THE MAJOR GREEK GODS NAME SPHERES (Roman in parentheses) ATTRIBUTES EPITHETS ZEUS (Jupiter, Jove) sky & weather king of gods protection of hosts, guests & suppliants thunderbolt throne, scepter eagle, oak tree mature, bearded* Cloud-Gatherer Father of gods & men Son of Cronus HERA (Juno) women in their roles as wives & mothers crown, throne peacock mature woman* Argive Ox-eyed ATHENA (Minerva) cunning (metis) battle weaving, crafts fertility of olive tree helmet, armor, spear, aegis, + woman’s dress snake, owl Pallas Parthenos Grey-eyed goddess POSEIDON (Neptune) the sea, rivers, & springs earthquakes horses fish, sea creatures trident horses mature, bearded* Earth-Shaker APHRODITE (Venus) sexual desire human & animal fertility often shown naked doves chariot drawn by birds Graces Cyprian (Cypris) Cytherea Uranian Laughter-loving goddess HEPHAESTUS (Vulcan) metalworking & other crafts fire as basis of technology hammer & anvil shrunken legs Smith Lame God ARES (Mars) war armor, helmet young, handsome* Man-slaughtering Brazen EROS (Cupid) sexual desire wings bow & arrows young man or baby* [no major epithets] APOLLO (no Roman name) purification interpretation of religious law prophecy healing & plague music & poetry [later: sun] tripod dolphins Pythian Delphian bow & arrows laurel, lyre Loxias Far-Shooter Paean (= healer) Phoebus (= bright) NAME SPHERES ATTRIBUTES EPITHETS ARTEMIS (Diana) hunting & fertility of wild animals childbirth women’s transition from virginity to sexual maturity [later: moon] bow & arrows short dress wild animals (usually deer) Goddess of the golden bow Chaste crescent moon HERMES (Mercury) stone heaps & pillars [herms] travel traveler’s hat (messenger, herald) sandals, wings boundaries, theft caduceus fertility, luck sometimes beardless* The Guide Psychopompus Slayer of Argus HESTIA (Vesta) the hearth fire [seldom portrayed] [no major epithets] DIONYSUS, BACCHUS (Liber) fertility of vine, vegetation life-giving fluids release from social constraints drama vine-leaves, grapes ivy wine cups fawn skin thyrsus maenads, satyrs Bromios (Roarer) Lusios (Releaser) DEMETER (Ceres) fertility of grain Eleusinian Mysteries (hope of happy afterlife) stalks of wheat torches often shown with Persephone mature woman* Deo Dread goddess[es] The two goddesses [with Persephone] PERSEPHONE, KORE (Proserpina) fertility of grain queen of the underworld stalks of wheat pomegranate often shown with Demeter or Hades young woman* [see above] HADES, PLUTO (Dis) king of the underworld throne rooster often shown with Persephone Receiver of many *The attributes marked with an asterisk are not by themselves sufficient to identify a god, but are usually part of the god’s portrayal. Note that when there are two names in capital letters, the god(dess) has two GREEK names.

The Major Greek Gods

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