by Rodrigo Martinez
edited by Jade Perez Calderon and Charlotte Kihlgren
The upcoming Homecoming Parade will be on September 20th at 5:30 p.m. The theme for this year's parade will be “An Evening in Athens.” What does “An Evening in Athens” mean? Athens is the capital of Greece, home to many Greek gods, goddesses, and myths. This means different clubs and teams will be representing different Greek gods or goddesses on their floats. After the parade, we will meet at the lake to watch Hercules, a movie heavily based on Greek myths and gods. But what do these gods represent? In this article you are going to learn about all the Greek gods and goddesses that you will see represented on the different floats at the parade and the movie that follows.
Flag Football: The Flag Football team chose Hades as their Greek god. Hades is the god of the underworld and wealth. Hades is a part of the original gods that were the children of Cronus. He is one of the original six olympians (Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, and Hera). Although in most depictions he is shown as a villain, Hades is just a stern ruler of his kingdom. You might see skulls, ravens, and dark colors to represent his title as the ruler of the underworld on the Flag Football team’s float.
Art Club: Art Club’s float will represent Poseidon, the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. He is also a part of the six original olympians. Poseidon is often seen holding a trident, which he uses to control the sea and cause earthquakes. He is also known as the creator and tamer of horses. He is frequently known for his moodiness and high temper. On the Art Club’s float, you may see tridents, blue and green colors, water, oceans, and maybe even horses.
Varsity Football: The Varsity Football team will represent Ares on their float. Ares is the god of war, he embodies the more brutal and violent aspects of war, leading him to be feared by other gods and most humans. Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera and has two sons, Deimos (God of dread) and Phobos (God of terror). He also had a daughter with Aphrodite, Marmonia (Goddess of harmony). He is usually connected with his half-sister, Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy. He is often depicted as a classic warrior with silver and red armor. You might see arrows, swords, shields, armor, red colors, and gray colors on the Varsity Football team’s float.
Junior Wolves: The Junior Wolves have chosen Zeus to be represented on their float. Zeus is known as the king of all the gods and the god of the sky, lightning and justice. He overthrew his father, Cronus, and took the role of the ruler of the gods. He is usually seen holding a lightning bolt that he throws to cause lightning and thunder to come from the sky. He is also seen as the god of justice, dispensing his judgment on gods and humans with his lighting bolt. Zeus is a father to many heroes and gods, some of the more known ones being Hercules, Apollo, Athena, and Artemis. Lighting, storms, gray and blue colors are some things that might be on the Junior Wolves’ float.
Sophomore Class: On the Sophomore Class's float, you will see Aphrodite represented. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and pleasure. She was married to Hephaestus, god of the forge, but was known to have many affairs. The most notable one was with Ares, god of war. She possesses a magic griddle that made anyone who wore it irresistible. Aphrodite does not take any form of disrespect, often cursing anyone who dared to scorn or challenge her. You might see pink and white colors, pearls, jewelry, and light flowers represented on the Sophomore Class’s float.
Baseball: The Baseball team chose Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, and the protection of young girls as their god. In some stories, she is also seen as the goddess of the moon. She is the twin sister of Apollo, both kids from Zeus. She is seen as a symbol of chastity, swearing to dedicate her life to the hunt rather than finding love. In most depictions, she is seen shooting a bow and arrow with a moon above her head. You might see deers, forests and rivers, bows, and moons on the Baseball team’s float.
Girls Basketball: On the Girls Basketball team’s float, you will see Athena represented. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and crafts. She appeared from the mind of Zeus, fully grown and armored, highlighting her inherited wisdom. She is also the goddess of crafts and weaving. This is shown in the myth of Arachne where Arachne challenged Athena to weave a better tapestry than her. Arachne wove a tapestry showing every bad thing the gods had done and in anger, Athena turned Arachne into a spider. She is known as the protector of Athens, planting the first ever olive tree, a symbol of peace. On the Girls Basketball team’s float, there may be gold and white colors, books, documents, and a warrior aesthetic.
FCCLA Education Professions: FCCLA Education Professions will have Hestia on their float. She is the goddess of fire, home, and family. She is one of the original six Olympians and is the oldest and youngest out of the six. Hestia doesn’t have many myths or legends to her because of the personal nature of her worship. Hestia is known for staying out of conflict and being seen as a symbol of peace between the gods. On the FCCLA Education Professions float, you may see a fall aesthetic with baking and cooking themes on it as well as fire and candles.
Spiritline: The Spiritline chose Persophone as their goddess. Persephone is the goddess of spring, agriculture, and the underworld. She was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the underworld. Her mother, Demeter, goddess of grain, grieved her loss. As her mother grieved, the land and soil became dehydrated and died out. When Persophone was returned, it brought spring and new growth, granting Persophone the title of the goddess of spring. You might see floral designs, pastel colors, and different kinds of fruits on the Spiritline’s float.
Student Government: Student Government will be representing Gaia, goddess of the Earth. She is the mother to most gods and other Greek beings and she is the grandmother to the six original gods. She was one of the first Greek entities to be created at the dawn of creation. You might see green and light colors, streams, waterfalls, trees, grass, and anything earthy on the Student Government float.
JV Football: The JV Football team chose Hercules as their god. Hercules is the god of heroes, athletes, and agriculture. Hercules originally wasn’t a god, he was a demigod due to him being a child of Zeus and a mortal woman. Zeus’s wife, Hera, was angered by this and drove Hercules mad, causing him to kill his children, wife, and almost himself. To repay for his actions, the gods made him complete 12 seemingly impossible tasks. He completed all of them, but this made him feared by many. One day he was poisoned and when he was about to die, Zeus granted him immortality and he became an official god. On the JV Football team’s float you may see white and gold colors with armor and sports to represent Hercules and his story.
FCCLA Culinary: On the FCCLA Culinary’s float you will see the god of sleep, Hypnos, represented. Hypnos is a peaceful god, opposite of his family. He is the twin brother to Thanatos, the god/representation of death. He is the son of Nyx, goddess of night, and Erebus, god of darkness. He gives peaceful sleep and relief to humans and has the ability to manipulate dreams. Hypnos is often depicted with wings on his head so he can fly and deliver dreams to sleeping humans. You might see moons, stars, night skies, and maybe some sheep to represent Hypnos’s title as the god of sleep.
JV BLACK Volleyball: The JV BLACK Volleyball team chose Nike, goddess of victory to be represented on their float. She is the sister to the titan Kratos, the spirit Zelus, and Bia, goddess of force. Her name quite literally means victory in ancient Greek. She is a close companion to Zeus and Athena. Nike is often shown with wings and holding some kind of trophy. On the JV BLACK Volleyball team’s float you may see gold, crowns, wings, and swords.
Interact Club: The Interact Club has chosen Atlas, god of astrology as their god. Atlas is actually a titan, but is often categorized as a Greek god and is usually seen holding a globe on his back. This is because when the titans lost the war against the gods, Zeus made Atlas carry the world on his back for eternity. He was known to be able to control the stars movement and knew all about celestial bodies, granting him the title of the god of astrology. You may see a pair of hands holding up a globe, stars, and constellations on the Interact Club’s float.
Freshman Class: The Freshman Class chose Morpheus, the god of dreams to represent on their float. Morpheus is the son of Hypnos, god of sleep. Morpheus can take any human form, appearing in people's dreams to deliver messages. His name roughly translates to “shaper” relating to his ability to shape and manipulate dreams. He is often depicted laying in a cave surrounded by poppies, tied to the relaxing drug morphine that contains poppy seeds and was named after Morpheus. On the Freshman class’s float you might see black and blue colors, stars, moons, and night skies.
Drama Club & Tech Theatre: Drama Club & Tech Theatre both have chosen Dionysus to be represented on their float. Dionysus is the god of wine, madness, and theater. He is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, but he was raised by many different nature creatures. Dionysus is a complex god, embodying the effects of wine. He is seen as both joyful and mad. He is known for his emotions and expressions, granting him the title god of theater and performance. There might be grapes, theater masks, and purple colors and the Drama Club and Tech Theater’s float.
HOSA Sports MED: You will see Asclepius represented on the HOSA Sports Med’s float. Asclepius is the god of medicine and healing. He is the son of Apollo and a human princess. He was such a skilled physician he was able to bring people back from the dead. Fearing that he would disrupt the natural order of life and death, Zeus struck and killed him with his lightning bolt. Apollo heard of this and begged Zeus to undo his actions. After some thought, Zeus turned Asclepius into a god and gave him a home in Olympus. He is often depicted holding a staff with a snake coiled around it, the first animal he ever brought back to life. On the HOSA Sports Med float, you may see blue and yellow colors, snakes, and medical tools to represent Asclepius.
ASL Club: The ASL club has chosen Hera, goddess of marriages, woman, and family. She is married to Zeus, granting her the role as queen of all gods. She is known for her jealous and vengeful nature to all of Zeus’s affairs and children. The most known case was when Hera attempted to stop the birth of Apollo and Artemis by trying to kill their mother. She is often symbolized with peacocks, cows, swans, and other birds. You might see white and beige colors, wedding rings, peacocks, and doves on the ASL club’s float.
Now you know about the different gods and goddesses that will be represented at the Homecoming Parade and in Hercules. We hope to see you at the parade cheering on your fellow classmates or helping your club run your float. The Homecoming parade will take place this Saturday at 5:30 pm at North Lake Amphitheater lawn. After the parade, the movie, Hercules, will be played in the park. Can’t wait to see you there!