Studying Greek Literature would always lead one to the study and understanding of its Mythology.

Their Greek God

and Goddesses where made out of their own image. They were believing the controller of life and human beings.
They all lived in the sky on top of a huge mountain called Mount Olympus. These twelve go ds were the principal
characters in many of the Greek myths and they all played important roles in everyday classical Greek life.

ZEUS (ZOOS)
ROMAN NAME-- JUPITER

Zeus was the king of the Olympian gods and the supreme deity in Greek religion. Often referred to as the Father,
as the god of thunder and the 'cloud-gatherer', he controlled the weather, offered signs and omens and
generally dispensed justice, guaranteeing order among both the gods and humanity from his seat high on Mt.
Olympus.

HERA (HEH--RUH)
ROMAN NAME-- JUNO

Hera, IS THE wife of Zeus and queen of the ancient Greek gods, represented the ideal woman and was goddess
of marriage and the family. . Hera herself was notable as one of the very few deities that remained faithful to her
partner and she therefore came to symbolize monogamy and fidelity.

ATHENA (UH--THEE-NUH)
ROMAN NAME--MINERVA

Goddess of wisdom, war and the crafts, and favorite daughter of Zeus, Athena was, perhaps, the wisest, most
courageous, and certainly the most resourceful of the Olympian gods. She was also skilled in the art of war and
helped hereos such as odysseus.

APOLLO
ROMAN NAME-- PHOEBUS

Apollo was a major Greek god who was associated with the bow, music, and divination. The epitome of youth
and beauty, source of life and healing, patron of the civilized arts, and as bright and powerful as the sun itself,
Apollo was, arguably, the most loved of all the Greek gods. He was particularly worshipped at Delphi and Delos,
amongst the most famous of all religious sanctuaries in the Greek world.

POSEIDON (PUH- SAI- DN)

ROMAN NAME-- NEPTUNE

God of the sea and rivers, creator of storms and floods, and the bringer of earthquakes and destruction,
Poseidon was perhaps the most disruptive of all the ancient Greek gods, not only for
mortals but also to Zeus peaceful reign on Mount Olympus. Despite the above, the trident-bearing god was not
always a negative force, and he did have a role as a protector, particularly to mariners, and as
the patron of horses and horse breeding. To the Romans, he was known as Neptunus or Neptune.
ARES
ROMAN NAME-- MARS

Ares was the Greek god of war and perhaps the most unpopular of all the Olympian gods because of his quick
temper, aggressiveness, and unquenchable thirst for conflict. He famously seduced Aphrodite, unsuccessfully
fought with Hercules, and enraged Poseidon by killing his son Hairothea.

ARTEMIS
ROMAN NAME-- DIANA

Artemis was the Greek goddess of hunting, wild nature, and chastity. The daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo,
Artemis was regarded as a patron of girls and young women and a protectress
during childbirth. She was worshipped across the Greek world, but her most famous cult site was as a fertility
goddess at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
To the Romans, the goddess was known as Diana. Like all the Greek Olympic gods, Artemis was immortal and
very powerful. Her special powers included perfect aim with the bow and arrow, the ability to turn herself and
others into animals, healing, disease, and control of nature.

DEMETER
ROMAN NAME--CERES

Demeter was one of the oldest gods in the ancient Greek pantheon, and she guaranteed the fertility of the
earth and protected both farming and vegetation. This close connection with the earth was inherited from her
mother Rhea, and doubtless, she was a reincarnation of local mother earth goddesses,
commonly worshipped in rural communities in the Bronze Age. Like all the Olympian gods, Demeter was
immortal and very powerful. She had control over the harvest and the growing of grains. She could cause plants
to grow (or not grow) and had control over the seasons. She also had some control over the weather and could
make people hungry.

APHRODITE
ROMAN NAME-- VENUS

Ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, desire, and all aspects of sexuality, Aphrodite could entice both gods and
men into illicit affairs with her good looks and whispered sweet nothings. Worshipped by men, women, and city-
state officials, she also played a role in the commerce, warfare, and politics of ancient Greek cities. Like all the
Greek Olympic gods, Aphrodite was immortal and very powerful. Her special
powers were those of love and desire.

DIONYSUS ---DAI-UH-NAI-SUHS
One of his parents her mother Semele is a mortal.
Dionysus was the ancient Greek god of wine, merriment, and theatre. He was one of the twelve Olympians,
although he was the last to arrive, and his unusual birth and upbringing marked him as an outsider.
Being the bad boy of Mt. Olympus, he was perhaps the most colorful of the Olympian Gods.

HERMES --HUR--MEEZ
ROMAN NAME-- MERCURY

Hermes was the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves,
and travel. One of the cleverest and most mischievous of the Olympian gods, he was the patron of shepherds,
invented the lyre, and was, above all, the herald and messenger of Mt. Olympus so that he came to symbolize
the crossing of boundaries in his role as a guide between the two realms of gods and humanity. To the Romans,
the god was known as Mercury. . His special skill was speed. He was the fastest of the gods and used his speed
to carry messages for the other gods. He helped lead

Hephaestus--HUH-FAY-STUHS
ROMAN NAME-- VULCAN

Ancient Greek god of fire, metallurgy,

and crafts, Hephaistos (Hephaestus) was the brilliant blacksmith of the Olympian gods, for whom he fashioned
magnificent houses, Armour, and ingenious devices. He was very skilled in metalworking, stonework, and other
crafts that were typically performed by Greek men. He could control both fire and metal to do his will. He also
had the ability to make his creations move. He used this power to create two golden handmaidens who assisted
him in his
work.