Greek Religious Belief
Gods, Goddesses, and MythologyGods, Goddesses, and Mythology

Greek Gods and Goddesses
In the classical period (5th
Century BCE),
the Greeks recognized twelve major gods
and goddesses, called the Twelve Gods of
Olympus, named after the mountain
where they were said to live.

Greek Worldview
The Greeks, like other civilizations we
have studied, saw the natural world
inhabited by supernatural powers.
For the Greeks, the gods possessed
very human characteristics and
embodied human emotions and were
even depicted in art as very human-
like.

Greek Worldview
The gods, although similar to humans,
were forever young, beautiful, and
powerful.

Greek Religion
Based on a polytheistic religion
POLY - Latin prefix
meaning many
THEISM - Latin
word for “god”

Early Religion
Greek mythology was based upon polytheistic
religion that was central to culture, politics, and
art. Symbols and images found in western
literature, art and architecture!
Explained natural phenomena (thunder,
earthquakes, floods), human characteristics
(jealousy, anger, love), and life events (marriage,
birth, death, war)

Greek Worship
Greeks built large temples
dedicated to individual gods and
goddesses. These temples were
seen as the houses of the gods.
Inside the temple would be a large
statue of the god or goddess. The
statue might be made of wood,
bronze, gold, and/or ivory.

Greek Worship
Outside the temple, priests would
sacrifice animals and burn (roast) the
flesh.
This is the origin of the term a “burnt
offering.”
The smoke was said to be the
essence of the animal given to the
gods. The meat would be shared
among the population.

Greek Temples
Greek temples were often rectangular
or round, surrounded by columns with
a small, enclosed sacred center.
The Parthenon is an example of a
temple dedicated to Athena.
The temples were elaborately
decorated and painted with scenes
from mythology.

Zeus
 King of the gods
 God of thunder and
lightning
 Uses Thunderbolts as
his weapon
 Most powerful

This is an artist’s conception of the famous statue
of Zeus at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World. It was made of ivory and gold
and was created by Phidias, the same sculptor who
created the statues on the Parthenon. The statue
was probably about 4 stories tall.

Hera
 Queen of the Mt. OlympusQueen of the Mt. Olympus
 Goddess of marriage,
childbirth and jealousy
 Wife/sister of ZeusWife/sister of Zeus
 The peacock and geese areThe peacock and geese are
symbolssymbols

The Temple of Hera at Olympia

Aphrodite
Goddess of beauty
and love
 Married toMarried to
Hephaestus, the godHephaestus, the god
of ironworking, butof ironworking, but
had many affairs withhad many affairs with
gods and mortals,gods and mortals,
most famously withmost famously with
the god of war, Aresthe god of war, Ares
Mother of ErosMother of Eros
Roman times he will beRoman times he will be
known as Cupidknown as Cupid

Athena
 Goddess of battle, wisdom
 Daughter of Zeus and
Titan – she popped out of
his head after he
swallowed the pregnant
Titan
 Parthenon was dedicated
to the Goddess Athena!

Parthenon

Apollo
 God of music, poetry,
prophesy, truth, light,
medicine, healing and
archery
 Sun God in someSun God in some
myths (drive hismyths (drive his
chariot with the sunchariot with the sun
across the sky)across the sky)
 Son of Zeus and LetoSon of Zeus and Leto Apollo asteroids
are near-earth
asteroids

Delphi
Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle,
the most important oracle in the classical
Greek world, and a major site for the
worship of the god Apollo after he slew the
Python
At Delphi, every four years they would
hold the Pythian Games, similar to the
Olympic Games.
At the archaeological site, scientists have
found a stadium and a gymnasium

The starting line
at the stadium at
Delphi. Runners
would place their
toes in the slots.
An elaborate set
of strings tied to
sticks would
prevent false
starts.

Artemis
 Apollo’s Twin sisterApollo’s Twin sister
 Goddess of the hunt and wild
things
 Moon GoddessMoon Goddess
The
Artemis
navigation
satellite

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
(Asia Minor) was another of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
At the time, it was said to be the
largest building in the world.

Poseidon
God of the Sea and
earthquakes
 Trident is weaponTrident is weapon
 Zeus’s brotherZeus’s brother
 Considered 2Considered 2ndnd
mostmost
powerfulpowerful

Temple of Poseidon at Sounion

Hades
 God of the Underworld
and Wealth
 King of the dead but heKing of the dead but he
is not Deathis not Death
 Zeus’s brotherZeus’s brother
 Has a helmet thatHas a helmet that
makes the wearermakes the wearer
invisibleinvisible
 Persephone is his wifePersephone is his wife
 NOT EVIL! (but he isNOT EVIL! (but he is
unpitying)unpitying)
 Considered 3Considered 3rdrd
mostmost
powerfulpowerful

Other Five Gods and
Goddesses
 DemeterDemeter – Goddess of Harvest and Fertility– Goddess of Harvest and Fertility
 Hestia – virgin Goddess of Hearth (Home)Hestia – virgin Goddess of Hearth (Home)
and Architectureand Architecture
 AresAres – God of War and Spring– God of War and Spring
Son of Zeus and HeraSon of Zeus and Hera
 Hermes –God of the Traveler, Messenger ofHermes –God of the Traveler, Messenger of
the Gods and Guide to the Underworldthe Gods and Guide to the Underworld
 Hephaestus – God of IronworkingHephaestus – God of Ironworking
Married to AphroditeMarried to Aphrodite

Quick Check
Match them up…Match them up…
1.1. ZeusZeus A. God of the UnderworldA. God of the Underworld
2.2. HeraHera B. God of the SeaB. God of the Sea
3.3. ArtemisArtemis C. God of ThunderC. God of Thunder
4.4. ApolloApollo D. Goddess of MarriageD. Goddess of Marriage
5.5. PoseidonPoseidon E. Goddess of the HuntE. Goddess of the Hunt
6.6. AthenaAthena F. God of music, prophesyF. God of music, prophesy
7.7. HadesHades G. Goddess of battleG. Goddess of battle
8.8. AphroditeAphrodite H. Goddess of loveH. Goddess of love