Download In the beginning…

In the beginning… …there was chaos

And out of chaos…. Gaea, Mother Earth, was created

And Gaea gave birth to Uranus, the sky

Uranus rained down on Gaea… And plants, animals, and rivers appeared

Gaea and Uranus had many children….. Their first born were the twelve Giant Titans, six boys and six girls.

Later more children were born….. • Three were the mighty Cyclops, one-eyed giants

• And three were the Hecatoncheires, monsters with a hundred arms and fifty heads

Uranus hated the Cyclops and the Hecatoncheires, because they were ugly • And he threw them into Tartarus – the deepest pit of the underworld.

Gaea was furious. She urged the Titans to overthrow their father and rescue their brothers in Tartarus.

Only Cronus, the youngest , was brave enough. • He attacked Uranus with a sickle and banished him from earth. • Cronus replaced his father as Lord of the Universe. But he was cruel and did not free his brothers from Tartarus. • Cronus married his sister, Rhea, and they had many children.

• Cronus was afraid that one of his own children might overthrow him just as he had overthrown his father. • So as each child was born, he swallowed it whole. (Remember he was a giant Titan and his children were much smaller. ) • Also the children were gods (immortals) so they could not die. They remained alive and grew inside his stomach. (Imagine the indigestion.)

• Rhea was horrified. She finally tricked Cronus by feeding him a rock wrapped in a blanket instead of the next child. This baby was Zeus. • Zeus was raised on the island of Crete by gentle woodland nymphs who fed him honeyed milk. When the baby would cry, the Curettes – Zeus’s guards – clashed their weapons to hide the sound from Cronus.

Zeus grew into one of the strongest gods and Rhea, his mother, wanted him to overthrow Cronus. Rhea gave Cronus a drink that

made him throw up the stone and his unharmed children – among those were: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.

The children were all reunited and gratefully joined their brother. Zeus freed their uncles (the monsters) from Tartarus, and together they prepared to fight the Titans. The cyclops made weapons.

They armed Zeus with a thunderbolt that shook the universe.

They made Poseidon a trident that could split the seas.

They gave Hades a helmet of darkness that made him invisible to his enemies.

For ten years a war raged between the old gods (Titans) and the new gods (Olympians). At last Cronus and the Titans were defeated and thrown into Tartarus to be guarded by their own hundred-armed brother.

The universe was divided among the three brothers. Zeus was King of the gods and heaven and earth. Poseidon became god of the seas. Hades became god of the underworld.

The Cyclops (children of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea) built the “Olympians” a palace on Mt. Olympus.

• Zeus lived there with his brothers, sisters, six of his children, and Aphrodite (goddess of love) forever. • The gods dined on nectar and ambrosia, the food and drink of the gods, and they could change shape or form to mingle and control the mortals on earth.

Each god and goddess has special powers. First, these are the gods and goddesses that live on Mount Olympus.

Mt. Olympus The magical kingdom of all of the Gods and Goddess. Ruled by Zeus!

King and Queen of Mt. Olympus Greek Name

Roman Name

Description

Zeus

Jupiter

Hera

Juno

King of the Gods (Player) Queen of the Gods Goddess of family (Jealous)

Zeus, Jupiter • King of the gods • Women loved him and he loved them. • Symbol: Lightning bolt

Hera, Juno • Queen of the gods • Goddess of the family • Symbol: pomegranate

(symbol of fertility) Hera, queen of the gods

Brothers of Zeus Greek Name

Roman Name

Description

Poseidon Neptune

Ruler of the seas, brother of Zeus

Hades

Brother of Zeus, ruler of the Underworld.

Pluto

Poseidon, Neptune • Ruler of the sea • Responsible for natural and supernatural events • Symbol: Trident

Hades, Pluto • Supreme ruler of the underworld • God of the dead • Symbol: Helmet (helped him stay invincible)

Greek Name

Roman Name

Description

Aphrodite

Venus

Goddess of love, romance, and beauty

Apollo

Apollo

God of sun, music, and poetry. Twin of Artemis

Ares

Mars

God of War

Artemis

Diana

Goddess of the hunt and moon. Twin of Apollo

Athena

Minerva

Goddess of wisdom and war

Demeter

Ceres

Goddess of agriculture

Hephaestus Vulcan

God of fire and forge

Hermes

Mercury

Messenger of the gods

Hestia

Vesta

Calm goddess of home and homelife.

Dyonysus

Bacchus

Joyful god of wine

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Aphrodite, Venus Goddess of love and beauty Mother of Eros Wife of Hephaestus Lover to Ares Symbol: Dove

• • • •

Apollo, Apollo God of sun, music, poetry Twin to Artemis Gift of prophecy Symbol: Lyre

• • • •

Artemis, Diana Goddess of moon and hunt Twin to Apollo Absolute power over nature Symbol: Bow

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Ares, Mars God of War Not well liked by the other gods Ares and Aphrodite had a daughter-Harmony Symbol: Spear and dogs

Athena, Minerva • Goddess of wisdom and war • Approached war in terms of Justice • Symbol: Staff and Owl

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Demeter, Ceres Goddess of agriculture (grain) Mother of Persephone Taught mortals harvest Symbol: Wheat

Dionysus, Bacchus • God of wine and festivities • Spreads joy • Symbol: Grapes

Hephaestus, Vulcan • God of metal working • Only physically ugly god • Husband to Aphrodite – She played him

• Symbol: Fire, ax, and hammer

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Hermes, Mercury Messenger God Fastest because of his winged shoes Only god who could visit heaven, earth, and underworld Symbol: Wings

Hestia, Vesta • Goddess of the hearth • Kind and forgiving • Symbol: Flame

Name

Description

Persephone

Queen of the Underworld; Daughter of Demeter

Cerberus

Three headed dog off the Underworld.

Eros

God of love; son of Aphrodite

The Fates

Three fates: spin measure, and cut life

The Muses

Nine beautiful deities

Persephone • Hades loved her and stole her from her mother, Demeter • She spends 6 months with Mom and 6 months with husband

Cerberus • Watch dog of the underworld • Prevent the dead from exiting • Three heads, very scary

Eros, Cupid • Son of Aphrodite • Falls in love with beautiful, mortal Psyche • Convinces Zeus to make her immortal

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The Fates Clotho-spins the thread of destiny Lacesis- measures Atropos-cuts Determined every mortal’s life No other god could alter their decision

Muses • 9 beautiful, intelligent deities • Each Muse was in charge over an intelligence • Required to praise them in epic poetry