The Olympian Goddesses
Hera
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The Olympian queen of the gods and the goddess of women and marriage. She was also a goddess of the sky and starry heavens. Hera is Zeus wife and sister. She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. She was usually depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a crown and holding a royal, lotus-tipped staff. Sometimes she held a royal lion or had a cuckoo or hawk as her familiar.Hera was known for her jealous and vengeful nature, most notably against Zeus's lovers and offspring, but also against mortals who crossed her. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno.
Demeter
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The great Olympian goddess of agriculture, grain, and bread, the prime sustenance of mankind. She is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. It is Demeter that makes the crops grow each year. Demeter is intimately associated with the seasons. Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld. In her anger at her daughter's loss Demeter laid a curse on the world that caused plants to wither and die, the land became desolate. Zeus became alarmed and sought Persephone's return. However, because she had eaten while in the underworld Hades had a claim on her. Therefore, it was decreed that Persephone would spend four months each year in the underwold. During these months Demeter greves her daughters absence, and withdraws her gifts from the world, creating winter. Her return brought the spring. Demeter was depicted as a mature woman, often crowned and holding sheafs of wheat and and a torch. Her Roman equivalent is Ceres.
Athena
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The great Olympian goddess of wise counsel, war, the defense of towns, heroic endeavor weaving, pottery and other crafts. Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armor from his forehead, thus has no mother. She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess. She was depicted crowned with a crested helm, armed with shield and spear, and wearing the snake-trimmed aigis cloak wrapped around her breast and arm, adorned with the monstrous head of the Gorgon. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes.
Artemis
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The great Olympian goddess of hunting, wilderness and wild animals. She was also a goddess of childbirth, and the protectress of the girl child up to the age of marriage. Her twin brother Apollon was similarly the protector of the boy child. Together the two gods were also bringers of sudden death and disease--Artemis targetted women and girls, and Apollon men and boys. She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides over childbirth, which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to causing Leto no pain when she was born. Artemis was usually depicted as a girl dressed in a short knee-length chiton and equipped with a hunting bow and quiver of arrows. Her Roman equivalent is Diana.
Aphrodite
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The great Olympian goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and and procreation. Because of her beauty, other gods feared that jealousy would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war, and so Zeus married her to Hephaestus, who was not viewed as a threat. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually accompanied by the winged godling Eros (Love). Her attributes included a dove, apple, scallop shell and mirror. In classical sculpture and fresco she was often depicted nude. Her Roman equivalent is the goddess Venus.