Greek Mythology - Olympian Gods

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ARTEMIS

Zeus

Zeus, “father of gods and men” according to Homer, was the supreme god of the Greek pantheon. According to prevailing tradition, he was born in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete, where his mother Rhea had sought refuge to save him from his father, Cronos. Zeus had to battle the older deities (the Titans and Giants) in order to prevail. The ancient Greeks imagined him having his abode on Olympus, Greece’s highest mountain, while a number of major sanctuaries to Zeus existed across Greece (Olympia, Nemea, Dodona). Over time, Zeus evolved from a punishing thunderbolt-wielding god into a guarantor of the cosmic order, providence and justice, with such epithets as xenios (patron of hospitality), ikesios (protector of supplicants), themistios (patron of right) and soter (saviour).

Hera

Hera was the supreme goddess of the Olympian pantheon, the wife of Zeus and the mother of Ares, Hephaestus and other gods. She was worshipped as the protectress of marriage (Hera Τeleia), but also as a virgin (Parthenos) and as the queen of gods (Vasileia). Portrayed in mythology as majestic and beautiful, Hera was notoriously jealous of Zeus and vengeful towards the numerous women he seduced, amongst them Leto, Io and Semele, and their offspring, most notably Hercules. Festivals in honour of Hera were held in many cities in Ancient Greece, especially at Olympia, where the “Heraia” consisted of footraces for maidens. Major centres of the cult of Hera in antiquity were Argos, Samos and Corinth (the sanctuary of Perachora). Today, the lighting of the Olympic Flame takes place during a ceremony before the Temple of Hera (the Heraion) in Olympia.

Poseidon

Poseidon, the god of the sea, held an important position among the twelve Olympian deities and his cult is already attested in Mycenaean times. When he and his brothers Zeus and Hades (Pluto), all sons of Kronos and Rhea, drew lots to divide the universe between them, Zeus won the rule of the heavens, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld. Married to the sea nymph Amphitrite, Poseidon had his palace at the bottom of the sea and his symbol was the trident. However, he also had power over the earth, due to his ability to cause earthquakes, as indicated by one of his epithets enosichthon (the earthshaker). Other epithets indicate a close association with horses (Poseidon Hippios) and bulls (Poseidon Tavreios). Important temples to Poseidon were erected on the Isthmus of Corinth and at Cape Tainaron, while one of Attica’s most iconic monuments is the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

Athena

Athena, favourite daughter of Zeus, was the goddess of wisdom, war and the crafts. She sprang forth from Zeus’s head, fully grown and fully armed, representing his wisdom and will. In ancient Greek art, she is portrayed wearing a helmet, often holding shield and spear. Worshipped throughout the Greek world, Athena was especially associated with Athens, of which she was the patroness. It was to Athena Parthenos (Athena the virgin) that the Parthenon was dedicated, with its chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of the goddess, crafted by Phidias, while the colossal Athena Promachos (Athena the front-line fighter), also by Phidias, watched over the city from the rock of the Acropolis. Her numerous epithets include: Pallas, Polias (of the city), Archegetis (leader), Nike (victory). The olive was her sacred tree, and the owl, represented on the Athenian drachma coins, was her symbol.

Apollo

Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto and twin brother of Artemis, was the god of light, music and the arts, as well as of prophecy, healing, measure and harmony. He was born on the island of Delos, at the centre of the Cyclades, where the Delia festivals were held in his honour. After slaying the serpent Python, he founded the famous oracle in Delphi, where the Pythian Games were celebrated. Other important sanctuaries of Apollo existed in Amyclae (near Sparta), Bassae in Arcadia (Temple of Apollo Epikourios) and Didyma (Asia Minor). Apollo was traditionally portrayed as a beardless, ideal youth, holding a lyre and sometimes a bow, as he was not without his dark side, being the god of plague and a punisher of hubris. Some of his other epithets were Phoebus, loxias (in reference to his ambiguous oracles) and musagetes (leader of the Muses).

Demeter

Demeter, sister of Zeus, Poseidon and Pluto, was the goddess of agriculture, vegetation and fertility. By Zeus she had a daughter, Persephone, whom Pluto, the god of the underworld, fell in love with and abducted. The distraught Demeter’s wanderings in search of her daughter brought her to Eleusis. Outraged, she suspended the powers of fertility, causing drought and famine. In order to stave off the threat to mankind, Zeus decided to intervene: Pluto consented to Persephone’s spending six months a year with her mother on earth, in exchange for spending the remaining six with him in the underworld. Demeter taught the art of agriculture to Triptolemos, son of the king of Eleusis, who later imparted it to the rest of mankind. The Eleusinian Mysteries, the holiest in antiquity, were held in honour of Demeter and Persephone, as were the Thesmophoria, a religious festival for women only. On account of the importance of agriculture, the cult of Demeter was widespread, while the entire island of Sicily, site of Persephone’s abduction, was sacred to the two goddesses.

Hermes

Hermes was the son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia, daughter of Atlas. Born on Mt Kyllene, Hermes immediately showed signs of cunning resourcefulness, stealing Apollo’s cattle and promptly crafting the first lyre to appease him. Known as dolios, i.e. the schemer, Hermes was the divine trickster and patron of thieves. But, above all, he was the herald of the gods, which is why he was traditionally depicted wearing winged shoes, sporting a petasos (a broad-brimmed hat worn by travellers) and holding a caduceus. As psychopompos (i.e. conveyor of souls), he guided the souls of the deceased to the underworld. He was the protector of shepherds, tradesmen, as well as travellers. In fact, the road markers of the ancient Greeks were called herms, i.e. rectangular shafts topped by the head of hodios Hermes (i.e. Hermes of the roads). Given his additional status as patron of athletes, statues of him often adorned gymnasiums and stadiums. His varied roles, together with his playfulness, made Hermes the friendliest of the Olympian gods.

Αphrodite

Αphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, was one of the most popular Olympian deities. According to Homer, she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione, while according to Hesiod, she was born from the sea foam produced by Ouranos’s genitals, severed by his son Kronos. Her birthplace was contested by Paphos (Cyprus) and Kythera, hence her epithets Kypris and Kythereia. She was worshipped as Aphrodite Ourania (the heavenly) and Pandemos (“of all folk”, the vulgar), alluding, respectively, to spiritual and to sensual love. Although married to Hephaistos, Aphrodite had numerous lovers, including gods (most notably Ares) and mortals (Adonis or Anchises, to whom she bore Aeneas, progenitor of the Romans). One tradition portrays her as mother of Eros (Cupid), the mischievous winged god. Over the centuries, Aphrodite has inspired such masterpieces of art as the Knidian Aphrodite (by Praxiteles), the Venus de Milo and the Birth of Venus (by Boticelli).

Ares

Ares, son of Zeus and Hera, was the god of war. His children from his adulterous affair with Aphrodite, the wife of Hephaistos, included Harmonia (who later wed Cadmos, the founder of Thebes) and his companions in battle, Phobos and Deimos (embodiments of fear and dread, respectively). In contrast with his sister Athena, who represented protection of cities and strategy, Ares was associated with the blind brutality of war. This explains why he was not popular with the Greeks, who – despite their frequent wars and high regard for military valour – were not a bellicose people. Even his own father, Zeus, in the Iliad calls him the most loathsome of the Olympian gods because of his belligerent nature. Very few temples were devoted to Ares in the Greek world (in Troizina, Geronthrai and Alikarnassos). As for the Temple of Ares in the ancient agora of Athens, it had originally been erected in some other community of Attica, in honour perhaps of another god, before being moved to the centre of Athens and rededicated to Ares during the reign of Augustus, probably in connection with the Roman cult of Mars Ultor.

Artemis

Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto, was born on the island of Delos together with her twin brother Apollo. She was the goddess of hunting and wildlife, but also of childbirth, hence her role as protectress of children. Typically depicted with a bow and quiver of arrows and accompanied by a deer, Artemis was a virgin deity, like Athena and Hestia. She would punish harshly anyone who dared to cross her. From Agamemnon, who had killed her sacred deer, she demanded the sacrifice of his own daughter Iphigenia in retribution. Due to the nature of her cult, she was mainly worshipped in country areas. Major sanctuaries to Artemis were located in Sparta (Artemis Orthia), in Caryes, Laconia, where the local women (Caryatids) honoured the goddess with dances, as well as in Brauron, Attica. The famous temple dedicated to her in Ephesos was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.