Teaching Material on Greek and Chinese religions for KS2

Divine Attributes: The Family of Zeus

I am Zeus, king of the Greek gods. My home is on top of a very high mountain called Mount Olympus; from there I reign over mankind and I can send thunder, lightning and rain. I can usually be found seated on my throne (which looks more like a wooden chair) telling other gods what to do. Don’t make me angry or I might throw my thunderbolt down from Mount Olympus and cause chaos!

Task: Which items belong to Zeus? Point out the items.

My name is Athena, the daughter of Zeus. I am a goddess of war and so I often wear a helmet and carry a spear in case I need to fight. I like other things too though! I am also a goddess of crafts, especially weaving, and I am known to be very wise. My wisdom is often symbolized by an owl. Like my father, I can get very angry too! I once turned the priestess Medusa into a scary gorgon – a monster with snakes for hair that could turn you into stone.

Task: Which items belong to Athena? Point out the items.

I am Poseidon, brother of Zeus. I am the lord of the sea, which means that I can control the conditions at sea by making waves swell or calming them as I like! My weapon is the trident, which is a spear with three points. I am also a god of horses, and I am the father of the famous cyclops, Polyphemus. A cyclops looks like a man but only has one eye: this is because Polyphemus was stabbed in his eye by the hero Odysseus.

Task: Which items belong to Poseidon? Point out the items.

I am Artemis, another daughter of Zeus. I am the goddess of the hunt so you can usually see me depicted as carrying my bow and arrows. I am often accompanied by a deer, which symbolizes my relation to hunting and to the wild. I also oversee childbirth and look after maidens until they get married. I take my hunting seriously and I can get very angry. One of my hunting companions, Callisto, once disobeyed my orders and so I turned her into a bear!

Task: Which items belong to Artemis? Draw a line from the items to the goddess.

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Prayers for Divine Protection

In Ancient Greece people would pray to certain gods to ask for help. Gods had specific functions; for example, Zeus could send thunder and lightning among his other areas of competence. Sometimes people would be scared that Zeus would strike them with his thunderbolt if they offended him or the other gods. Athena was intelligent and wise, so you might pray to Athena to help you with your homework! Ares was particularly competent in warfare and helped people who fought in battles. Demeter was associated with agriculture, and so she could help your crops to grow. Poseidon ruled over the sea so you might propitiate him to prevent him from causing crashing waves and violent storms when sailing. Artemis, apart from being the goddess of the hunt, could also protect maidens and women in labour. As you can see, there were a lot of gods and goddesses in ancient Greece, so the Greeks had to make sure that they prayed to the right one(s)!

Task: Which god should these individuals pray to? Write the answer in the box underneath each person.

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