The Myths of the Gods and Goddesses

Aphrodite, the most beautiful goddess on Olympus, was married to the ugly and lame god Hephaestus, the Olympian blacksmith and craftsman. Realising Aphrodite's dissatisfaction with the marriage, Ares attempted to win over the love of her which he did successfully. As they slept together in the bed of Aphrodite and Hephaestus, the Sun caught them and told Hephaestus that Ares was violating his marriage bed. In anger, Hephaestus planned his revenge and crafted an intricate set of chains from which no mortal or immortal could undo but himself if caught up in them. These were practically invisible, even to the immortal eye and he wrapped them around his marriage bed in the form of a net hanging down and ready to catch the unfaithful couple. Ares meanwhile had been keeping watch over the doors of the palace and as soon as he saw Hephaestus leave, the war god rushed in and took Aphrodite by the hand, leading her to the bedroom. No sooner had they laid down than the net of chains fell about them, knotting them together tighter everytime they attempted to struggle out of them. The Sun had been acting as Hephaestus' spy and was quick to tell the craftsman that Ares and Aphrodite had been caught together. Hephaestus rushed to his palace and with a yell, called all the gods on Olympus to view this shameful spectacle. At Poseidon's attempts of persuasion to let them free, Hephaestus complied on the condition that Ares paid him an adulterer's fine.

Hades was riding back from Olympus to his home in the Underworld when he spied Persephone walking in the fields below him. He instantly fell in love with the young girl and kidnapped her, forcing her to become his bride in the Land of the Dead. Persephone was upset, not wanting to stay in the Underworld with Hades as she feared the large numbers of souls floating around and longed to see the daylight again. Meanwhile, her mother Demeter also was upset. She was not looking after the crops anymore and allowed them to wither away in the cold months and die. Zeus saw the damage being done to the earth because of Hades' actions and sought for compromise between the two immortals. Hades complained that he would never have a wife because of his murky home and so he had forced Persephone to be his wife as consolation of his excludance from the upper world. Demeter too wanted Persephone because she was also to be alone if she did not have her. Zeus then commanded that both should have Persephone. Demeter was to keep her during the summer months but when winter came, Persephone was to join Hades in the Underworld for the remaining six months of the year.

A city became newly-founded in Greece and the immortals Athene and Poseidon fought over who was to be the new city's patron. After a verbal argument of wits, they decided that it would be fair to offer the city something and whichever had the most value would win the competition. Athene offered the city the olive tree. With this, the city could trade olives and use the oil to cook in, wash themselves and burn in lamps. This proved to be more than anything Poseidon could offer and so Athene won. She therefore named the city Athens after her name as she was now their patron goddess. In gratefulness for her present, the people built her a temple which stood on the Acropolis and was honoured every year at the festival of the Great Panathenaia.

Zeus fell in love with the mortal woman Semele and gave her a child to bear. Zeus' wife Hera became deeply jealous when she discovered that Semele's child was to become an Olympian. Determined to avert fate, she tricked Semele into requesting to see Zeus' thunderbolt. Semele invited Zeus into her house and faling to see through Hera's wicked plan, asked Zeus if she could see his famous thunderbolt. As soon as he revealed it to her, the blinding heat and fire kindled the roof of the house and Semele burnt to death. Zeus, realising Hera's hand in this, took the unborn child out of Semele and placed it in his thigh. He then gave Hera a phantom of the self-same child for her disposal and Hera took the present graciously, failing to see through Zeus' trick. The child was later born out of Zeus' thigh, just as Athene had been born out of Zeus' head, and the child was named Dionysus. Although born late into the Olympian family, he was soon accepted as a regular god and became a significant Olympian when he had a festival named after him, the Great Dionysia.

Once, when Artemis was very young, Zeus said he would grant her anything. She wished to never marry and have eternal virginity. Artemis was very protective of her purity and gave grave punishment to any man who attempted to dishonour her in any form. Actaeon, while out hunting with his hounds, accidentally came upon Artemis and her nymphs, who bathing naked in a secluded pool. Seeing them in all their naked beauty, the stunned Actaeon stopped and gazed at them, but when Artemis saw him staring at them, she transformed him into a stag. Then, incensed with disgust, she set his own hounds upon him. They chased and killed what they thought was another stag, but it was their master.
My thanks to Cynthia Balke for this myth! - A19

Apollo, Hestia and Hermes:
I haven't got myths that significantly involve these gods yet. I would be grateful if you know of any and if you would please send them to me.