Greek and Roman

Greek and Roman

Note from the web mistress: Because of the similarity of the provinces, powers and stories of many Greek and Roman Goddesses, I have combined the two here. If a Goddess is only present in one pantheon or the other, such will be stated next to her name. In cases where only the names differ, Greek names will be listed first, followed by Roman names.

Selene - 'Greek Goddess of the Moon'
by Jessica Galbreth.

View more of her beautiful artwork on her site www.enchanted-art.com/

Aegle: A nymph famous for her brilliance. Her name means radiance and is today used in art to refer to the brightness of color or light.
Althaea: Mother Earth who nourishes and heals. Having given birth to the sun, she is also responsible for its setting, or death.
Amphitrite: A Nereid, she married Poseidon and together they gave birth to Triton. To woo her, he rode a dolphin to greet her, and when his suit was successful Poseidon placed the dolphin among the stars as its reward.
Aphrodite/Venus: Originally a Mediterranean goddess, born from the sea, whom the Greeks absorbed into their religion. She came to be known as a love goddess, representing both carnal and heavenly love. Some think she is sexless, neither male nor female. Burning myrrh and frankincense summons Aphrodite to her worshipers. In Greek mythology, she was born of the sea and dressed upon her birth by the Seasons before being presented to Zeus, who promptly married her to the least lovely but most creative of the gods, Hephaestos. She possessed an embroidered girdle which could inspire love, and her favorite plants were the rose and myrtle. Her son, Eros, inspired desire with his arrows, and as his companion she birthed Anteros as well, who was to avenge slighted love.
Artemis/Diana: Goddess of the hunt, twin of Apollo, born of Leto and Zeus.
Athena (Athene)/Minerva: Goddess of wisdom and war, the offspring of Zeus and Metis. In an attempt to prevent a prophecy from coming true, Zeus swallowed the pregnant Metis. When it came time for Athena to be born, Hephaistos split open Zeus' head, and Athena sprang out fully formed, and fully armed. She holds domain over intellectual activities. She taught men how to make and use tools and the science of numbers, and women how to spin and weave. She preached compassion, and taught mortals how to use strategy in times of war. Her sacred bird is the owl, and her plant the olive.
Bellona (Roman only): A goddess of war.
Demeter/Ceres: Barley mother, goddess of the cornfield, mistress of planting and harvesting, the lady of growing things. With Zeus, she gave birth to Persephone. Poseidon created the horse in his efforts to woo this goddess. He was successful, and Demeter later gave birth to his child, a nymph named Despoena. Demeter is also called the Moon Goddess.
Despoena: A Nymph, born of Poseidon and Demeter.
Eileithyia/Lucina: Goddess of childbirth.
The Erinyes: Also called the Furies, the Kindly Ones, the Eumenides. Their names were Tisiphone, Alecto and Megaera, and they were in charge of punishing those who escaped or defied public justice. Their heads were ringed with snakes, and their appearances as a whole were terrifying.
Eris: A daughter of Hera and Zeus, she is the goddess of discord and strife. When she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, she threw in the 'apple of discord', a golden fruit which was labelled only "For the Fairest". The goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all grabbed for the gift at once, and the ensuing contest did indeed create much discord.
Eurynome: The goddess who danced the universe into being, the creator of all the planets, stars, sky, sea, animals and the earth itself. Her sisters were Themis and Mnemosyne, and she and her husband Ophion ruled Olympus until they were dethroned by fellow titans Cronos and Rhea. In creating the world, she first danced in the void, and from the wind created by her dancing, she made her husband, Ophion. They together created the world egg, which he took in his coils and hatched, and from that egg all things in the universe were born.

She is the rescuer from every danger and peril, the advisor for every tight spot, and the highest wisdom. The people's chiefs and leaders, as well as the whole people itself, are advised by her; she presides over all local, tribal, and national gatherings. She maintains life and health. She is the gracious, gentle nurse who takes the children of mankind to herself, who makes mothers fertile and children grow and develop, who increases the stock of the people through a strong younger generation. She preserves the divine order in nature, protects the seedlings and fruits from damage, sows and tends the noble and nourishing olive trees. She teaches men how to manufacture and plow, how to yoke oxen, and how to loosen up the hard ground with a rake. From her mankind receives the materials for all the arts that beautify life, and from her their skillfulness.

Karl Ker�nyi, Athene: Virgin and Mother in Greek Religion

The Fates: Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos were the trio of goddesses charged with human destiny. Clotho, the youngest, spun the thread of human destiny, and Lachesis wove it into the tapestry of life. When it was time for that human's destiny to end, Atropo cut it. Often destinies were altered by manipulating gods and goddesses, or by the Fates themselves.
Famine: The goddess who caused famine, she once did Demeter's bidding and caused a heartless, wicked man to starve no matter how much he ate.
Fauna (Roman only): Sister to Faunus.
Flora (Roman only): Roman goddess of flowers and of the spring.
Gaia: Gaia is the Greek goddess of the earth, who with the god Uranos produced the Greek pantheon.
The Graces: The Graces were three in number, Euphrosyne, Agalaia, and Thalia, and were the goddesses of banquet, dance and social enjoyments.
Hebe: Greek Goddess of youth.
Hecate: Greek goddess of death and the night. She was often described as a crone, and helped Demeter in her search for her daughter Persephone (making of the three a maiden, mother, crone trio). She thrives during the dark moon and haunts crossroads, and controls the dead and ghosts.
Hera/Juno: Wife of Zeus, she gave birth to Ares, Hephaistos, Hebe and Eileithyia, and held Iris, goddess of the rainbow, as her attendant. The name "Juno" also referred to the spirit personal to every Roman woman, the one that had given them life and form, and that acted as her protector.
Hestia/Vesta: Goddess of the hearth, her sacred fire was tended by vestal virgins, and maintained for the safety of the city in which it resided.
Hygeia: Goddess of health.
Iris: Goddess of the rainbow.

Hecate - Greek Goddess of the Night
by Jessica Galbreth.

View more of her beautiful artwork on her site www.enchanted-art.com/

Leucothea

Once the daughter of Cadmus, and the wife of Athamas, she fled with her son from her husband, and to escape him, leapt from a cliff into the sea. The gods took pity on her her and made them deities. Her son, Palaemon, is usually shown riding on a dolphin, and they were both invoked by sailors for protection from shipwreck.

Metis

The personification of counsel and prudence, and Athena's birth mother. After impregnating Metis, Zeus learned of a prophecy that said that if she gave birth to a daughter, she would go on to produce a son who would come to rule the universe. In an attempt to prevent this, Zeus swallowed the pregnant Metis. When it came time for Athena to be born, Hephaistos split open Zeus' head, and Athena sprang out fully formed, and fully armed.

Mnemosyne

Sister to Eurynome and Themis, she, with Zeus, gave birth to the Muses. She held sway over memory and recollection.

The Muses

Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, each of the nine presided over a facet of creativity and learning. Calliope was in charge of epic poetry; Clio recorded history; Euterpe inspired lyric poetry; Melpomene was the muse of tragedy; Terpischore held sway over choral dance and song; Erato was charged with romantic poetry; Polyhymnia inspired sacred poetry; Thalia was the muse of comedy; and Urania was in charge of astronomy.

Nature spirits

There were many spirits of nature, each particular to a tree or stream. These were often called nymphs, and were divided into various categories: Naiads guarded brooks and fountains; Oreads protected mountains and grottos; Nereids resided in the waters of the sea; Dryads and Hamadryads were part of the trees in which they lived. When the home of one of these was destroyed, especially a tree, the nymph was said to die as well.

Nemesis

Goddess of vengeance, she took action against those who defied the Gods and Goddesses themselves, especially against mortals who were proud or insolent.

Nike/VictoriaGreek Goddess of victory, often identified with Athena. She was often depicted with wings, and was thought to be on hand after great battles, ready to crown the victor.

Pales (Roman only)

The goddess charged with care of cattle and the pastures in which they resided.

Persephone/Proserpine

Goddess of the Underworld, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was as lovely as a flower, and was in charge of painting, growing and creating new flowers. When she was kidnapped by Hades, her mother Demeter arranged for her to be freed if she ate nothing from the Underworld. Lonely and hungry after having created such dark flowers as the black orchid, nightshade, hellbore and henbane, she ate a few seeds of a pomegranate. Thereafter, she spent six months of the year on earth, and six in the Underworld, creating summer and winter through her mother's sorrow at their separation.

Pomona (Roman only)

Roman goddess of fruit trees.

Rhea

Daughter of Gaia, she married her brother Kronos (Cronos). Kronos had overthrown his own father, Uranos, and knew he would in turn be overthrown by one of his own children. He swallowed his first five children as soon as they were born, but with the sixth, Rhea escaped to Crete and gave birth to Zeus, then returned to Kronos with a stone, which he swallowed, thinking it was his child. Zeus fulfilled his father's prophecy, forcing him to regurgitate the siblings he'd swallowed, and finally imprisoning him in the depths of Tartarus. The swallowed siblings were Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera.

Themis

Goddess of law, Themis was the mother of the Fates, and sat by Zeus on his throne to give him counsel.

Thetis

A Nereid, she was to be Poseidon's first queen, who he rejected because of a prophecy, in favor of Amphitrite. She married a mortal instead, and they produced Achilles.

Venus - Roman Goddess of Love

Artist Unknown

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