Lesson 2. The Olympian Gods
Use the information you find in this lesson to begin to fill in the gods and goddesses chart
at the end of this lesson; you will also need to do your own research to complete it.
Now that you understand the way that the Greeks viewed
the beginning of the world, you are ready to learn about the
Olympian gods.
First, we have to explore exactly what we mean by “Olympian gods.” Mount Olympus is a
real mountain in the north of Greece. Gradually, it became associated less and less with an
actual mountain and more with an imaginary place high above the earth. According to the
ancient Greeks, the gate to Olympus was made of clouds and it was guarded by four
goddesses, the Seasons. Each god had his or her own dwelling place, but Olympus was
home base.There were up to 14 gods considered Olympian gods.Seven of them were
Zeus and his siblings, and seven others were children of Zeus. Sometimes only 12 will be
listed. The Greeks and Romans shared mythology, so you will find two names for most
gods.
Zeus
Zeus was the king of the hill. He was dominating, powerful and had
a soft spot for pretty women. He could be terrifying when angry. His
symbols were the thunderbolts, or lightening bolts made for him by
the Cyclopes (his uncles); the eagle; and the scepter, or rod.
Please copy this information onto your chart.
Hades
Hades, or Pluto, was the god of the underworld and of the dead. He
was called the same names by the Romans, but they also sometimes
called him Dis or Dis Pater. He was Zeus’s brother and married
Persephone after kidnapping her against her will. He was gloomy and
frightening.
Poseidon
Next, we have Poseidon, or Neptune, as the Romans
called him. He was Zeus’s brother, and he was the god of
the sea and also earthquakes. He often is shown with a
three-pronged spear called a trident that was made for him
by his nephew, Hephaestus, and/or a fish.
Hera
Our first goddess is Hera. She sits on the right side of Zeus and
is his wife. Of course, she’s his sister, too, but that’s the way it
was on Olympus. Hera’s Roman name is Juno, and she is the
queen of the gods. She is the guardian of marriage and was
well-loved by the Greeks; it’s kind of sad that she’s the goddess
of marriage but her own marriage was so bad. She was often
jealous of her husband’s girlfriends and did mean things to
them, even the ones who didn’t want anything to do with him,
but she could be tender and loving as well. The peacock was
her symbol. In fact, the circles in a peacock’s tail are said to be
the eyes of her 100-eyed servant, Argus.
Athena
Next is Athena, or Minerva, the daughter who sprang fully
formed from the head of Zeus after a major headache. She is
the goddess of wisdom and war and also the protector and
namesake of the city of Athens. She preferred reason to
violence unless she was pushed. She turned Arachne into a
spider for bragging that she could spin better than Athena.
She was very competitive and is often pictured with her
helmet and a spear. She carried Zeus’s shield, called the
aegis. The owl was her bird. Can you see it in her hand?
Apollo
Apollo was a twin. His Roman name was the same as his Greek
name. He was the god of the sun or light, poetry, music and
medicine and was famous for his oracles (wise women to whom he
gave his power to predict and interpret the future). He was very
proud and also protective of his mother and sister. His symbols
were the gold bow and arrows, and he often appears golden and
shining. He wears a laurel wreath in memory of Daphne, who didn’t
want to be his lover and prayed to Mother Earth for help escaping
him; she was turned into a laurel tree.
Artemis
Artemis was Apollo’s twin. Her Roman name was Diana, and she was
the goddess of hunting, chastity and the moon. She protects women
and small children, is fiercely independent and particularly dislikes
men. In pictures, she is seen accompanied by three hunting hounds,
a bow and a fawn.
Ares
Ares or, as he is known by his Roman name, Mars, was the god of
war. He would fight on both sides, if possible. He was young, strong
and handsome, and liked to dress in battle clothes even when he
wasn’t fighting.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus, or Vulcan, was born lame and was further crippled
when he was thrown from Olympus by his mother, Hera, in a rage.
He was the only Olympian with a disability. He was unhappily
married to Aphrodite and worked as a blacksmith in the gods’ forge.
Aphrodite
Hephaestus’s wife, Aphrodite, whose Roman name was Venus, was the goddess of love
and beauty. She was born out of sea foam when the blood of Uranus dropped into the
ocean. She was the mother of Eros and was irresistibly charming, fickle, vain and
competitive. Her symbol was a cestus, or magic belt, that made everyone fall in love with
the wearer; sometimes she would lend it to humans. This is a famous painting of the birth
of Venus, or Aphrodite, by Botticelli.
Hermes
Hermes, or Mercury, was the god of science and invention, but he is
best known as the messenger of the gods. He is often pictured with a
winged helmet and sandals. He is said to have invented the alphabet,
boxing and gymnastics! You can see his
helmet with wings; he’s not wearing his famous sandals, though.
Hestia
Hestia was Zeus’s sister and the goddess and protectress of hearth
and home. She is also known by her Roman name, Vesta. She was
gentle and kind and was very popular with the Greeks. She didn’t
have a lot of adventures, so she’s rarely pictured in art.
Demeter
Demeter was the goddess of the crops and the harvest. She is also
known as Ceres (Roman) and sometimes Deo. Her symbols include
a torch, a crown, a scepter and stalks of grain. She is often portrayed
with her daughter, Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hades and
taken to the underworld. By the time she was rescued, she’d eaten
six pomegranate seeds, so she couldn’t escape the underworld
entirely. Her mother was so frantic that winter draped the land and no
crops would grow. A deal was struck, and Persephone was allowed
to return to her mother for half of the year. So each year, when she
returns to the underworld, fall comes, then winter – but when she
returns to her mother, spring and summer come again.
Dionysus
Dionysus was the partier of the mountain retreat. He was Zeus’s
son by another woman, who was driven crazy by Hera and her
jealousy. Dionysus went all around teaching people how to make
wine and having a good time. Eventually, Hestia gave up her
throne for him, and he lived on Olympus. He was the god of wine,
of course, and also vegetation.
Now, use at least two sources in addition to what you read here to fill in your chart
completely. Write down the sources you used on the back of the chart.
Greek Mythology-2.5
© 2010: This lesson plan is the property of the Mensa Education & Research Foundation,
www.mensafoundation.org. It is provided as a complimentary service to the public. Reproduction and
distribution without modification are allowed. Images, links and linked content referenced herein are the
property of the originating entities.
Videos:
Book suggestions
•
D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire
•
The Mighty 12: Superheroes of Greek Myths by Charles Smith
•
Greek Myths and Legends by Cheryl Evans
If your library doesn’t have these, check around Dewey Decimal Number 398.2. That’s
where Greek mythology is.
Web references
•
http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html
•
http://www.mythweb.com/
•
http://mythman.com/
•
http://www.loggia.com/myth/content.html
• http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/greek/articles.html
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