Thursday, December 9, 2010

Hermes/Mercury


He was Zeus's Messenger, who "flies as fleet as thought to do his bidding." Of all the gods he was the shrewdest and most cunning; in fact he was the Master Thief, who started upon his career before he was a day old.
Edith Hamilton (33-34)

Attributes: the Caduceus, winged boots, and Petasos (funny-looking traveler's cap)

Hermes: p.p. 33-34
Io & Argus: p.p. 80

Ares/Mars; Aphrodite/Venus; Hephaestus/Vulcan/Mulciber


The Romans liked Mars better than the Greeks liked Ares. [...] He had no cities where he was worshiped. [...] Appropriately, his bird was the vulture. The dog was wronged by being chosen as his animal.
Edith Hamilton (34-35)

Ares: p.p. 34-35
Amazons: p.p. 128
siding with Aphrodite: 191




The Goddess of Love and Beauty, who beguiled all, gods and men alike [...] The myrtle was her tree; the dove her bird—sometimes, too, the sparrow and the swan.
--Edith Hamilton (32-33)

Aphrodite: 32-33
Adonis: 94-95



The God of Fire, [...] Among the perfectly beautiful immortals he only was ugly. He was lame as well. [...] In his workshop he has handmaidens he has forged out of gold who can move and who help him in his work.

Hephaestus: p. 35

Artemis/Diana


Apollo's twin sister [...] She was one of the three maiden goddesses of Olympus. [...] She was the Lady of Wild Things, Huntsman-in-chief to the gods...
Edith Hamilton (31)

Artemis: p.p. 31-32
Actaeon: p.p. 267-268

Apollo


He has been called "the most Greek of all the gods." He is a beautiful figure in Greek poetry, the master musician who delights Olympus as he plays on his golden lyre; the lord too of the silver bow, the Archer-god, far-shooting; the Healer, as well, who first taught men the healing art. Even more than of these good and lovely endowments, he is the God of LIght, in whom is no darkness at all, and so he is the God of Truth.
Edith Hamilton (30)

Apollo: p.p. 30-31
Daphane: p.p. 119-120

Athena/Minerva


The word oftenest used to describe her is "gray-eyed," or, as it is sometimes translated, "flashing-eyed." Of the three virgin goddesses she was the chief and was called the Maiden, Parthenos, and her temple the Parthenon.
--Edith Hamilton (30)

Athena: p.p. 29-30
Perseus: p.p. 150-151
Arachne: p. 302

Dionaysus/Bacchus


Dionysus was the last god to enter Olympus. [...] Thebes was Dionysus' own city, where he was born, the son of Zeus and the Theban princess Semele. He was the only god whose parents were not both divine.
--Edith Hamiltion (55-56)

Dionysus: p.p. 55-64
Silenus & Midas: p.p. 292-293

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Hestia & Demeter

Hestia/Vesta

She was Zeus's sister, and like Athena and Artemis a virgin goddess. She has no distinct personality and she plays no part in the myths. She was the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the home, around which the newborn child must be carried before it could be received into the family. Every meal began and ended with an offering to her.
--Edith Hamilton (36)

Hestia: p. 36



Demeter/Ceres

Demeter, in Latin Ceres, the Goddess of the Corn, a daughter of Cronus and Rhea.
--Edith Hamilton (48)

Demeter: p.p. 51-55

cf: The Two Great Gods of Earth: p.p. 48-50