Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

Course Seven: Lore 313

Lesson 4: Greece and Rome

Achaean Greeks first settled into various areas of

Greece around 2000 BCE. The Romans adopted the

Greek gods pretty much intact, though giving them

different names. The Greek versions of their origins

and stories are found in Hesiod’s Theogony (“birth of

the gods”) and in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. The

primary collection of the Roman versions is Ovid’s

Metamorphoses (“transformations”).

In the Beginning...

First of all there came Chaos, and after him

came Gaea of the broad breast, to be the

unshakable foundation of all the immortals who

keep the crests of snowy Olympus, and Tartarus

the foggy in the pit of the wide-wayed Earth, and

Eros, who is love.

From Chaos was born Erebos, the dark, and

black Nix (“night”).

But Gaea’s first-born was one who matched

her every dimension, Ouranos, the starry sky, to

cover her all over, to be an unshakable standing-

place for the blessed immortals. Then she brought

forth the tall Hills, those wild haunts that are

beloved by the goddess Nymphs who live on the

hills and in their forests. She produced the barren

sea, Pontos, seething in his fury of waves.

—Hesiod (Theogony)

The Titans

The titans were a race of godlike giants who

personified the forces of Nature. The first titans were

the six sons and six daughters of Ouranos (the

Heavens) and Gaea (the Earth). The couples are:

Kronos (Time) and Rhea (Nature); Iapetus (Order)

and Themis (Justice); Oceanus (the outer Ocean) and

Tethys (the fertile Sea); Hyperion (Sunlight) and Theia;

Crius and Mnemosyne (Memory); and Coeus and

Phoebe (Moonlight). These had many descendants over

several generations, populating the entire natural world.

Ouranos hated all his children, and as they were

about to be born he pushed them away into Tartarus,

deep inside the Earth. Groaning in pain, Gaea called

upon Kronos, her youngest, to take vengeance. With

an adamantine sickle, Kronos castrated his tyrannical

father, casting the severed organs into the sea. From

the bloody foam was born Aphrodite (“foam-born”),

the beautiful goddess of Love. Kronos claimed the

throne, released all his brother and sister titans, and

married Rhea.

The Gods of Olympus

Rhea bore Kronos, in order: Demeter, Hades, Hera,

Hestia, Poseidon, and Zeus. To secure his dominion,

jealous Kronos swallowed his children as soon as they

were born; but Rhea

managed to save the

last, Zeus. She hid

him in a cave on

Crete and gave

Kronos a stone

wrapped in swad-

dling clothes, which

he swallowed.

When Zeus was

grown, he over-

threw his father

in turn and made Kronos disgorge his immortal sib-

lings. These became the Gods of Olympus, dwelling

atop the 10,000-foot-high mountain in Thessaly.

Like the Titans, there were twelve Olympians. The

six children of Kronos and Rhea were later joined by

Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, and

Hermes—the next generation, bringing the total

number of Olympians to twelve. Other gods were

admitted to Olympus over the years, as well

as certain deified heroes, such as Heracles.

The 12 Olympians

Aphrodite (Roman Venus)—

Goddess of love, beauty, and

sex. Husband: Hephaestus.

Symbols: mirror and dove.

Planet: Venus.

Apollo—God of the Sun, music,

and prophecy. Twin brother

of Artemis. Symbol: lyre.

Planet: the Sun.

Ares (Roman Mars)—God of

war. Symbol: spear and

shield. Planet: Mars.

Artemis (Roman Diana)—Goddess of the Moon and

the hunt. Twin sister of Apollo. Symbols: bow drawn

like crescent Moon, deer, hounds. Planet: the Moon.

Athena (Roman Minerva)—Goddess of war and

wisdom. Symbols: shield, spear, aegus (breastplate

with head of Medusa).

Demeter (Roman Ceres)—Queen of the Earth, goddess

of grain and all cultivated plants. Symbols:

cornucopia, ears of wheat.

Hades (Roman Pluto)—Ruler of the

Underworld, the dead, all things

buried, and the wealth of mines.

Wife: Persephone. Symbol: two-

pronged scepter. Planet: Pluto

Hera (Roman Juno)—Queen of the gods,

wife of Zeus. In charge of marriage,

women, families. Symbol: peacock

tail-feather.

Hermes (Roman Mercury)—Messenger

of the gods. In charge of communi-

cation, magick, arcane knowledge,

Aphrodite and Ares

Rhea and

Kronos

Demeter

7. Lore.p65 313 1/15/2004, 9:37 AM