Pantheon of the Gods Flashcards
Descendants of chaos
gaia (earth, fertility mother)
eros (love)
tartarus (depths of earth/ punishment)
erebus (deep darkness and shadows)
nyx (night)
decendents of erebus and nyx
hemera (day) and aether (light)
Descendents of gaia, Descendents of chaos
uranus (sky), ourea (mountains), and pontus (sea)
Next generation decendents of gaia and uranus
12 titans
cyclopes (3 single eyes giants)
hecatonchires (300 handed creatures)
after they were born, uranus locked the hecatonchires and cyclopes in the belly of the earth.
=> fear of children overthrowing fathers, hatred between children and fathers.
Gaias 6 sons
Cronus* (time) Oceanus* (oceans) Iapetos^ (mortality) Hyperion^ (light) Crius^ (constellations) Coeus^ (intellect)
Gaias 6 daugters
Rhea* (fertility) Tethys (fresh water) Mnemosyne* (memory) Theia* (sight) Themis* (divine law and order) Phoebe (oracle of Delphi)
descendants of cronus and rhea
many!
descendants of oceanus and tethys
oceanids
descendants of hyperion and theia
parents of Helios (the sun), Selene (the moon), and Eos (the dawn).
descendants of coeus and thoebe
leto (mother of apollo
mnemosyne
mother of the Muses, patron goddesses of poets.
Themis
= mother of spring-time Horai (seasons) and death-bringing Mourai (the Fates).
Sons of lapetos
Atlas = held the sky aloft, personified the quality of endurance.
Prometheus = god of forethought and crafty counsel – he also moulded mankind out of clay (as we shall see in Ovid).
Epimetheus = god of hindsight, his name literally
means ‘after-thinking’, and therefore stands as the contrast to his brother Prometheus.
Menoetius = name means ‘doomed might’, and generally thought of as the god of violent anger/rash action (although not definitive).
atlas
held the sky aloft, personified the quality of endurance
prometheus
god of forethought and crafty counsel – he also moulded mankind out of clay (as we shall see in Ovid).
epimetheus
god of hindsight, his name literally means ‘after-thinking’, and therefore stands as the contrast to his brother Prometheus.
menoetius
name means ‘doomed might’, and generally thought of as the god of violent anger/rash action (although not definitive).
Castration of uranus
Uranus hated his children (the Hecatonchires and Cyclopes).
Gaia asks her Titan children for help after being
continually sexually violated by Uranus.
Cronus steps up!
Hyperion, Crius, Coeus, and Iapetus posted at the four corners of the earth to hold the sky up.
Cronus (in the centre of the earth) castrates Uranus with an adamantine sickle just as he was about to lay with Gaia….. OUCH!!!
After Uranus’ defeat, he fled, never to be seen again – the six brothers were released from Gaia’s belly (although they were then eventually locked back up in Tarturus).
The ‘heaven’ (Uranus) was thus kept in its place ‘above’ the earth (Gaia) from this point forward.
The birth of aphrodite (Castration of Uranus)
Contact of Uranus’ penis with the sea.
A “foam” was created upon contact…
Aphrodite appears!
Hesiod’s story (187-192) – “And as soon as he had cut off the members with flint and cast them from the land into the sea, they were swept away over the main for a long time, and a white foam spread around the immortal flesh, and in it grew there a maiden.”
NOTE: this is not the only origin story of Aphrodite
Descendants of Cronus and Rhea
Hesatia
Demeter
hera
Hades
Poseidon
Zeus
The birth of zeusRhea presenting a stone, meant to be Zeus, to her partner Cronus
Uranus and Gaia prophesized that one of Cronus’ sons would eventually depose all of the Titans.
Cronus took to EATING each one of his offspring as they were born.
Rhea contrived a plan with the help of her parents to hide the birth of her new son (Zeus) Cronus.
She went to Crete to give birth.
When Rhea had given birth to Zeus, she gave Cronus a stone wrapped in baby’s clothes for him to eat instead.
Zeus was then hidden in a cave and allowed to reach maturity from his unwitting father.
Main sources for the titanomachy
Our main source for the Titanomachy story is Hesiod’s Theogony.
Ancient sources also suggest that there was a full epic written about the event, (called the Titanomachia) but this is now lost to us.
beginning of the titanomachy
Zeus has reached adulthood – now what?
He masquerades as a cup-bearer for the unsuspecting Cronus in order to gain a position of access and trust.
With the help of Metis (= one of the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys), he gives Cronus a potion involving a mixture of mustard and wine = causes Cronus to vomit out all of his other children.
Now that all the six brothers and sisters are free, it is GAME ON!
Titans vs olympians
the titanomachy
The Titans
Based on Mount Othyrs.
Led by Cronus – but Atlas is another very important figure.
Joined by all other Titans, with a couple of exceptions….
The Olympians
Based on Mount Olympus.
Led by Zeus.
Joined by his brothers and sisters – Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon.
Defections – Themis and her son Prometheus do not side with their fellow Titans.
Hecatonchires and Cyclopes – released.
Ending of the titanomachy
Zeus and his allies triumph.
Titans are imprisoned in Tarturus, with the Hecatonchires acting as guards.
Division of the world between Zeus (sky/heavens), Poseidon (sea), and Hades (underworld) BUT Zeus is top dog!
Special punishment for Atlas because he sided with the Titans = has to ‘hold up the sky’ (left – ‘Farnese Atlas’, Naples National Archaeological Museum).
Zeus and Hera
Brother and sister – but also husband and wife!
Seduction - Pausanius, Description of Greece, 2.17.4 = “They explain the presence of a cuckoo seated on the sceptre [of Hera] by the story of when Zeus was in love with Hera, and, in her maidenhood, he changed himself into this bird, and she caught it to be her pet”
The ultimate love/hate relationship.
the 12 olympian gods
Demeter Hera Poseidon Zeus Hephaistos Apollo Artemis Hermes Dionysus Athene Ares Aphrodite
Often exclude Hades and Hestia
Zeus
Complex guy!
Tumultuous rise to power – Titanomachy.
“Supreme leader”
BUT note Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 5.31-52 – he is not “all powerful”.
Had famous religious sanctuaries dedicated to him at Olympia and Dodora.
Zeus symbols and sttributes
Lightening bolt. Royal sceptre. A throne – guarded by four winged spirits: Kratos (strength), Zelos (rivalry), Nike (victory), and Bia (force). Usually a mature man. Long robe (chiton) and cloak (himaton). Wreath of olive leaves.
Ganymede
symbol and attributes of Zeus
Trojan prince who was carried off to heaven by Zeus (eagle).
Appointed a cup-bearer of the gods.
In art – depicted as a handsome youth always. In scenes of his abduction, he holds a rooster (a lover’s gift), a hoop (a boy’s toy), or a lyre. When portrayed as the cup-bearer, he pours nectar from a jug.
Homer Iliad 20.230-34
“And to Tros [lord of the Trojans] in turn there were born three sons unfaulted, Ilos, Assarakos, and godlike Ganymede who was the loveliest born of the race of mortals, and therefore the gods caught him away to themselves to be Zeus’ wine pourer, for the sake of his beauty, so he might be amongst the immortals”.
Hera
Queen of the Gods!
Mainly associated with women and marriage.
Always depicted as a beautiful woman.
Holds lotus-tipped sceptre, sometimes accompanied by a peacock.
Myths often involve jealousy and persecution of Zeus’ objects of desire (can you blame her?!)
The children of zeus and hera(together and separately!)
Zeus and Hera had four children together…..
Outside of the Pantheon:
Hebe – goddess of youth, cup-bearer, went on to become the wife of Heracles.
Eilethyia – goddess of childbirth.
In the Pantheon crew:
Ares
Hephaestus (?)
Ares and Hephaestus could not be more different…..
Ares
God of WAR!
Usually dressed like a standard Greek warrior (which makes it hard to identify him).
Symbols = peaked helmet, shield, spear, sword (sometimes).
EITHER a mature, bearded warrior armed for battle, OR a nude, beardless youth with a helm and spear?!
Hephaestus
HUGE contrast to his brother Ares.
love triangle with his wife? aphrodite and ares
He is lame: Iliad 20.37 = “He went the way of these in the pride of his great strength limping, and yet his shrunken legs moved lightly beneath him”/ Odyssey 8.267 “I am a cripple from birth”.
Some stories say he was created without Zeus in a sort of immaculate conception (just the product of Hera) BUT the Homeric texts seem to refer to Hera AND Zeus as his parents.
Banished from Olympus as a baby because of his lame-ness, but he was saved and looked after by the marine divinities Thetis and Eurynome – despite this, he was still always faithful and good with Hera.
Contentious relationship with his parents - Also tossed from Olympus for siding with Hera in one the many Hera-Zeus showdowns – Iliad 1.590-611.
How did Hephaestus get back to Olympus after his initial banishment?
Dionysus brings hephaestus back to olympus – Pausanius, Description of greece, 1.20.3
“One of the legends is that Hephaestus, when he was born, was thrown down by Hera. In revenge, he sent as a gift a golden chair with invisible fetters. When Hera sat down she was held fast, and Hephaestus refused to listen to any other of the gods save Dionysus – in him he reposed the fullest trust – and after making him drunk, Dionysus brought him to heaven”
Hephaestus: Symbols and Attributes
God of the fire and metallurgy.
Famously forged the shield of Achilles
Iliad 18.477-549
“First of all he forged a shield that was huge and heavy,
Elaborating it about, and threw it a shining
Triple rim that glittered, and the shield strap was a cast of silver.
There were five folds composing the shield itself, and upon it
He elaborated many things in his skills and craftsmanship.”
descendants of ares and aphrodite
Phoebus – ‘Fear’
Deimos – ‘Terror’
Harmonia – ‘Harmony’
Adrestia – “she who cannot be escaped”, goddess of revolt
The Erotes – a collection of winged gods associated with love and sexuality, the most famous of which is Eros (= Cupid!).
Zeus’ children with otherwoman besides hera
many! but 4 key
athena
hermes
apollo
artimis
Athena
Goddess of wisdom and good counsel. Associated with heroic endeavours. Weaving, pottery, and other crafts. Depicted as a stately woman armed with a shield and spear, a long robe, crested helm, and the aegis. Green-eyed (or bright-eyed).