Welcome to Gaia! ::

Artemis (Heifer Goddess)

Also known as Amarynthia, Diana or Cynthia (she is sometimes confused with Bastet and Selene) Common epitaphs are: Potnia Theron (mistress of wild animals), Kourotrophos (nurse of youth's), Locheia (helper in childbirth), and Agrotera (huntress).

The daughter of Leto and Zeus, and the twin sister of Apollo (she is said to have been born the day before her brother on the isle of Ortygia. After her birth, she helped her mother to the island of Delos and then delivered Apollo thus her tie to childbirth and protection of children). Artemis is the goddess of the moon, the wilderness, the hunt, plagues, healing, virginity, wild animals, childbirth and fertility.

In ancient times, she was often depicted with the crescent of
the moon above her forehead. She is classified as an Olympian and was a renowned virgin goddess.

Her domain is the wild where she hunts and protects lions, panthers, hinds, stags and the Katagaria. She carries bows and arrows that are made for her by Hephaestus and according to some sources the Cyclopes.

She is a goddess of great contradictions. On the one hand, she hunts wild animals as her prey and on the other, she voraciously protects them from other hunters. She was said to aid women in childbirth, but then was said to shoot her arrows into laboring women to kill them as they struggled to bring their children into the world. Reputed to deliver illnesses like her brother, she was also considered a goddess of healing.

Protective of her virginity, she is known to kill any man who so much as gazed upon her or tried in any way to seduce or dishonor her. She even killed her nymph Callisto when Callisto was tricked and then seduced by Zeus.

She is always portrayed as extremely possessive, especially of those things which belong solely to her. She tolerates no encroachments of any sort and shows her wrath to anyone who disobeys her. Even to the point of forcing Agamemnon to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to her after he killed a stag inside her sacred grove (although some versions of the story say the goddess took pity on Iphigenia and put a stag in place of the girl, then she took Iphigenia off to be one of her priestesses).

Her festivals are the Brauronia, which was held in Brauron, and the festival of Artemis Orthia, held at Sparta. During this festival, young Spartan boys would try to steal cheeses from her altar. As they tried they would be whipped. The meaning of this ritual has long been lost and scholars can only speculate why they did such.

In the context of the Hunter Legends, she is a primary goddess who rules over all the Dark-Hunters.

When the Apollites were cursed by Apollo and then as Daimons turned against mankind, Apollo sought his sister's aid in handling them. For reasons unknown, Artemis went to Acheron (common belief is that he was a renowned Atlantean hero whose bravery had caused him to be spared when Apollo cast the city into the ocean) and convinced him to help her hunt down and destroy the Daimons who were preying on pregnant women and children.

Neither Acheron nor Artemis has ever disclosed the exact nature of their relationship. In many ways, they act as if the other doesn't exist. All that is known is that Acheron must seek her out whenever a Dark-Hunter wishes to reclaim his soul. Since no other Dark-Hunter is allowed in the goddess's presence, Acheron is often sent in to ask her questions or to clarify her orders.

She is ruthlessly protective of her army and of Acheron. Her affinity for Acheron is sometimes an aggravation for certain Dark-Hunters who can't understand why he alone is able to see her while any other man who dares such is put to death. She has placed her mark on all her Dark-Hunters and demands a sacrifice for each one who would seek his or her freedom.


Athena

Athena is one of the most fascinating and influential deities of the ancient Pantheon.

The great Athena was the first to teach the science of numbers and all ancient women's arts, such as cooking, weaving and spinning. She was the goddess of wisdom and war, but, unlike the god of war Ares, she took no pleasure from battle, preferring instead to settle conflict through mediation.

But that's not to say she wasn't one tough goddess! Her mercy was great and if ever it came to her to cast a deciding vote in a criminal trial, she usually chose to liberate the accused. But don't mess with Athena!

When Athena was moved to engage in battle she never lost, even against Ares himself, for she was a far superior strategist and tactician than he; generals and wise captains always approach her for advice. She bears no arms in times of peace and will usually borrow weapons from Zeus when needed. She alone was
permitted to use his fearsome Aegis, and his devastating thunderbolts.

It's suggested in the Palasgian myths that Athena was born beside Lake Tritonis in Lybia, and her father has been variously identified as Poseidon, Itonus or Zeus, king of the Olympian gods.

The most widely accepted version holds that Athena is Zeus’ daughter and his favorite child, and she is often described as "gray-eyed" or "flashing-eyed." In popular myth, and in accounts related by her own priests, she is said to have no
mother, because she sprang full grown and in full armor from her father's head.

This is not entirely true however. Athena’s mother was Metis; Zeus came to lust after her, and wasted no time in pursuing her in his direct way. Metis wanted nothing to do with Zeus and tried to escape as best she could, going so far as to change her form many times, turning into various creatures such as hawks, fish, and serpents. But Zeus was both determined and equally proficient at changing form. Refusing to be denied he continued his pursuit until she relented.

An Oracle of Gaea (Mother Earth) then prophesied that Metis' first child would be a girl, but her second child would be a boy that would overthrow Zeus as had happened to his father (Cronus) and his grandfather (Uranus). Zeus took this warning to heart. When he next saw Metis he flattered her and put her at her ease, then with Metis off guard Zeus suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed her. This was the end of Metis but, possibly the beginning of Zeus's wisdom, for many claim that Zeus really had no brains until he swallowed his wife.

After a time Zeus developed the mother of all headaches. He howled so loudly it could be heard throughout the earth. The other gods came to see what the problem was. Hermes realized what needed to be done and directed the smiths
god, Hephaestus, to take an axe and split open Zeus's skull. Other sources claim that it was the Titan Prometheus who rendered the blow. Out of the skull sprang Athena, full grown and in a full set of armor. The very ancient Greeks believed
that men were solely responsible for conception of a child, and the woman’s only role was to carry it until it was born, that's why Metis is not given any credit for Athena birth.

There are two distinctly different representations of Athena’s character. In the classic story of the Trojan War, the Iliad, by the poet Homer, she is a fierce and ruthless warrior goddess, who takes pleasure in war and fighting. In the Odyssey and all alter poetry she is still very powerful, but only fights to defend the State. She was the embodiment of wisdom, purity and reason, as well as the patron of the handicrafts and sciences and agriculture.

Athena was fond of many Greek heroes and assisted them in their quests, helping many of the Greek superheroes attain their goals. Those she helped included Perseus, Jason, Cadmus, Odysseus and Heracles. She even personally went up to Mount Pelion to cut down the trees to build the Argonauts' boat, called the Argo.

Her contributions to society were manifold: She gave mortals the bridle allowing them to tame and use Poseidon’s gift, horses. She also invented the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. Of the three
virgin goddesses (Athena, Artemis and Hestia) she was chief and called the Maiden, Parthenos. To honor her the ancient Greeks built at Athens a splendid temple called the Acropolis, with its centerpiece consisting of a temple to Athena called the Parthenon.

Athena was perhaps the most recognizable of the gods. She was always depicted with her unmistakable helmet and the ever-present spear. Because she was Zeus’ favorite she was allowed to use his weapons and armor, including the awful aegis, his buckler and even his thunderbolts. Her shield was also very distinctive: after Perseus defeated the gorgon Medusa, Athena affixed its head to her shield.

Indeed Athena was a brave warrior and she was the lone deity to stand her ground when Typhon attacked Olympus. Typhon was the largest, most dangerous, and most grotesque of all creatures. So frightening and intimidating was Typhon that when he rushed Mount Olympus all of the gods ran off to Egypt and hid themselves by assuming the forms of various animals.

Only Athena stood firm, and she shamed and goaded Zeus into action. Zeus struck Typhon with a thunderbolt and used Uranus' castrating sickle to wound the enormous creature. Typhon retreated to Mount Casius, where he and Zeus resumed their struggle, hurling mountains at one another, which resulted in Typhon being crushed beneath what is now known as Mount Aetna.

Mount Olympus and the reign of Zeus was saved thanks to Athena.

Athena's favorite companion when she was a child was a girl called Pallas, and the two were inseparable, honing their fighting skills and sharing good times. One time, during a practice sparring session, Athena accidentally mortally wounded her best friend, and grieving sorely for her death, Athena made a wooden image in her likeness, which was called the Palladium. She also took on her name as part of hers and henceforth was often referred to as Pallas Athena.

When Athena's warlike aspect was most prominent she was often referred to as Pallas. As the goddess of war, she was responsible for determining the fates of individuals engaged in combat. She received no pleasure from battle and could be merciful; in fact, she often sought peaceful solutions to potentially violent situations.

Athena railed against excesses in war or everyday life. She taught men to conquer their savage streak, to tame nature and become masters of the elements. Her adoring subjects called her "Queen of Heaven", the meaning of "Athena".

Nike, the goddess and personification of Victory, was often at her side, as one would expect of the goddess of war who never lost. Not surprisingly, Nike was also a favorite of Zeus.

Even though she was as modest as Artemis and Hestia, the other virgin goddesses, Athena was far more generous. A man called Teiresias chanced upon Athena while she was taking a bath and she was startled to realize that he had entered the room and seen her. Not wanting to kill Teiresias for his folly, she laid her hands over his eyes and blinded him, but gave him inward sight so that Teiresias became one of the most well-known oracles in Greece.

One of the few times that Athena showed petulance was in her weaving contest against the mortal named Arachne. This young woman fancied herself the world's best weaver, even daring to compare herself favorably against Athena. Hearing this impudence, Athena took on the guise of an old woman and appeared at Arachne's house to give her some friendly advice to respect the gods. Arachne was too vain to listen and told the old woman to be gone.

"Let the great Athena try her skill against mine, and if I lose she can do whatever she pleases with me," she boasted. That's when Athena dropped her disguise and revealed her true identity. All the bystanders fell to their knees in reverence except for Arachne, who was unmoved.

The two began their weaving contest, and for a while Arachne held her own against Athena, even poking fun at the gods through the tapestry she crafted, but finally Athena had enough and touched the impudent mortal on the forehead, making her feel her shame. Aghast at the realization of her vanity, Arachne ran off and hung herself from a tree.

Feeling sorry for the hanging Arachne, Athena brought her back to life, but so that mortals learn that it doesn't pay to compare themselves to the gods, she changed Arachne into a spider. There she sits, her and her descendents, forever weaving their web, testament to the folly of vanity.

Athena’s special city was Athens, patronage of which she won from Poseidon by giving the city the olive tree which King Cecrops judged to be a better gift than the water spring that Poseidon provided. Both gods wanted Athens as their own,
and Poseidon struck the side of the mountain with his trident, causing a salt spring to burst forth. Wise Athena in turn created the olive tree, which provided people with food, oil and wood for their fires. Needless to say, her gift was far superior,
and she was awarded Athens, which was named in her honor.

Athena's tree is the olive and her bird is the owl, also a symbol of wisdom. Other symbols of this awesome goddess are the fearsome Aegis, her helmet, shield and spear, and she is often pictured holding Nike or an owl


Demeter

The Greek earth goddess par excellence, who brings forth the fruits of the earth, particularly the various grains. She taught mankind the art of sowing and ploughing so they could end their nomadic existence. As such, Demeter was also the goddess of planned society. She was very popular with the rural population. As a fertility goddess she is sometimes identified with Rhea and Gaia.

In systematized theology, Demeter is a daughter of Cronus and Rhea and sister of Zeus by whom she became the mother of Persephone. When Persephone was abducted by Hades, lord of the underworld, Demeter wandered the earth in search of her lost child. During this time the earth brought forth no grain. Finally Zeus sent Hermes to the underworld, ordering Hades to restore Persephone to her mother. However, before she left, Hades gave her a pomegranate (a common fertility symbol). When she ate from it, she was bound to spend a third of the year with her husband in the infernal regions.

Only when her daughter is with her, Demeter lets things grow (summer). The dying and blossoming of nature was thus connected with Demeter.

In the Eleusinian mysteries, Demeter and Persephone were especially venerated. When she was looking for her daughter, in the shape of an old woman called Doso, she was welcomed by Celeus, the king of Eleusis (in Attica). He requested her to nurse his sons Demophon and Triptolemus 1. To reward his hospitality she intended to make the boy Demophon immortal by placing him each night in the hearth, to burn his mortal nature away. The spell was broken one night because Metanira, the wife of Celeus, walked in on her while she was performing this ritual. Demeter taught the other son, Triptolemus, the principles of agriculture, who, in turn, taught others this art.

In Demeter's honor as a goddess of marriage, women in Athens, and other centers in Greece, celebrated the feast of Thesmophoria (from her epithet Thesmophoros, "she of the regular customs"). Throughout Classical times members of all social strata came from all parts of the Mediterranean world to be initiated in and celebrate her Mysteries at Eleusis.

In ancient art, Demeter was often portrayed (sitting) as a solemn woman, often wearing a wreath of braided ears of corn. Well-known is the statue made by Knidos (mid forth century BC). Her usual symbolic attributes are the fruits of the earth and the torch, the latter presumably referring to her search for Persephone. Her sacred animals were the snake (an earth-creature) and the pig (another symbol of fertility). Some of her epithets include Auxesia, Deo, Chloe, and Sito. The Romans equated her with the goddess Ceres.

The Fates (Moirae)

The Fates (or Moirae) are the three sisters, robed in white, who decide on human fate. Lachesis sings of the things that were, Clotho those that are, and Atropos (or Atropus) the things that are to be. Of the three, Atropos is the smallest in stature, but the most terrible and feared.

Even though the Fates are often depicted as old, ugly and unmerciful, they are most honored among the gods because they distribute justly and have a share in every home. They give men at their birth their share of evil and good, and equally they punish the transgressions of both men and of gods.

Atropos is said to be the eldest, the best and the shortest of the sisters. Clotho is the "spinner" and Lachesis the apportioner of lots. The thread of life is spun upon Clotho's spindle, measured by the rod of Lachesis and finally snipped by the shears of Atropos, the inevitable one. Their priests and ministers were always oracles, seers and soothsayers.

It is said that only Zeus, the King of the Olympian gods, can weigh the lives of men and that it is he who informs the three sisters of his decisions. In that case, the Fates are viewed only as the instrument of Zeus. Still others claim that not even Zeus is beyond the power of the Fates and that he is subject to their whim. That would make the Fates the most powerful of all the deities.

How powerful are they? Some say that Zeus is above Destiny and that it obeys him. For Zeus has been also called "the Bringer of Fate" and "Leader of the Fates" because he knows the affairs of men, all that the Fates give them, and all that is not in their fate. But others claim that even Zeus has to obey Destiny.

But it has also been claimed that Tyche (Luck, Fortune) was one of the Fates and the most powerful of the sisters because beauty and virtue and good fame are in her keeping and her pleasure is to dash immoderate hopes.

In the abode of the Fates are the records of all that happens on tablets of brass and iron, which are neither shaken by warfare in heaven, nor lightning, nor any destructive power. They are eternal and secure, these archives of the Fates.

Some humans however claim that men themselves control their Fates by avoiding unnecessary dangers. The younger gods laugh at the Fates and Apollo once went so far as to make them drunk in order to save his good friend Admetus from death.

The Fates played a role in many myths. During the war between the Giants and the Olympians the Fates armed themselves with clubs and fought and killed a couple of Giants. They also deluded Typhon when he came with an attitude to challenge the rule of Zeus. The Fates gave the monster Typhon to taste of the ephemeral fruits and convinced him that he would be strengthened by them. Instead the fruit weakened Typhon, helping Zeus to demolish him and establish his supremacy on Mount Olympus.

When the hero Meleager was seven days old the Fates came and declared that the new baby would die when the log burning on the hearth would finally burn out. Clotho said that he would be noble and Lachesis that he would be brave, but Atropos looked at the brand burning on the hearth and said: "He will live only as long as this brand remains unconsumed."

On hearing this, his mother snatched up the log and hid it in a chest, carefully preserving it. But as "fate" would have it, Meleager eventually killed his uncles and his mother, consumed by grief at the slaughter of her brothers, brought out the fire brand and kindled it.

Just as the Fates had prophesized, Meleager was killed.

When Zeus fell in love with the Nereid Thetis the Fates prophesized that the son born of any union with Thetis would grow up to become mightier than his father. Zeus, afraid that the same fate would befall him, as it had his own father Cronus, backed off and left Thetis alone. She ended up marrying the
mortal Peleus and eventually gave birth to Achilles, the greatest hero of the Trojan War.

At Delphi, the seat of Apollo's oracle, only two Fates are worshipped, those of Birth and Death; and at Athens Aphrodite Urania is called the eldest of the three.

There are various versions of their parentage:

1) Erebus & Nyx (Night)

2) Nyx (Night)

3) Chaos

4) Zeus & Themis

5) Ananke (Necessity)

The Fates are said to have invented seven of the letters of the alphabet: alfa, vita, ita, taf, iota and ipsilon.


Hades

Hades (also known as Aides) is Zeus' brother and ruler of the Underworld and the dead. He was also called Pluto - God of Wealth - because the precious metals buried deep in the earth were in his kingdom. Another reason that the people called him Pluto is because they did not like to pronounce the dreaded name of Hades or Aides.

The name Pluto was used by both the Greeks and the Romans, and it translates into Latin as Dis - "Rich". The Romans also substituted Orcus and Tartarus as synonymous to Pluto. Although he was an Olympian, he spent most of the time in his dark castle in the Underworld. This Lord of Hell, who was formidable in battle, proved his ferociousness in the famous battle of the Olympians versus the Titans, which established the rule of Zeus.

Because of his dark and morbid personality he was not especially liked by neither the gods nor the mortals. His character is described as "fierce and inexorable", and by far of all the gods he was most hated by mortals. He was not however an evil god, for although he was stern, cruel and unpitying, still he was just. Hades ruled the Underworld and therefore most often associated with death and was feared by men, but he was not Death itself - The actual embodiment of Death was another god, Thanatos.
(Thanatos was the Greek personification of death who dwells in the lower world. In Homer's Iliad he appears as the brother of Hypnos ("sleep"). The Greek writer Hesiod makes these two spirits the sons of Nyx, but they had no father. In the theater Thanatos was sometimes introduced as a character. His attributes are an inversed torch, wreath, or butterfly.)

(Hypnos is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology. He is the son of Nyx and Erebus, and the twin of Thanatos ("death"). Both he and his brother live in the underworld. He gave Endymion the power of sleeping with open eyes so he could see his beloved, the moon goddess Selene. Hypnos is portrayed as a naked young man with wings attached to his temples, or as a bearded man with wings attached to his shoulders.)

Hades is always represented as a stern, dark, bearded man, with tightly closed lips, a crown on his head, a sceptre and a key in hand, to show how carefully he guards those who enter his domains, and how vain are their hopes to escape. No temples were dedicated to him, and his statues are very rare.

Black animals, such as sheep, were sacrificed to him and it is believed that at one time even human sacrifices were offered. The person who offered the sacrifice had to turn away his face. Every hundred years festivals were held in his honor, called the Secular Games.

Hades ruled the dead, assisted by demons over whom he had complete authority. He strictly forbade his subjects to leave his domain and would become quite enraged when anyone tried to leave, or if someone tried to steal his prey from him. Very few people ever visited the Underworld and were permitted to leave - In Homer's Iliad, we are told that Heracles (Hercules) was forbidden by Hades to enter his kingdom, but the great Greek hero wounded Hades with an arrow and attained victory.

Besides Heracles, few other living persons ventured to the Underworld: Er, Achilles, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Theseus are among those heroes who descended to Hades while they were still living. None of them was especially pleased with what they witnessed in the realm of the dead. In particular the Trojan War hero Achilles, whom Odysseus met in Hades (although some believe that Achilles dwells in the Isles of the Blest), said:

"Do not speak soothingly to me of death, glorious Odysseus. I should choose to serve as the hireling of another, rather than to be lord over the dead that have perished."
(Achilles' soul to Odysseus. Homer, Odyssey 11.48 cool

Hades Abducts Persephone

The wife of Hades, and queen of the Underworld, was Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter (She was also called Kore, Greek for 'daughter').

Persephone did not marry Hades willingly, but was abducted by him one day while picking flowers with her friends. Even Zeus was powerless to get her out of the Underworld when her mother Demeter asked him to act on her behalf.

Eventually a deal was made, with the messenger god Hermes acting as the mediator - Persephone would spend half the year with her mother, the goddess of the harvest. The Greeks believed that while Persephone was with Hades, her mother missed her so much that she withdrew her gifts from the world and winter came. In the spring, when Persephone rejoined her mother, Demeter would make things grow again.

According to some, Persephone eventually became as cruel as her husband.

Hades' weapon was a two-pronged fork, which he used to shatter anything that was in his way or not to his liking, much like Poseidon did with his trident. This ensign of his power was a staff with which he drove the shades of the dead into the lower world.

His identifying possessions were the famed helmet, given to him by the Cyclopes, which made anyone who wore it invisible. Hades was known to sometimes loan his helmet of invisibility to both gods and men. His dark chariot, drawn by four coal-black horses, always made for a fearsome and impressive sight. His other ordinary attributes are the Key of Hades and Cerberus, the three-headed dog.

Like his brother Zeus and other ancient gods, Hades wasn't the most faithful of husbands. He pursued and loved the nymph Mintho and to punish her for this, his jealous wife Persephone turned Mintho into the plant called mint. Likewise, the nymph Leuce, who was also ravished by him, was metamorphosed by
Hades into a white poplar tree after her death.

In works of art, Hades resembles his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, except that his hair falls over his forehead, and his appearance is portrayed as dark and gloomy. The god of the Underworld was one scary dude!

Here's a cool myth about Hades, involving Sisyphus, the poor mortal who was sentenced to roll a large rock up a hill, only to have it roll back over him just as he reached the top...

King Sisyphus is best known for being punished in the Underworld by rolling a stone with his hands and head in an effort to heave it over the top of a hill; but no matter how hard he pushes, just as he gets near the top, the stone rebounds backward again and again. How did this horrid fate come about?

Well, Sisyphus had a big mouth. One day the river god Asopus came by looking for his daughter, Aegina, who had gone missing. When Asopus asked Sisyphus if he knew where his daughter was, the tattle-tale King replied that he knew that Zeus had fallen in love with her and had carried her away. Zeus and Aegina were to be found in the wooded valley down below, walking arm in arm, he said.

Needless to say this made Asopus very angry. Zeus had carelessly left his feared thunderbolts hanging from a tree while he romanced Aegina, so when Asopus came rushing at him with a club, the unarmed king of the Olympians ran away startled. Escaping, Zeus turned himself into a rock, and Asopus ran by him.

After changing back into his real form and retrieving his hanging weapons, Zeus then hurled a thunderbolt at the charging Asopus, who walked with a limp ever since from his wounded leg.

Enraged at the way in which Sisyphus betrayed the divine secret to Asopus, Zeus ordered his brother Hades, feared king of the Underworld, to arrest the king and to severely punish him. Hades appeared before Sisyphus and commanded him to come with him. King Sisyphus refused, saying that it was Hermes who guided the souls to the Underworld, not Hades, and besides, it wasn't his time to die yet. So there!

Talk about nerve! He then asked the astonished Hades what he carried in his bag. Hades told him that they were handcuffs. Seeing that Sisyphus was puzzled, he explained that handcuffs were steel bracelets, chained together, which had been invented by the skilled god of the forge, Hephaestus.

"Show me how they work", asked sly Sisyphus. But as Hades was modeling the handcuffs, Sisyphus snapped them shut. He fastened his dog's collar around the neck of the god and made fun of him in his helplessness.

"Hey, these handcuffs really work, Hades!" he tormented his captive.

Hades was not amused. He pleaded, threatened and stormed at Sisyphus, but for an entire month he was kept prisoner. Finally Ares, the cruel god of war, seeing that his battles had become farces because nobody died, came to Sisyphus and threatened to strangle him unless he released Hades...and if that didn't work, then he would cut off his head and hide it!

Grudgingly Sisyphus unchained Hades and off they went to Tartarus and the Underworld. On arrival, Sisyphus pleaded his case with Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, claiming that he didn't belong there because he wasn't dead, and besides, he hadn't been properly ferried to the Underworld by Charon the
boatman. Persephone told him to leave, but to come back the next day properly buried, with a coin under his tongue.

Yeah, right. Sisyphus laughed as he left the Underworld, with no intent on returning for a long time. An infuriated Hades the next day sent Hermes to fetch the rascal. Hermes informed King Sisyphus that he had seen the Three Fates cutting his thread of life and that his existence on earth was over.

Once they reached the Underworld, the Judges of the Dead devised a unique and torturous ordeal to punish him - they ordered Sisyphus to push a real heavy rock, practically immovable, over the top of the hill in Tartarus. To make sure
that he got the point, the rock was shaped exactly like the one into which Zeus had changed when he hid from Asopus.

The bad news was, the rock would roll back over the poor man just as he would get to the top, and he would have to start all over again. Sisyphus was doomed to endure this forever. What a drag!


Hephaestus

Hephaestus, the god of fire, especially the blacksmith's fire, was the patron of all craftsmen, principally those working with metals. He was worshiped predominantly in Athens, but also in other manufacturing centers. He was the god of volcanoes. Later, the fire within them represented the smith's furnace. Hephaestus was associated with Mount Etna, which is on the island of Sicily. Known as the lame god, Hephaestus was born weak and crippled.

Displeased by the sight of her son, Hera threw Hephaestus from Mount Olympus, and he fell for a whole day before landing in the sea. Nymphs rescued him and took him to Lemnos, where the people of the island cared for him. But other versions say Zeus threw him from Mount Olympus after Hephaestus had sided with his mother, Hera, in a quarrel. This legend says that Hephaestus fell for nine days and nine nights, and he landed on the island of Lemnos. It was on Lemnos where he built his palace and forges under a volcano.

To gain revenge for his rejection by Hera, Hephaestus fashioned a magic throne, which was presented to her on Mount Olympus. When Hera sat on the throne, it entrapped her, making her a prisoner. The gods on Mount Olympus pleaded with Hephaestus to return to their heavenly domain, as to release Hera, but he refused. Dionysus gave the smith god wine, and when Hephaestus was intoxicated, Dionysus took him back to Mount Olympus slumped over the back of a mule. This scene was a favorite in Greek art.

Hephaestus released Hera after being given the beautiful Aphrodite as his bride. Dionysus was rewarded by being made one of the Olympian Pantheon.

Hephaestus is known as the son of Hera and Zeus, although Zeus had nothing to do with the conception. Hephaestus was parthenogenetic, meaning he was conceived without male fertilisation. Hera was jealous of Zeus after he had an affair with Metis, from which the goddess of prudence was pregnant with Athena. However, Gaia had warned Zeus that Metis would bear a daughter, whose son would overthrow him. To prevent this, Zeus swallowed Metis, so he could carry the child through to the birth himself, although Zeus could not give birth naturally. For retribution Hera produced (parthenogeny) Hephaestus, and legend says, that Hephaestus split the head of Zeus with an axe, from which Athena appeared fully armed.

One particular legend says that Hephaestus wished to marry Athena, who was also a patron of smiths, but she refused because she found him ugly.

Another legend says that Athena disappeared from their bridal bed but Hephaestus did not see her vanish, and spilt his seed on the floor. In a similar version the semen fell from Athena's thigh and from it was produced Erechtheus, who became a king of Athens. (This relates to Erechtheus being the son of Gaia, Earth.)

Aphrodite, in some versions, was the wife of Hephaestus, and he was suspicious that Aphrodite had been committing adultery. To catch her being unfaithful he fashioned an extraordinary chain-link net, so fine and strong no one could escape from it. Then one day he surprised Aphrodite and the war god Ares as they lay together in bed. He threw his magic net over them and hauled them before the Olympian gods and exhibited them as they were, naked and wrapped in each others arms. Hephaestus asked the assembled gods for just retribution, but they did the total opposite. The gods roared with laughter at the sight of the naked lovers, after which they allowed the couple to go free. According to Homer's Iliad Hephaestus had a wife called Aglaea, who was one of the Charites (Graces).

Being a great craftsman Hephaestus manufactured wonderful articles from various materials, primarily from metal. With help from the Cyclopes, who were his workmen and assistants, he fashioned the thunderbolts for Zeus and his sceptre. He made weapons and armour for the other gods and heroes.

For Athena, he made her shield or aegis and for the god of love, Eros, he made the arrows. The wonderful chariot which the sun god Helios rode across the sky was made by Hephaestus and in some versions it was a golden cup or goblet. He also fashioned the invincible armour of Achilles.

Hephaestus helped to create the first woman, with the assistance of other gods, after Zeus had ordered that there be a new kind of human. Zeus plotted against Prometheus because he and his race of mortals had only included one gender, which was male, and so Hephaestus formed the first woman from clay. Her name was Pandora (all gifts) and from a supernatural jar, she released the evils of the world on mankind.

Hephaestus is usually shown as an animated cripple bent over his anvil. He wears a beard and is normally depicted as being ugly, and in some art forms he walks with the aid of a stick. Homer describes Hephaestus as lame and walking with the aid of a stick. Hepheastus was worshiped mainly in Athens, where the Temple of Hephaestus and Athena (the Hephaesteum, also known as the Theseum) still stands. It is the most complete example of a "Doric" temple (one of the three orders in Greek architecture). It was built in 449 BCE and stands on a hill close to the Agora at the foot of the Acropolis.

Hephaestus and Athena Ergane (protectress of craftsman and artisans) were honoured with the festival "Chalceia" on the 30th day of the month Pyanopsion. The Romans took Hephaestus as one of their own gods attaching the myth and cult to their god of fire and calling him Vulcan (Volcanus).

Icelus

A son of Hypnos and one of the Oneiroi, the personifications of the various types of dreams. He made the shapes of humans appear in dreams.


Mist

Mist is the amorphous consort of the sleep gods. She has birthed thousands of children and when she takes human form is often seen as a beautiful young woman with black hair and glowing, eerie white eyes.

Not the most maternal of mothers, she turned the raising of her sons and daughters over to Hypnos and to the nymphs who serve her.


Morpheus

The Greek god of dreams. He lies on a ebony bed in a dim-lit cave, surrounded by poppies. He appears to humans in their dreams in the shape of a man. He is responsible for shaping dreams, or giving shape to the beings which inhabit dreams. Morpheus, known from Ovid's Metamorphoses, plays no part in Greek mythology. His name means "he who forms, or molds" (from the Greek morphe), and is mentioned as the son of Hypnos, the god of sleep.

Phantasos

A son of Hypnos and one of the Oneiroi, the personifications of the various types of dreams. The various lifeless items one meets in one's dreams are created by him. His name means "apparition".


Phobetor

A son of Hypnos and one of the Oneiroi, the personifications of the various types of dreams. In the dreams of humans Phobetor made various animal shapes appear. His name means "frightening".


Poseidon

Poseidon was the ruler of the sea, a powerful god in Greek mythology who was often called the "Earth-shaker." His father was the Titan Cronus, who at the time was ruler of the Universe, and his mother was Rhea. Cronus was a paranoid ruler, because it had been prophesized that one of his own sons would dethrone him, just as Cronus had done to his father, Uranus.

Thus, Cronus would swallow the children whom Rhea bore him. He figured that it was the safest way to ensure that none of his offspring overthrew him.

One by one, the children were swallowed by Cronus: first Hestia, then Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. (Some mythographers claim that Rhea tricked Cronus by presenting a foal instead of the baby Poseidon for consumption, but most agree that Poseidon had been swallowed like the rest of his siblings.)

Needless to say, this constant swallowing of her children enraged Rhea. She bore her third son, Zeus, in the middle of the night and gave him for safekeeping to Gaea (Mother Earth). She fooled Cronus into believing he had swallowed his new son by substituting a rock wrapped in baby blankets.

When Zeus grew up, and with the help of Gaea and his mother Rhea, he slipped Cronus a potion that made the Titan disgorge the swallowed children. Being gods, they were unharmed, albeit a tad dazed and confused. With Zeus serving as their leader, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera waged war against the Titans for supremacy of the Universe.

Assisted by the Cyclops (they gave Zeus his thunderbolts, Poseidon his trident and Hades his helmet of invisibility) and the Hecatoncheires (the Hundred-handed-ones), the siblings fought a terrible war that lasted ten years. In the end they were victorious, banishing their vanquished foes to the deepest depths of the Underworld, called Tartarus. This dark and woeful place is as far beneath the earth as heaven is above the earth. Around Tartarus runs a fence of bronze with gates of bronze, which Poseidon fixed in such as way as to offer no escape, and there the Titans were forever confined.

After Zeus, with his brothers and sisters, defeated the Titans and
dethroned Cronus, the three brothers drew lots out of a helmet to
determine which one of the three realms each would rule. Zeus won the heavens and thus became the supreme ruler, Hades got the Underworld and Poseidon got the sea. The Earth remained common to all three.

Poseidon was very powerful, second only to Zeus himself. Equal to Zeus in dignity, though not in power, he was reputed to be a surly and quarrelsome figure.

Poseidon at once got busy constructing a magnificent palace beneath the sea, off Aegae in Euboea. Splendid white chariot horses with brazen hooves and golden manes lived in the palace's spacious stables and an awesome golden chariot was always ready to transport the sea god about. At the approach of Poseidon's chariot, storms and foul weather would cease, and sea monsters would rise from the depths, playfully frisking around it like friendly dolphins.



As wonderful as his underwater palace was, Poseidon still spent much of his time participating in the festivities in Olympus with the other gods.

Poseidon’s wife was Amphitrite, granddaughter of the titan Oceanus. At first Poseidon courted Thetis the Nereid because she was beautiful and was already accustomed to the sea-depths. But when the respected Titan Themis prophesized that any son born to Thetis would be greater than his father, wisely he backed off and looked elsewhere for a wife.

Next he approached Amphitrite, another Nereid, who wanted nothing to do with Poseidon. For whatever reason, she was turned-off by the god of the sea and fled to the Atlas Mountains in order to escape his advances.

Not to be denied, Poseidon sent messengers all over the earth to look for her. Eventually, after much wandering, a man named Delphinus located Amphitrite and was so convincing in pleading Poseidon's case and his love for her, that at last she yielded and agreed to the marriage. Delphinus himself organized the entire wedding and a splendid party it was!

The union of Poseidon and Amphitrite produced three children: Triton, Rhode and Benthesicyme. But, like his brother Zeus, Poseidon wasn't a very faithful husband and engaged in numerous affairs with goddesses, nymphs, and even mortals.

Understandably jealous, Amphitrite punished many of her husband's lovers, just like Hera did to her husband Zeus' women. She was particularly upset with Poseidon's infatuation with Scylla, gorgeous daughter of Phorcys, and was determined to punish her indiscretion. Amphitrite threw magical herbs into Scylla's bathing pool, and when the woman took her bath, at once she transformed into a barking monster with six heads and twelve feet.

Poseidon was never fully satisfied with his share of the world and once even conspired with other Olympians to dethrone Zeus. But his plot was discovered and in punishment Zeus exiled him to earth. There he was to build the walls of Troy for king Laomedon. He was helped by Apollo, who was also banished from Olympus at that time.

The two Olympian gods assumed the likeness of men and undertook to fortify Troy for wages. Apollo was able to move the heaviest of stones with just the sound of his lyre. But when they had fortified it and the task was completed, the foolish king Laomedon would not pay their wages. Therefore Apollo sent a pestilence, and Poseidon sent a Sea-monster, which snatched away the people of the plain.

The oracles foretold deliverance from these calamities if Laomedon would expose the maiden Hesione to be devoured by Poseidon's Sea-monster. Not knowing what else to do, the king followed the oracles' advice and fastened her to the rocks near the sea, but at the last moment, the greatest Greek hero, Heracles (Hercules), saved her and she married Telamon.

Getting stiffed for his wages was also the chief reason why Poseidon was on the Greek side during the Trojan War.

Many more Sea-monsters were unleashed by Poseidon to exact
vengeance: Poseidon sent a Sea-monster against the Teucrians
because Hierax, a righteous man, was devoted to Demeter and would not honor Poseidon. When Queen Cassiopeia boasted of being better than the Nereids, the water nymphs became angry and asked Poseidon to intervene. The wrathful god sent a flood and yet another Sea-monster to invade the land. Andromeda was exposed as a prey to this monster, only to be rescued by the hero Perseus. Poseidon also sent a bull from the sea, and the horses of Hippolytus were startled, entangling their master in the reins, dragging him to a horrible death.

Another time Poseidon competed with the great Athena - goddess of wisdom, war and the crafts - over who would gain patronage of the famous city state called Athens. Poseidon struck the side of the Acropolis and a fountain spurted forth its water, much to the amazement of the people. However, the water was salty, which proved no use to the populace.

Athena presented the people with the first olive tree, which was used for food, oil and provided wood to burn in the winter. The gods and goddesses had assembled to pass judgment, with the males voting for the god of the sea and the females choosing Athena's olive tree. Since the women outnumbered the men by one, Athena's gift was judged to be the most useful and Athena was awarded the city, which forever after carried her name - Athens.

Known for his anger, and not being the best of sports, Poseidon
proceeded to sent huge waves to flood the area in a mean-spirited
parting gesture. To appease Poseidon's wrath, the women of Athens were deprived of their vote, and the men forbidden to bear their mothers names. In the shrine of Erechtheus there remained preserved a long time an olive tree and a pool of salt water which had been set there by Poseidon and Athena as tokens when they contended for the city.

Another dispute arose between Poseidon and Athena over the city of Troezen, but Zeus nipped it in the bud by declaring that it was to be shared equally between the two, an arrangement loathed by both parties.

Quarrelsome Poseidon thus engaged in disputes with: Zeus, over the island of Aegina; Dionysus, over the island of Naxos; Helios, the sun god, over the area of Corinth (Poseidon was upset because he received the Isthmus of Corinth only, while Helios got the prestigious Acropolis of Corinth); Hera, wife of Zeus, got into it with Poseidon over Argolis, and that one got real ugly, with accusations flying all over the place and Poseidon claiming that the Olympians were biased against him.

Poseidon's argument with Hera was referred for arbitration to a panel of three River-gods, who made a decision in favor of Hera. Outraged, Poseidon vowed revenge on them. Zeus had forbidden him to bring on floods, as he had done in Athens, so the sea god did the exact opposite -- He dried up the streams of his three judges (Inachus, Cephissus and Asterion) and they never again flowed in the summer.

But Poseidon could be compassionate. Anymone was a Danaid (nymph of nature) who was greatly distressed by these droughts, and, taking pity on her, Poseidon caused the Argive river of Lerna to perpetually flow, bringing Anymone much-needed relief.

Poseidon liked to boast that he created the first horse, and it was
accepted that he instituted horse-racing. He even claimed to have
constructed the first horse bridle, although Athena begs to differ on that...the two rarely got along at first, even though eventually they reconciled and worked on some common causes. Like Zeus, it took many years for Poseidon to mature and not always act belligerently.

Although Poseidon is adored for giving men the first horse, his primary importance was as Lord of the Sea. At his command winds rose and the most violent of storms began, but when he drove in his golden chariot over the water, the storms subsided and tranquil peace followed his wheels.

Ancient sailors and warriors would pray and offer tributes to the great Poseidon prior to undertaking a sea journey. In turn, Poseidon could be cruel and hostile to those who displeased him, such as the hero of the Trojan War, Odysseus, who suffered great tribulations at the hands of Poseidon while embarked on his Odyssey back home.

Both the bull and the horse are associated with Poseidon, but the bull is associated with many other gods as well, so the horse can be considered his animal.

He was always depicted carrying, or using, his distinguishing weapon, the trident, a three-pronged spear which he used to shatter and shake anything he pleased, much like his brother Zeus used his thunderbolts. That's why he was commonly referred to as the "Earth Shaker". The trident, his symbol, was the gift of the Cyclopes, who had fought with the Olympians versus the Titans.

He was always accompanied by his son, Triton, who was half man, half fish. Triton would blow on his seashell to announce Poseidon's arrival.

Themis

Themis is one of the daughters of Uranus and Gaia. She is the personification of divine right order of things as sanctioned by custom and law. She has oracular powers and it is said that she build the oracle at Delphi. By Zeus she is the mother of the Horae and the Moirae.

Themis is depicted as a stern looking woman, blindfolded and holding a pair of scales and a cornucopia. The Romans called her Justitia.



Wink

A puckish character, Wink is what led to the belief of the Sandman. He is sent by the gods of sleep to induce slumber and most claim he does so by sprinkling a magic dust into their eyes. Children are most often fond of Wink who is said to love them best of all since they are innocent and most deserving of untroubled rest.

A chronic prankster to both the Oneroi and Skoti, he is often found playing tricks on them.


Zeus



Zeus, the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, he was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there. Being the supreme ruler he upheld law, justice and morals, and this made him the spiritual leader of both gods and men. Zeus was a celestial god, and originally worshiped as a weather god by the Greek tribes. These people came southward from the Balkans circa 2100 BCE. He has always been associated as being a weather god, as his main attribute is the thunderbolt, he controlled thunder, lightning and rain. Theocritus wrote circa 265 BCE: "sometimes Zeus is clear, sometimes he rains". He is also known to have caused thunderstorms.

In Homer's epic poem the Iliad he sent thunderstorms against his enemies. The name Zeus is related to the Greek word dios, meaning "bright". His other attributes as well as lightning were the scepter, the eagle and his aegis (this was the goat-skin of Amaltheia).

Before the abolition of monarchies, Zeus was protector of the king and his family. Once the age of Greek kings faded into democracy he became chief judge and peacemaker, but most importantly civic god. He brought peace in place of violence, Hesiod (circa 700 BCE) describes Zeus as "the lord of justice", Zeus was also known as "Kosmetas" (orderer), "Soter" (savior), "Polieos" (overseer of the polis -city) and also "Eleutherios" (guarantor of political freedoms). His duties in this role were to maintain the laws, protect suppliants, to summon festivals and to give prophecies (his oldest and most famous oracle was at Dodona, in Epirus -northwestern Greece). As the supreme deity Zeus oversaw the conduct of civilized life. But the "father of gods and men" as Homer calls him, has many mythological tales.

His most famous was told by Hesiod in his Theogony, of how Zeus usurped the kingdom of the immortals from his father. This mythological tale of Zeus' struggle against the Titans (Titanomachy) had been caused by Cronus, after he had been warned that one of his children would depose him. Cronus knowing the consequences, as he had overthrown his father Uranus. To prevent this from happening Cronus swallowed his newborn children Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon, but his wife Rhea (who was also his sister) and Gaia her mother, wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes in place of the infant Zeus. Cronus thinking it was the newborn baby swallowed the stone. Meanwhile Rhea had her baby taken to Crete, and there, in a cave on Mount Dicte, the divine goat Amaltheia suckled and raised the infant Zeus.

When Zeus had grown into a young man he returned to his fathers domain, and with the help of Gaia, compelled Cronus to regurgitate the five children he had previously swallowed (in some versions Zeus received help from Metis who gave Cronus an emetic potion, which made him vomit up Zeus' brothers and sisters). However, Zeus led the revolt against his father and the dynasty of the Titans, defeated and then banished them. Once Zeus had control, he and his brothers divided the universe between them: Zeus gaining the heavens, Poseidon the sea and Hades the underworld. Zeus had to defend his heavenly kingdom. The three separate assaults were from the offspring of Gaia: they were the Gigantes, Typhon (Zeus fought them with his thunder-bolt and aegis) and the twin brothers who were called the Aloadae. The latter tried to gain access to the heavens by stacking Mount Ossa on top of Mount Olympus, and Mount Pelion on top of Mount Ossa, but the twins still failed in their attempt to overthrow Zeus. As he did with the Titans, Zeus banished them all to "Tartarus", which is the lowest region on earth, lower than the underworld.

According to legend, Metis, the goddess of prudence, was the first love of Zeus. At first she tried in vain to escape his advances, but in the end succumbed to his endeavor, and from their union Athena was conceived. Gaia warned Zeus that Metis would bear a daughter, whose son would overthrow him. On hearing this Zeus swallowed Metis, the reason for this was to continue to carry the child through to the birth himself. Hera (his wife and sister) was outraged and very jealous of her husband's affair, also of his ability to give birth without female participation. To spite Zeus she gave birth to Hephaestus parthenogenetically (without being fertilized) and it was Hephaestus who, when the time came, split open the head of Zeus, from which Athena emerged fully armed.

Zeus had many offspring; his wife Hera bore him Ares, Hephaestus, ********* and Eileithyia, but Zeus had numerous liaisons with both goddesses and mortals. He either raped them, or used devious means to seduce the unsuspecting maidens. His union with Leto (meaning the hidden one) brought forth the twins Apollo and Artemis. Once again Hera showed her jealousy by forcing Leto to roam the earth in search of a place to give birth, as Hera had stopped her from gaining shelter on terra-firma or at sea. The only place she could go was to the isle of Delos in the middle of the Aegean, the reason being that Delos was, as legend states, a floating island. One legend says that Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and Dione

Besides deities, he also fathered many mortals. In some of his human liaisons Zeus used devious disguises. When he seduced the Spartan queen Leda, he transformed himself into a beautiful swan, and from the egg which Leda produced, two sets of twins were born: Castor and Polydeuces and Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy. He visited princess Danae as a shower of gold, and from this union the hero Perseus was born. He abducted the Phoenician princess Europa, disguised as a bull, then carried her on his back to the island of Crete where she bore three sons: Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon. Zeus also took as a lover the Trojan prince Ganymede. He was abducted by an eagle sent by Zeus (some legends believe it was Zeus disguised as an eagle). The prince was taken to Mount Olympus, where he became Zeus' cup-bearer. Zeus also used his charm and unprecedented power to seduce those he wanted, so when Zeus promised Semele that he would reveal himself in all his splendor, in order to seduce her, the union produced Dionysus, but she was destroyed when Zeus appeared as thunder and lightening. Themis, the goddess of justice bore the three Horae, goddesses of the seasons to Zeus , and also the three Moirae, known as the Fates. When Zeus had an affair with Mnemosyne, he coupled with her for nine consecutive nights, which produced nine daughters, who became known as the Muses. They entertained their father and the other gods as a celestial choir on Mount Olympus. They became deities of intellectual pursuits. Also the three Charites or Graces were born from Zeus and Eurynome. From all his children Zeus gave man all he needed to live life in an ordered and moral way.

Zeus had many Temples and festivals in his honor, the most famous of his sanctuaries being Olympia, the magnificent "Temple of Zeus", which held the gold and ivory statue of the enthroned Zeus, sculpted by Phidias and hailed as one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World". Also the Olympic Games were held in his honor. The Nemean Games, which were held every two years, were to honor Zeus. There were numerous festivals throughout Greece: in Athens they celebrated the marriage of Zeus and Hera with the Theogamia (or Gamelia). The celebrations were many: in all, Zeus had more than 150 epithets, each one being celebrated in his honor.