Greek Gods and Heroes

What were Hercules 12 Labors

#1: Nemean lion #2: Hydra #3: Cerynitian hind #4: Erymantian boar #5: Augean stables #6: Stymphalian birds #7: Cretan bull #8: mares of Diomedes #9: Hippolyte's belt #10: cattle of Geryon #11: apples of the Hesperides #12: capture of Cerberus

Odysseus

(main character) Son of Laertes and Anticleia, husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus. A cunning, shrewd and eloquent hero. Came up with the idea of the Trojan horse which led the Greeks to victory against Troy. "Man of many wiles".

Who are the Olympians?

1. Zeus-King of the Gods Thunderbolt, eagle and oak tree 2. Hera-Queen of the Gods Peacock, cow, wedding ring 3. Poseidon -The Sea Sea, trident, horse, dolphin 4. Hades- The Underworld Pomegranate, cap of invisibility 5. Hestia Vesta- Hearth/Home Fireplace 6 Athena- Wisdom/War Owl, olive, tree, plow, loom 7. Artemis- Moon/Hunt Moon, deer, silver bow and arrows 8. Apollo- Light/Music/Prophecy Lyre, sun, mice, Laurel tree 9. Aphrodite- Love/Beauty Dove, swan, roses 10. Hephaestus- Fire/Forge Hammer, quail 11. Ares- War Dog, wild boar, vulture 12. Hermes- Messenger/Divine Herald Caduceus, crane

Asphodel Fields

A grey, boring place after death where people who had not been very good or very bad in their earthly life drifted around aimlessly in the shade, waiting for offerings from the land of the living to cheer them up. If you were neither good or bad in life you were brought here

Sisyphus

A king in ancient Greece who offended Zeus and whose punishment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill each time the boulder neared the top it rolled back down and he was forced to start again

Europa

A woman of high lineage, from whom the name of the continent Europe has ultimately been taken. She was abducted by Zeus in the form of a white bull.

Polyneices

Antigone's brother who fought against Thebes and was left unburied due to Creon's law

Apollo

Apollo, god of sun, light, poetry, music- gold bow and arrow, pride in himself- twin

Daedalus

Architect who created the Labyrinth and also wing so he and his son Icarus could escape from Crete.

Orpheus

Celebrated Greek poet, musician, + singer; when his wife Eurydice died, he was able with the charm of his music, to enter Hades + bring her back, only to lose her again when he gazed back

Rhea

Cronus' wife, Zeus' mother

King Midas

Cursed with the ears of a donkey after favoring Pans music compared to Apollo

Athena

Daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom, purposeful battle, and the womanly arts. Athena assists Odysseus and Telemachus with divine powers throughout the epic, and she speaks up for them in the councils of the gods on Mount Olympus. She often appears in disguise as Mentor, an old friend of Odysseus.

Atalanta

Drew first blood during the hunt for the Calydonian Boar

Idas and Lynceus

Fought with the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux) over the division of cattle that the four of them had taken in a raid. They were both killed

Hephaestus

Greek god of fire. He was originally a deity of Asia Minor and nearby islands (especially Lemnos); his Roman counterpart was Vulcan. Born lame, or crippled at an early age, he was cast out of heaven by his parents, Zeus and Hera. His wife was Aphrodite, goddess of love. He was the patron of smiths and craftsman and was often depicted working at his forge. Volcanoes were believed to be the fires of his workshops.

Hades

Greek god of the underworld. He was also known as Pluto; his Roman equivalent was Dis. Hades was the son of the Titans Rhea and Cronus and the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. His queen was Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, whom he kidnapped from earth and carried off to the underworld. Stern and pitiless, unmoved by prayer or sacrifice, he presided over the trial and punishment of the wicked after death. His name was also sometimes used to designate the dwelling place of the dead, and it later became a synonym for Hell.

Dionysus

Greek god of vegetation and fruitfulness, known especially as the god of wine and ecstasy. His Roman equivalent was Bacchus. He was known to the ancient Mycenaens, and he became one of the most important of all the Greek gods. A son of Zeus and (according to the standard tradition) Semele, he was brought up by the maenads, or bacchantes. The first creator of wine, he traveled widely teaching the winemaking art, with a following of satyrs

Ares

Greek god of war-known to be short tempered

Poseidon

Greek god of water and the sea, son of Cronus and Rhea. His brothers were Zeus and Hades. When the three brothers deposed their father, the kingdom of the sea fell by lot to Poseidon. Unpredictable and sometimes violent, he was also god of earthquakes, and he was closely associated with horses. Most of his offspring were giants and savage creatures. By Medusa he was the father of the winged horse Pegasus. The Isthmian Games were held in his honor. In art he was often shown holding a trident and accompanied by a dolphin and tuna. The Romans identified him with Neptune.

Hestia

Greek goddess of the hearth and 1 of the 12 chief deities of Mount Olympus. She was the daughter of Rhea and Cronus. When Apollo and Poseidon became suitors for her hand, she swore to remain a maiden forever, whereupon Zeus gave her the honour of presiding over all sacrifices. Though mainly a goddess of the family hearth and domestic life, she was sometimes also worshiped at the civic hearth in public buildings.

Hera

Greek queen of the gods and sister-wife of Zeus. Her Roman counterpart was Juno. She was worshiped as queen of heaven and patron of marriage and women. She also held the title Eileithyia, the goddess of birth. She was the patron deity of Samos and Argos, which held celebrations and processions in her honor. Her sacred animal was the cow. In literature she was depicted as a jealous wife who vindictively pursued the women Zeus seduced

Pan

He is the god of flocks and shepherds. He is mostly human in appearance but, with goat horns and goat feet. Very unlucky love wise because very unattractive

Echo

In Greek mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.

Persephone

In Greek mythology, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was gathering flowers when she was seized by Hades, who carried her off to the underworld to make her his wife. On learning of the abduction, Demeter was so distraught that she allowed barrenness and famine to spread over the earth. Zeus commanded Hades to allow Persephone to return to her mother, but because she had eaten some (or, in some versions, just one) pomegranate seeds in the underworld, she had to remain one-third of the year with Hades, spending the other two-thirds with Demeter. This myth accounts for the change of the seasons and the annual cycle of growth and decay.

Demeter

In Greek religion, a consort of Zeus and the goddess of agricuture, especially grain. Though rarely mentioned by Homer and not an Olympian deity, she is probably an ancient goddess. She is best remembered for her role in the story of Persephone, in which her lack of attention to the harvest causes a famine. In addition to appearing as a goddess of agriculture, Demeter was sometimes worshiped as a divinity of the Underworld and as a goddess of health, birth, and marriage.

Akrisios

King of Argos, Danae is daughter, prophecy that his grandchild will kill him, so imprisons Danae

Theseus

King of Athen's son who volunteers to be one of the sacrifices and tells his dad that he is going to kill the Minotaur (will change the sails from black to white on the way back if he kills him)

King Iobates

King of Lycia, feasted with Bellerophon for 9 days and 9 nights, sends Bellerophon to kill Chimera

Cronus

King of the titans; father of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. (aka: Father Time) Thrown into the deepest part of earth by his children. After having eating his children....

Admetus

Married Alcestis and took care of Apollo. Failed to sacrifice to Diana and had his wedding bed covered in snakes. (king who asked his wife, Alcestis to die for him; Apollo granted him that favor since he had once been an excellent host to him; serves again as model host to Heracles/Hercules when came to ask for food and lodging; Heracles/Hercules repaid him for his hospitality by fetching his dead wife from the dead - wrestling with death itself - and returning her to him alive)

Althaea

Mother of Meleaguer, who killed him by putting his log into a fire.

Where do the Olympians live?

Mount Olympus

Eteocles

One of Oedipus's sons; defended Thebes against a coalition of kings led by his brother, Polynices.

Asclepius

Son of Apollo God of healing. Could treat any disease and resurrect the dead. The gods complained to Zeus and he killed him with a thunderbolt.

Phaethon

Son of Helios who loses control of his father's chariotm threatening the earth with destruction. Zeus strikes him down with a lightning bolt killing him

Helius

Son of Hyperion and Theia. Sun god, rides a chariot driven by four horses and moves the sun across the sky everyday.

Meleager

Son of Oeneus and Althaea, brother of Deianira, hero of the Calydonian boar hunt, lover of Atalanta. Killed by his mother when she burnt his "life log"

Deucalion

Son of Prometheus. Told by Prometheus to build boat to avoid flood. Only Ducalion and Pyrrha were saved Threw rocks over shoulder, "bone of mother earth." men sprang up.

Castor and Pollux

Sons of Leda who were said to spend half their time on Earth and half in Heaven. Protect sailors.

Aethra

The mother of Theseus by Aegeus or Poseidon almost married Bellerophon

Perseus

The son of Zeus who slew Medusa (with the help of Athena and Hermes) and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster

Cadmus

Was trying to find Europa but Oracle at delphi told him to follow a cow with a half-moon on her back to found Thebes

Punishment Ground

You die, bad life, you go to

Atlas

a Titan who was forced by Zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders

Narcissus

a beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection had a flower named after him (his name is derived from the word narcissitic)

Orion

a giant Boeotian hunter who pursued the Pleiades and was eventually slain by Artemis. Now has a constellation in his honor

Hercules

a hero noted for his strength; a demigod whose father was Zeus and a mortal woman was forced to kill his family by jealous Hera. Then performed his 12 labors

King Minos

a king of the Minoans who legend has it owned a half-human, half-bull monster called the "Minotaur" - Put Daedelus and Icarus in jail for helping people out of the labryinth

Bellerophon

a mythical hero of Corinth who performed miracles on the winged horse Pegasus (especially killing the monster Chimera)

Leda

a queen of Sparta who was raped by Zeus who had taken the form of a swan

Medusa

a woman transformed into a Gorgon by Athena,turns people to stone.

Uranus

god of heavens

Geae

goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology, godess of earth, had 6 sons and 6 daughters was the wife of Uranus

Hermes

messenger and herald of the gods emblem was the winged shoes and golden helmet and staff entwined with two snakes

Chaos

refers to the formless or void state preceding the creation of the universe or cosmos in the Greek creation myths, more specifically the initial "gap" created by the original separation of heaven and earth.

Elysium

the abode of the blessed after death if you were good in life you would go there

Jason

the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece

Zeus

the supreme god of ancient Greek mythology; Head god and lord of the sky; short tempered and stubborn

Artemis

the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon

Alcestis

the wife of Admetus who dies for her husband and is restored to him by Hercules

Melampus

understood language of animals; cousin of Bellerophon. Helped his brother Bias marry his love.