2. MEET SOME MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

The famous Olympian Greek gods are a group of 12 beings who are all related to each other (cue banjo music). Now, keep in mind that these gods are supernatural and many came into being through seemingly unrealistic ways. So, just like we can believe that Buffy the Vampire Slayer can actually come into contact with vampires, we have to allow for a bit of creative license in understanding the stories of these gods.

Another difficulty in understanding myths is that the stories can be very intertwined and complicated. Imagine trying to explain the entire plot of General Hospital to your friend from Zimbabwe that never even heard of the show. How would you ever be able to get across every plot twist, every relationship, every break-up and every outfit in 500 words or less? So with that in mind, let's meet some of these wild and crazy deities.

  • Zeus and Hera are the leaders of the gods and represent the forces of power and justice. Zeus often sleeps around with humans (his son, Perseus, was half human, half god), and Hera hates it that Zeus is such a player. She's always trying to mess things up for his other chicks and the kids he has with them. Zeus has two brothers, Poseidon and Hades.

  • Poseidon, Zeus's brother, is the god of the sea. He is the most powerful god after Zeus and he spends very little time on Mount Olympus. Poseidon is a pretty strong guy and mostly gets what he wants. For example, when he decided that there should be an ocean somewhere, he created one. One myth tells the story of how the goddess Athena wanted claim to the same land where Poseidon chose to put his ocean so she planted an olive tree there. Well, Poseidon got pissed, so he brought Athena to god court. (See? Massive litigation has always been around.) The other gods judged in favor of Athena, and allowed the territory of land to be called - can you guess? - Athens!

  • Hades is Zeus's other brother and the god of the underworld - sort of the opposite of Mount Olympus. After a human dies, he/she resides in Hades' realm. One myth tells how Hades kidnapped Persephone, one of Zeus's daughters, to make her his wife. After she ate 6 forbidden pomegranate seeds, Hades made her the Queen of the underworld, and from then on she had to divide her time between Hades' palace and the upper world of the gods. (When she's upstairs, it's summer and spring, and when she's downstairs, it's fall and winter.)

  • Demeter is Zeus's sister, the mother of Persephone, and the goddess of agriculture and fertility. One bizarre myth tells the story of how Demeter accidentally ate the arm of a dead human. When the gods realized this, they brought the guy back to life. His whole body, except the shoulder, was put back together. Demeter fashioned an arm for him out of ivory.

  • Ares, the son of Zeus and Hera, is the god of war. Though he's a god, he was nonetheless almost killed when two other gods stuffed him into an urn for having attitude.

  • Athena is Zeus's daughter, but was born out his forehead, so she does not have a mother. She is said to have invented many human tools, including the trumpet, flute, rake, ship and chariot (things that were slightly more common in ancient times). Athena is also known for being the goddess of wisdom and intelligence. One myth tells the story of how a human named Arachne thought she was the world's best weaver, so she challenged Athena to a contest. Arachne lost, and as a punishment, was turned into a spider.

  • Apollo is another son of Zeus, but his mother is Leto, another random goddess. He has been called the god of music, healing, light, truth, and a variety of other things. He is referred to many times in Greek mythological drama for having the ability to see providential truth through his Oracle in the city of Delphi.

  • Artemis is Apollo's twin sister. She is the goddess of chastity, but also is a hunter and protects the young (in other words, she's the goddess of virgins). She also is known for being present during childbirth.

  • Aphrodite, another of Zeus's daughters, is the goddess of love and desire, and she can compel anyone to desire her. She often intervenes in the life of immortals who are in love. Aphrodite is married to Hephaestus, but she really loves Ares and is constantly shacking up with him.

  • Hermes, another of Zeus's sons (his mother was a mountain nymph) acts as his father's messenger, but is actually considered the god of thieves and of commerce. He is also the fastest of the gods (he has wings on his shoes), and has a prankster personality.

  • Dionysus is the son of Zeus and a human woman named Semele, and he is the god of wine. It was also Dionysus who granted King Midas the "golden touch," the power to make everything he touched turn into gold (including, unfortunately, his daughter).

  • Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. He is the god of fire and is the only god to be called ugly. Although he is lame (no, not un-cool, he just can't walk), he is always compassionate to others and detests fighting and war. Hephaestus created the first woman, Pandora (of "Pandora's Box" fame).

There are many other miscellaneous gods, many of whom can be categorized together. Examples of such categories are Muses, Nymphs, and Sirens.

  • The Muses are nine daughters of Zeus who all sought to be sources of artistic and scientific inspiration for the other gods and for humans. They sing and play musical instruments to encourage motivation and dedication. For example, Calliope is the muse of epic song.

  • The Nymphs are lower-ranked god-like creatures. Their job is to protect the realm of nature, presiding over trees, mountains and bodies of water. They live in the forests, often enchanting unsuspecting humans.

  • The Sirens are also nymph-like creatures. Through hauntingly beautiful singing (or "siren songs"), they lure males to the island where they live and cause their destruction.

If it helps, check out this picture of the family tree of the main gods. There are many other gods, but these are the main characters and most of the others play supporting roles. Each god has a myth associated with his or her birth and purpose in the world. Of course, as immortal gods, none are ever considered to die.