Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Gods

Aφροδίτη (Aphroditē)
Aphrodite Goddess of love, lust, beauty, seduction and pleasure. Although married to Hephaestus she had many lovers, most notably Ares. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually accompanied her son, Eros. Her symbols include the dove, apple, scallop shell and myrtle wreath.

Aπόλλων (Apollō)
Apollo God of music, healing, plague, prophecies, poetry, and archery; associated with light, truth and the sun. He is Artemis's twin brother, and son of Zeus and Leto. He was depicted as a handsome, beardless youth with long hair and various attributes including a laurel wreath, bow and quiver, raven, and lyre.

Άρης (Arēs)
Ares God of war, bloodlust, violence, manly courage, and civil order. The son of Zeus and Hera, he was depicted as either a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle arms, or a nude beardless youth with helm and spear. His attributes are golden armour and a bronze-tipped spear, and his sacred animals are the eagle owl, the vulture and the venomous snake.

Άρτεμις (Artemis)
Artemis Virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, childbirth and plague. In later times she became associated with the moon. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo. In art she was usually depicted as a young woman dressed in a short knee-length chiton and equipped with a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows. In addition to the bow, her attributes include hunting spears, animal pelts, deer and other wild animals.

Αθηνά (Athēna)
Athena Virgin goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. The daughter of Zeus and Metis, she was born from Zeus's head fully-formed and armoured. She was depicted crowned with a crested helm, armed with shield and spear, and wearing the snake-trimmed aegis cloak adorned with the head of the Gorgon. Her symbols include the aegis, the owl and the olive tree.

Δήμητρα (Dēmētra)
Demeter Goddess of fertility, agriculture, horticulture, grain and harvest. Demeter is a daughter of Kronos and Rhea and sister of Zeus, by whom she bore Persephone. She was depicted as a mature woman, often crowned and holding sheafs of wheat and a torch. Her symbols are the Cornucopia (horn of plenty), wheat-ears, the winged serpent and the lotus staff.

Διόνυσος (Dionysus)
Dionysus God of wine, parties and festivals, madness, drunkenness and pleasure. He was depicted in art as either an older bearded god or a pretty effeminate, long-haired youth. His attributes include the thyrsus (a pine-cone tipped staff), drinking cup, grape vine and a crown of ivy. A later addition to the Olympians, in some accounts he replaced Hestia.

ᾍδης (Hades)
Hades King of the Underworld and god of death, the dead, and the hidden wealth of the Earth. His consort is Persephone and his attributes are the key of Hades, the Helm of Darkness, and the three-headed dog, Cerberus. Despite being the son of Kronos and Rhea and the elder brother of Zeus, he is only rarely listed among the Olympians.

Ήφαιστος (Hēphaistos)
Hephaestus Crippled god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry, sculpture and volcanism. The son of Hera by parthenogenesis, he is the smith of the gods and the husband of the adulterous Aphrodite. He was usually depicted as a bearded man holding hammer and tongs—the tools of a smith—and riding a donkey. His symbols are the hammer, tongs and anvil.

Ήρα (Hēra)
Hera Queen of Heaven and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings and empires. She is the daughter of Kronos and Rhea and sister-wife of Zeus. She was usually depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a crown and holding a royal, lotus-tipped staff. Her symbols are the diadem, lotus-staff, peacock, cuckoo and pomegranate.

Ερμής (Hērmēs)
Hermes God of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles, language, writing, diplomacy, athletics, and animal husbandry. He is the messenger of the gods, a psychopomp who leads the souls of the dead into Hades' realm, and the son of Zeus and Maia. He was depicted as either a handsome and athletic beardless youth, or as an older bearded man. His attributes include the herald's wand or caduceus, winged sandals, and a traveler's cap.

Ἑστία (Hestia)
Hestia Virgin goddess of the hearth, home and cooking. She is a daughter of Rhea and Kronos and sister of Zeus. She was depicted as a modestly veiled woman, whose symbols are the hearth and kettle. In some accounts she gave up her seat as one of the Twelve Olympians to tend to the sacred flame on Mount Olympus for Dionysus.

Ποσειδῶν (Poseidon)
Poseidon God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes and horses; known as the "Earth Shaker" or "Storm Bringer". He is a son of Kronos and Rhea and brother to Zeus and Hades. In classical artwork he was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with a dark beard, and holding a trident. His attributes are the trident, dolphins and horses.

Ζεύς (Zeus)
Zeus The king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather, thunder, law, order and fate. He is the youngest son of Kronos and Rhea, whom he overthrew, and brother-husband to Hera. In artwork he was depicted as a regal man, mature with sturdy figure and dark beard. His symbols are the thunderbolt, royal sceptre, and eagle.

The Monsters


Cerberus
Cerberus is the 3-headed hound of Hades. It seems likely that the 3-headed watchdog of Harry Potter is based on Cerberus.
Cerberus - 3-Headed Hound of Hades
Cerberus was the 3-headed hound of Hades.

Echidna
Echidna is described by Hesiod as a part-snake monster who gave birth to most of the monsters of Greek mythology.

Harpies & The Golden Fleece
In the story of the Argonauts, the blind king Phinease laments his fate: "Never do I strive to put food to my lips but these foul things, the Harpies, the Snatchers, swoop down and scatter or devour what I would eat. Crumbs they leave me that my life may not altogether go from me, but these crumbs they make foul to my taste and my smell."

Medusa - The Gorgon Medusa
Medusa is known for her snaky-hair and her ability to turn men into stone. Medusa is one of three sisters, the Gorgons, daughters of Phorcys and Keto.

Minotaur
Theseus went into the labyrinth built by Daedalus to face the bull-headed man beast known as the minotaur. With the help of the minotaur's half-sister Ariadne, Theseus was able to find his way out again after slaying the beast.

Monsters Defeated by Hercules
Hercules was renowned for defeating monsters who plagued the countryside. His conquests included the Nemean Lion, the Lernean Hydra, the Erymanthian Boar, the Stymphalian Birds, the Cretan Bulls, and the man-eating Mares of Diomedes.

Monsters From Greek Mythology
Monsters in Greek mythology usually destroy people or ravage the countryside, although at least the Harpies simply wreck people's lives. Here is a collection of graphics showing some of the major monsters of Greek mythology as they have been portrayed in art or illustrations.

Sirens
Whatever makes a monster in mythology includes luring innocent men to their death, which is what the Sirens did in the Odyssey. The Sirens also count as monsters beause they may have been half bird and half human.

Sphinx
The sphinx is known more from ancient Egypt, but has a prominent place in the story of Oedipus as the riddler.
The Unicorn in Greece and Rome
Ancient Greco-Roman sources on the unicorn.

Scylla
Scylla was originally a woman who was turned by Circe into a monster who destroyed all who passed through the strait of Messina, between Italy and Sicily.

Nymph
A nymph in Greek mythology is a female spirit typically associated with a particular location or landform.