The Greek

1. The Greek Gods

2. Chaos Uranus & Gaea Iapetus Themis Oceanus & Tethys Coeus & Pheobe Cronus & Rhea Hades Poseidon Zeus Hera Demeter Hestia Hephestus Ares Aphrodite Apollo Artemis Hermes Athena

3. THE BEGINNING, CHAOS • In the beginning, there was Chaos (shapeless nothingness). Everything was in confusion and darkness. • Out of Chaos, there appeared • Night (darkness) • Death (Erebus).

4. From the union of these two elements came Eros, which was Love and the most significant figure to appear thus far. • To the Greeks, Eros represented a principle of order. They believed that it was Eros, which was capable of bringing an ordered universe out of Chaos. In its role as a principle of order, Eros performed the first marriage by bringing together Uranus, the sky (father), and Gaea, the earth (mother).

5. Uranus & Gaea • Gaea was both sister & wife to Uranus and bore him monsters • the Hundred-handed children w/ 50 heads • 3 huge one-eyed giants called Cyclops • 12 huge giants called Titans.

6. Uranus was jealous and afraid of his children and feared they might try to take his power. • To solve this possible problem, he buried them alive in the earth. • Naturally, Gaea was very unhappy & plotted with Cronus, the youngest of the Titans, to overthrow Uranus.

7. Cronus, with his mother’s help, wounded Uranus with a long, curved knife and became supreme ruler.

8. Cronus & Rhea • The youngest of 12 Titans, Cronus had 5 brothers & 6 sisters. However, his other brother & sisters (the Cyclops & Hundred-armed monsters) were still buried in the earth, breaking a promise to his mother that he would free them. • One of his sisters, Rhea, he married. • Together, they had 12 children.

9. However, Cronus worried that he might be overthrown just as his father was, so he swallowed every child soon after it was born with the exception of Zeus. • With the help of Gaea (still holding a grudge about the broken promise), Rhea saved Zeus by giving Cronus a wrapped up stone to swallow instead of baby Zeus. • Zeus was raised in secret on an island, & when he was ready, he conquered Cronus & freed his 11 brothers & sisters.

10. Zeus • Zeus was raised by nymphs on the island of Crete.

11. Zeus had many wives, but ruled Mount Olympus with his sister & wife Hera. • He was the ruler of the heavens & other gods. • Zeus divided the world among his brothers after conquering his father Cronus. • Zeus is the most powerful of all the gods.

12. Oceanus & Tethys • Oceanus was the Titan of the Ocean, & with Tethys, his sister Titaness that he married, they had daughters that were nymphs known as the Oceanids. • All the gods of all the streams & rivers on earth were their sons. • After Zeus & the Olympians overthrew the Titans, Poseidon became ruler of the ocean.

13. Poseidon

14. Coeus & Phoebe • Coeus, one of the Titans, married his sister Titaness, Phoebe. • Coeus was the Titan of intelligence, & Phoebe was said to be the Titaness of the moon. • Together, they had 2 children.

15. Iapetus • One of the Titans born to Gaea & Uranus. • He had 3 sons: Atlas (punished by Zeus to carry the earth on his shoulders for eternity), Epimetheus, & Prometheus (punished by Zeus & later saved by Hercules).

16. Themis • A Titaness born to Gaea & Uranus. • She was the goddess of order, justice, & law. She is represented carrying a cornucopia & a pair of scales. • She was the first to make prophecies & started the oracle at Delphi. She later gave it to Apollo as a birthday present.

17. Hera • Sister & wife to Zeus, she was the most jealous goddess in all of Greece & persecuted many of Zeus’ mistresses. • She was the goddess of childbirth, marriage & children. • There are many stories of fighting between Zeus & Hera because of his affairs.

18. Demeter • Goddess of corn, grain & the harvest. • Hades abducted her daughter, Persephone, & because of the arrangement between Zeus & Hades, Demeter was able to see her daughter for part of the year & the other half was spent with Hades.

19. Hestia • Quiet goddess of hearth & home. • Most gentle of all the Olympians, she gave up the throne for Dionysus. Hestia tended the sacred fire in the hall of Mount Olympus.

20. Apollo • God of prophecy, reason, music, light, & healing. • Born the twin to Artemis, he is the son of Zeus and Leto (daughter of Coeus & Phoebe). • The oracle of Delphi was given to him. • He is the father of many heroes such as Orpheus & Asclepius.

21. Artemis • Goddess of the hunt, all newborn creatures & chastity. • She is the twin to Apollo. • When she was young, Zeus promised her that she would never have to marry.

22. Aphrodite • Goddess of love & beauty. • She was the only Olympian to have no parents. • She was born of the ocean’s foam & was led to Mount Olympus by the three Graces. • Because of her great beauty, she was given in marriage to Hephaestus, the god of fire.

23. The 3 Graces • Aglaia (Splendor). • Euphrosyne (Mirth). • Thalia (Good Cheer).

24. Hephaestus

25. Hephaestus • Hephaestus was the god of fire & an expert metal-smith. • He was the son to Zeus & Hera. • Hephaestus was born lame & deformed, but married Aphrodite to prevent other gods from fighting over her.

26. However, she was not very faithful & had many affairs, including one with Ares, the god of war.

27. Ares • Ares was the god of war. • He was the son of Hera & Zeus. • Ares loved the sounds of war & bloodshed. • None of the gods on Mount Olympus liked him much due to his bloodthirsty nature. • Aphrodite liked him only for his good looks.

28. Hermes • Hermes was messenger to the gods. • He was the son of Zeus. • He was brought to Mount Olympus after Apollo discovered his talents for making things. • He was the patron of liars, thieves, & gamblers.

29. Poseidon • Poseidon was god of the sea. • He was the brother of Zeus. • When moody, he could create violent storms at sea & wreck ships & flood lands. • However, when he was in a good mood, he could raise up new lands out of the sea.

30. Hades • Hades was god of the underworld, that all mortals feared. • Though he lived in the underworld, Hades was still considered an Olympian. • He lived a gloomy existence with his wife Persephone, whom he abducted.

31. Athena • Athena was the goddess of war, wisdom,& the liberal arts. • She was born fully grown from the head of Zeus. • Athena was the patron to Athens & also aided many heroes: Perseus, Argus, Heracles, & Odysseus.