Greek Gods and Goddesses

I’m going to focus on the fourteen main Olympian gods in this article. There are hundreds of other minor gods, ancient gods, titan, mythological beasts and legendary humans which won’t be mentioned here. Wikipedia is a great place to look if you’re interested in more detailed information.

Image via Wikipedia

• Aphrodite – the sensual goddess of beauty, love and lust. Lover of Ares and mother of Eros. Symbols: the sceptre, myrtle and dove.
• Apollo – the youthful god of the sun, music, medicine, health, prophecies, poetry, archery, light and truth. Yeah, he’s got a lot going on. Twin brother of Artemis and son of Zeus. Symbols: the bow, lyre and laurel.
• Ares – the bloodthirsty god of war and murder. Brother of Athena and son of Zeus. Symbols: vultures, dogs, boars and spears.
• Artemis – the wild goddess of the hunt, the moon and wild things. A virgin goddess associated with protection of the young. Twin brother of Apollo. Symbols: the bow, dogs and deer.
• Athena – the sophisticated goddess of wisdom, the arts, warfare, strategy and logic. Sister of Ares, daughter of Zeus. Symbols: the aegis, the owl and the olive tree.
• Demeter – the natural goddess of the harvest, fertility and agriculture. Sister of Zeus. Symbols: the sceptre, torch and corn.
• Dionysus – the joyful god of wine, parties and madness.  Fauns, wood nymphs and orgies, my kinda guy. Symbols: grape vine, ivy and thyrsus.
• Hades – the gloomy god of the underworld and wealth. Brother of Poseidon, Zeus and Hera. Symbols: the bident, the helm of darkness and his three headed dog Cerberus.
• Hephaestus – the ill-favoured god of fire and metallurgy. Son of Zeus and Hera. As a baby his mother threw him off mount Olympus because of his physical appearance. This damaged his legs and he is permanently handicapped. He’s married to Aphrodite but because of his deformity, she’s also seeing Ares. Symbols: fire, hammer and pincers.
• Hera – the mature goddess of the family, marriage, children and childbirth. Oddly enough, she is both the wife and older sister of Zeus. Symbols: the cow, peacock, sceptre and diadem.
• Hermes – the cunning god of trade, flight, thieves, mischief and commerce. He is also the messenger of the gods and shows dead souls to the underworld. Symbols: caduceus, winged boots and the lyre.
• Hestia – the calm goddess of hearth and home. She also represents the relationship between colonies and their mother cities. She left Olympus to tend to the sacred flame on Mount Olympus.
• Poseidon – the moody god of the seas. Also known as Storm Bringer and Earth Shaker due to his association with earthquakes. Symbols: horses, sea foam, dolphins and the trident.
• Zeus – the heavenly king of the gods and ruler of mankind. He is also the god of the sky and thunder and is generally seen smiting humans with lightning bolts or transforming into strange animal forms and heading down to earth for a little action. Symbols: thunderbolt, eagle, bull and oak.