Download - The Greek / Roman Gods & Goddesses
The Greek / Roman Gods & Goddesses
Zeus / Jupiter• King of the gods• God of air• Uses Thunderbolts as
his weapon• Womanizer – married
his own sister• Son of Cronos and
Rhea• Most powerful Jupiter is so named
because it is so big – it is the “King of Planets”
Music is Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity”
Poseidon / Neptune
• God of the sea and earthquakes
• Made horses• Trident is weapon• Amphitrite is his wife• Zeus’ brother• Son of Cronos and
Rhea• 2nd most powerful
Neptune is so named because the blue looks like water
Music is Gustav Holst’s “Neptune, the Mystic”
Hades / Pluto / Dis
• God of the Underworld and Wealth
• King of the dead but he is not Death
• Zeus’ brother• Son of Cronos and Rhea• Has a helmet that makes the
wearer invisible• Persephone (Spring) is his
wife• NOT EVIL! (but he is
unpitying)• 3rd most powerful
Hera / Juno
• Queen of the gods• Protector of marriage• Wife/sister of Zeus• The peacock is her
symbol (because of the eye-look)
• Cows are sacred to her (ox-eyed Hera)
• JealousNo planet, but there is an asteroid named after her plus a city in Alaska
Phoebus Apollo
• God of truth, light, archery, and healing
• Sun god in some myths (Helios is the sun god in other myths)
• Son of Zeus and Leto• Wolves, dolphins, and
crows are sacred to him
• Has the Oracle of Delphi
Apollo asteroids are near-earth asteroids
Artemis / Diana
• Apollo’s Twin sister• Goddess of the
hunt, wild things, and crossways
• She is the moon goddess sometimes
• Virgin goddess• As Diana, she is
also a goddess of light
• Stags are sacred
The Artemis navigation satellite
Aphrodite / Venus• Goddess of beauty
and love• Mother of
Eros/Cupid• Wife of
Hephaestus/Vulcan but lover of Ares/Mars and other guys
• Born from the foam in the sea caused by the attack of Cronos/ Saturn on Ouranus/Uranus
Venus is so named because it is a beautiful planet and can be easily seen with just the eye
Gustav Holst’s “Venus, Bringer of Peace”
Ares / Mars• God of War• Son of Zeus and Hera,
but both hate him• The Romans glorify
him, but the Greeks make him out to be a coward
• He has three children with Aphrodite: Phobos (panic) and Deimos (fear) are twins
Mars and its moons, Phobos and Deimos
Gustav Holst’s “Mars, Bringer of War”
Pallas Athena / Minerva
• Goddess of wisdom and defensive war
• Daughter of Zeus and Metis (titan) – she popped out of his head after he swallowed the pregnant Metis
• She carries a shield with Medusa’s head on it
Minerva was a tiny robot designed by the Japanese to land on an asteroid, but got lost in space.
Hephaestus / Vulcan
• God of fire and the forge• Son of Zeus and Hera• Ugly • Lame because he was thrown off Mt. Olympus for
interfering with a fight between Hera and Zeus• Husband to Aphrodite
Hermes / Mercury• Messenger god and
the god of thieves• Greek Trickster
figure• Very fast• Son of Zeus and
Maia• Loves Aphrodite• Greeks believed he
guided souls to Hades
Mercury revolves around the sun so fast, it was named for the messenger god. One year is faster than one day on Mercury
The Hermes Asteroid
Hestia / Vesta
• Zeus’ sister – Oldest of the original gods
• Goddess of the hearth and home
• Gave up her spot on Mt. Olympus for Dionysus
• Worshipped daily• A virgin priestesses served
her for 30 year time periods• Does pretty much nothing in
mythology Asteroid Vesta
Eros / Cupid
• God of love• Son of Ares and
Aphrodite• Often portrayed as a
child, but not always. • He has wings • Uses a bow and arrow –
arrows cause one to fall in love
• Momma’s boy
Eros is a near earth asteroid
Demeter / Ceres
• Daughter of Cronos and Rhea
• Goddess of vegetation• Had powers of growth
and resurrection• Her daughter is
Persephone
The asteroid Ceres was the first asteroid ever discovered and is one of the largest (about the size of Texas). It almost became a designated as a planet
Dionysus / Bacchus
• Son of Zeus and Semele
• God of wine and happiness
• In some areas of Greece, his worship was outlawed (too dirty)
The Bacchus asteroid