She often wears the lunar crescent on her brow. Symbol or Attribute: Her bow, which she uses to hunt, and her hounds. Neither of his far-from-mild-mannered parents were said to be too fond of their even more irritable son a little more loving nurturing from them might have resulted in Ares being just the God of Minor Conflicts.Īppearance: An eternally young woman, beautiful and vigorous. Relationships: No spouse, and his main love is war.Ĭhildren: Diomedes, by the nymph Cyrene Cycnus by Pyrene Oenomaus by Sterope Eros by Aphrodite.īasic Story: Ares is the sole son of the supreme Greek god Zeus and his legitimate wife, Hera. Weaknesses: Impulsive, bloodthirsty, raring for a fight regardless of the consequences.

Strengths: Decisive, determined, fearless. He is also associated with vultures and dogs.

The goddess Themis assisted in raising him by feeding him ambrosia, the sacred nectar of the gods.Īppearance : A bearded, good-looking man in the prime of life But the island of Delos allowed Leto to take refuge there and give birth to Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis, goddess of the hunt and wild things. Zeus's wife Hera was outraged and convinced the earth to refuse to allow Leto to give birth anywhere on its surface. Another tradition gives the islands of Lato, now called Paximadia, off the southern coast of Crete.Ĭhildren: The enchanting semi-divine singer Orpheus and Asklepios, god of healing, are the most famous of Apollo's offspring.īasic Story: Apollo was the son of the supreme Greek god Zeus and Leto, a nymph. Weaknesses: Like his father Zeus, Apollo gets in trouble over love.īirthplace: On the sunny Greek island of Delos, where he was born along with his twin sister, Artemis. Strengths: Creative, handsome, supportive of all the arts of civilization. Symbol or Attribute: The Sun itself, the lyre (a type of musical instrument), the bow, and the chariot he drives across the sky daily. She is a contender in the story of the Golden Apples, when Paris chooses her as the fairest of the three goddesses (the others were Hera and Athena ) and Aphrodite decides to 'reward' him for giving her the Golden Apple (the prototype of most modern awards) by giving him the love of Helen of Troy, something of a mixed blessing that led to the Trojan War.Īppearance : A young man with curly golden hair. Husband: Hephaestus, the lame smith-god.īasic Story: Aphrodite rises from the foam of the waves of the sea, enchanting anyone who sees her and inciting feelings of love and lust wherever she goes. More commonly, she was believed to be born of the foam in the sea.īirthplace: The island of Cyprus or Kythira. Parents: One genealogy gives her parents as Zeus, King of the Gods, and Dione, an early earth/mother goddess. Weaknesses: A bit stuck on herself, but with a perfect face, who can blame her? Strengths: Attractiveness, dazzling beauty. Zeus - Supreme lord of gods, god of the sky, symbolized by the thunderbolt.Īppearance: Gorgeous, perfect, eternally young woman with great beauty. Poseidon - God of the sea, horses, and of earthquakes. Hestia - Calm goddess of home and symbolized by the hearth which holds the continually-burning flame. Hermes - The speedy messenger of the gods. Hera - Wife of Zeus, protector of marriage, familiar with magic. Hephaestus - Lame god of fire and the forge. Hades is not the god of death (that's Thanatos).

Hades - Lord of the Underworld and ruler of the dead. Springtime festivals in Ancient Greece were held in his honor and centered on theater. Sister to Apollo.Īthena (Athene) - Daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts.ĭemeter - Goddess of agriculture and mother of Persephone (not considered to be an Olympian.)ĭionysus - God of Wine invented wine. Her son was Eros, god of Love (though he is not an Olympian.)Īpollo - Beautiful god of the sun, light, medicine, and music.Īrtemis - Independen t goddess of the hunt, the forest, wildlife, and the moon. *Listed alphabetically, not in order of importance.Īphrodite - Goddess of love, romance, and beauty.

Zeus persephone hades demeter