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The Olympian Gods
1. Zeus (Jupiter or Jove) – father of the gods, long flowing beard, storm-god who
wielded the thunderbolt, the All-Father who populated the earth by his promiscuous
liaisons, and the grand dispenser of justice. Palace on Mount Olympus – the home of
the gods.
2. Hera (Juno) – the jealous wife and sister of Zeus, the goddess of marriage and
childbirth.
3. Poseidon (Neptune) god of the seas. A wrathful, moody god who carried a trident
and traveled in the company of sea nymphs and monsters of the deep.
4. Hades (Dis and Pluto) -- lord of the underworld, the region of the dead. He was a
brother to Zeus. He abducted Persephone and made her his queen.
5. Aphrodite (Venus) – goddess of love and beauty, either born of the sea foam or
is a daughter of Zeus, Son is Eros (Cupid).
6. Apollo (Phoebus Apollo) – son of Zeus, god of light, intelligence, healing, and the
arts, shrine at Delphi, had several love affairs and a few rejections that he punished.
7. Ares (Mars) – a bullying god of war who delighted in slaughter and looting. He was
the son of Zeus and Hera.
8. Artemis (Diana) – Apollo’s twin sister and a daughter of Zeus, goddess of the hunt
and the moon, carried a bow and arrows
9. Athena (Minverva) – goddess of war and wisdom, a warrior who sprang fully
armed from the head of Zeus after he had swallowed the Titaness Metis.
10. Demeter (Ceres) – Zeus’ full sister, goddess of grain (vegetation and fertility), had
various lovers including Zeus, and a daughter, Persephone, who was taken by Hades. In
Demeter’s grief, the earth grew barren, and only when her daughter returned for six
months of the year did the earth become fruitful.
11. Dionysus (Bacchus or Liber) – a fertility god and a god of wine (the vine), was the
son of Zeus and Semele, served to liberate the emotions and to inspire men with joy, god
of drunkenness
12. Hephaestus (Vulcan – god of fire) – blacksmith of the gods
13. Hermes (Mercury) – the most clever of the Olympian gods, ruled wealth and good
fortune, was the patron of commerce and thievery, promoted fertility, and guided men on
journeys. He was herald and messenger of the gods, a conducter of souls to the
netherworld, and a god of sleep. He was a son of Zeus and was depicted with a helmet,
winged sandals, and the caduceus.
14. Persephone – daughter of Demeter
15. Prometheus – a Titan who created man and stole fire
16. Pan – the son of Hermes, god of woodland creatures, had the torso and head of a
man, but the hindquarters and horns of a goat. A marvelous musician, he played the pipes
and pursued various nymphs, all of whom rejected him for his ugliness.
17. Hestia (Vesta) – goddess of the hearth (home), the family, and peace. She was
Zeus’ sister.
18. Atlas – a Titan who carried the world as punishment for warring with Zeus.
19. Achilles – Greek hero of the Trojan War
20. Hercules – hero who accomplished 12 labors
Others: for Your Information:
Satyrs – originally men with horses’ haunches and tails, two-legged as opposed to the
four-legged Centaurs. In Roman times, they were confused with Fauns, or goat-men who
roamed the woods.
Centaurs – mainly savage beasts, half-horse and half-man. Chiron was the
exception, a Centaur famous for his virtue and wisdom.
Dryads – tree nymphs that had beautiful female shapes
Gorgons – three hideous dragonish sisters that could change men to stone at a glance.
Medusa was the most famous one.
Sirens – sisters who sat on rocks by the sea and lured sailors to their doom by singing to
them.
Helios – sun god, but he did not play a large part in Greek mythology
Triton – the trumpeter of the sea, depicted blowing a large conch shell
Fates – powerful goddesses who determined the lives of men. Clotho wove the
thread of life; Lachesis measured it out; and Atopos cut it off with her scissors of
death.