List of Divinities

3^rd Edition

Format of this list:

Greek name/Roman name: Bio

Gods:

ZEUS/JUPITER: Born of Cronus and Rhea. Is the god of thunder and king of the Olympians. When his father, Cronus, feared that he would one day overpower him, he tried to destroy Zeus as well as his siblings. Zeus and the other gods defeated Cronus, and banished all the Titans, including Cronus, to Tartarus.

APOLLO: Of light, medicine, poetry and purity. (Same name in Roman mythology)

ARES/MARS: Of War. In X: WP, Zeus’s son.

ASCLEPIUS/AESCULAPIUS: Of healing.

CRONUS/SATURN: Cronus is one of the Titans, whom the Titans hailed as their leader for leading a successful war against Uranus, their father who, out of fear of them, tried to destroy them. In Greek mythology, Cronus is Zeus’s father. In the Roman version, Cronus is also the god of agriculture. In traditional mythology as well as X: WP, the Olympians came into power by defeating Cronus and the Titans. They then banished Cronus to Tartarus, along with his followers.

DIONYSUS/BACCHUS: Of wine, fertility and wild behavior. In X:WP, Bacchus is the leader of the vampires.

PAN: Of the forest and wilderness.

EROS/CUPID: Of love. Also the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love (how fitting!).

HEPHAESTUS/VULCAN: Of fire and metalworking, and blacksmith for the gods.

HERMES/MERCURY: Of commerce and science; protector of travelers, thieves, vagabonds; the messenger for the gods.

HYPNOS/SOMNUS: Of sleep.

HADES/PLUTO: God of the Underworld and Zeus’s brother. He abducted the beautiful Persephone, daughter of Demeter, and made her his wife. However, he did allow Persephone to see her mother six months out of the year.

POSEIDON/NEPTUNE: Of the sea. (In Greek mythology, also of earthquakes and horses)

URANUS: Father of the Titans and son and husband of Gaea. Gaea and he were the first two deities to exist in a void that came to be known as the world. (Same name in Roman mythology) Fearing that his children, the Titans, would someday become more powerful than he, Uranus tried to wipe them out. A Titan named Cronus, however, led a successful revolt against him.

Goddesses:

HERA/JUNO: Protector of marriage and women. In Greek mythology, she is the sister and wife of Zeus. In Roman mythology, she is the wife of Jupiter (Zeus), but there is no indication that she is also his sister.

APHRODITE/VENUS: Of love. Also, mother of Eros/Cupid and Ares’ sister.

ARTEMIS/DIANA: Of hunting and childbirth. Twin sister of Apollo.

ATHENA/MINERVA: Of crafts, war, and wisdom. One of Ares’ siblings.

DEMETER/CERES: Of growing things (agriculture). Also, she is the one responsible for the changing of the seasons. After Hades kidnapped his beautiful daughter, Persephone, and forced her to become his wife, Hades let Persephone see her mother only during half the year. In the springtime, Demeter’s hope and anticipation of waiting for her daughter causes new leaves and grass to grow. During the summer, Demeter’s joy and happiness of being with her daughter lets all life flourish in full bloom. But when it comes time for Persephone to go back to Hades, Demeter’s sadness in parting causes the chilly winds and falling leaves. And during the winter months in which Persephone is gone, Demeter’s misery causes the snow, cold spells, and such.

PERSEPHONE: Demeter’s daughter. Persephone was originally kidnapped by Hades, and forced to become his wife. During the spring and summertime, at which Persephone is allowed to see Demeter, her mother, Demeter makes the weather pleasant. But during fall and wintertime, Persephone must go back to Hades, during which Demeter’s grief at not being able to see her daughter causes the harsh weather.

GAEA/TERRA: Symbol of the earth (mother earth); is the mother and wife of Uranus. In effect, she is also the mother of the Titans.

HESTIA/VESTA: Of the hearth. In X:WP, the virgin goddess.

RHEA/OPS: Wife and sister of Cronus, the ruler of the Titans. In effect, she is the mother of Zeus.

CELESTA: Goddess of death and Hades’ sister. She worked in partnership with the Fates: when the Fates (the three goddesses who control the destiny of all mortals) cut someone’s "thread of life," Celesta would go and touch them to end their lives. This earned her the nickname "Death." She would also lay her hand on the fatally injured.

Etc:

Two known demigods, part immortal, were Orpheus, known for his beautiful singing, and Heracles/Hercules, famous for his unsurpassed strength. Hercules also symbolized strength and endurance. After Hercules dies, he would join his family—his father Zeus, half-brother Ares, etc.—on Mt. Olympus.

Nymphs: Beautiful maidens that guarded various parts of nature. Dryads occupied the forests, and Nereids lived in the ocean.

Muses: Nine goddesses of various arts and sciences. They were daughters of Zeus, and they also raised Pegasus, the mythical winged horse.

Fates: Three goddesses that controlled every person’s destiny. When it came time for a mortal to die, they would cut a person’s "life thread" (kind of like a voodoo doll, only on a string). Then Celesta would go and touch the unfortunate individual.

The first deities of the world were Gaea and Uranus. Following Uranus were the Titans, who eventually made way for the Olympians—those who later came to reside on Mt. Olympus. The following, six gods and six goddesses, were the highest ranking in Mt. Olympus:

Zeus/Jupiter

Apollo

Ares/Mars

Hephaestus/Vulcan

Hermes/Mercury

Poseidon/Neptune

Hera/Juno

Athena/Minerva

Aphrodite/Venus

Artemis/Diana

Demeter/Ceres

Hestia/Vesta

Note: Unless stated otherwise, all gods/goddesses with only one name shown either have the same name in both Greek and Roman mythology, or their "other" names are not known. For example, "Persephone" may be a Greek name or a Roman name, and if it is either, the other one is unknown.

X: WP, as well as the characters found in the show, are exclusive property of Universal Studios and Renaissance pictures.

The above list was partially comprised using information found in the World Book Encyclopedia.

All of my stories, as well as this list, are my original works and is posted nowhere else but here on Xena.com. PLEASE do not pass off my work as your own; it does not harm me, since I’m doing this for fun, but if this were on a larger basis, those who did so would be in serious trouble. Hey, if you have time to plagiarize, write your own story, for crying out loud.

In creating the 3^rd edition of this list, I would like to thank Mary-Ann for her helpful tips on Persephone, Demeter, Celesta, Hercules, and the Muses. I’ll keep updating this list as I receive new insights from fellow Xenites. I hope this list helps in understanding the world of Xena and the Greek and Roman mythologies more thoroughly.

David Seo © 1999