The Olympians
Apollo
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Apollo is known as the god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. He is associated with medicine and healing. He is the son of Zeus and Leto and Artemis is his twin brother. He was supposedly a very handsome man.
Aphrodite
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Aphrodite was the Olympian goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. Her symbols include: the dolphin, the dove, the swan, the pomegranate and the mirror. Myrtles, doves, sparrows, horses, and swans were sacred to her. Aphrodite was irresistible to everyone because she was very beautiful and graceful; because of her beauty the other gods feared jealousy would disrupt the peace among them and lead to war. In result she was married to a lesser god named Hephaestus who was not seen as a threat. Aphrodite would often punish those who neglected her worship or were jealous of her power.
Hera
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Hera was the Olympian queen of the gods she was also the goddess of marriage and women. She was wife and one of three sisters of Zeus. Her symbols are: the pomegranate, peacock feather, and the Diadem which was a crown. The peacock and the crow were sacred to her. Hera was known for her jealousy and her deep hatred; these emotions were very often directed to Zeus’s lovers and children. Aphrodite was named the most beautiful goddess; because of this Hera and Aphrodite were enemies.
Demeter
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Demeter was the Olympian goddess of earth, agriculture, harvest, and forests. She also had power over the sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death. Her symbols are: the torch, lion, cornucopia, and sheaves of wheat. Demeter had numerous children with Zeus. Persephone is one of their offspring; she is the Queen of the Underworld. Demeter and Persephone are written about in Linear B Mycenaean Greek tablets, it also names Poseidon with them.
Hestia
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Hestia was the virgin goddesses of architecture, health,and the family. She was very private and didn`t leave the home very often. She was the first born of the Olympian`s, and she was the last. This is difficult to understand. They say that she was the first born to her parents Cronus and Rhea. Cornus was scared that one of his kids would grow up, take over his throne, and destroy everything, so he quickly swallowed Hestia and any of her siblings that followed. After Zeus was born, Rhea tricked her husband into swallowing a rock covered in cloth, making him sick and throw up the babies. Hestia was the last to be regurgitated, making her to be the first and last born.
Hephaestus
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Hephaetus was the god of technology, blacksmiths,craftsmen, artisans,sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes. He was lame, some say because Zeus threw him off Olympus by his ankle, others say he was born that way and his mother threw off because of it. This caused him to limp. Hephaestus was the blacksmith and craftsmen for the gods. He created Pandora after Zeus ordered him to.
Artemis
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Artemis was the Olympian goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, and young girls. She was also the protector of the girl child up to the age of marriage. Her twin brother Apollon was the protector of the boy child. Together they were the bringers and givers of sudden life and death. Artemis targeted women and girls, and Apollon men and boys. Artemis was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. Her symbols are: bow, arrow, stags, a hunting dog, and the moon. The deer and cypress were sacred to her. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto.
Hermes
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Hermes was the god of shepherds, cowherds, thieves, orators and wit, literature and poets, athletes and sports, weights and measures, and invention. Hermes, along with the help of Iris, was the messenger from the gods to the humans. His symbols include rooster, tortoise, his purse, winged sandals, winged cap, and held a herald’s staff in his left hand.
Zeus
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Zeus was the ruler of Mount Olympus, the god of the sky and thunder. Zeus was the son of Cronus and Rhea. He’s the youngest of his siblings. In most traditions he was married to his sister Hera. Zeus had many children, which include Ares, Athena, Apollo, Hermes, Heracles, and Perseus. His symbols are the eagle, bull, oak tree and thunderbolt.
Poseidon
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Poseidon was the god of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and the creator of horses. He was known as the Earth Shaker because of the earthquakes and tsunami’s he created. He is a son of Cronus and Rhea and brother to Zeus and Hades. In classical artwork, he was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with a long beard, and holding a trident. The horse and the dolphin are sacred to him.
Ares
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Ares was the god of war, bloodlust, violence, and civil order. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera; he was depicted as a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle arms. His attributes are golden armor and a bronze-tipped spear. His sacred animals are the vulture, venomous snakes, alligators, dogs, and boars.
Athena
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Athena was the goddess of wisdom, warfare, battle strategy, heroic endeavor, and reason. According to most traditions, she was born from Zeus's head fully formed and armored. She is depicted crowned with a crested helmet, armed with shield and a spear. Her symbol is the olive tree. She is commonly shown accompanied by her sacred animal, the owl.