One of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes, was actually a statue of Apollo. Many creatures were sacred to him, chief among them the dolphin and the crow. In the Iliad he is also called "the Sminthian," the Mouse-god, but it is unknown whether it was because he protected or destroyed mice.Īpollo is usually shown as a manly, beardless youth of great beauty, his head crowned with laurel leaves, either the bow or his lyre in his hand. One of Apollo's great deeds for mankind was his killing of the serpent Python, who lived in the caves of Parnassus after the Great Flood, because of this he was sometimes called Pythian. Sometimes he is called the son-god and Helios is said to be one of his many names, but in other myths Helios is separate god, the son of the titan Hyperion. One of his more important daily tasks was to drive the Sun across the sky in his golden chariot. He was also the Healer- god, who first taught men medicine and the art of healing. He is also the god of Truth, no false word ever fell from his lips, because of this his oracle at Delphi was very important to people, serving ad a link between men and gods. He is the god of Light, in all the gods, like in men, there is a continuous struggle between good and evil, their light and dark sides, whatever the proportion of one to the other might be in Apollo there was almost no darkness at all, his primitive and cruel side was shown only briefly and in very few myths. He is the Archer-god, master of the silver bow. Born in the little island of Delos he has been called "the most Greek of all the gods." He is a beautiful figure in Greek poetry, the master musician who delights the gods of Olympus with his golden lyre. He was a complex god, and one who plays in important role in many of the stories.Apollo and his twin sister Artemis were the children of Zeus and Leto. Hades is known as being the God of the Underworld in Greek mythology. The months spent with her mother became spring and summer, and the time spent with Hades, became autumn and winter. He ruled that Persephone would spend half the year with her mother and the other half with Hades. Once he kidnapped her to his realm, he tricked her into breaking one the rules of the underworld, eating something while she was there, which forced her to remain there.ĭemeter’s sorrow was so great that Zeus had to intervene as much as he could. He lured her away from her companions with the beauty of an unusual flower. He fell in love with his sister Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, who did not return his affections. One of the few times that Hades came above ground, he so disturbed the balance of nature that it still affects us to this day. Eventually, his name and his realm would become one and the same. He was also known as the grisly god, the Attractor of Man, the Host of Many, and the Other Zeus or the Infernal Zeus, since he reigned supreme below ground as Zeus did above it. Hades is usually portrayed as a sorrowful god with a beard and helmet and the three-headed guardian of the gate to the underworld, Cerebus. He traveled in a golden carriage drawn by four horses. His symbols changed over time and included a fork with two prongs, similar to Poseidon’s trident, a scepter that held the key to the underworld, and a cornucopia that represented his plentiful wealth.
Because he rarely left his realm and he presided over the invisible, he was also called The Unseen One. He also became known as the wealth giver, Plouton, since precious gems, metals, and minerals were found underground where he lived. Hades acquired many nicknames as the god of the underworld, realm of the spirits of the dead. Zeus became ruler of the skies and the heavens, Poseidon ruled the seas and waterways, and Hades became ruler of the underworld. Hades and his two brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, drew lots to determine which realm they would rule. Zeus survived, released his brothers and sisters, and together they defeated their father and his minions, the other Titans. When the seventh child, Zeus, was born, Rhea wrapped a boulder in cloth and presented it to Cronus instead of the child, tricking him into eating the rock instead of his son. His mother Rhea and father Cronus had many children, but because of a prophecy that stated Cronus’ child would be the end of him, Cronus swallowed each of his children as soon as they were born. The dominion of Hades was a world all its own with its own set of rules. The other gods held dominion over everything above ground like love, war, water, and the sky. He was considered a god of Olympus, but was rarely ever there. Hades was known to the ancient Greeks as the God of the Underworld.
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