Athena. Athena and Hera opposed Paris for judging Aphrodite as more beautiful and fought for the Greeks. Zeus remained neutral though preferring the Trojans to please his wife Hera who backed the Greeks. Aphrodite rescued Paris from Menelaus.

1. (Role in the Trojan War)

2. Apollo Greek God of the Sun, the
Light, the Music and the
Prophecy
 the son of Zeus and the Titan
Leto
 According to Homer’s Illiad,
Apollo played a major part in the
Trojan War. He infected the
Greek encampment with a plague
and aided Paris in killing
Achilles.

3. Ares Greek God of War
 The son of Zeus and Hera
 Ares always took the side of
Aphrodite in the Trojan War.
He fought for Hector (a
Trojan) until a Greek warrior
pierced him with a spear that
was guided by Athena. He
then departed the battlefield
in order to complain to Zeus
about Athena’s violence.

4. Dionysus Greek God of Wine & the
Grape Harvest
 the son of Zeus and the mortal
Semele
 worshipped as early as 1500-
100BC by Mycenean Greeks

5. Hades Greek God of the Dead and
King of the Underworld
 the oldest male child of Cronus
and Rhea, brother of Zeus and
Poseidon
 Hades is described by some
sources as the god of the earth’s
fertility.

6. Hephaestus
 Greek God of Fire and
Metalworking
 the son of Zeus and Hera and
married to Aphrodite
 Hephaestus crafted the armor
that Achilles wore in the Trojan
War. The same arms, despite
their connection to divinity,
brought about the death of
Ajax.

7. Hermes Greek God of Trade,
Eloquence and Messenger of
the Gods
 the son of Zeus and Maia, one of
the seven Pleiades and daughter
of the Titan Atlas
 Both Homer and Hesiod
portrayed Hermes as the author
of skilled or deceptive acts, and
also as a benefactor of mortals.

8. Poseidon Greek God of the Sea
 the son of Cronus and Rhea,
brother of Zeus and Hades
 Poseidon assisted the Greeks in
the Trojan war. However, Zeus
commanded him to withdraw
from the battlefield, and he
reluctantly obeyed.
 His grudge against Odysseus is
one theme in the Odyssey.

9. Zeus Greek God of the Sky and King
of the Gods
 Zeus was the last child of the
titans Cronus and Rhea
 Hesiod calls Zeus the “the lord of
justice.” Perhaps because of this,
he was reluctant to join a side in
the Trojan War. He preferred the
Trojans, but he wanted to stay
neutral because Hera preferred
the Greeks. She was insufferable
when he opposed her openly.

10. Aphrodite Greek Goddess of Love, Beauty
& Eternal Youth
 the daughter of Zeus and Dione
 During the Trojan War,
Aphrodite fought on the side of
Paris.
 Aphrodite rescued Paris from
Menelaus by enveloping him in a
cloud and taking him back to
Troy.

11. Artemis Greek Goddess of the Hunt,
Forests and Hills, the Moon,
Archery
 the daughter of Zeus, king of the
gods, and the Titaness Leto and
she has a twin brother, the
god Apollo
 She punished Agamemnon, for
example, when he killed a stag in
her sacred grove.

12. Athena Greek Goddess of Wisdom and
War
 was born from Zeus and no mother
 Hera and Athena fought against
Paris in the Trojan War since he had
awarded the Golden Apple to
Aphrodite.
 The sacred image of Athena, a wood
statue called the Palladium,
protected the Trojans as long as
they had it.
 Odysseus and Diomedes executed a
plan to steal the image, greatly
encouraging the Greeks in their
hopes to end the long-suffering war.

13. Demeter Greek Goddess of Agriculture,
Fertility, Sacred Law and the
Harvest
 the daughter of Cronos and Rhea
 She had one daughter,
Persephone; Zeus was
Persephone’s father.
 Cronus had previously swallowed
Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades
and Poseidon

14. Hera Greek Goddess of Marriage
and Queen of Olympus
 the Queen of the Gods and is
the wife and sister of Zeus
 The Trojan War would have
ended in peace, but Hera had a
vested interest in its outcome
and influenced Zeus to either
switch sides or remain neutral.

15. Hestia Greek Goddess of the Heart
and Domestic Life
 Eldest daughter of Cronus and
Rhea and sister to Zeus,
Poseidon, Hades, Demeter and
Hera
 Although Hestia appeared in a
few stories, she was not overly
significant in Greek
mythology.
 Hestia is completely omitted
from the works of Homer,
author of the Iliad and the
Odyssey.