The Olympians

Zeus
Zeus was the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. Zeus overthew his Father Cronus.
He 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, the rain god. 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 to punish those that lie or break oaths.He was the rain god, and the cloud
gatherer, who wielded the terrible thunderbolt. His breastplate was the aegis, his bird the eagle,
his tree the oak. He is represented as the god of justice and mercy, the protector of the weak, and
the punisher of the wicked.

Poseidon
God of the sea, protector of all waters. Poseidon is the brother of Zeus. After the overthow of
their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Hades, another brother, for shares of the world.
His prize was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen. He married
Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus.

At one point he desired Demeter. To put him off Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful
animal that the world had ever seen. So to impress her Poseidon created the first horse. In some
accounts his first attempts were unsucessful and created a varity of other animals in his quest. By
the time the horse was created his passion for Demeter had cooled.

His weapon is a trident, which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. He is second only to
Zeus in power amongst the gods. He has a difficult quarrelsome personality. He was greedy. He
had a series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities.

Hades
Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthow of their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus
and Poseidon, another brother, for shares 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. Those whose calling increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The
Erinnyes are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.

He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has a helmet
that makes him invisable. 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.

Hestia
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 new
born 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. Of all the Olympians, she is the mildest, most
upright and most charitable.

Hera
Hera is Zeus wife and sister. She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. Shea is the supreme
goddess, goddess of marriage and childbirth and takes special care of married women.

Hera's marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Zeus courted her
unsuccesfully. He then turned to trickery, changing himself into disheveled cuckoo. Hera feeling
sorry for the bird held it to her breast to warm it. Zues then resumed his normal form and taking
advantage of the suprise he gained, raped her. She then married him to cover her shame.

Once when Zeus was being partcularly overbearing to the other gods, Hera convinced them to
join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to drug Zeus, and in this she was successful. The gods
then bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch taking care to tie many knots. This done they began to
quarrel over the next step. Briareus overheard the arguements. Still full of gratitude to Zeus,
Briareus slipped in and was able to quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch
and grapped up his thuderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy. He
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 had little choice but, to agree. While she
never again rebeled, she often intrigued against Zeus's plans and she was often able to outwit
him.

Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus's infidelities. Her
sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. Her favorite city is Argos.

Aris
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked by both parents. He is the
god of war. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward.
When caught in an act of adultery with Aphrodite her husband Hephaestus is
able publically ridicule him. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the dog.
Athena
Athena is the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and
literature. Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armour
from his forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but,
only wars to defined the state and home from outside enemies. She is the
goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She invented the bridle,
which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake,
the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is the embodiment of
wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to
use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city is Athens. Her
tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.

Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis. He is the god
of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow.
The god of healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of
truth, who can not speak a lie.

One of Apollo's more importaint daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four
horses an drive the Sun across the sky.

He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People travled to it from all over the
greek world to devine the future.

His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The dolphin his animal.
Aphrodite
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
genitles 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 swann,
and the sparrow her birds. Her favorite lover is the god of war, Ares. She
represented sex, affection, and the attraction that binds people together.

Hermes
He was the cleverest of the Olympian gods, and messenger to all the other
gods.

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is Zeus 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 god of 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.

Artemis
She was goddess of chastity, virginity, the hunt, the moon, and the natural
environment. 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 became associated with the moon. 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 causing Leto no pain when she was born. She
became associated with Hecate. The cypress is her tree. All wild animals are
scared to her, especially the deer.

Hephaestus
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 to be physically
ugly. He is also lame. Accounts as to 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 arguement with
Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. He is the god of fire and the
forge. He is the smith and armorer 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.