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Learn about the names, realms and personalities of the Greek gods in mythology. From the Olympian gods to the minor and primordial gods, this page covers a comprehensive list of Greek deities with brief descriptions.
The following is a list of gods, goddesses, and many other divine and semi-divine figures from ancient Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion. Immortals The Greeks created images of their deities for many purposes.
- Overview
- Aphrodite
- Athena
- Artemis
- Ares
- Apollo
- Demeter
- Dionysus
- Hades
- Hera
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Cruel and fickle, passionate and vindictive, jealous and insecure, petty and insane: the inhabitants of Mount Olympus represent an attempt by the ancient Greeks to explain the chaos of the universe through human nature. Thus, like every deity invented before and since, these gods and goddesses are embodiments of human solipsism. (Of course lightnin...
Aphrodite was the goddess of love, sex, and beauty. Unsurprisingly for a love goddess, she was said to have emerged from the foam generated when the severed testicles of her father, Uranus, were thrown into the sea by his son, the Titan Cronus. (Or is that surprising?) Kind of makes Botticelli’s surreally lovely Birth of Venus—which depicts Aphrodi...
Athena was the goddess of reason, wisdom, and war. She famously sprung fully formed from the forehead of Zeus. A major figure in the Odyssey, in which she instructed Odysseus, she also guided Perseus and Heracles through their trials. The Parthenon was her chief temple in Athens, which is named in her honor. Her Roman equivalent was Minerva.
Artemis was the fleet-footed goddess of the hunt. Often depicted in painting and sculpture with a deer or a hunting dog, she was both huntress and protectress of the living world. Her Roman equivalent was Diana.
Ares was the god of bloodlust. (His half-sister Athena represented the more "noble" aspects of combat and civil conduct during war.) Though his fellow deities weren’t particularly fond of him, the Spartans had no problems, er, donating some prisoners of war to his worship. And sacrificing dogs…yeah, that’s right, Ares liked dead puppies. Jerk. His ...
The twin brother of Artemis, Apollo was among the most important (read: feared) of the gods. Son of Zeus, he disseminated the will of his divine compatriots through various means, notably oracles. The Oracle at Delphi was his mouthpiece; a 2001 study determined that the oracle was likely hallucinating due to ethylene gas rising from the rocks benea...
Demeter, an agricultural goddess, was mother to Persephone, who was abducted by the underworld god Hades to be his bride. While searching for her stolen daughter, she accepted the hospitality of the royal family of Eleusis. The Eleusinian Mysteries, perhaps the most important religious rites in ancient Greece, are attributed to her teachings. Her R...
Dionysus was a son of Zeus born to a mortal mother. When Zeus accidentally killed her, he sewed the young Dionysus into his thigh and, when the young god emerged, passed him to the care of the maenads. The cult of Dionysus revolved around intoxication, sex, and savage ritual sacrifice. He was often symbolized by a bull due to his association with t...
Hades ruled the world of the dead, with which he was sometimes synonymous. The chilly lord of the underworld was among the few Greek gods to come across as dispassionate. He was not the ultimate judge of the souls that wandered his domain nor did he mete out their punishments for sins committed during their mortal lives. He was, however, cunning; h...
The queen goddess of Olympus, Hera was both sister and wife to Zeus. Though she is often depicted as reserved and austere, she was mercilessly vindictive when it came to her husband’s [many] extramarital adventures. Unfortunately for the objects of Zeus’s godly affections, Hera tended to torment the "other women" (and their offspring, including Her...
Learn about the main deities of the ancient Greek pantheon, their attributes, origins, and stories. See how they influenced Western culture and art through myths, rituals, and symbols.
- Richard Pallardy
- Primordial Gods: The First Greek Gods. The primordial gods helped the Greeks understand their existence. They were gods, but they were also concepts; ideas that humanized the vastness of the universe and made it easier to understand where life, and ultimately people, came from.
- The 12 Greek Titans. From the primordial gods came the Titans. This group of twelve gods were the first to rule the world in a meaningful way and help bring a lot of structure to the Greek pantheon.
- Other Important Titan Gods. Atlas: God of Astronomy. Realms: Astronomy. Family Tree: Brother of Prometheus and father of Calypso. Fun Fact: Atlas helped Hercules (Heracles) complete one of his twelve tasks.
- The 12 Olympian Gods. Zeus: God of the Sky and Thunder; King of the Olympians. Realms: god of the sky, thunder and lightning, honor, hospitality, royalty, and order.
Dec 2, 2009 · Learn about the origins, sources and characters of ancient Greek mythology, from the Olympian gods and heroes to monsters and hybrids. Explore how Greek myths shaped art, literature and culture for thousands of years.
Nov 26, 2019 · Learn about the Twelve Olympians, the main deities of the Greek pantheon, and their roles, attributes, and stories. Find out who are the 12 gods, their siblings, their lovers, and their enemies in this comprehensive article.
Explore the rich and diverse world of Greek mythology, from the Olympian gods and their children to the titans, primordial deities, and minor gods. Learn about the myths, creatures, elements, figures, heroes, monsters, and mortals that populate the stories and legends of ancient Greece.
