1. GREEK GODS & GODDESSES
THE MAJOR DEITIES OF ANCIENT GREEK
RELIGION
Pilar Torres
INS Narcís Monturiol
Barcelona
2. ZEUS (Ζεύς) / Jupiter
Son of Cronos and Rhea.
God of storm and daylight, justice and authority. He
is the supreme god of Greek pantheon.
His attributes are the lightning bolt, the aegis, the
sceptre and the throne.
His sacred animal and plant are the eagle and the
oak.
His main sanctuary is located at Olympia
(Peloponnese, Greece), where the Olympian Games
took place each forth year.
4. HERA (Ἥρα) / Juno
Daughter of Cronos and Rhea. Zeus’ sister and wife.
Goddess of marriage and married women. Queen of
the gods.
Her attributes are the crown, the sceptre and the
throne.
Her sacred animal and plant were the peacock and
the lily.
Among many others places in Greece, she was
worshipped at Olympia, along with Zeus.
5. Hera’s iconography
Crown
Throne
Terracotta representing Hera seating on
a throne. British Museum, London
6. POSEIDON (Ποζειδῶν) / Neptune
Son of Cronos and Rhea. Brother of Zeus. Married to
Amphitrite.
God of the sea, springs and earthquakes.
His attributes are the trident and the chariot.
Sea creatures were sacred to him, as well as horses
and bulls.
His main sanctuaries were at Cape Sunion (near
Athens) and at Isthmia (near Corinth), where
athletic competitions took place to honour him.
8. DEMETER (Δημήηηρ)/ Ceres
Daughter of Cronos and Rhea. Sister of Zeus and
Persephone’s mother (by Zeus).
Goddess of agriculture and corn (especially of
wheat). She also represents the community laws.
Her attributes are the crown, the wheatears the
poppies and the torches.
Her sacred animal is the piglet.
Her main sanctuary was at Eleusis (near
Athens), where she was worshipped along with her
daughter Persephone and Hades (aka Pluto).
9. Demeter’s iconography
Torch
Crown
Poppy fruit
Wheatear
Throne
Dish representing Demeter, Archaeological
Museum of Athens, Greece
10. HADES (Ἅιδης)/ Pluto
Son of Cronos and Rhea. Brother of Zeus. Married to
Persephone, Demeter’s daughter. They had no
children.
God of the underworld and dead, he also represented
the wealth that came from the ground.
His attribute was the horn of plenty (cornucopia)
and the two pointed fork.
Dogs were related to him.
His main sanctuary was at Eleusis, where he was
worshipped along with Demeter and his wife
Persephone.
11. Hades’s iconography
Demeter
Horn of
plenty
Plough
Hades
Red figure Attic vase, Archaeological
Museum of Athens, Greece
12. ATHENA (Ἀθηνᾶ)/ Minerva
Daughter of Zeus (by Metis).
Virgin goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts and war
(strategy).
Her attributes were the helmet, the spear, the shield
and the aegis.
Her sacred animal and plant were the owl and the
olive tree.
She was especially worshipped in Athens, called so
after the goddess. The Parthenon, her main
temple, was at the Acropolis.
13. Athena’s iconography
Helmet
Spear
Owl
Olive tree
branch
Shield
Statue of Athena, Archaeological
Museum of Tripoli, Libya
14. APOLLO (Ἀπόλλων)
Son of Zeus and Leto. Twin brother of Artemis.
God of prophecy and
oracles, music, poetry, healing, purification and
measure.
His attributes are the bow and arrows and the lyre.
the laurel tree was his sacred plant and the crow his
animal.
His main sanctuary was at Delphi, where Greeks
went to ask his oracle for advice. Athletic games and
poetical contests were carried there each seventh
year to honour him.
16. ARTEMIS (Ἄρηεμις)/ Diana
Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Twin sister of Apollo.
Goddess of wilderness, wild animals, hunting and
youngsters.
Her attributes were the bow and the arrows.
Wild animals were sacred to her, specially deer and
bears, as well as hunting dogs.
She was worshipped at Brauron, near Athens, among
other places.
17. Artemis’ iconography
Arrows in a
quiver
Deer
Statue of Artemis, Musée du
Louvre. Paris, France
18. HERMES (Ἑρμής)/ Mercury
Son of Zeus and Maia.
God of shepherds, travellers, tradesmen and thieves.
He guides the souls to the underworld. He also
represents cunning and persuasive speech.
His attributes were the traveller’s hat, the caduceus
(a sort of magic wand), the winged sandals and a
pouch to carry money.
His sacred animals were cattle, sheep and rams.
He was worshipped all around Greece, specially at
public places (at the agora and the gymnasia).
19. Hermes’ Iconography
Winged hat
Caduceus
Pouch of
money
Winged
sandals
Bronze statuette representing
Hermes, Archaeological museum of
Trieste, Italy
20. APHRODITE (Ἀθροδίηη)/ Venus
According to Hesiod, she was born from the sea
foam after the castration of Uranus. According to
Homer, she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
Goddess of sex, love, seduction and beauty.
Her attributes were the scallop shell, the mirror and
nakedness.
Her sacred animals and plant were the dove, the
sparrow and the rose.
She was worshipped all around Greece, and
especially in Cyprus.
22. ARES (Ἄρης) / Mars
Son of Zeus and Hera.
God of brutal war and bloodlust.
He was represented like a warrior, wearing a
complete armour: helmet, shield, spear, cuirass and
greaves.
He was not much worshipped among the
Greeks, who preferred Athena as goddess of war.
23. Ares’ iconography
Helmet
Spear
Cuirass
Shield
Greaves
Black figure Attic vase with fighting scene.
Archaeological Museum of Athens, Greece
24. HEPHESTUS (Ἥθαιζηος) / Vulcan
Son of Zeus and Hera or of Hera alone. Married to
Aphrodite, she cheated him with Ares.
God of fire and blacksmithing.
His attributes were the axe, the smart, the anvil and
the tongs.
He was especially worshipped in Athens, where there
was a temple dedicated to him in the agora, the
Hephesteon.
25. Hephestus’ iconography
Cup Dionysus
Hephestus
riding a donkey
Tongs
Hephestus and Dionysus riding on donkies. Goulandris
collection, Athens, Greece.
26. DIONYSUS (Διόνσζος) / Bacchus
Son of Zeus and Semele (a mortal woman, princess of
Thebes).
God of the vine and wine, theatre, madness and
irrationality.
His attributes are the vine or ivy wreath, the drinking
cup, the panther hide and the thyrsus. He is usually
represented along with satyrs and maenads and wild
cats.
His sacred animal and plant are the panther and the vine.
He was especially worshipped in Athens, where theatrical
contests of tragedies and comedies were carried to
honour him.
27. Dionysus’ iconography
Satyr Maenad
Thyrsus
Panther’s
hide
Dionysus
Panther
Relief showing Dionysus with a satyr and a maenad. British
Museum, London
28. VOCABULARY
Aegis: Goat hide, fringed with snakes and Medusa’s
head in the middle, worn by Zeus and Athena as
means of protection.
