List of the Olympians

[edit]Classical

Olympians
[citation needed]

The twelve gods and goddesses listed among the Twelve most often.

Greek Name

Roman Name

Image

God/Goddess of...

Generation

Zeus

Jupiter

King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky and thunder. Youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, scepter and scales. Brother and husband of Hera, although he had many lovers.

First

Hera

Juno

Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and family. Symbols include the peacock, pomegranate, crown, cuckoo, lion and cow. Youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Wife and sister of Zeus. Being the goddess of marriage, she frequently tried to get revenge on Zeus' lovers and their children.

First

Poseidon

Neptune

Lord of the seas, earthquakes and horses. Symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin and trident. Middle son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Married to theNereid Amphitrite, although, like most male Greek Gods, he had many lovers.

First

Dionysus

Bacchus

God of wine, celebrations and ecstasy. Patron god of the art of theatre. Symbols include the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger, panther, leopard, dolphin and goat. Son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess Semele. Married to the Cretan princess Ariadne. The youngest Olympian, as well as the only one to have been born of a mortal woman.

Second

Apollo

Apollo

[A]

God of light, knowledge, music, poetry, prophecy and archery. Symbols include the sun, lyre, bow and arrow, raven, dolphin, wolf, swan and mouse. Twin brother of Artemis. Youngest child of Zeus and Leto.

Second

Artemis

Diana

Virgin goddess of the hunt, virginity, childbirth, archery and all animals. Symbols include the moon, deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree and bow and arrow. Twin sister of Apollo. Eldest child of Zeus and Leto.

Second

Hermes

Mercury

Messenger of the gods; god of commerce and thieves. Symbols include the caduceus (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork and tortoise (whose shell he used to invent the lyre). Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. The second-youngest Olympian, just older than Dionysus. He married Dryope, the daughter of Dryops, and their son Pan became the god of nature, lord of the satyrs, inventor of the panpipes and comrade of Dionysus.

Second

Athena

Minerva

Virgin goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, defense and strategic warfare. Symbols include the owl and the olive tree. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Metis, she rose from her father's head fully grown and in full battle armor after he swallowed her mother.

Second

Ares

Mars

God of war, violence and bloodshed. Symbols include the boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear and shield. Son of Zeus and Hera, all the other gods (excluding Aphrodite) despised him. His Latin name, Mars, gave us the word "martial."

Second

Aphrodite

Venus

Goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Symbols include the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, myrtle and rose. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Dione, or perhaps born from the sea foam after Uranus' blood dripped onto the earth and into the sea after being defeated by his youngest son Cronus. Married to Hephaestus, although she had many adulterous affairs, most notably with Ares. Her name gave us the word [B] "aphrodisiac".

either

Second
or from the

Titan
generation

Hephaestus

Vulcan

Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of fire and the forge. Symbols include fire, anvil, ax, donkey, hammer, tongs and quail. Son of Hera, either by Zeus or alone. After he was born, his parents threw him off Mount Olympus, and he landed on the island of Lemnos. Married to Aphrodite, though unlike most divine husbands, he was rarely ever licentious. His

Second

Latin name, Vulcan, gave us the word "volcano."

Demeter

Ceres

Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. Symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, and pig. Middle daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Her Latin name, Ceres, gave us the word cereal."

First

A. Notes B. C.
^

Romans also associated Phoebus with Helios and the sun itself. [16] the name legaced by the Greeks, Apollo.

[14][15]

However, they also used

According to an alternate version of her birth, Aphrodite was born of Uranus, Zeus' grandfather, after Cronus threw his castrated genitals into the sea. This supports the etymology of her name, "foam-born". As such, Aphrodite would belong to the same generation as Cronus, Zeus' father, and would technically be Zeus' aunt. See the birth of Aphrodite

[edit]Other

definitions

The following gods and goddess are sometimes mentioned amongst the twelve Olympians.

Greek Name

Roman Names

Image

God or Goddess of...

Generation

Hades

Pluto

God of the Underworld, dead and the riches under the Earth ("Pluto" translates to "The Rich One"); he was born into the first Olympian generation, but as he lives in the Underworld rather than on Mount Olympus, he is typically not included amongst the twelve Olympians.

First

Hestia

Vesta

Goddess of the hearth and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family; she was born into the first Olympian generation and was one of the original twelve Olympians, but stories suggest that when Dionysus arrived on Mount Olympus she gave him her place in the twelve to prevent discord.

First

Asclepius

Vejovis

The god of medicine and healing. He represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia ("Hygiene"), Iaso ("Medicine"), Aceso ("Healing"), Agla/gle ("Healthy Glow"), and Panacea ("Universal Remedy").

Third

Eros

Cupid

The god of sexual love and beauty. He was also worshipped as a fertility deity, son of Aphrodite and Ares. He was depicted often as carrying a lyre or bow and arrow. He is often accompanied by dolphins, roses and torches.

either

Third
or

Primordial

Hebe

Juventas

She is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe was the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, serving their nectar and ambrosia, until she was married to Heracles.

Second

Heracles

Hercules

A divine hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson (and halfbrother) of Perseus (). He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters.

Second

Generally

Pan

Faunus/Sylvananous

The god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs.

Third
sometimes

Second

Persephone

Proserpina

Queen of the Underworld and a daughter of Demeter and Zeus. She became the consort of Hades when he became the deity who governed the underworld. Also goddess of spring time. She was kidnapped by Hades. Demeter mourned her by not allowing crops to grow, so Zeus struck a deal with Hades allowing Persephone to leave the underworld and rejoin her mother for 6 months each year (spring/summer).

Second

[edit]Close

to the Olympians

The following gods, goddesses, and demigods were not usually counted as Olympians, although they had close ties to them. Aeolus - King of the winds, keeper of the Anemoi, master of the seasonal winds. Amphitrite - Queen of the Sea, wife of Poseidon. Anemoi Wind gods consisting of Boreas (north), Notus (south), Zephyrus (west), and Eurus (east). Aura - Goddess of cool breezes and fresh air. Bia Personification of violence.

Circe - minor goddess of magic, not to be confused with Hecate. Deimos - God of terror, brother of Phobos. Dione Oceanid; Mother of Aphrodite by Zeus in Homer's version. Eileithyia Goddess of childbirth; daughter of Hera and Zeus. Enyo - An ancient goddess of warfare, companion of Ares. Eos Personification of dawn. Eris Goddess of discord and strife. Ganymede Cupbearer of the god's palace at Olympus. Graces - Goddesses of beauty and attendants of Aphrodite and Hera. Harmonia - Goddess of concord and harmony, opposite of Eris, daughter of Aphrodite. Hecate - Goddess associated with magic, witches and crossroads. Horae Wardens of Olympus. Hypnos - God of sleep, father of Morpheus and son of Nyx. Iris Personification of the Rainbow, also the messenger of Olympus along with Hermes. Kratos Personification of power. Leto Titaness; the mother of Apollo and Artemis. Moirae - Goddesses of destiny and a lotters of fate, more powerful than Zeus. Momus - God of satire, mockery, satires, and poets. Morpheus God of dreams. Muses Nine ladies of science and arts. Nemesis Greek goddess of retribution and revenge. Nike Goddess of victory. Nyx - Goddess of night. Paeon Physician of the gods. Perseus Son of Zeus, slayer of Medusa, the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty. Phobos - God of fear, brother of Deimos. Selene Titaness; personification of the Moon. Styx - Goddess of the River Styx, the river where gods swear oaths on. Thanatos - God of Death. Theseus - Son of Poseidon, first Hero of Athens and slayer of the Minotaur. Triton - Messenger of the Seas, Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. He holds a twisted conch shell. Tyche - Goddess of Luck. Zelus Personification of Emulation.

[edit]See

also

Ancient Greek religion Dii Consentes (its equivalent on the pantheon of Ancient Rome) Family tree of the Greek gods Greek mythology List of Greek mythological characters

Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes

[edit]References

1.

^ Used comparatively rarely, in Byzantine Greek, e.g. by Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos, Athanasius of Alexandria orDucas.

2. 3.

^ "Dodekatheon" (in Greek). Papyros-Larousse-Britanicca. 2007. ^ According to Stoll, Heinrich Wilhelm (translated by R. B. Paul) (1852). Handbook of the religion and mythology of the Greeks. Francis and John Rivington. p. 8. "The limitation of their number [of the Olympians] to twelve seems to have been a comparatively modern idea"

4. 5. 6.

^ "Greek mythology". Encyclopedia Americana. 13. 1993. p. 431. ^

a b

"Dodekatheon" (in Greek). Papyros-Larousse-Britanicca. 2007.

^ Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Ulrich von (19311932) (in German). Der Glaube der Hellenen (Volume 1). Berlin: Weidmansche Buchhandlung. pp. 329.

7. 8.

^ Herodotus, The Histories, 2.4344 ^ Berger-Doer, Gratia (1986). "Dodekatheoi". Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. 3. pp. 646 658.

9.

^ Pindar, Olympian Odes, 10.49

10. ^ Plato, The Laws, 828 d-e 11. ^ "Greek mythology". Encyclopedia Americana. 13. 1993. p. 431. 12. ^ , Plato: Phaedrus, 246 e-f

13. ^ C.R. Long, The Twelve Gods of Greece and Rome 14. ^ North John A., Beard Mary, Price Simon R.F. "The Religions of Imperial Rome". Classical Mythology in English Literature: A Critical Anthology. (Cambridge University Press, 1998), p.259. ISBN 0-521-31682-0. 15. ^ Hacklin, Joseph. "The Mythology of Persia". Asiatic Mythology (Asian Educational Services, 1994), p.38. ISBN 81-206-0920-4. 16. ^ See, for example, Ovid's Met. I 441, 473, II 454, 543, 598, 612, 641, XII 585, XVIII 174, 715, 631, and others.