In Greek mythology, Geras, also written Gēras, was the god of old age. He was depicted as a tiny, shriveled old man. Gēras's opposite was Hebe, the goddess of youth. His Roman equivalent was Senectus. He is known primarily from vase depictions that show him with the hero Heracles; the mythic story that inspired these depictions has been lost.
Geras, detail of an Attic red-figure pelike, c. 480–470 BC, Louvre
Hebe, in ancient Greek religion and mythology, often given the epithet Ganymeda, is the goddess of youth or of the prime of life. She functioned as the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, serving their nectar and ambrosia. People of Sicyon also worshipped her as the goddess of forgiveness or of mercy.
Hebe by Antonio Canova, 1800–05 (Hermitage, St. Petersburg)
The Ricci Hydria showing Hebe bringing Heracles to Olympus from Earth upon his apotheosis. (National Etruscan Museum)
Louise Henriette de Bourbon as Hebe by Jean-Marc Nattier (1744)
Statue of the goddess Hebe, early 19th century CE, by Johan Niclas Bystrom, Gripsholm Castle, Sweden