The Olympian Gods The Olympian Gods n Identify

The Olympian Gods

The Olympian Gods

n Identify this god and his characteristic weapon.

Zeus n King Zeus had an enormous throne of polished black Egyptian marble, decorated in gold. Seven steps led up to it, each of them enameled with one of the seven colors of the rainbow. A bright blue covering above showed that the whole sky belonged to Zeus alone; and on the right arm of his throne perched a ruby-eyed golden eagle clutching jagged strips of pure tin, which meant that Zeus could kill whatever enemies he pleased by throwing a thunderbolt of forked lightning at them. A purple ram's fleece covered the cold seat. Zeus used it for magical

n Identify this god and his characteristic weapon

Poseidon is not merely the god of the sea, but it also known as the Earth-Shaker …. In art, he is generally represented as a mature, bearded man and is associated with horses, dolphins, and his trident…. More than anything else, he represents a changing character. His attitudes, like water, are constantly shifting. Poseidon is benevolent and helpful to mankind at times, but can quickly become jealous, angry, and destructive. Poseidon's swaying character often embodies the same traits that the water he rules over displays. Harold Bloom applies this idea to the struggle between Athena and Poseidon throughout the Odyssey and states, "We might trace then a politics pitting the forces of the land civilization against the forces of the sea and brute mindlessness" (137). The brute force of the sea is applied to both Poseidon and his relations in both

n Identify this god and his companion.

Hades n When the three sons of Cronus divided the world among each other, Hades was given the underworld, while his brothers Zeus and Poseidon took the upperworld and the sea respectively. For a while Hades ruled the underworld together with Persephone, whom he had abducted from the upperworld, but Zeus ordered him to release Persephone back into the care of her mother Demeter. However, before she left he gave her a pomegranate and when she ate of it, it bound her to the underworld forever.

n Hades sits on a throne made of ebony, carries a scepter, and has a helmet, given to him by the Cyclopes, which can make him invisible. n Hades rules the dead, assisted by various demonic helpers, such as Thanatos and Hypnos, the ferryman Charon, and the hound Cerberus. n Many heroes from Greek mythology have descended into the underworld, either to question the shades or trying to free them. n Although Hades does not allow his subjects to leave his domain, on several occasions he has granted permission, such as when Orpheus

n n Hades possesses the riches of the earth, and is thus referred to as 'the Rich One'. Possibly also because -as Sophocles writes -- 'the gloomy Hades enriches himself with our sighs and our tears'. Of all the gods, Hades is the one who is liked the least and even the gods themselves have an aversion of him. People avoided speaking his name lest they attracted his unwanted attention. With their faces averted they sacrificed black sheep, whose blood they let drip into pits, and when they prayed to him, they would bang their hands on the ground. The narcissus and the

n Identify this goddess and her iconography.

Hera n n Hera, who walks in golden sandals, is the Queen of Heaven, always a virgin, for she recovers her maidenhood every year by bathing in a spring called Canathus in Argolis. Hera is known for her jealousy, and because of it, she persecuted her husband's lovers and the children he had by them. Creation of the Milky Way According to some, the Milky Way (Via Lactea) was formed by the milk of Hera, which flowed when she realized that she had been giving milk to Hermes (or Heracles 1), and thrust him away. But it is also said that the Milky Way commemorates the milk of Hera with which she was to anoint and feed Dionysus 2 in order to heal his madness. (Parada).

n How is this picture characteristic of the relationship between Hera and Zeus?

Hera and Zeus The depiction of Hera and Zeus as a warring couple reflects a tension the older worship of female deities and the more recent ascension of male gods in Greek culture. n In Greek mythology, Hera was the reigning female goddess of Olympus because she was Zeus's wife. But her worship is actually far older than that of her husband. It goes back to a time when the creative force we call "God" was conceived of as a woman. The Goddess took many forms, among them that of a bird.

n Tens of thousands of years ago, as the evidence of cave art and artifacts makes clear, humanity was focused on the female body, either pregnant or fit to bear children. Childbirth was the closest humans came to the great power that caused the earth to bring forth new life in the spring. To the extent that these distant ancestors of ours were evolved enough to think of worshipping this power, we may safely conclude that they thought of it as female. n It is said that it was only when humanity discovered man's role in procreation that male gods began to be worshipped. There is no reason to doubt, though, that male gods were worshipped before the mystery of birth was fully known. In all probability the greatest powers were thought of as female but there were male deities as well. And it is clear that even after procreation was properly understood, the more peaceful Europeans--perhaps down to the "Minoans" of Crete--continued to worship the Great Mother.

n Hera was worshipped throughout Greece, and the oldest and most important temples were consecrated to her. Her subjugation to Zeus and depiction as a jealous shrew are mythological reflections of one of the most profound changes ever in human spirituality.

n Zeus's many adulterous affairs may derive from ceremonies in which the new sky god "married" various local embodiments of the Great Goddess. That there was some insecurity on the part of the supplanter god and his worshippers is seen in the mythological birth of Athena from Zeus's head--as if to say that the sky god could do anything any Great Goddess could do (Skidmore).

n Who is this god and why is she wearing a helmet?

Athena n n Daughter of Zeus, and only by him, the Goddess Athena was not generated by any woman. She leaped from the head of Zeus, already adult, dressed with her armor. . Mother Earth and Father Sky had advised Zeus to assimilate his pregnant wife into his own body to prevent any of his descendants from robbing him of his kingly rank-- for it was destined that the most brilliant children were to be born to the Goddess Metis: first, the daughter Athena, and later a son, the future King of Gods and men. Athena is the favorite daughter of Zeus; and that's why he let her use his insignia: the terrible shield, the aegis and his devastating weapon, the ray. In the most ancient account, the Iliad, Athena is the Goddess of ferocious and implacable fight, but, wherever she can be found, she only is a warrior to defend the State and the native land against the enemies coming from outside.

n She is, above all, the Goddess of the City, the protectress of civilized life, of artesian activities, and of agriculture. She also invented the horse-bit, which, for the first time, tamed horses, allowing men to use them. n The most used expression to describe her is "the bright eyed". She is the first of the three virgin Goddesses, also known as Maiden, Parthenos, and from this name was taken the name to the most important Temple dedicated to her, the Parthenon. Athens is her city; the olive tree, created by her, is her tree; the owl, is the bird consecrated to her.

n Who is this god and what are her powers?

Aphrodite’s Birth The Birth of Venus, Botticelli

Aphrodite n n n Aphrodite was the great Olympian goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and procreation. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually accompanied by the winged godling Eros (Love). Her symbolic imagery includes a dove, apple, scallop shell and mirror. In classical sculpture and fresco she was often depicted nude. The most common version of the birth of Aphrodite describes her born in sea-foam from the castrated genitals of the sky-god Uranos (Atsma). Myths of Aphrodite include her many affairs, and her destructive powers, especially in the Trojan

Identify this familiar figure, commonly depicted with his bow and arrows.

Eros n Eros, the Greek god of love and sexual desire, was also worshiped as a fertility god, believed to be a contemporary of the primeval Chaos which makes Eros one of the oldest gods. In the Dionysian Mysteries Eros is referred to as "protagonus", the first born. n There are many variations to whom the parents of Eros really where. According to Aristophanes (Birds) he was born from Erebus and Nyx (Night); in later mythology Eros is the offspring of Aphrodite and Ares. Yet in the Theogony, the epic poem written by Hesiod, it mentions a typified Eros as being an attendant of Aphrodite, but not her son.

n From the early legend of Eros it is said that he was responsible for the embraces of Uranus (Heaven or Sky) and Gaia (Earth), and from their union were born many offspring. It was also written that Eros hatched our race and made it appear first into the light (Birds, by Aristophanes). Although one of the oldest gods, he was a latecomer to Greek religion. He was worshiped in many regions of Greece--in Athens the fourth day of every month was sacred to Eros…personified all the attractions that evoked love and desire, this included heterosexual and homosexual allurements. Anteros (the Returner of Love also known as the god of Mutual Love) was the brother of Eros, which comes from the version of which Aphrodite and Ares are said to be the mother and father of Eros. n Eros is usually depicted as a young winged boy, with his bow and arrows at the ready, to either shoot into the hearts of gods or mortals which would rouse them to desire. His arrows came in two types: golden with dove feathers which aroused love, or leaden arrows which had owl feathers that

n Who is this god? What is his connection to Eros?

Ares n Ares is the mighty but hated man-slaying god of war and warriors. This blood-stained homicide god is often followed in the fight by his sons Phobus and Deimos (Terror and Fear). But as standpoints are many, he has also been called "Saviour of Cities", "Defense of Olympus", "Father of Victory", "Ally of Themis", and "Leader

n n As the Bronze Age of man approached…a new generation of gods was born to remind man of himself, of the sacredness and purity of nature, and of the virtues of order, industriousness and political sense. But to assist the coming madness of man, his brutality, and his bloodthirst, came Ares, so that wretches who delight in murder would not be altogether without consolation. Even cowardly deeds may seem feats of bravery thanks to this god. But he reminds men of nothing as he incites them to run riot, kill, burn, and rape, but submerges them in mud and blood, making them forget the beauties of heaven and earth. This misery is one of the many

Why is this god portrayed as an ideal of masculine beauty?

Apollo n Apollo is in many respects the paradigm of a Greek god. He represents order, harmony, and civilization in a way that most other Olympian deities cannot quite equal. One only has to compare him with Dionysos to understand how Apollo is depicted as a bright, rational counterpart to the chaotic and frenzied god of wine and women. Indeed, Apollo is most often associated with the cultivated arts of music and medicine, and his role as the leader of the Muses establishes him as a patron of intellectual pursuits.

n Therefore, it comes as no surprise that in art, images of Apollo represented the height of male attractiveness indeed, for years, Archaic statues of youths were commonly referred to as "Apollo", later to be replaced the more accurate term "kouros" (young man). However, as with most Greek deities, Apollo has characteristics that are myriad and diverse, so we should proceed to an exploration of this important god (Mythography).

Why would NASA use the name and image of Apollo for a series of flights into outer space?

Identify this goddess, her powers and her domain. n What is her relationship to Apollo? n

Artemis was the great Olympian goddess of hunting, wilderness and wild animals. She was also a goddess of childbirth, and the protectress of the girl child up to the age of marriage. Her twin brother Apollo was similarly the protector of the boy child. Together the two gods were also bringers of sudden death and disease--Artemis targeted women and girls, and Apollo men and boys. n In ancient art Artemis was usually depicted n

n Identify this god and his setting.

Hephaestus is the god of the smiths. He discovered the ways of working iron, copper, gold, silver, and everything else which requires fire for working. Hephaestus made some extraordinary constructions: n He gave King Aeetes the brazen-footed bulls that puffed fire from their mouths.

Hepaestus n He also wrought the famous Necklace of Harmonia, and he made a bed forged of gold, in which Helios (the Sun) is carried in sleep.

n n When Heracles did not know how to drive the Stymphalian Birds from the wood, Athena gave him brazen castanets to scared them with, which she had received from Hephaestus also made a scepter for Zeus,

n n Hephaestus gave a golden breastplate to Heracles, and he also made Achilles' new armour, when he laid aside his wrath and decided to return to the fight at Troy. And when Achilles killed Asteropaeus, grandson of the river Axius, the river god rushed at him, but Hephaestus dried up his streams with a powerful flame (Parada).

Identify this god who is accompanied by a panther and a satyr. He is depicted here holding grapes. This statue was carved of marble in the second century and found in Rome in the sixteenth century.

Dionysos n Dionysos is an atypical Greek deity. While the Olympian gods are bright beings of sunlight, Dionysos is a creature of mystery, his very essence an enigma. His realm is shadowy, and his followers flirt with madness, drunkenness, and death. He is the god who brings wine, but also an intoxication that merges the drinker with the deity. And, perhaps most significantly, his connection with a certain type of cult activity, known as a "mystery", separates him from his fellow Olympians, with the exception of the goddess Demeter)

n It is through the mystery cults, the secrets of which were so well guarded that we know but a few essential details, that we come into contact with a unique characteristic of Dionysos; for according to the legends of one of the cults, the god himself dies. That a god should die seems an oxymoron - by definition, a deity is immortal. And yet some of his followers believed that he was slain, and then reborn, something which is unthinkable in the case of other Greek deities. Dionysos is also spelled Dionysus (Mythography).

Who is this woman and why is she tending a fire?

Hestia n Hestia was the virgin goddess of the hearth (both private and municipal) and the home. As the goddess of the fire of the family hearth, she also presided over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal. Hestia was also the goddess of the sacrificial flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods. In daily Greek religious observance, she was one of the most important gods. The cooking of the communal feast of sacrificial meat was naturally a part of her domain.

n n In myth, Hestia was the first born child of Kronos and Rhea who was swallowed by her father at birth. Zeus later forced the old Titan to disgorge Hestia and her siblings. As the first to be swallowed she was also the last to be disgorged, and so was named as both the eldest and youngest of the six children of Kronos. When the gods Apollo and Poseidon sought for her hand in marriage, Hestia refused and asked Zeus to let her remain an eternal virgin. He agreed and she took her place at his royal hearth. Hestia was depicted in Athenian vase painting as a modestly veiled woman sometimes holding a flowered branch. In classical sculpture she was also

n This god, pictured here with the infant Dionysos, may be more familiar in the next image.

n Are these images more familiar?

Hermes n Hermes is the messenger of Zeus and the herald of the gods. To him is ascribed the introduction of the sending of embassies to sue for peace. Hermes, the robber and cattle driver, the prince of tricksters, the thief at the gates, the bringer of dreams, the patron of travellers, is also the governor of the tongue, and the guide of intelligent speech. Hermes is called Argiphontes, for having killed the All-seeing Argus who guarded Io, and Psychopompus for being the guide of souls to the Underworld (Parada).

Works Cited Apollo. ” Loggia. com Based on Mythography, Exploring the Greek, Roman and Celtic Myth and Art. 8. 11. 09. <http: //www. loggia. com/myth/apollo. html> “Atsma, Aaron. “Aphrodite, ” Theoi Project. Theoi Greek Mythology, 8. 10. 09. http: //www. theoi. com/Olympios/Aphrodite. html “Atsma, Aaron. “Artemis, ” Theoi Project. Theoi Greek Mythology, 8. 10. 09. <http: //www. theoi. com/Olympios/Aphrodite. html> “Atsma, Aaron. “Hestia, ” Theoi Project. Theoi Greek Mythology, 8. 11. 09. <http: //www. theoi. com/Ouranios/Hestia. html> Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Views: Homer. United States: Chelsea, 1986, Qtd. in Reese, 2002. “Dionysos. ” Loggia. com Based on Mythography, Exploring the Greek, Roman and Celtic Myth and Art. 8. 11. 09. <http: //www. loggia. com/myth/dionysos. html> George, Roy. “The Goddess Athena. ” The Encyclopedia of the Goddess Athena. 08. 11. 09. <http: //www. goddess-athena. org/Encyclopedia/Athena/index. htm> Lindemans, Micha F. “Hades. ” Encyclopedia Mythica, , 8. 11. 09. <http: //www. pantheon. org/articles/h/hades. html> Parada, Carlos. “Hephaestus, ” Greek Mythology Link, 1997. <http: //homepage. mac. com/cparada/GML/Hera. html> Parada, Carlos. “Hera, ” Greek Mythology Link, 1997. <http: //homepage. mac. com/cparada/GML/Hera. html> Parada, Carlos. “Hermes, ” Greek Mythology Link, 1997. <http: //homepage. mac. com/cparada/GML/Hermes. html> Pontikis, Nick. “Zeus, King of the Olympians. ” The Myth Man, 8. 11. 09. <http: //thanasis. com/mmar 99. htm> Reese, Robert. “A History of Poseidon. ” Ca. Sa. Wo. Mo, 8. 09. <http: //www. casawomo. com/essays/a-history-of-poseidon>