Olympic gods

Twelve Gods Altar ( Louvre , Paris), 1st century AD

In Greek mythology, the twelve gods of Olympus (the twelve gods , Greek Δωδεκάθεοι Dodekatheoi ) or, in a broader sense, all main gods are referred to as the Olympic gods (also Olympians , Olympioi ) .

Olympian in the strict sense

Only those gods who reside on Olympus are called Olympians in the narrow sense . Olympians are accordingly Zeus , Poseidon , Hera , Demeter , Apollon , Artemis , Athene , Ares , Aphrodite , Hermes , Hephaestus and Hestia . In addition to Zeus, there are four of his siblings and seven of his children. Hera is both sister and wife of Zeus.

Not among them are Hades and his wife Persephone , who rule the underworld, Hebe , who acts as cupbearer, and Eileithyia , the goddess of childbirth. Also not included are the two deities with a mortal mother, Heracles and Dionysus , although they were eventually accepted into Olympus.

As with the Greeks, the Etruscans and Romans also had a twelve number of gods who were largely identified with the Greek gods, see Dei Consentes .

Olympians in the broader sense

The Olympioi as a family of gods that ruled after the fall of Kronos and the Titans , regardless of where they lived , all his siblings and children are counted alongside Zeus himself:

the five siblings of Zeus: Hera, Hades, Hestia, Poseidon and Demeter
the ten divine children of Zeus:
- Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe, Eileithyia (children of Hera)
- Artemis and Apollon (children of Leto )
- Hermes (son of Maia )
- Athene (daughter of Metis )
- Persephone (daughter of Demeter)
- Aphrodite (daughter of Dione )

two children whom Zeus fathered with mortal women and who were later accepted into Olympus:
- Heracles (son of Alcmene )
- Dionysus (son of Semele )

The most important relationships, functions and attributes are summarized in the following table.

Greek (translit.)	Roman name	Relationships with other gods, function, peculiarities	Attributes
Zeus Ζεύς (Zeus)	Jupiter	Father of gods, ruler of heaven, lightning and thunder ; youngest son of Kronos and Rhea ; younger brother of Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Demeter; Father of Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus, Heracles; its planet is Jupiter	Eagle, bundle of lightning, scepter
Poseidon Ποσειδῶν (Poseidōn)	Neptune	God of the sea, earthquakes and horses; older brother of Zeus; Son of Kronos and Rhea; fathered five pairs of twin brothers with the mortal Kleito ; married to Amphitrite ; Father of Triton ; its planet is Neptune	Trident, chariot, dolphin
Hera Ἥρα (Hērā)	Juno	Family goddess, responsible for marriage , motherhood and childbirth ; Helper in need of childbirth; jealous wife and sister of Zeus; Mother of Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe and Eileithyia	Peacock, cuckoo, royal headband, pomegranate, cereal
Demeter Δημήτηρ (Dēmētēr)	Ceres	Earth goddess, sister of Zeus, mother goddess , goddess of fertility; triune goddess in the manifestations virgin, mother and old woman; Sister and lover of Zeus; Mother of Persephone and Plutus ; in art closely connected with the daughter and her husband Hades;	golden wreath of ears, torch, basket with peaches or flowers, labrys (double ax)
Apollon Ἀπόλλων (Apollōn)	Apollo	God of poetry , light, plague and prophecy ; Guide to the Muses (nickname: Musagetes); equated with the sun god Phoibos; Son of Zeus and the titan Leto ; Father of Asclepius ; Twin brother of Artemis; his heavenly body is the sun	Kithara (string instrument), bow and arrow
Artemis Ἄρτεμις (Artemis)	Diana	Virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon (together with Selene ); Daughter of Zeus and Leto; Twin sister of Apollo; Subject to no man, but free and childless; her heavenly body is the moon	Arrow and silver bow, quiver, wormwood, doe, crescent moon
Athena Ἀθηνᾶ (Athēnā)	Minerva	Virgin goddess of wisdom sprung from the head of Zeus, patroness of heroes, cities, agriculture, the arts and sciences, female handicrafts, war and peace; City goddess of Athens	Owl, olive tree, helmet, spear, shield (with Gorgoneion), aegis (with Gorgoneion ), snake
Ares Αρης (Ares)	Mars	God of war and battles; Son of Zeus and Hera; Father of Deimos and Phobos; adulterous love affair with Aphrodite; its celestial body is the planet Mars	Torch, dog and vulture, spear, shield, helmet
Aphrodite Ἀφροδίτη (Aphroditē)	Venus	Goddess of love and beauty; born of the foam that blood and semen formed from the limb of Uranus after Kronos cut it off for his father and threw it into the sea; Wife of Hephaestus; her planet is Venus	Magic belt, swan, goose, dove, rose, shell, belt, mirror, myrtle, apple
Hermes Ἑρμῆς (Hermēs)	Mercury	God of thieves, commerce, and travelers; Messenger of the gods; Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia ; Father of Pan , Daphnis , Hermaphroditus , Abderos and Autolycus ; its planet is Mercury	Wing cap , wing shoes , caduceus, travel hat
Hephaistos Ἥφαιστος (Hēphaistos)	Vulcanus	God of volcanoes , fire, blacksmithing and architecture (built the gods their palaces and gave the people the art of building houses); forged the thunderbolts with the Cyclops for Zeus ; Son of Zeus and Hera; thrown from Olympus by Hera and lame ever since; married to Aphrodite, who betrayed him with Ares	Blacksmith hammer or tongs, hatchet, pilos (craftsman's cap)
Hestia Ἑστία (Hestiā)	Vesta	Virgin goddess of hearth fire and family harmony; oldest sister of Zeus	Palladion
Dionysus Διόνυσος (Dionysus)	Bacchus	God of wine and ecstasy; youngest of the great gods; Son of Zeus, who fathered him with Demeter, Io, Dione, Persephone, Lethe or Semele; later accepted into the circle of Olympians	Vines and grapes, deer or panther skin
Hades ᾍδης (Hāides)	Pluto	Brother of Zeus; seized Persephone by robbery; Ruler of the underworld; his companions are Thanatos "death" and Hypnos "sleep"	Fruit measure, cornucopia, stick; multi-headed Kerberos
Persephone Περσεφόνη (Persephonē)	Proserpine	Daughter of Zeus and Demeter; Queen of the underworld; must spend part of the year at Hades during which the earth remains barren; Nickname Kore ( Κόρη = "daughter")	royal insignia and torch
Heracles Ἡρακλῆς (Hērāklēs)	Hercules	God of healing and oracle, protector of sports facilities and palaces; famous for his twelve works; Son of Zeus and Alcmene	Lion skin , club, bow and quiver
Hebe Ἥβη (Hēbē)	Iuventas	Goddess of youth; Cupbearer of the gods, to whom she gives nectar and ambrosia ; later replaced by Ganymede ; Daughter of Zeus and Hera; Wife of Heracles after he was raised to Olympus; Sister of Ares and Hephaestus