The Titans

Kronos Rhea

Hestia Hades Demeter Poseidon Hera Zeus

Kronos and Rhea were brother and sister, and they had six children together. Because he had killed his own father, Kronos became paranoid that his children would try to overthrow him, so he decided to eat them. His wife, Rhea, saved their youngest child, Zeus, by feeding Kronos a stone wrapped in a blanket instead. The children kept growing inside of Kronos because they were gods. When Zeus was grown, he forced his father to free his siblings (by making him throw-up), and then they did in fact overthrow Kronos and the Titans to become the ruling gods!

THE FATES

Image Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Coloring-Sheets.php

In Chapter 2, entitled “Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death,” Percy Jackson has his first encounter with the Fates. The Fates decide a person’s destiny. There are three Fates. The first is Clotho, the spinner, who spins the thread of life. The second is Lachesis, the measurer, who chooses someone’s lot in life, and measures off how long it will be. The third is Atropos, the snipper, who cuts the thread of life.

Fates Source: http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/The_Fates/the_fates.html

Mt olympusSource: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

Mount Olympus is an actual

mountain in Greece.

Mount Olympus is

also the mythical home of

the Greek gods.

 

The major gods and goddesses,

also known as the twelve Olympians,

lived In

Zeus' palace on its peak. 

ZeusAfter leading his brother and sister gods in a revolt against their parents, the Titans, Zeus became the unquestioned ruler of the Heavens.

His feared weapon is the Thunderbolt, and his palace on Mount Olympus is a place of peace, where all gods are welcome.

Zeus is the husband of the goddess HERA, but it's not in his nature to be faithful. Time and time again, he enters into disastrous affairs with other goddesses, nymphs, and mortal women. Zeus is the all-father. Almost all the second generation of gods claim Zeus as their father. Many of the mortal heroes are children of the god as well.

Zeus' bird is the eagle.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

PoseidonNext to his brother ZEUS, Poseidon is the god the Greeks most feared.  As a sea-faring people, they knew the hazards of a stormy sea. 

The god was known for his mood swings, violent rage one minute, calm the next--just like the waters he controlled. 

When there was an earthquake, the Greeks recognized it as the work of Poseidon the Earth-shaker. 

Poseidon was married to the Daughter of Ocean and commanded the waves with his mighty trident.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

hadesHades is not a villain. He is cold and calculating. He keeps to himself, only showing up in myth when he is sought out. Hades is more a recluse than anything else.

After the gods defeated the Titans, Hades was presented with a helmet of invisibility and given the Underworld to rule.

He has little to do with mortals' lives. Their deaths are a different story. Hades is not Death himself; in other words he is not responsible for deciding when mortals die, but he does preside over funeral rights and he defends the rights of proper burials.

Hades' Roman name Pluto came from the Greek word for wealth. The god was considered rich because of all the precious metals that are found beneath the earth.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

AthenaAccording to one tale, Athena was not actually born, but sprang fully-grown from ZEUS' head. This is symbolic of her distinction as Goddess of Wisdom.

Athena's animal was the wisest of birds, the owl.

As the leader of the Virgin Goddesses, those who will never marry, Athena refuses to let any man to be her master.

When a new city-state was founded, there was a contest between Athena and her uncle POSEIDON over who should be its patron god. The competition was fierce. To win the people over to his side, Poseidon formed the first horse from the crest of a wave. In order to one-up his gift, Athena created the bridle, a tool man could use to subdue Poseidon's creation. Since her gift was the wiser, the city chose Athena as their patron goddess. From this point on the city-state was called Athens.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

dionysusDionysus was the only god to have a mortal parent.

Dionysus was a two-sided god. On one side, he is the gentle planter of the vine. On the other, he is a wild drinker, inspiring his followers to misbehave.

Satyrs, half-men half-goat creatures, were said to be friends of Dionysus.

Athens dedicated its springtime drama festival to the god, therefore he is the god of the theatre.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

HermesHermes, the most mischievous and clever of the gods, also served a guide of dead souls to the Underworld. 

Hermes was one of the youngest gods and showed his ability to cause both trouble and delight at an early age. 

His brother Apollo presented Hermes with a magical sleep-inducing staff called the Caduceus. 

Once ZEUS realized his young son would cause nothing but trouble if his mind weren't constantly occupied, he gave him with the job of Olympian Messenger. 

He was given a winged cap and sandals to assist him in his duties. 

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

aresAres is the cruelest member of the Olympians, hated by all (even his mother, HERA). 

This god is known for his ruthlessness when he has the upper-hand and his cowardice when the tides turn against him. 

Even the Greeks disliked this terrible god. 

There were no temples to Ares in ancient Greece. 

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

aphroditeAphrodite was so lovely that the Greeks couldn't imagine her being born in the usual way. Instead she sprang from the white beauty of the sea foam.

In an odd arrangement, this most beautiful goddess was married to the only ugly Olympian, HEPHAESTUS, the deformed forge god.

Gods and mortal men found her charms simply irresistible.

Whenever on business abroad, Aphrodite was pulled through the sky by a swan-drawn cart.

The swan and the dove were both symbols of her grace.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

apolloGreeks loved Apollo and called him the "most Greek of all the gods".

He, above all others, represented the ideal man: handsome, athletic, intelligent, talented, and good

Apollo became the God of the Sun and his twin sister, ARTEMIS, is Goddess of the Moon

The lyre is Apollo's instrument, as he is the master musician.

Apollo's tree is the laurel.

A wreath of laurels was awarded in Greece to those who won a contest of poetry. Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

artemisArtemis is often called upon by maidens who want nothing to do with men.

Artemis was also the twin sister of APOLLO and revered as the Goddess of the Moon.

At times her different duties contradict one other. Even though she is a hunter of animals herself, she often demands that mortals pay for killing defenseless beasts.

In the most famous case, she demands that a Greek army offer her a human sacrifice in apology for trampling a family of rabbits. She asks for the life of the general's young daughter, a maiden. This is strange behavior for the protector of maidens.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

demeterDemeter,was the Goddess of Agriculture (or the Harvest).

The Greeks felt a strong connection to her because she was responsible for providing them with their food and work in the fields.

Demeter was one of the few gods who did not reside on Olympus. She lived on earth, where she could be close to those who needed her most.

Demeter's existence was bittersweet. In the fall and winter, she mourned her daughter, PERSEPHONE.

Only during the spring and summer was she truly happy.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php

persephonePersephone was the daughter of ZEUS and his sister DEMETER, the Goddess of the Harvest.

She is the Goddess of the Springtime.

One day while Persephone was gathering flowers, HADES spied her in the meadow.

Not wasting a second, he drove his team of coal-black steeds up through the earth and pulled her into his chariot.

Back in the Underworld, Hades forced her to be his queen.

Source: http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Gallery-of-the-Gods.php