the lesser gods of earth

THE LESSERGODS OFEARTH

Mythology & folklore

• Earth herself was called the All-Mother, but she was not really a divinity.

• Demeter (Ceres)- the goddess of the Corn- goddess of the fertility of the earth and harvest- protector of marriage and social order- daughter of Cronus and Rhea

• Dionysus (Bacchus)- the god of wine,- were the supreme deities of the earth,- and of great importance in Greek and Roman Mythology.

GODS OF THE EARTH

PANwas the chiefhe was Hermes’ sona noisy, merry god,the Homeric Hymn in his honor calls him.

he was part animal toowith a goat’s hornand a goat’s hoofs, instead of feet.

he was also the goatherds’ god and the shepherds’ god,

and a gay companion of the woodland nymphs when they danced

his home are all wild places;

but best of all he loves Arcady

Pan is a wonderful musician

he was always in love with one nymph or another.

SILENUSwas sometimes said to be

Pan’s son,sometimes his brother, a son

of Hermes,he was a jovial fat old man,associated with Bacchus as

well as with Pan.Became a devoted follower of

Bacchus

CASTOR & POLLUXCastor and Pollux (Polydeuces) was said to live half of their time on earth and half in heaven,

they were the sons of Ledarepresented as being gods,the special protector of sailors

they were especially honored in Rome

but the accounts of Castor and Pollux are contradictory

CASTORa mortal who won a kind of half-and-half immortality

brother of Clytemnestra

POLLUXheld to be divine immortal

brother of Helen

but they are both brothers often called a sons of Zeus

on the other hand they were also called the sons of Tyndareus,

they also went to the land of Cattle owners (Idas and Lynceus)

the important part they play is the account of Castor’s death, when Pollux proved his brotherly devotion,

because when Castor was dead, Pollux was inconsolable, and then he prayed to die also.

SILENIcreatures part man and part horse,they walk on two legs, not fouroften had horses’ hoofs instead of

feet,sometimes horses ears, and

always horses’ tails

SATYRSwere goat-menthey had their home in the wild places of the earth,

Goddesses of

the woodlan

d

OREADSnymphs of the mountains

DRYADSsometimes called HAMADRYADS,nymphs of treestheir life was in each case bound

up with that of her tree

WINDSAEOLUS- king of the windsalso lived on the earthan island Aeolia was his home

viceroy of the gods

FOUR CHIEF WINDSBOREAS- the north windin Latin AQUILO,ZEPHYR- the west windin Latin FAVONIUSNOTUS- the south windin Latin AUSTER EURUS- the east windthe same in both Greek and Latin

SOME BEINGS NEITHER

HUMAN NOR DIVINE ON THE EARTH

CENTAURSthey were half man, half horsethey were savage creatures,CHIRON- was known everywhere for his goodness and his wisdom

GORGONSEarth dwellersthere were three,two of them were immortal,they were dragon like

creatures with wingsPHORCYS- son of the Sea and

the Earth, was their father

GRAIAEtheir sistersthree gray women who had but one eye between them

they lived on the farther bank of ocean

SIRENSlived on an island in the Sea

hey had an enchanting voices

it was not known, what they looked like

THE FATESthey were assigned to no abode whether in heaven or on the earth

Moirae in GreekParcae in Latin