Adonis:
Beloved of Aphrodite, the central figure of a widespread fertility cult, god of vegetation and re-birth. Adonis seems clearly linked with Tammuz, the Assyro-Babylonian god who dies and rises again. Adonis is the Greek version of the Phoenician term Adon, which means "lord".
Aphrodite:
Goddess of fertility, love and beauty. When Zeus killed his father, Uranus, he cut off his father's genitals and cast them into the sea. The sea foamed and boiled and Aphrodite arose from the waters. As Aphrodite stepped from the ocean, flowers grew wherever her feet touched. Paphos, the place where Aphrodite supposedly rose from the waters, was her most important place of worship, and at Corinth she was worshipped with sacred whores. While married to Hephaestus, she also dallied with Ares, Poseidon, Adonis and Dionysius.
Apollo:
God of light, prophecy, music, medicine, flocks and herds; the divine archer. Wise, beautiful, all-knowing, ever just and ever young. Apollo urges forgiveness to all offenses, even the blackest of crimes, as long as the offender was truly penitent. After Zeus and Athena, the greatest of the Gods. Apollo's most important place of worship was the famous temple at Delphi, where oracles prophesied in his name. Artemis is his twin sister, and he is never without his bow and lyre, gifts from the infant Hermes.
Ares:
God of war. Quarrelsome, spiteful and unfaithful, Ares loves only hatred, strife and bloodshed. Ares was the first God to be placed on trial for murder and the place in Athens where he was tried was called Aeropagus, the Hill of Ares. By custom trials for murder were held at the Aeropagus.
Artemis:
Fertility Goddess, patron of maidens, goddess of childbirth. Identified with the moon, as her brother Apollo is identified with the sun. The Virgin Huntress, Mistress of Beasts, Lady of All Wild Things. Usually benevolent, but stern and demanding, dangerous to cross. Artemis lived in Arcadia with a band of nymphs subject to her strict discipline: those that dallied with men, as did Callisto, might be shot down with an arrow or otherwise punished. No man or God ever gained the love of Artemis. She is virtually unbeatable in combat. The only one of the Immortals who ever bested her was Hera, who defeated Artemis on the battlefield at Troy; Hera whipped her with her own bow and sent her fleeing in tears.
Asclepius:
God of medicine and healing, son of Apollo. Originally a mortal, his skill was so great he could revive the dead. Zeus killed Asclepius after Hades complained that he was being cheated of his lawful due, but Asclepius' virtues and good deeds earned him a place among the Gods. Snakes are his symbols, and were allowed to wander freely in his temple in Epidaurus.
Athene / Athena:
Goddess of wisdom, architects, sculptors, weavers, oxen and horses. A war Goddess. Like Artemis, an eternal virgin. Often associated with birds, particularly owls. Athene / Athena taught men to tame horses and invented the potter's wheel. Her city is Athens, which she won in a contest with Poseidon.
Charon:
The ferryman who carries dead souls across the river Styx to Hades. His fee is one obol, which was placed in the mouth of the dead before they were buried.
Cronus:
The chief of the Titans, the race of giants who preceded the Olympian Gods. In very ancient times, Cronus was probably a corn God. Told that he would be overthrown one day by one of his own sons, Cronus devoured them as they were born until his wife Rhea deceived him to save Zeus. Wrapping a stone in swaddling clothes, Rhea gave the stone to Cronus and spirited Zeus away to a hiding place. After defeating Cronus, Zeus imprisoned him and the rest of the Titans, thus beginning the age of the Olympian Gods.
Demeter:
Goddess of grain and fruitful earth. An earth mother who was one of the oldest of the Gods. Demeter's immensely popular festivals, held twice a year at Eleusis, were so highly revered that no initiate was ever known to break the vow of secrecy. Demeter gave the gift of grain to men and instituted the Eleusinian Mysteries. The nature of these Mysteries have been lost to us, though we know that the mystery cults celebrated the Lesser Mysteries in February of every year and the Greater Mysteries in September of every 5th year.
Dionysius:
God of wine and religious ecstasy, accompanied always by satyrs and nymphs. The force of life in all growing things. In the dark age which followed the decline of the Myceneans, the cult of Dionysius spread rapidly, especially among women. His followers were known as Maenads (madwomen); drunk, lawless and noisy, not terribly impressed with authority or convention, the followers of Dionysius were often unwelcome.
Eris:
The dark sister of Eros. Goddess of chaos and discord, Eris loves confusion and conflict. It was Eris who gave the Goddesses the golden apple inscribed "To The Fairest", which set in motion the chain of events that led to the Trojan War.
Eros:
One of the oldest Gods, the center of his worship was at Thespiae. The ancient Greeks feared Eros. Eros can cause havoc, and there is an air of maliciousness about him.
Gaia:
The Earth itself, mother of the Titans, the old Gods. Usually represented as a giant woman. Before anything else existed there was only Chaos (the Void) and the Earth. Gaia nurses the ill and watches over marriages. Gaia is an oracle as well, and the temple at Delphi was hers before it was Apollo's.
Hades:
God of wealth and the underworld. Hades is stern but perfectly just, and rejects all pleas for mercy, but he is in no sense evil or destructive. His realm is not a place of flames; most of the dead dwell on the plain of Asphodel, where they wander aimlessly as mere shadows of their earthly selves. The blessed go to the Elysian Fields, a place of great joy and beauty, while the abominably wicked go to the dismal plain of Tartarus. You're born, you live, you die, you go to Hades. End of Story.
Hebe:
Goddess of youth and beauty. An eternally young girl, Hebe helps the Gods was and dress themselves, though her main duty is to serve nectar and ambrosia at their feasts.
Hecate:
Goddess of black magic and evil spirits. The poor and downtrodden often turned to Hecate for protection and vengeance. Hecate defends children and appears with her dogs at crossroads and tombs.
Helios:
God of the Sun, the charioteer who drives the sun across the sky. From his great height, Helios sees everything and was often called upon to witness contracts and oaths.
Hephaestus:
The lame blacksmith God, patron of craftsman and metalworkers, god of fire. The centers of his cult could be found wherever metalworkers congregated and near volcanoes. Hephaestus was so ugly that his mother Hera kept him out of sight, and the other Gods laughed at his lame gait. In revenge, Hephaestus tricked the Gods into giving him Aphrodite for his wife, though he never managed to keep her faithful.
Hera:
Wife of Zeus and queen of the Gods. Zeus is quite a randy God, and Hera's domestic life with him is always stormy. Zeus and Hera were on opposite sides in the Trojan War, and they squabble all the way thru the Illiad. At first a sky Goddess, Hera later became the embodiment of womanliness. Hera was worshipped in high places, and her temples were on built on mountain peaks. Her festival, held in Argos and called Heraia, involved athletics.
Hermes:
The messenger of the Gods, the God of eloquence, luck, merchants, travelers and athletes. Easygoing, kind and obliging, Hermes is quite helpful to both Gods and men, though he appears in some stories as a trickster. Hermes invented the lyre, which he gave to Apollo, to get out of a mess he'd made by stealing Apollo's cattle. Hermes was quite popular, and his image was often found at crossroads and junctions, shown with his winged sandals and helmet.
Hypnos:
God of sleep/ Brother of Thanatos (Death). Hypnos has power over even the Gods.
Iris:
Goddess of the Rainbow. Like Hermes, a messenger for the Gods. The center of her cult was at Delos, and the proper offerings to her was dried figs and fruit.
Moros:
God of destiny. Dark, unknowable, all powerful. Even the Gods are subject to Moros.
Morpheus:
God of dreams. His name is the root word of "morphine".
Nemesis:
Goddess of destiny and inevitability, the repayment of sin and crime.
Nike:
Goddess of Victory. Generally portrayed as a winged maiden holding high a wreath of bay leaves, the victors laurel. Her most famous temple was in Athens.
Oceanus:
Ancient God of the oceans, later displaced by Poseidon. With his sister, Thehys, he had six thousand children, half of them sea spirits and half river spirits.
Pan:
God of herds, fertility and male sexuality. Pan has the horns and legs of a goat and plays a syrinx, a pipe with seven reeds. An ancient God, he has no moral or social aspect whatsoever, and is simply the embodiment of pure, basic instinct. Pan especially loves mountains and wild country. He has a dark aspect as well, causing men and animals to suddenly go mad with terror in distant, lonely places. Pans name is the root of the word "panic".
Persephone:
Daughter of Demeter and wife of Hades. Hades kidnapped Persephone and took her to the underworld to be his queen. When Demeter heard, she wandered the earth in mourning, abandoning her responsibilities, and the earth grew gray and barren. The growing famine forced Zeus to demand that Hades return Persephone to the surface world, but Persephone had eaten part of a pomegranate, and eating the food of the dead bound her to their world. Zeus and Hades struck a bargain - Persephone would spend seven months a year in the world of the living, and five in the world of the dead. When Persephone is in the world, Demeter is content, and the world blooms and lives. When she is in the underworld, Demeter mourns, the world languishes and we have winter.
Poseidon:
God of the sea and earthquakes. Horses and bulls are sacred to him. Originally the God of earth tremors, vegetation and fecundity, Poseidon fought for the Olympians against the Titans, and his reward after the victory was dominion over the seas, lakes and rivers. Poseidon's fits and rages are manifested as storms, and seamen dread his anger. Bulls were thrown into the sea as sacrifices for Poseidon.
Thanatos:
God of death. Sometimes portrayed as a winged spirit, at other times as a man robed in black and armed with a sword. Thanatos is not evil or hateful, he's just doing his job.
Uranus:
Heaven personified. The son born to Gaia when she first emerged from Chaos. Uranus' rain made Gaia fruitful and she brought forth the Titans. Jealous of his children, Uranus confined them to the earth and Gaia conspired with Cronus, the boldest of her children, to overthrow him. Cronus castrated Uranus with a sickle, only to be overthrown by Zeus, in his turn.
Zeus:
The ruler of the Olympian Gods, God of the sky, thunder and lightening, the upholder of custom and tradition. Zeus had many names. As Soter, he is known as the father and savior of mankind; as Herkeios, guardian of the home; as Xenios, keeper of the rules of hospitality; as Ktesios, protector of property; as Gamelios, God of marriage; as Zeus Chronius, God of the earth and fertility; as Zeus Eluetherious, protector of freedom.
