In Greek mythology, we are faced with the fact that the gods of Olympus do not correspond to our natural understanding of the divine. Nothing human is alien to them. They do not teach or instruct anyone, because they themselves lack firm moral principles. They often make mistakes. The gods of Olympus are deprived of authority, which is simply unacceptable for religion. They are immortal, but not omnipotent, because they, like people, are subject to fate. The list of the gods of Olympus is quite long, but we will try to recall the most famous of these characters of Greek mythology in our story. So let's get started.
Gods of Olympus: names and characteristics
Greek deities are actually innumerable, but we will only talk about the most famous of them.
Zeus
After numerous victories over the titans and giants, this god began to rule over heaven and earth. Zeus obeyed both ordinary people and deities like him. He became the giver of life, the universal protector and savior,organizer of cities and patron of warriors.
Poseidon
This "blue-haired" god rules over all s alty waters. He does not care about the life of Olympus, but he lives on the seabed in a magnificent palace with his wife Amphitrite. It was believed that Poseidon was not inferior in power to Zeus.
Hera
Sister of Zeus, this goddess became his wife. She was considered a model of marital fidelity, the keeper of the hearth. But at the same time, she herself was not happy in marriage, because her amorous husband Zeus often walked both on Olympus and on earth.
Hades
This god was so gloomy that it is not surprising that the area he manages, because this is the Kingdom of the Dead. In Homer's time there was no such expression as "to die." Instead, there was another one that sounded “go to the kingdom of Hades.”
Demeter
The gods of Olympus such as Poseidon, Zeus and Hades called this goddess their sister. Demeter was considered the goddess of the earth, and they called her none other than Mother, Ancestor.
Hephaestus
God-worker, patron of fire and metal, he was also the husband of the beautiful Aphrodite. It was he, Hephaestus, who taught people how to build beautiful houses and furniture.
Athena
Daughter of Zeus who came out of his head. This goddess was in charge of military and knitting business. All the gods of Olympus were dressed and shod in Athena-bound clothes.
Ares
His name disgusted all people, because he was a fierce opponent of Eirena - the protector of the world, and at the same time a friendEris is the patroness of discord. This god of war lusted for blood and killed indiscriminately everyone - both right and wrong.
Apollo
A beautiful young man, the son of Zeus was considered the god of poetry and music. In addition, he guarded the herds and sunlight, was the patron of the muses.
Artemis
Apollo's sister was the goddess of mountains and forests. She is known as the guardian of nature and animals. According to other sources, Artemis is the goddess of hunting and death.
Hermes
This god is known as the patron of merchants and merchants, the peddler of information, as well as the helper of thieves. In addition, Hermes is considered the protector of flocks and shepherds.
Aphrodite
A wonderful goddess was born from sea foam. Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and love, attraction and passion.
