Greek Greek Mythology Mythology

– Gods, – Gods, Heroes Heroes

and and MonstersMonsters

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Class: Class: ______________________________________

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The Twelve Olympian The Twelve Olympian GodsGods

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Other GodsOther Gods 16 to 16 to 19 19

Great Heroes and Great Heroes and HeroinesHeroines

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Horrifying MonstersHorrifying Monsters 26 to 26 to 4343

Useful LinksUseful Links 4444

The The Twelve Twelve OlympiaOlympian Godsn Gods

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Zeus Zeus (Roman name – Jupiter)(Roman name – Jupiter)

Zeus was one of Cronus’s and Rhea’s children. Rhea pretended to give Cronus a child to eat, but it was actually a stone. She took Zeus away and made sure he was raised secretly. He eventually defeated Cronus and became the king of the gods. His symbol was the lightning bolt. 4

HeraHera(Roman name – Juno)(Roman name – Juno)

Hera was the queen of the gods and the wife of Zeus. She was also one of Zeus’s siblings and the goddess of marriage. Her symbol was the peacock. Hera hated the hero Heracles since he was the son of her husband Zeus and a mortal woman. When he was still an infant, she sent snakes to attack him in his crib.

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PoseidonPoseidon(Roman name – Neptune)(Roman name – Neptune)

Poseidon was the god of the oceans, earthquakes and horses. He was the brother of Zeus and Hades. These three gods divided up creation. Zeus became the ruler of the sky, Hades was given the Underworld and Poseidon was given all water, both fresh and salt. Poseidon spent most of his time in the water. His symbol was the trident.

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DemeterDemeter(Roman name – Cerus)(Roman name – Cerus)

Demeter was another sister of Zeus and the goddess of agriculture (farming). Her daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Hades. When Persephone went missing, Demeter was heartbroken. She wandered all over the earth in search of her daughter, during which time the crops withered and it became perpetual winter.

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AphroditeAphrodite(Roman name – (Roman name – Venus)Venus)

The poet Hesiod said that Aphrodite was born from sea-foam. Homer, on the other hand, said that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. She was also the wife of Hephaestus.

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HephaestusHephaestus(Roman name – Vulcan)(Roman name – Vulcan)

The son of Zeus and Hera (or, in some versions, of Hera alone), Hephaestus was lame and deformed. He was the god of fire and patron of metalwork and crafts. His wife was Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In some accounts, he limped because he was born lame, which caused his mother to throw him off Mount Olympus. In other accounts, he took Hera’s side in a fight between Zeus and Hera. Enraged, Zeus took him by the foot and threw him from Olympus to the earth.

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AresAres(Roman name – Mars)(Roman name – Mars)

Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera. He was the god of war and also warlike frenzy (mad, savage and violent behaviour). Vultures were considered as his sacred birds. His throne on Mount Olympus was said to be covered in human skin. The Roman god Mars, with whom Ares was identified, was the father of Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of Rome. Thus, he was more important to the Romans than to the Greeks. 10

ArtemisArtemis(Roman name – Diana)(Roman name – Diana)

Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Leto. She was also twin sister of Apollo. In some versions of their myth, Artemis was born first and helped her mother to deliver Apollo. Artemis was the goddess of hunting, maidens and young children. She helped women in childbirth but also brought sudden death with her arrows.

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ApolloApollo(Roman name – Apollo)(Roman name – Apollo)

Apollo was the son of Zeus and the Titan Leto and the twin brother of Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the hunt. Apollo had many roles in Greek mythology, including god of the sun, god of the arts (especially music, poetry, and dance), god of healing and god of prophecy. As god of music, Apollo was often depicted playing the lyre. He did not invent this instrument, however, but was given it by Hermes in compensation for cattle theft. 

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AthenaAthena(Roman name – Minerva)(Roman name – Minerva)

Athena was the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Metis. She was the goddess of wisdom, warfare, and crafts. She was considered as Zeus's favourite child and one of the most powerful of the twelve Olympian gods. Although Athena was worshipped in many cities, the Athenians considered her as their special protector and named their city after her. Many rulers sought her wisdom in both government and military matters.

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HermesHermes(Roman name – Mercury)(Roman name – Mercury)

Hermes was the son of Zeus and the goddess Maia. He was the speedy messenger of the gods and was the protector of travellers, merchants, and thieves. Because of his reputation as a swift messenger, he was popular among athletes. Many ancient sports arenas had statues of the god. In later art, Hermes was usually depicted as a young man wearing winged sandals and a wide-brimmed hat with wings. He also carried a staff with two snakes known as a caduceus.

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DionysusDionysus(Roman name – Bacchus)(Roman name – Bacchus)

Dionysus, was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Semele. He was the god of wine and fertility. He was associated with drunkenness and madness, as well as harvest and crops. He saved his mother from the Underworld, after Zeus showed her his true nature as storm god and consumed her in lightning. It was also Dionysus who granted Midas the power to turn whatever he touched into gold, then was kind enough to take the power back when Midas realised his folly.

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Other Greek GodsOther Greek Gods16

HadesHades(Roman name – Pluto)(Roman name – Pluto)

Hades was the brother of Zeus. He was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld, which was named after him. He abducted Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, and she became the queen of Hades. Since all precious minerals came from under the earth (the dwelling place of Hades) and since the god was wealthy indeed when it came to the number of subjects in his kingdom of the dead, he was referred to as “Ploutos", wealth. This accounts for the name given to him by the Romans.

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HestiaHestia(Roman name – Vesta)(Roman name – Vesta)

Hestia was the eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She was originally an Olympian goddess of the hearth and the home, but she grew tired of the godly bickering and gladly gave her place to the god of wine, Dionysus.

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PanPan(Roman name – Faunus)(Roman name – Faunus)

Pan was a god of shepherds and flocks. He was the son of Hermes and a nymph. He was born with the legs and horns of a goat, which caused his own mother to spurn him. Pan was considered to be the cause of the sudden fear that sometimes comes for no reason, especially in lonely places. That is why such fear is called “panic".

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Great Great Heroes and Heroes and

HeroinesHeroines

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HeraclesHeracles

Heracles, was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Alcmene. The goddess Hera turned Heracles temporarily mad and he ended up killing his own wife and children. Apollo’s oracle told the guilt-ridden Heracles that he would have to serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, for twelve years, as punishment for the murders. As part of his sentence, Hercules had to perform twelve Labours, feats so difficult that they seemed impossible. These included slaying the Nemean Lion and the Hydra.

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PerseusPerseus

A hero commanded by King Polydectes of Seriphus to fetch Medusa’s head, Perseus was the son of Zeus and the mortal Danae. With the help of the gods, Perseus obtained an invisible helm, magical sword, and winged sandals. Using these, he slew Medusa. On his way back, he saw the princess Andromeda chained to the rocks as a sacrifice to the sea-monster Kraken. Perseus slew Kraken and rescued Andromeda, bringing her back to Seriphus. In Seriphus, he used Medusa’s head to turn the king to stone.

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AtalantaAtalanta

Known as a great female athlete and huntress, Atalanta was a great favourite of the goddess Artemis. She was nursed in the wilderness by a bear. She hunted the Calydonian Boar, and slew Centaurs, To win her hand in marriage, Hippomenes sought the help of the goddess Aphrodite who gave him three golden apples to cast before the girl in the race. When Atalanta stooped to retrieve these, she was slowed enough to allow him to emerge victorious.

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Jason and MedeaJason and Medea

In order to reclaim his throne from his uncle, Jason led a team of heroes to obtain the Golden Fleece. They travelled on a specially built ship known as the Argo. Along the way, they had to overcome the Harpies and other challenges. In the court of King Aetes, who owned the Golden Fleece, he won the hand of Aetes’s powerful daughter, Medea, in marriage. With her help, he obtained the Fleece.

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TheseusTheseus

Theseus was either the son of Aegeus, King of Athens, or possibly of the god Poseidon. His mother raised him away from Athens and sent him back to Aegeus when he came of age. Intending to kill the Minotaur, he journeyed to Crete as one of the youths to be given to the monster as tribute. In Crete, Ariadne, daughter of Minos, gave him a ball of thread, so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth. He killed the Minotaur and sailed to Athens with Ariadne.

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HorrifyinHorrifying g

MonstersMonsters

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CetoCeto

Ceto was a hideous aquatic monster who was also a sea goddess. She was more specifically a goddess of whales, large sharks, and sea-monsters. Together with her brother, the sea-god Phorcys, she produced a brood of awful monsters: Echidna (the Viper), Scylla (the Crab), Ladon (the Dragon), and the Graia (the Grey), among others.

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TyphonTyphon

Typhon, was a monstrous immortal storm-giant who was defeated and imprisoned by Zeus in the pit of Tartarus. He was the source of devastating storm winds which issued forth from that frightening nether realm.

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EchidnaEchidna

Echidna was called the “Mother of All Monsters". She was described by the Greek poet Hesiod as a female monster who mated with Typhon and produced almost every major monster in the Greek myths. Her offspring included Cerberus, the Gorgons, the Sphinx, the Chimera and the Hydra. She represented the corruptions of the earth: rot, slime and disease.

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HydraHydra

The Hydra was a giant water dragon with many heads that lived in a swamp near Lerna in the land of Argos. The number of heads is variously reported from as few as five to more than a hundred. The second of the twelve labours of Hercules was to kill the Hydra. However, when one of the Hydra's heads was cut off, two more grew in its place.

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ChimeraChimera

The Chimera was a monstrous fire-breathing creature. It had the body of a lioness with a tail that terminated in a snake's head, and the head of a goat arose on her back at the centre of her spine. The Chimera was one of the offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as the Sphinx, Cerberus and the Hydra. 31

CerberusCerberus

Cerberus was the terrifying three-headed dog which guarded the entrance to the underworld (Hades), preventing spirits from leaving and living mortals from entering. The offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna, Cerberus was also the brother of the Hydra and the Chimera. He had the tail of a dragon and had snakes sprouting from his back. His appearance was so fearsome that any living person who saw him turned to stone. The saliva that fell from his mouth produced a deadly poison.

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SphinxSphinx

The Sphinx was a winged monster that had the body of a lion and the head of a woman. Her siblings included Cerberus, the Hydra, and the Nemean Lion. The Sphinx lived on a rock outside Thebes, where she terrified the local people. The Sphinx posed a riddle to any passerby: “I have four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening, but I am weakest when I have the most legs. What am I?" No one was able to solve the riddle, and the Sphinx devoured anyone who failed to answer correctly.

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MedusaMedusa

Medusa, one of three sisters known as the Gorgons, had a destructive effect upon humans. In many myths, she appeared as a horribly ugly woman with snakes for hair, although occasionally, she was described as being beautiful. In both forms, Medusa's appearance was deadly: any person who gazed directly at her would turn to stone. 34

PegasusPegasus

Pegasus was supposedly the offspring of the sea god Poseidon and Medusa. According to myth, Pegasus was born from the blood that spurted from Medusa's neck when the hero Perseus killed her. Pegasus served Perseus until the latter’s death and afterward went to the home of the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts and science.

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CentaurCentaur

Centaurs were creatures that were half-man and half-horse. They had the head, neck, chest, and arms of a man and the body and legs of a horse. Most centaurs were brutal, violent creatures known for their drunkenness and lawless behaviour.

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SatyrSatyr

Satyrs were half-man, half-beast creatures that lived in forests and hills. Usually pictured as human above the waist and as horse or goat below the waist, satyrs had pointed ears or horns on their heads. Followers of Dionysus, the god of wine, satyrs had a reputation for drunkenness and rude behaviour.

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ManticoreManticore

The manticore had a human head and face, a lion's body, and a scorpion's tail. This fast, powerful, and fierce beast attacked and devoured people. It was said to have originated in India. It was mostly red, had pale blue or gray eyes, and three rows of sharp teeth stretching from ear to ear. Its tail was equipped with stinging quills that the creature could shoot like arrows.

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PhoenixPhoenix

The phoenix was a fiery bird mentioned in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. The phoenix lived for 500 years, then died and was reborn. It had brilliant golden and scarlet feathers and grew to the size of an eagle. Just before dying, the phoenix built a nest of fragrant herbs and spices. Then it set the nest on fire and died in the flames. However, a new phoenix would rise from the ashes.

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CyclopsCyclops

A Cyclops was a giant who possessed only one eye set in the middle of his forehead. Cyclopes were said to be skilled workers who built the walls of several ancient cities. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote about three of the Cyclopes: Brontes (thunder), Steropes (lightning), and Arges (brightness). The sons of Uranus (sky) and Gaia (earth), these Cyclopes gave Zeus the gifts of thunder and lightning with which he defeated the Titans and became ruler of the universe.

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MinotaurMinotaur

The Minotaur was a monstrous creature with the head of a bull on a man's body. Like many other mythological monsters, the Minotaur had a ravenous appetite for human flesh. He was eventually slain by the hero, Theseus, with the help of the resourceful Ariadne.

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SirensSirens

The Sirens were female creatures with the bodies of birds and human heads. They lived on an island where they enchanted passing sailors with their singing. According to some sources, sailors died when their ships crashed on the rocks near the island. Others say that sailors stayed on the island and listened to the singing until they died.

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HarpyHarpy

Greek mythology contains two accounts of the Harpies. In the older version, the Harpies were spirits of the wind who snatched people and caused things to disappear. The later story describes the Harpies as hideous birds with the faces of women. In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, they terrorized Phineus, the king of Thrace, by blinding him and stealing his food. Phineus promised to tell the Argonauts their future if they would drive away the Harpies.

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Useful LinksUseful Links

http://www.mythweb.com/

http://www.greekmythology.com/

http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/

http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html

http://storynory.com/category/greek-myths/

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/greek/greek1.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/religion/

greekrelig.htm

http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/greek/

articles.html