Greek Gods and Goddesses - III

Namaskar people!

Took a break from this saga to tel you about ISABS and my Fosters party experience...

Now back to the ultimate sequel of the Olympians... Bringing you the last of the lot... Yennjooyyy people!!

Hermes – the Greek God of Trade and Messenger of the Gods. He shows dead souls the way to Hades's realm and likes to trick people. He is inventive and created the lyre. His Roman name is Mercury.

Cunning Hermes was born inside a cave as son of Zeus and the mountain Nymph Maea. He felt an irresistible impulse of stealing ever since his infancy and quickly developed as the god of the cheaters and the thieves. He has wings on his sandals and therefore is the speediest of all Greek gods.

Thanks to this speed, Hermes received the role of messenger and conductor of souls to the Underworld. The only Olympian god authorized to visit Heaven, Earth and the Underworld, Hermes enjoyed tremendous popularity among gods and spirits.

Most common depiction of Hermes: A young man, wearing traveling clothes, a flat hat known as "petasus" and winged sandals on his feet. Oftentimes he was also considered to have wings attached to his shoulders and hat. Hermes usually held a winged staff with snakes wrapped around it in his hands in order to gain access everywhere.

Hestia - Goddess of the hearth, home and family. This eldest daughter of Rhea and Cronus gave up her seat as one of the Twelve Olympians to tend to the sacred flame on Mount Olympus for Dionysus. Her Roman name is Vesta.

Calm Hestia personified the fire that was burning in the hearth of every home. All families were pouring sweet wine in her name and the fire was not allowed to go out by any family unless it was ritually extinguished. Hestia herself never left her residence, the sacred mountain of Olympus.

All Olympian deities respected and loved Hestia because of her kind, forgiving soul and her discrete character, since Hestia never participated in any disputes or wars. Hestia may not have had a public cult, but she was always worshipped in any temple, regardless of the god it was dedicated to.

Hestia was one of the three virgin goddesses, next to Athena and Hera. Both Poseidon and Apollo wished to marry her; however Hestia had given the oath to Zeus to never enter into a union with a male and to remain forever pure and undefiled.

Poseidon was the God of the Seas, the horses and the earthquakes. Son of Cronus and Rhea, his Roman name is Neptune.

Poseidon was considered to be bad-tempered, moody and greedy. He possessed two palaces, one up in Mount Olympus and the other in the depths of the seas, bejeweled with gold and precious gems. However, Poseidon preferred to stay with his wife Amphitrite beneath the ocean.

Poseidon was the Greek god responsible for natural and supernatural events, mainly the ones associated with the sea world. He possessed a trident which was so powerful that it could shake the earth. Poseidon could cause tempests and earthquakes, drown lands, shatter rocks and had the ability to finally bring back peacefulness.

Most common depiction of Poseidon: Imposing and strong with long, blue hair. His symbols and weapons: The trident and the dolphin, horses, sea foam. (Quite resembles the Hindu god Shiv Shankar, eh?)

Finally, Zeus - The Supreme king of the Gods in Ancient Greece, the ruler of Mount Olympus, ruler of mankind and the god of the sky and thunder. His Roman name is Jupiter.

Zeus was the last child of the titans Cronus and Rhea. His official wife was his sister Hera, the goddess of marriage and monogamy. However, Zeus was renowned for his numerous love affairs.

Zeus was respected and awed by all Gods and mortals. He was the "Lord of Justice", punishing anyone who lied or broke an oath, but was fair and always striving to keep a balance of all things.
Furthermore, Zeus was responsible for the weather and was shaping it according to his temper. When in high spirits, Zeus was blessing the world with fine weather; in case of bad mood, however, he would throw rain, winds, lightning and thunderbolts to cause disaster to the mortals. But even Zeus' powers had their limits, for, however powerful as he was, he had neither the right nor the ability to intervene the decisions of the Fate.

Most common depiction of Zeus: Imposing with long, curly hair. His symbols and weapons: The eagle, bull, oak, the scale and the thunderbolt

Phew! That was quite a task... But, mesmerizing, hai na?!! Wish I could find a book that told all these stories coherently and sequentially. My organized brain can’t handle things flung together without a timeline!

Let me know if you find one!
And let me know how you found this entire compilation :-)
You know I like to hear from you...

Take care!
Princess