Greek Name:                        Roman Name:                       God/goddess of:

Zeus                                       Jupiter                                    Head honcho; leader of the gods.

Hera                                        Juno                                       Zeus’ wife.  Protector of marriage.  Hates Trojans

                                                                                                & makes trouble for Aeneas.

Poseidon                               Neptune                                 Zeus’ brother.  God of the sea who plants trouble

                                                                                                for Odysseus.

Hades                                     Pluto or Dis                           Zeus’ other brother.  God of the underworld.

Athena                                   Minerva/Athena                  Zeus’ daughter (has no mom).  War-like & wise. 

                                                                                                Protector of the city.  Loooves Odysseus.

Apollo                                    Apollo                                    Son of Zeus, brother of Artemis.  God of prophecy, healing, and archery. 

                                                                                                Causes the plagues at the beginning of The Iliad and Oedipus Rex.  Also pulls

                                                                                                the sun across the sky, so in a sense is the god of light.

Artemis                                  Diana                                      Zeus’ daughter.  Goddess of the hunt.  A virgin, and

therefore a goddess many chaste or faithful women (such as Nausikaa & Penelope) are compared to.

Aphrodite                              Venus                                     Zeus’ daughter.  Goddess of love & beauty who gave

                                                                                                Helen to Menelaus.  She is married to Hephaestos &

                                                                                                we find out she has an affair w/Ares in The Odyssey. 

Hermes                                   Mercury                                 A son of Zeus.  Zeus’ messenger who tells Kalypso

                                                                                                to let Odysseus go & reminds Aeneas of his mission

                                                                                                to found Rome when he stays in Carthage too long.

Ares                                       Mars                                       Zeus & Hera’s son.  The god of war.  Plays a big part

                                                                                                in The Iliad but only shows up in The Odyssey to get

caught in bed w/Aphrodite.

Hephaestus                           Vulcan                                    Sometimes said to be the son of Zeus & Hera,

                                                                                                sometimes of Hera alone.  God of fire; a blacksmith

                                                                                                who is lame and the only god who s not perfect.  Married to Aphrodite.