Gods & Goddesses Flashcards
What are Zeus’ spheres of control?
- storms, weather, lightning
- upholder of order and justice
- god of kingship
- protects beggars
Where is Zeus worshipped as providing over Agora, the political and commercial center of the city?
Argoraios
Where is Zeus worshipped as the guardian of the city-state?
Polieus
Where is Zeus worshipped as the guardian of the council?
Boulaios
Where is Zeus worshipped as the guardian of individual households?
Herkeios
Where is Zeus worshipped as the guardian of property?
Ktesios
Where is Zeus worshipped as the averter of crisis?
Soter
Who were Zeus’ mortal affairs?
Io, Europa, Danae, Leda
Who are Poseidon’s parents? Brothers?
Cronus and Rhea
Zeus and Hades
What is Poseidon the ruler of?
God of sea, earthquakes, and horses
What is Hephaestus the god of?
God of blacksmiths, fire, and artisans
Who was thrown out of Mt. Olympus and why?
Hephaestus- thrown out by Hera because he was crippled (had a limp) or by Zeus for siding with Hera during an argument
What is Hermes the god of?
messenger of the gods, god of trickery and deception, abundance and prosperity, ingenuity, and magic
What are some of the iconography of Hermes?
caduceus (messenger staff)
winged sandals
petasos (travelers cap)
the herm
Next to Zeus, who is the most important/most complicated of the gods?
Apollo
What are Apollo’s spheres of control?
archery, disease and healing, purification, prophecy, poetry and music, initiation, colonization, and the sun
What are some of the iconography of Apollo?
depicted as young and beardless
represents ideal youthful, male beauty
bow, lyre, and laurel
portrayed from a distance
What is Dionysus the god of?
God of wine and intoxication, ritual madness, the mask/theatre, fertility, afterlife
Who were Dionysus’ followers?
satyrs, nymphs, maenads
What are satyrs?
wild men with animalistic features. Known for their rampant sexuality
What are maenads?
ecstatic female followers of Dionysus who would dismember humans/animals and eat them raw
What are some of Dionysus’ iconography?
Wreathed in ivy and wearing animal skin
bears the thyrsus (wand wound with ivy and topped with pinecone)
chariot drawn by panthers
cult name Bakchos
How Dionysus born?
“Born twice”- Hermes saved the fetus from his dead mother and he was sewn into Zeus’ thigh until he was born again
What are Athena’s spheres of influenece?
domestic handicrafts, wisdom, warfare
What are Athena’s symbols?
olive tree and owl
What are Athena’s iconography?
masculine women
armor and helmet
spear and shield
bears the aegis
What are Artemis’ spheres of influence?
hunting, female rites of passage, the moon
What is Hestia the goddess of?
Goddess of hearth- never leaves the hearth of Olympus
What is Hera the goddess of?
Queen of the gods, goddess of weddings and marriage
Who were Hera’s childern?
Ares, Eileithyia, Hebe
What are the different origins of Aphrodite?
- Hesiod: sprang from the foam of around Uranos’ severed genitals
- Homer: daughter of Zeus and Dione
- Greeks: came from Cyprus
- Other: related to Eastern fertility goddesses Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte
What is Demeter the goddess of?
Mother goddess and goddess of fertility
What are some of Demeter’s iconography?
Associated with her daughter Persephone
