Greek Mythology

gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus900-800 B.C. onward

Mt. Olympus

• An actual mountain in Greece.• Home of the gods/goddesses of

Greece.• It formed itself for them.• Tallest mountain in Greece.

Olympus was regarded as the home of the Twelve Olympian Gods. It is the setting of many Greek mythical stories. Mt. Olympus is located far above the heavens. “Olympus was not shaken by winds nor ever wet with rain, nor did snow fall upon it, but the air is outspread clear and cloudless, and over it hovered a radiant whiteness.”

Main gods & goddesses

gods• Zeus• Poseidon• Hades• Dionysus• Apollo• Hermes• Ares• Hephaestus

goddesses• Hera • Artemis• Athena• Aphrodite• Demeter• Hestia

Zeus – King of the gods and ruler of Mt. Olympus; god of the sky and thunder.

Poseidon – God of the seas, earth quakes and horses.

Hades - King of the underworld, the god of death and the dead.

god/goddess of the UnderworldHades• Wasn’t necessarily

associated with evil.• The gods ruled the land,

air, sea, and underworld.

• Brother of Zeus and Poseidon.

Persephone• Hades tricked her and

then forced her to live in the underworld.

• Daughter of Zeus and Demeter.

Persephone – Greek goddess of innocence and queen of the underworld

Hera – Queen of the gods; goddess of marriage and family

Dionysus – god of celebrations and the grape harvest

Apollo – god of the sun (light), knowledge, music, archery, and poetry.

Twin brother of Artemis.

Artemis – Goddess of the hunt, childbirth, archery, and all animals.

Twin sister of Apollo.

Hermes – Messenger of the gods; able to travel between worlds; god of

commerce and thieves.

Athena – Goddess of wisdom and war

Ares – God of war, violence, and bloodshed

Aphrodite – Goddess of love and beauty

Hephaestus – Master blacksmith to the gods; god of fire

Demeter – Goddess of nature and the seasons.

Hestia

• goddess of the hearth

Cyclops - The Cyclopes were gigantic one eyed monsters. Arges (thunderbolt), Steropes (lightning),

and Brontes (thunder) are 3 of them.

Other important figures

• Persephone: goddess of the underworld.

• Perseus: Greek hero who killed Medusa. • Medusa: Gorgon that could turn people

into stone by looking at them. • Pegasus: winged horse.• Hercules: demigod; son of Zeus and a

mortal mother.• Nike: goddess of victory.

Oracle -The answer given by a god to a question asked by a human. This is how gods communicated to humans and gave them advice.