Who is pantheon in greek mythology

Rituals are usually understood to hold deep symbolic meaning. Sacrifice: Topic A type of religious offering, or gift to a superior or supreme being, in which the offering is consecrated through its destruction. Shrine: Topic Place regarded as holy due to an association with a divine figure, relic, or event.

Shrines are important places in most religions, and are often a focus of worship or meditation. Theogony of Hesiod From Milestone Documents of World Religions Hesiod was an ancient Greek poet known principally for one of his two surviving epic poems: Theogony, written sometime around bce to relate the mythology of the gods.

Subject Guide. Credo Reference. Email Me. Report a problem. In the Homeric Hymn to Hermes , from around BC, Hermes stands at Olympia on the bank of the river Alpheius and divides a sacrifice into 12 portions for the gods. But how can you tell Ares from Apollo? Do you know the difference between Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite?

King of the gods is Zeus — or his Roman equivalent, Jupiter — who rules over Mount Olympus and is the god of thunder and lightning, as well as law and order. You can recognise Zeus by his symbols — the thunderbolt, the eagle and the oak tree — and as a sky god he is often shown among clouds or sitting on top of Mount Olympus.

When Zeus was born, his mother Rhea hid him in a cave on the island of Crete, and instead fed Cronos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. When Zeus grew up, he forced Cronos to throw up his brothers and sisters, waged war on his father, and won. Her symbols are the peacock, the cuckoo and the cow — animals she considered sacred — and her chariot is pulled by peacocks instead of horses. In this gold hat jewel, made in the 16th century, she is shown at the Judgement of Paris read more on that here and here accompanied by a blue peacock.

She is the goddess of marriage, childbirth and fertility. God of the sea, horses and earthquakes, Poseidon — or Neptune — is often shown driving a chariot of horses or sea creatures and wielding the trident he used to control the waves.

On this ewer, Poseidon or Neptune is shown at the stem, riding a sea monster and holding his trident. As his brothers Zeus and Hades rule the skies and the underworld, Poseidon was given control of the sea and protected sailors and seafarers.

This Romano-British statuette shows Mars, the god of war, fully decked out in his characteristic armour, missing the original spear and shield he would once have held. You can recognise Mars or Ares by his armour and weapons — usually a spear and a shield — and the god is sometimes accompanied by a boar or a vulture.

Although he was unpopular with the other gods of the classical pantheon, with the exception of his lover Aphrodite, Ares was particularly admired in Sparta as the ideal soldier.

By contrast, his Roman equivalent Mars was far more popular, seen as second only to Jupiter, and was considered to be the protector of Rome. Goddess of reason, handicraft, wisdom, and war, she is the daughter of Zeus and according to legend, sprang fully grown from his forehead, dressed in armour.

She also gives her name to the city of Athens. Athena — and Minerva, her Roman equivalent — is often shown wearing a helmet to demonstrate her prowess in war, and her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.

In the founding myth of Athens, Athena beat Poseidon in a competition over patronage of the city by growing the first olive tree, hence its association with her. By contrast, Poseidon gave Athens a spring of salted water which was far less useful to the city. This tetradrachm coin from 5th century BC Athens shows Athena wearing a crested helmet decorated with olive leaves, and an owl with an olive spray features on the reverse side.

Demeter — and her Roman counterpart Ceres — was the goddess of agriculture and the harvest and is often depicted with crops such as barley and wheat, or a cornucopia of produce. Demeter also presided over the fertility of the earth and the natural cycle of life and death. She was the mother of Persephone who was abducted by Hades and forced to live in the underworld for six months of the year.

According to Greek mythology, when her daughter was abducted, Demeter searched for her continuously, preoccupied with grief, and as a result, her attention was diverted from the harvest and plants began to die.

When Persephone returned, Demeter cared for the earth again and things began to grow and this cycle was said to create the seasons. This 2nd-century AD statue shows Demeter bearing a torch, which is associated with her endless search for her daughter.

You can visit this object on display in the Enlightenment gallery. Apollo is the only god in the classical pantheon to share the same name in both Greek and Roman traditions. The twin brother of Artemis — or Diana — Apollo has many associations including the sun, music, archery, prophecy and healing. His symbols include naturally enough the sun, a bow and arrow, a lyre, and a swan.

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