Limericks about Greek Gods

When it comes to understanding humans, our planet, and the universe, I think it’s safe to say that the Ancient Greeks were way ahead of the curve. Without telescopes, microscopes or smart phones, they pretty well calculated the size of the earth, the motion of the stars, the notion of the atom and the theory of music. They also came up with some marvelous theories about the mind, the soul and the origins of the cosmos.

All this takes us back about 2,500 years. But it’s the mighty gods of Mount Olympus who cast the longest shadow across Western Civilization. Even 2,000 years of crusading Christianity haven’t been enough to erase the pantheon of Greeks gods from the human psyche. Psyche, after all, is just another Greek goddess. And, if you recall, those zealous Christians actually managed to erase a formidable share of the competition.

But you can read about all that elsewhere. Let’s get to the limericks.

The Gods

The Romans called him Saturn. Others call him father time. He’s where we get words like chronological and synchronicity. Cronus is such a towering—dare I say titanic?—figure, that I had to write more than one limerick about him. To refresh your memory, he castrated his own father Uranus, permanently dividing heaven and earth. He then tried to swallow his own children so they wouldn’t bring a similar fate to him. But no one escapes the procession of time, not even Cronus himself.

King Kronos
An Olympian Grecian called Cronus
Accepted a perilous onus
Avoiding a pickle
By waving his sickle
He swallowed his kids for a bonus

Challenging Cronus
On Crete there’s a bright guiding lantern
Enlightening a time-proven pattern
Providing assistance
On the path of resistance
So like Zeus we can overcome Saturn

Trial by Fire
Drop in on Hades for left-handed learning
Not to say Hell where the wicked are burning
It’s not for the dead
But ye heroes instead
When you rise and return you’ll be twice as discerning

Mercury Rising
The messenger roaming from Athens to Crete
Patron of merchants and guide of the fleet
Conveyor of souls
Who moves between poles
Here he comes, Hermes, with wings on his feet

Apollo & Daphne
The heroic Hellenic Apollo
Found Daphne appealing to follow
But after a quarrel
She turned to a Laurel
Her fate wasn’t easy to swallow

Prometheus
There once was a Titan with special desire
To teach humankind and endow them with fire
But some gifts are tainted
So don’t get acquainted
With powers that promise to raise you much higher

Janus
Observing the faces in either position
Janus is honored in times of transition
His effigy stays
And under his gaze
He guardedly watches the door of admission

The Goddesses

Nemesis
There’s always a goddess of Rhamnous observing
The habits of hubris she finds so unnerving
While not in a hurry
She strikes with a Fury
Punishing only the proud and deserving

Gift of the Magi
Blessings to Hekate, all three of her faces
She rules from afar, to those hard-to-reach places
Succumb to her charm
She’ll do you no harm
Give thanks to the goddess and garner her graces