Gods and Goddesses

Greek Gods and Goddesses

March 21, 2011 | Author

Author Unknown

Achelous Greek river god. Acheloüs, in the form of a bull, fought Heracles for Deianira.
He lost and Heracles broke off one of his horns which became the Cornucopia, or
horn of plenty. Achelous is known for having fathered the sirens, also called
the Acheloides. Eldest son of Oceanus and Tethys. Also known as Acheloos
Adonis Greek vegetation god and consort of Aphrodite. He was actually a Phoenecian god
who was later adopted by the Greeks as a mortal consort to Aphrodite. He was
killed by a wild boar, and Aphrodite caused the plant anemone to grow from him
when she discovered his body. Symbolizes element of earth, love, fertility,
health.
Aeolos Greek god of wind and air. Aeolos lived on an island near Sicily where he
guarded the caves where he kept the winds. He would let out he wind only as the
gods of Olympus instructed, whether in gusts, gales, or breezes.One day, Odysseus visited Aeolos on the island. He was warmly welcomed, and when he left, Aeolos gave him a bag containing all the dangerous and threatening
winds, so that Odysseus would have a safe travel back to Ithaca without worrying
about bad weather.

Odysseus did as Aeolos bid him, but once his homeland was in sight, he laid down
to sleep knowing he needn’t worry about poor weather. But as he slept, one of
his men curiously opened the bag, freeing all the fierce winds and blowing the
little ship way of course.
Aether Greek personification of air.
Aethon Greek personification of famine.
Alcmene Greek goddess of midwinter, the new year, stateliness, beauty and wisdom. Zeus
fooled her by appearing as her husband, because of which she had a child by him.
The result of her union with Zeus was Hercules.
Alcyone Greek goddess of the sea, the moon, calm, tranquility. She who brings life to
death and death to life.
Alpheios Greek river god. He became infatuated with a nymph named Arethusa. He persued
her to incessantly that she eventually prayed to Artemis for help. Artemis
answered her by making the stream Arethusa inhabited and represent run
underground, thereby eluding the persistent Alpheios.
Alphito Greek goddess of barley flour, destiny, and the moon.
Amphityonis Greek goddess of wine, friendships and relationships between nations.
Amphitrite Greek goddess of the sea. She took care of all the creatures of the ocean. Wife
of Poseidon, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys.
Apeliotes Greek god of the south-eastern winds.
Aphrodite Greek Goddess of passion and sexual love, and womanly beauty. She is considered
the epitome of beauty and femininity. Said to have been born of sea-foam.She is kind to those she liked, but can be cruel and merciless to those who
displease her. She married Hephaestos, had an affair with Ares, and was caught.

Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, and mother of Eros. Her animal
totems are the dove, sparrow, swan, and swallow. Plants sacred to her are
myrtle, poppy, rose, and apple. She symbolizes feminine prowess, sexuality,
relationships, flower magic.
Apollo Greek god of the sun, light, music, song, medicine, and healing. Patron of
herdsmen.Apollo’s mother Leto was forced to run from Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus. She
went to the Island of Delos and delivered her two children- the twins, Apollo
and Artemis.

Though the god of light, Apollo had a dark side. Under the name of Carneios, he
is seen as a god of death. He and Artemis slew all of their mother Leto’s
children when Niobe, their grandmother, claimed all of Leto’s children were more
beautiful than the gods.

Apollo was worshipped at the oracle of Delphi, where a priestess who give forth
his predictions. The Greeks believed that the Egyptian God Heru and Apollo were
the same deities. He is the twin brother of Artemis. Apollo’s minor associations
include black magic, blessing, justice, divination, oracles, prophecy,
creativity, fertility, productivity, success.
Arachne Greek spider goddess, weaver of fate and destiny.
Ares Greek war god of storms and hurricanes, also considered a father of the gods.
Undoubtedly the most fierce and vicious of the gods within the Greek pantheon.
He had a passion for mass slaughter. Son of Zeus and Hera.
Artemis Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt. She is also one of the virgin goddesses,
and she protects women in labor, small children and wild animals. She, Hestia,
and Athena are not affected by Aphrodite’s manipulations. Artemis may be thought
of as the “silver goddess.” She wore silver sandals, rode a silver chariot in
the silver moonlight, and kills with silver arrows shot from a silver bow. In
fact, many dying women, as well as women in childbirth, went to Artemis
to ask for a quick, painless death from Her silver arrows.Artemis was very beautiful and had many suitors, but would not marry until she
found someone as wild and free and herself. Her nymphs, as well, vowed to not
marry.

But one day, seven of the nymphs were in the woods when they saw the strong and
handsome hunter Orion. Because of their promise to shun men, they fled. But he
saw them and pursued. Though swift and lithe, the nymphs grew weary. They called
out to Artemis for help. Hearing their prayer, she turned them into pigeons,
which flew up into the sky and became the stars called the Pleiades.

Orion turned away to hunt elsewhere, but soon met Artemis herself. Sharing a
passion for hunting and the woodlands, they became good friends.

Apollo worried that she would marry Orion and break her vow. He knew that Orion
received the ability to walk on water from his father Poseidon and was often out
on the sea. So, he went to his sister and led her to the sea. Provoking her with
his great accomplishments, he dared her to try to hit a distant target at sea.
Unaware that it was Orion, she shot an arrow precisely and hit the target.

The waves lifted Orion’s body to the short. Artemis grieved her loss, then she
placed him among the stars, with the Pleiades and his dog Sirius.

Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, and the daughter of Leto and Zeus. Also
symbolizes health, love, charms, shapeshifting. Sacred to Artemis are
deer/stags, geese, wild dogs, fish, goats, bees, bears, trees.
Asopos A minor Greek river god.
Astarte “The Lady of the Mountain”. Greek goddess of fertility, fire, love,
productivity, astrology, war, vengeance, victory, sexual prowess.
Ate Greek goddess of obsession, guilty, infatuation, and mischief. She was a
trickster who would lead men into actions that would be their demise.
Athena Greek Goddess of war and wisdom. She is the daughter of Zeus, born by springing
forth fully grown from his forehead. It is believed that she was conceived to
carry out deeds that Zeus could not do but would want to.Her name, “Pallas Athene”, is representative of her dual nature. She can be seen
as “Pallas”, goddess of storms, courage, strength, battle, war, chivalry, and
victory. She can also be “Athene”, the goddess of peace, beauty, wisdom,
creativity, education, science, and the arts.

She was responsible for teaching mortals natal care and healing. She also
invented the flute, created the olive tree, and showed men how to train horses.

Athena is the patron of craftsmen and the protector of cities. Her animal
symbols are the cock, snake, owl, and olive tree.

I begin to sing of Pallas Athena, the glorious Goddess, bright-eyed, inventive,
unbending of heart, pure virgin, savior of cities, courageous, Tritogeneia. Wise
Zeus himself bore her from his awful head, arrayed in warlike arms of flashing
gold, and awe seized all the gods as they gazed. But Athena sprang quickly from
the immortal head and stood before Zeus who holds the aegis, shaking a sharp
spear: great Olympus began to reel horribly at the might of the bright-
eyed Goddess, and earth round about cried fearfully, and the sea was moved and
tossed with dark waves, while foam burst forth suddenly: the bright Son of
Hyperion stopped his swift-footed horses a long while, until the maiden Pallas
Athena had stripped the heavenly armour from her immortal shoulders. And wise
Zeus was glad. And so hail to you, daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis!

-Homeric Hmyn #28
Aura Greek goddess of the morning wind. See also Aurora.
Aurora Greek goddess of the dawning morning. She gave birth to the morning star and the
winds (Zephyrus, Boreas, Notos, and Euros) by Astraeos, the god of starlight.

 

Bacchus Roman god of fertility, mirth, merriment, revelry, wine, wisdom, and
inspiration.Bacchus was born of Zeus and Semele’s union against the will of Hera, Zeus’
wife. When the jealous Hera learned of Semele’s pregnancy by Zeus she angrily
plotted against them. She disguised herself and came to Semele, telling her she
should ask that Zeus appear before her in all his glory as the god of thunder.
Zeus swore to grant whatever wish Semele might have. Forced to abide by his
oath, he appeared to Semele as a display of lightening and thunder, which
killed her. As Semele died, she gave birth to Bacchus, who died as well. Zeus
restored life to him and sent the child to be raised by the nymphs, out of
Hera’s jealous eye.

As the god of spring, he is Bacchus is said to be in terrible pain during winter
when the flowering plants and vines wither and die.

His followers were called bacchants. After reveling and overindulging in wine,
they danced around in a craze often trampling and tearing people and animals to
pieces. Bacchanalia was a festival held which involved excessive drinking and
drunken orgies. Also known as Dionysus [Greek].

Blessed are the disciples who become prophets, the Gnostics who hold the holy
wand of god. Blessed are those who wear the ivy crown of the Conquering One–
Blessed, blessed are they, Bacchus is our god!

-Bacchae Euripides, circa 400 BCE
Balder Norse (Scandinavian) god of joy, light, beauty, innocence, purity, and
reconciliation. His parents are Odin and Frigg.Balder’s mother, Frigg, took oaths from all plants, creatures, minerals, and
elements that they would not harm him, all except the mistletoe plant for she
felt it was too young and too small to harm him. He was therefore considered
immune from harm and the other gods would throw things at him in sport. Loki
deceived Hod (Balder’s blind brother) into throwing a spear made from mistletoe
at Baldur. It was this which killed him. This story can easily be compared to
the Greek legend of Achilles’ heel.
Boreas Greek god of the northern arctic winds. He vied with Zephyrus for the love of
Chloris, and lost.
Callisto Greek moon goddess.
Chloe Greek. Demeter’s name as protector of spouts.
Cybele Greek Great Mother of the Gods. She is the leading deity of the Greek mystery
religions. Symbolizes the element air and fertility.
Cytherea Another name for the Greek love goddess Aphrodite. See also Aphrodite.
Daemons A race of invisible beings. Assigned by Zeus to every mortal to attend to,
protect, and guide. They were nameless unless they attended a god or goddess. To
be watchful of your life, cheerful, and honorable, is to respect your daemon. To
be reckless and ignore your conscience is to go against the daemon. The daemon
would die with its assigned mortal.The Greeks believed that great heros and champions were possessed by daemons.
Eventually this belief extended, and the Greeks believe that every hero died
honorably was actually ascended to live with the gods.
Demeter Greek Earth goddess. All-nourishing mother of the earth.Her daughter, Persephone, was gathering flowers one day when Hades came out from
the earth and abducted her to make her his bride. Demeter grieved and searched
all the lands for her. Wherever she was warmly received, she would give people
instruction in agriculture. Along her way she met the kind Keleos of Attica, and
left him her snake-drawn carriage and the seed of barely so that he could spread
the knowledge of agriculture around the lands.

Demeter finally found out where Persephone had been taken. Though Zeus had given
Hades permission to carry off the girl, and had instructed the other gods not to
help, Demeter was able to convince them to come to her aid. They agreed,
provided that Persephone had not eaten anything in her time in the underworld.
However, Persephone had eaten 6 seeds of a pomegranate Hades had given her as
proof of her love. They came to a compromise; Persephone would spend 6 months of
the year with Demeter, during which time the earth would prosper and flourish in
Demeter’s joy. The other 6 months would be passed by Persephone in the
underworld with Hades. While Persephone is with Hades, Demeter grieves her and
the earth suffered extreme temperatures and poor harvests. This is a myth which
explains the seasons.

Demeter is the daughter of Chronos and Rhea. She is associated with agriculture,
crops, and all produce, as well as abundance in childbirth and agriculture.
Dione Greek nature and earth goddess, daughter of Uranus and Gaia. Mother of
Aphrodite. Associated with divination, predictions, love, prophecy.
Discordia Roman goddess of discord and strife, known as Eris to the Greeks. The other gods
employed her to stir up feuds and rivalry amongst men. Root of
Erisian/Discordian beliefs. Mother of Enyo.
Doris Greek sea goddess.
Eirene Greek goddess of peace and wealth. Her symbols include the cornucopia, the olive
branch, corn ears on her head, and Herme’s staff. Also known as Pax.
Elpis Greek god of hope who stood over Eros holding a lily.
Enyo Greek goddess of war. She spreads terror and alarm before and during combat. A
consort of Ares, sometimes considered his sister, sometimes his wife.
Erebos A Greek god of darkness.
Eros Greek god of sexual desire. See also Cupid.
Eunomia Greek goddess of order and legislation.
Faunus Roman and Italian god of woodlands. Symbolizes love. Also known as Pan [Greek].
Flora Roman goddess of blossoming and flowering plants. She is the wife of Zephyrus
who gave her eternal youth. Also known as Chloris [Greek]
Ganymede Greek cup bearer.
Hades Greek god of death, keeper of the underworld. He was the brother of Zeus but was
in the underworld instead of upon Olympus.

 

Helios Greek god of the sun. His roman counterpart was Sol.
Hephaestus Greek blacksmith god. Fire magic, creativity, wisdom.
Hera Greek goddess of matrimony and cycles of women’s growth. Sister and wife of
Zeus. She is best known for her intense jealousy of all of Zeus’ affairs with
mortal women. She can be invoked for love, the moon, element of Air, motherhood.
Hermes Greek god of commerce. He was a messenger for the gods, often carrying messages
from mortals to gods and vice versa. He symbolizes communication, health,
knowledge, fertility, and insight.
Hestia Greek mother goddess. She symbolizes the element of fire, domestic and home
magic, conception, and the well-being of the self and family. See also Vesta
Hymen Greek god of marriage. Symbolizes love, virginity, and obviously the oath of
marriage.
Hypno Greek god of sleep. Bother of Thanatos (death) and Dreams. Son of Nox (night)
and Erebus.
Jupiter Roman god of the sky and the father of all gods and men. He symbolizes the
element air. Also known as Zeus [Greek]. See also Zeus.
Ladon Greek river god, son of Oceanus and Tethys, father of Daphne.
Liber Roman god of wild nature, fertility, passionate lovemaking and wine. Also known
as Libera. His counterparts are the Greek gods Dionysius and Bacchus. He
symbolizes fertility and wild personalities.
Maia “Grandmother of Magic”. Greek goddess of spring, youth, life, and rebirth. One
of the seven daughters of Atlas and mother of Hermes. She symbolizes love.
Mars Roman god of war. Symbolizes protection, strength, health, energy. Also known as
Ares [Greek].
Moros Greek god of doom; deification of an unfortunate destiny and the fate of a
violent death.
Nike Greek winged goddess of victory. Also known as Victoria [Roman]
Nus Greek god of understanding and intelligence.
Oceanus Greek deified stream which encircled Gaea and was the source of all water. Was
the father of all the water deities by Tethys. Eldest of the Titans.
Onatha Iroquois goddess of wheat and crops, similar to the Greek goddess Persephone.
See also Persephone.
Pan Greek god of fertility and the woodlands. He was later demonized by the
Christian church. He emodies love, lust, fertility, and the element of earth.Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan Pan! Pan, I am a man: Do as thou wilt, as a great god
can, O Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! I am awake in the grip of the snake.

-”Hymn to Pan”, Aleister Crowley
Plutus Greek god of wealth. He was thought to be blind because wealth is given
indiscriminately to both the good and the bad. Some stories say eventually he
gains his sight back so he can give wealth to the deserving.
Poseidon Greek god of earthquakes and the sea. Symbolizes the elements air and water, can
be invoked for the moon.

 

Pothos Greek deification of love, passion, and desire. Consort of Aphrodite.
Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus was the titan who stole fire from the gods and
gave it to humans, along with the arts and civilization. He was also often
regarded as the creator of man from clay, the first human, and humanity’s savior
when Zeus threatened to kill all human beings. He greatly offended Zeus by his
actions and was punished. There are different sources with different accounts of
the legend.In Hesiod’s version, Zeus’ punishment was the creation of Pandora, the first
woman, who was overtaken by temptation and opened a forbidden box thereby
unleashing all the lamentations and evils of the world.

In the Aeschylean version, Zeus had Prometheus chained to a rock on Mount
Caucasus where an eagle ate away at his liver, starting all over each day after
the liver had grown back during the night. He is eventually rescued by Hercules.
Proteus Greek sea god who served Poseidon. He was a shapeshifter and changed form at
will.
Pythia Greek serpent and snake goddess, daughter of Gaia.
Salacia Roman goddess of spring water. Called Amphitrite by the Greeks.
Saturn Roman god of agriculture and ruler of the golden age. Also known as Kronos,
Chronos [Greek].
Selene “The Radiant”, “The Well Dressed Queen”. Greek moon goddess and teacher to the
magicians and sorcerers or sorceresses. She was a beautiful woman with long
wings and a halo of gold. Daughter of Hyperion and Theia, sister of Helios and
Eos. She symbolizes the moon. Also known as Phoebe.
Serapis Ptolemaic god of the afterlife and fertility, devised by the Greeks from Osiris
and Apis. Physician and helper of worshippers in distress. Symbolizes
health/healing and fertility.
Thetis Greek goddess who had an affair with Zeus. However, Zeus learned that Thetis’
son would be more powerful than his father, so he married her off to Peleus.
They had a son named Achilles. Thetis attempted to make him immortal by dipping
him in the river Styx, but because she held him by the heel, his heel remained
his weakness. Thus the allusion to “Achilles’ Heel”.
Zephyrus Greek-Roman god fo the west winds, the most pleasant and favored of the winds.
Symbolizes the element air. Also known as Zephyrs, Zephyr.
Zeus Chief god of the Greek pantheon. He is the god of skies, lightening, thunder,
and storms. He also takes on other forms:Zeus Chronos: Fertility, earth
Zeus Sote: Father and savior of man
Zeus Xenios: Protector of politeness and hospitality
Zeus Herkios: Protector of house and home
Zeus Kleisos: Protector of property
Zeus Gamelios: God of marriage contracts. [Greek root "gam"
means "marriage", as in "polygamy".]

 

 

 

 

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