By: K. Benuska

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Welcome To Olympus
By K. Benuska
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Introduction
The ancient Greek people worshipped many
different gods and goddesses. Each was thought
to have certain powers or control over many
different aspects of life. Whether it be the
sky, the ocean, agriculture, war or love, there
is a Greek god or goddess for just about
everything! In this lesson, you are going to
learn about the twelve Olympians, the most
important of all the mythological beings. Each
god or goddess has their specified interest (what
they watched over or protected), a story, and a
symbolic creature (if they have a specific one)
that they favored to represent themselves. So
sit back, pay attention and enjoy, because there
is a review at the end!
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Greek Mythology
The Twelve Olympians were the supreme rulers of
all of the gods, goddesses, and all of the
mortals on earth. All of the twelve are
immortal, this means that they can live forever.
Each watched over certain aspects of live, known
by everyone who was in need of help. Whenever a
person was experiencing any trouble, or just
wanted help or protection, they would pray to the
god or goddess that was the patron of the
specific thing they needed. Mythology is like a
religion. Some people still believe today, and
ancient mythological ideas are still influencing
society through architecture and they ways that
people live their every day lives. So here are
the most famous of the Greek gods and goddess,
the Olympians, the ones who ruled over all from
atop their thrones on Mount Olympus.
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The Twelve Olympians
Now, lets meet the rulers of Mount Olympus!
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Zeus
Zeus is the supreme ruler of all the gods. He is
god of the sky, son of Cronus and Rhea. Zeus had
control over the earth, including the sky, and
his favored weapon of choice, the thunderbolt.
Zeus is also known for his womanizing traits,
with a life full of affairs and unfaithfulness to
his wife, Hera. When Zeus was born, his father
had intended to swallow him, as he had all of his
other children. His mother Rhea hid him away,
and once he was grown, he came to overthrow his
father, and make him vomit up all of his other
siblings. Zeus sacred animal was the eagle,
the symbol of power, glory, and freedom.
Supreme God of the Sky
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Hera
Hera was a very jealous goddess. Known as the
queen of the gods, she was married to Zeus, her
unfaithful husband and also brother, for they had
the same father. She was the goddess of
marriage and childbirth, but was also known for
her hateful attitude, especially towards the
women (mortal and immortal) that Zeus has affairs
with. A mythological tale of Heras jealousy
is that of Hercules. When he was born, son of a
mortal woman and her husband Zeus, she sent
snakes after him to kill him. His strength
helped him survive and defeat the snakes, only
increasing her jealous streak even more.
Heras sacred animals were the cow and the
peacock.
Queen of the Gods and Goddess of Marriage and
Childbirth
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Ares
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera, and was greatly
hated by both his parents. Many Greek Gods did
not believe in going to war without a reason, and
since Ares is the god of war, he wasnt very
popular. His thrown on Mount Olympus is said to
be covered in human skin, while he carried a
bloodstained spear. His worshippers were not
considered to be in the best crowd either, all of
them being vicious and war-seeking. Ares is
said to have had fellow Olympian Aphrodite as a
lover, however this doesnt say much, considering
she was not very concerned with personality.
Ares animals were the dog and vulture, both
very symbolic of his persona.
The God Of War
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Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and
twin sister to Apollo. Artemis is known for
being a virgin goddess, which may seem odd since
she is the goddess of childbirth. This is
because when she was born, her mother felt
absolutely no pain, and she is also said to have
been born first, then helped her mother while
Apollo was being born. One of Artemis stories
is that one of the other gods was spying on her
while she was bathing, upon her notice she
turned him into a stag (or a deer) for
punishment. All wild creatures are precious to
her, especially the deer.
Goddess of hunting and Childbirth.
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Dionysus
Dionysus was revived by Zeus after Hera killed
his mother, Semele, before giving birth to her
son. One story that is familiar to most about
Dionysus is that of King Midas. It was Dionysus
that granted him the power to turn everything he
touched to gold he also took the power away
after the King learned his lesson.
God of Wine and celebration
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Poseidon
Poseidon was son of Cronus and Rhea, and second
in power only to Zeus. He had complete control
over the ocean, and is worshiped by many who
traveled on his seas. Poseidon once had a
passion for fellow Olympian Demeter. To try to
change his mind, she asked him to create the most
beautiful animal she had ever seen. In is
attempts, he created many animals, but eventually
created the horse, the most beautiful creature
any had ever seen. By this time, his passion for
Demeter had cooled off, and all of his interest
was focused on his horse. Thus, Poseidons
sacred animal, is his own creation, the horse.
God of the Sea
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Aphrodite
Aphrodite does not have a definite birth story.
The two different accounts are that she is the
daughter of Zeus and Dione, the other is the
mythological story that she was born and rose
from the foam of the sea. She is known for her
unfaithfulness to her husband Hephaestus with her
many lovers (her favorite was Ares). It is
said that she has a magical girdle that allows
her to make others do anything for her.
Aphrodites representative birds are the swan,
sparrow and the dove.
Goddess of Love and Desire
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Hephaestus
Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera, but is
sometimes said to not have a father at all.
Hephaestus was born deformed and crippled. One
myth says that Hera was upset by his ugliness and
threw him off of Mount Olympus. He landed among
the mer-people and crafted them beautiful jewelry
and apparatuses. These works of beauty were
heard of from all around the world, and Hera
decided that she wanted her son back, and
accepted his return to Mount Olympus, but still
detested his ugliness.
Blacksmith of the gods
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Demeter
Demeter is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and
is also older than Poseidon, Hera, and Zeus.
She is the goddess of wheat and grain, with
many gifts in the agricultural area. When her
daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, she
was heartbroken. Demeter wandered the earth in
search of her, causing all of the crops to die,
and everything to become cold. It is said that
Hades takes Persephone every year, thus giving us
the season of winter, when Demeter travels around
trying to find her daughter. Every summer when
her daughter returns, the world flourishes in
life from the happiness Demeter feels to have her
child back.
Goddess of Earth
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Hermes
Hermes was the messenger of the gods, especially
his father Zeus. He is most known for wearing
his winged sandals, and for his part in leading
the dead to Hades in the underworld. Hermes
carries a staff covered in snakes, which is also
the symbol of modern medicine. Hermes was the
happiest of all the gods, liked by everyone for
his joyous attitude. He invented the lyre,
which he gave to Apollo, the god of light and
truth. Though he had a lighthearted
personality, Hermes was also very cunning. He
was known as the master of thieves, and was the
fastest of all immortals and mortals.
Messenger of the Gods
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Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and twin
brother to sister Artemis. He is the god of
sun and archery, but is also very well known for
his musical and poetical attributes. Apollo is
known as the god of truth and light, never being
able to tell a lie. He also took up the place
of the Delphi Oracle, which is a place where
mortals came to have their questions answers and
prophecies told. The most common picture of
Apollo is of him playing beautiful music on his
golden lyre. He is also said to harness up his
horses and chariot each morning, and drag the sun
across the sky.
God of Truth and Light
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Athena
Athena is said to have been born from her father
Zeus head fully grown and covered in armor, and
is also his favorite child. Zeus gave his
daughter permission to use any of his weapons
(including his thunderbolt) and gave her a
protective shield for battle. Athena was the
virgin goddess of wisdom and war with reason.
Her bird is the owl, which is also known as a
symbol of wisdom.
Goddess of Wisdom
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Check Out These Sites
Myth Web
Greek Mythology
Poseidon's Mythology
Olympian Mythology Web quest
Grose Education Greek Mythology
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Review Time!
After you read over the presentation, check out a
few websites, and explore the world of Greek
mythology on your own, check out these resources
to help you remember all you need to know about
the ancient Greek gods and goddesses!
Review Worksheet 1
Greek Mythology Project
Website Resources