Gods – Overview The Olympian Gods and Goddesses

There will be a more detailed post for each god and goddess in the upcoming weeks.

The Olympian Gods and Goddesses, Main Greek Gods and Goddesses

The Olympian gods or Olympians are younger gods who got the name after their mythical place Mount Olympus. They had gained rank as the rulers of the world after dethroning the elder gods, known also as the Titans, in a ten-year war called Titanomachy. The Olympians, as they called themselves, were the main gods of Ancient Greece and were representing civilization of the world.

The first generation Olympians were descendants of a titan couple Cronus and Rhea. Together they gave birth to six children, three sons and three daughters. The sons were Poseidon, Hades, Zeus and daughters Hera, Hestia and Demeter. Zeus, Poseidon, Hera and Demeter are always considered as Olympian gods while Hestia and Hades are only included at some point of their existence. Hades was supposed to live on Mount Olympus and had every honour and right to but was given the realm of death under his control, when the three brothers had to split the cosmos after the victory over titans. And Hestia lived there just for a short period. After being granted a place on Mount Olympus by Zeus she eventually, because of her modesty, gave away her place to keep peace among gods because there were only twelve places on Mount Olympus, and the desire for these was huge among gods. The second generation Olympians were Athena, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus, Apollo, Artemis and Hephaestus. Aphrodite is also sometimes considered as the second generation goddess but is in general referred to be from the titans generation. Anyway, all of these gods are referred as Olympian gods and together they presided over every aspect of human life.

First generation of Olympian gods

Demeterdemeter

Goddess of harvest and fertility

Hadeshades

God of death and the dead

Herahera

Goddess of marriage and childbirth

Hestiahestia

Goddess of the hearth and domestic affairs

Poseidonposeidon

God of sea, floods and earthquakes

Zeuszeus

God of the sky and weather

Second generation of Olympian gods

Apolloapollo

God of light and sun

Aresares

God of war, violence and destruction

Artemisartemis

Goddess of hunting and wilderness

Athenaathena

Goddess of wisdom, strategy, warfare and skill

Dionysusdionysus

God of wine, festivals and pleasure

Hephaestushephaestus

God of craftsmanship. blacksmiths and stonemasonry

Hermeshermes

God of travel, trade, diplomacy, persuasion, writings and athletics

Aphroditeaphrodite

Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure
There are also Asclepius(son of Apollo and Coronis), Eros(son of Ares and Aphrodite or primeval deity), Hebe(daughter of Zeus and Hera), Heracles(son of Zeus and Alcmene) and Persephone(daughter of Zeus and Demeter) who are sometimes referred to be among Olympians.