Zeus' Children
Athena
Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis. She is brave in battle but, only
wars to defined the state and home from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city,
handicrafts, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame
horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the
chariot. She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus's favorite
child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city is
Athens. Her tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.
Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis. He is the god of music,
playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting with a golden bow and golden arrows.
The god of healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth, who
can not speak a lie. One of Apollo's daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses
an drive the Sun across the sky. The great golden wheel is the sun. He is famous for his
oracle at Delphi. People travled to it from all over the greek world to devine the future.
His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The dolphin his animal.
Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo. She is the lady of
the wild things. She is the huntsman of the gods. She is the protector of the young. Like
Apollo she hunts with a silver bow and silver arrows. She is associated with the moon.
She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides over childbirth,
which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to causing Leto no pain when she was
born. She is also associated with Hecate(see Minor Gods). The cypress is her tree. All
wild animals are scared to her, especially the deer.
Hermes
Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is Zeus' messenger. He is the fastest of the gods.
He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He is the god of
thieves and travelers and the god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to the
underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy , weights and
measures, and the care of olive trees.
Hermes
