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Greek Gods & Heroes

OLYMPIANS

NAME DOMAIN SYMBOLS

Zeus

zeus

King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order and justice. thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, bull, scepter, and scales

Hera

hera

Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage, women, childbirth and family. peacock, cuckoo, and cow

Poseidon

poseidon

God of the seas, water, storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and horses. horse, bull, dolphin, and trident

Demeter

demeter

Goddess of the harvest, fertility, agriculture, nature and the seasons. poppy, wheat, torch, cornucopia, and pig

Athena

athena

Goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare. owls, olive tree, snakes, armor, helmets, spears, Gorgoneion

Apollo

apollo

God of light, the sun, prophecy, philosophy, archery, truth, inspiration, poetry, music, arts, manly beauty, medicine, healing, and plague. the sun, bow and arrow, lyre, swan, and mouse

Artemis

artemis

Goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, virginity, the moon, archery, childbirth, protection and plague. the moon, horse, deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree, and bow and arrow

Ares

ares

God of war, violence, bloodshed and manly virtues. boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear, and shield

Aphrodite

aphrodite

Goddess of love, pleasure, passion, procreation, fertility, beauty and desire. the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, myrtle (a kind of flower), and rose

Dionysus*

dionysus

God of wine, the grape vine, fertility, festivity, ecstasy, madness and resurrection. the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger, panther, leopard, dolphin, goat, and pinecone

Hades*

hades

God of the underworld, the dead, and riches. cornucopia, Cypress tree, Narcissus flower, keys, serpent, mint plant, white poplar, dog, pomegranate, sheep, cattle, screech owl, horse, chariot

Hephaestus

hephaestus

Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of the forge, craftsmanship, invention, fire and volcanoes. fire, anvil, axe, donkey, hammer, tongs, and quail

Hermes

hermes

Messenger of the gods; god of travel, commerce, communication, borders, eloquence, diplomacy, thieves and games.  caduceus (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork, and tortoise

Hestia*

hestia oven

Goddess of the hearth, fire and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family. hearth and its fire

* These gods are sometimes included with the list of Olympians and sometimes not.


OTHER NOTABLE GODS AND DEITIES

  • Hecate: goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, and necromancy
  • Hypnos: god of sleep
  • Iris: goddess of the rainbow and divine messenger
  • The Moirai or "Fates" : incarnations of destiny
    • Clotho: the spinner of the life thread
    • Lachesis: the measurer of the life thread
    • Atropos: the severer of the life thread
  • Morpheus: god of dreaming
  • Muses: goddesses of music, song and dance, and the source of inspiration to poets
  • Nike: goddess of victory
  • Nyx: the primeval goddess of night
  • Persephone: queen of the underworld, wife of Hades and goddess of spring growth
  • Thanatos: spirit of death and mortality

HEROES AND IMPORTANT MORTALS

  • Achilles: hero of the Trojan War and a central character in Homer's Iliad
  • Arachne: a skilled weaver, transformed by Athena into a spider for her blasphemy
  • Atalanta: fleet-footed heroine who participated in the Calydonian Boar hunt and the quest for the Golden Fleece
  • Cassandra: a princess of Troy cursed to see the future but never to be believed
  • Daedalus: creator of the labyrinth and great inventor, until King Minos trapped him in his own creation.
  • Diomedes: a king of Argos and hero of the Trojan War
  • Ganymede: Trojan hero and lover of Zeus, who was given immortality and appointed cup-bearer to the gods
  • Icarus: the son of the master craftsman Daedalus
  • Jason: leader of the Argonauts
  • Medusa: a mortal woman transformed into a gorgon by Athena
  • Odysseus: a hero and king of Ithaca whose adventures are the subject of Homer's Odyssey; he also played a key role during the Trojan War
  • Orpheus: a legendary musician and poet who attempted to retrieve his dead wife from the Underworld
  • Pandora: the first woman
  • Perseus: son of Zeus and the founder-king of Mycenae and slayer of the Gorgon Medusa
  • Theseus: son of Poseidon and a king of Athens and slayer of the Minotaur

Icons by Freepik via Flaticon

greek and roman gods infographic

Infographic by Matthew Barrett

Links: Mythology

The myth of Hercules: 12 labors in 8-bits

The myth of Arachne

The myth of Prometheus

The myth of Sisyphus

The myth of Cupid and Psyche

The myth of Icarus and Daedalus

The myth of King Midas and his golden touch

The tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice

The myth of Jason and the Argonauts

The Greek myth of Talos, the first robot

The myth of Pandora’s box

Medusa: Victim or Villain?