by Austin Koenig

Created on: June 03, 2009

Guide to the major Greek gods

Greek mythology and the Greek gods have had a tremendous impact on Western culture. It's impossible to imagine Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, for example, without its rich mythological background. So who are the major Greek gods anyway? Read on and find out.

Zeus

Zeus is the king of the gods. He is referred to in the Iliad as "the father of gods and men." Most of the gods in the Iliad, Odyssey, and the major legends/stories are his children, with exceptions. Poseidon (god of the sea) and Hades (god of the underworld) are his brothers, and Hera (his wife) is his sister. He was famous for sleeping around, producing both many children and many stories of his philandering. He wields thunderbolts as weapons, and has the power to change fate, although he won't if it means family unpleasantness. Some episodes he is famous for include: Abducting Ganymede as an eagle, seducing Leda as a swan, and carrying off Europa as a bull. He was also spectacularly bad at protecting his mistresses from his wife. Zeus enables most of the events of the Iliad, by acceding to Thetis' request that that the Greeks be unable to win without Achilles (Thetis' son).

Hera

Hera is Zeus' sister, and his wife. She does not often have a major role, except to badger Zeus about the Trojans, and as a famously jealous wife. In the Iliad, she hates the Trojans, possibly because of the Judgement of Paris (a Trojan prince), which declared Aphrodite (Venus) the most beautiful goddess. Hera had been a goddess in contention for that title, along with Athene, and both of those goddesses fight against Troy. Most stories including Hera are about the revenge she takes on the human women that she sees as her rivals. When Zeus tries to hide Io as a cow, Hera first ties her up under the watch of Argos (the 100-eyed giant), then chases her over the globe with a gadfly. Hera turns Callisto into a bear, and Callisto is hunted and almost killed by her own son. Hera also caused Semele to doubt whether her lover was actually Zeus, and Semele made Zeus appear to her in all of his glory. When he did, her mortal body could not survive his presence. Hera is not recorded as having any mortal offspring, nor does she have any children other than those fathered by Zeus.

Poseidon

Poseidon is the god of the sea and earthquakes. He entered into a contest with Athene to see who could create the most useful

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