Associated also with the sun is the myth of Clytie, a water nymph, who for unrequited love of Apollo, was changed into a sun-flower, which traditionally still turns towards the sun, following him through his daily course.

Belief in Natural Phenomena

It has already been suggested that in primitive times intentional and conscious life was ascribed to a host of natural objects and phenomena, indications of which survive in the common speech of the present day. Thus we speak of inanimate things as if they had consciousness and intelligence. We say the Weather is good or bad, the Wind furious, the Sea treacherous, the Seasons inconstant or the Earth thirsty. It is also customary to speak of the “head” or “foot” of a mountain, and “arm” of the sea and the “mouth” of a river or a cave.

Conscious action is suggested by such statement as the wind “whistles,” “howls” or “moans”; the torrent or river “murmurs”; the fields “smile” or the sky “threatens.”

These afford undoubted evidence of early belief in personality and consciousness—a belief originally simple, but later becoming more complex, monotheistic in the earlier form, developing into polytheism in assigning different deities to the various elements.

Greek and Roman Deities

In Greek and Roman mythology there are twelve deities, six gods and six goddesses.

Greek.Gods.Roman.
Zeus.The air or the living one (king)Jupiter.
Apōllon.The Sun God.Apollo.
Ares.The War God.Mars.
Hermes.The Messenger.Mercury.
Poseidon.The Sea God.Neptune.
Hephaistos.The Smith.Vulcan.
Goddesses.
Hera.Queen.Juno.
Demeter.Tillage.Ceres.
Artemis.Moon-Hunting.Diana.
Athenē.Wisdom.Minerva.
Aphrodite.Love and Beauty.Venus.
Hestĭa.Home life.Vesta.

These are the original twelve, but four others are referred to as follows:

Dionȳsus.The God of Wine.Bacchus.
Eros.The love lad.Cupid.
Plutōn.God of the Inferno.Pluto.
Kronos. Time.Saturn.