My Blind Facts

Junros Jhon O. Manalaysay

I’m so happy when I heard that Mr. Reyes will gonna teach us the myth of the great Greek philosophers. I was so excited when I heard that news. Greek mythology is one of the best topic that I a want him to discuss. Things here are so diff. than the other stories. Iliad is one of my favorite topic. I always focus myself to this confusing story. Few of My classmates cant catch up with the story.

      One of my favorite act. Is when I was commanded to report. Our report is about the experience of each another by means of love life. I reported my own love life, I was so nervous while reporting because my crush was listening. She is looking at me very thickly like she wants me to kill. That time it was so embarrassing. But I still blame my self because she got angry with me and she always looking at me barely with her deadly eyes.

      Well that is not important anymore because I’m pointing my self to a topic that’s far from that girl.

       The OlympianS

Zeus   

• Names of Zeus
• Zeus and the Trojan War
• The Creation of Men and Women
• The Ages of Men
  • The Golden Age
  • The Silver Age
  • The Age of Bronze
  • The Age of Heroes
  • The Age of Iron

The Olympian

The son of Kronos (Cronos) and Rheia, Zeus (like his father before him) deposed his aged father from the Throne of Eternity. As Kronos was about to slay his father, Ouranos (the Heavens), he was warned that his own son would someday depose him. In fear and greed, Kronos swallowed his first children as they were born, but Rheia tricked Kronos and when the sixth child, Zeus, was born, she substituted a stone for the infant and Kronos swallowed it down, unknowing that his father’s prophecy was coming to fruition.

Zeus was hidden and raised in secret until he was old enough to fulfill his destiny. One day he ambushed Kronos while out hunting. Zeus kicked Kronos in the stomach so hard the aged god vomited up the stone and the five divine, undigested gods and goddesses: Demeter, Hades, Hestia, Hera and Poseidon. In gratitude, and bowing to destiny, Zeus was unanimously declared leader of the immortals.

Zeus made his domain the mountain tops and clouds, where he could survey and vitalize all creation. He married his elder sister, the eternally beautiful Hera. She was jealous and vengeful of her husbands affections and his many love affairs with goddesses and mortals gave her endless worry and caused much divine wrath to be visited on the mortals.

Names of Zeus

In The Iliad, Zeus is mentioned on almost every page. He is referred to in many ways and by numerous names:

• God
• Zeus of the Aegis
• Zeus the cloud gatherer
• Zeus of the wide brows
• Father Zeus
• Son of Kronos
• Lord of Hera
• Zeus of the thunderbolt
• father of gods and men
• The Olympian
• Zeus on high the sky dweller
  
  

Zeus and the Trojan War

Regardless of what started the Trojan War, Zeus had several goals to accomplish before the war could end. With Hera, Athene (Athena), Poseidon, Ares and Aphrodite on the side of the Akhaians (Achaians), i.e. the Greeks, there was never any doubt that Troy would fall and the Trojans would be murdered or enslaved. Otherwise, Zeus would face a rebellion on Mount Olympos (Olympus).

After Aphrodite and Ares were wounded at Troy, Zeus ordered all Immortals to stay out of the fighting. Zeus went to Mount Idaand directed the combat so as to give glory to his beloved Hektor (Hector). There were many sons of the Immortals in the battle for Troy. Zeus let his son Sarpedon die on the battlefield at the hands of another of his sons, Aias (Ajax). Aphrodite was wounded protecting her son Aineias. Ares’ son, Askalaphos, was killed, and, of course, Akhilleus (Achilles), son of the goddess Tethys, was to be the grand sacrifice.

At one point, the war was going so badly for the Akhaians that Hera could not contain her eagerness to help. Under false pretenses, she received glamour and love charms from Aphrodite. and, with their magic, seduced Zeus on the peaks on Mount Ida. When Zeus saw her coming, he was so overwhelmed by desire that he praised her beauty and then went on to tell her that she was more beautiful than (Iliad, book 14, line 315) the wife of Ixion who bore him Peirithoos, sweet Danae who bore him Perseus, Europa who bore him Minos and Rhadamanthys, Semele who bore him Dionysos, Alkmene (Alcmene) who bore him Herakles (Heracles), the queen Demeter, and glorious Leto, mother of Apollon and Artemis. According to Zeus, Hera’s beauty surpassed them all. While Zeus slept after the love making, Poseidon had secretly entered the battle on the side of the Akhaians.

Poseidon was bellowing and shrieking from the battlefield and the mighty sound awakened Zeus from his slumber. Zeus, realizing the deception of Hera and the boldness of Poseidon, sent Hera to Mount Olympus to fetch Iris and Apollon. Wind footed Iris was sent to warn Poseidon of his folly and, seeing the wisdom of it, he withdrew. Zeus sent Apollon to revive the wounded Hektor and, holding the aegis of Zeus, Apollon charged against the Akhaian defenses, pushing them back to their beached ships.

After Zeus was satisfied with giving his glory and punishment, he ordered all the Immortals to assemble on Mount Olympus. He told them to choose sides and enter the battle as they saw fit. The war was almost at an end, but The Odyssey was just beginning.

The Creation of Men and Women

Hesiod, in The Works and Days and Theogony, tells the story of the creation of women by Zeus (Works, line 50). One of the Titans, Prometheus, the son of Iapetos and Klymene (Clymene), had stolen fire from Zeus and given it to the shivering mortals on the earth. In his anger, Zeus had Prometheus bound to a rock and tortured by an eagle eating at his imperishable liver (Theogony, line 522), until Herakles, also doing the will of Zeus, killed the eagle and set Prometheus free. As an additional punishment for the effrontery of Prometheus, Zeus, with the help of other gods, created an evil thing in the form of a young woman, and thus called her Pandora, ‘giver of all’ or ‘All-endowed’. Hephaistos had designed her body from the earth and waters and gave her a voice, Athene gave her dexterity and skill, Aphrodite put a veil of enchantment around her head and Hermes put treachery in her petty mind. All this was done exactly as Zeus had instructed. When she was complete, Zeus unleashed Pandora on, what Hesiod called, ‘the fourth generation of mortal men’. She was given as a gift to Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus. Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus but Pandora was so beautiful and, literally, irresistible, Epimetheus could not refuse. When the gift was ‘opened’ all the woes and sorrow therein escaped into the wide world, only Hope remained inside. (Works and Days, line 96) 

The Ages of Men

The creation of men had five transformations. In Works, Hesiod recounts the ages of men: the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Age of Bronze, the Age of Heroes and finally, the time of Hesiod, the Age of Iron. (Works and Days, line 106)

The Golden Age

The Golden Age of mortal people was, as you might expect, wonderful. They extended friendship to all mortals and respect to all Immortals. They lived without disease or hardship. When it came time for them to die, they laid down to sleep and awoke as a blessed spirit, roaming the earth and doing good deeds for all the righteous souls they meet.

The Silver Age

The Silver Age was not as good as it may sound, in fact, it was quite inferior to the previous golden generation. This generation of mortals stayed as children for one hundred years and then, reaching their adulthood, were disdainful of their creator, Kronos, and incurred his wrath. They too, were destroyed. After death, they were transformed into blessed spirits. They are secondary and underground but still deserving of worship.

The Age of Bronze

The Bronze Age mortals were made from the ash spear. They were men of warcraft and violence. They finally extinguished themselves and Hesiod does not say if they were turned into spirits.

The Age of Heroes

The Age of Heroes, the fourth age, was the period prior to, and including, the Trojan War. It was the Age of Blood and Glory. Where the sons and daughters of the Immortals populated the earth alongside the mere mortals. These lesser creations of Zeus, mortal men, were the pawns of the Heroes and the toys of the Immortals. Zeus established a godly domain for the spirits for the deceased heroes at the end of the world. Zeus also released his father, Kronos, from Tartaros to join the heroes in their paradise.

The Age of Iron

The Age of Iron was the age of Hesiod (800 B.C.E.) and, I assume it’s also, the age we live in now. If that is true, by the will of Zeus, we are doomed to hardship and, finally, pitiless destruction. There’s absolutely nothing we can do about it, resistance is futile.

Zeus is most often confused with the Roman god, Jupiter.

Aphrodite    Goddess of Love

• Aphrodite in The Trojan War
• Aphrodite and Ares

Goddess of Love

According to Hesiod (Theogony, line 190), when Kronos(Cronos) had cut off his father’s members, he tossed them into the sea. The immortal flesh eventually spread into a circle of white foam... from this foam, Aphrodite was created. Her name literally means foam-born. She was attended by Eros (the primal god of Love) and Himeros when she was first born but when she stepped ashore on the island of Kypros (Cyprus) she was a “modest and lovely Goddess”, since known as the Lady of Kypros. Her gentle domain was intended to be “the sweetness of love” and “the whispering of girls” but her adventures, and the adventures of her children, caused as much misery and bloodshed as any of the immortals (except for Ares (the god of War) and Athene (Athena), they thrived on the sanguine).

Aphrodite in The Trojan War

Her love of Alexandros (a.k.a. Paris) helped move the Trojan War into it’s bloodiest and saddest phase. The Trojans and the Achaians, (Greeks), agreed that Menelaos (Helen’s Achaian husband) and Alexandros (Helen’s Trojan lover) would fight for Helen, and her possessions, in single combat. The assembled armies swore oaths that they would abide by the results of the duel and all declared an end to their nine year quarrel. The duel began . . . (Iliad, book 3, line 380) Alexandros was dealt a deadly blow and should have died on the battlefield, but Aphrodite covered him in mist and removed him to his perfumed bedchamber, unharmed. Aphrodite then went to Helen (Iliad, book 3, line 426) and threatened to encompass her with “hard hate” if she did not go to Alexandros and comfort him.

The Trojan War was, of course, not Aphrodite’s fault but her love for Alexandros, and her meddling caused considerable misery and death among both armies. Later (Iliad, book 5, line 311), Aphrodite, once again, entered the fray to save the life of her son Aineias (Aeneas). As she was shielding her staggering son from the thunderous assault of Diomedes, she was wounded in the hand. Athene, another meddler in the Trojan War, had given Diomedes the power to see the immortals on the battlefield. She advised him (Iliad, book 5, line 129) to avoid all the gods except Aphrodite, “her at least you may stab”. Diomedes lunged at Aphrodite and his pitiless bronze spear tore through the robe that the Graces had carefully woven and cut the flesh of her immortal palm. The blood of the gods, ichor, poured darkly on her perfect skin (Iliad, book 5, line 340) as she fled the battlefield and went to Mount Olympos (Olympus) to seek comfort from Dione. Zeus advised her, No, my child, not for you are the works of warfare. Rather concern yourself only with the lovely secrets of marriage... (Iliad, book 5, line 428).

Aphrodite and Ares (Love and War)

In The Odyssey of Homer (book 8, line 266), the singer, Demodokos, tells the tale of how Aphrodite and Ares secretly laid together in the bed of her husband, Lord Hephaistos (Hephaestus), the smith of the gods. Helios (the Sun) secretly observed the lovers and told Hephaestus. The smith went to his work and devised clever fastenings that would ensnare and hold the lovers in an unbreakable trap. The careless lovers fell into the trap and Hephaestus stood before the other Olympians and demanded his gifts of courtship be returned. Only after Poseidon (Lord of the Sea) offered to pay the adulterer’s damages if Ares defaulted would Hephaestus loose the bonds. After being freed, Aphrodite went to her sacred precinct on the island of Kypros where she was bathed by the Graces and Ares went Thraceward. Seeing the two lovers in the indignity of the snare, Apollon asked Hermes how he would feel in such a situation. Hermes answered that he would suffer thrice the number of bonds if only he could share the bed of Aphrodite the Golden (Odyssey, book 8, line 342).

She is often confused with the Roman goddess, Venus.

Ares    God of War

God of War

The son of Zeus and Hera, Ares embodied, not just the act, but also the spirit of War.

Disliked by most Olympians but loved by Aphrodite, Ares was a god of action and determination. When he was fighting on the side of the Trojans he was wounded by Pallas Athene (Athena). She donned the helm of Death and, after deflecting his spear, hurled a bolder, knocking Ares senseless. He had to be assisted from the field of battle by Aphrodite. When Ares retreated to Mount Olympos (Olympus) his father, Zeus, said (before commanding Paieon to heal his wounded son) To me you are most hateful of all gods who hold Olympos, (Iliad, book 5, line 889).

Ares was sometimes accompanied into battle by his sister, Eris (Goddess of Discord) and Hades (Lord of the Dead). Ares was the father of Deimos (Fear) and Phobos (Terror), among others. His son Kyknos was killed by Herakles (Heracles) (Theogony, line 421) but Ares was unable to avenge the death because Zeus would not permit his least favorite son, Ares, to harm Herakles, his favorite son. Although hated and feared, Ares was honored by all great warriors, even Herakles.

Ares rode into battle on the side of the Trojans with his horses, Flame and Terror, pulling his war chariot. He swooped down to help Aphrodite defend her son Aineias (Aeneas) (Iliad, book 5, line 355) and saved him from sure death at the hands of the Achaians. While Ares protected Aineias with his shield, Aphrodite made her escape to Mount Olympos to tend her wounds.

He is most often confused with the Roman god, Mars.

Hades   

• Lord of the Underworld
• The Abduction of Persephone

Lord of the Underworld

Hades is one of the six Olympians, i.e. one of the six children of Kronos (Cronos) and Rhea. He and his two brothers divided creation into thirds and each took a portion for their own. Hades chose, as his dominion, The Underworld.

When mortals kneel before the cold hearted Hades, he metes out somber justice and no one, once there, can ever leave his domain (except, of course, Herakles (Heracles), Odysseus, Orpheus and a few others).

The Abduction of Persephone

The story of the abduction of Persephone is a touching explanation for the harshness of Winter and the sweetness of Spring. Hades was so overwhelmed by Persephone’s sweet charms that, instead of wooing her, he abducted her against her will and dragged her to The Underworld.

Hades and Zeus had plotted to abduct the young girl away in secret but their plans were foiled when Helios (the Sun) saw the evil act and told Demeter the fate of her missing child. Persephone was helpless against the wiles of Zeus and remained the unwilling captive of Hades. After several years Demeter found a way to force Zeus’ hand and free her daughter.

Demeter sat in her new home at Eleusis and cursed the earth with famine. Seeds would not grow. Plowed fields remained empty. Zeus and the other immortals were worried that this would be the end of mortal life on earth and thus, their worshipers would die. One by one, the immortals begged her to forgive and forget but Demeter was unmoved.

Zeus sent Hermes to speak gentle words to Hades and persuade him to let Persephone return to her brooding mother. Hades was sympathetic but he was also intent on keeping his bride. He tricked Persephone into eating a pomegranate seed and by doing so she was forever bound to him. Persephone returned to the world of light to see her mother but her stay was only temporary.

Demeter was joyous when Persephone came to her and roused herslf from her destructive brooding. But her joy was tempered by the trickery of Hades and the honey-sweet pomegranate seed. The only one who could change Demeter’s heart was her mother. After pleas from Rhea, Demeter lifted her curse and allowed the earth to blossom and be fruitful again.

It was decreed by Zeus that Persephone would spend two thirds of the year with her mother and the remaining third with her husband, Hades. Each year when Persephone returns from the underworld, Demeter showers the earth with gentle rain and sweet breezes. Each time Persephone returns to Hades, Demeter hardens her heart and the earth is wracked with bitter cold and harsh winds.

Hades is often confused with the Roman god, Pluto.

Athene    Goddess of Wisdom

• The Virgin Goddess
• At the Battle of Troy
• The Grim Goddess
• Athene and Odysseus

Goddess of Wisdom

There is always a degree of uncertainty when we try to be specific as to the names and origins of the Greek gods. This is especially true of Athene. She is called Athene in The Iliad but after 500 B.C.E. she is referred to as Athena. Some of her various other names are of uncertain meaning: Pallas Athene (the ‘young woman’ Athene?) and Glaukopis (blue eyed?) are a few examples. She is also called Tritogeneia because she was raised by the nymphs of the Tritonian lake in Lybia.

Her mother, Metis, was the first wife of Zeus and her name (Metis) might mean ‘wisdom’. If this is true, then it would be more proper to call Athene ‘The Daughter of Wisdom’ instead of ‘The Goddess of Wisdom’.

When Zeus saw that Metis was pregnant, he was afraid that the child, if allowed to live, would be his doom. He swallowed Metis to prevent the birth. It didn’t work. Athene sprang, fully armed and armored, from the head of Zeus but Metis was never seen again.

The Virgin Goddess

Athene is the virgin goddess of intellect and invention. She is one of only three who can resist the charms and spells of Aphrodite. Hestia and Artemis are the other two.

At the Battle of Troy

At the battle of Troy, Pallas Athene descended from Mount Olympos (Olympus) and strode between the two armies, only to inspire the Trojan, Pandaros, to a supreme act of cowardice. Pandaros, against all oaths, loosed the arrow that broke the fragile peace. The arrow injured Menelaos and the bloody war was resumed to the delight and horror of the Olympians.

To avenge Aphrodite’s meddling, Athene gave Diomedes the ability to see the immortals on the battlefield and advised him to avoid them, but she suggested that if he sees Aphrodite, to attack her (Iliad, book 5, line 129). Diomedes obeyed, and Aphrodite was the first immortal to be wounded on that bloody day (Iliad, book 5, line 337).

The Grim Goddess

Athene is called the grim goddess because the snaky head of The Gorgon, Medusa is on her aegis (her shield), but Athene’s gift of the olive tree made her ’grimness’ tolerable. The city, Athens, was named in her honor.

Athene and Odysseus

Her love and protection of Odysseus permitted the long suffering hero to finally return home to his wife and son again. She would assume the shape of men (Odyssey, book 8, line 8), women (Odyssey, book 6, line 23) and children (Odyssey, book 7, line 20) to better serve as guide and protector of the resourceful Odysseus.

She is often confused with the Roman goddess, Minerva.

Artemis   

The Virgin Goddess, twin sister of Apollon

The children of Zeus and Leto, Artemis and Apollon were born on the island of Delos. Both are associated with the bow. Apollon is said to use the curved bow and Artemis uses the silver bow. She is one of only three who are immune to the enchantments of Aphrodite... the other two are Hestia and Athene (Athena).

She is a friend to mortals, and dances through the countryside in her silver sandals giving her divine protection to the wild beasts, particularly the very young. She rides her silver chariot across the sky and shoots her arrows of silver Moonlight to the earth below.

She, like the other Olympians, has favorites among the mortals but she could not protect the fine huntsman, Skamandros (Scamandros), from the spear of Menelaos at the battle for Troy.

Unlike her brother Apollon, Artemis is not skilled in warcraft but she can punish and kill as the will of Zeus dictates. In The Iliad (book, 24, line 603), her mother, Leto, was insulted by a woman named Niobe. Niobe boasted that she had twelve children and Leto only had two. As punishment, Apollon killed Niobe’s six sons and Artemis killed her six daughters.

In The Odyssey (book 15, line 403), Odysseus was told the story of a wonderful island, Syria, where hunger and grim old age have no dominion. When the Fates determined that the noble inhabitants of this island were at the end of their lives, Artemis and Apollon would swoop down and painlessly kill them with their silver bows.

She is sometimes confused with the Roman goddess, Diana.

Eris    Goddess of Discord

Goddess of Discord

Sister of Ares (the god of War), daughter of Zeus and Hera, the hand of Eris can be seen in every quarrel, feud and disagreement. Her eternal and unforgiving rage was the cause of fear and respect on Mount Olympos (Olympus), though despised by the Olympians they dared not confront her.

She rode into battle with her brother and companion, Ares, but she was more generally known for the less deadly forms of conflict; political strife, personal contention, rivalry and wrangling.

She is often confused with the Roman goddess, Discordia.

Hephaistos    Smith of the Gods

• How He Became Lame
• His Wife

Smith of the Gods

Also known as the Artificer of the Olympians. Hephaistos was the lame and clever son of Hera (with no apparent consort). His name may be rendered as Hephaistos or Hephaestus.

Hephaistos fashioned his own mechanical helpers to assist him in his work. They are golden and in the form of living young women; strong, vocal and intelligent (Iliad, book 18, line 417). He built tri-pods that move of their own accord to and from the feasts on Mount Olympos (Olympus) (Iliad, book 18, line 372). He built the homes of all the Olympians and fitted them with clever locks that the other immortals cannot undo. With the help of his Kyklopes (Cyclops), he hammers out lightning bolts for Zeus and all manner of subtle and gentle devices for a select few mortals.

How He Became Lame

In The Iliad (book 1, line 590), Hephaistos reveals how he became lame: at the climax of an domestic dispute, Hephaistos stood with his mother in defiance of Zeus. The Olympian Zeus, in his rage, caught Hephaistos by the foot and hurled him from the magic threshold of Mount Olympos to the earth far below. Three days later Hephaistos landed on the island of Lemnos, broken and nearly lifeless. The goddess Thetis was partly responsible for saving the life of Hephaistos and he never forgot her kindness. She and Eurynome, mother of the Graces, had hidden Hephaistos from the wrath of his own mother after his fall. Hera was violently shamed at the sight of her lame son and would have done him further harm had not Thetis and Eurynome hidden him. He worked secretly with the two goddesses for nine years in a cave perfecting his craft before emerging to his rightful place among the Olympians.

Years later, when Thetis went to Hephaistos forarmor for her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), she wasgreeted by Hephaistos and his wife Kharis (Charis)with open arms. The armor he made for Akhilleuswas so bright, and obviously god-made, that theTrojans fled at the sight of such a divinely protected warrior. Those who didn’t flee were killed without mercy and stripped of their armor and their honor by the, seemingly invincible, Akhilleus. Even the skill of Hephaistos cannot protect mortals from the web and weave 

His Wife

In The Iliad (book 18, line 382), we are told that his wife is Charis. In The Odyssey (book 8, line 269), we hear that his wife Aphrodite (goddess of Love) was caught with Ares (the god of War) in the embrace of love. Helios (the Sun) saw the lovers and told Hephaistos of the deception. The noble smith devised a clever trap to snare the lovers and, once captured, displayed them to the other immortals. Hephaistos refused to release the ensnared couple until he received an adulterers payment from Ares. Poseidon (lord of the Sea) offered to pay if Ares defaulted and Hephaistos loosed the embarrassed lovers from their bonds. Apollon and Hermes watched the spectacle and, when asked, Hermes said he would endure thrice as many bonds if he could only share the bed of Aphrodite the golden (Odyssey, book 8, line 335).

Hephaistos is often confused with the Roman god, Vulcan.

Hera    The Most Beautiful Goddess

The Most Beautiful Goddess

One of the six Olympians, the daughter of Kronos (Cronos) and Rhea, Hera is the beautiful and powerful wife (and sister) of Zeus. Her other brothers and sisters are: Hades, Poseidon, Hestia and Demeter.

She is the most beautiful of the immortals, even more beautiful than the goddess of Love, Aphrodite. Her beauty is renewed each spring as she magically washes away the ware and worry of her immortal existance. Her name appears in many stories and she is often regarded as petty and unforgiving, especially in the case of Herakles (Hercules), but in the story of Iason (Jason) and the Argonauts she is compassionate and protective.

Zeus and Io

The story of Zeus and Io is the sad story of infidelity and revenge. Zeus changed his beautiful lover, Io, into a black and white heifer to hide her from Hera. Hera saw through the ruse and sent Argos Panoptes (all seeing) to keep watch on Io and keep Zeus away. Hermes, doing the will of Zeus, killed Argos and thus received the name Argeiphontes (the murderer of Argos). Hera would not be deterred from her vengeance. She sent a gadfly to torment and constantly prod the poor heifer-maiden so that she might never rest or find comfort. Finally, Io was driven to the ends of the earth (i.e. Egypt) where she found peace. The eyes of Argos can still be seen in the tail of the peacock.

Hera is often confused with the Roman goddess, Juno.

Iris   

 The Wind-Footed Messenger of the Gods

The Wind-Footed Messenger of the Gods

The messenger of Zeus and goddess of the Rainbow. Iris is the daughter of Thaumas and Elektra (Electra) and the wife of Zephyrus (West Wind). She flys from place to place as the faithful voice of Zeus. Her words were never doubted and her presence commands respect amongst Immortals and mortals alike. Her sisters are the winged-women known as the Harpies. When the Argonauts were trying to chase the Harpies away from the blind seer, Phineus, Zeus sent Iris to warn the aggressive sailors not to harm the Harpies. (Argonautika, book 2, lines 288+) (Theogony, line 265-270)

She plays an essential role in The Iliad as the messenger of Zeus. She is also loyal to other Immortals, such as Aphrodite (goddess of Love). When Aphrodite was wounded at Troy, Iris helped her into Ares’s war chariot and drove the injured goddess to Mount Olympos (Olympus) to be treated for her wounds.

Her name means ‘rainbow’, thus implying that her presence is a sign of Hope.

Kronos    Father of Zeus and sire of the Olympians

- Father of Zeus and sire of the Olympians

A fearful god and jealous of his inevitable passing, Kronos was a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia, husband and brother of Rheia.

Kronos killed his father Uranus and tried, unsuccessfully, to kill his children. Rheia had five children and Kronos swallowed them whole as quickly as they were born. When her sixth child, Zeus, was born, Rheia tricked Kronos and gave him a stone instead of the baby. Kronos didn’t find out about the deception until it was too late. Zeus ambushed Kronos and kicked him so hard he vomited forth the other, swallowed, gods, fully grown: Hades, Hestia, Demeter, Hera and Poseidon.

Zeus was made leader by his grateful siblings and each took a portion of creation as their dominion. A war was declared against the Titans and those who would not yield to the authority of Zeus were utterly destroyed. The Titans who fought alongside Zeus and the other Olympians were allowed to keep their rank and power in the new order. The river Styx and her children were the first to come to Zeus’ side. Thereafter, Styx was given a place of honor (and dread) among the immortals as The Oath River.

Zeus exiled Kronos to Tartaros but later he allowed his broken and defeated father to join the Heroes in a paradise at the end of the world.

He is often confused with the Roman god, Saturn.

Poseidon   

• Lord of the Sea
• Poseidon and Athene
• Poseidon and the Siege of Troy
• Poseidon and Odysseus

Lord of the Sea

Poseidon is the son of Kronos (Cronos) and Rheia, brother of Zeus, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera. He is one of the six original Olympians. His mission is to give voice to the earth. Poseidon was commonly called the Earth-Shaker and the Earth-Encircler in the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer. He pounds and shakes the earth and sea with his wrath and pleasure and answers to no one, except Zeus.

His kingdom is the vast sea which he has populated with creatures of his own design. He rides the waves in a chariot drawn by dolphins but, curiously enough, his most honored creation is the horse.

Poseidon and Athene

One story tells of some very clever mortals who devised a competition between the divine Athene (Athena), daughter of Zeus, and Poseidon, brother of Zeus. The contest would be for the two Immortals to devise cunning gifts for the mortals, they in turn, promised to show eternal gratitude to the victor. Poseidon devised the horse and Athene created the olive tree. Athens was named after the contest winner but Poseidon’s gift of the horse literally changed the shape of the ancient Greek world.

Poseidon and the Siege of Troy

As the Trojan War was entering it’s most bloody phase, Poseidon, against the strict orders of Zeus, entered the fray. He went through the ranks of the strong-grieved Akhaians (Akhaians) and urged them to have courage and to lust for victory over the Trojans, who seemed to be winning the war.

Zeus had been seduced by Hera and was lounging in the afterglow of love on Mount Idawhen he heard Poseidon bellowing and screaming from the battlefield in the valley below. Zeus had warned the Immortals to stay away from Troy and now he could see that Hera had tricked him and Poseidon had disobeyed him. Zeus contained his anger and did not lash out at his brother. He sent Iris, the storm-footed messenger instead. She warned Poseidon off the battlefield and Poseidon quickly agreed to withdraw but he was defiant. He said he would leave because of his respect for Zeus but not because of fear.

Poseidon and Odysseus

The rewards and punishments that Poseidon, and the other Olympians, visit on their friends and enemies are as fair or harsh as Zeus will permit. As an example: Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son and received an epic punishment. Actually, if Odysseus had simply blinded Polyphemos he might have been forgiven, but Odysseus went too far, he added insult to injury. He, and his family, paid dearly for his transgression.

Polyphemos was a Cyclops, one of the ‘wheel-eyed’ giants who assisted Hephaistos (Hephaestus) at his forge. Polyphemos was the son of Poseidon and the sea nymph Thoosa. When Odysseus came to Polyphemos’ cave, he and his shipmates were shocked to find that Polyphemos was a man eater. Polyphemos thought he had the puny sailors trapped so he let his guard down. Odysseus relaxed Polyphemos with some potent wine and clever talk, then sprang upon the Cyclops with a burning spear. The monster was blinded as his eye was boiled in the socket. Odysseus made his escape but, in his pride, he turned and taunted Polyphemos with cruel insults. Poseidon would not forgive the indignity that Odysseus had visited upon his son and Zeus could not save Odysseus from Poseidon’s wrath. Poseidon caused Odysseus and his family constant misery but he did not kill the haggard wanderer, he just kept driving him away from his home and thus, his happiness.

On one occasion, (Odyssey, book 5, line 281) Poseidon found the resourceful Odysseus on a raft within sight of land. The sea and the wind rose at Poseidon’s command and with his trident, he staggered the sea and let loose the storm blasts against Odysseus and his tiny raft. Before the raft was smashed to splinters, a sea goddess, Leukothea, saw Odysseus and gave him her veil as protection from drowning but Odysseus was afraid that this was just another one of Poseidon’s tricks. He waited until the raft sank below the crashing waves before he accepted the goddesses help and began the three day swim to the foreign shore. Satisfied that harm but no death had befallen our cursed hero, Poseidon turned away from the long-suffering Odysseus and made his way to his palace.

Poseidon is most often confused with the Roman god, Neptune.

Thetis    Daughter of Nereus

• Mother of Akhilleus (Achilles)
• Thetis and Hephaistos

Daughter of Nereus

Nereus and Doris had fifty daughters (Theogony, line 264). Thetis is one of the Daughters of Nereus. As a group, they are called the Nereids. Thetis was given to Peleus (a mortal) for his undying devotion to the gods on Mount Olympos (Olympus). Thetis and Peleus had a magnificent son, Akhilleus. The fate of Akhilleus was known to Thetis. Simply put, Akhilleus could return to his father and die happy yet forgotten, or, he could die at Troy and be remembered forever as a hero.

Mother of Akhilleus (Achilles)

To protect her son in battle, Thetis provided Akhilleus with armor made by Hephaistos (Hephaestus), the smith of the gods. But during the war at Troy, Akhilleus was angered by Agamemnon, he refused to fight. Instead, he gave his armor to his friend Patroklos (Patroclos). Patroklos was killed as he pressed the attack to the walls of Ilion (Troy). The most brutal fighting of the war was for the armor of Akhilleus and the body of Patroklos. The disgrace to his friend’s body and the theft of his armor brought Akhilleus into the battle, but not before Thetis could persuade Hephaistos to forge new armor for her, soon to be immortalized, son. When Akhilleus strode into battle with his new armor, the Trojans fled in terror. His divine protection was obvious from the blaze of his armor and his divine lineage was also obvious from his beauty and his enormous strength. The Trojans who did not have the good sense or swift feet to run away, were killed. After Akhilleus had had his revenge, Thetis led a procession of her sisters up from the depths to morn openly and to cast a divine mist over the body of Patroklos.

Thetis and Hephaistos

When Hephaistos was thrown from Mount Olympos, Thetis and Eurynome healed him and gave him love and protection. The noble smith has never forgotten their kindness.