Greek

Mythology –
Gods, Heroes
and Monsters

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The Twelve Olympian Gods 3 to 15
Other Gods 16 to 19
Great Heroes and Heroines 20 to 25
Horrifying Monsters 26 to 43
Useful Links 44

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 The
Twelve
Olympian
Gods

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Zeus
(Roman name – Jupiter)

Zeus was one of Cronus’s and

Rhea’s children. Rhea
pretended to give Cronus a
child to eat, but it was
actually a stone. She took
Zeus away and made sure he
was raised secretly. He
eventually defeated Cronus
and became the king of the
gods. His symbol was the
lightning bolt.

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Hera
(Roman name – Juno)

Hera was the queen of the gods

and the wife of Zeus. She was
also one of Zeus’s siblings and
the goddess of marriage. Her
symbol was the peacock. Hera
hated the hero Heracles since he
was the son of her husband Zeus
and a mortal woman. When he
was still an infant, she sent
snakes to attack him in his crib.

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Poseidon
(Roman name – Neptune)

Poseidon was the god of the

oceans, earthquakes and
horses. He was the brother
of Zeus and Hades. These
three gods divided up
creation. Zeus became the
ruler of the sky, Hades was
given the Underworld and
Poseidon was given all
water, both fresh and salt.
Poseidon spent most of his
time in the water. His
symbol was the trident.
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Demeter
(Roman name – Cerus)

Demeter was another sister of Zeus

and the goddess of agriculture
(farming). Her daughter, Persephone,
was abducted by Hades. When
Persephone went missing, Demeter
was heartbroken. She wandered all
over the earth in search of her
daughter, during which time the
crops withered and it became
perpetual winter.

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Aphrodite
(Roman name – Venus)

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. Aphrodite was
the goddess of love,
beauty, and fertility.
She was also the wife
of Hephaestus.

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Hephaestus
(Roman name – Vulcan)

The son of Zeus and Hera (or, in some

versions, of Hera alone), Hephaestus was
lame and deformed. He was the god of fire
and patron of metalwork and crafts. His wife
was Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In some
accounts, he limped because he was born
lame, which caused his mother to throw him
off Mount Olympus. In other accounts, he
took Hera’s side in a fight between Zeus and
Hera. Enraged, Zeus took him by the foot and
threw him from Olympus to the earth.

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Ares
(Roman name – Mars)

Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera. He

was the god of war and also warlike frenzy
(mad, savage and violent behaviour).
Vultures were considered as his sacred
birds. His throne on Mount Olympus was
said to be covered in human skin. The
Roman god Mars, with whom Ares was
identified, was the father of Romulus and
Remus, the mythological founders of
Rome. Thus, he was more important to the
Romans than to the Greeks.
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Artemis
(Roman name – Diana)

Artemis was the daughter of Zeus

and the Titan Leto. She was also
twin sister of Apollo. In some
versions of their myth, Artemis
was born first and helped her
mother to deliver Apollo. Artemis
was the goddess of hunting,
maidens and young children. She
helped women in childbirth but
also brought sudden death with her
arrows.
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Apollo
(Roman name – Apollo)

Apollo was the son of Zeus and

the Titan Leto and the twin brother of
Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the hunt.
Apollo had many roles in Greek
mythology, including god of the sun, god
of the arts (especially music, poetry, and
dance), god of healing and god
of prophecy. As god of music, Apollo
was often depicted playing the lyre. He
did not invent this instrument, however,
but was given it by Hermes in
compensation for cattle theft. 
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Athena
(Roman name – Minerva)

Athena was the daughter of Zeus and

the Titan Metis. She was the goddess of
wisdom, warfare, and crafts. She was
considered as Zeus's favourite child
and one of the most powerful of the
twelve Olympian gods. Although
Athena was worshipped in many cities,
the Athenians considered her as their
special protector and named their city
after her. Many rulers sought her
wisdom in both government and
military matters.
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Hermes
(Roman name – Mercury)

Hermes was the son of Zeus and the

goddess Maia. He was the speedy
messenger of the gods and was the
protector of travellers, merchants, and
thieves. Because of his reputation as a
swift messenger, he was popular among
athletes. Many ancient sports arenas had
statues of the god. In later art, Hermes
was usually depicted as a young man
wearing winged sandals and a wide-
brimmed hat with wings. He also carried
a staff with two snakes known as a
caduceus.
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Dionysus
(Roman name – Bacchus)

Dionysus, was the son of Zeus and a mortal

woman, Semele. He was the god of wine
and fertility. He was associated with
drunkenness and madness, as well as
harvest and crops. He saved his mother
from the Underworld, after Zeus showed
her his true nature as storm god and
consumed her in lightning. It was also
Dionysus who granted Midas the power to
turn whatever he touched into gold, then
was kind enough to take the power back
when Midas realised his folly.
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Other Greek Gods
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Hades
(Roman name – Pluto)

Hades was the brother of Zeus. He was the

god of the dead and the ruler of the
underworld, which was named after him.
He abducted Persephone, the daughter of
the goddess Demeter, and she became the
queen of Hades. Since all precious
minerals came from under the earth (the
dwelling place of Hades) and since the god
was wealthy indeed when it came to the
number of subjects in his kingdom of the
dead, he was referred to as “Ploutos",
wealth. This accounts for the name given
to him by the Romans.
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Hestia
(Roman name – Vesta)

Hestia was the eldest daughter of

Cronus and Rhea. She was
originally an Olympian goddess of
the hearth and the home, but she
grew tired of the godly bickering
and gladly gave her place to the
god of wine, Dionysus.

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Pan
(Roman name – Faunus)

Pan was a god of shepherds and

flocks. He was the son of Hermes
and a nymph. He was born with
the legs and horns of a goat,
which caused his own mother to
spurn him. Pan was considered to
be the cause of the sudden fear
that sometimes comes for no
reason, especially in lonely
places. That is why such fear is
called “panic".
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Great Heroes
and Heroines

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Heracles
Heracles, was the son of Zeus and a
mortal woman, Alcmene. The goddess
Hera turned Heracles temporarily mad
and he ended up killing his own wife and
children. Apollo’s oracle told the guilt-
ridden Heracles that he would have to
serve Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and
Mycenae, for twelve years, as
punishment for the murders. As part of
his sentence, Hercules had to perform
twelve Labours, feats so difficult that
they seemed impossible. These included
slaying the Nemean Lion and the Hydra.
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Perseus

A hero commanded by King Polydectes of

Seriphus to fetch Medusa’s head, Perseus
was the son of Zeus and the mortal Danae.
With the help of the gods, Perseus
obtained an invisible helm, magical
sword, and winged sandals. Using these,
he slew Medusa. On his way back, he saw
the princess Andromeda chained to the
rocks as a sacrifice to the sea-monster
Kraken. Perseus slew Kraken and rescued
Andromeda, bringing her back to
Seriphus. In Seriphus, he used Medusa’s
head to turn the king to stone.
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Atalanta

Known as a great female athlete and

huntress, Atalanta was a great
favourite of the goddess Artemis.
She was nursed in the wilderness by
a bear. She hunted the Calydonian
Boar, and slew Centaurs, To win her
hand in marriage, Hippomenes
sought the help of the
goddess Aphrodite who gave him
three golden apples to cast before the
girl in the race. When Atalanta
stooped to retrieve these, she was
slowed enough to allow him to
emerge victorious.
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Jason and Medea

In order to reclaim his throne from

his uncle, Jason led a team of
heroes to obtain the Golden Fleece.
They travelled on a specially built
ship known as the Argo. Along the
way, they had to overcome the
Harpies and other challenges. In the
court of King Aetes, who owned the
Golden Fleece, he won the hand of
Aetes’s powerful daughter, Medea,
in marriage. With her help, he
obtained the Fleece.

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Theseus
Theseus was either the son of
Aegeus, King of Athens, or possibly
of the god Poseidon. His mother
raised him away from Athens and
sent him back to Aegeus when he
came of age. Intending to kill the
Minotaur, he journeyed to Crete as
one of the youths to be given to the
monster as tribute. In Crete, Ariadne,
daughter of Minos, gave him a ball
of thread, so that he could find his
way out of the labyrinth. He killed
the Minotaur and sailed to Athens
with Ariadne.
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Horrifying
Monsters

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Ceto
Ceto was a hideous aquatic
monster who was also a sea
goddess. She was more
specifically a goddess of
whales, large sharks, and sea-
monsters. Together with her
brother, the sea-god Phorcys,
she produced a brood of
awful monsters: Echidna (the
Viper), Scylla (the Crab),
Ladon (the Dragon), and the
Graia (the Grey), among
others.
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Typhon
Typhon, was a monstrous
immortal storm-giant who
was defeated and
imprisoned by Zeus in the
pit of Tartarus. He was
the source of devastating
storm winds which issued
forth from that frightening
nether realm.

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Echidna

Echidna was called the “Mother of

All Monsters". She was described
by the Greek poet Hesiod as a
female monster who mated with
Typhon and produced almost
every major monster in the Greek
myths. Her offspring included
Cerberus, the Gorgons, the
Sphinx, the Chimera and the
Hydra. She represented the
corruptions of the earth: rot, slime
and disease.

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Hydra
The Hydra was a giant water
dragon with many heads that
lived in a swamp near Lerna in
the land of Argos. The number
of heads is variously reported
from as few as five to more
than a hundred. The second of
the twelve labours of Hercules
was to kill the Hydra.
However, when one of the
Hydra's heads was cut off, two
more grew in its place.

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Chimera

The Chimera was a monstrous

fire-breathing creature. It had
the body of a lioness with a
tail that terminated in a
snake's head, and the head of a
goat arose on her back at the
centre of her spine. The
Chimera was one of the
offspring of the monsters
Typhon and Echidna and a
sibling of such monsters as the
Sphinx, Cerberus and the
Hydra.
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Cerberus

Cerberus was the terrifying three-headed dog which guarded the

entrance to the underworld (Hades), preventing spirits from leaving
and living mortals from entering. The offspring of the monsters
Typhon and Echidna, Cerberus was also the brother of the Hydra and
the Chimera. He had the tail of a dragon and had snakes sprouting
from his back. His appearance was so fearsome that any living person
who saw him turned to stone. The saliva that fell from his mouth
produced a deadly poison. 32
Sphinx

The Sphinx was a winged monster that

had the body of a lion and the head of a
woman. Her siblings included Cerberus,
the Hydra, and the Nemean Lion. The
Sphinx lived on a rock outside Thebes,
where she terrified the local people. The
Sphinx posed a riddle to any passerby: “I
have four legs in the morning, two legs at
noon, and three legs in the evening, but I
am weakest when I have the most legs.
What am I?" No one was able to solve the
riddle, and the Sphinx devoured anyone
who failed to answer correctly.

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Medusa
Medusa, one of three sisters known
as the Gorgons, had a destructive
effect upon humans. In many
myths, she appeared as a horribly
ugly woman with snakes for hair,
although occasionally, she was
described as being beautiful. In both
forms, Medusa's appearance was
deadly: any person who gazed
directly at her would turn to stone.

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Pegasus
Pegasus was supposedly the
offspring of the sea god
Poseidon and Medusa.
According to myth, Pegasus
was born from the blood
that spurted from Medusa's
neck when the hero Perseus
killed her. Pegasus served
Perseus until the latter’s
death and afterward went to
the home of the Muses, the
nine goddesses of the arts
and science.
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Centaur
Centaurs were creatures
that were half-man and
half-horse. They had the
head, neck, chest, and arms
of a man and the body and
legs of a horse. Most
centaurs were brutal,
violent creatures known for
their drunkenness and
lawless behaviour.

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Satyr

Satyrs were half-man, half-beast

creatures that lived in forests and
hills. Usually pictured as human
above the waist and as horse or
goat below the waist, satyrs had
pointed ears or horns on their
heads. Followers of Dionysus,
the god of wine, satyrs had a
reputation for drunkenness and
rude behaviour.

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Manticore

The manticore had a human

head and face, a lion's body,
and a scorpion's tail. This fast,
powerful, and fierce beast
attacked and devoured people.
It was said to have originated in
India. It was mostly red, had
pale blue or gray eyes, and
three rows of sharp teeth
stretching from ear to ear. Its
tail was equipped with stinging
quills that the creature could
shoot like arrows.
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Phoenix

The phoenix was a fiery bird

mentioned in Greek, Roman,
and Egyptian mythology. The
phoenix lived for 500 years,
then died and was reborn. It had
brilliant golden and scarlet
feathers and grew to the size of
an eagle. Just before dying, the
phoenix built a nest of fragrant
herbs and spices. Then it set the
nest on fire and died in the
flames. However, a new
phoenix would rise from the
ashes.
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Cyclops

A Cyclops was a giant who possessed

only one eye set in the middle of his
forehead. Cyclopes were said to be
skilled workers who built the walls of
several ancient cities. The Greek poet
Hesiod wrote about three of the
Cyclopes: Brontes (thunder), Steropes
(lightning), and Arges (brightness).
The sons of Uranus (sky) and Gaia
(earth), these Cyclopes gave Zeus the
gifts of thunder and lightning with
which he defeated the Titans and
became ruler of the universe.
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Minotaur

The Minotaur was a

monstrous creature with
the head of a bull on a
man's body. Like many
other mythological
monsters, the Minotaur
had a ravenous appetite
for human flesh. He was
eventually slain by the
hero, Theseus, with the
help of the resourceful
Ariadne.

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Sirens

The Sirens were female creatures with the bodies of birds and
human heads. They lived on an island where they enchanted
passing sailors with their singing. According to some sources,
sailors died when their ships crashed on the rocks near the island.
Others say that sailors stayed on the island and listened to the
singing until they died.

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Harpy

Greek mythology contains two

accounts of the Harpies. In the older
version, the Harpies were spirits of
the wind who snatched people and
caused things to disappear. The later
story describes the Harpies as
hideous birds with the faces of
women. In the myth of Jason and the
Argonauts, they terrorized Phineus,
the king of Thrace, by blinding him
and stealing his food. Phineus
promised to tell the Argonauts their
future if they would drive away the
Harpies.
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Useful Links

http://www.mythweb.com/
http://www.greekmythology.com/
http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/
http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html
http://storynory.com/category/greek-myths/
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/greek/greek1.html
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/religion/greekrelig.htm
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/greek/articles.html

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