OLYMPIAN GODS – Who Are The Twelve Greek Gods And Goddesses Of Mount Olympus
OLYMPIAN GODS – In this lesson, we will now learn about the twelve Mount Olympian gods and goddesses in Ancient Greek mythology.
Mt. Olympus
It is the highest mountain in Greece found between the borders of Thessaly and Macedonia. In Greek mythology, it is the meeting place of twelve gods and goddesses known as the Gods of Olympus.
Gods of Olympus
1. Zeus
The King of Olympus and the god of thunder. He is the child of Kronos, the god of time of which he imprisoned inside the walls of Tartarus. He is also the father of some of the known gods and heroes in Greek mythology like Ares, Athena, Hercules, Perseus, etc.
2. Hera
The Queen of Olympus. She is also the child of Kronos, thus, she is Zeus’ sister and now wife. She is ironically the Goddess of Marriage and Birth since she developed a deep jealousy and hatred against Zeus’ many lovers and offspring.
3. Poseidon
The god of the seas, earthquakes, storms, and horses. He is an offspring of Kronos, thus, another of Zeus’ siblings. He is one of the most bad-temperd gods in Olympus.
4. Demeter
She is the goddess of agriculture, fertility, sacred law and the harvest. Her daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Hades and became Queen of the Underworld.
5. Athena
Daughter of Zeus and Hera and also known as the goddess of wisdom and war, in contrast to her brother, Ares. Although they were both gods of war, Athena is the embodiment of military strategy and generalship, thus, the intelligence of war.
6. Ares
Son of Zeus and Hera and also known as the god of war. He is also the brother of Athena. He is the embodiment of the violent and physical aggressive aspects of war.
7. Apollo
The son of Zeus and Leto and the god of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light and knowledge. He is the twin brother of Artemis.
8. Artemis
The daughter of Zeus and Leto and the goddess of the hunt. She is the twin sister of Apollo.
9. Hermes
The herald and messenger of the gods. He is also the god of trade and eloquence and was regarded as a “trickster” due to his cunning and clever personality
10. Aphrodite
The goddess of fertility, love, eternal youth and beauty. She was born from the foam from Uranus’ loins in the waters of Paphos.
11. Dionysus
The god of wine and grape harvest. Wine is a major part of Greek culture and the wine god is the last to arrive in the fray.
12. Hades
Zeus’ sibling and a child of Kronos. He is the god of the dead underworld. He is also the god of wealth as he owns the riches of the world.
There were two gods that were counted as part of the fray. Their reason for not being counted is this:
Hestia
The goddess of the hearth, home, architecture, domesticity, family, and the state. The constant bickering against the gods and goddeses made her turn her seat over to Dionysus.
Hephaestus
The ugliest of the gods and the god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. The reason is that there are times when he was told to be part of the fray but there are times when he was not counted and Hades took him over.
Tyche
The goddess of chance, fate and fortune. She is the daughter of Zeus or Hermes and Aphrodite. The possible reason she might not be counted as an Olympian god is because she was linked to Nemesis, the shape-shifting god of the waters.
theres also Nike (god of victory) hypnos, and many more