...solved. However, Zeus never knew that Metis was pregnant with Athena. She birthed Athena inside of Zeus and made her a helmet, shield, and spear. Soon, Zeus was afflicted with deadly headaches and he ran to Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmiths, sculptors, metallurgy, fire, and volcanoes, and begged him to open his head. Hephaestus did as he was told, and out came Athena, dressed in her armor and prepared to fight a battle. Like all the Olympians, Athena was an immortal goddess and could not die. She was the most intelligent, resourceful, and wise of all the Greek gods. She was also...
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...Ἀθηνᾶ Goddess magazine presents an exclusive interview with the ever-elusive Athena, goddess of wisdom, war and invention. She has been revered and worshipped for over three thousand years, is the daughter of the mightiest god, Zeus, and is the patron deity of Athens. She has counselled warriors and heroes as well as punished many mortals. Her power and beauty was renowned as was her purity and wisdom. She speaks today about her fantastical birth, her decision to remain chaste and her semi-feud with Aphrodite. T he first thing I noticed about the infamous goddess of wisdom was her undeniable beauty. Her very essence had fascinated me for years. The fact that she remained faithful to herself and her beliefs as well as the fact that she wielded her power with such grace and elegance made her my favourite deity by far. Goddess: Let’s start out first with your incredible birth. Unlike any other mortal or immortal, you were born from your father’s head. Do you think that gave you a closer relationship with him? Athena: [Nods] Certainly. I never knew my mother. He was everything to me. I believe the fact that I was born from his head allowed my father to feel a closer connection to me than any of my many other siblings. That being said, my father did initially swallow my mother, Metis, to prevent my birth. [Laughs] “I never knew my mother. He was everything to me. I believe the fact that I was born from his head allowed my father to feel a closer connection to me than any...
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...goddesses This is a list of the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. Roman Mythology uses different names, calling Zeus by the name of Jupiter, and Aphrodite by the name of Venus, for example. The Roman names are often better known to English-speaking people than the Greek names. Greek name | Description | Chaos | Primeval Goddess of air, Chaos is believed to be one of the first beings to exist in the universe. Chaos is not really depicted as having a personality or physical form.[1] Chaos is the lower atmosphere which surrounded the earth. Her name Khaos means the gap, or the space between heaven and Earth.[2] Mother or Grandmother of Nyx (night), Erebus (Darkness), Aither (Light), and Hemera (day). | Erebus | God of darkness. Son of Chaos. Husband of Nyx. | Gaia | Goddess of the Earth (Mother Earth), mother of Kronos, grandmother of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Dementer and Hestia | Nyx | Goddess of night Daughter of Chaos. Wife of Erebus and mother of Hemera (day). Goddess of Hellhounds. | Tartarus | The darkest pit in the world at the edge of the world. | Ouranos | (Father Sky) and father of the Titans. Roman name Uranus. | Thesis | Primordial God/Goddess of Creation. Thesis is sometimes thought to be a child of Chaos. Thesis is thought to have emerged with Hydros before Gaia. | Phanes | Primeval God of procreation and is referred as the primal generator of life. Phanes is Nyx's father and was the ruler of the universe before her. | The Anemois | Primeval Gods of winds...
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...Athena was the virgin daughter of the great God Zeus, and she was also one of the great Olympian Idols. She was not only known only as the Goddess of wisdom, but she was also called the Goddess of war, and the personal guardian and protector of arts and crafts. This guided her and help her to become an intense and compassionate leader. Athena was born beside the river Triton where she was nurtured by three fairs. When she was a little girl one of the fairs loved and cared for her so much that the fairy was known as Pallas who became Athena playmate. As a brave and playful child Athena accidentally killed Pallas, as a symbol of Athena’s sadness she place the name of the fairy Palls before her own name. This causes others to know her as Pallas Athena which is not her name given at birth. She was a very gifted child from birth, her mother was Metis which means which means crafty of could be called evil, so of which Athena inherited. Athena enjoy having the power of her father and the craftiness and aggressiveness from her mother, she uses these tools as great weapon to help deliver her people. Athena was considered a real hero because she represented the true qualities of loyal a woman who had no fear of what her obstacle was. Her main concern was to take care of her people, and her country. She made up in her mind that no matter what the situation, she will find a way to delivery country and not bring them to shame, or defeat. During the Trojan War Athena inspired Odysseus...
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...Hestia Hestia is the oldest goddess/god. She is known as the Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Family, and is also called Guardian of Elpis and The Last Olympian. Poseidon and Apollo both wanted to marry Hestia, but she refused and vowed never to marry. Demeter Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest and agriculture, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, the seasons, and the harvest. Zeus, being the terrible husband he was, tricked Demeter into having Persephone. Later, Hades would kidnap Persephone and marry her, but that’s another story. Hera Hera is Zeus’ first wife. She is known as the Goddess of Marriage, Home, and Family, the Patron of Women, and the Queen of Olympus. Hera has plotted against Zeus to create a better...
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...Venus) was the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She was also a protectress of sailors. The poet Hesiod said that Aphrodite was born from sea-foam. Homer, on the other hand, said that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. When the Trojan prince Paris was asked to judge which of three Olympian goddesses was the most beautiful, he chose Aphrodite over Hera and Athena. The latter two had hoped to bribe him with power and victory in battle, but Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. This was Helen of Sparta, who became infamous as Helen of Troy when Paris subsequently eloped with her. In the ensuing Trojan War, Hera and Athena were implacable enemies of Troy while Aphrodite was loyal to Paris and the Trojans. IN HOMER In his epic of the Trojan War, Homer tells how Aphrodite intervened in battle to save her son Aeneas, a Trojan ally. The Greek hero Diomedes, who had been on the verge of killing Aeneas, attacked the goddess herself, wounding her on the wrist with his spear and causing the ichor to flow. (Ichor is what immortals have in the place of blood.) Aphrodite promptly dropped Aeneas, who was rescued by Apollo, another Olympian sponsor of the Trojans. In pain she sought out her brother Ares, the god of war who stood nearby admiring the carnage, and borrowed his chariot so that she might fly up to Olympus. There she goes crying to her mother Dione, who soothes her and cures her wound. Her father Zeus tells her to leave war to the likes...
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...were about God, Goddess and Heroes. Women, in ancient Greek and Roman societies, did not have high status and they were considered as properties of men. During that time, woman was just being a wife and being a mother and stayed at home to take care of the house for her man. Women did not have any role in politics therefore they could not vote and they did not have any right for themselves. The roles of women could be learned by reviewing how female figures were created through the ancient Greek and Roman art works. Most of the female figures, in any art work during this period, were either goddess; such as statue of Athena goddess of wisdom,warfare and women's craft, or monsters; such as Sphixn in Greek mythology. Therefore, during the ancient...
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...Hera is a very powerful goddess known mostly for her jealousy. She is often vicious and spiteful, and it is usually Zeus’s infidelity that incites her. Many unfortunate mortals endure hardships by provoking Hera’s wrath. Poseidon - Roman name: Neptune. The god of the sea, Poseidon is Zeus’s brother and second only to him in power. Poseidon holds a decade-long grudge against Odysseus. The often cruel and unpredictable violence of the seas is assumed to be a result of his anger. Hades - Roman name: Pluto. The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. Pallas Athena - Roman name: Minerva. Usually just called Athena, this goddess emerges from Zeus’s head fully-grown and armed. Associated with war, cleverness, and wit, it is no surprise that she favors Odysseus. Athena is the goddess of Wisdom, Reason, and Purity and is chaste, like Artemis and Hestia. Phoebus Apollo - Usually just called Apollo. A son of Zeus and Leto and Artemis’s twin, he is the god of Light and Truth, the master of Poetry and Music, and the god of Archery. His Oracle at Delphi is revered for her powers of prophecy and truth. Artemis - Roman name: Diana. Apollo’s twin sister, Artemis is the beautiful huntress goddess and, like Athena, is somewhat masculine. Artemis is normally good and just, but demands a human sacrifice during the Trojan War. Aphrodite - Roman name: Venus. Aphrodite is the sweet and delicate goddess of Love, Beauty, and Romance...
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...religions, such as Christianity. The twelve Olympian Gods and their Myths To begin with, many of the beliefs that the Ancient Greeks believed in were based on the Olympians. The Olympians were a group of twelve gods who ruled after they overthrew the Titans. All of the Olympians are related in some way and they were named after their dwelling, Mount Olympus. The three major gods are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Their father, Kronos, was the leader of the Titans, he was cruel and was so determined not to lose his throne that he ate his children alive. But one child, Zeus was spared because his mother, Rhea, fed Krono’s a rock disguised as a baby instead of Zeus himself. Zeus defeated his father by chopping him up into little pieces and scattering his remains across the world. Then Zeus released all of Krono’s children that his father had eaten. These gods were Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter, and Hera. Zeus became the god of the sky and it is said that he was the one who created Mankind. His brother Poseidon became the god of the Sea. But Hades, tricked by Zeus, became the god of the underworld and was left there in darkness and despair to ferry the dead to their fates. Each of the twelve gods represented things in our world. For instance, the Athena or Αθηνa, as it is spelled in...
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...mythological characters. Every individual god or goddess was supposed to have a unique feature to him/her. For example: Athena was goddess of wisdom and courage, Ares was the god of war, while some gods such as Hestia (the heart) and Helios (the sun) had specifically this description. May more of these kind existed in their myths. The Greek Mythology not only sheds light on the rituals and culture of the ancient Greeks but also takes measures to explain various metaphysical phenomenon and occurrences the ancient Greeks encountered which were astounding and appealing at the same time for the devotees to submit * Cosmogony – related to the creation of the world * Theogony – concerned with the birth of the Gods The Greek’s God world was man-made; it was created in order to understand the concept of Love, Death, Life, Birth etc. They believed that the universe created Gods, which differs from many other religions that deem God made the universe. These “gods” came into being suddenly without any traces or evidences; hence they are thought to be illusory. These myths can be found in the Greek Literature, Iliad and Odyssey which are two famous epic poems that contribute to the oldest literary sources. However, Hesiod, the Theogony and Works and Days have significant role to play in holding records regarding the origin of the world, the birth of human-beings, cause of affliction and despair and many more. Greek Gods & Goddess Around 700 B.C, before the existence of...
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...The people scream and run away in fear. They were running away from the unusual goddess Medusa. She was an unusual goddess because of her family, her life before the curse, the curse, her life after the curse, and her death. Medusa’s family was quite interesting. Her parents were Keto and Phorkys. Keto was her mom and Phorkys was her dad. Her father gave her the power to make herself beautiful, and she used it. She had two sisters. One of them was Stheno, and the other one was Euryale (Regula). Medusa and both of her sisters were gorgons, which were monsters of the underworld. Medusa is and was the most famous gorgon out of her and her sisters. Both of her sisters were immortal, but Medusa was mortal. The differences between the two were mortals could die, and immortals could not die from old age. Medusa had her differences from her family. Medusa had a wonderful life before the curse. Her hair was a golden color and was as wavy as the waves of the sea. Creamy was the color of her skin. Her skin was also smoother than a baby’s bottom. She was also said to have beautiful eyes. Overall, Medusa was just a beautiful goddess. People, like Athena, were jealous of her beauty. Medusa was a beautiful before...
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...The Iliad The epic poem The Iliad by Homer is centered around the time of the Trojan War. The poem retells the battles and fights of the Troy and Greek states amid the assault of Troy. The poem concentrates on the fights in the middle of Achilles and Agamemnon and Hera and Zeus. Achilles anger from the Iliad uses arguments from the immortals and the divine beings. In the squabble, Achilles through his outrage, went about as a delegate from the divine beings to disprove King Agamemnon's insatiable credit that helped the annihilation of Achaeans by taking hostage of the little girl of Chryses, Agamemnon had goaded the divine beings through rebellion (Tvedtnes 147). The point of this paper is to dissect and examine the exercises of the immortals and divine beings in the Iliad. The record of Greek divine beings by Homer in the Iliad focuses to the way that divine beings cooperated with Greeks from alternate points of view that reveals the conduct, state and statute of aged divine beings in overseeing group of men and lords of the old world. Hector executes Patroclus who is a quick warrior much the same as Achilles after god Apollo knocked Patroclus shield to the ground, Hector confused Patroclus for being Achilles since he was wearing Achilles' protective layer and kills him immediately. The occasion uncovers that divine beings intercede in choosing human movement. In the meantime, the war of words in the middle of Achilles and Agamemnon is capable overcome by the passing of...
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...Gods Personify Us “We everlasting gods… Ah what chilling blows we suffer-thanks to our own conflicting wills-whenever we show there moral men some kindness’’ It is obvious that the gods and goddesses are very important in traditional Greek Culture. The whole cause of the Trojan War is based around the fact that even gods can feel emotions such as jealousy, anger and vengeance. The gods are used by Homer to add twists on an otherwise standard plot of war. During the epic, there are times when gods and goddesses alike influence the war by infuriating the soldiers in order to have them continue fighting. Other times, some gods or goddesses removed certain characters so as to avoid death. The gods do not maintain order among humans nor among themselves. They are at times completely selfish and the ones who mostly suffer the consequences of their selfish meddling are the mortals. The mortals pray to and make sacrifices to the gods, yet do not fully understand that their lives are in the hands of fate and fate alone. The gods’ actions are never a result of what is just or fair. They are not interested in the good of anyone, but only in their personal interests. In furthering their interests they use whatever mortals serve their purpose. The gods dabble in the life of man and routinely thwart any attempt for him to entirely forge his own future. The mortals in question are necessary only in so far as their use to the gods and when the gods will or desire is achieved; the...
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...Aphrodite is the well known goddess of love, beauty and procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus (Greek Goddess Aphrodite). In the picture above, she is shown with her son, Eros; like in most of his artwork, he is in the sky holding his bow and arrow. There are numerous myths telling of her proclaiming love and beauty. Aphrodite is not only the most powerful above both mortals and immortals, but she also represents the love between the two. According to Homer's Iliad, Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus, god of the sky and Olympian of all the gods. Her mother, Dione, was known as the mother of the Roman goddess of love (By Dione He [Zeus] Had Aphrodite). However, in Myths Encyclopedia, it is said that Aphrodite was, “Born from the foam of the sea”. This myth is believed by many, because her name, Aphrodite or Aphros, is the Greek word which means foam. As oddly as it seems, legends say that Titan Cronus castrated Uranus, his father, throwing his genitals into...
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...The Essential Role of Goddess in Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey Just as women were viewed as inferior to men during Homer’s era, a first glance at Homer’s epics The Iliad and The Odyssey portrays goddesses as inferiors to gods. Despite the era’s bias to men, the goddesses are of equal importance to the plot of his stories as the gods. The goddesses play vital roles as either helpers or nightmares to men by often determining the results of an action. Homer did not establish the goddesses in his epics merely as minor structures to blend in the background. Rather, he established dynamic goddesses who were both powerful and intelligent. In fact, in many ways the goddesses controlled the gods by having an influence in their decisions and actions through manipulation, persuasion and guidance. By influencing the gods, the goddesses also played a large role as shepherds for human fate. The goddess’s constant intervention in the mortals’ lives was driven by favoritism, love or sexual desires, and their pity for the weak. Although the goddesses are often restricted from doing as they wish by the gods, they have proven, in many occasions, to overpower the gods through manipulation. Goddesses were often told what to do by the gods. Tasks such as delivering messages from Zeus were often carried out by Athena. Just as Hector told his wife, “Go home, attend to your own handiwork at loom and spindle, and command the maids to busy themselves, too. As for war, that is for men, all we...
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