Peter's Ancient History and Religion Pages
Peter's Index Athenian Feasts Ancient History Home 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. |
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. |
|
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)
email Write me a note if you found this useful
Copyright Peter & BJ Eyland. 2007 to 2015 All Rights Reserved. Website designed and maintained by www.eyland.com.au ABN79179540930. Last updated 22 January 2015 |