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Home , Amalthea (mythology), Astraea, Chronos, Clotho, Fates, Lachesis

Greek Gods and Heroes 40 inspiring icons

Sylvie Baussier & Almasty

WIDE EYED EDITIONS eus, , , , and Medea… so many famous names that spark our imagination and draw us into the world of the Gods, Z gods and heroes of ancient Greece. It all started over 2,500 years ago. Religion was based on Heroes, the worship of numerous gods and . The built temples in their honour, made sculptures of them, recorded their history in paintings and, of course, told and Men stories about them. And these gods didn’t just sit on their thrones in Olympus. They loved and hated each other, transformed each other’s shapes, played tricks and came down to to meddle in human affairs. The heroes were humans with a remarkable . Often children of a god and a human, they achieved extraordinary things and were sometimes even believed to be historical figures, figures who had really existed! The of their adventures teach us about Greek history. They also explain the creation of the world, the of nature and the mysteries of life. That is why for centuries, and today, they are a limitless source of inspiration for painting, literature and film. Not just fascinating stories, the stories of Greek gods and heroes still make us dream and teach us about our world. 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 agamemnon

2 7 12 17 22 27 32 37 apollo iphigenia

3 8 13 18 23 28 33 38 phædra

Contents

4 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 oedipus

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 athena minotaur helen

starry sky 1 is the sky. He covers Gaia, Gaia the earth, with his starry coat, and from this union, children family tree are born. Gaia is the of the earth. She gave birth to the sea, the mountains and Sister of and Uranus (the starry sky). Then, with her son Uranus, king of the gods, she bore a Wife of Uranus host of extraordinary children: six Mother to Uranus, Pontos (the sea) (who continually fought one another), and the mountains descendants six Titanesses, three (who each Mother, Gaia and Uranus had one eye) and three Hecatonchires with Uranus, warned their (who each had fifty heads and a hundred of six Titans and son Cronus six Titanesses, that if he had a arms!). Uranus kept these children three Cyclopes son, the son would underground, but at the urging of Gaia, and three defeat him and sickle Hecatonchires become king Cronus, the youngest Titan, rebelled and in his place – Gaia gave her son Cronus helped his brothers and sisters escape Mother, with the had a sickle to attack Uranus. their prison, and Uranus’s terrible rule. Pontos, of prophesied it. and

conflict The tyrannical Uranus imprisoned Gaia’s youngest children. Only her son Cronus volunteered to help, and he attacked his father with a sickle.

titans and titanesses first generation The Titans are always ready for brutal fights, but Gaia, the earth, was born after goddess mother the Titanesses don’t want anything to do with Chaos, and just before Eros, of the earth them. The most famous are the Titan Cronus love. The three are elements Gaia conceived numerous roman name and the Titaness . Together, they had from nature. The children of children, some by herself, Mater numerous children, who would become the some with Uranus and some Gaia and Uranus were the with Pontos. Olympian gods, including Zeus, the king of the first gods to have a more or gods, who eventually took the throne from his less human form. own father. Mother Earth 2

Cronus terrible old age According to some Often represented as stories, Cronus reigns over a old and ugly, world where humans Cronus lives Cronus overthrew his father, Uranus, experienced a golden age. in fear that one of his to became king of the gods, but he children will take the throne from him. was as violent a king as his father had god been! A prophesy foretold that one of associated with Cronus’s children would seize the throne from him, so each time his wife, Rhea, roman name gave birth and presented their child to conflict him, Cronus would swallow the baby. Zeus freed In the end, Rhea rebelled, hiding her his previously swallowed brothers last-born, Zeus, and replacing him with and sisters. a stone wrapped in a blanket that she Together, they presented to her terrible husband. He fought their father, Cronus, and the swallowed the stone without realising Titans. swaddled stone the difference, and Zeus was saved. Cronus didn’t notice that the ‘baby’ he swallowed was really a humans family tree stone wrapped in a blanket.

According to , Cronus Son of Gaia was a good god. Under his reign, and Uranus harvests grew easily and humans lived a life free from care. Brother to the other Titans, the Titanesses, the Hecatonchires a broken family a play on words and the Cyclopes Rhea wanted her cruel enjoyed punning on Husband to Rhea, husband, who had swallowed the name Cronus, as the word a Titaness who their children, to die. She told means ‘time’ in Greek. was also his sister her son Zeus that the Cyclopes Thus, this violent god is also Father of Hestia, and the Hecatonchires could the god of time passing. But Demeter, help him win against Cronus. he didn’t want time to pass for Hera, Hades, So Zeus freed them and they his children – he wanted to Poseidon fought together. kill them! and Zeus A hateful god god lovers of the sky and of 3 His third wife, thunder; Hera, who is also king of the gods Zeus his sister, is known roman name for her jealousy… Jupiter but Zeus did indeed have Zeus wasn’t always king of the gods. numerous affairs When he was still young, he had to with other take power from his father, Cronus. goddesses and Since then, he reigns all-powerful mortals! Zeus reigns over gods and mortals from over the skies and Olympus, and he Mount Olympus. arbitrates any disputes that may arise lord of the sky between the gods. As god of nature, Once their father, Cronus, he has power over the human world, had been defeated, the and sees that promises are kept and Cyclopes gave each god a lightning laws adhered to. He is, according to the gift representing their divine futures. They gave Hades a Zeus’s weapon is author , the ‘father of gods and a lightning bolt, which men’, with men frequently invoking his helmet of invisibility, joining was a gift from the protection. him forever to the kingdom Cyclopes. of the dead. They gave Zeus thunder and lightning.

descendants family tree Zeus had numerous children Son of Rhea and from his many affairs. He is father of Cronus the , Heracles, Dionysus, Apollo and Hermes. Brother of Hades, Demeter, Hestia Hera and Poseidon shape-shifter Husband to , To get what he wants, this womaniser is capable mother of Athena of many tricks. He charmed Europa by turning Husband to Themis, mother of the himself into a white bull, into a swan to entice eagle Leda and into a shower of gold to conquer Danae. Horai (seasons) and the (Fates) But his wife, Hera, is sometimes suspicious and This eagle, the king of the comes down to earth. Occasionally, Zeus needs Husband to sky, is the symbol of the king of the gods. to change his lovers’ forms – he changed Io Hera, mother of , , into a heifer! Hephaestus and Ares King of the gods sword of A sword is the tool used 4 once the sentence has been Themis pronounced.

goddess family tree Themis is a goddess and sister to the of justice Titans. By marrying Zeus, she ensured Daughter of Uranus and Gaia that she remained important when he Sister to the Titans took power. Zeus had been married (she’s one of the to another goddess, Metis, but after Titanesses) an prophesied that her unborn Zeus’s second wife, son would become king of the gods humans after Metis and in his father’s place, Zeus ate her. Her daughters before Hera the Horai Themis, goddess of justice, has powers (Justice, Discipline Mother of the of and inspires and Peace) watch Horai, Moirai and in humans. She stayed on Mount over the seasons and also justice Olympus even when Zeus later married amongst men. his sister Hera.

scales

Scales are a symbol of justice: conflict Themis weighs the arguments on each side. When Zeus fought the giants, tripod . Themis advised him to protect himself with ’s skin. Amalthea was the goat The tripod is from the who had fed him when he was a baby. sanctuary at , where Themis gave out her prophesies. tell the future the moirai Well before Apollo, Themis prophesied the , and future at Delphi. She founded the oracle there. are the daughters of Themis She sat on a tripod, as later would, and and Zeus. Known as the answered questions that humans came to ask Moirai, or the Fates, they her. They then had to interpret her often- are the mistresses of human confusing responses! destiny: one spins the thread of life, the second measures it, and the third cuts the thread when it’s time for death. Guardian of laws