Greece - Korina Miller [28]
APOLLO (PHOEBUS)
ARTEMIS (DIANA)
ARES (MARS)
HERMES (MERCURY)
HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)
HESTIA (VESTA)
THE MYTHS, THE MYTHS!
HERACLES (HERCULES)
THESEUS
ICARUS
PERSEUS
OEDIPUS
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Richard Waters
Ancient Greece revolved around a careful worship of 12 central gods and goddesses. A visitor to Greece 2500 years later should not neglect a nod to them; picture Poseidon and his pet Kraken lurking in the navy deeps of the Aegean, sniff the pine-scented forests and listen for Pan’s footfalls between the cicada song. So representative was the Olympian pantheon in its human aspect – the wanton lustfulness of Zeus, the boozy revelry of Dionysos – that the Greek gods were to survive even the invasion of the Romans who were happy to plunder and rename them for their own worship. Below is the pecking order of the deities (with equivalent Roman names).
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ZEUS (JUPITER)
Heavyweight champ of Mt Olympus, lord of the skies and master of disguise in pursuit of mortal maidens. Wardrobe includes shower of gold, bull, eagle and swan.
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POSEIDON (NEPTUNE)
God of the seas, master of the mists and younger brother of Zeus. He dwelt in a glittering underwater palace.
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HERA (JUNO)
Protector of women and family, the queen of heaven is also the embattled wife of Zeus. She was the prototype of the jealous, domineering wife.
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HADES (PLUTO)
God of death, he ruled the underworld, bringing in newly dead with the help of his skeletal ferryman, Charon. Serious offenders were sent for torture in Tartarus, while heroes enjoyed eternal R&R in the Elysian Fields.
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ATHENA (MINERVA)
Goddess of wisdom, war, science and Guardian of Athens. The antithesis of Ares (Click here), Athena was deliberate and where possible, diplomatic in the art of war. Heracles, Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts fame) and Perseus all benefited from her patronage.
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APHRODITE (VENUS)
Goddess of love and beauty. The curvy lady of the shell was said to have been born whole on the waves. When she wasn’t cuckolding her unfortunate husband, Hephaestus, she and her cherubic son Eros (Cupid) were enflaming hearts and causing trouble (cue the Trojan War).
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APOLLO (PHOEBUS)
God of music, the arts and fortune-telling, Apollo was also the god of light and an expert shot with a bow and arrow. It was his steady hand which guided Paris’ arrow towards Achilles’ only weak spot – his heel – thus killing him.
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ARTEMIS (DIANA)
The goddess of the hunt and twin sister of Apollo was, ironically, patron saint of wild animals. By turns spiteful and magnanimous, she was closely associated with the sinister Hecate, patroness of witches.
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ARES (MARS)
God of war. Zeus’ least favourite of his progeny. Not surprisingly, Ares was worshipped by the bellicose Spartans and may today have felt at home among soccer hooligans.
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HERMES (MERCURY)
Messenger of the gods, patron saint of travellers, the handsome one with a winged hat and sandals. He was always on hand to smooth over the affairs of Zeus, his father.
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HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)
God of craftsmanship, metallurgy and fire, this deformed and oft derided son of Zeus made the world’s first woman of clay, Pandora, as a punishment for man. Inside that box of hers were the evils of mankind.
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HESTIA (VESTA)
Goddess of the hearth, she protected state fires in city halls from where citizens of Greece could light their brands. She remained unmarried, inviolate.
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THE MYTHS, THE MYTHS!
Some of the greatest stories are to be found in the Greek myths. Confound fellow travellers with your classical erudition using our whistle-stop tour!
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HERACLES (HERCULES)
The most celebrated, endearing hero of ancient