12 Major

Olympians

Name the deity

who has the
following
attributes:

Cerberus

Dolphins

Dove

Deer

Eagle

Hearth

Lyre

Peacock

Volcano

Vulture

Mt. Olympus

The gods,
goddesses,
creatures and
monsters in Greek
Mythology

ZEUS ( Jupiter)

CRONUS & RHEA

Role and Responsibilities:

Zeus had his golden throne on the highest
summit
ofMount Olympusand
was
respected and awed by all gods and
mortals. He was the "Lord of Justice",
punishing anyone who lied or broke an
oath, but was fair and always striving to
keep a balance of all things.
Furthermore, Zeus was responsible for the
weather and was shaping it according to his
temper.

Lord of the Sky

Rain-god
Cloud-gatherer
Weather-god
Main attribute thunderbolt
Breastplate - Aegis
Bird
- Eagle
Tree
- Oak
Oracle
- Dodona

Appearance and Sacred Symbols:

Zeus was strong and imposing, with
long, oftentimes curly hair.
His name means dios meaning bright.
He was not an omnipotent / omniscient
god.

He falls in love with one woman after

another and does many tricks to hide his
infidelity from his wife Hera:
1. Metis - Athena
2. Hera Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe & Ilithyia
3. Leto Apollo & Artemis
4. Dione (moon of Saturn) Aphrodite
5. Leda (Spartan Queen) (Castor)& Pollux,
(Clytemnestra) & Helen of Troy
6. Semele Dionysus
7. Mnemosyne Muses

MUSES

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Calliope - the Muse of Epic Poetry

Clio - the Muse of History and Epic
Poetry
Erato - the Muse of Love Poetry
Euterpe - the Muse of Music
Melpomene - the Muse of Tragedy
Polyhymnia - the Muse of Hymns
Terpsichore - the Muse of Dance
Thalia - the Muse of Comedy
Urania - the Muse of Astronomy

8. Alcmene Heracles

9. Ganymede (Trojan Prince and became

one of the constellations AQUARIUS or
the water carrier)

HERA ( Juno)

Appearance and Sacred Symbols

Hera was a beautiful-but not really
desirable-, mature woman with big
eyes. She was wearing an ornate crown
on her head, elegant clothes woven by
Athena and tightened with a belt, and
golden sandals were hugging her feet.
Hera loved to wear jewelry and pamper
her body with divine cosmetics.

Zeus wife and sister

Protector of marriage and married
women
Cow and peacock are sacred to her
Argos was her favorite city

Hera was a jealous wife who punishes

many women and even children of
Zeus.
It is said that each year her virginity
returns by bathing in the well
CANATHUS.

POSEIDON (Neptune)

Personality of Poseidon

Poseidon was considered to be the

bad-tempered, moody and greedy
god among the Olympians.
Poseidon was imposing and strong
with long, blue hair.

god of the sea

a very moody divinity
Dolphins and trident were associated
with him
Amphitrite was his wife.

Storm and calm in the sea were under

his control.
Another story about him involves the
competition between him and Athena.

PLUTO

Pluto, the Ruler of the Underworld

Pluto was the Greek god of the Dead. Pluto

was the supreme ruler of the Underworld.
Almost never did he leave his gloomy
kingdom but was residing there instead,
surrounded by darkness and silence...
Plutos helper was Charon, the angel of
dead. Furthermore, Pluto had a dog with
three heads which was named Cerberus.

Appearance and Sacred Symbols

Pluto had gloomy features. He had

a beard and dark hair falling over
his brow. His sacred symbol was
the helmet, which helped him
stay invisible.

lord of the dead

god of wealth
Persephone was his wife
His attribute was the helmet given by the
Cyclopes.
Tartarus / Erebus was the place of the
dead
Cerberus a 3-headed dog and dragon
tailed guard in Hades.

He was not a welcome visitor in Mt.

Olympus

ATHENA ( Minerva)

Appearance and Sacred Symbols

A

tall, slim woman with glaucous

(bluish-gray) eyes trickling light,
wearing a suit of armour and a
golden helmet.

MEDUSA

Medusa

and

Sthenno

two

sisters

of

hers,

and Euryale, were

Gorgons, with frightful eyes, brass
hands and living snakes on their
head instead of hair. Medusa was the
only Gorgon who was mortal,
however she was more powerful than
her sisters.

goddess of wisdom, defensive war, arts,

industry, justice, skill, city
A great inventor chariot, bridle, ship,
trumpet, plow, rake and more
Athens city
Olive tree
Owl bird
A virgin goddess
Parthenon her temple

APOLLO

Appearance and Sacred Symbols

Apollo was a handsome, strong and

youthful god with impressive
golden hair.

Appearance and Sacred Symbols

Apollo was a handsome, strong and

youthful god with impressive
golden hair.
His symbols were the lyre, the tripod
(theoracularseatofthepriestessofApollo
atDelphi), and the laurel tree.

The most Greek of all Gods

god of music, archery, medicine, truth,
light
Laurel his tree
Delphi at Parnassus his oracle

Apollo never married but had lovers and

children:
1. Daphne
2. Cassandra
3. Hyacinthus

ARTEMIS (Diana)

Appearance and Sacred Symbols

Artemis was usually armed with

bow and arrows and was wearing
a knee-high chiton [kayt-n].
Her symbol was the bow and her
sacred animals were the snake
and the deer.

goddess of wilderness, the hunt, wild

animals and of chastity
A virgin goddess

She is usually armed with bow and arrows

made by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes.
Artemis was very protective of her purity
and gave grave punishment to any man
who attempted to dishonor her
ACTAEON (turned into a stag)

APHRODITE (Venus)

Appearance and Sacred Symbols

Aphrodite was a highly attractive

young woman who dressed
elegantly and loved to wear
jewelry.

goddess of love, beauty and

sexual desire
Laughter-loving goddess
Wife of Hephaestus who gave her
the magical girdle (cestus)
Some of her lovers were Ares and
Adonis.
Her children were: Eros & Anteros
(god of unrequited love) and
Aeneas

HERMES ( Mercury )

Hermes, the speedy Messenger and Conductor of

Souls

Hermes was wearing wings on his

sandals and therefore was the
speediest of all Greek gods. Because
of his speed, Hermes received the
role of the messenger and conductor
of souls to the Underworld. Hermes
was the only Olympian god who was
authorized to visit Heaven, Earth and
also the Underworld and enjoyed this
way popularity among all the Greek

god of shepherds, land travel, merchants,

weights and measures, oratory, literature,
athletics and thieves
His attributes were : winged sandals,
winged hat (petasus) and a magic wand
He invented foot racing and boxing
His offspring were Pan and
Hermaphroditus

Apollo gave him the Caduceus in exchange

for his flute and the cattle in exchange for
the lyre.

CADUCEUS

HERMAPHRODITUS

ARES (Mars)

god of offensive war

Vulture his bird

He was often accompanied by his

sister, ERIS, goddess of Discord
and his twin sons PHOBUS &
DEIMUS which means panic
and fear
Once in a while when he was
wounded, he would run back to
his father and was healed.

HEPHAESTUS (Vulcan & Mulciber)

god of fire and volcanoes

Smith-god
A lame god and was born weak and
crippled
He was a PARTHENOGENETIC, meaning
he was conceived without male
fertilization.
He also helped in creating Pandora

He made weapons for the gods :

1. Aegis Zeus & Athena
2. Arrows Eros
3. Chariot sun-god
4. Invincible armor Achilles
A peace loving god.

Why was he crippled and lame?

1. Hera, displeased by the sight of her
son, threw Hephaestus from Mt.
Olympus and he fell for a whole day
before landing in the sea. Nymphs
rescued him and took him to LEMNOS,
where the people of the island cared for
him
2. Hephaestus took sides with Zeus &
Hera when they were quarrelling. Zeus
got angry and threw him from Olympus
and he spent 9 days and 9 nights

HESTIA (Vesta)

A virgin goddess of the hearth,

symbol of home
Every meal began and ended with
an offering to her
She was the peacemaker among
the gods
She was also the protector of
orphans and lost children
In respect of her, people never let
their fireplace to grow cold

DEMETER (Ceres) & PERSEPHONE

DIONYSUS (Bacchus)

EROS (Cupid)

SIRENS

Sources:

http://www.greek-gods.com
Mythology by Edith Hamilton