ARTEMIS THE GODDESS OF HUNT

The goddess of the hunt and the protector of children, she is often seen with her bow and with wild animals, or wandering in the woods accompanied by nymphs. She and her twin brother, Apollo, were children of Zeus and the Titan Leto. Artemis was said to be aloof and free-spirited, free of husband and home, and forever a virgin. She exacts complete and deadly retribution for those who transgressed against the gods or herself. She turned the hunter Actaeon into a stag that was torn apart by his own hunting dogs, all for accidentally seeing her bathing. She was also believe to be responsible for the deaths of women in childbirth.

ARES THE GOD OF WAR

The Greek god of war, he is usually seen with a spear, the preferred weapon of Greek Hoplites. He was tall and handsome, but vain and cruel. He was preoccupied with war and battles, quick to rush into a fight, reveled in bloodshed, and heedless of who won or lost. He was worshipped most strongly in regions like Thrace, where the people were particularly fierce. There was one exception to his obsession with war: he was smitten by Aphrodite and had a long running affair with her. Homer recounts in the Odyssey a tale of the sun god Helios spotting the pair enjoying each other’s charms and reporting their tryst to Hephaestus, Aphrodite’s husband. The great smith fashioned a special net in which he caught the pair locked in their passionate embrace. He offered to exhibit the netted pair to the gods of Olympus, but the women demurred. Homer says that many of the male gods offered to switch places with Ares.

HEPHAESTUS THE GOD OF FIRE AND VOLCANOES

The god of fire, volcanoes, blacksmiths, and metal working, he had a strong following in the cities where his skills were important to commerce and war. He is usually seen with an axe. In one account he sided with his mother Hera against Zeus who threw him so far that he fell all day and limped thereafter. Hephaestus was associated with Mt. Etna on the island of Sicily. In his workshop he fashioned many wondrous things for the gods, including thunderbolts for Zeus, Athena’s shield, arrows for Eros, and the chariot with which Helios the sun god rode across the sky. He also helped create the first human woman from clay, named Pandora, who released the evils of the world on humankind from her magic jar.

DIONYSOS THE GOD OF WINE

The god of wine, the theater, agriculture, the fertility of nature, and mysteries, he is usually seen with grape vines, ivy, or a panther. Unlike most Greek gods, who are normally portrayed as bright creatures of the light, Dionysus is mysterious and shadowy. His followers revel in mad behavior, drunkenness, and death. Because of his differences, Dionysus may have been a melding of Greek and Asian attributes.

He was the patron of the Maenads, wild women who worshipped him and roamed the mountains shouting and hunting wild animals. He was also the patron of mystery cults, of which we know very little today. The greatest mystery associated with Dionysus is that at one point he was believed slain, but then reborn, a very unusual circumstance for an immortal god.

APOLLO THE GOD OF MUSIC AND SUN

The god of music, archery (only as sport), medicine, colonization, herds, and divination, he represents many of the better qualities of humankind, including order, intelligence, rationalization, and an appreciation for the finer things. He could cause or cure the plague. He established the oracle at Delphi and perhaps the city of Troy. He is often perceived as the perfect male. Apollo and his twin sister Artemis were fathered by Zeus and born of the Titan Leto, necessarily incurring the wrath of Zeus’ wife Hera, who did all she could to prevent the twins from being born. Apollo was also well known for his love affairs with beautiful mortals of both sexes, including among them Calliope, Coronis and Daphne. Apollo's Oracle at Delphi was well known throughout the Mediterranean. Apollo is closely associated with the sun, or at least with Helios, the Greek sun god.

APHRODITE THE GODDESS OF LOVE AND BEAUTY

The goddess of love, beauty, and sexual rapture, her name derives from the word for sea foam. In one story, she was born when Kronos the Titan was castrated and his genitals were thrown into the ocean. The sea began to roil and from the foam Aphrodite took shape. In contrast, Homer says she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Regardless of her ancestry, she was beautiful beyond words.

Seeking Olympian tranquility, Zeus gave Aphrodite in marriage to hard-working and reliable Hephaestus. With his metal working skills he fashioned for her wonderful jewels, including a golden magical girdle. The combination of her personal charms and her jewels made her irresistible. She took advantage of her gifts, loving glamour and flirting, and was not particularly happy with a dirty, boring husband. She took many lovers, including Adonis, and bore several children, including Eros. The festival of Aphrodisiac was celebrated, especially in Athens and Corinth. Coupling with her priestesses was a form of Aphrodite worship.

HERMES THE MESSENGER GOD

The messenger of the gods, Hermes wore a winged cap and winged shoes. He presided over shepherds, trade, land travel, literature, athletics, oratory, and even thieving -- any activity requiring agility. He was known for his cunning and shrewdness, and as the inventor of the lyre, the flute, and the pan-pipes. He is credited with the invention of foot-racing, wrestling, and boxing. He guided the souls of the dead to the underworld. In early accounts he is a patron of fertility or luck. Later he was associated with roads. Road markers, called herms, bore a representation of Hermes.  Similar markers outside homes warded off evil. He used his ingenuity to save heroes on several occasions, including Odysseus twice.