The name Venus means
“beauty” or “charm.” Poseidon was one of the Olympian deities of the Greeks, the
son of Cronus and Rhea. His sphere of power covered the sea, water (not rivers)
and earthquakes (Clayton 158). He had similar powers of Zeus in these fields,
but was ultimately less powerful. He was mostly worshiped on the island called
Atlantis. Offerings were given to him were given when sea goers wanted calm
voyage or needed help in navigation. Poseidon had an affair with Medusa and she
bore him a Pegasus as a child. The Roman God of Water was called Neptune. The
Romans were not a seafaring community in early times and Neptune was of little
importance or worry to them. His festival was celebrated on the height of summer
during the driest time of the year. The date was July twenty-third. The Greek
God of Love, usually represented as a small chubby winged child, was called
Eros. He was usually equipped with a bow and a quiver full of arrows. These
arrows were used to induce love, as well as the lighted torch he was sometimes
shown holding. By riding on a lion or dolphin, or breaking the thunderbolts of
Zeus one would know that this indicated his power over both gods and men. The
Roman God of Love, Cupid, was also usually represented as a small chubby naked
child armed with a bow and quiver of arrows. Mischievously he would aim ‘Cupid’s
darts’ at will; at times causing untold mayhem as they caused those they pierced
to fall in love with the first person they met. In classic arts he is often
shown playing a game such as quoits, but sometimes he wears a helmet and carries
spear and shield to show that even Mars, God of War, gives way to love. His
encounter with Psyche shows him in a more serious aspect (Clayton 63). Psyche
would eventually be married to Cupid, after many hardships. Artemis was the
daughter of Zeus and his mistress Leto. Born on the island of Delos with a
slightly younger twin brother, Apollo. She was the eternal virgin huntress
goddess, even though she had a very vindictive nature. She was responsible for
several deaths, including Callisto and Orion. At Ephesus, she was worshiped more
as a mother goddess then a huntress. Bees and stags were animals most often
associated with her. Her temple was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World. Diana was very similar to the Greek Goddess Artemis. Born on
Delos with a twin brother named Apollo, Diana was the Goddess of Hunting. She
had two particular shrines in Italy: one at Aricia on the shores of Lake Nemi,
where she is known as Diana of the Woods, and the other at Capua under the name
of Diana Tifatina, known as the Goddess of the Crossroads (Clayton 69).
Her cult
allowed human sacrifice, and her priest could be replaced by whom ever killed
him. In Greek mythology the messenger of the gods, son of Zeus and the nymph Maia, was known as Hermes. He also had the role of escorting the dead to the
Underworld. He was also the patron of merchants and seamen, of good luck, and of
thieves and pickpockets, and was known for his mischief making. Often used by
Zeus as an intermediary in various situations, he was rewarded with a winged
helmet and a pair of sandals, which he used for walking the roads. Mercury was a
Roman god, and son of Jupiter and Maia. He was the messenger of Jupiter. He was
often seen with the caduceus (a wand), broad-rimmed hat, winged sandals and
purse. He, like Hermes, protected the merchants. His name has the root word
‘merx’ meaning merchandise. Apollo, twin brother of Artemis, had Zeus as a
father and a nymph as a mother.
He was born under the shade of a single palm
tree, the only tree on the island. Apollo’s major shrine was at Delphi, but
before he could have this he had to rid the place of the monster. Python, a
dragon or serpent, had terrorized the countryside for a long time. After slaying
this creature Apollo initiated the Pythian Games, in honor of Python. Delphi
became noted for the pronouncements made by the priests when they were in a
hallucinatory state, most likely after chewing on bay laurel leaves. The
legendary Heracles, a half god warrior, came to Delphi to seek advice from the
oracle. He was dissatisfied with what he heard and tried to steal the sacred
tripod, emblem of Apollo. Heracles and Apollo fought over the tripod, but Zeus
separated them and returned the tripod back to Delphi. Apollo was also the God
of Music, Fine Arts, Poetry, and Eloquence. Apollo was also the God of Medicine,
which was used to cure as well as attack. Apollo was also responsible for the
plague that struck the Greeks at Troy. He had a number of encounters with
mankind, working at times for a king as a herdsman. He had several love affairs
with mortal girls and nymphs, a number of whom assumed other shapes in an
endeavor to escape his attentions. Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, daughter of
Metis by Zeus, had a very strange birth. Zeus had been warned that if Metis had
a female child that a male child would follow and eventually overthrow him.
|
