DAY 3

TWELVE OLYMPIAN GODS

Hestia• GODDESS OF THE HEARTH AND HOME• Roman Name: Vesta

• Hestia never plays a part in any Greek myth. Even though she wasn't exciting enough to make it into their stories, the Greeks honored Hestia with their dinnertime prayers, asking her to bless their food and protect their homes. City-states had a central hearth dedicated to the goddess, where the fire never went out. She was the third of the virgin goddesses. To the Romans she was the patron goddess of the Vestal Virgins, who in the Temple of Vesta kept the hearth fire of Rome forever burning. Hestia is one of three virgin goddess, along with Athena and Artemis.

Ares• GOD OF WAR • ROMAN NAME: MARS• 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. His bird is the vulture, and his animal the dog.

Athena• GODDESS OF WISDOM, REASON, & PURITY• Roman Name: Minerva• Athena is Zeus's favorite daughter and is allowed to

use his weapons, including the thunderbolt. She sprang full grown in armor from his forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce in battle but only fights justly.

• Her favorite city is Athens. Her tree is the olive tree. Her animal is the owl.

Artemis• GODDESS OF THE

HUNT• Roman Name: Diana• Artemis is daughter of Zeus

and Leto; her twin brother is Apollo. She is the goddess of wild things and, like Apollo, hunts with silver arrows. She is associated with the moon and deer.

Aphrodite• ROMAN NAME: Venus• Goddess of Love, Desire, and Beauty • In addition to her natural gifts, she has

a magic girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. There are two accounts of her birth. One says she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. The other says that when Cronus overthrew Uranus and tossed him into the sea Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam of a giant scallop and walked to shore on Cyprus. She is the wife of Hephaestus.

Cupid (Eros) and Psyche

Eros Psyche• Son of Aphrodite• Shoots people with darts to

make them fall in love• Aphrodite wanted Eros to

make Psyche, a beautiful princess, fall in love with a loser, but Eros accidentally shot himself, so he fell in love with Pscyhe—she eventually joins the Olympians

• Falls in love with Eros• Aphrodite dislikes her (a

challenge to her beauty), and makes her perform difficult tasks to be with Eros

Cupid (Eros) and Psyche

Hermes• ROMAN NAME: MERCURY• MESSENGER OF THE GODS • SON OF ZEUS

• Hermes, the most mischievous and clever of the gods, also served as a psychopomp, a guide 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 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.

Greek Name Roman Name Divine RealmAphrodite Venus Love, beauty, fertilityApollo Apollo Archery, music, prophecy, healing, lightAres Mars WarArtemis Diana Hunting, the moonAthena Minerva Wisdom, warDemeter Ceres The harvest, grain, cornDionysus Bacchus Wine, festivity, the theaterEros Cupid Love, sexual desireHades Pluto The underworld, the deadHephaestus Vulcan Fire, the forge, smitheryHera Juno Marriage, queen of immortalsHermes Mercury Messenger, commerce, science, doctorsHestia Vesta The hearthPan Pan Wild beasts, the forestPersephone Proserpine Queen of the underworldPoseidon Neptune The seaZeus Jupiter Thunder, the heavens, king of immortals

PREFIXES #11-17• exo- outward, external; exosphere= the outermost part

of the atmosphere• inter – between; interstate= highway connecting states• mal – bad; malfunction= failure to function properly• mis –wrong; misunderstanding• mono- one, alone; no competition exists with

monopolies • hypo – under, too little; hypoglycemic= low level of

glucose in blood• hyper- [Greek, huper] above, beyond, exceedingly;

hyperbole= exaggeration