Greek gods et al Flashcards
0
Q
Hera (Juno)
A
- Wife of Zeus
- Patron of marriage and childbirth
- Portrayed as jealous and angry, reflecting the poor condition of women in classical greece
1
Q
Zeus (Jupiter, Jove)
A
- Lord of the sky
- Wielder of the thunderbolt
- Father of all gods and men
- A distant ruler who insisted on obedience
- Given thunderbolt from Cyclopes
2
Q
Poseidon (Neptune)
A
- God of the seas
- Seafaring Greeks had a healthy respect for the sea, so they used earlier sea gods and goddesses as we’ll
- Creator of horses
- Sender of tsunamis
- Given trident from Cyclopes
3
Q
Hades (Pluto, Dis)
A
- Hades seized the goddess Persephone as a wife (daughter of Zeus and Demeter)
- Persephone (Proserpine) and he were not spirits of evil, but we’re feared
- Ruler of the dead
- Symbolized fertile power of the earth
- Given Helmet of invisibility by cyclopes
4
Q
Demeter (Ceres)
A
- Goddess of vegetation and harvest
- One of the most important gods
- Goddess of peasants, so rarely appeared in myths
5
Q
Hestia (Vesta)
A
Goddess of hearth and home
6
Q
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
A
- First child of Zeus and Hera
- So ugly that Hera hurled him off Olympus, disfiguring him
- God of metalworking and fire
- Still devoted to Hera
7
Q
Aphrodite (Venus)
A
- Goddess of love
- Powerful mother goddess whose worship preceded that of Zeus
- Beautiful and unpredictable
- Ruled the hearts of gods and people
- Assisted by Eros (Cupid), who personified desire
8
Q
Ares (Mars)
A
- God of war
- Son of Hera and Zeus
- Bully, hated
9
Q
Apollo
A
- Twins with Artemis
- God of music, poetry, light, knowledge, prophecy
- One of the most important gods
- Could bring sudden death upon young men
10
Q
Hermes (Mercury)
A
- Child of Zeus and the Titaness Maia
- Complex character
- Associated with cleverness, communication, creativity and commerce
- Messenger of the gods and the mouthpiece of Zeus
- God of thieves
- Guided souls of the dead to the underworld
11
Q
Artemis (Diana
A
- Goddess of the moon and young men
- Virgin, rejected company of men
- Goddess of wild animals, another aspect of the ancient other goddess
12
Q
Athena (Minerva)
A
- One of the most respected of the gods
- Athens named after her
- No mother, born when Zeus had a headache and called Hephaestus to split his head open
- Goddess of wisdom and war
- Virgin but helpful to both men and women
- Accompanied by an owl symbolizing wisdom
13
Q
Dionysus (Bacchus)
A
- Latecomer
- Son of Zeus and a mortal woman
- Cult of Dionysus was spread though Greece by women who gained through it a chance to throw off the tedious restrictions of their lives
- Represented wine, communal feeling, orgiastic frenzy, mystic insight, inspiration, fertility, life
14
Q
Fates
A
Clotho, Lacheisis, Atropos
