Transcript Slide 1 - Mr. Arenas` Classroom

Greek Mythology
The Twelve Olympians were the supreme rulers of all of the gods,
goddesses, and all of the mortals on earth. All of the twelve are
immortal, this means that they can live forever. Each watched over
certain aspects of life, known by everyone who was in need of help.
Whenever a person was experiencing any trouble, or just wanted help or
protection, they would pray to the god or goddess that was the patron of
the specific thing they needed. Mythology is like a religion. Some
people still believe today, and ancient mythological ideas are still
influencing society through architecture and they ways that people live
their every day lives. So here are the most famous of the Greek gods and
goddess, the Olympians, the ones who ruled over all from atop their
thrones on Mount Olympus.
The Twelve Olympians
Now, let’s meet the rulers of Mount Olympus!
Zeus
Zeus is the supreme ruler of all the gods. He
is god of the sky, son of Cronus and Rhea.
Zeus had control over the earth, including the
sky, and his favored weapon of choice, the
thunderbolt.
Zeus is also known for his womanizing traits,
with a life full of affairs and unfaithfulness to
his wife, Hera.
Supreme God of
the Sky
When Zeus was born, his father had intended
to swallow him, as he had all of his other
children. His mother Rhea hid him away, and
once he was grown, he came to overthrow his
father, and make him vomit up all of his other
siblings.
Zeus’ sacred animal was the eagle, the
symbol of power, glory, and freedom.
Hera
Hera was a very jealous goddess. Known as the
queen of the gods, she was married to Zeus, her
unfaithful husband and also brother, for they had
the same father.
She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth,
but was also known for her hateful attitude,
especially towards the women (mortal and
immortal) that Zeus has affairs with.
Queen of the Gods and
Goddess of Marriage
and Childbirth
A mythological tale of Hera’s jealousy is that of
Hercules. When he was born, son of a mortal
woman and her husband Zeus, she sent snakes
after him to kill him. His strength helped him
survive and defeat the snakes, only increasing her
jealous streak even more.
Hera’s sacred animals were the cow and the
peacock.
Ares
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera, and was greatly
hated by both his parents.
Many Greek Gods did not believe in going to war
without a reason, and since Ares is the god of war,
he wasn’t very popular. His throne on Mount
Olympus is said to be covered in human skin, while
he carried a bloodstained spear. His worshippers
were not considered to be in the best crowd either,
all of them being vicious and war-seeking.
Ares is said to have had fellow Olympian Aphrodite
as a lover, however this doesn’t say much,
considering she was not very concerned with
personality.
Ares’ animals were the dog and vulture, both very
symbolic of his persona.
The God Of War
Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and
twin sister to Apollo.
Artemis is known for being a virgin goddess,
which may seem odd since she is the goddess of
childbirth. This is because when she was born,
her mother felt absolutely no pain, and she is also
said to have been born first, then helped her
mother while Apollo was being born.
Goddess of hunting
and Childbirth.
One of Artemis’ stories is that one of the other
gods was spying on her while she was bathing,
upon her notice; she turned him into a stag (or a
deer) for punishment.
All wild creatures are precious to her, especially
the deer.
Dionysus
Dionysus was revived by Zeus after
Hera killed his mother, Semele, before
giving birth to her son.
God of Wine and
celebration
One story that is familiar to most about
Dionysus is that of King Midas. It was
Dionysus that granted him the power to
turn everything he touched to gold; he
also took the power away after the King
learned his lesson.
Poseidon
Poseidon was son of Cronus and Rhea, and second in
power only to Zeus.
He had complete control over the ocean, and is
worshiped by many who traveled on his seas.
Poseidon once had a passion for fellow Olympian
Demeter. To try to change his mind, she asked him
to create the most beautiful animal she had ever seen.
In is attempts, he created many animals, but
eventually created the horse, the most beautiful
creature any had ever seen. By this time, his passion
for Demeter had cooled off, and all of his interest
was focused on his horse.
God of the Sea
Thus, Poseidon’s sacred animal, is his own creation,
the horse.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite does not have a definite birth story. The
two different accounts are that she is the daughter of
Zeus and Dione, the other is the mythological story
that she was born and rose from the foam of the sea.
She is known for her unfaithfulness to her husband
Hephaestus with her many lovers (her favorite was
Ares).
It is said that she has a magical girdle that allows her
to make others do anything for her.
Aphrodite’s representative birds are the swan,
sparrow and the dove.
Goddess of Love and Desire
Hephaestus
Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera, but is
sometimes said to not have a father at all.
Blacksmith of the gods
Hephaestus was born deformed and crippled. One
myth says that Hera was upset by his ugliness and
threw him off of Mount Olympus. He landed among
the mer-people and crafted them beautiful jewelry
and apparatuses. These works of beauty were heard
of from all around the world, and Hera decided that
she wanted her son back, and accepted his return to
Mount Olympus, but still detested his ugliness.
Demeter
Demeter is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and
is also older than Poseidon, Hera, and Zeus.
She is the goddess of wheat and grain, with many
gifts in the agricultural area.
Goddess of Earth
When her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by
Hades, she was heartbroken. Demeter wandered
the earth in search of her, causing all of the crops
to die, and everything to become cold. It is said
that Hades takes Persephone every year, thus
giving us the season of winter, when Demeter
travels around trying to find her daughter. Every
summer when her daughter returns, the world
flourishes in life from the happiness Demeter feels
to have her child back.
Hermes
Hermes was the messenger of the gods,
especially his father Zeus. He is most
known for wearing his winged sandals, and
for his part in leading the dead to Hades in
the underworld.
Hermes carries a staff covered in snakes,
which is also the symbol of modern
medicine. Hermes was the happiest of all
the gods, liked by everyone for his joyous
attitude.
He invented the lyre, which he gave to
Apollo, the god of light and truth.
Messenger of the Gods
Though he had a lighthearted personality,
Hermes was also very cunning. He was
known as the master of thieves, and was
the fastest of all immortals and mortals.
Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and twin brother to
sister Artemis.
He is the god of sun and archery, but is also very well
known for his musical and poetical attributes. Apollo is
known as the god of truth and light, never being able to
tell a lie.
He also took up the place of the Delphi Oracle, which is
a place where mortals came to have their questions
answers and prophecies told.
The most common picture of Apollo is of him playing
beautiful music on his golden lyre. He is also said to
harness up his horses and chariot each morning, and drag
the sun across the sky.
God of Truth and Light
Athena
Athena is said to have been born from her father
Zeus’ head fully grown and covered in armor, and
is also his favorite child.
Zeus gave his daughter permission to use any of
his weapons (including his thunderbolt) and gave
her a protective shield for battle.
Athena was the virgin goddess of wisdom and
war with reason.
Her bird is the owl, which is also known as a
symbol of wisdom.
Goddess of Wisdom
and War