The Greek and Roman Gods (lectured by Mr. Jayanta Bogoda, given by ven. Naninda-Mon) 2011

         According to the history, the Greeks and Romans worshiped twelve gods and goddesses. All of them were supposed to live on Mountain Olympus and they were honored with temples and festivals. They are as follows:

For Greeks
          (1) Zeus and Hera
          (2) Poseidon and Pallas Athenae 
          (3) Ares and Aphrodite 
          (4) Phoebus Apollo and Artemis 
          (5) Hephaestus and Hestia 
          (6) Hermes and Demeter

For Romans
         (1) Jupiter and Juno
         (2) Neptune and Minerva
         (3) Mars and Venus
         (4) Apollo and Diana
         (5) Vulcan and Vesta
         (6) Mercury and Ceres

                Of them, Zeus was the king of heaven, and he had power over everything. Hera was the queen of heaven, and she was happy to lead a married life. Poseidon was the god of the sae, and he had a trident with which he could cause earthquakes and produce islands. Pallas Athenae was the goddess of wisdom and war, and she was patroness of all accomplishments and arts including spinning and weaving. Ares was the god of war, and he was giving strength for fighting. Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, and she was gentle.

                Similarly, Phoebus Apollo was identified with Helios, the Sun god, and he was the patron of athletics. Artemis was the goddess of hunting, and she was the patroness of unmarried girls. Hephaestus was the god of fire, and he was the patron of metal workers. Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, and she was a maiden deity. Hermes was the messenger of the gods, and he was the patron of tradesmen and travelers. Demeter was the goddess of corn, harvest and agriculture, and she was the patron of vegetables.

                The Roman gods were are not much different from the Greek Gods. For example, Zeus and Hera are similar to Jupiter and Juno, Poseidon and Pallas Athenae are Neptune and Minerva, Ares and Aphrodite are Mars and Venus, Phoebus Apollo and Artemis are Apollo and Diana, Hephaestus and Hestia are Vulcan and Vesta, and Hermes and Demeter are Mercury and Ceres.

                The interesting point is that the Greek gods are different from mankind in three ways, namely that they were immortal and did not grow old, and that they had superior power. But they were humans by form and had the same human feelings. The Greeks believed that the deities could be seen. Roman religion was influenced very considerably by the religious ideas of the Greeks.