Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire, and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts she had a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her.(Evslin 12) Besides having the gift of beauty Aphrodite could bathe in the sea and become a virgin again, no matter how many lovers or children she had. (Switzer, pg 32) There are two accounts of her birth. One says she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. The other goes back to when Cronos castrated Uranus and tossed his severed genitals into the sea. Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus. (Evslin 12)
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of Artemis. He is the god of music, playing a golden lyre, archery, shooting with a silver bow, healing, who taught man medicine, light, and truth, since he is not able to speak a lie. One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to harness the chariot with four horses and drive the Sun across the sky. He is famous for his oracle at Delphi, which people traveled to from all over the Greek world to divine the future. Of Apollo's many loves, one of the best known was Daphne, who fled from his embraces and was turned into his tree, the laurel. From that time on, Apollo wore a laurel wreath. Laurel wreaths became the prize awarded in athletic and musical competitions. (Evslin 13)
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo. She is the lady of the wild things and is the huntswoman of the gods. Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows which might account for her becoming 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. (Evslin 17)
Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armor from his forehead, thus had no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but, only fights to protect 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' favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. (Evslin 20) Athena's symbol was the owl, which is featured on the Athenian coins. (Cotterell 25)
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. He was the god of war and was disliked by both parents. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward. (Evslin 15) The only one among the gods who delighted in Ares's deeds was Hades, for frequent wars meant that his underworld kingdom received a constant stream of young warriors slain on the field of battle. (Cotterell 24)
Demeter is the goddess of corn, grain, and the harvest. She is the daughter of Cronos and Rhea. It is Demeter that makes the crops grow each year and the first loaf of bread from the harvest is sacrificed to her. Demeter is intimately associated with the seasons through the myth of the abduction of Persephone. 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 underworld. During these months Demeter grieves her daughter's absence, and withdraws her gifts from the world, creating winter. Her return brings spring. (Evslin 51)
Dionysus is the god of the vine. He invented wine and spread the art of tending grapes. He has a dual nature, on one side he is the bringer of joy and divinity, on the other brutal, unthinking, and angry. Thus, he reflected both sides of wine's nature. 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, invisible, felt only as a divine 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 see 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 had no choice. He appeared in his true form and Semele was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory. Zeus managed to rescue Dionysus and stitched him into his thigh to hold him until he was ready to be born. His birth from Zeus alone conferred immortality upon him. (Evslin 55)
Eris 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, however, this was not always a safe thing to do. The most dramatic example was the Trojan War, which was an indirect result of not inviting Eris to a wedding. (Evslin 64)
The Fates have the subtle but, awesome power of deciding a man's destiny. They assign a man to good or evil. Their most obvious choice is choosing how long a man lives. There are three Fates, Clotho, the spinner, who spins the thread of life, Lachesis, who chooses the lot in life one will have and measures off how long it is to be, and Atropos, she cannot be turned, who at death with her shears cuts the thread 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 trifle with them. (Evslin 75)
Hades is the brother of Zeus. He had the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. Hades is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth, and was usually called by the title of Pluto("the giver of wealth"). (Cotterell 45) Hades has a helmet that makes him invisible. His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but, death itself is another god, Thanatos. (Evslin 83) However, the Greeks never thought of Hades as an evil force like Satan in Christianity. (Cotterell 45)
Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. He is the only god to be physically ugly and 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 say that he took Hera's side in an argument with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. He is the god of fire and the forge and the smith and armorer of the god. Hephaestus used a volcano as his forge and is the patron god of both smiths and weavers. (Evslin 94) Hephaestus was a kindly and artistically gifted god, who even loved his cruel mom and his faithless wife Aphrodite. Often, when Zeus got angry with Hera for meddling in his affairs, Hephaestus tried to protest her, but she never showed him the slightest love or gratitude. (Switzer, pg. 43)
Once when Zeus was being particularly 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 arguments. Still full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped in and was able to quickly untied the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grabbed up his thunderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy. He seized Hera and hung her from the sky with golden 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 rebelled, she often intrigued against Zeus' plans and she was often able to outwit him. (Evslin 95)
Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus' infidelities. But when not provoked by Zeus, Hera could be wise and compassionate. She had a great liking for the brave and noble among the mortals and helped many of them out when they were in trouble. Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. (Evslin 96)
Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is the messenger and the fastest of the gods. Because of Hermes' speed he sent to steal things thought unobtainable and became known as the god of thieves. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a herald's staff crowned with two snakes. (Cotterell 49). Hermes is able to easily pass from the world of the living to the world of the dead and 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. (Evslin 98) He was also unusually precocious. Five minutes after his birth he sneaked out of his crib and toddled down Mount Olympus. (Switzer, pg.41)
Hestia. Hestia is Zeus's sister. She is the virgin goddess but does not have a distinct personality and played no great 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. (Evslin 101)
Pan is the son of Hermes. He is the god of goatherds and shepherds. He is mostly human in appearance but, with goat horns and goat feet. He is an excellent musician and plays the pipes. He is merry and playful and is frequently seen dancing with woodland nymphs. He is at home in any wild place but, is favorite is Arcadia, where he was born. He is always in pursuit of one of the nymphs but, always is rejected because he is ugly. (Evslin 167)
Poseidon is the brother of Zeus. When Zeus drew lots with his brothers, Poseidon's pick was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshipped by seaman, for he controlled the sea. Though Zeus was the supreme deity, Poseidon was very powerful and independent from his brother sometimes. Poseidon had a very bad temper that affected many of the Greek city-states, specially Athens after it chose Athena as its patron-deity over Poseidon. (Cotterell 75) He was greedy and had a series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities. (Evslin 190)
He is associated with the horse and bull, for he created the horse and the bull is associated with the story of Minos and the Minotaur. The creation of the horse stems out of the myth of Poseidon's love for 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 unsuccessful and created a variety of other animals in his quest. By the time the horse was created his passion for Demeter had cooled. (Evslin 190) Poseidon's association with the bull comes from the myth of the creation of the minotaur. King Minos, the ruler of Crete, asked Poseidon for a sign, a white bull emerged from the waves. Religious customs required Minos to sacrifice the bull, but he chose not to do so, with the result that his own wife became the bull's lover. From this strange affair the Minotaur was created, the bullheaded man. (Cotterell 75) His weapon is the trident, which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. (Evslin 190)
Zeus' father was the Titan king Cronos, who swallowed all of his children to ensure his power. Zeus was rescued by his mother and grew up to overthrow his father and the other Titans in a battle that lasted ten years. Before "killing" Cronos Zeus gave him a potion that would make Cronos vomit up all the children he had swallowed. (Cotterell 89) After the Titans were defeated, he then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades to decide who would rule what. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky, the rain god. With his weapon, the thunderbolt, he punishes those who displease him by hurling the thunderbolt at them. (Evslin 233)
Other useful sites (more to come)
Bulfinch's Mythology
The Encyclopedia Mythica
