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Zeus
overthrew his Father Cronus and then drew
lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the draw and became
the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky, and the rain. His
weapon is a thunderbolt, which he hurls at those who displease him. He
is married to Hera but is famous for his many affairs. He is also known
as the god that punishes those that lie or break oaths. |
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Poseidon
is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus he drew
lots with Zeus and Hades, another brother, to share the power of the world.
His prize was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshipped by seamen.
He married Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus. He desired
Demeter, who asked him to make the most beautiful animal that the world
had ever seen, just to put him off. So, Poseidon created the first horse.
In some accounts, his first attempts were unsuccessful, he created a variety
of animals in his quest and then created the first horse. His weapon is
a trident, which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. He is the
most powerful Olympian god, after Zeus. |
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Hades
is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus he drew
lots with Zeus and Poseidon, another brother, to share the power of the
world. He had the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling
over the dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing
his subjects. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects
leave. He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals that mined
from the earth. He has a helmet that makes him invisible and he rarely
leaves the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious.
His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead
but, death itself is another god, Thanatos. |
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Hestia
is Zeus sister. She is a virgin goddess. She does not have a distinct personality.
She plays no part in myths. She is the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol
of the house around which a newborn child is carried before it is received
into the family. Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where
the fire was never allowed to go out. |
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Hera
is Zeus wife and sister. The Titans Ocean and Tethys raised her. She is
the protector of marriage and takes special care of married women. Hera's
marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Zeus
courted her unsuccessfully. Then he changed himself into dishevelled cuckoo.
Hera feeling sorry for the bird held it to her breast to warm it. Zeus
then transformed in his normal form and took advantage of the opportunity
he gained, and raped her. Then she married him to cover her shame. Zeus
was being particularly overbearing to the other gods and Hera convinced
them to join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to drug Zeus, and
when she managed that, the gods bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch, noticing
to tie many knots. After that, they began to quarrel over the next step.
Briareus overheard the arguments, full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped
in and try to untie the knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grabbed up
his thunderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for
mercy. Then Zeus seized Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains.
She wept in pain all night but none of the others dared to interfere. Her
weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to release her if she
would swear never to rebel again. She didn’t have a choice, so she agreed.
Since she couldn’t rebel again, she often intrigued against Zeus's plans
and she was often able to outwit him. Most stories concerning Hera have
to do with her revenge for Zeus's infidelities. Her sacred animals are
the cow and the peacock. Her favourite city is Argos. |
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Ares
is the son of Zeus and Hera. Both parents disliked him. He is the god of
war and he is considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward.
When he was caught in an act of adultery with Aphrodite, her husband Hephaestus
publicly ridiculed him. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the dog. |
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Athena
is the daughter of Zeus. She is fierce and brave in battle but only fights
to protect the state and home from outside enemies. She is the goddess
of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She has invented the bridle,
which permits man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the
rake, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is the embodiment of wisdom,
reason, and purity. She is Zeus's favourite child and she is allowed to
use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her favourite city is Athens.
Her tree is the olive and the owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess. |
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Apollo
is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis. He is the god
of music, playing a golden lyre, of light and truth, who can not tell a
lie. One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to harness his chariot
with four horses and drive the sun across the sky. He is famous for his
oracle at Delphi and people use to travel to it from all over the Greek
world to divine the future. His tree is the laurel, his bird is the crow
and his animal is the dolphin. |
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Aphrodite
is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts
she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her.
There are two accounts of her birth. One says she is the daughter of Zeus
and Dione. The other goes back to when Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed
his severed genitals into the sea. Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam
on a giant scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus. She is the wife of Hephaestus.
The myrtle is her tree, the dove, the swan, and the sparrow are her birds. |
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Hermes
is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is Zeus’s messenger. He is the fastest
of the gods. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic
wand. He is the god of thieves and commerce. He is the guide for the dead
to go to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale,
astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive
trees. |
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Artemis
is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo. She is the
lady of the wild things. She is the huntsman of the gods. She is the protector
of the young. Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows. She is a virgin
goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides over childbirth,
which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to cause Leto no pain when
she was born. She became associated with Hecate. The cypress is her tree.
All wild animals are scared to her and especially the deer. |
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Hephaestus
is the son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced
him and that he has no father. He is the only god who is physically ugly
and lame. Accounts as how he became lame vary. Some say that Hera, upset
by having an ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus into the sea, breaking
his legs. Others that he took Hera's side in an argument with Zeus and
Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. He is the god of fire and the forge.
He is the smith and armourer of the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge.
He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers. He is kind and peace loving.
His wife is Aphrodite. Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia. |
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