Greek
Ares: spear and shield,
bloodlust and war
Artemis: goddess of the hunt,
wild animals, childbirth – more
important, more roles
Athena: armor, owl, serpent,
olive tree, emphasis on
knowledge
Hephaestus: more on creation
aspects of fire. Dionysus gets
him drunk so he releases Hera
and gets to marry Aphrodite
Gaia
Hades: 3 headed dog
(Cerberus), pomegranate Myth:
keeps Persephone in
Underworld for 6 months for 6
pomegranate seeds
Demeter: flowers, grain, pig.
Eros: adult
Hestia
Selene: moon, childbirth,
lunacy, stars, guiding light
Dionysus: grapes, fennel staff
with pinecone, snake, satyr
Zeus
© 2009 Maya and Tara Balakrishnan
Roman
Mars: male symbol, war, more
respected in society
Diana: hunt, wild animals
Minerva: no olive tree, more
emphasis on weapons
Vulcan: also volcanoes, more
exaggerated version. More on
destruction. Makes a deal where he
is given Venus after releasing
Juno. Romans made more
sacrifices to protect crops/city
Terra Mater
Pluto: wealth, money
Myth: Venus shoots Pluto with
love arrow, Pluto sees Proserpine,
falls in love, keeps her for half the
year
Ceres: cornucopia, fruits. More
important to Romans because
needed crops
Cupid: child
Vesta
Luna: goddess of moon. Menstrual
cycle. Protection of crops
Bacchus: grapes, wine, leopard,
satyr
Jupiter
Both
Myth: Hephaestus trapped Ares and Aphrodite in a net
Son of Zeus+Hera
Symbols: bow, arrow, moon (purity), wolf, dogs
Myth: Artemis seen bathing by Acteaon, turns him into
a stag and has him hunted
Daughter of Leto and Zeus
Parents: Zeus, Metis
Myth: Zeus afraid child will dethrone him, swallows
Metis. Has headaches. Hephaestus cracks open head.
Athena is born (fully armed)
Symbols: fire, forge, anvil, tongs
Fire and blacksmithing
Daughter of Hera – immaculate conception
Myth: Hera jealous of Zeus’ other kids, makes a kid.
Ugly. Pushes him off mountain. Hera is imprisoned
Mother of gods and humans, goddess of birth.
Associated with Demeter: earth, growth, fertilization
Symbols: earth, egg. Gives offspring necessities
Myth: no gods, only Chaos. Laid egg with Gaia and
Tartarus and others. Gaia creates the gods/Titans
Ruler of the Underworld. Hades is born from Cronos
and Rhea. Brother of Zeus, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon,
Hera
Mother of Persephone. Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Goddess of Vegetation, agriculture, growing
Myth: Persephone myth (see Hades) when Persephone
is gone, she is sad, things stop growing, when she
returns, makes things grow
Symbols: love arrows, wings, bow, arrow
Makes people fall in love after shooting them
Son of Aphrodite. Wife is Psyche. Daughter Hedone.
Myth: Aphrodite jealous of Psyche’s human beauty.
Sends Eros to make her fall in love with ugly guy.
Accidently shoots himself. Marries Psyche, but not
allowed to see him.
Hearth, fire. Parents: Rhea+Cronos. Warmth,
hospitality, the essence of being. Virgin(ity). No
throne.
Myth: Aeneis, descendent, carried her flame to Rome.
built temple with sacred flame for her
Symbols: moon, chariot, horse, torch
Daughter of Hyperion and Gaia. Children with Helios,
Zeus
Myth: moon sets every night behind mtns, falls in love
with god in cave who falls into eternal sleep. Has 50
children with him- the Meni
Son of Zeus and Semele (mortal). Affairs with
Aphrodite. God of wine, theater, music, agriculture,
fall/spring, male fertility. Hera tricks Semele into
looking at Zeus, Semele turns into ashes. Zeus saves
Dionysus, puts him in his thigh, twice-reborn
Child of Cronos and Rhea. Duties: makes sun and

Hera: less important- goddess
of marriage and childbirth
Themis: children = season and
the fates (w/ Zeus)
Law among gods
Cronos
Heracles
Nike: often seen w/
Athena(goddess of war) and
Zeus(his personal good luck
charm) as a bringer of luck.
Symbols: wings, victory,
athletics, sport, death,
celebration
Hermes: Athleticism and
fertility
Son= Pan (the satyr)
Poseidon:
Symbols: trident, horses,
whales, dolphins
Aphrodite:
Symbols: Bow and arrow,
deer, dove, sparrow, swan,
golden apple, magic girdle,
dolphins, roses
© 2009 Maya and Tara Balakrishnan
Juno: more prominent and
POWERFUL in Roman society-
women freedom wasn’t as limited.
Move vengefull
Symbols: lightning bolts
Justitia: has no children
Law + order among mortals
Saturn
Hercules
Victoria: often seen w/ Mars (god
of war)
Symbols: trophies of defeated
Mercury: Symbols: also has a
handbag
Games, business, and storytelling
No Children
Neptune:
Symbols: trident, horses, whales,
mermaid slaves
Venus: patroness of gardens and
vineyards.
She was ay more important in
Rome.
Symbols: Same
moon go, changes season, storms, thunderbolts. Sybols:
eagle, shield, thunderbolt, oak tree, bull. Myth: Cronos
had a prophecy that his child would overthrow him.
Swallowed his children. Rhea hides Zeus. Zeus
overthrows him + frees siblings. Zeus elected king of
the gods.
Zeus’s wife, queen of gods
Children: Area, Hebe, Hephaestus etc.
Symbols: crown, scepter, peacock (has 100 eyes- sent
Argos to watch Zeus w/ 100 eyes, Zeus killed Argos
and all the eyes sent onto a peacock.)
Tried to kill Heracles but failed b/c he was powerful.
Child of Gaia and Uranus (had 12 children total called
the titans) Uranus feels threatened- sends his children
to the underworld. Symbols: scales + sword + blindfold
MYTH == ?????
Symbols: sickle and scythe (used to castrate
Uranus/dad), agriculture, harvest, the # 7 (7th sun, 7
days per week)
Myth: swallows children due to prophecy from father.
Rhea tricks Cronos- gives him a stone instead of Zeus.
Zeus kills Cronos + frees siblings.
Child of Uranus.
Symbols: lion pelt, the 12 labors, wooden club
Duty: hero, extraordinary strength, lives on earth
Born from Zeus and a mortal (has a ½ twin)
Zeus impersonated Amphitryon + conceived Hercules.
Hera disapproves- sent 2 snakes to kill him- he
strangled them w/ his enormous strength.
Parent: Styx(Pallas). Offered her children to help gods
fight titans. Goddess of Victory and Bringer of Good
Luck.
Symbols: sash and wreath
Parents: Maia + Zeus
Myth: born in a cave, stole Apollo’s cows, brought
before Zeus and ordered to return cows, Hermes cave
Apollo a lyre- got to keep cows, given a golden staff
Symbols: Lyre, Golden Staff, Winged Sandals + Cap,
Cows, Tortoise Shell
Duties: commerce, shepherds, merchants, travelers,
thieves, good luck.
God of sea, horses, racetrack, earthquakes, freshwater.
Myth: fell in love w/ Aphrodite(a sea nymph)- denied
and fled to Atlas, sent dolphin after her + offered her to
be a constellation in the sky.
Parents: Cronos and Rhea
Goddess of Love + Beauty
Geneology: 1. Daughter of Zeus and Dione 2. Born
when Uranus’s castrated genitals fertilized the sea
Had affairs w/ almost all gods and several mortals
(notably ares). Aeneas is her son.
Myth: Paris + the golden apple- beauty contest btw.
Aphrodite, Hera, + Athena (Aphrodite won- promised
paris Helen as a bride)