Glossary of Gods and Goddesses

This project will be strictly Greek, meaning that none of the Roman names for the gods and goddesses will be used.

Zeus:

Lord of the Sky, The Rain-Bringer, Ruler of the Gods, Defeated his father (Cronus) to receive the throne. Married Hera, making her his queen. Weilds the mighty thunderbolt (Hephaestus-Made tm). He is the all-father (meaning that almost everyone important can claim that Zeus is their father). That being said, he's an insufferable womanizer and spends most of his time avoiding the wrath of his shrewish wife, Hera. He is fair ruler, but has been known to be a big selfish and hot-headed. He is not omnipotent--you can trick him. The Eagle is his bird.

Hera:

Queen of Heaven and the sister of Zeus. She is the mother of three of his children: Hebe, Ares, and Hephaestus. She is the protector of marriage and spends most of her time trying to protect her own. Instead of punishing her husband for his infidelity, she typically takes it out on the poor mortal or nymph with whom he has been fornicating. She is extremely jealous and vindictive but is not evil. Her bird is the peacock.

Hades:

Brother of Zeus, Lord of the Underworld, Keeper of the Dead. He has been portrayed as evil but is mostly lonely and misunderstood. Once he ruled alone in the bleakness of the Underworld, but when he beheld Persephone, the beautiful Goddess of Spring, he kidnapped her and took her into the Underworld to be his queen. Many horrible things reside in his realm, and he is the master of them all. He possesses a helmet of invisibility that he was given after helping Zeus defeat their father, Cronus.

Poseidon:

Brother of Zeus, Ruler of the Sea. He is married to the daughter of Ocean, the Titan whose watery form surrounds the known world. He carries a three-pronged spear called a Trident. In the division of the world between his brothers and him, Poseidon chose the sea to be his home, and he is the lord of all within it. As a gift to Man, Poseidon is responsible for creating the horse.

Demeter:

Sister of Zeus, Goddess of Agriculture. It is she that makes the flowers bloom and the crops grown. She is also the mother of Persephone by Zeus. When her daughter was taken into the Underworld, she went into mourning. Because of this, the world wilted and almost died. After Zeus's urging, Hades and Demeter made a deal. Persephone would divide her time between Earth and the Underworld. When the Goddess of Spring is with her mother, Demeter is happy and everything is in bloom. When she must leave, the world lies dormant for four months.

Aphrodite:

Goddess of Love and Beauty. Aphrodite was not born as the other gods were. When Uranus, the great God of the Sky, was slain by his son Cronus, a bit of his blood fell into the sea. There it mingled with the glorious foam and produced from its waves, Aphrodite. She was married to Hephaestus. Her mischevious son is Eros.

Hestia:

Goddess of the Home, Sister to Zeus. She is one of the three virgin goddesses. Prayers were often said to Hestia before mealtime to bless the home and protect it.

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The Children of Zeus

Ares:

The cruel God of War. On one side, he is merciless and malicious. On the other, he is a sniveling coward. He had no temples in Ancient Greece. He is the lover of Aphrodite, but disliked by all other gods. Even his mother, Hera, does not care for her blood-thirsty son.

Athena:

Goddess of Wisdom. She is the protector of the city, a battle-maiden, and the leader of the Virign Goddesses. She had no mother but she sprang from the head of Zeus, fully-formed. As a gift to man, she created the bridle so that he might tame the horse. Her bird is the owl.

Hephaestus:

God of the Forge. While all other gods and goddesses are fair, he was born ugly and mis-shapen. When his mother, Hera, beheld him, she was disgusted and threw him down from Mt. Olympus. Striking the ground, he was lamed but was allowed to return to his home by Zeus, who made it his duty to forge his mighty thunderbolts. He was also given Aphrodite as his wife.

Hebe:

The Goddess of Youth, the Cupbearer of the Gods. She was later married to Heracles.

Apollo:

The God of Truth and Light. Son of Leto. He is the most Greek of all the gods. He is the twin brother to Artemis, Goddess of the Moon. He accels at playing the lyre, singing, and writing poetry. As the God of Truth, his oracle at Delphi is revered above all others. He carries a silver bow, fitted with silvery arrows. His creature is the dolphin.

Artemis:

The Goddess of the Moon and Wild Things. Daughter of Leto. She is the Olympian huntress. She is also the twin to Apollo. Because she is one of the virgin goddesses, she is also the protector of young maidens. Like her twin brother, she carried a silver bow with silver arrows.

Persephone:

The Goddess of Spring. Daughter of Demeter. Queen of the Underworld. She was kidnapped by Hades and later married to him. She was tricked into eating the fruit of the Underworld and is forced to return there for half of the year.

Hermes:

The Messenger God. Son of Maia. The most clever god and among the youngest. On the first day of his life, he stole the cattle of his brother, Apollo. Therefore, he is the god of thieves and sheep. He carries the messages of the gods to the mortal world. On his feet are winged sandals and on his head a winged cap. He carries a staff with magical properties. It is also his duty to take soulds recently dead to their resting place in the Underworld.