The Gods- Graeco-Romano Flashcards
Zeus
Defeated his father Cronos
Took control over the earth
Divided the earth with his brothers
Married to Hera
Children with many women
Keeps JUSTICE
God of SKIES
God of FATES OF MAN
Symbolism:
* On a throne with a sceptre
* Eagle
* Lightning
POSEIDON
Brother of Zeus
God of seas
Linked to horses
Important to:
* Sailers
* Those going on sea journeys
Prominent in Greek literature
* Sides with Greeks in Iliad
* Pursues Odysseus in Odyssey
* Key god in contest for Athens
Hades
Chthonic deity,
Ruler of Underworld
Rarely in Greek literature
Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Represented with a cornucopia and his wife Persephone
Hera
Queen of the gods
Sister-wife of Zeus
Marriage, women, childbirth, family
Powerful independant goddess, takes revenge on children of Zeus and his lovers
Iliad, Heracles
Represented wearing a diadem
Athena
War and wisdom
Daughter of Zeus and Metis
Mother turned into a fly which Zeus swallowed so that her child would not be more powerful than him
Born when Hephaistos struck Zeus on the head so as to get rid of a headache. Born as a full grown woman
Iliad, Odyssey, contest for Athens
Represented with an owl (wisdom),
Represented wtih helmet, spear, and aegis (war and military intelligence)
Represented with Nike, victory goddess.
Common epithet: Parthenos, ‘the virgin’
Demeter
Agriculture and harvest
Sister of Zeus
Important as Greeks depened on her for survival
Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Eleusis, where she had a mystery cult, held her in high regard.
Eleusinian Mysteries
Represented wearing a diadem and holding a bundle of wheat, grain, or flowers
Hestia
Goddess of the home and hearth
Vital to Greeks
Every sacrifice that took place in the home started with one to her
Her fire was also a symbol of the security of the city
Cities often kept a fire burning as a symbol of its power
Rerely represented, veiled head
Hephaistos
God of metalworking, fire, and craftsmen
Iliad, he was the son of Zeus and Hera
Hesiod says he is the son of Hera alone
Suffered from a limp.
First story: born with it
Second story: Zeus threw him from Olympus. After falling for a whole day, he landed on Lemnos
Iliad
Represented with a hammer
Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty
Born from the sea
Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, no god or human could resist her influence, except Athena, Hestia, or Artemis
Her beauty had powerful effects
Story of the Golden Apple started the Trojan War
Had affair with Ares and Hephaistos caught them in bed in an unbreakable net, then called all the gods to witness their humiliation
Reoresebted in various ways: one of which is rising from the sea
In sculpture, she is often naked
Artemis
Goddess of hunting, wildlife, childbirth
Twin sister of Apllo
Daughter of Zeus and Leto
Associated wtih the moon
Referred to as Phoebe
Depicted with a bow and arrow, and wild animals
Apollo
God of music, the arts, education, archery, and prophecies
Twin brother of Artemis
Associated with the sun
Epithet Phoebus, meaning shining
Cult centres in Delphi and Delos, where he was born
Represented with his bow and arrow, and lyre, and in eternal youth
Hermes
God of travel and trade, and messenger of the gods
Only him and Dionysus could travel to the underworld, out of all the gods
Represented with a traveller’s cap, caduceus, and winged sandals
Ares
God of war
Homeric Hymns show him as a god who gives men courage
Iliad shows him as a merciless killer
Opposite to Athena – raw violence of a fight
Represented wearing armour
Dionysus
God of wine and theatre
Son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal
Hidden from Hera
Seen as an outsider
Great following as god of wine
Enjoyed own festival in Athens as god of Theatre
Represented with a thysus, vines, and an animal skin, and his companions the maenads and satyrs
Jupiter
King of the gods, ruler of the skies
Equated with Zeus
Name comes from Iov pater, “father Jove” – Etruscan god Jove
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Jupiter the Best and Greatest, on Capitoline hill
Represented as a bearded man wielding a lightning bolt and could be shown holding an eagle or seated on a throne with a sceptre
Neptune
God of the seas, earthquakes, and storms
Brother or Jupiter
Linked with horses
Equivilent of Poseidon
Increasingly important for Roman sailors, traders, and travellers as Rome expanded
Represented as a bearded man holding a trident
Pluto
God of the underworld
Brother of Jupiter
Brief appearances in Metamorphoses
Not often in art, however the myth of Proserpina’s abduction at the hand of Pluto was a popular decoration for sarcohpagi
Juno
Goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and the family
Equated with Hera
Wife of Jupiter
Queen of the gods
Powerful and wrathful
Aeneid
Represented wearing a diade, holding a sceptre, or accompanied by a peacock
