s children by them included thegods Apollo, Dionysus, and Hermes; and the heroes Heracles(Hercules in Latin) andPerseus. Also Zeus gave birth to the goddess Athena, who sprang full-grown from hishead. Zeus and Mnemosyne were the parents of the Muses, and nine goddesses of the artsand sciences. Some of the myth’s say that Zeus and the goddess Themis were the parentsof the Fates, three goddesses who controlled men’s destiny. POSEIDONPoseidon, in Greek mythology is the god of the sea. He was also the god ofhorses, earthquakes, and storms at sea. Poseidon was the son of Cronus and Rhea, andthe younger brother of Zeus, the king of the gods. His wife was Amphitrite, a seagoddess. Poeidon had many children famed for their wildness and cruelty, among themthe giant Orion and the Cyclops Polyphemus. Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa were theparents of Pegasus, the famous winged horse. Poseidon fought unsuccessfully with Athena, goddess of wisdom, for the controlof Athens. When he and Apollo, god of the sun, were cheated of their promised wagesafter having helped Laomendon, king of Troy, build the walls of that city, Poseidon’srevenge against Troy was terrible. He sent a sea monster to ravage the land, and duringthe Trojan War he helped the Greeks. In art, Poseidon is represented as a bearded and majestic figure, holding a trident, athree pronged spear, riding in a chariot drawn by horses and often seen with a dolphin. Every two years the Isthmian Games, featuring horse and chariot racers, were held in hishonor at Corinth. HADESHades, was the god of the dead in Greek mythology. He ruled the kingdom of thedead. He was the son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and the older brother of Zeus andPoseidon. Hades from the underworld abducted his queen, Persephone, whom he hadabducted from the world above, ruled the kingdom of the dead. He was a grim andpitiless god, unappeased by either prayer or sacrifice, but he was not evil...
