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Greek Mythology: The Gods of Olympus
High atop Mount Olympus, within a gleaming white palace, the gods ruled over heaven and earth. Zeus, lord of the
sky and the greatest of the Olympians, sat upon the highest thrown in the center of the great marble hall, his
thunderbolts close at hand.
Zeus’ queen, the jealous goddess, Hera, sat to his right, and beside her Zeus’ sons: Ares, god of war; Hephaestus,
god of fire; and Hermes, the winged messenger of the gods. Seated by her husband, Hephaestus, was the beautiful
Aphrodite, goddess of love. Enthroned on the end, cradling her daughter, Persephone, was Zeus’ sister, Demeter,
goddess of the harvest.
To Zeus’ left sat his brother, Poseidon, lord of the sea, as well as Zeus’ other children: Athena, goddess of wisdom;
the twins, Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and her brother, Apollo, god of light and music; and Dionysus, god of wine,
who was not only the youngest, but the only god to have a mortal parent.
Zeus’ eldest sister, Hesta, the gentlest Olympian, was goddess of the hearth. Tending the great hall’s sacred fire,
Zesta had no throne, but every human hearth on earth was dedicated as her alter. Zeus’ unpitying eldest brother,
Hades, lord of the dead, ruled the underworld and rarely left his dark kingdom.
The gods feasted on ambrosia and life-giving nectar, and instead of blood, divine ichor flowed through their veins,
making them immortal. While harmony generally reigned on Olympus, the gods could be egotistical, jealous, and
petty; occasionally wills clashed and tempers erupted. Then Zeus, whose strength was greater than all the other gods
combined, would reach threateningly for a thunderbolt to keep the immortals in line.
The only Olympian who had neither mother nor father was Aphrodite. It wasn’t known from where she had come;
only that she was first seen by the West Wind in the ethereal light of dawn, rising out of the sea on a bed of foam.
Floating over gentle waves, Aphrodite’s loveliness calmed the West Wind. His soft breath carried Aphrodite to the
flowering island of the three Graces, goddesses of beauty. There she was welcomed ashore and worshiped. The
Graces dressed Aphrodite in shimmering garments and jewels, and placed her in a golden chariot drawn by white
doves. They then led her to Olympus, where all the gods rejoiced in Aphrodite’s beauty and embraced her as their
own.