Aphrodite ROMAN NAME: VENUS - PowerPoint Presentation

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Aphrodite

ROMAN NAME: VENUS

GODDESS OF LOVE AND BEAUTY

Aphrodite was so lovely that the Greeks couldn't imagine her being born in the usual way. Instead she sprang from the white beauty of the sea foam. In an odd arrangement, this most beautiful goddess was married to the only ugly Olympian,

HEPHAESTUS

, the deformed forge god. Some said that

ZEUS

forced her into the marriage; others, that she chose him herself. Gods and mortal men found her charms simply irresistible. Whenever on business abroad, Aphrodite was pulled through the sky by a swan-drawn cart. The swan and the dove were both symbols of her grace. In Greece her worship was popular.. Our word aphrodisiac, a passion-inducing substance, is derived from her name.Slide2

Apollo

ROMAN NAME: PHOEBUS APOLLO

GOD OF LIGHT, TRUTH, POETRY, PROPHECY, & MUSIC

From all the important titles laid at Apollo's feet, you can see the Greeks thought very highly of him. He is called the "most Greek of all the gods". He, above all others, represented the ideal man: handsome, athletic, intelligent, talented, and good. His twin sister is

ARTEMIS

, Goddess of the Moon. Over time, Apollo came to replace the Greek god Helios as God of the Sun as well. The lyre is Apollo's instrument, as he is the master musician. Apollo's tree is the laurel. A wreath of laurels was awarded in Greece to those who won a contest of poetry. Apollo's oracle in Delphi was the most reliable and the most popular.Slide3

Ares

ROMAN NAME: MARS

GOD OF WAR 

Ares is the cruelest member of the Olympians, hated by all (even his mother,

HERA

).  This god is known for his ruthlessness when he has the upper-hand and his cowardice when the tides turn against him.  Even the Greeks disliked this terrible god.  There were no temples to Ares in ancient Greece. 

APHRODITE

, in one of her many infidelities, started an affair with Ares, which was his motivation to fight for the Trojans in the great war.  Martial (having to do with war) and March are coined from his Latin name.

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Athena

ROMAN NAME: MINERVA, PALLAS ATHENA

GODDESS OF WISDOM AND BATTLE

According to one tale, Athena was not actually born, but sprang fully-grown from

ZEUS'

head. This is symbolic of her distinction as Goddess of Wisdom. Athena's animal was the wisest of birds, the owl. As the leader of the Virgin Goddesses, those who will never marry, Athena refuses to let any man to be her master. When a new city-state was founded, there was a contest between Athena and her uncle

POSEIDON

over who should be its patron god. The competition was fierce. To win the people over to his side, Poseidon formed the first horse from the crest of a wave. In order to one-up his gift, Athena created the bridle, a tool man could use to subdue Poseidon's creation. Since her gift was the wiser, the city chose Athena as their patron goddess. From this point on the city-state was called Athens.Slide5

Hades

ROMAN NAME: PLUTO

RULER OF THE DEAD, LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD

Although he has been presented as one before, Hades is no villain. He is cold and calculating. He keeps to himself, only showing up in myth when he is sought out. Hades is more a recluse than anything else. He has little to do with mortals' lives. Their deaths are a different story. Hades is not Death himself; in other words he is not responsible for deciding when mortals die. A mortal's death is an assembly line: The Fates snip the threads of life,

Thanatos

(or death) causes the mortal to die,

HERMES

leads the soul to the banks of the Styx. After the gods defeated their

forebearers

, the Titans, Hades was presented with a helmet of invisibility and given the Underworld to rule. Hades' Roman name Pluto came from the Greek word for wealth. The god was considered rich because of all the precious metals that are found beneath the earth.Slide6

Hera

ROMAN NAME: JUNO

GODDESS OF MARRIAGE, QUEEN OF OLYMPUS

Hera is usually shown as a crafty schemer and jealous wife. She is the mother of a few of the second generation gods:

ARES

,

HEPHAESTUS

, and

HEBE.

ZEUS

and his frequent affairs are enough to keep her busy, punishing his many lovers and cursing his illegitimate children. Even though she cannot protect her own marriage, Hera is labeled as the protector of marriage. Wives with unfaithful husbands could definitely sympathize with her. Hera has a fiery temper and enough venom for her anger to last centuries. Her animal is the cow, and her bird is the peacock. The Romans named June, the season for marriage, after Hera (Juno).Slide7

Hermes

ROMAN NAME:  MERCURY

MESSENGER OF THE GODS

Hermes, the most mischievous and clever of the gods, also served as a guider of dead souls to the Underworld.  One of the youngest gods, Hermes showed his ability to cause both trouble and delight at an early age.  On the day of his birth, Hermes snuck out from his cradle and whisked away the cattle of his elder brother

APOLLO.

  A witness soon reported this to Apollo, who came to Maia, Hermes's mother, demanding the return of his livestock.  Maia insisted that Hermes had been in his cradle the entire time.  Hermes was quickly found out and forced to return the cattle.  But in reparation for his actions against Apollo, the newborn god created a lyre from the shell of a turtle.  He presented the stringed instrument to his older brother.  His anger melted away, Apollo presented Hermes with a magical sleep-inducing staff called the Caduceus.  Once

ZEUS

realized his young son would cause nothing but trouble if his mind weren't constantly occupied, he gave him with the job of Olympian Messenger.  He was given a winged cap and sandals to assist him in his duties.  Due to the nature of his job, Hermes appears most often of all the gods.Slide8

Persephone

ROMAN NAME:  PROSERPINE

GODDESS OF SPRINGTIME

Persephone was the daughter of

ZEUS

and his sister

DEMETER

, the Goddess of the Harvest. One day while Persephone was gathering flowers,

HADES

spied her in the meadow. Not wasting a second, he drove his team of coal-black steeds up through the earth and pulled her into his chariot. Back in the Underworld, Hades forced her to be his queen.Slide9

Poseidon

ROMAN NAME:  NEPTUNE 

BLUE-MANED GOD OF THE SEAS AND OCEANS   

Next to his brother

ZEUS

, Poseidon is the god the Greeks most feared.  As a sea-faring people, they knew the hazards of a stormy sea.  The god was known for his mood swings, violent rage one minute, calm the next--just like the waters he controlled.  In the Trojan War he favored the Greeks because of their love of ship-building, yet legend had it that generations before, he and

APOLLO

had helped build the walls of Ilium (Troy).  When an earthquake hit, the Greeks recognized it as the work of Poseidon Earth-shaker.  Poseidon was married to the Daughter of Ocean and commanded the waves with his mighty trident.Slide10

Zeus

ROMAN NAME:  JOVE, JUPITER

LORD OF THE SKY, RAIN-BRINGER, CLOUD-GATHERER

After leading his brother and sister gods in a revolt against

their Father, Cronus, and the rest of the

Titans, Zeus became the unquestioned ruler of the Heavens. His feared weapon is the Thunderbolt, and his palace on Mount Olympus is a place of peace, where all gods are welcome. Zeus is the husband of the goddess

HERA

, but it's not in his nature to be faithful. Time and time again, he enters into disastrous affairs with other goddesses, nymphs, and mortal women. Zeus is the all-father. Almost all the second generation of gods claim Zeus as their father. Many of the mortal heroes are children of the god as well. Zeus' bird is the eagle.