13 Greek Gods and Goddesses

Zeus:
    Zeus was King of the Gods, God of the Sky, and Ruler of the Heavens. His parents are Cronus and Rhea. His siblings are Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. His wife is Hera but he cheats on her A LOT  to go marry mortal women. His symbol is a lighting bolt and his roman name is Jupiter.

Hades:
    Hades was King of the Underworld , God of the dead and wealth, according to him possessing very precious metals. His wife is Persephone and his dog is Cerberus. He also stays away from  Mount Olympus most of the time. His roman name is Pluto and his symbols are drinking horn and scepter.

Poseidon:
    Poseidon is the King and God of the sea. He rules over the sea, earthquakes, storms, and horses. His wife is Amphitrite, but he is like Zeus, and has interest in other women. When he hits the floor with his trident, he makes an earthquake. This gave him the name of “Earth-shaker.” His symbols are a dolphin, a fish, a bull, a trident, and a horse. His roman name is Neptune.

Ares:
    Ares is the god of war and son of Hera and Zeus but Homer said that they hated him very much. He was a very violent god but screamed even to the smallest wound. He had a son and a daughter, Eros and Harmonia, whose mother was Aphrodite. He had the Amazons as his daughters, very fierce women even with their mother being, Harmony, a nymph who loved peace. His symbols are a vulture, a flaming torch, a chariot, a dog, a spear, a boar, and a helmet. Mars, is his roman name.

Hephaestus:
    Hephaestus was the god of blacksmith, metalworking, fire and the art of sculpture. Zeus and Hera were his parents. His wife was Aphrodite the goddess of beauty. There are two very popular stories about him. The first one is that he was so ugly his parents threw him off Mount Olympus. He was flying for a week until he hit the ground. This was one of the reasons Zeus picked him to marry Aphrodite. The other one was when he made a gadget to trap Ares and Aphrodite in a bed for the other gods and goddesses to laugh at. His roman name is Vulcan and his symbols are a hammer, tongs, an anvil and a quail.

Apollo:
    Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the brother of Artemis. They both have the love for archery. He had 4 children, Orpheus, Asclepius, Troilus, and Aristaeus. Out of all of his children Asclepius was the most popular. He rules over music, poetry, art, archery, orcales, the sun, medicine, truth, and light. He is one of the only gods without a roman name. A swan, wolf, and dolphin are his sacred animals. His symbols are a raven, python, lyre, laurel wreath, and a bow and arrow.

Hermes:
    Hermes is the messenger of the gods on Mount Olympus. He also has the job of leading souls to the Underworld. He is the god of border crossings, trade, sports, thieves, travelers, and athletes. His parents are Zeus and Maia, his son is Pan whose mother is Dryope. Dryope was so terrified of her son, since he was part man, part goat. His symbols are a rooster, lyre, tortoise, talaria, and caduceus. His roman name is Mercury.

Dionysus:
    Dionysus is the god of parties, grapes, and wine. He is the son of Zeus and Semele and the youngest god on Mount Olympus. His symbols are cheetahs, panthers, grapevines, thyrsus, and leopard skins. Bacchus and Liber are his roman names.

Hera:
       Hera, Queen of the Heavens and Gods and Goddesses on Mount Olympus was the goddess of marriage, birth, women and the heavens. She was the youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea and the wife of Zeus. Her siblings are Zeus, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, and Hestia. She had 7 children Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe, Enyo, Eris, Angelos and Eileithyia. Since she was the wife of Zeus she was not happy when he went to find a mortal to have children. One of her stories was when Zeus turned a nymph named Io into a cow so Hera wouldn’t notice he was out with another mortal. Hera has 2 sacred animals, a cow and a peacock and her item is a lily. A pomegranate, diadem, and a scepter are her symbols and Juno is her roman name.

Demeter:
        Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, agriculture, sacred law, and fertility. She was born from Cronus and Rhea and her siblings are Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, and Hestia. She also has a daughter, Persephone. Demeter’s roman name is Ceres and she has 4 symbols, a torch, cornucopia, bread, and wheat.

Athena:
        Athena was the goddess of war, arts and crafts, and wisdom. Her parents are Zeus and Metis. She is a virgin goddess, this means she never married. One of the popular stories about her is when she turned a mortal weaver Arachne, into a spider. Two of her inventions are the olive and the flute. She was so devoted to, that a city in Greece was named Athens in her honor. Her roman name is Minerva and her sacred animal is an owl. Her symbols are an owl, snakes, olive trees, armor, spears, helmets, gorgoneion, and aegis.

Aphrodite:
       Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, but a story said that she rose from sea foam. Her children are Anteros, Harmonia, Himeros, Deimos, Pothos, Eros (also known as Cupid), Rhode, Eryx, Phobos, Peitho, Priapus, Tyche (possibly), Aeneas, and Hermaphroditos. Her sacred animals are a swan, a sparrow, a dove, and a dolphin. Her symbols are a rose, mirror, a girdle, a myrtle, and a scallop shell. Aphrodite’s roman name is Venus.

Artemis:
       Artemis is the goddess of the moon, forests, hills, archery, hunt, and animals. Her parents are Zeus and Leto and she has a twin brother, Apollo. She is also a virgin goddess. She has 2 sacred animals, a hunting dog and a stag (or a deer). Her symbols are the moon, a bow, and an arrow. Diana is the roman name for Artemis.
       Artemis is the goddess of the moon, forests, hills, archery, hunt, and animals. Her parents are Zeus and Leto and she has a twin brother, Apollo. She is also a virgin goddess. She has 2 sacred animals, a hunting dog and a stag (or a deer). Her symbols are the moon, a bow, and an arrow. Diana is the roman name for Artemis.