Other Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology

There were many more gods and goddesses on earth than the gods and goddesses you have read in my previous articles. Some have seen Olympus once or twice. Some have never seen it. Most of them were in many important legends.

Asclepius

His parents were Apollo and the mortal woman Coronis. He was the god of healing. He was one of two gods who were deified after death. The other was Heracles. When Apollo and Coronis were together, Coronis had only one fear. When Coronis grew old and died, Apollo would only watch. Because Coronis was mortal. That's why Coronis fell in love with a mortal human. Learning of this, Apollo killed Coronis and freed his child from his mother's womb. When Asclepius grew up, his fame spread everywhere.

Asclepius had many children and they were also healers like Asclepius. In fact, in the Trojan War, the children both healed the soldiers and fought. Asclepius took this work further and started to raise the dead, and when Zeus learned of this, lightning struck him.

Asclepius was one of the most popular of the gods. In the pictures he would appear with a staff with a snake wrapped around it. A staff entwined with snakes is still a symbol in medicine.

Eileithyia

Eileithyia was one of the two daughters of Zeus and Hera and was the sister of Ares. She was the goddess of childbirth. Whether a birth was good or bad depended on Eileithyia. At Hera's request, she delayed the birth of the children of the women Zeus was with.

Eos

She is a goddess of dawn, known to the Romans as Aurora. She is depicted as a winged person in art. Her best-known story was her relationship with a mortal man. Eos begged Zeus to make the man he loved immortal. Zeus agreed, but the man Eos loved was getting old and eventually turned into a grasshopper. Unfortunately, Eos forgot to ask for youth.

Eris

Eris is the goddess of conflict. She is Ares' sister. Her most important role in the myth is to exacerbate the Trojan War. But Hesiod speaks of her as both good and bad. Her bad features are that she supports war and conflict, and her good features are that she supports healthy competition.

Ganymede

Ganymede was the most handsome of mortals, according to Homer. Zeus transformed into an eagle and kidnapped Ganymede and made him his own wine server.

Hebe

Hebe was the daughter of Zeus and Hera, and the sister of Ares and Hephaestus. The meaning of her name was youth. Therefore, she had the power of rejuvenation. Before Zeus brought Ganymede to Olympus, Hebe was making wine for the Olympian gods. When Heracles was brought to Olympus, Hebe became his wife.

Hecate

Hecate was the goddess of magic. Normally, Hesiod wouldn't praise goddesses with such traits, but he didn't write badly about Hecate. As you read in my previous article, Hecate helped find Demeter's daughter, Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hadest. After this event, Hecate became Persephone's servant. She became involved with ghosts as a result of being in the underworld and dealing with magic. She was worshiped at the intersections of 3 roads. In ancient art she was depicted as having 3 bodies and 3 heads.

Helius

Helius is also known as Sol by the Romans. He was the brother of Eos. The sun was tied behind the huge carriage made of gold. In the morning it would rise towards the sky and in the evening it would travel to the west. Helius could see everything because he was so high. As you have read in the previous chapters, he saw the relationship of Ares and Aphrodite and the incident of Hades and Persephone.

Hypnos

Hypnos, also called Somnus by the Romans, was the spirit of sleep. Zeus, who went to help in the Trojan War, encountered Hera's trap and Hera put Zeus to sleep thanks to Hypnos. Hypnos' son was Morpheus, the god of dreams. This is where the name of the drug morphine comes from.

Iris

The symbol of Iris was the rainbow. Because she connected the sky and the earth, Zeus gave her the task of the bearer of the news of the earth and sky. Sometimes she offered wine to the gods. In Greek art she is shown as winged.

Janus

Janus was the guardian of the gates and the god of beginnings and endings. His temple in Rome was open during wartime and closed during peacetime. In art, it was represented by a face looking forward and backward at the same time. January is dedicated to him.

Nemesis

Nemesis is the goddess of vengeance. If anyone had done a moral wrong, he could summon Nemesis. She punished mortals such as Echo and Narcissus.

Nike

Nike is the goddess of victory. Her name in Roman mythology is Victoria. She runs very fast and has the ability to fly. Nike and her children were all wives of Zeus.

Pan

Pan was the god of shepherds and flocks. His father was Hermes and his mother was a human. When Pan was born with two horns and goat feet, his nurse fled in fear. Hermes took him to Olympus. Everyone was surprised by Pan's appearance and he was given the name "Pan". Pan was a very calm and good god, but if someone was walking in the forest, he could give him a sense of panic. Panic was named after Pan.

Selene

Selene was a moon known to the Romans as Luna. She was the sister of Helius and Eos. Like them, she was known to have a chariot to light the sky. Her only known legend was with the shepherd boy Endymion. She put him into an eternal sleep, preserving his youth and beauty, and constantly watched him.

My 5th article "Other Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology" ends here. Now I have written almost all the gods and goddesses in Greek mythology. Only the legends and the relationships of characters from Greek mythology remained. I will share them on my blog in the coming days. I wish you all good reading.

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