Saturday, April 19, 2014

Dionysus: God of wine and merrymaking

Roman Names: Bacchus and Liber
Parents: Zeus and Semele
Spouse: Ariadne
Children: Priapus (god of fertility), Deianeira (wife of heracles).
Personality: Rowdy, Fun-loving
Powers and Skills: winemaking, beekeeping, ability to drive mortals mad.
Wears and wields: Crown of ivy, cantharus (wine cup) that magically refills itself.
Attendants: Pan and Silenus (god of drunkenness), maenads, satyrs, centaurs, and all kinds of other party animals.
Chariot pulled by: Leopards

Hermes: God of trade, travelers, shepherds, and thieves

Roman Name: Mercury
Symbols: Tortoise, Ram, and Hawk
Parents: Zeus and Maia
Spouse: None
Children: Pan and Hermaphroditus
Personality: Clever, mischievous, helpful
Power and skills; Speed of the wind, able to conduct the dead to the underworld, quick wits, persuasive tongue, ability to put people to sleep with his wand.
Wears or wields: Winged sandals, a winged travelers hat, caduceus, a golden blade.
Attendants: Pan and his satyrs, the oreads (mountain nymphs)
Special sacrifice:  Lamb and young goats

Hephaestus: God of Fire, Blacksmiths, and Volcanoes

Roman name: Vulcan, Mulciber
Symbols: Anvil, Donkey, Crane
Parents: Zeus and Hera
Spouse: Aphrodite
Children: King Erichthonius of Athens\
Personality: Kind and hardworking
Powers and skills: Amazing talent for metal working, masonry, sculpture, and other crafts
Wears or wields:  Hammer, tongs, workmans cap
Attendants: Cyclopses, and automatons
Special sacrifices:  Animal fat burned over his special flame
Chariot pulled by:  Instead of chariot, he rode a donkey or mechanical throne.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Hestia: Goddess of home and hearth

Roman Name: Vesta
Symbols: Flame and kettle
Parents; Kronos and Reah
Spouse: No. Maiden Goddess
Children: None
Personality: Gentle and Modest
Wears and Wields: Veil over head and a flowering branch
No Chariot

Demeter: Goddess of Agriculture and Grain

Roman Name: Ceres
Symbols: Wheat, Swine, Ghecko
Parents: Kronos, Reah
Spouse: None
Children: Persephone, Plautus, Arion
Personality: Kind and Maternal
Powers and Skills: to cause or prevent a bountiful harvest,
Wears and Wields: Wreath of wheat stalks, torch, golden sickle
Attendants: Dryads
Chariot is pulled by: Dragons

Hera: Goddess of marriage and family

Roman Name: Juno
Symbols:  Lily, Cow, Cuchoo
Parents: Kronos and Reah
Spouse: Zeus
Children: Ares, Eris, Hephaestus, Hebe, Eileithyia
Personality: Queenly, Jealous
Wears and Wields: Crown, Lotus scepter
Attendants:  Hebe, Iris, the Hesperides, the hours, Eileithyia
Chariot pulled by: Peacocks

Monday, March 17, 2014

Hades: God of the Underworld and the Dead

Roman Names: Pluto, Dis, Orcas
Symbols: Cypress tree, Narcissus (a flower), the horn of plenty
Parents: Kronos and Reah
Spouse: Persephone
Children: Melinoe, Zagreus, Macaria
Personality: Grim and merciless
Powers and Skills: Control over spirits of the dead, invisibility
Wears and Wields: Helmet of invisibility, two-pronged pitch fork, keys to the underworld
Attendants: The furies, Hecate, Cerberus
Chariot pulled by: Black horses