| Greek Deities II |
| Hades Pluto The brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon, another brother, for shares of the world. He had the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. All the dead - good or bad - traveled to this land, guided by Hermes. Hades is a greedy god, and was greatly concerned with increasing his number of subjects in the Underworld. He seldom left his kingdom, but did possess a helmet that could make him invisible. Hades is also the god of wealth, as everything under the earth belongs to him. Subjects in his kingdom referred to him as "the rich one". He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious. His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but, death itself is another god, Thanatos. Hebe Juventus Hebes is the goddess of youth, and the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She poured the nectar of the gods on the Olympus until Ganymede replaced her. Hebe also prepared Ares' bath, and helped Hera to her chariot. After Heracles became a god, he married her. The Romans called her Juventas ("youth"). She was portrayed as a young woman, wearing a sleeveless dress. On various vases she is shown as cup bearer of the gods, or as bride of Heracles. Famous was the --now lost -- statue of Hebe, made of ivory and gold, by Naucydes (brother of Polycletus) in the 5th century BC. This statue was also shown on more recent coins from Argos. Hecate Trivia Goddess of the Crossways, the Dark Side of the Moon, and Magic Hecate is the Greek goddess of the crossroads. She is most often depicted as having three heads; one of a dog, one of a snake and one of a horse. She is usually seen with two ghost hounds that were said to serve her. Hecate is most often mispercepted as the goddess of witchcraft or evil, but she did some very good things in her time. One such deed was when she rescued Persephone, (Demeter's daughter, the queen of the Underworld and the maiden of spring), from the Underworld. Hecate is said to haunt a three-way crossroad, each of her heads facing in a certain direction. She is said to appear when the ebony moon shines. Helios Sol Helios was the Greek god of the sun. Every day, he would drive his golden chariot across the sky from the east to west. Then at night, he would rest before crossing the sky the next day. Helios' chariot was made of gold, and was pulled by four golden horses - Pyrois, Eos, Aethon and Phlegon. Helios saw and knew all, so he was often called upon to be a witness. He was represented as a youth with a halo, standing in a chariot. He is attributed with the whip and the globe. Hephaestus Vulcan The son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father. He is the only god to be physically ugly. He is also lame. Accounts as to how he became lame vary. Some say that he took Hera's side in an argument with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. Others that Hera was outraged at the hideous child, and threw him from Mount Olympus. Hephaestus fell through the clouds and sky down to the earth, and landed in the sea. Hephaestus was raised in the sea by two nereids, and he grew up happily in the underwater world. As the years passed, he became very skilled in the art of decorative work in iron and other metals. He was a gifted designer, and crafted the most beautiful jewelry. One day Hera saw some of the beautiful jewelry that her son had created. She demanded to know who it was that could create such a lovely piece with such talent. Zeus sent messengers to fetch Hephaestus, but he refused to come to the surface. Finally his brother, Dionysis, filled him with wine and persuaded him to meet with Hera on Mount Olympus. Once on the surface, Hera gave Hephaestus a massive workshop with many bellows, anvils, and helpers. Hephaestus created many beautiful ornaments, weapons, decorative furniture, and jewelry. Hera then decided that Hephaestus should have a wife, and it was arranged for him to wed Aphrodite. However, Aphrodite would have many affairs with other gods and mortals, and Hephaestus soon grew regretted his marriage to Aphrodite. He is the god of fire and the forge. He is the smith and armorer of the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge. He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers. He is kind and peace loving. His wife is Aphrodite. Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia. Hera Juno The wife and sister of Zeus. She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. She is the protector of marriage and takes special care of married women. Hera's marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Zeus courted her unsuccessfully. He then turned to trickery, changing himself into disheveled cuckoo. Hera feeling sorry for the bird held it to her breast to warm it. Zues then resumed his normal form and taking advantage of the surprise he gained, raped her. She then married him to cover her shame. Once when Zeus was being particularly overbearing to the other gods, Hera convinced them to join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to drug Zeus, and in this she was successful. The gods then bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch taking care to tie many knots. This done they began to quarrel over the next step. Briareus overheard the arguments. Still full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped in and was able to quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grabbed up his thunderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy. He seized Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains. She wept in pain all night but, none of the others dared to interfere. Her weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to release her if she would swear never to rebel again. She had little choice but, to agree. While she never again rebelled, she often intrigued against Zeus's plans and she was often able to outwit him. Together, Hera and Zeus had three children; Ares, Hephaestus, and Hebe. However, Zeus had many affairs with other women. This caused great jealousy for Hera, and she was notorious for punishing her rivals and their children - whether they were goddesses or mortals. Even Zeus had trouble standing up to her. Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. Her favorite city is Argos. She is also associated with the pomegranate, and the crow, which are symbols of marriage. Hera is portrayed as a solemn and majestic woman. Hercules God of strength Hermes Mercury The son of Zeus and Maia.He also acted as the messenger for the gods and goddesses. He is the fastest of the gods. Hermes was the Greek god of riches, trade, and good fortune. Hermes was the patron of trickster and thieves, as he himself stole a herd of cows five minutes after he was born. Hermes also escorted the dead to the Underworld for Hades. Hermes was also responsible for the birth of science and astronomy. He created the first alphabet and the first musical scale. Hermes developed weights and measures for grain and liquids, and also discovered that he could make fire by triwling a hard wood stick in a hole in the side of a dry rotten tree stump. The attributes of Hermes are the caduceus (a staff with two intertwined snakes) and a purse (a symbol of his connection with commerce). He is dressed in a wide cloak, wearing talaria (winged sandals) and petasus (winged hat). He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy , weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees. Hespera Goddess of Dusk Hestia Vesta The sister of Zeus. Hestia was the Greek goddess of the hearth fire, and presided over domestic life. She is the eldest sister of Zeus, and the oldest daughter of Rhea and Cronus. She was also the gentlest of all the Olympians. Hestia had no throne on Mount Olympus, but tended the sacred fire in the hall. Every hearth on Earth was her altar. The Hearth, was a symbol of the house around which a new born child is carried before it is received into the family. Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed to go out. The ass is Hestia's sacred animal, and she is portrayed as a stern woman, wearing a long dress and with her head covered. Her right hand rests against her side and in her left hand she holds a scepter. Hygeia In Greek mythology, Hygieia is the personification of health. She is closely associated with Asclepius's cult and is sometimes considered to be his daughter. Her sacred animal is a snake, depicted drinking from a cup held in her hand. Also, the goddess Athena was worshipped as Hygieia. Her Roman equivalent is Salus. Hymen Hymen or Hymenaeus was the god of marriage and the marriage feast or song. He is often depicted with a marriage feast torch in his hand. This god was the son of Aphrodite by Dionysus and therefore the full brother of Priapus. His attributes are referred to in the opening sections of Homer's Iliad as well as playing a part in Virgil's Aeneid. He is a character in both As You Like It and The Tempest by Shakespeare. In Greek mythology he plays a prominent part as a subordinate character in certain cycles, for example: "Hymen had been called to bless with his presence the nuptials of Orpheus with Eurydice; but though he attended, he brought no happy omens with him. His very torch smoked and brought tears into their eyes. In coincidence with such prognostics, Eurydice, shortly after her marriage, while wandering with the nymphs, her companions, was seen by the shepherd Aristaeus, who was struck by her beauty and made advances to her." (Bulfinch's Mythology) Thus we see how the torches were part of a casting for omens at the feast with regard to the success of the marriage. He was also the personification of the wedding hymn (humnos) which made be the word from which the god's name derives. Hypnos Hypnos is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology. He is the son of Nyx and Erebus, and the twin of Thanatos ("death"). Both he and his brother live in the underworld. He gave Endymion the power of sleeping with open eyes so he could see his beloved, the moon goddess Selene. Hypnos is portrayed as a naked young man with wings attached to his temples, or as a bearded man with wings attached to his shoulders. Iris In Greek mythology, Iris is the Goddess of Rainbow. As a messenger of God Zeus and his wife Hera, Iris left Olympus only to convey the divine command as an advisor and guide. Traveling with the speed of the wind, she could go from one end of the earth to the other, and to the bottom of the sea or to the depths of the underworld. Iris was represented as a beautiful maiden, with wings and robes of bright colors and a halo of light on her head, traveling across the sky with a rainbow in her wake. Among the duties of the Greek Goddess Iris was that of leading the souls of dead women to the Elysian Fields. In token of that faith the Greeks planted purple Iris on the graves of women. The Greek symbolism for the iris comes down to us by word of mouth in the form of a myth that was old in Homer's day. Kastor & Polydeukes Castor & Pollux The Heavenly Twins |