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The greeks were a polytheistic civilization. They worshiped their gods by the practice of animal sacrifice and by holding festivals for a particular gods every year. Their main gods were the gods of Olympus , the children of the titans. There were twelve gods of olympus.
Zeus
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Zeus was the king of the gods and he control the weather.He was the son Kronos and his wife Rhea. Kronos was afraid of one of his children would kill him and so he ate all of Zeus's brothers and sisters. Rhea after Zeus was born hid him and had him raised by a goat. When Zeus was old enough he became the cup bearer to his father. He poisoned his father's drink and Kronos vomited up his other children. He led a battle with his siblings against the titans and won. His symbols are the lightning bolt and is shown siting on a throne. The greeks held the olympics in honor of Zeus.
Hera
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She was the wife of Zeus and the queen of the gods. She is the goddess of weddings and marriage. She was very jealous of the affairs of her husband and took revenge on the mistresses and the illegitimate children. Some of her symbols are the Polos - a high crown and the Sceptre - a royal symbol of office. The festival dedicated to hear and the Heraia festival. It was like the olympic games but women were allowed to e
Athena
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Athena was the goddess of wisdom, war, defense of towns ,weaving,pottery and other crafts. She was said to have been born from Zeus's head and clothed in full armor. She competed with her uncle Poseidon for the guardianship of the city state of Athens. Her symbols are the olive and the owl. She was the favored child of Zeus, she was able to use his weapon the thunderbolt. The festival is her honor is the Panathenaia. In this festival all people could participate.
Aphrodite
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She was the goddess of love and beauty. She was the wife to Hephaistos but she was in love with the god of war Ares. She was the one chosen by paris as the fairest goddess and promised him the most beautiful woman of the world Helen of troy. She made helen fall in love with paris and paris and helen ran away to troy which lead to war that was 10 years long.Her symbols are the dove and Eros the god of love.
Ap0llo
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He is the god of the sun,poetry, music, healing, dance, and truth. His symbols were at a time of war was the bow and during time of peace it was the lyre, a type of instrument. The festival held in his honor is the Pythian games. they were held at Delphi and included music and writing competitions.
Demeter
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She is the goddess of fertility and agriculture. Her symbols are a mature woman and sheaves of grain.Her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades the god of the underworld and when Demeter found out that her daughter was taken by hades she caused all the crops on earth to die and famine hit the earth. Zeus told Hades to return Persephone but before she left Hades tricked Persephone to eat some pomegranate seeds that made it so that she had to be with Hades for part of the year The greeks used this to explain the changes of the seasons. Her festival is the Thesmophria festival that was dedicated to women only where they would sacrifice pigs and fast for the second day and have a big feast on the last day.
Ares
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He was the god of war unlike Athena he is not cunning in battle and he is not a popular god. He is the most hated of all of Zeus's children. His symbols were the helmet and a shield. There is not many festivals dedicated to Ares but soldiers offer sacrifices to him before battle.
Hephaistos
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He is the god of fire, volcanos, blacksmiths, and craft workers. He was thrown out of Mount Olympus because he was lame but was later welcomed back. He was the husband to Aphrodite. His symbols are a twisted foot and tools. The festivals are The Chalkeia which is the feast for bronze workers and The Hephaisteia which held a torch race because of Hephaistos relation to fire.
Artemis
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She is the goddess of hunting ,archery, and childbirth. She also known as the goddess of wild animals. She can send plagues and sudden death. She can also heal them. She the twin sister of Apollo. Her symbols are the bow and arrow and wild animals. The festival dedicated to her was Brauronia. It involved girls between the ages 5 to 10 would dress and act like bears to appease the goddess.
Hermes
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He was the god of travel , business, weights, measures, and sports. He was also the messenger to the gods and he lead the souls of the dead to the underworld. His symbols were traveler's hat, winged sandals , and Heralds staff. The festival for Hermes was the third day of Anthesteria which was the day of the pots , a meal would be made and offered to Hermes of the Underworld. This was the day when the dead would rise and walk the earth and people would cover their doors with tar that they would think keep ghosts out of their house.
Poseidon
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He was the god of the sea and of horses. He was the brother of Zeus and he was known for his bad temper and he was feared because of his ability to create earthquakes. He was also said to make fresh water gush from the earth. His symbols are the trident, chariot with white horses and shown with a fish or dolphin in his hand. The festival for him was the Isthmian Games that were held every two years and it was the second most important games after the Olympics.
Dionysos
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He was the fun loving god. He was the god of high spirits ,strong emotion and wine. He is also associated with drama and theatre. His symbols are vines, and is shown holding a kantharos, a special wine cup, and is shown with satyrs and maenads.
"Ancient Greece - Gods and Goddesses - The British Museum." Ancient Greece -
Gods and Goddesses - The British Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013
Gods and Goddesses - The British Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013