Greek God Project

created by Erin Cicalo

In olden times, when men still worshiped ugly idols, there lived in the land of ancient greece a folk of shepherds and herdsmen who cherished light and beauty. They did not worship dark idols like their neighbors, but created instead theri own beautiful, radiant gods.

The greek gods looked much like people and acted like them, too, only they were taller, handsomer and could do no wrong. Fire-breathing monsters and beasts with many heads stood for all that was dark and wicked. They were for gods and great heroes to conquer.

The gods lived on Mt.Olympus, a mountain so high and steep that no man could climb it and see them in their shining palace. But they often descended to earth, sometimes in their own shapes, sometimes disguised as humans or animals.

In this web quest activity you will be asked to represent one of the greek gods in an election being held on Mt. Olympus.

Zeus has decided to retire. He is tired of all the responsibility and he wants to travel. He must pick one of his fellow Gods to replace him as king of the gods.

It is your job to put together a resume for the God you have chosen. After researching actual facts about your god you need to put together a resume that is part non-fiction but mostly make believe. You are encouraged do be as creative as you like.

Zeus was the king and leader of the 12 gods. His symbol was the thunderbolt and in many of his statues he appears holding one.

Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes, was most at home in the depths of the Aegean where he lived in a sumptuous golden palace. When he became angry (which was often) he would use his trident to create massive waves and floods.

Ares, god of war, was a nasty piece of work &endash; fiery tempered, bloodthirsty, brutal and violent.

In contrast Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, symbol of security, happiness and hospitality, was as pure as driven snow. She spurned disputes and wars and swore to be a virgin forever.

Hera was not a principal deity; her job was a subservient one &endash; she was Zeus' cupbearer.

Athena, the powerful goddess of wisdom and patron of Athens, is said to have been born (complete with helmet, armor and spear)from Zeus' head. Unlike Ares, she derived no pleasure from fighting, but preferred settling disputes peacefully using her wisdom; however, if need be she went valiantly into battle.

Hephaestus was worshipped for his matchless skills as a craftsman. When Zeus decided to punish men he asked Hephaestus to make a woman. So Hephaestus made Pandora from clay and water, and, as everyone knows, she had a box, from which sprang all the evils afflicting humankind.

Apollo, god of the sun, and Artemis, goddess of the moon, were the twins of Leto and Zeus. Many qualities were attributed toApollo, for the Ancient Greeks believed that the sun not only gave physical light, but that its light was symbolic of mentalillumination. Apollo was also worshipped as the god of music and song, which the ancients believed were only heard where there was light and security.

Artemis was worshipped as the goddess of childbirth and protector of children; yet, paradoxically, she asked Zeus if he would grant her eternal virginity. She was also the protector of suckling animals, but loved to hunt stags!

Hermes was born of Maia, daughter of Atlas and one of Zeus' paramours. He had an upwardly mobile career. His first job was as protector of the animal kingdom. As the chief source of wealth was cattle, he therefore became the god of wealth. However, as civilization advanced, trade replaced cattle as the main source of wealth, so Hermes became god of trade. However, a prerequisite for good trade was good commerce, so he became the god of commerce. To progress in commerce a merchant needed to be shrewd, so this attribute was assigned to Hermes. Later it was realized that to excel in commerce one needed to use the art of persuasion, so Hermes was promoted to god of oratory.

Last but not least of the 12 principal deities was the beautiful Aphrodite, goddess of love, who rose naked out of the sea. Her tour de force was her magic girdle which made everyone fall in love with its wearer. The girdle meant she was constantly pursued by both gods and goddesses because they wanted to borrow the girdle. Zeus became so fed up with her promiscuity that he married her off to Hephaestus, the ugliest of the gods.

Hades never made it to Mt. Olympus, but his job was nevertheless an important one. Hades' dominion was the vast and mysterious underworld (Tartarus). He was the benevolent god who gave fertility to vegetation and who yielded precious stones and metals. But he was also the feared guardian of a dark realm, from which no-one, having once journeyed, ever returned.

Now your ready to begin your Greek God Resume.