Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece
The ancient Greeks believed in many gods, goddesses, spirits, and monsters, and the loved to tell myths about them. At the beginning of all of the stories is when Cronus was the ruler of the universe, one of the 12 Titans, and the son of Uranus and Gaea. His sister wife, Rhea, and him were the parents of 6 of the 12 gods and goddesses known as the Olympians. Cronus had been warned that he would be over thrown by one of his children, so to prevent this from happening, he swallowed the first five children as soon as they were born. Rhea didn't like it so when the last baby was born, she showed Cronus a stone instead of the last child, Zeus. Zeus was hidden in Crete, and when he was older, he made Cronus disgorge the other five children. Zeus and his other siblings had a war against Cronus and the Titans, and Zeus won and the Titans were confined in Tartarus, which is a cave in the deepest part of the Underworld.
Zeus is the king of all the gods and goddesses, and he has a jealous wife named Hera. One of the monsters were the Minotaur, who was a half bull and half man creature. He was imprisoned in a labyrinth. King Minos of Crete was said to have sacrificed captured Athenians to the Minotaur. Eventually, he was killed by Theseus, who had help from the king's daughter, Ariadne, by following a ball of thread. Hades is the brother of Zeus, and the god of the Underworld. He has a three headed dog named Cerberus that stands guard over the Underworld. Poseidon is also the brother of Zeus and the god of the ocean. Demeter is the god of grain and agriculture, and her daughter is Persephone. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the Underworld. When Zeus found out, he told Hades to let her go, but before Hades let her go, he let her eat. She ate three pomegranate seeds, but if you eat something in the Underworld, you have to stay there. So they made a deal and for three months, Persephone has to live in the Underworld. While she is there, Demeter cries for her and refuses to let anything grow, which is the cause of winter.
Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. The city Athens is named after her and the Parthenon is dedicated to her. She is the daughter of Zeus and was born out of his head. A very famous legendary hero was Achilles. It was said that when he was young, his mother dipped him into the River Styx, which was said to protect you from injuries, except for his heel. Unfortunately he died because Paris shot him in the heel. The Fates are three goddesses who control a man's mortal destiny. According to the legend, when the Fates cut a man's "string of life", his soul goes to the Underworld for eternity. Sirens were the maidens of the sea, and they had the head of a woman and the body of a bird. They would sing with high and hypnotic voices and cause the ships to crash onto the rocks. The Gorgons were three terrible looking sisters with snakes for hair that could turn you into stone. The most famous sister is Medusa, who was killed by Perseus.
One of the other creatures was a female monster named Chimera. She had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. She was said to be the sister of Cerberus and Hydra. The creature Hydra had nine heads, but when one was cut off, it would grow two more in its place. Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, Apollo was the sun god, and Ares was the god of war.
Zeus is the king of all the gods and goddesses, and he has a jealous wife named Hera. One of the monsters were the Minotaur, who was a half bull and half man creature. He was imprisoned in a labyrinth. King Minos of Crete was said to have sacrificed captured Athenians to the Minotaur. Eventually, he was killed by Theseus, who had help from the king's daughter, Ariadne, by following a ball of thread. Hades is the brother of Zeus, and the god of the Underworld. He has a three headed dog named Cerberus that stands guard over the Underworld. Poseidon is also the brother of Zeus and the god of the ocean. Demeter is the god of grain and agriculture, and her daughter is Persephone. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the Underworld. When Zeus found out, he told Hades to let her go, but before Hades let her go, he let her eat. She ate three pomegranate seeds, but if you eat something in the Underworld, you have to stay there. So they made a deal and for three months, Persephone has to live in the Underworld. While she is there, Demeter cries for her and refuses to let anything grow, which is the cause of winter.
Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. The city Athens is named after her and the Parthenon is dedicated to her. She is the daughter of Zeus and was born out of his head. A very famous legendary hero was Achilles. It was said that when he was young, his mother dipped him into the River Styx, which was said to protect you from injuries, except for his heel. Unfortunately he died because Paris shot him in the heel. The Fates are three goddesses who control a man's mortal destiny. According to the legend, when the Fates cut a man's "string of life", his soul goes to the Underworld for eternity. Sirens were the maidens of the sea, and they had the head of a woman and the body of a bird. They would sing with high and hypnotic voices and cause the ships to crash onto the rocks. The Gorgons were three terrible looking sisters with snakes for hair that could turn you into stone. The most famous sister is Medusa, who was killed by Perseus.
One of the other creatures was a female monster named Chimera. She had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. She was said to be the sister of Cerberus and Hydra. The creature Hydra had nine heads, but when one was cut off, it would grow two more in its place. Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, Apollo was the sun god, and Ares was the god of war.