Greek gods play, as is widely known, a central role in classical mythology. When we speak of mythology, we’re referring to the rich body of myths, legends, and traditions from ancient Greece. These myths tell of terrible battles where entire mountains and islands are uprooted and hurled at enemies. They speak of sparkling palaces, shadowy prisons, gods of dazzling beauty, and monsters with frightening appearances. They encompass love stories filled with poetry, violent passions, captivating adventures, and terrifying acts of revenge.
The mythology developed slowly over millennia, and each story often has several versions. Greek mythology is estimated to encompass over 30,000 deities, heroes, and other mythological figures. With such enormous diversity, the subject can easily feel overwhelming. Therefore, this article series on Greek gods aims to provide an overview of the Greek divine world and its most central figures.
The Twelve Olympian Gods
When we hear the words “Greek gods,” the Olympian gods most often come to mind. They are the most powerful gods in mythology and are called Olympians because, according to tradition, they resided on Mount Olympus.
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According to most sources, these twelve are considered to be: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Hestia, and Hermes. In some writings, the god Dionysus is mentioned as one of the twelve, instead of the goddess Hestia. Another of the most powerful and important gods was Hades, who, however, was not counted among the Olympians, because he did not have Olympus as his dwelling. Hades was the god of death and ruler of the underworld.
Click here for an overview table of the largest and most powerful Greek gods and their attributes.
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Cosmogony
To truly understand the place of the Olympian gods in the great puzzle of Greek mythology, we must go back to the beginning of everything, to cosmogony – the origin of the cosmos, according to early ancient Greek tradition.
The Birth of the Gods
The first divine couple in Greek mythology was Uranus and Gaia. Their union created the first dynasty of gods.
The events that preceded the creation of Gaia and Uranus are not entirely clear. The most important and almost only source preserved for this first period in Greek mythology is the Theogony, a work written by Hesiod around 700 BC.
Hesiod wrote that before everything else there was Χάος – Chaos. Within Chaos was the seed of everything that would later constitute the cosmos. Chaos gave birth to Erebus – the darkness of the underworld, Nyx – the night, and Gaia – the earth. Gaia then gave birth to Uranus – the sky, who covered her with his star-studded vault. This son became Gaia’s husband. And thus, mythology transitions into the “era of the gods”.
Interestingly, Hesiod also says that from Chaos, together with Gaia, Eros was also born – in his original form. Eros is presented here as a principle of utmost importance and unlimited power, that existed before the gods and led the elements to their unions and compositions.
Uranus and Gaia
Uranus and Gaia had many children who are usually called Ουρανίδες/Uranides. One category of Uranides is the Titans. They are twelve in number, six men and six women. Some of the Titans who will play an important role in the following dramatic events are Oceanus, Hyperion, Rhea, Metis, Iapetus, and finally Cronus, the youngest of the Uranides.
Other children of Uranus and Gaia were also the three Cyclopes, man-eating giants with only one eye on their forehead. They were strong and skilled, but selfish and arrogant.
The Hecatoncheires – the hundred-handed ones – are also usually counted among the Uranides. They were monstrous giants of inconceivable size, with a hundred invincible arms and fifty heads growing from their shoulders.
Finally, the Giants are sometimes as well called Uranides, but they were born differently, as explained below.
Uranus is Overthrown
Uranus, fearing that his children would one day overthrow him from the throne, cast his offspring down into Tartarus, in the darkest innards of the earth. Gaia was inconsolable and decided to take cruel revenge. She made a large diamond-sickle intending to mutilate her husband, with the help of her children. But none of the Uranides dared to help her in this endeavor. Only Cronus, the youngest of them all, agreed to cooperate with his mother. So one night he lay in wait when his father went to bed, and with the sickle, he cut off Uranus’s member.
From the drops of the spilled blood, the Giants, the Erinyes, and the Nymphs were born. Cronus threw the severed member into the waves of the sea. The sea kept it for a long time. One day, foam began to well up from the member, and from the foam, a new great deity was born: Aphrodite.
Cronus and Rhea
Cronus took his father’s throne and made one of his Titan sisters, Rhea, his wife. Together they had many children: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and, later, Zeus. There was a prophecy that also Cronus would be toppled from his throne by one of his offspring. Therefore, Cronus swallowed his children immediately after their birth.
Rhea could not bear this situation. When she became pregnant again, she fled to Crete, gave birth to Zeus, left him there, and returned to her husband. She pretended to give birth and presented Cronus with a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. Cronus swallowed it immediately, believing he had once again defeated fate.
Zeus Overthrows His Father
Ancient authors tell us very little about how Cronus was overthrown and how Zeus when he grew up, took power. The most accepted version is that of Apollodorus of Athens, who says that Zeus received help from Metis, daughter of Oceanus. She provided Zeus with an emetic which they managed to give to Cronus, causing him to vomit up the stone first, and then the rest of his children.
But after Zeus took power, he had to, as we shall see, fight terrible battles to consolidate his rule. The older deities did not submit immediatly, and frightful, fierce clashes ensued.
Battles for the Celestial Throne
The Titan-battle
When Zeus took the throne, the Titans began to wage war against the new king. This clash is known as Τιτανομαχία/The Titanomachy and lasted for ten years. Zeus freed the Hundred-Handed Ones and the Cyclopes from Tartarus to fight on his side. This resulted in an epic battle that has been vividly described in both ancient and contemporary art. According to Hesiod, the earth shook, the waves of the sea roared, and the sky was split by lightning. The Titan War ended with Zeus’s triumph. The defeated Titans were finally imprisoned in Tartarus, in the depths of the earth.
The Battle Against the Giants
The next challenge came from the Giants, born from Uranus’s blood drops. These monstrous creatures had large beards, long hair, and legs covered with reptile scales. The battle was fought in Pallene, in western Chalkidiki. On his side, Zeus had many Greek gods and heroes, such as Athena, Hera, Heracles, and Poseidon. Zeus won by destroying an herb that would have made the Giants immortal.
The Battle Against Typhon
The last and most terrible enemy was Typhon, a monster with a hundred dragon heads and eyes that hurled flames. His head reached up to the stars and his body was covered with feathers. In the first battle, Zeus was defeated by Typhon. But with the help of Hermes, he recovered and re-entered the fight. The final clash shook the cosmos to its foundations. Typhon tore up entire mountains with his enormous hands and hurled them at his opponent. Zeus responded with a rain of lightning bolts from his chariot drawn by winged horses. The hard battle ended with Zeus burying Typhon under Mount Etna, in Sicily, where according to tradition he still lives and spews fire and lava.
Typhon was defeated, but his offspring remained on earth: Cerberus, Chimera, the Sphinx, the Lernaean Hydra, and others. He had these children through his union with the mother of all monsters, Echidna.
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The Gods of Olympus
With Zeus established as the supreme ruler among Greek gods, the first part of our journey through Greek mythology comes to an end. We have followed the lineage of the gods from Chaos to the founding of Olympus, a story that we have seen is largely based on Hesiod’s work Theogony.
In the second part of the series, we will delve deeper into the Olympian pantheon. We will explore the roles of the Greek gods, their attributes, and the myths surrounding them. This closer examination will give us an overview and a more nuanced understanding of the Greek divine world and its significance.
As we leave the Theogony – the story of the birth of the gods – behind us, a new rich landscape of mythological personalities, legends, and traditions opens up. Their influence extends far beyond the boundaries of Olympus.
Keep an eye on our blog for part 2 of the series Greek Gods – An Overview>>
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Table of the most powerful Greek gods
| Name(English) | Namn (Greek) | Characteristics/attributes | Common symbols | Relations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeus | Ζευς, Δίας | King and father of gods and men. Wisdom, justice, power. Many love affairs with both goddesses and mortal women | Lightning, thunder, eagle, oak, bull, scepter | Son of Cronus and Rhea. Husband of Hera |
| Hera | Ήρα | Queen of gods and men. Goddess of marriage, women, birth, and the family. She often tried to take revenge on Zeus’ mistresses and their children | Peacock, cuckoo, cow | Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Spouse of Zeus |
| Poseidon | Ποσειδώνας | God of the sea, water, storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, and horses. | Trident, horse, dolphin | Son of Cronus and Rhea. |
| Demeter | Δήμητρα | Goddess of the harvest, fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. She ruled over grains and the fertility of the earth | Poppy, wheat, torch | Daughter of Cronus and Rhea |
| Hefaistos | Ήφαιστος | Goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship, and warfare | Hammer, fire, anvil and tongs | Hammer, fire, anvil, and tongs |
| Hestia | Εστία | Goddess of the hearth, the fireplace of the home, and the family. She is known for her innocence, loyalty, gentleness and stability | Hearth, fire, simple pot | Daughter of Cronus and Rhea |
| Athena | Αθηνά | Goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship and warfare | Owl, olive tree | Daughter of Zeus, born from his head in full armor |
| Apollon | Απόλλωνας | Represents a multifaceted deity that combines intellectual, artistic, and physical aspects: the sun, light, prophecy, philosophy, poetry, music, art, medicine, etc. | Lyre, bow, raven, swan | Son of Zeus and Leto, twin brother of Artemis |
| Artemis | Άρτεμις | Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, nature, virginity, the moon, archery and childbirth | Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Twin sister of Apollo | Dotter till Zeus och Leto. Tvillingsyster till Apollon. |
| Ares | Άρης | The god of war represents combativeness, courage, and violence. Ares personifies the brutal and chaotic aspects of war. Brave but often unreliable and impulsive | Sword, shield, spear, snake, dog, vulture | The god of war represents combativeness, courage, and violence. Ares personifies the brutal and chaotic aspects of war. Brave but often unreliable and impulsive |
| Aphrodite | Αφροδίτη | Goddess of love, pleasure, passion, procreation, fertility, beauty and desire. She had many adulterous affairs, especially with the god Aris | Dove, apple, bee, swan, rose and seashell | Born in the foam of the sea from the limb of Uranus. Spouse of Hephaestus |
| Hermes | Ερμής | Messenger of the gods. Patron of trade, travel, communication, diplomacy, gambling, and even thieves. Hermes is also the guide of the dead. He is known for his speed, cunning, and ability to move freely between different worlds. | Caduceus, (staff with two snakes), winged sandals, winged hat, turtle | Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia |
| Dionysus | Διόνυσος, Βάκχος | The god of wine, feasting, ecstasy and theater, madness and resurrection. He is known for his joyful vitality, spontaneity, and ability to bring both joy and chaos. Patron of the theater arts | Bunch of grapes, vine, thyrsus (stick with a cone on top), leopard | Son of Zeus, either born from his thigh or in union with the princess Semele |
| Hades | Άδης, Πλούτωνας | God of the underworld and death. He is known for his severity, justice, and administration of the realm of the dead | Bident(two-pointed stick), invisibility helmet, Kerberus the dog | Son of Cronus and Rhea |
Roman Names for the Greek Gods
As Rome expanded across the ancient Hellenic world, the Romans adopted the Olympian gods and gradually renamed them with Roman equivalents. This can create some confusion. Therefore, here is an overview table of the Roman equivalents of the Greek names.
| Name (Greek/English) | Roman names |
|---|---|
| Ζευς, Δίας/Zeus | Jupiter |
| Ήρα/Hera | Juno |
| Ποσειδώνας/Poseidon | Neptunus |
| Δήμητρα/Demeter | Ceres |
| Ήφαιστος/Hefaistos | Vulcan |
| Εστία/Hestia | Vesta |
| Αθηνά/Athena | Minerva |
| Απόλλων/Apollon | Apollo |
| Άρτεμις/Artemis | Diana |
| Άρης/Ares | Mars |
| Αφροδίτη/Aphrodite | Venus |
| Ερμής/Hermes | Mercurius |
| Διόνυσος/Βάκχος/Dionysus | Bacchus |
| Άδης/Πλούτωνας/Hades | Pluto |
| Κρόνος/Cronus | Saturnus |
Sources
The article series Greek Gods – an overview is based on the book “Ελληνική Μυθολογία/Greek Mythology” by Andreas Georgiou, published in 1960. It was the first book on Greek mythology written directly in Modern Greek (dimotiki), which was not a translation from other languages. You can reach the author’s website here>> (in Greek).
Other sources: Swedish, Greek, English Wikipedia
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