For this reason, the ancients thought there were bronze palaces on this mountain-top where gods lived in. gods spent their time in this palaces, built by Hephaestus, when they did not interfere in human beings' business. The ancients considered gods as a group of people gifted with superhuman powers. They attributed to them all the qualities which human beings have only in the slightest part.ΓÇóThey were immortal and always young, beautiful and high. They could move immediately from a place to another, and take the shape they wanted. Nevertheless they had all human faults: they were jealous, quarrelsome, envious, they tried to have more power than other gods, and they took part in human wars and quarrels, taking first one side and then the other.ΓÇóIn their banquets, the ambrosia was served, the exquisite food which gives immortality. It was brought by doves on the Olympus, they took it into the Hesperides garden. gods drank the nectar, served by the beautiful Hebe, youth goddess. Each god of the Olympus protected one or more parts of human beings' daily life: Athena was the goddess of Arts and Knowledge, Hera protected the marriage and motherhood, Artemis was the goddess of Hunting, Apollo was the god of the Sun and poetry, Ares was the god of the War, Hermes was the god of Trade.ΓÇóThey could also influence nature: for example, Poseidon could cause earthquakes or sea-storms, with a blow of his trident, Apollo could dry up the vegetation or make it luxuriant with the rays of the sun. In the beginning all these gods symbolized the strengths of the nature that the primitive man did not know how explain to himself, and for this reason, sometimes he thought these strengths had their own life, while sometimes he thought they were guided by a god. Woods, springs, mountains and trees were related to special divinities (Nymphs and Satyrs). They did not live on the Olympus and they were submitted to the authority of the most important gods.ΓÇóHuman beings thought that, even the most powerful god, Zeus, should submit to the Fate's rules, as they had understood that, even if they prayed to the gods, their prayers were not often heard. This entity was not considered as a god, but it was superior to everyone, and nobody could break its rules. Everyone has got his fate, which cannot be changed.ΓÇóShe considered herself as important as Zeus was. When he gave birth to Athena alone, also Hera tried to do the same. However when she saw that her son was born very ugly, cast him out of Olympus and made him lame. Hephaestus was a very important god, even though he was ugly and lame: he was the smith of the gods and made their weapons and all kind of tools. He was kind and helpful, and perhaps the ancients had introduced also ugliness, together with the kindness, among the gods so that all the human characteristics were represented.ΓÇóShe considered herself as important as Zeus was. When he gave birth to Athena alone, also Hera tried to do the same. However when she saw that her son was born very ugly, cast him out of Olympus and made him lame. Hephaestus was a very important god, even though he was ugly and lame: he was the smith of the gods and made their weapons and all kind of tools. He was kind and helpful, and perhaps the ancients had introduced also ugliness, together with the kindness, among the gods so that all the human characteristics were represented.ΓÇóHe was the only god who worked and he was always willing to make any kind of object for the other gods. He made for himself two solid golden robots with the shape of two beautiful young girls which he used as crutches. Maybe, for his kindness he had as wife the beautiful Aphrodite who was unfaithful to him. When Hephaestus found Aphrodite together with Ares, the god of the war, he bound them with an invisible chain. This provoked the laughter of all gods.ΓÇóAphrodite symbolized the physical love, rather than the love in the marriage. She had the power to make fall in love; not only of herself, but also of everyone she wanted. No god or mortal could evade her law, and even Zeus fell in love again and again with mortal women because of her. To take his revenge, Zeus compelled her to love a mortal. She is also the symbol of the beauty, and she has always been depicted as a beautiful young girl. She had a capricious disposition and avenged herself on whoever did not respect her law or did not worship her.ΓÇóThe beautiful Narcissus who had rejected the love of the nymph Eco, was condemned to fall in love with his image, so that when he saw himself reflected in a spring tried to embrace himself and drowned. While the sculptor Pygmalion who did not want to fall in love so as not to take his mind off his job, was compelled to love a statue which he had sculptured. Heros, the son of Aphrodite, was depicted as a winged child who amused himself striking people by chance with his arrows giving or taking away the capacity of loving.ΓÇóWhen Apollo laughed at him, Heros made him to fall in love with the nymph Daphne, while she was stricken by the indifference arrow. Apollo pursued Daphne up hill and down dale, but when he was going to catch her up she was changed into a laurel plant. Since then this plant became the sacred plant to the god of art. It is for this reason that poets are depicted crowned by the laurel and the degree has taken its name from it. Apollo was an important god who had little intimacy with human beings. He was the god of the sun, as well as the protector of arts and poetry. He crossed the sky driving a chariot made by Hephaestus.ΓÇóIt is probably for this reason that he is considered an infallible archer and his arrows can cause death or health to human beings. As a consequence of this he is considered the protector of medicine. Moreover, he was also the god of the prophecy; a large number of sanctuaries, where people went to consult oracles, were dedicated to him. He was depicted as a beautiful young boy, a good god and a supporter of moral laws. Nevertheless, he did not hesitate to avenge himself when Marsia challenged him to a music competition. Apollo hung him on a tree and skinned him alive and made two donkey's ears grow on the umpire Midas.aΓÇóWhen the mortal woman, Niobe, boasted to have given birth to twelve children, while Apollo's mother, Leto, had had only two children. These latter, Apollo and Artemis, struck Niobe's children with their arrows killing them all. Niobe, petrified by grief changed herself into a rock which goes on crying. As Apollo was the god of the Sun, so Artemis, his twin, was the goddess of the Moon. Moreover, Artemis was very skilled with the bow like her brother. In consequence of the fact that she liked hunting, she decided never to get married. She was one of the few goddesses who resisted the power of Aphrodite.ΓÇóShe was a severe goddess and was depicted wearing a short dress. She is armed with bow and arrows, made by Cyclops, accompanied by dogs and very young Nymphs. The goddess did not tolerate being seen by human beings and she punished whoever was disrespectful to her. As she was the goddess of the Moon, she was identified also with Hecate, the goddess of Darkness who walked in the graveyards or backroads, accompanied by the howling of the dogs, and engaged to protect the witches who gathered the magical herbs. Athena was another goddess who decided never to get married. As we have already said, she sprang from Zeus' head and was one among the most revered goddesses in the ancient world.ΓÇóShe was the goddess of science and practical arts, invented the loom, the plough, and taught mortals to break in horses. She was a prudent and restrained goddess, and although she was a warrior, she was never violently impetuous. However, like all gods, she punished mortals who dared to challenge her: when a young girl, Aracne, boasted that she could embroider better than her, Athena accepted the challenge, and at the end of the work she recognized that the young girl was as skilled as she was. Nevertheless, Athena changed her into a spider, i. e. the insect which weaves and re-weaves its poor cloth.ΓÇóAs Athena was wise and right during war, so Ares was violen
