The World Began with Chaos a State of Emptiness

Who’s Who in Greek Mythology

The world began with Chaos—a state of emptiness Out of Chaos appears—

o Gaia—mother earth, she is the first creation o Tartarus, both a god and the bleak, deepest region of the underworld located within the Earth o Eros—god of love, force of love o Erebus, the realm of darkness associated with bleak Tartarus o Nyx, the female personification of night

Gaia—to secure foundation of all forever gives birth to—

o Uranus—the sky god, Gaia’s son and husband o Oceanus, a sea god whose waters encircled the earth, and his sister/mate Tethys o Hyperion, sometimes called the sun, and his mate They (who together produce the sun, moon, and dawn o Thames (called Law) o Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory o Coeus and his sister/mate Phoebe o Cronus, the youngest and craftiest, described as the “crooked traitor” married Rhea, his sister, an earth goddess

Rhea and Cronus unite in marriage to have—

o Hades—god of the underworld. Son of Cronus and Rhea. Abducted Persephone to be his bride. o Poseidon—Sea god. Son of Cronus and Rhea. Associated with horses and bulls. Married to the sea nymph Amphirite and lover of Medusa. o Hestia—Goddess of the hearth. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. o Demeter—goddess of vegetation and fruitfulness. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea and mother of Persephone. o Hera—Supreme goddess. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea and wife of Zeus. o Zeus—Supreme god. Son of Cronus and Rhea and husband of Hera. Associated with thunder and lightning.

Children of Zeus and Hera

o Ares—god of battle, son of Zeus and Hera o Hebe--Hebe is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is the goddess of youth. She, along with Ganymede are the cupbearers to the gods. Hebe is Hercules wife. o Hephaestus—god of fire, blacksmiths, and metalwork. Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father. He is the only god to be physically ugly. His wife is Aphrodite.

Zeus’s other children

o Athena—goddess of war and wisdom, said to be born from Zeus’s head o Dionysus—is the god of wine. He is the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal. o Heracles—Greek hero born of Zeus and a mortal.

Children of Coeus and Phoebe

o Leto—who has an affair with Zeus to create the twins—

o Apollo—god of light, music, archery, and healing. Zeus’s son o Artemis—goddess of hunting wild things, the moon, and childbirth. Zeus’s daughter and Apollo’s twin sister.

Oceanus and Tethys unite in marriage to create— o Iapetus—the father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Atlas.

o Prometheus—was the wisest Titan. His name means "forethought" and he was able to foretell the future. He was the son of Iapetus. o Epimetheus—was a stupid Titan, whose name means "afterthought". He was the son of Iapetus. In some accounts he is delegated, along with his brother Prometheus by Zeus to create mankind. He also accepted the gift of Pandora from Zeus, which lead to the introduction of evil into the world. o Atlas—was the son of Iapetus. Unlike his brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus, Atlas fought with the other Titans supporting Cronus against Zeus. Due to Cronus's advance age Atlas lead the Titan's in battle. As a result he was singled out by Zeus for a special punishment and made to hold up the world on his back.

Epimetheus marries Pandora and they have the following children—

o Dione—has an affair with Zeus and creates Aphrodite

o Aphrodite—the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. There are two accounts of her birth. She is the wife of Hephaestus