OH MY GODS!!!!

Greek and Roman Mythology

A Review of
The Principal Gods and Goddesses

What is a myth?
A traditional story rooted in primitive
folk beliefs of cultures
Uses the supernatural to interpret
natural events
Explains the cultures view of the
universe and the nature of humanity
In the beginning...
was Chaos (shapeless nothingness)
Chaos had two children:
Night (darkness)
Erebus (death)
All was black, empty, silent, endless.
Mysteriously, Love was born of
darkness and death.
And then...
When Love was born, order and beauty
began to flourish.
Love created Light and Day.
Earth was created.
She was the solid ground, but also a
personality.
The Earth bore Heaven to cover her
and be a home for the gods.
The First Parents
Mother Earth = Gaea (Gaia)
Father Heaven = Ouranos (Uranus)
They had three kinds of children:
Three monsters with 100 hands and 50
heads
Three cyclopes
The titans
These were the first characters that had the appearance of life,
although it was unlike any life known to man.
The Titans (The Elder Gods)
There were many of them.
Enormous size, incredible strength
Cronos (Saturn): Ruler of the titans
Rhea: Wife of Cronos
Ocean: River that encircled the world
Iapetus: Father of Prometheus,
Epimetheus, and Atlas (also titans)


The Principal Gods
Cronos and Rhea
were parents of
Zeus (Jupiter, Jove)
Poseidon (Neptune)
Hades (Pluto)
Hera (Juno)
Hestia (Vesta)
Demeter (Ceres)
Other Olympians
include
Athena (Minerva)
Ares (Mars)
Hebe (Juventas)
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
Apollo (Apollo)
Artemis (Diana)
Hermes (Mercury)
Aphrodite (Venus)
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Persephone
The Olympians
Zeus
Roman Name:
Jupiter (also Jove)
Supreme god of the
Olympians.
Fathered many
characters in
mythology
Zeus
Hera
Roman Name:
Juno
Zeuss sister
and wife
Jealous
protector of
marriage
Punished the
women Zeus fell
in love with

Poseidon
Roman Name:
Neptune
God of the Seas
and Waters
The
Earthshaker

Hades
Roman Name:
Pluto
God of the
Underworld/
Dead
Kidnapped
Persephone
Hestia
Roman Name:
Vesta
Goddess of
Home
Powerful
Protector
Demeter
Roman
Name: Ceres
Goddess of
the Harvest
A Goddess of
the Earth
Athena
Roman Name:
Minerva
Goddess of
Wisdom and
War
Sprang from
Zeuss head
Ares
Roman Name:
Mars
God of War
Son of Zeus and
Hera
Bloodthirsty and
merciless
Hephaestus
Roman Name:
Vulcan
(Mulciber)
God of
Fire/Forge
Son of Zeus
and Hera
Kind, unlike his
brother
Apollo
Roman
Name: Apollo
God of
Light/Sun and
Music
Brother of
Artemis
Artemis
Roman
Name: Diana
Goddess of
the Moon/
Hunt
Sister to
Apollo
Hermes
Roman Name:
Mercury
Messenger of
the Gods
Appears in
more myths
than any other
character
Aphrodite
Roman Name:
Venus
Goddess of
Love and
Beauty
Sprang from
the ocean
foam
Dionysus
Roman Name:
Bacchus
God of Wine
Patron god of
the Greek stage
A God of the
Earth

Persephone
Roman Name:
Proserpina
Goddess of the
Underworld
Daughter of Zeus
and Demeter
Abducted by
Hades

Hebe
Roman Name:
Juventas
Goddess of
Youth
Cupbearer to the
Gods
Restored youth
to the aged
Eros
Roman Name:
Cupid
Young God of
Love
Son of
Aphrodite and
Hephaestus

Iris
Goddess of the
Rainbow
Messenger for
Zeus and Hera
Daughter of the
titan Thaumus
and the nymph
Electra
The Muses
Nine daughters of
Zeus and
Mnemosyne
Inspired artists of all
kinds
Goddesses who
presided over the
arts and sciences
He is happy whom
the muses love.
Clio, Urania, Thalia, Melpomene, Erato, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Polyhymnia
The Graces
Three Goddesses of
Grace and Beauty
They give life its
bloom.
Aglaia (Splendor)
Euphrosyne (Mirth)
Thalia (Good
Cheer)
The Erinnyes (The Furies)
Roman Name: Furiae
or Dirae (The Furies)
Three Goddesses of
Vengeance
Tisiphone
Alecto
Megaera
They punish
evildoers.


The Fates
Roman Name: Parcae, Moirae
Three sisters
Clotho (The Spinner)
Lachesis (The disposer of lots)
Atropos (The cutter)
They weave, measure, and cut the
thread of life for humans.
The Satyrs
Gods of the woods
and mountains
Shepherd gods
Goat men (like Pan)
Companions of
Dionysus
They like to drink,
dance, and chase
nymphs.

The Gorgons
Three snake-
haired monsters
Medusa is most
well-known
Their look turns
men to stone.
The Centaurs
Half man, half
horse
Savage
creatures
(except Chiron)
Followers of
Dionysus
Sources
Graphics in this presentation were taken from
the following web sites:
http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/search.html
http://www.pantheon.org/
http://www.messagenet.com/myths/
http://mythman.com/
http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html
http://www.paleothea.com/
http://www.entrenet.com/%7Egroedmed/greekm/myth.html
This presentation is for educational purposes
only; it has not been and should not be sold
or used as a vehicle to make money.