As you know, the ancient Greeks were pagans, i.e. believed in several gods. There were a lot of the latter. However, the main and most revered were only twelve. They were part of the Greek pantheon and lived on the sacred Mount Olympus. So, what are the gods of ancient Greece - Olympic? That is the question under consideration today. All the gods of Ancient Greece obeyed only Zeus.
Zeus
He is the god of the sky, lightning and thunder. Considered the father of gods and humans. He can see the future. Zeus holds the balance of good and evil. He has the power to punish and forgive. He strikes the guilty people with lightning, and overthrows the gods from Olympus. In Roman mythology, it corresponds to Jupiter.
However, on Olympus near Zeus there is still a throne for his wife. And Hera takes it.
Hera
She is the patroness of marriage and mothers during childbirth, the protector of women. On Olympus, she is the wife of Zeus. In Roman mythology, her counterpart is Juno.
Ares
Is the god of cruel, insidious and bloody war. He is delighted only by the spectacle of a hot battle. On Olympus Zeus endureshim only because he is the son of a thunderer. Its analogue in the mythology of Ancient Rome is Mars.
It won't be long for Ares to rage if Pallas Athena appears on the battlefield.
Athena
Is the goddess of wise and just war, knowledge and art. It is believed that she came into the world from the head of Zeus. Her prototype in the myths of Rome is Minerva.
Has the moon risen in the sky? So, according to the ancient Greeks, the goddess Artemis went for a walk.
Artemis
She is the patroness of the Moon, hunting, fertility and female chastity. One of the seven wonders of the world is associated with her name - the temple in Ephesus, which was burned by the ambitious Herostratus. She is the daughter of Zeus and the sister of the god Apollo. Her counterpart in Ancient Rome is Diana.
Apollo
Is the god of sunlight, marksmanship, as well as a healer and leader of the muses. He is the twin brother of Artemis. Their mother was the Titanide Leto. Its prototype in Roman mythology is Feb.
Love is a wonderful feeling. And patronizes her, as the inhabitants of Hellas believed, the same beautiful goddess Aphrodite
Aphrodite
She is the goddess of beauty, love, marriage, spring, fertility and life. According to legend, it appeared from a shell or sea foam. Many gods of Ancient Greece wanted to marry her, but she chose the ugliest of them - the lame Hephaestus. ATRoman mythology associated her with the goddess Venus.
Hephaestus
Is the god of fire, the blacksmith god, is considered a jack of all trades. He was born with an ugly appearance, and his mother Hera, not wanting to have such a child, threw her son from Olympus. He did not crash, but since then he began to limp heavily. Its counterpart in Roman mythology is Vulcan.
There is a big holiday, people rejoice, wine flows like water. The Greeks believe that Dionysus is having fun on Olympus.
Dionysus
He is the god of wine and fun. He was borne and born … by Zeus. This is true, the Thunderer was both his father and mother. It so happened that the beloved of Zeus, Semele, at the instigation of Hera, asked him to appear in all his might. As soon as he did this, Semele immediately burned up in flames. Zeus barely had time to snatch their premature son from her and sew him up in his thigh. When Dionysus, born of Zeus, grew up, his father made him cupbearer of Olympus. In Roman mythology, his name is Bacchus.
Where do the souls of dead people fly away? To the kingdom of Hades, the ancient Greeks would have answered.
Hades
This is the lord of the underworld of the dead. Is the brother of Zeus.
Worry at sea? So, Poseidon is angry with something - the inhabitants of Hellas thought so.
Poseidon
This is the god of the seas and oceans, the lord of the waters. Also has to brotherZeus.
Conclusion
That's all the main gods of Ancient Greece. But you can learn about them not only from myths. Over the centuries, artists have formed a consensus on what the gods of ancient Greece looked like (pictures above).
