Greek Gods & Goddesses
Demeter
The Greek Earth Goddess, who brings forth the fruits of the Earth. She taught mankind the art of sowing and ploughing so they could end their nomadic existence. Demeter was also the Goddess of planned society. She was very popular with rural population and is sometimes identified with Gaia or Rhea.
It is believed that Demeter is a daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister of Zeus, and mother to 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 fields brought forth no grains. Finally Zeus sent Hermes to the Underworld, ordering Hades to restore Persephone to her mother. Before Persephone left Hades from below he gave her a pomegranate, a common fertility fruit. When she ate from it, she was bound to spend a third of the year with him (cold months). Only when her daughter is with her, does Demeter let things grow. Demeter's symbolic attributes are fruits of the Earth, especially grain. a torch, which she used to look for her daughter and the snake ( an Earth creature), and pig ( fertility symbol).
Hades
Hades is Lord of the Dead and Ruler of the Underworld. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea. When the three sons divided the world among each other, Hades was given the Underworld, while Zeus took the Upperworld and Poseidon took the Sea. For a while Hades rules the nether world with his wife, Persephone, whom he had abducted from the Upperworld, but Zeus ordered he release her back to her mother, Demeter. Before she left for good, she ate from a pomegranate which tied her to him forever.
Hades sits on a throne of ebony and carries a scepter. He also wears a helmet given to him by Cyclopes which can make him invisible. Hades rules the dead, but is assisted by Thanatos, Hypons, Charon and his hound Cerberus.
Iris
In Greek mythology, Iris is the personified Goddess of the Rainbow. She is regarded as the messenger of the Gods to mankind, and particularly of the Goddess Hera, whose orders she brought to humans. Iris is the daughter of of Titan Thaumas and the nymph Electra. She is portrayed as a young woman with wings and her attributes are a herald's staff and water pitcher.
Narcissus
The son of the river God Cephissus and nymph Liriope. Tiresias, the seer, told his parents that the child "would live to an old age if it did not look at itself". Many nymphs and girls fell in love with him but he rejected them. One of these nymphs, Echo, was so distraught over this rejection that she withdrew into a "lonely spot" and faded until all that was left was a "plaintive whisper". The God Nemesis heard these rejected girl's prayers for vengeance and arranged for Narcissus to fall in love with himself and his own reflection. He stayed watching his own reflection and let himself die. There grew the Narcissus flower that we know today.
Pan
The Greek God of shepherds and flocks, who was especially popular in Arcadia (see picture above). He is the son of the God Hermes. He is depicted as a satyr with a reed pipe, a shepherd's crook and a branch of pine or crown of pine needles. He has a wrinkled face and very prominent chin. His body is hairy and atop his head are two horns. He is a swift runner and climbed rocks easily. Pan belonged to the retinue of Dionysus.
Pan is also the God of Fertility , male sexuality and carnal desire. He chased nymphs through the forests and mountains in the shape of a goat and was not liked much by the other Greek Gods for this reason as well as other reasons.
Persephone
Persephone is the Goddess of the Underworld in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, Goddess of Harvest. Persephone was very beautiful and everyone loved her and Hades decided he wanted her for himself. One day she was collecting flowers in Enna, the Earth opened and Hades rose up from it and abducted her. Only Zeus and Helios had noticed.
Broken-hearted, Persephone's mother wandered the Earth searching until Helios revealed what had happened. Demeter was so angry that she withdrew herself and the Earth ceased to be fertile. Knowing that this could not continue much longer, Zeus sent Hermes down to Hades to make him release Persephone. He agreed to let her go back up to her mother, but gave her a pomegranate first. When she ate it, it tied her to the Underworld forever. Every time she went back down to Hades the Upperworld got cold and the soil was unfertile, her mother was sad. When she came back, the fields were able to produce, Persephone's mother was happy.
Artemis
Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, the Moon, and Childbirth. She is the daughter of Zeus, the ruler of the Greek Gods and mortal Leto. As a child, Artemis asked her father Zeus to remain an eternal virgin and therefore became one of the three Virgin Goddesses in Greek mythology. Artemis' twin brother was Apollo, the God of Light and Truth, whereas Artemis was connected with the Moon.
She ruled nature and was said to bring fertility to all that worshipped her. She loved to hunt with arrows dipped in poison. Artemis' symbols are the bow, snake and deer.
Nemesis
According to some myths, Nemesis was not a Goddess, but a mortal. She was however revered as the spirit of divine retribution and a symbol of justice. She is the daughter of Nyx, the Goddess of Night.
Nemesis was the power that was keeping a balance in the universe. She was applying divine justice upon mortals, and spreading despair to anyone who committed an act of "hybris" by offending the Gods with severe crimes like arrogance or greed.
Apollo
Son of Zeus, King of Gods, and mortal, Leto. He was the younger twin of Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, and Moon.
Apollo was the Greek God of music and Light. He invented the lute but was most popular for playing the lyre that was invented by Hermes, the messenger of the Gods.
Apollo also owned the precious gift of prophecy, given to him by his father, Zeus in his infancy. He was the patron of the ancient city of Delphi, where the first oracle in Ancient Greece was located. Apollo's main symbols are the lyre, tripod, laurel tree, and navelstone.
Pandora
Not positive of who her parents were...one story says she is the daughter of Hephaistos and another story says she is the creation of Prometheus and Epimetheus. No known children. Her name means: "one who gives all gifts".
Zeus grew upset with Prometheus and Epimetheus for successfully bringing fire to humans, the sparkling lights on the ground annoyed him. Zeus decides to introduce disease, death and sorrow to humans in return. The original tale of Pandora's box is actually of a jar, and not a box. He orders Pandora to be created and gives her as a gift to Epimetheus. She is told never to open her jar, but the Gods and Goddesses have also made her very curious. She eventually opens the jar and quickly realizes what she has done, but cannot close the vessel fast enough...
Hera
Daughter of Rhea and Cronos. Sister to Zeus, Demeter, Hades, and Poseidon. She married her brother and her children were Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe, The Goddess of Health, and Eileithyia, The Cretan Goddess of Childbirth.
Zeus was the brother of Hera but she fell madly in love with him anyway from the first moment and eventually got a love-charm from Aphrodite to "make it happen". She is very relationship-oriented and spends much of her time driving off Zeus's many mistresses. She also sometimes takes it upon herself to torment the children of these unions. Hera is very beautiful and one story says she kept Zeus "busy" for 300 years on their honeymoon. When she's had enough of his other romances she wanders off on her own, always waiting to see if Zeus will follow after her, but she eventually returns without him seeking her out. She restores her virginity each year by bathing in Kanathos, the sacred spring. Her symbol is the peacock.
Aphrodite
"The Goddess Of Love"
Pantheon: Olympian
Element: Water
Influence: Love & Beauty
Colors: Pink, Red, White, Blue
Symbols: Seashell, Heart
Animals: Dolphin, Dove
Best Day to Work With: Friday
Best Moon Phase: Waxing
Strongest Sabbat: Litha
Good Offerings: Pomegranates, Limes
Associated Planet: Venus
Born in the ocean, her name comes from "Aphros" meaning "sea foam" .
Aphrodite is the Goddess of Romantic Love, Sexual Desire, & Beauty. She loves laughter, creativity, and passion. Her name gives us the word Aphrodiasiac, the potion that enhances the act of love-making and also the name of her festival where she is actually worshipped by the act of love-making. Her priestesses would serve as her catalysts for this worship. This celebration is still celebrated all over Greece, but particularly in Athens.
Aphrodite was born of the sea foam near Paphos, Cyprus being after Cronus cut off Uranus' genitals and his blood and semen spilled into the sea, and she was created from it. In this version, Aphrodite would be of an older generation than Zeus but in other versions of Aphrodite's story, Zeus is her father.
