MYTHOLOGY

1. MYTHOLOGY Greek and Roman

2. The Principal Gods THE TITANS � also known as the elder gods, ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them. The ruler of the Titans was Cronus who was dethroned by his son, Zeus. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and were punished by being banished to Tartarus

3. CHAOS � an empty void which somehow gave birth to Gaea (the earth) and to Tartarus (the great region beneath the earth). Chaos also gave birth to other �beings� as well. GAEA � (the earth) mated with her son, Uranus (the Heavens) and produced the Titans and the Cyclopes (one-eyed monsters), among other beings. The Titans were powerful, before they went to war with the Olympian gods.

4. URANUS � (the heavens) is the sky god and first ruler. He is the son of Gaea, who created him without help. He then became the husband of Gaea and together they had many offspring, including twelve of the Titans. His rule then ended when Cronus (one of his children), encouraged by Gaea, castrated him.

5. CRONUS (SATURN) � is an offspring of Gaea and Uranus. He was known as the chief Titan. He obtained his power by castrating his father. He married his sister, Rhea, and together they produced the Olympian gods. Cronus, greedy for power, was told that one of his children would be more powerful than he. Therefore, he swallowed his children (except one, because he was tricked) to prevent this from happening.

6. RHEA (CYBELE, OPS) � is the wife and sister of Cronus. Vexed at having Cronus swallow their children, she hid their last child and gave Cronus a stone to swallow instead. PROMETHEUS � nephew to Cronus and Rhea, and brother to Epimetheus and Atlas. He is known as the wisest Titan as his name means �forethought.� He helped mankind, whom he helped to create, by giving them a gift. After making Zeus mad with a trick, Prometheus was chained to the Caucasus Mountains, where an eagle fed upon his liver daily, until he was rescued

7. EPIMETHEUS � brother of Prometheus and Atlas. He is known as the stupid Titan as his name means �afterthought.� He accepted a gift from Zeus, which ultimately unleashed all the evil into the world. ATLAS � Unlike his brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus, Atlas fought with the other Titans supporting Cronus against the Olympian gods. Due to Cronus� age, Atlas led the Titan�s in battle. As a result, he was given a special punishment

8. The Olympian Gods THE OLYMPIANS � a group of gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Titans. All of the Olympians are related in some way. They are named after their dwelling place, Mount Olympus.

9. ZEUS (JUPITER or JOVE) � is the child of Cronus and Rhea. He was the supreme deity of the Greeks. He, unlike his brothers and sisters, was not swallowed by Cronus. His mother, Rhea, saved him by sending him away and giving Cronus a stone to swallow. Eventually, Zeus came back and saved his siblings by giving Cronus a potion to swallow, causing him to regurgitate his brothers and sisters. Saving them as he did, he became the supreme ruler of the gods, with a thunderbolt as his weapon of choice. He is credited for populating the heavens and the earth by his promiscuous liaisons with goddesses and mortals, even though he is married to his sister, Hera.

10. POSEIDON (NEPTUNE) � After the overthrow of his father Cronus, he drew lots with his brothers, Zeus and Hades, for shares of the world, and he became lord of the sea. Even though he was married to Amphitrite, he desired Demeter. To put him off, Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful animal the world had ever seen, and so he created the first horse. His weapon is a trident which can shake the earth and shatter any object, and is second only to Zeus in power among the gods.

11. HADES (PLUTO) � After drawing lots with his brothers, he was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. He is a greedy god. He has a helmet that makes him invisible, although he rarely leaves the underworld. His wife is Persephone, whom he kidnapped. HERA (JUNO) � married her brother Zeus. She is very jealous of Zeus� affairs, as she is the protector of married women. She is known as the queen of the gods and her sacred animals are the cow and peacock.

12. DEMETER (CERES) � She is known as the goddess of harvest, vegetation and fertility. It is Demeter, according to ancient Greeks, that makes the crops grow and the seasons change each year. Her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped by her brother, Hades. HESTIA (VESTA) � She is known as the virgin goddess. She does not really have a distinct personality and plays no major role in the myths. She is considered to be the goddess of the hearth, the symbol of the house around which a newborn child is carried before it is received into the family.

13. ARES (MARS) � son of Zeus and Hera. He is the god of war and is considered murderous, but also a coward. His bird is the vulture and his animal is the dog. HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN) � son of Zeus and Hera and is the only god to be physically ugly. He is known as the god of blacksmiths and craftsmen as he is in charge of making the weapons and armor for the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge.

14. ATHENA (MINERVA) � daughter of Zeus. She is the goddess of wisdom. She was Zeus� favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her tree is the olive, and her bird is the owl. It is said that she has no mother. She sprang full grown in armor from Zeus� forehead after he swallowed Metis (his paramour, pregnant with Athena) because he had heard that this child would become more powerful than he.

15. APOLLO (APOLLO) � son of Zeus and Leto. He is the god of light, of truth, and of the sun. One of his daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses and drive the sun across the sky. His twin sister is Artemis. ARTEMIS (DIANA) � daughter of Zeus and Leto; twin sister of Apollo. She is the goddess of the moon and hunt. She is the protector of the young and wild things. Like her brother, she hunts with silver arrows.

16. HERMES (MERCURY) � son of Zeus and Maia. He is the cleverest of the Olympian gods and is considered their messenger. He is fast and is known for his winged sandals, a winged hat, and a magic wand. He is also the guide for the dead to go to the underworld. APHRODITE (VENUS) � the goddess of love, desire, and beauty. She is either the daughter of Zeus and Dione or is known to have no parents. Legend is that she sprang forth from the sea after the blood of Uranus� castration mixed with the water. She is the wife of Hephaestus, and her symbols include the dove, the swan, and the sparrow.

17. PERSEPHONE (PROSPERINA) � is the lovely daughter of Zeus and his sister, Demeter. She is known as the goddess of springtime. She was kidnapped by her uncle, Hades, and forced to become his wife in the underworld. Therefore, she is considered to be the queen of the underworld.

18. DIONYSUS (BACCHUS) � is the son of Zeus and Semele. He is the god of the vine, as he invented wine and spread the art of tending grapes. It is said that he was twice-born. After Semele became pregnant with Dionysus, Hera was extremely upset. Long story short, Semele, due to interference by Hera, was burned to a crisp. But Zeus managed to save Dionysus and stitched him into his thigh to hold him until he was ready to be born

19. EROS (CUPID) � son of Aphrodite. He is the god of love. He is often represented blindfolded because love is often blind. His �weapon� is darts or arrows with magically treated tips to produce either uncontrollable love or insurmountable disinterest in the first person seen by Eros� victim after wounding.

20. HEROES The Greek Heroes tend to be adventurers and fighters � bold, experienced, fierce, strong, and often clever. However, they also had serious failings that sometimes ruined them.

21. ACHILLES � mightiest of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. His mother dressed him as a girl to keep him from going to war. However, he was fated to achieve distinction on the battlefield. To assure her son�s protection, Thetis, his mother, had dipped the child Achilles into the River Styx which would make him immortal. But because Thetis had held Achilles by the foot during the immersion, his heel was left vulnerable. Although Achilles was glorious in war and his armor feared, he was defenseless when Apollo guided an arrow into his heel.

22. HERACLES (HERCULES) � the strongest of the Greek heroes and the most severely tested. The goddess Hera caused Heracles to go mad early in his life and kill his own wife and children. The oracle at Delphi told him that to atone for his sin, he would have to perform twelve horrendous labors. He eventually earned immortality and a place on Mt. Olympus.

23. ODYSSEUS (ULYSSES) - is the protagonist of Homer�s Odyssey. He is the king of Ithaca and a great warrior in the Trojan War, but is best known for his decade-long trip home from the war. Odysseus survives the challenges he encounters by using his wits. A fine talker and brilliant strategist, he is perhaps the most modern and human of the classical heroes.

24. PERSEUS - Zeus� son by the beautiful princess Danae. Danae�s father forewarned that Perseus will someday kill him, locks the infant and his mother in a trunk and casts it into the sea. Perseus survives, comes of age, sets out to kill the monster Medusa and bring back her head. As prophesied, he kills his grandfather.

25. MONSTERS CYCLOPES � fearsome one-eyed monsters; they forge the thunderbolts of Zeus, who favors them. CERBERUS � a vile three-headed dog that guards the gates for Hades MEDUSA � a horrible woman-beast with snakes for hair; her gaze turns men to stone.