Unit 1 Flashcards
Zeus (Jupiter)
- Supreme ruler of the Gods
- God of the Sky, Rain-God, and Cloud-Gatherer
- Wielded the thunderbolt
- Associated with the Iliad
Hera (Juno)
- Zeus’s wife and sister
- Ocean and Tethys created her
- Quest for the Golden Fleece, protector
- Argos was her favorite city. Cow and peacock were sacred.
- Protector of marriage
Poseidon (Neptune)
- Ruler of the sea
- Zeus’s brother
- Husband of Amphitrite
- Called “Earth-shaker”
- Carried a trident
- Connected with bull and horses
Hades (Pluto)
- Ruler of the underworld and the dead
- God of wealth
- “Dis” = rich
- Third brother of Olympians
- Husband of Persephone (Queen of the Lower World)
Pallas Athena (Minerva)
- Daughter of Zeus (no mother)
- Seen in the Iliad
- Goddess of the City, civilized life, or handicrafts and agriculture
- Zeus’s favorite child
- “gray-eyed”
- Associated with Athens, olive trees, and owls
Phoebus Apollo
- Son of Zeus and Leto
- Born in Delos
- “Most Greek of all the gods”
- Golden lyre
- Archer-god, the Healer, God of Truth and Light
- Mentioned in Iliad
- Direct link to Gods and men.
Artemis (Diana)
- Apollo’s twin sister, daughter of Zeus and Leto.
- Lady of Wild Things, Huntsman-in-chief, the Moon
- “goddess of three forms”
Aphrodite (Venus)
- Goddess of Love and Beauty.
- Daughter of Zeus and Dione in the Iliad
- “foam-risen”
- Wife of Hephaestus
Hermes (Mercury)
- Son of Zeus and Maia
- Extremely quick
- Wore winged sandals
- Zeus’s messenger
- Master Thief
- Appears more often in tales
Ares (Mars)
- God of War
- Son of Zeus and Hera
- Iliad
- Called murderous and blood-stained
- Romans like Mars more
Hephaestus (Vulcan and Mulciber)
- God of fire
- Son of Zeus and Hera
- Iliad and Odyssey
- Lives in a volcano
Hestia (Vesta)
- Zeus’s sister
- Virgin goddess
- Plays no parts in myth
- Goddess of the Hearth
- Vestals, priestesses that cared for her fire in Rome.
Eros
- Cupid in Latin
- God of Love
- Aeneid
- makes his home in men’s hearts
- Cannot do wrong
Hebes
- Goddess of Youth
- Daughter of Zeus and Hera
- Cupbearer to the Gods
- Married to Hercules
Iris
- Goddess of the rainbow
- messenger of the Gods
- Iliad
Graces
- Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good Cheer)
- Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome
- Queens of Song
Muses
- Nine of them
- Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne
- Originally not distinguished
- Had specific fields
Ocean
- Titan, lord of the river ocean (river that encircled the Earth)
- Husband of Tethys
Triton
- Trumpeter of the Sea
- Trumpet was a great shell
- Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite
Nereus
- Old man of the sea
- “A trusty god and gentle”
- Husband of Doris
- 50 daughters, nymphs of the sea
Naiads
- Water nymphs
2. Dwelled in brooks, springs, and fountains
Rivers of the Underworld
- Acheron, River of woe
- Acheron pours into Cocytus, River of lamentation
- Charon ferries souls across the rivers
Cerberus
- Guards the underworld’s gates
- three-headed, dragon-tailed dog.
- Spirits pass, but none return
Erinyes (Furies)
- Punish evildoers (Virgil)
- Ministers of justice
- Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto
Demeter (Ceres)
- Goddess of Corn
- Daughter of Cronus and Rhea
- Supreme deity of the Earth
Dionysus (Bacchus)
- God of the Vine
2. Supreme deity of the Earth
Pan (Faunus)
- Hermes’ son
- noisy
- Part animal (goat horns and hoofs_
- goatherds’ and shepherds’ god
- Musician
Silenus
- Pan’s son or brother (depending on story)
- Fat old man who rode an ass
- Was too drunk to walk
Castor
- Brother of Pollux
- Half life in both Heavens and mortal world
- Son of Leda
- Protector of Sailors
- Was a mortal who won half immortality due to his brother’s love.
Pollux
- Brother of Castor
- Son of Leda
- Protector of sailors
- Held to be divine
Sileni
- Part man, part horse
- two legs, but hoofs instead of feet
- Seen on Greek vases, no stories
Satyrs (Fauns)
- Goat-men
2. Like Pan
Oreads
- Nymphs of the mountains
2. Maiden forms
Dryads (Hamadryads)
- Nymphs of trees
2. life was bound up to a tree
Centaurs
- Half-men, half-horse
- Savage creatures
- Chiron was known as being good and wise
Gorgons
- Three in total, two were immortal
- Dragon-like creatures with wings
- Look turned men into stone
Graiae
- Lived on an island
2. Enchanting voices that led sailors to their death
Fates
- Moirae in Greek, Parcae in Latin
2. Clotho, the spinner; Lachesis, Disposer of Lots; Atropos, she who could not be turned.
Pomona
- Began as a numina
2. Fell in love with Vertumnus
Vertumnus
- Began as a numina
2. Fell in love with Pomona
Cronus (Saturn)
- Ruled over the titans until Zeus overthrew him
2. fled to Italy, bringing the Golden Age
Tethys
- Wife of Ocean
Mnemosyne
- Meaning memory
Themis
- Meaning Justice
Atlas
- Bore the world on his shoulders
2. Son of Iapetus