12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
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Richard Pallardy
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Cruel and fickle, passionate and vindictive, jealous and insecure, petty and insane: the
inhabitants of Mount Olympus represent an attempt by the ancient Greeks to explain
the chaos of the universe through human nature. Thus, like every deity invented before
and since, these gods and goddesses are embodiments of human solipsism. (Of course
lightning is caused by a giant, angry man in the sky…obvi. I mean, what else could it
be?) The stories of their battles, bickering, and sexual conquests have indelibly
influenced the course of Western language and narrative. Here is a selection of some of
the A-list names of the Greek pantheon.
 Aphrodite
Titian: Venus and Adonis
Venus and Adonis, oil on canvas by Titian, 1554; in the National Gallery, London, England.
© Photos.com/Jupiterimages
Aphrodite was the goddess of love, sex, and beauty. Unsurprisingly for a
love goddess, she was said to have emerged from the foam generated when the
severed testicles of her father, Uranus, were thrown into the sea by his son, the
Titan Cronus. (Or is that surprising?) Kind of makes Botticelli’s surreally
lovely Birth of Venus—which depicts Aphrodite’s Roman counterpart emerging
from the waves—a little more visceral, doesn’t it?
 Athena
Athena© Sergey Rusakov/Shutterstock.com

Athena was the goddess of reason, wisdom, and war. She famously sprung
fully formed from the forehead of Zeus. A major figure in the Odyssey, in which
she instructed Odysseus, she also guided Perseus and Heracles through their
trials. The Parthenon was her chief temple in Athens, which is named in her
honor. Her Roman equivalent was Minerva.
 Artemis
Artemis
Artemis as a huntress; in the Louvre, Paris
Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Artemis was the fleet-footed goddess of the hunt. Often depicted in painting and
sculpture with a deer or a hunting dog, she was both huntress and protectress of
the living world. Her Roman equivalent was Diana.
 Ares
Ares
Ares, classical sculpture; in the National Roman Museum, Rome.
Anderson—Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Ares was the god of bloodlust. (His half-sister Athena represented the more
"noble" aspects of combat and civil conduct during war.) Though his fellow
deities weren’t particularly fond of him, the Spartans had no problems, er,
donating some prisoners of war to his worship. And sacrificing dogs…yeah, that’s
right, Ares liked dead puppies. Jerk. His Roman equivalent was Mars.
 Apollo
Apollo Belvedere, restored Roman copy of the Greek original attributed to Leochares, 4th
century bc; in the Vatican Museum, RomeAlinari/Art Resource, New York
The twin brother of Artemis, Apollo was among the most important (read:
feared) of the gods. Son of Zeus, he disseminated the will of his divine
compatriots through various means, notably oracles. The Oracle at Delphi was his
mouthpiece; a 2001 study determined that the oracle was likely hallucinating due
to ethylene gas rising from the rocks beneath the temple.
 Demeter
Demeter
Demeter, statue, mid-4th century bce; in the British Museum, London.
© Magryt/Dreamstime.com
Demeter, an agricultural goddess, was mother to Persephone, who was abducted
by the underworld god Hades to be his bride. While searching for her stolen
daughter, she accepted the hospitality of the royal family of Eleusis.
The Eleusinian Mysteries, perhaps the most important religious rites in ancient
Greece, are attributed to her teachings. Her Roman equivalent was Ceres
 Dionysus
Dionysus© Photos.com/Thinkstock
Dionysus was a son of Zeus born to a mortal mother. When Zeus accidentally
killed her, he sewed the young Dionysus into his thigh and, when the young god
emerged, passed him to the care of the maenads. The cult of Dionysus revolved
around intoxication, sex, and savage ritual sacrifice. He was often symbolized by
a bull due to his association with the sacrificial animal. Elements of his character
are seen in the Roman god of wine, Bacchus.
 Hades
Gian Lorenzo Bernini: Pluto and Proserpina
Pluto and Proserpina, marble sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1621–22; in the Borghese Gallery,
Rome.
Anderson—Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Hades ruled the world of the dead, with which he was sometimes synonymous.
The chilly lord of the underworld was among the few Greek gods to come across
as dispassionate. He was not the ultimate judge of the souls that wandered his
domain nor did he mete out their punishments for sins committed during their
mortal lives. He was, however, cunning; he tricked Persephone into eating
enchanted pomegranate seeds so that she would have to remain with him for a
portion of the year.
 Hera
the gods on Olympus
The gods on Olympus: Athena, Zeus, Dionysus, Hera, and Aphrodite. Detail of a painting on a Greek
cup; in the National Archaeological Museum, Tarquinia, Italy.
Alinari/Art Resource, New York

The queen goddess of Olympus, Hera was both sister and wife to Zeus. Though
she is often depicted as reserved and austere, she was mercilessly vindictive when
it came to her husband’s [many] extramarital adventures. Unfortunately for the
objects of Zeus’s godly affections, Hera tended to torment the "other women"
(and their offspring, including Heracles) rather than Zeus himself. Her Roman
equivalent was Juno.
 Hermes
Hermes
Hermes bearing a caduceus, Roman copy, c. 1st century ce, of a Greek sculpture, c. 350 bce; in the
British Museum.
Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum

Like many gods in the Greek pantheon, Hermes presided over multiple spheres.
He was a pastoral figure, responsible for protecting livestock, and was also
associated with fertility, music, luck, and deception. In the Odyssey, he is
depicted as a messenger god. His Roman equivalent was Mercury.
 Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon hurling his trident, coin (reverse), 306–282 bce. Diameter 1.1 inches (28 mm).
WGS Photofile
Poseidon is best known as the Greek sea god, but he was also the god of horses
and of earthquakes. (Thus, many of his temples were inland.) And he had some
seriously strange children. Though humanoid, he fathered both the winged horse
Pegasus (by Medusa, no less) and the Cyclops Polyphemus, who is blinded by
Odysseus and his crew in the Odyssey. His Roman equivalent was Neptune.
 Zeus
Ganymede and Zeus in the form of an eagle, antique marble statue; in the Vatican
MuseumAnderson—Alinari/Art Resource, New York
With the assistance of Hades and Poseidon, Zeus overthrew his father, Cronus,
king of the Titans, and became the chief deity in a new pantheon comprising
mostly his siblings and children. In addition to controlling the weather, Zeus was
noted for his chronic infidelity to his sister-wife, Hera. Among the results of his
weakness for comely mortal women was Helen of Troy. His Roman equivalent
was Jupiter.

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12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Titian: Venus and Adonis

Athena© Sergey Rusakov/Shutterstock.com

Artemis as a huntress; in the Louvre, Paris

Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Ares, classical sculpture; in the National Roman Museum, Rome.

Anderson—Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Demeter, statue, mid-4th century bce; in the British Museum, London.

Anderson—Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Alinari/Art Resource, New York

Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum

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