The Olympian Gods and Goddesses, Part I: The Children of Cronus and Rhea

Cronus and Rhea had six children in total. The men were Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. The women were Demeter, Hera, and Hestia. Except for Hades, they all lived on Mount Olympus. Hades lived Underworld. Located between Macedonia and Thessaly and covered with snow, this mountain is the highest mountain in Greece and is sacred. In ancient times, no one dared to climb this mountain. In 1913, a Greek and Swiss group climbed for the first time.

Zeus (Jupiter or Jove)

His parents are Cronus and Rhea. His dominons are thunderstorms, winds, sky and weather. His favorite places are Olympus, Dodona and Crete. His symbols are thunderbolt and oak tree. His personality characteristics are ambitious, competitive and decisive.

Zeus is the oldest and youngest God between his siblings. Zeus, sitting in a unquestionable way to Throne, is the most justice God in Ancient Greek. Zeus, who saved Cyclopes from Tartarus, was given the ability to thunderbolt by Cyclopes. When Cyclopes were out of Tartarus, they prisoned his father Cronus to Tartarus as punishment.

Zeus' first wife was Metis, one of the daughters of Oceanus. Zeus' children by his later wives are Fates, Beauties, and Muses. She had a daughter named Persephone from Demeter, Apollo and Artemis from Leto.

Zeus was a powerful god, but there were many things even he couldn't control. Like all gods, Zeus was bound by the oaths given by the river Styx in the Underworld. Also, although he wanted to save a mortal he loved, he surrendered to the Fates and could not save them.

Hera (Juno)

Her parents are Cronus and Rhea. Her dominons are marriage and fertility. Her favorite place is Argos. Her symbols are crown, scepter, cow, peacock, pomegranate. His personality characteristics are jealousy, tradiational, marriage-minded.

Zeus is often associated with his last wife, Hera. She was also the sister of Zeus, the child of Cronus and Rhea. She appears as a dignified and lovable Queen. The Greeks knew her as the guardian of marriage. Hera's beauty is described as "cow-eyed" or "doe-eyed". She is also associated with the peacock.

According to many legends, Hera is jealous, hostile to heroes and women with Zeus. The marriage of Hera and Zeus was very difficult. During the Trojan War, Hera tricked Zeus and put him to sleep. When Zeus woke up, he got very angry and shouted. He said to Hera, "Don't you remember what I did to you? All the gods were enraged when I hung you, but they couldn't do anything."

Poseidon (Neptune)

His parents are Cronus and Rhea. His dominons are sea, earthquakes and horses. His favorite place is Sounion. His symbols are Trident (three-pronged spear) and horse. His personality characteristics are emotional, angry and vengeful.

He is the god of the seas and the protector of sails. Homer gave him the title of "earthshaker". He is very similar to Zeus, except he carries a trident called a "Trident". He is also the god of horses and his nickname is "Hippios".

Another known wife of Poseidon is Amphitrite. She gave birth to a merman, Triton, with a human above and a fishtail below. Another child of Poseidon who looked after the seals was Proteus. He could predict the future, but it was very difficult to find him. Whoever wanted to find him had to go to his cave. If Proteus escaped from there and the seeker insisted on finding him, Proteus voluntarily brought him before that person.

According to various legends, Poseidon was mean and vengeful. The warrior Odysseus, who wanted to go home from the sea, blinded Cyclops Polyphemus, one of Poseidon's sons, so Poseidon delays Odysseus's arrival. In another story, Poseidon fights with Athena, the protector of Athens. In the end, they both say, whoever does something useful for Athens wins. Poseidon makes a horse and Athena makes an olive tree. When the locals choose the olive tree, Poseidon floods the plain around Athens.

Demeter (Ceres) and Persephone (Proserpina)

Demeter’s parents are Cronus and Rhea. Her dominons are crops and motherhood. Her favorite place is Eleusis. Her symbols are torch and stalk of wheat. Her personality characteristics are motherly and nurturing.

Persephone’s parents are Zeus and Demeter. Her dominion is the Underworld. Her favorite place is Eleusis. Her symbols are torches, sheaf of grain. Her personality characteristics are compliant and girlish.

Demeter controlled the fertility of the soil. Demeter is closely related to her daughter Persephone, known as the "Maiden" or "Kore". The most legendary event known to both is the formation of the seasons. This is how the legend started. Persephone was playing flower-picking games with the daughters of Oceanus. At Zeus' request, Gaea had a special fragrant flower bloom. Persephone was about to take that flower when suddenly the ground split open and Hades came out. He carried her to the golden chariot with the horses. Hearing Persephone's cries, the earth goddess Hecate and the sun god Helius did nothing.

When Demeter heard that her daughter had disappeared, she searched the land and sea for her child with the torch in her hand, but no one said anything to her. She wandered like this for nine days. On the tenth day Hecate came to her and said, "Demeter, I heard the voice of your daughter Persephone, but I didn't see who had kidnapped her." The two goddesses went together to the sun goddess Helius. "Helius, please help me. I heard my daughter's screams, but I don't know which god or mortal kidnapped her. Please tell me if you saw her with your light."

Helios said that Hades kidnapped Persephone and that Zeus helped Hades. Demeter was very upset and left Olympus. Because of Demeter, who no longer fulfills any of her duties, famine began in the world. As the deaths increased, Zeus could not stand it any longer. He sent Hermes with a message to Demeter. Demeter still didn't stop the famine. This time, Zeus sent Hermes to the Underworld with a message. Hermes told Persephone what had happened. Persephone was very upset and asked Hades' permission to go. Hades allowed, but before she left, he gave a pomegranate seed from the underworld to eat. As a result of this fruit, Persephone would always remain Underworld. When Demeter got very angry at this, an agreement was made through Zeus. According to this agreement, Persephone would stay with Hades for three months of the year, winter. For the other nine months, she would stay on earth with her mother. Thus, the four seasons were formed. In the process, Hecate would check the enforceability of the terms of the agreement and look after Persephone.

Hades (Pluto)

His parents are Cronus and Rhea. His dominion is The Underworld. His favorite place is The Underworld. His symbols are magical helmet of invisibility and chariot. His personality characteristics are dark, secret, imaginative.

Hades played an important role in the events of Demeter and Persephone. His Greek name is "unseen". What makes him invisible is his hat. The Greeks didn’t mention Hades' name because they thought that Hades would come to him when his name was mentioned. But it wouldn't be right to see Hades as a bad person. Because he had been a good husband to Persephone.

There was no definite opinion about the afterlife of the ancient Greeks. According to Homer's Odyssey, ghosts wandered soulless on an island at the end of the world. The reward and punishment were minimal.

Later writers made a deep analysis of the underworld. According to Vergil and many writers, Hermes would accompany the spirits to the River Styx. There, a dirty and cranky boatman named Charon, waiting for payment, would meet the dead. The dead who had money got on the boat. Those who had no money would stay by the river forever. That's why in Ancient Greece people were buried with coins in their mouths.

First of all, all deads had to pass by Cerberus (three-headed dog). It became a quite dog when deads passed the river. But if someone tried to escape from there, he would turn a vicious dog. Then dead people were judged. Most of them were not punished or rewarded. They drank from the River Lethe which means the river of forgetfullness. Some of them especially dear of gods were sent to the Elysian Fields. It had a perfect weather and fragrant flowers.

Punishments were given to those who were the worst offenders. They were sent to Tartarus. The dead were tortured for centuries in there. Here a story:

Sisyphus was a great trickster. Moreover he prisoned Death. When Ares learned this, he freed Death. After that, Dead came for Sisyphus. Sisyphus felt that he will die. So he gave instructions to her wife about not be buried. When he arrived the Underworld, he told Persephone “Please let me go to the world because i was never buried. I’ll tell my wife make bury me. Then I’ll come here.” Persephone let him go, but Sisyphus didnt return as he promised. Persephone send Hermes to drag him back. As a result, he wasted gods and goddesses time. As punishment, he had to carry a boulder up a high hill. When the boulder reached the top, it went to the bottom and Sisyphus carried it again. This always went on.

Hestia (Vesta)

Her parents are Cronus and Rhea. Her dominion is The Home. Her favorite place is Rome (Vesta). Her symbol is hearth fire. His personality characteristics are home-loving and unassuming.

There are very few legends about the goddess Hestia. But she is still very important to the Greeks and Romans. According to Homer's hymn to Aphrodite, she was the firstborn of Cronus and Rhea, and also the last to emerge from the womb of his father, Cronus. Poseidon and Apollo wanted to marry her, but Hestia told Zeus she would never marry. Thus Zeus gave her the center of the house. This would be a sacred mission for Hestia. Inspired by this, most Greeks had a Hestia's statue in their home.

In this week's article, I mentioned on the first part of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses in Greek mythology, the children of Cronus and Rhea that you read last week. Namely, Zeus, Hera, Demeter and Persephone, Hades, Hestia, Poseidon. See you next week in the second part of Olympian Gods and Goddesses, the children of Zeus.

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