The Ancient Gods of GreeceBy Carson Jenkins

The Mighty ZEUSZeus is basically the most powerful

guy on Mount Olympus. He’s the king of the gods. Gods and mortals have to do what he says. It's Zeus' job to make sure that the good are rewarded and the evil are punished. He has plenty of children: Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Dionysus, Hebe, Hephaestus, Hermes, the Muses, Pan, Persephone, Helen, Hercules, Minos, Orion, Perseus, and so many more.

Zeus’ Lightning Bolt

HERAQueen of the Gods

Hera is Zeus' wife and sister, and was raised by the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. She is the supreme goddess, goddess of marriage and childbirth, having a special interest in protecting married women. At one point Zeus married Hera, but after a while, he Zeus ended up constantly tricking Hera. She stays on Olympus with Zeus.

Hera’s cow (One of her m

any Symbols

POSEIDON Lord of the Sea

Poseidon, god of the sea, has some anger issues. I think Poseidon’s personality makes a lot of sense for the god of the ocean because sometimes water is calm, and other times the waves are crashing and destroying things. If you make Poseidon mad, he will probably end up sending storms, floods, and earthquakes out to get you. He is married to the sea goddess, Amphitrite. He of course spends his time in the sea, or Mount Olympus.

Poseidon’s (hard too see) trident, both his symbol and weapon.

Goddess of the House

HESTIAHestia was a beautiful goddess,

both Poseidon and Apollo tried to marry her. Hestia didn’t like either of them so she had Zeus make her a virgin forever. When Zeus gave her this favor she asked for he asked (made) her take care of the sacred hearth fire of Olympus. She did it and ended up loving taking care of the warmth in people's homes.

Hera’s symbol: fire, and/or hearth

DEMETERGoddess of the

HarvestDemeter is the goddess of

agriculture and all that fun stuff. She taught the art of agriculture to some guy named Triptolemus, who then spread this knowledge to the rest of the earth. Since agriculture is necessary for existence, we owe her big time. I think she was probably a very important god in the Ancient Greece culture. She spends her time on Olympus… harvesting.

Demeter’s sym

bol, the corn or plants.

The Master of War ARES

Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Ancient Greece Ares is the god of the violent and physical part of the war compared to his sister Athena, who is a goddess of intelligence including military strategy and generalship. Ares stays at Olympus.

Ares’ Spear + ShieldObviously his weapon

ATHENAThe Wise

Athena is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, and so many more things. Athena is known for her calm temper, it’s hard to make her angry. She is noted to have only fought for just reasons, and would not fight without a purpose. Athena spends her time on Olympus much like every other god.

Athena’s spear (weapon)

APOLLOOf the Sun

Apollo is one of the most popular gods, and everybody wanted to worship him. Is it because he's the god of prophecy and everybody wants to know the future? Who knows? But the bottom line is that Apollo is for sure the coolest kid in school. Apollo’s twin is Artemis. He spends his time on Olympus.

Apollo’s Bow + the Sun his symbol and weapon

ARTEMISOf the Moon

Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, female fertility, and the moon. She's also a sworn virgin. Artemis is known to be nice to mortals but she also has a big temper. This goddess carries a hunting bow and she knows how to use it.

Artemis’ Moon and Bow her symbol and weapon

HEPHAESTUSGod of Fire and

TechnologyHephaestus is the god of fire,

blacksmiths, stonemasons, technology, and volcanoes. Hephaestus is famous for making beautiful and fabulous things. Aphrodite's girdle, Achilles' unbreakable armor, and the sun-chariot of Helios are all things Hephaestus' forged. He is always on Olympus.

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APHRODITEGoddess of Love

Greeks may call her Aphrodite, but everybody calls her drop dead gorgeous. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. She provides Olympus with more scandal and trouble than it could ever want. She is often untrustworthy. I assume she takes on these traits because of her looks. There's no one quite like her. Aphrodite spends her time on Mount Olympus.

Aphrodite’s most useful weapon was her beauty

Messenger of the GodsHERMES

Hermes is the messenger of the gods and the guide to the dead, so he's a busy guy. You better watch your wallet, though if you ever run into Hermes, (even though you won’t.) Although Hermes is easy to get along with in general, he is the god of thieves, and he's known for finding sneaky ways of stealing anything that catches his eye. Hermes will be on Olympus, when not traveling of course.

Hermes’ weapon/symbol called Caduceus

CREDITShttp://www.shmoop.com/ http://www.greek-mythology-pantheon.com/ http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hera/hera.html