The Immoral Immortals
Prometheus
His name means "forethought" and he was able to foretell the future. He was the son of Iapetus. When Zeus revolted against Cronus, Prometheus deserted
the other Titans and fought on Zeus’ side.
Prometheus gave mankind a number of gifts including fire, which he stole from Zeus. He also tricked Zeus into allowing man to keep
the best part of the animals that were sacrificed to the gods and to give the gods
the worst parts.
For this, Zeus punished Prometheus by having him chained to a rock with an eagle tearing at his liver. He was to be left there for all eternity or until he agreed to disclose to Zeus
which of Zeus’ children would try to replace him.
Atlas
Atlas is the son of Iapetus. Unlike his brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus, Atlas fought with the other Titans supporting Cronus against Zeus.
As a result he was singled out by Zeus for a special punishment and made to hold up the sky (Uranus) on his back.
The Goddess Hera, upset by having an ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus, the
home of the Gods, into the sea, which broke his legs, causing him to be lame.
He was disliked by both parents. He is the god of war. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but
also a coward.
When Ares was caught in an act of
adultery with Aphrodite, her
husband, Hephaestus, is able publicly ridicule him because the gods think he is a coward.
Apollo was the god of music and healing. He is associated with the sun.
He was also an archer, and hunted with a silver bow.
She hunts with silver arrows and loves all wild animals. Artemis is the daughter
of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Apollo.
Her symbols include the cypress tree and the deer.
Mosaic of Diana, Goddess of Hunting
(Tunisia, Utica, 2nd c. AD)
Athena is the goddess of wisdom. She is also skilled in the art of war, and helps heroes such
as Odysseus and Hercules.
Hermes is the messenger god, a trickster, and a friend to thieves. He is said to have
invented boxing and gymnastics.
Ken O’Toole’s Hermes, Fort Worth, TX
He is the son of Zeus and the constellation Maia.
Maia Nebula portion of the Pleiades
Dionysus is the son of Zeus
and Semele, a mortal. Zeus
disguised himself as her husband and had sex with
her.
Semele, © Don Michael, Jr.
Semele then demanded that Zeus prove he was a God who could
have impregnated her when he was disguised.
Copyright Michael Engel, 2004
Since only other Gods can look upon a God in all his glory, when Semele saw Zeus, the blaze of light that radiated from Zeus was
too powerful and killed Semele.
G. Moreau. Zeus ja Semele. G. Moreau muuseum, Pariis.
Dionysus was rescued from her womb and planted into Zeus’s thigh.
So . . . he was named Dionysus, which means ‘two mothers’.
Dionysus’ symbols include ivy, the snake,
and grapes.
Copyright 1996-2008 by Kentucky Educational Television
Whomever Eros strikes will instantly fall in love with the first person they see. If it is a gold arrow, it will be true love. If it is a lead arrow, the love will be untrue and will cause great pain.
The New Wave Crew was active on the subway during the early 1980s. Many members were classmates at the High School of
Art and Design.
He was much hated by Hera as he was more proof of Zeus’s affairs. He marries
Hebe, the cupbearer to the Gods.
Romney, George (1734 - 1802), Elizabeth (Warren), Viscountess Bulkeley (1757-1826) as Hebe National Museum of Wales.
Hebe by Antonio Canova.
Circe
Circe is the Dread Goddess. She is the daughter of Helios and she is the mistress of potions and spells.
Muses
The 9 muses attend the festivals on Mount Olympus and entertain and inspire the other gods with their wit and charm.
Pan
The Goat-God who prances through the fertile countryside, in the company of Nymphs, playing his seven-reed pipe in wild abandon.
Faunus
Persephone
Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. She is the wife of Hades, so she is Queen of the Underworld.
Proserpina
Sirens
Half-bird and half lady, these creatures sing men to their death with their secret message. They then devour the men.
Gorgons
Gorgons have snakes about their heads and wrists and were so hideous, the shock of seeing them would turn anyone to stone.
Fates
Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos determine the fate of human life. Clotho spins the thread of life; Lachesis determines the length of the thread; Atropos cuts the thread.
Morae/Hori