The Gods Of Olympus | The Mightiest Gods of Greek Mythology | The Mightiest Gods Series 2

The undisputed master of the universe is so they call me. Gods and mortals alike, tremble in my reign. Cause rain, I cause drought. I command tempests, I command storms. I am a rapist, not a monster. I am the wind, the storm and the clouds. The rumble and thunder. I am the eagle on the mountain. The ram in the rye. The snake in the pantry. I am the bull with crescent horns. I am the sky god and king of all. Zeus. Zeus, was the youngest child of the Titan, Cronus, and the Titaness, Rhea. Others being, Hestia, Hades, Hera, Poseidon, and Demeter. Cronus had heard a prophecy, that his children would overthrow him. So he devoured each of his children, as soon as they were born, to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy. But Zeus narrowly escaped this fate, when his mother, sought the help of her parents, Gaia and Uranus, to hide him away, in a distant cave. Rhea, then handed Cronus, a huge stone, wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed, thinking it was baby Zeus. Zeus was raised in a secret place, on mount Dektar, in Crete, where he was nursed, by nymphs, on the milk of the goat, Amalthea, and guarded by the dancing Kourites, who drowned out the sound of his crying, with their shield clashing battle dance. When Zeus came of age, he served his titan father, Cronus, a concoction, which caused him to disgorge the young gods, he had swallowed. Zeus went on, to liberate the giants, the Cyclopes, and the Hecatonchires, from the pit of Tartarus. Thus, during the war between the titans, and the gods, and as a form of gratitude, the Cyclopes gifted him, with lightning bolts, and the Hecatonchires, aided him by hurling boulders, at the titans. Zeus and his siblings, eventually defeated Cronus and his allies, and banished them to a prison, in Tartarus. After the fall of the titans, Zeus presided over the heavens, Poseidon presided over the sea, and Hades presided over the underworld. Zeus was the lord of storms, tempests, lightning, and thunder. His most notable symbol, is his magnificent lightning bolt, which he often wields in his hand, like a javelin. His other symbols, are a royal scepter, an eagle, and the aegis, which is a majestic goatskin shield. In art, Zeus is often depicted, wearing a long robe, or cloak, and crowned with a wreath of olive leaves. His sacred animals, were the eagle, and the bull. As king of the gods, he was served and attended to, by quite a number of lesser gods. His throne was guarded, by four winged spirits, two male, and two female, named, Kratos, representing strength, and Zelos, representing rivalry, Nike, representing victory, and Baia, representing force. His personal messenger was Iris, the winged goddess of the rainbow, and his counselor, was Themis, the goddess of law and order. Most of his divine family, except Hades, god of the underworld, and Poseidon, the sea god, resided in Olympus. Zeus' virgin sister, Hestia, also resided in Olympus, where she tended the ever-burning hearth fire, in the center of his palace. His cupbearers, were Ganymede, and the goddess, Hebe, who served Ambrosia, and Nectar, at the feasts of the gods. The winged harpies, also known, as the hounds of Zeus, were cruel creatures, used by the sky god, to harass and terrorize mortals. While Pegasus, the winged horse, carried Zeus' lightning bolts, and four other immortal horses, drew his chariot through the sky. Zeus married his sister, Hera, queen of the gods, after seducing her, in the guise of a cuckoo bird. But their union, was one of constant quarrels, mostly because, of Zeus' infidelity. Zeus is known throughout Greek mythology, as an ardent womanizer. He seduced many mortal women, few of who included, Europa, in the guise of a bull, Leda, in the guise of a swan, Danae, as a shower of gold, Callisto, in the guise of the goddess Artemis, Altmela, disguised as her own husband, and Antiope, in the guise of a satyr. His favorite mortal son, was Heracles, whom he supported throughout his trials, and eventually welcomed him as a full god, on Olympus. Zeus is also known for his terrible wrath, which was unleashed on certain occasions, such as when he punished deviant gods, including, Ixion, who attempted to violate Hera, Tantalos, who stole Ambrosia from Olympus, Lycaon, who offered human flesh to the gods, and Salmoneus, who tried to imitate Zeus, and steal the worship of the gods. I am the earth shaker, cause of earthquakes. You feel my work when the earth shakes. And such disturbing sounds I make. There, you will know when I wake. Be calm child, the sea will not harm thee. It holds many secrets, I fear you'll agree. I feel your fear, do not be afraid. If danger comes, I will come to your aid. Poseidon, the ancient greek god of the sea, and horses, the earth shaker, the savior of sailors, the leader of nymphs, the tamer of horses, the one who caused the tides to flow, who could create sea storms, to sink ships, who caused the earth to tremble at his will, he whose cry was as loud as ten thousand men combined. Known by the Romans with the name Neptune, he was a fearsome god. Poseidon was the son of the king and queen titans, Cronus and Rhea. He was swallowed by his father, Cronus, owing to a prophecy that Cronus' children would overthrow him. After Zeus saved him from the belly of their father, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus, went into battle with the titans. The brothers overthrew the titans and gained control of the world. They divided up the world among themselves. Poseidon took over the oceans and seas, Zeus took over the skies, and Hades, the underworld. Poseidon was a large and fierce god, having long curly hair, a big beard, gleaming eyes, and a stern look. He often wields a three-pronged golden spear, popularly called a trident, and sometimes rides his watery four-horse chariot over the raging waves. The golden trident is his most symbolic attribute, which he struck on a rock, to create the very first seahorse, Scypheus, and tear off a piece of the island, Kos, which is known today as the island, Nisairos. Now, Poseidon was a violent, impulsive and raging god. He would cause the sea storms to destroy the ships of sailors who would not appease him, and cause earthquakes to ravage the lands of those who scorned his worship. Once, he had unleashed a flood on Athens, because the people chose Athena over him. He had also flooded the city of Argos, when he lost the control of the city to Hera. In addition, when he could not stand the behavior and authority of Zeus as the ruler, he connived with the other Olympians to overthrow Zeus, which ended up unsuccessful. The sky god eventually overcame the rebels with the help of the goddess, Thetis, and the hundred-handed man, Praerius. Alas, just like his brother, Zeus, Poseidon was well known for his love of women, but at a slightly lesser degree. He had many consorts, who bore him many children. His faithful wife and queen of the seas, Amphitrite, bore him Triton, Benphesechemi, and in some stories, Rhodes. Demeter, bore him the nymph, Despina, and the talking horse, Arian. Armimony, bore him Nauplius, and Aethra, bore him the hero, Theseus. His other children were the cyclops, Polyphemus, the sea creature, Charybdis, the winged horse, Pegasus, and the hunter, Arian. Yet these were not all of them. Whichever woman the sea god could not win with his charm and gentleness, he did it with force and craftiness. An example was Medusa, whom he took by force at the temple of Athena. Medusa was turned into a monster afterward, for surrendering to being defiled. Hades is the ancient Greek god of the dead and the underworld, a place where human souls go after death, and is identified with the name Pluto by the Romans. He was the ruler of the invisible world, the unseen one, the infernal Zeus. The host of many, the attractor of men, the grisly god. He was also called the god of wealth, or the rich one, because he possessed the precious metals of the earth. Hades was the oldest male child of the titans, Cronus and Rhea. The realm of Hades lies between secret places of the earth, and to get there, one must cross the oceans. The deceased entered the underworld with the help of Charon, the ferryman of Hades, whose duty was to carry dead souls across the Acheron and Styx rivers that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. The underworld had five magical rivers, each with a symbolic meaning. The Phlegathon river represented fire, the Lethe river represented oblivion, the Acheron river represented sorrow or grief, the Cacitus river represented lamentation, and lastly, the Styx river represented hate, and is the principal river in the underworld, which formed the boundary between the upper and lower worlds. The greek gods swore upon the river Styx. So sacred was their oath, that if any god was guilty of breaking this oath, he was deprived of nectar and anger. I was lovely, gracious, kind. But often, Zeus' wingmen strayed. So, I've been angry. Is that a crime? I've lost respect to my dismay. And now, they will feel my anger. They will feel my wrath. All those who visited their beds. Hera was the Olympian goddess of marriage and childbirth, and queen of the gods in greek mythology. She was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, the wife of Zeus, king of the gods, and the mother of Ares, god of war, Hebe, goddess of youth, Hephaestus, god of arts and crafts, and Illithia, goddess of childbirth. Hera is associated with family and welfare, and is known by the Romans with the name Juno. A mighty queen, she was one of the fairest goddesses on Mount Olympus. She was the protector of children, marriage, and a symbol for married women. Hera is usually represented as a fully clothed, regal woman of solemn beauty, wearing a radiant crown. Jealous and vengeful, but knowing she could not hurt nor stop her husband, Hera directed her anger towards Zeus' lovers, and ensured she filled their lives with a great deal of suffering. One of her unfortunate victims was Semele, whom she killed by tricking her into forcing her lover, Zeus, to reveal himself before her in all his glory. And since humans can't look upon at gods without perishing, Semele perished into thin air. Others who have suffered the powerful goddess's anger include Callisto, whom she turned into a bear for giving birth to Zeus' child, Arcus. Leto, whom she pursued for a long time, and delayed her giving birth to Apollo. And then, Heracles, whose birth she delayed, costing him the throne of Argolid, and additionally subjecting him to a lifetime of trials and hardship. Hera was as much a vain goddess, as she was a jealous one. Like most of the other Greek goddesses, when it came to her beauty, she was easily offended. This was shown when she sent Orion's wife to the underworld, because the woman had boasted that she was as beautiful as the goddess. Also, after Paris chose Aphrodite instead of her, Hera turned a sworn enemy of Troy. I feed the fields with blood splatter. I cover altars in war-spilled blood. I am the sound of prisoners wailing. The fires loot from burning cities. The gore, the kills, the spoils from every land. I am the master of arms. I am rebelliousness. I am the darkness in all of you. I am the god of war. Ares is one of the twelve Greek Olympians, and the god of war, the spirit of battle, the personification of violence, and bloodlust. He was called the bane of mortals, the slayer of men, the city-stormer, the armor-clattering. Known by the Romans with the name Mars, he represented sheer brutality, the violent and untamed aspect of brutal warfare and slaughter, making him a total opposite of the wisdom and war goddess Athena, who represented the civilized form of war and military strategy. Ares was the oldest child of Zeus and Hera, and brother to Illithia, the goddess of childbirth, Hebe, the goddess of eternal youth, and Hephaestus, the god of fire and the forge. Ares is usually depicted wearing a helmet, a shield, and a blood-stained sword or spear. He drives a four-horse chariot, and is followed by dogs or vultures. He is sometimes shown alongside his sons Deimos and Phobos. On the battlefield, Ares is often accompanied by a number of bloodthirsty deities, each symbolizing the terror of war. His two sons, Deimos and Phobos, represented panic and fear. His comrade, or sister, Eris, represented strife. Caduemos represented confusion. And the lesser deity, Enyo, was the sacre of cities and sister of war. In addition, the Kyres, who were horrid, grim-eyed female spirits of death, and who dressed in cloaks, drenched in human blood, also hovered alongside Ares and his companions during battle. Now, although Ares was an overwhelming force, whose mere sight filled mortals with terror, he was not as mighty and undefeatable as he appeared to be. There were a number of encounters where the war god's skills were beaten. In his battle with Diomedes, Diomedes wounded and defeated the war god, Pharaon Square. During the Trojan war, Athena easily bested him, after which she mocked him and bragged of her superiority as a warrior. Heracles also defeated Ares twice, first during the battle of Pylos, and then after killing Ares' son, Caeclus. In addition, Homer tells us that the twin brothers, Otus and Dephialtus, once abducted the war god and locked him up in a bronze jar for 13 months, with not the slightest means of escape. Perhaps, if their stepmother, Ereb Boia, hadn't told the messenger god, Hermes, about the incident, Ares would have spent eternity in that bronze jar. Since he was the savage and brutal god of senseless war, Ares was neither loved by gods nor by men, except Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, whom he had an adulterous affair with. He was repulsive to his own father, Zeus, to the extent that, after he was wounded in battle by Diomedes, Zeus called him the most hateful of all the gods, adding that if Ares hadn't been his son, he would have surely thrown him into Tartarus with Cronus and the rest of the titans. The war god had perhaps a lot of consorts, with the most popular being the goddess Aphrodite, who was at that time married to his brother, Hephaestus. Aphrodite bore him Deinos, Phobos, and Harmonia, and the four Erotes. Ares also fathered a whole race of female warriors, known as the Amazons. His consort, Otrera, bore him the most famous four Amazons, who were by names, Hippolyta, Antiope, Melanipe, and Penthesilea. My gift to man is love. Not only romantic love, but also of nature, of friendship, between kin, of oneself. My gift to man is beauty. In the exotic, in the mundane. With laughter, and with tears. My gift to man is strife. Strife born of jealousy. Strife born of desire. My gifts to man are abounding. They bring pleasure, and they bring pain. Aphrodite, the Olympian goddess of love, beauty, and sexual pleasure. The enchanting one, the one who is infinitely desirable, but infinitely out of reach. To those who adore her, she is known as the smile-loving, the merciful, and the one who postpones old age. While to those who scorn her worship, she is known as the unholy one, the dark one, the doom of men, and the killer of men. The goddess is identified by the Romans with the name Venus. According to Hesiod, Aphrodite was born from the castrated genitals of Uranus, which fell into the sea near the coast of Cythera. She had risen from the foam of the waters, on a shell, fully grown, and more beautiful than anything or anyone in the universe. However, according to Homer, Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and the Titaness Diona. Thus, the stepsister to the other Olympians Athena, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo, Hermes, and Dionysus. Whichever the story is, the goddess of love was the fairest of all the other goddesses. She was a deity of flawless beauty, lovely, enchanting, and often appearing nude, having a symmetrically perfect body. Sometimes, she is depicted alongside her children, the erots, who were capable of sparking up passion in mortals and gods alike at her will. Her symbols are myrtles, roses, a dove, a magical girdle, and a shell. So lovely was the goddess of love, that no man or god could resist her. Only the three virgin goddesses, Artemis, Athena, and Hestia, were immune to her charms and power. Thus, when Aphrodite arrived on Olympus, her beauty caused great confusion amongst the other gods, as each of them wanted her for himself. So, to bring back peace and order, Zeus quickly married her off to the least attractive Olympian, Hephaestus, god of the forge. Although married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite had affairs with all the Olympian gods, except Hades, the reserved, aloof god, and Zeus, who was supposedly her father. Her most famous lover was the war god, Ares, whom she bore as many as eight children. For Poseidon, she bore one daughter, Rhode, and for Hermes, she bore the hermaphrodites. The goddess also consorted with mortals, the most famous of whom were Anchises and Adonis. Apollo, the Olympian god of the sun and light, music and poetry, prophecy and divination, healing and diseases. The archer, the bright one, the one who speaks crookedly, the charioteer of the patient year. Apollo was the son of the king god, Zeus, and the titaness, Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. His mother, Leto, was one of Zeus' many lovers, and thus, incurred the wrath of Hera, queen of the gods. When the titaness was heavily pregnant with Apollo and Artemis, Hera sent a ferocious dragon python to pursue her throughout the earth, and cursed all the lands to shun her, so she would not find any place on solid land to give birth. But the sea god, Poseidon, took pity on Leto, and showed her the floating island of Delos, where she first delivered Artemis, while balancing her body on an olive branch. Artemis grew up right away, then helped her mother deliver Apollo. Apollo grew strong and tall after being fed with ambrosia and nectar for four days. Every single day, he would mount his chariot of four horses, and drive across the sky, dragging the sun along with him. The sun god was the most good-looking male god among the Olympians, having golden hair, a beardless face, blue eyes, and a muscular build. He was often shown with a crown of laurel on his head, carrying in his hands either a bow and an arrow, a sacrificial tripod, or a lair. The lair is perhaps his most famous symbol, which was given to him by the then little messenger god, Hermes, as an appeasement for stealing Apollo's favorite cattle. Although he was a cool and calm-headed god, Apollo was also quick to anger, a trait shared by almost all the members of his Olympian family. He punished severely whoever dared to disrespect him or his family, or question his honor. To avenge his mother's suffering, Apollo trailed the dragon python that once terrorized his mother, to its place of abode, and shot it with his arrows, wounding it. He pursued the dragon python to Gaia's ancient sanctuary in Delphi, where the monster had hidden itself, and finally killed it. Apollo decided to remain in Delphi afterward, and claimed the sanctuary to his name. There, he used his gifts of prophecy to answer the questions of mortals and divine their future. The high priestess Pythia was then chosen to preside over the temple of Apollo at Delphi, serving as its oracle. Artemis, the gallant goddess of the hunt, and the wild, the moon, and chastity. The Torchbringer, the maiden of the wild, the mistress of animals. Known by the Romans with the name Diana, Artemis was the daughter of the king god, Zeus, and the titan, Leto, and the twin sister of the sun god, Apollo. As punishment for laying with her husband, Hera, the unforgiving queen of the gods, had furiously chased the pregnant Leto throughout the earth, commanding the lions to reject her, so she would not give birth anywhere on solid land. With the help of the sea god, Poseidon, Leto found the floating island of Delos, where she gave birth to Artemis, on the branch of an olive tree. When Hera learned of this, she compelled her daughter, Illithia, goddess of childbirth, to withhold the birth of Leto's second child. However, Artemis grew up in no time, and helped her mother deliver her twin brother, thereby thwarting Hera's plans. Artemis was a youthful, beautiful and energetic huntress, always wielding a bow and a quiver with arrows, and often clad in either a short, knee-high tunic, or a long robe with a crescent crown. She was also often accompanied by a deer, a wolf, or hunting dogs. When Artemis was younger, and asked by her father, Zeus, what gifts she wished, the goddess replied, she wanted to keep her maidenhood for eternity, to be free from love, and to be able to live her life as she pleased. And so it was, Artemis spent her time in the wild. She enjoyed leaping over the moon, going hunting, and wandering in the woods, in the company of a group of nymphs, who had also taken the oath to remain chaste. Artemis guided her chastity ferociously, and in the same vein, she defended the chastity of her followers. Thus, she was utterly merciless, if any one of her priestesses dared to lose their innocence. An instance was Callisto, whom the goddess cast from her presence, and consented to Hera turning the defiled nymph to a bear, because she broke her vow, and became pregnant for Zeus. Dionysus, the Olympian god of wine, the god of vegetation and fertility, the god of pleasure, festivity, merriment, and wild frenzy. He who had a dual nature, who brought joy and divine ecstasy on one hand, or wild and blinding rage on the other hand. The giver of wine, the master of the arts of viticulture. Dionysus was the son of Zeus, and the mortal princess of Thebes, Semele. When the jealous queen of the gods, Hera, learned that the mortal princess was carrying Zeus' child, she visited Semele in disguise, and convinced her to see who her lover really was, if he was good looking or ugly, if he was really a god or a monster. Semele did as she was told, unaware of what was about to befall her. Thus, when the oath-bound Zeus appeared before her in his full glory, she was consumed by the heat of his lightning bolts. Zeus rescued their unborn child from her body, and stitched him up in his own thigh, till the baby was born. However, Hera quickly found out that baby Dionysus was still alive, and called upon the titans to kill him. The titans indeed ripped him to pieces, but the titaness Rhea found his pieces, reassembled him, and brought him back to life. Zeus then conferred immortality on the little god, and gave him to the mountain nymphs to be raised away from the eyes of Hera. Dionysus grew up to become an effeminate, attractive, youthful god, always carrying a pinecone-tipped staff, a drinking cup, and a crown of ivy. He is usually accompanied by a troop of satyrs and wild female devotees, called the myrnads. Stories tell that he was also one of the very few deities who were able to bring a dead person back from the underworld realm of Hades. Dionysus would later wander the world, spreading his worship and temples, becoming one of the most loved gods among men. Then, shall I move again, to the rhythm, to the dance of life. My morning will go, and my powers will flow, freed from the cold. The wheel I shall turn, the land I shall bless, with plentiful growth, with blossoms and all. Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of harvest, of grains, of agriculture. The bearer of food, lady of the grain, the bringer of laws, queen of the green, the great mother of the land, who taught mankind the art of sowing and ploughing. Demeter was one of the six children of Cronus and Rhea, and the second oldest, born after Hestia, but before Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Like almost all of her siblings, she was swallowed after birth, and later rescued from the belly of their father, by Zeus. The goddess is usually shown, as a mature looking, fully clothed, and majestic woman, wearing a crown of flowers, and carrying with her, a sheaf of wheat, or some ears of corn. Her sacred symbols were, a scepter, and a torch. While her sacred animals were, a snake, and a pig. With the king god, Zeus, Demeter had a beautiful daughter, Persephone, whom she loved so dearly. Thus, when Persephone was abducted, by the underworld god, Hades, Demeter grieved intensely, over her daughter's absence. Her grief over Persephone, who had to stay one third of the year, in the underworld, with her husband Hades, is said to be the reason, why there is the cold winter, the time, when Demeter retreats from the world in sorrow, neglecting her duties to mankind. While her joy, whenever Persephone returns, from the underworld, marks the return of spring, and summer, the time, Demeter throws off her mourning, and blesses the fertile lands, with growth, and harvest. The fertility goddess, had very few other consorts, aside Zeus. With a mortal man called Iasian, she bore Plutus, the god of the gods, Lady of the heart, keeper of the flame, Wherever I am, the gods have a home. I enter your dwelling, and make it my own. Blessing all who enter, with harmony and laughter. I am the keeper of the sacred flame. The blaze that consumes the waste and the old. The humble heart that fills the home. Yearn for me, but seek me not. Hestia, is the Olympian goddess of the hearth, and home, the eternal one, the beloved, the lady of the public hearth, who stayed quietly at home, eternally tending the fireplace. Pure, peaceful, calm, and ever loving. She was the most gentle of all the gods. Hestia was the firstborn child of the titans, Cronus and Rhea, and sister to Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, and Demeter. But because Hestia was the last one to be disgorged from the belly of their father, she was sometimes called the youngest of the siblings. Mature and lovely, the goddess is often shown standing by a large fire, carrying a staff, or holding some flowers in her hands. Just like Artemis and Athena, Hestia was a virgin goddess, and it was told that she became a virgin in order to preserve the peace at Olympus. There came a time when both Poseidon and Apollo wanted to marry her. Knowing that choosing either of the two would result in conflict and turmoil, Hestia swore an oath of eternal virginity by placing her hand on Zeus' head. Being the one who maintained peace and order on Olympus and in the homes of men alike, Zeus granted the goddess of the hearth, the central place in the Olympian palace, and the first and richest portion of humans' offerings to the gods. So reserved, quiet and peace-loving was Hestia, that she almost never appeared in stories and myths, and never interfered in the lives of mankind. She remained in the house of the gods, sometimes all alone, tending the eternal divine fire. Hestia's only manifestation among humans was the crackling of the fire, which they say is the sound of the goddess laughing. How foolish, I still was born. Behold, I emerged from his head, fully armed and fully grown. With a cry so mighty, so fearsome, that Uranus and Gaia were shaken with terror. Not a son, Zeus thanked. Goddess of war and wisdom, I can fight you. I can teach you. In ancient Greek religion, Athena is the Olympian goddess of wisdom, war, and military strategy. The goddess of good counsel and practical insight, the protector and patron of the city of Athens. She is identified by the Romans with the name Minerva, and also associated with handicrafts, most especially spinning and weaving. Athena was the daughter of the king god, Zeus, and was born in a very unusual circumstance. Zeus had swallowed Mattis, the goddess of counsel, while she was pregnant with Athena, on learning that her child may overthrow him. But when the time came, Zeus felt a tremendous headache. When he couldn't bear the pain anymore, Hephaestus, the fiery god, struck him with his axe, and, lo! Athena leapt out of Zeus' forehead, fully grown. A powerful goddess, she was Zeus' favorite. Athena was one of the most important Olympians, known under many different names, some of which include, Pallas, the unwearying one, the one of the city, the one with gleaming eyes, and the one who fights in front. She is always depicted as a majestic lady, having grey eyes, with an attractive but stern face, unsmiling lips, and a graceful build, emanating power and authority. She is often clad, either in full armor, with a crested Corinthian helmet, a long spear in one hand, and an aegis in the other, or in a regal robe, with a spindle. At the center of Athena's aegis, is an image of the gorgon's head, Medusa, signifying the gift of Medusa's head she got from Perseus. And just like Medusa's eyes, Athena's shield can also turn her enemies to stone. As a symbol of her wisdom, there is usually an owl, flying alongside Athena, or sitting on her shoulder. And sometimes, there may also be a snake, or an olive branch. Athena represented the intellectual and civilized side of war, and the virtues of justice and skill. Thus, she had moral and military superiority to Ares, the god of war, who represented mere bloodlust. Just like her sister, Artemis, and her aunt, Hestia, Athena was not swayed by love or passion. She was a virgin deity, and could not be violated. She neither had a consort, nor offspring. Some story versions claim that Erechthonius was her son, however, Athena was only his foster mother. According to this version, Hephaestus had tried to force himself on Athena, but the warrior goddess fought him off, so he spilled his semen over the earth, which impregnated Gaia. And when Erechthonius was born, Athena took him under her care. Now, just like the other gods, Athena had a terrible wrath. She dealt unpleasant punishments to any mortal who invoked her anger. The most famous myths of her victims are the story of Arachne, the mortal craftswoman, who was turned to a spider, because she had boasted that she was more skillful than Athena herself, and the story of Medusa, the beautiful woman, who was turned into a hideous gorgon for defiling her temple. Nevertheless, Athena was benevolent. The wisdom and war goddess was most often the main helper of ancient greek heroes. She guided Odysseus during his ten year long journey back to Ithaca, and also helped many others, like Heracles, Perseus, Jason, Diomedes, Bellerophon, Argus, and Cadmus. In ancient greek religion, Hermes is the winged herald and messenger of the Olympian gods. The patron of travelers and wayfarers, the divine trickster, the god of roads, flocks, commerce, and thieves. The conductor of dreams, shepherd of men, and leader of souls. He is also called the inventor of speech, and thus, often associated with interpretation or oratory. Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, the eldest of the seven Pleiades. He was born in a cave, in mount Selene, in Arcadia. And on the first day of his life, he was able to invent the lyre and play a song, celebrating his own birth with it. To invent the lyre, Hermes killed a tortoise and pulled the flesh out of its shell. Then, giving honor to the Pleiades, he stretched seven strings of sheep gut over the empty shell. Hermes is usually depicted as an athletically built, bare-chested youth, always wielding a broad-brimmed hat, winged sandals, and a herald's wand. Hermes' wand is a short-winged staff, decorated by two entangled, identical serpents, and had the power to bring sleep upon people, or wake them from it. Hermes was the only Olympian, capable of crossing the boundary between the living and the dead, and carrying the souls of the dead in the underworld. Thus, he was known as the conductor or the leader of souls. In every way, Hermes was loved by all of the gods and mortals alike. He was very close with his father Zeus, acting as his wingman. The moon goddess Artemis taught him how to hunt, and the nature god Pan taught him how to play the pipes. Hermes was an extremely helpful god. To mention but a few of his good deeds, he was the one who guided Persephone back to her mother Demeter, the one who beheaded the hundred-eyed giant Argus, and the one who showed Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera the way to mount Ida, where Paris was to judge which one of them was the fairest. He also led Perseus to the Graeae, escorted Pandora to Epimetheus, and guided Priam to Achilles' tent. Although Hermes never married, he had a few consorts who bore him children. Aphrodite bore him Hermaphrodites, Cheon bore him Aetolochus, and Penelope bore him Pan. Born small, born sickly, born different, the now cast, the rejected one, the deport by my mother, rejected by my father, whose skills are unmatched, but yet for myself I fashion strong legs of the finest metals, and a chariot of gold, and for others silver hands, legs, swords, and spears, so they can create their own paths, so they can fight their own demons, so they can stand up for themselves.