Greek gods and goddesses: Family Tree
In Greek mythology, gods “did not create the universe… the universe created the gods” (Hamilton 24).
- In the beginning… there was only ______.
From chaos emerged Gaea (Mother Earth) and Ouranos (Father Haven).
Gaea ------Ouranos
(married to)
They had three types of children, all monsters, the most important of which were the Titans.The Titans ruled the universe until their son (Zeus) took over.
Cronus------Rhea
(married to)
The Twelve great gods who succeeded the Titans lived on Mt.Olympus were the following. The names in parenthesis are the Roman gods’ and goddesses’ names.
- Zeus (Jupiter)
- Poseidon (Neptune)
- Hades (Pluto)
- Hestia (Vesta)
- Hera (Juno)
- Ares (Mars)
- Athena (Minerva)
- Apollo (Apollo)
- Aphrodite (Venus)
- Hermes (Mercury)
- Artemis (Diana)
- Hephaestus (Vulcan)
So the family tree starts to look a little something like this:
Gaea (Mother ______) ------ Ouranos (Father ______)
(The Titans)
Cronus------RheaMonster KidMonster Kid Monster Kid
Zeus------HeraPoseidon (brother of Zeus)Hades (brother of Zeus)
(married to)
AthenaHephaestus
Confusing, yes? I know!!! Let’s fill in the following chart to help you keep the Greek gods and goddesses straight.
Gaea, also known as ______Earth, was wife to Ouranos, or Father ______.
Their children were known as the ______.
One Titan, ______, along with his wife/sister ______, overthrew Ouranos because he disliked the way he treated his children.
Their son, ______, overthrew Cronus and Rhea and became the supreme ruler of the universe.
Zeus and the other Olympians ruled from Mt.______.
ZEUS
God of the sky, ______, and justice
King and most powerful of the gods; Ruler of ______
Symbol was the ______
POSEIDON
God of the ______and earthquakes
Brother of ______
Odysseus’s enemy
Symbol was the ______, which he always carries
HADES
God of the ______
______and______’s brother
wife was Persephone, who he stole from Earth and made Queen of the Lower World which helped the Greeks explain the changing of the ______
HESTIA
Goddess of the ______(which is the symbol of the home… as a result, any newborn child had to be carried around the hearth)
one of the three virgin goddesses, along with Athena and Artemis
no distinct personality and plays no part in the myths
each city had a public sacred hearth to Hestia. If a new community was founded, ______must be carried from the mother city’s hearth to the new
HERA
Goddess of ______and ______
Exceptionally ______
______’s wife
spent most of her time punishing the women Zeus cheated on her with and their children
ARES
God of ______
son of ______and ______, though both parents detest him
APHRODITE
Goddess of ______and Beauty
usually said to be the wife of ______
______loving goddess
APOLLO
God of archery, poetry, music, medicine, and prophecy
the master musician who plays his ______for the Olympians
god of ______(in who there is no darkness at all) and god of ______(can never tell a lie)
ATHENA
Goddess of wisdom and the arts of war and peace
Protector of Odysseus
Zeus’s favorite daughter
her epithet is often “______-eyed”
daughter of Zeus and no mother – full grown and full-armored, she sprang from the head of Zeus
a fierce battle-goddess who is generally only warlike to defend the State from its enemies
Zeus’s favorite child
City of ______
HERMES
Messenger god
God of commerce, speed, and trade
has winged ______and a winged, low-crowned hat (like the Red Bull character)
led the dead to their last home
appears more frequently in mythological tales than any other god
ARTEMIS
Goddess of the Wild Things, the moon, and crossways
______twin sister
one of the three virgin goddesses (Athena was another)
goddess of the moon – called Phoebe and Selene as a result
also identified as Hecate, the Goddess of the Dark of the Moon, associated with deeds of darkness (also the name of one of the witches in Macbeth!!!)
Goddess of the Crossways, ghostly places of evil magic
HEPHAESTUS
God of fire and the forges – Blacksmith to the gods
blacksmith of the gods who makes their weaponry as well
credited for being under volcanoes and causing them to erupt
in the Odyssey, is said to be ______’s husband