The Twelve, er, 13 Olympians

1
The Twelve, er, 13 Olympians
children of Titans children of
Zeus (Hera)

• Zeus
• Hera
• Poseidon
• Hades
• Demeter
• Hestia
• Aphrodite (Uranos Dione)
• Apollo Artemis (Leto)
• Ares (Hera)
• Hermes (Maia)
• Hephaestus (Hera alone)
• Dionysus (Semele)

2
Ares
(sister Eris, Strife, not an Olympian)

• beardless youth
• sts older man
• god of war bloodlust
• attributes arms
• special places Scythia, Colchis, no Greek
  sanctuaries

3
Ares
Ferocious in battle but could be defeated

• wounded by Diomedes w/ Athenas help (Iliad V
  855)
• Athena knocked him down with a rock (Iliad XX 69)
• Aloadae imprisoned him in a bronze cauldron for
  13 months (Iliad V 385)
• fled Typhon in Egypt, changed into a fish
  (Antonin Lib. 28)
• Defeated by Herakles, fled to Olympus (Hesiod,
  Shield of Herakles 461)

4
Ares and Aphrodite
Odyssey 8 267ff.

• Caught by Hephaistos after Helios told her about
  the affair
• Hauled them up in a net over bed, invited the
  gods in to laugh
• Not just one encounter but lasting relationship
  4 sons, 1 daughter

5
Hephaistos
child of Hera alone or Zeus and Hera (birth of
Athena usually has H assisting)

• God of fire and its uses, smithing and other and
  craftmanship
• no set appearance
• attributes hammer nd blacksmith and and
  tongs
• makes things for gods

6
Hermes
Homeric Hymn to Hermes

• Young man w/o beard of older w/ beard
• sts winged boots kerykeion (caduceus)
  herald staff, sts petasos (travellers hat)
  and chlamys (cloak)
• god of herds, travel, hospitality, heralds
  and diplomacy, cunning and thievery, and
  personal agent messenger of Zeus

7
Apollo and Artemis
Birth
Mother Leto harried by Hera Floating island of
Delos received her Artemis born first, helped mom
w/ Apollo


8
Apollo
Handsome youth, long hair, no beard

• prophecy and oracle at Delphi
• healing, plague, disease
• epic poetry and lyre
• archery

God of
Attributes lyre, laurel wreath, bow and quiver,
raven
Special Places Delos and Delphi, oracle at Claros
9
Apollo and Delphi
Apollo slew the snake Python, guardian of Delphi
Took over oracle of Ge
Set up oracle
10
Delphi sanctuary
Delphi center of the earth, omphalos
11
Apollos oracle at Delphi

• famous for political advice
• priestess called Pythia
• no vapors, trances

12
Apollos unhappy dates

• Daphne, who prayed to be turned into a tree
  (daphne, laurel tree)
• Koronis, who preferred a mortal and was killed by
  Artemis for that, baby Asclepios saved from womb
• Hyacinthus, killed by rival Zephyros diverting a
  discus Apollo turned him into a flower

13
Artemis

• Goddess of hunting, wilderness and
  young animals
• Beautiful young woman in knee-length
  chiton (for hunting)
• She is forever parthenos, unmarried, and
  accompanied by band of unmarried girls

14
Killing of the children of Niobe
Queen Niobe bragged that she was more fortunate
than Leto since she had 12 children and Leto only
2. Apollo and Artemis shot them down. Niobe
turned into a stone from weeping.