Peter's Ancient History and Religion Pages

Peter's Index Peter's Index  Athenian Feasts Athenian Feasts  Ancient History Home Ancient History Home  Maccabees Maccabees 



Ancient History and Religion with Peter Eyland


Ancient Greek Deities

Anteros

god of return- or opposite-love. Brother of Eros. He either struggles against love or punishes those who do not returm the love of others

CMD

Aphrodite

goddess of love; beauty and sexual rapture; Homer- daughter of Zeus and Dione; Hesiod - from genitals of Ouranos cut off by Kronos

CMD

Apollo

god of prophecy (vaticination); as Seer he is patron of poetry music & leader of Muses; as Prophet he is patron of Medicine. Son of Zeus and Leto. Twin of Artemis. Phoebus = shining one

CMD

Ares

god of war. Son of Zeus & Hera

CMD

Artemis

goddess of wild animals & birth. Originally great mother and fertility goddess. Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Twin of Apollo

CMD

Asklepios

legendary Greek physician. Later deified as god of healing - son of Apollo & Coronis.  In his temple sleeping people had dreams to show them how to recover their health.

Buxton p198 p199

Athena

goddess of war & wisdom (Roman Minerva). Daughter of Zeus and Metis (wise counsel). Owl as totemic bird

CMD

Demeter

goddess of the mature grain harvest. Sister of Zeus.
Cretan in origin, "Grain mother" or "Earth Mother".
[Kore/Persephone is the goddess of the newly planted grain].

MWM p.17

Dionysios

god of potency and the fertility of nature. Union by ecstasy. Wine & vine as symbols. Son of Zeus and Semele. Hera forced Zeus to appear to Semele and she was incinerated but Zeus snatched the unborn child and sewed it into his thigh; hence Dionysios is called the insewn.

CMD

Hades or Aides or Aidoneus

god of the underworld. Brother of Zeus and Poseidon

CMD

Hephaestus

god of craftsmanship & metalwork

CMD

Hera

goddess of marriage and family. Queen of Olympos. Peacock symbol. Sister and wife of Zeus.

CMD

Hermes

god of trade riches & good fortune. Messenger of the gods. Patron deity of tricksters & thieves. Son of Zeus & Maia

CMD

Hestia

goddess of the hearth fire & domestic life. Daughter of Kronos & Rhea

CMD

Hygieia

goddess of health. Daughter of Askepios

Buxton p199; CMD

Kore

goddess of the newly planted grain. Kore is the maiden epithet of the goddess Persephone.

MWM p.17, Buxton p27

Leto

goddess.  Daughter of Titans Coeus & Phoebe.  Mother of Apollo & Artemis

Buxton p202; CMD

Persephone

goddess consort of Hades who spends a third of the year in the underworld.
Daughter of Zeus and Demeter

 

Pluton or Pluto

"Wealthy One": a name for Hades

MWM p.20

Poseidon

god of the sea. Brother of Zeus. Power to shake the earth hence ruler of horses

CMD

Theos

The word for god is the pre-Mycenaean thes-os

Burkert

Zeus

god of thunder; lightning & cloud. Father and king of gods

CMD

References:
Buxton = Oxford Readings in Greek Religion, Richard Buxton, Oxford University Press, 2000
CMD = The Concise Mythological Dictionary, G.P.Putnam's Sons, 1963
MWM = The Ancient Mysteries, M.W.Meyer, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1999, (copyright 1987)

 


Peter's Index Peter's Index  Athenian Feasts Athenian Feasts  top of page top of page  Maccabees Maccabees

email Write me a note if you found this useful