See also Bulfinch's Mythology
The gods of ancient Greece are legendary figures that arise from pre-literate culture dependent on oral communication. They exemplify important human characterists and aspects of life, e.g., creation, the sea, the sky, power, love, eros, war, authority, beauty, intelligence, knowledge, memory, empathy, envy, affection, etc. The figures are mostly human, yet possess superhuman powers to aid or harm mortals. Gods exist in a relm beyond mortal inspection that cannot be disproven. Belief rests on the reputation and skill of the story teller.
Stories of the gods encourage "good" conduct, and discourage "bad" conduct by promising rewards for pleasing the gods, and harm if the gods are displeased. The need for other-wordly rewards and punishments arises from the fact that good conduct does not necessarily bring worldly rewards, and bad conduct may escape punishment, and further that earthly rewards and harm are often deferred and/or borne by others, due to the vargaries of life. Since the link between conduct and consequences is not direct and immediate, it is not sufficiently clear to overcome the allure of impulse, gods encourage consistent good conduct despite lack of individual success, in order to improve the chances for the community at large to succeed. Striving to please the gods and reap rewards of eternal bliss in heaven, and avoid the wrath of the gods, has helped civilization flourish. Repeating stories over and over helps people remember incentives for good conduct when bad conduct seems more rewarding at the moment. Adding embelishments makes stories memorable and entertaining, so they are easier to remember. Over thousands of years, stories handed down only through word-of-mouth grow into mythical legends of gods throwing thunderbolts, parting the sea, and so on.
The Titans, also known as the elder gods, ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them. The ruler of the Titans was Cronus. who was de-throned by his son Zeus. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and were punished by being banished to Tartarus During their rule, the Titans were associated with the various planets.
The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Titans by Zeus, who had many wives and lovers. All the Olympians are related in some way through their children. They are named after their dwelling place Mount Olympus.
Gaea is the Earth goddess. She mated with her son
Uranus
to produce the remaining Titans. Gaea seems to have started as a
neolithic earth-mother worshipped before the Indo-European invasion that
eventually lead to the Hellenistic civilization.
Uranus is the sky god and first ruler. He is the son of
Gaea,
who created him
without help. He then became the husband of Gaea and together they had
many offspring, including twelve of the Titans. His rule ended when
when
Cronus,
encouraged by Gaea, castrated him. He either died from the wound or
withdrew from Earth.
Cronus was the ruling Titan who came to power by castrating his father
Uranus. His wife was
Rhea. Their offspring
were the first of the
Olympians.
To ensure his safety, Cronus ate each of his children as they were born.
This worked until
Rhea,
unhappy at the loss of her children, tricked Cronus into swallowing
a rock, instead of
Zeus.
When he grew up, Zeus would revolt against Cronus and the other Titans,
defeat them, and banish them to
Tartarus
in the underworld. Cronus managed to escape to
Italy, where he ruled as Saturn. The period of his rule was said to be
a golden age on Earth, honored by the Saturnalia feast.
Rhea was the wife of
Cronus.
Cronus made it a practice to swallow their children.
To avoid this, Rhea tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock, saving her
son
Zeus.
Oceanus is the unending stream of water encircling the world.
Together with his wife
Tethys
produced the rivers and the three thousand ocean
nymphs.
Tethys is the wife of
Oceanus.
Together they produced the rivers and the three
thousand ocean nymphs.
Hyperion is the Titan of light, an early sun god. He is the son of
Gaea and
Uranus.
He married his sister
Theia.
Their children
Helius (the sun),
Selene (the moon), and
Eos (the dawn).
Mnemosyne was the Titan of memory and the mother of
Muses.
Themis was the Titan of justice and order. She was the mother of
the
Fates
and the Seasons.
Iapetus was the father of
Prometheus,
Epimetheus, Menoetius, and
Atlas by
Clymene.
Titan of Intelligence. Father of
Leto.
Titan of the Moon. Mother of
Leto.
Prometheus was the wisest Titan. His name means "forethought"
and he was able to foretell the future. He was the son of
Iapetus. When
Zeus revolted against
Cronus, Prometheus
deserted the other Titans and fought on Zeus' side. By some accounts he
and his brother
Epimetheus were delegated by Zeus to create man. In all
accounts, Prometheus is known as the protector and benefactor of man. He
gave mankind a number of gifts including fire. He also tricked Zeus
into allowing man to keep the best part of the animals sacrificed to the
gods and to give the gods the worst parts. For this Zeus punished
Prometheus by having him chained to a rock with an eagle tearing at his
liver. He was to be left there for all eternity or until he agreed to
disclose to Zeus which of Zeus children would try to replace him. He
was eventually rescued by
Heracles without giving in to Zeus.
See also expanded explanation of
Prometheus
by Bulfinch.
Atlas was the son of
Iapetus.
Unlike his brothers
Prometheus and
Epimetheus, Atlas fought with the other Titans supporting
Cronus against
Zeus.
Due to Cronus's advanced age Atlas led the Titan's in
battle. As a result he was singled out by Zeus for a special punishment
and made to hold up the world on his back.
Metis was the Titaness of the fourth day and the planet Mercury. She
presided over all wisdom and knowledge. She was
seduced by
Zeus
and became pregnant with
Athena. Zeus
became concerned over
prophecies that her second child would
replace Zeus. To avoid this Zeus ate her. It is said that she is the
source for Zeus wisdom and that she still advises Zeus from his belly.
It may seem odd for Metis to have been pregnant with Athena but is never
mentioned as her mother. This is because the classic Greeks believed
that children were generated solely from the fathers sperm. The woman
was thought to be nothing more than a vessel for the fetus to grow in.
Since Metis was killed well before Athena's birth her role doesn't
count.
According to Homer in the Iliad she is the mother of
Aphrodite.
The Olympians are a group of 12 gods led by Zeus
who ruled the world after defeating the
Titans
All the Olympians are related in some way.
They are named after their dwelling place
Mount Olympus.
Zeus
Poseidon
Hades
Hestia
Hera
Ares
Athena
Apollo
Aphrodite
Hermes
Artemis
Hephaestus
Zeus overthew his Father Cronus.
He then drew lots with his brothers
Poseidon and Hades.
Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of
the gods. He is lord of the sky, the rain god. His weapon is a
thunderbolt which he hurls at those who displease him. He is married
to Hera but, is famous for his many
affairs.
He is also known to punish those that lie or break oaths.
Poseidon is the brother of Zeus.
After the overthow of their Father Cronus
he drew lots with Zeus and Hades,
another brother, for shares of the world.
His prize was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen.
He married
Amphitrite,
a granddaughter of the Titon
Oceanus.
At one point he desired Demeter.
To put him off Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful animal that the
world had ever seen. So to impress her Poseidon created the first horse.
In some accounts his first attempts were unsucessful and created a varity
of other animals in his quest. By the time the horse was created his
passion for Demeter had cooled.
His weapon is a trident, which can shake the earth,
and shatter any object. He is second only to Zeus in power amongst the
gods. He has a difficult quarrelsome personality. He was greedy.
He had a series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take
over their cities.
Hades is the brother of Zeus.
After the overthow of their Father Cronus
he drew lots with Zeus and
Poseidon, another brother, for shares of the world.
He had the worst draw and was made lord of the
underworld, ruling over the
dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly
concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling
increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The
Erinnyes are welcomed guests.
He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.
He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from
the earth. He has a helmet that makes him invisable. He rarely leaves
the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious. His wife is
Persephone whom Hades abducted.
He is the King of the dead but, death itself
is another god, Thanatos.
Hestia is the sister of
Zeus. She is a virgin goddess.
She does not have a distinct personality. She plays no part in myths.
She is the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the house around which
a new born child is carried before it is received into the family.
Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was
never allowed to go out.
Hera is
wife and sister of
Zeus.
She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys.
She is the protector of marrage and takes special care of married women.
Hera's marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife.
Zeus courted her unsuccesfully. He then turned to trickery, changing
himself into disheveled cuckoo. Hera feeling sorry for the bird held it
to her breast to warm it. Zues then resumed his normal form and taking
advantage of the suprise he gained, raped her. She then married him to
cover her shame.
Once when Zeus was being partcularly overbearing to the other gods, Hera
convinced them to join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to
drug Zeus, and in this she was successful. The gods then bound the
sleeping Zeus to a couch taking care to tie many knots. This done they
began to quarrel over the next step.
Briareus overheard the arguements.
Still full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped in and was able to
quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grapped up
his thuderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for
mercy. He seized Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains.
She wept in pain all night but, none of the others dared to interfere.
Her weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to release her
if she would swear never to rebel again. She had little choice but,
to agree. While she never again rebeled, she often intrigued against
Zeus's plans and she was often able to outwit him.
Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus's
infidelities. Her sacred animals are the cow and the
peacock. Her favorite
city is Argos.
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera.
He was disliked by both parents. He is the god of war. He is considered
murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward. When caught in an act
of adultery with Aphrodite her husband
Hephaestus is able publically ridicule him.
His bird is the vulture.
His animal is the dog.
Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full
grown in armour from his forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce
and brave in battle but, only wars to defined the state and home
from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts,
and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame
horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow,
the yoke, the ship, and the chariot.
She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity.
She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons
including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city is Athens. Her tree is the
olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto.
His twin sister is Artemis.
He is the god of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting
with a silver bow. The god of healing who taught man medicine. The god
of light. The god of truth, who can not speak a lie.
One of Apollo's more importaint daily tasks is to harness his chariot
with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky.
He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People travled to it from all
over the greek world to devine the future.
His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The dolphin his animal.
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty.
In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels
anyone she wishes to desire her.
There are two accounts of her birth.
One says she is the daughter of Zeus and
Dione.
The other goes back to when Cronus
castrated Uranus and tossed his severed
genitles into the sea. Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant
scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus.
She is the wife of Hephaestus.
The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swann, and the sparrow her birds.
Hermes is the son of Zeus and
Maia.
He is Zeus messenger. He is the fastest of the gods. He wears winged
sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He is the god
of thieves and god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to
the underworld.
He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy
, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and
Leto.
Her twin brother is Apollo.
She is the lady of the wild things. She is the huntsman of the gods.
She is the protector of the young.
Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows.
She became associated with the moon.
She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides
over childbirth, which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back
to causing Leto no pain when she was born.
She became associated with Hecate.
The cypress is her tree. All wild animals are scared to her, especially
the deer.
Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera.
Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father.
He is the only god to be physically ugly. He is also lame. Accounts as
to how he became lame vary. Some say that Hera, upset by having an ugly
child, flung him from Mount Olympus
into the sea, breaking his legs. Others that he took Hera's side in an
arguement with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus.
He is the god of fire and the forge. He is the smith and armorer of the gods.
He uses a volcano as his forge. He is the patron god of both smiths and
weavers. He is kind and peace loving.
His wife is Aphrodite.
Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia.
The underworld is hidden in the earth. It is the kingdom of the dead
and ruled over by Hades.
Hades is a greedy god who is greatly
concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling
increase the number of dead are seen favorably.
The Erinnyes
are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly
disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.
For most, life in the underworld is not particularly unpleasent. It is rather
like a miserable dream, full of shadows, without sunlight or hope. A
joyless place where the dead slowly fade into nothingness.
Geographically, the underworld is surrounded by a series of rivers:
The Acheron (river of woe), The Cocytus (river of lamentation),
The Phlegethon (river of fire), The Styx (river of unbreakable oath
by which the gods swear), and The Lethe (river of forgetfulness).
Once across the rivers an adamantine gate, guarded by
Cerberus,
forms the entrance to the kingdom. Deep withen the kingdom is
Hades vast palace, complete with many guests.
Upon death a soul is lead by Hermes
to the entrance of the underworld
and the ferry across the Acheron. There is a single ferry run by
Rhadamanthus,
Minos I,
and Aeacus, who pass sentence. The very good go to the
Elysian Fields.
Others are singled out for special treatment.
Sisyphus and
Tantalus being
prime examples of the later.
As the sky god Zeus had easy access to
the women of the world and took full advantage of it.
Also, his power as a supreme god made him difficult to resist.
Prior to his marrage to Hera
he was married first to Metis,
then Themis. He was interested in
Demeter but she resisted him.
His third wife was Mnemosyne.
The list of lovers after his final marrage, to Hera, is considerable:
Europa was the daughter of the King Agenor of Sidon. She had the continent of
Europe named for her. Somewhat miraculesly
Hera was distracted during her affair with
Zeus and never punished her for it.
One night Europa had a dream. In this dream two continents, which were
in the forms of women were arguing over Europa. Asia maintained that
since Europa had been born in Asia she belonged to it. The other continent,
which was nameless, said that her birth was not important, that Zeus would
give her to it.
It was early morning, disturbed by the dream Europa did not go back to sleep.
She summoned her companions, who were all daughters of nobility and of her
age. It was a beautiful day and they went off gathering flowers by the sea.
Zeus noticed this charming group, particularly Europa, who was the prettest
of the maidens. Some say that Eros, induced
him into action with one of his darts. Although, Zeus often made due with
self motivation. In any case, Zeus appeared to the group as a white bull.
A white bull more beautiful then any other. A bull that smelled of flowers,
and lowed musically. A bull so obviously gentle that all the maidens rushed
to stroke and pet it.
The bull laid down in front of Europa. She slid on to its back. Instantly,
the bull charged off, plunging into the sea, and began to swim rapidly
from the shore. Europa saw that a procesion had joined them,
Nereids riding dolphins,
Triton blowing his horn, even
Poseidon. From this she
realized that the bull must be a god. She pleaded with him to pity her.
Zeus spoke to her and explained his love. He took her to Create, where
he had been raised. He promised that she would bear him many famous
sons.
Her sons included Minos I and
Rhadamanthus.
Zeus fell in love with Io and seduced her.
To try to keep Hera from
noticing he covered the world with a thick blanket of clouds. This
backfired, arousing Hera's suspicions. She came down from
Mount Olympus
and begain dispersing the clouds. Zeus did some quick thinking and
changed Io's form from being a lovely maiden. So as the clouds dispersed
Hera found Zeus standing next to a white heifer. He then swore that
he had never seen the cow before, it had just sprang right out of the
earth. Seeing right through this Hera complimented the cow and asked
to have it as a present. As turning such a reasonable request down
would have given the whole thing away, Zeus presented her with the cow.
She sent the cow away and arranged Arges
to watch over it. Since Arges had a hundred eyes and could have some
of them sleep while others were awake he made a fine watchman. Desperate,
Zeus sent Hermes to fetch
Io. Disgused as a shepard, Hermes had to employ all his skill as a
musician and story teller to gain Arges confidence and lull him to sleep.
Once asleep Hermes killed Arges. As a memorial, Hera took his eyes and
set them into the tail of her favorite bird, the peacock.
While Io was now free Hera sent the mother of all gad-flys to sting the
still bovine Io. This pushed her near madness, trying to escape she
wandered the world. During her wanders she came across
Prometheus while
chained. He gave her hope.
He predicted that she would
have to wander for many years. But, she would eventually be changed back
into human form and would bear a child. He predicted that a decendent of
this child would be a great hero and set him free.
His predictions came true. During her wanderings many geographical
features where named after her including the Ionian Sea, and the
Bosphorus (which means ford of the cow). She eventually reached the
Nile where Zeus did restore her to human form. She bore
Epaphus and eleven generations later
her descendant Hercules would set Prometheus
free.
Semele was a Thebian princess. She is the only mortal to be the
parent of a god. She was one of
Zeus many lovers and like most
came to an unfortunate end due to
Hera's jealous hatred. She is
best known as the mother of Dionysus.
While she was killed shortly before giving birth the child was resuced by Zeus.
Eventually Dionysus, who had never seen her, managed to rescue her
from the underworld. and arrange for
her to live on Mount Olympus.
Original Source
Demeter is intimately associated with the seasons.
Her daughter Persephone was abducted by
Hades to be his wife in the
underworld. In her anger at
her daughter's loss Demeter laid a curse on the world that caused
plants to wither and die, the land became desolate.
Zeus became alarmed
and sought Persephone's return. However, because she had eaten while
in the underworld Hades had a claim on her. Therefore, it was decreed
that Persephone would spend four months each year in the underwold.
During these months Demeter greves her daughters absence, and withdraws
her gifts from the world, creating winter. Her return brought the
spring.
Demeter is also known for founding the Eleusinian Mysteries. These
were huge festivels held every five years. They were importaint
events for many centuries. Yet, little is known of them as those
attending were sworn to secrecy. The central tenant seems to have
been that just as grain returns every spring after its harvest
and wintery death, so too the human soul could be reborn after the
death of the body.
Dionysus is the god of the vine. He invented wine and spread the art of
tending grapes. He has a dual nature. On the one hand bringing joy and
devine ecstasy. On the other brutal, unthinking, rage. Thus, reflecting
both sides of wines nature.
If he choses Dionysus can drive a man mad.
No normal fetters can hold him or his followers.
Dionysus is the son of Zeus and
Semele. He is the only god to have a
mortal parent. Zeus came to Semele in the night, invisable, felt only
as a devine presence. Semele was pleased to be a lover of a god,
even though she did not know which one. Word soon got around and
Hera
quickly assumed who was responsible. Hera went to Semele in disguise
and convinced her she should see her lover as he really was.
When Zeus next came to her she made him promise to grant her one wish.
She went so far as to make him swear on the
River Styx that he would
grant her request. Zeus was madly in love and agreed. She then asked
him to show her his true form. Zeus, was unhappy, and knew what would
happen but, having sworn he had no choice. He appeared in his true form
and Semele was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory.
Zeus did manage to rescue Dionysus and stiched him into his thigh to
hold him until he was ready to be born. His birth from Zeus alone
conferred immortality upon him.
Dionysus problems with Hera were not yet over. She was still jealous and
arranged for the Titans to kill him.
The Titans ripped him into to
pieces. However, Rhea brought him back to life.
After this Zeus arranged for his protection and turned him over the
mountain nymphs to be raised.
Dionysus wandered the world
actively encouraging his cult.
He was accompanied by the Maenads, wild women, flush with wine,
shoulders draped with a fawn skin, carrying rods tipped with pine
cones. While other gods had templaces the followers of Dionysus
worshipped him in the woods. Here they might go into mad states
where they would rip apart and eat raw any animal they came upon.
Dionysus is also one of the very few that was able to bring a dead person
out of the underworld.
Even though he had never seen Semele he was
concerned for her. Eventually he journeyed into the underworld to find
her. He faced down Thanatos and
brought her back to Mount Olympus.
Dionysus became one of the most important gods in everyday life.
He became associated with several key concepts. One was rebirth after
death. Here his dismemberment by the Titans and return to life is
symbolically echoed in tending vines, where the vines must be pruned
back sharply, and then become dormant in winter for them to bear fruit.
The other is the idea that under the influence of wine, one could feel
possessed by a greater power. Unlike the other gods Dionysus was not
only outside his believers but, also within them. At these times a
man might be greater then himself and do works he otherwise could not.
The festivel for Dionysus is in the spring when the leaves begin to reapper
on the vine. It became one of the most important events of the year.
It's focus became the theater. Most of the great greek plays were initially
written to be performed at the feast of Dionysus. All who took part
writers, actors, spectators were regaurded as scared servents of Dionysus
during the festivel.
Eros is the son of Aphrodite.
Eros is the god of love. In particular erotic, romantic, love.
He is often represented blindfolded because, love is often blind.
His "weapon" is darts or arrows. In either case the tips have been
magically treated to produce either uncontrolable love or unsurmountable
disintrested in the first person seen be Eros's victim after wounding.
Hebe is the daughter of Zeus
and Hera.
She is the goddess of youth. She, along with Ganymede
are the cupbearers to the gods. Hebe is Hercules wife.
Hebe is the daughter of Zeus
and Hera.
She is the goddess of discord. In addition to her main activity of
sowing discord, she frequently accompanies her brother
Ares to battles. On these occasions
she rides his chariot and brings her son Strife.
Eris is unpopular and frequently snubbed as a guest by the other gods and
mankind. This was not always a safe thing to do. The most dramatic
example being the Trojan War, which was an indirect result of not
inviting Eris to a wedding.
Pan is the son of Hermes.
He is the god of goatherds and shepherds.
He is mostly human in appearnce but, with goat horns and goat feet.
He is an excellent musician and plays the pipes. He is merry and
playful frequently seen dancing with woodland nymphs. He is at home
in any wild place but, is favorite is Arcady, where he was born.
He is always in pursuit of one of the nymphs but, always rejected
because he is ugly.
His name is the basis for the word "panic". There are two differing
explanations for this. The first is that he was present when
Zeus defeated the
Titans and claimed that it has his yelling
that caused the Titans to flee.
However, this seems at odds with his being Hermes
son. The second is that he created the noises in the woods at night
the scared travelers.
Nemesis means righteous anger, due enactment, or devine vengence.
This god helped to avenge those who were wronged.
They are the daughters of Zeus and
Eurynome. There are three Graces: Aglaia (Splendor),
Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good Cheer). The are known for singing and
dancing for the gods.
They are the daughters of Zeus and
Mnemosyne.
They are known for the music of their song, which brings joy to any who
hear it. There are nine Muses, each with her own specialty:
Clio (History), Urania (Astronmy),
Melpomene (Tragedy), Thalia (Comedy), Terpsichore (Dance), Calliope
(Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry), Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods),
Euterpe (Lyric Poetry).
The Fates have the subtle but, awesome power of deciding a mans destiny.
They assign a man to good or evil. There most obvious choice is chosing
how long a man lives. There are three Fates. Clotho, the spinner, who
spins the thread of life. Lachesis, the measurer, who choses the lot
in life one will have and measures off how long it is to be. Atropos,
she who can not be turn, who at death with her shears cuts the tread
of life.
The Fates are old and predate the gods. It is not entirely clear how
far their power extends. It is possible that they determine the fate
of the gods as well. In any case, not even the most powerful is willing
to triffle with them.
Titans
Epimetheus was a stupid Titan, whose name means "afterthought". He was
the son of
Iapetus.
In some accounts he is delegated, along with his brother
Prometheus by
Zeus
to create mankind. He also accepted the gift of
Pandora
from Zeus, which led to the
introduction of evil into the world.
Olympians
![[CHILDREN]](children_button.gif)
There is a separate
index with links to
details on birth, domain, etc.
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus towers up from the center of the earth. Here the major gods
live and hold court. The myths are somewhat vague on weather it is
an actual mountain or a region of the heavens.
The Underworld
Tartarus
Tartarus lies far beneth the disk of the world. Deeper then
Hades kingdom of the
underworld. It is used as the ultimate of
prisons, unpleasent and inaccessable.
Zeus Wives and Lovers
Original Source
Europa
Io
Semele
Olympian Children
Original Source
Olympian Parents
Zeus
Hera
Aphrodite
Hermes
The Lessor Gods
Demeter
Demeter is the godess of corn, grain, and the harvest.
She is the daughter of Cronus and
Rhea.
It is Demeter that makes the crops grow each year.
The first loaf of bread from the harvest is scarificed to her.
Persephone
Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and
Demeter. After her abduction by
Hades she became his wife and Queen
of the underworld.
Dionysus
Eros
Hebe
Eris
Helios
Helios was the greek sun god. He may be thought of as a personification
of the sun. He plays little role in the myths. He became rather
overshadowed by Apollo the lord of the sun.
He was the son of Hyperion.
Thanatos
Thanatosos was the greek god of death. He may be thought of as a
personification of death. He plays little role in the myths. He became rather
overshadowed by Hades the lord of the sun.
Pan
Nemesis
The Graces
The Muses
The Erinnyes
Also known as the Furies, punish crime. They persue wrong doers relentlessly,
until death, often driving them to suicide. They are particularly concerned with
matricide. There are three Erinnyes, Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto.
The Erinnyes came from the blood of Uranus
when he was castrated.
The Fates
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