As I travel around Greece for the next 12 days, I’m going to share some of my favorite stories from Greek mythology with you. Let me preface this by saying that there are SO many gods, heroes, muses, sirens, and monsters that it is REALLY difficult to remember them all. Luckily, many of the stories I’ll be sharing feature the the Olympians (or the gods and goddesses who lived atop Mount Olympus). They’re sort of the A-List gods and godesses, if you will.
Here’s a rundown of the Who’s Who (with a slideshow below):
Aphrodite: Goddess of love, lust, beauty, seduction and pleasure. Although married to Hephaestus she had many lovers, most notably Ares. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually accompanied by her son Eros. Her symbols include the dove, apple, scallop shell and myrtle wreath.
Apollo: God of music, healing, plague, prophecies, poetry, and archery; associated with light, truth and the sun. He is Artemis’s twin brother, and son of Zeus and Leto. He was depicted as a handsome, beardless youth with long hair and various attributes including a laurel wreath, bow and quiver, raven, and lyre.
Ares: God of war, bloodlust, violence, manly courage, and civil order. The son of Zeus and Hera, he was depicted as either a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle arms, or a nude beardless youth with helm and spear. His attributes are golden armor and a bronze-tipped spear, and his sacred animals are the eagle owl, the vulture and the venomous snake.
Artemis: Virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, childbirth and plague. In later times she became associated with the moon. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo. In art she was usually depicted as a young woman dressed in a short knee-length chiton and equipped with a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows. In addition to the bow, her attributes include hunting spears, animal pelts, deer and other wild animals.
Athena: Virgin goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavor, handicrafts and reason. The daughter of Zeus and Metis, she was born from Zeus’s head fully-formed and armored. She was depicted crowned with a crested helm, armed with shield and spear, and wearing the snake-trimmed aegis cloak adorned with the head of the Gorgon. Her symbols include the aegis, the owl and the olive tree.
Demeter: Goddess of fertility, agriculture, horticulture, grain and harvest. Demeter is a daughter of Cronus and Rhea and sister of Zeus, by whom she bore Persephone. She was depicted as a mature woman, often crowned and holding sheafs of wheat and a torch. Her symbols are the Cornucopia (horn of plenty), wheat-ears, the winged serpent and the lotus staff.
Dionysus: God of wine, parties and festivals, madness, drunkenness and pleasure. He was depicted in art as either an older bearded god or a pretty effeminate, long-haired youth. His attributes include the thyrsus (a pine-cone tipped staff), drinking cup, grape vine and a crown of ivy. A later addition to the Olympians, in some accounts he replaced Hestia.
Hades: King of the Underworld and god of death, the dead, and the hidden wealth of the Earth. His consort is Persephone and his attributes are the key of Hades, the Helm of Darkness, and the three-headed dog, Cerberus. Despite being the son of Cronus and Rhea and the elder brother of Zeus, he is only rarely listed among the Olympians.
Hephaestus: Crippled god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry, sculpture and volcanism. The son of Hera by parthenogenesis, he is the smith of the gods and the husband of the adulterous Aphrodite. He was usually depicted as a bearded man holding hammer and tongs—the tools of a smith—and riding a donkey. His symbols are the hammer, tongs and anvil.
Hera: Queen of Heaven and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings and empires. She is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and sister-wife of Zeus. She was usually depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a crown and holding a royal, lotus-tipped staff. Her symbols are the diadem, lotus-staff, peacock, cuckoo and pomegranate.
Hermes: God of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles, language, writing, diplomacy, athletics, and animal husbandry. He is the messenger of the gods, a psychopomp who leads the souls of the dead into Hades’ realm, and the son of Zeus and Maia. He was depicted as either a handsome and athletic beardless youth, or as an older bearded man. His attributes include the herald’s wand or caduceus, winged sandals, and a traveler’s cap.
Hestia: Virgin goddess of the hearth, home and cooking. She is a daughter of Rhea and Cronus and sister of Zeus. She was depicted as a modestly veiled woman, whose symbols are the hearth and kettle. In some accounts she gave up her seat as one of the Twelve Olympians to tend to the sacred flame on Mount Olympus for Dionysus.
Poseidon: God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes and horses; known as the “Earth Shaker” or “Storm Bringer”. He is a son of Cronus and Rhea and brother to Zeus and Hades. In classical artwork he was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with a dark beard, and holding a trident. His attributes are the trident, dolphins and horses.
Zeus: The king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather, thunder, law, order and fate. He is the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, whom he overthrew, and brother-husband to Hera. In artwork he was depicted as a regal man, mature with sturdy figure and dark beard. His symbols are the thunderbolt, royal sceptre, and eagle.
[slideshow]Check back tomorrow for the Myth of Athens!
