The 12 Olympians
The Olympians are the ruling gods and goddesses. They all live on Mount Olympus . The Council of the 12 Olympians are the rulers of all the Olympians.
| Greek Name | Roman Name | Appearance | God or Goddess Of... | Generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeus | Jupither |  |
King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky and thunder. Youngest child of the Titans Kronos and Rhea. Symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, scepter and scales. Brother and husband of Hera, although he had many affairs. | First |
| Hera | Juno |  |
Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and motherhood. Symbols include the peacock, pomegranate, cuckoo, lion and cow. Youngest daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Wife and sister of Zeus. Being the goddess of marriage, she frequently tried to get revenge on Zeus's other wives and their children. | First |
| Poseidon | Neptune |  |
Lord of the seas, earthquakes and horses. Symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin and trident. Middle son of Kronos and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Married to Amphitrite, although, like his brother Zeus, he had many affairs. | First |
| Demeter | Ceres |  |
Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. Symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, pig and serpent. Middle daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Her Latin name, Ceres, gave us the word 'Cereal'. | First |
| Athena | Minerva |  |
Virgin goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, defence and strategic warfare. Symbols include the owl, olive tree, snake and spider. Daughter of Zeus and Metis, she rose from her father's head fully grown and in full battle armor after he swallowed her mother. | Second |
| Ares | Mars |  |
God of war, violence and bloodshed. Symbols include the boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear and shield. Son of Zeus and Hera, all the other gods (excluding Aphrodite) despised him. His Latin name, Mars, gave us the word 'Martial'. | Second |
| Aphrodite | Venus |  |
Goddess of love, beauty, desire and sex. Symbols include the dove, apple, bee, swan, dove, myrtle, rose and seashell. According of Hesiod she is the daughter of Ouranos and Thalassa(was born when the severed genitals of Ouranos fell to the bottom of the ocean where Thalassa was lying) but according Homer she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione (being in a common and normal form) . Married to Hephaestus, although she cheated on him frequently, most notably with his brother Ares. Her name gave us the word 'Aphrodisiac'. | First Generation of Titans
Second Generation of Olympians |
| Apollo | Phoebus |  |
God of light, music, poetry, prophecy and archery. Symbols include the lyre, bow and arrow, raven, dolphin, wolf, swan and mouse. Twin brother of Artemis. Youngest child of Zeus and Leto. | Second |
| Artemis | Diana |  |
Virgin goddess of the hunt, virginity, archery and all animals. Symbols include the deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree and bow and arrow. Twin sister of Apollo. Eldest child of Zeus and Leto. | Second |
| Hephaestus | Vulcan |  |
Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of fire and the forge. Symbols include the fire, anvil, ax, donkey, hammer, tongs and quail. Son of Hera and Zeus. After he was born, his parents threw him off Mount Olympus and landed on the island of Lemnos. Married to Aphrodite. Unlike most mythical husbands, it is never stated that he cheated on her. His Latin name, Vulcan, gave us the word 'Volcano'. | Second |
| Hermes | Mercury |  |
Messenger of the Gods; god of commerce and thieves. Symbols include the caduceus (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork and tortoise (whose shell he used to invent the lyre). Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. The second-youngest Olympian, older only than Dionysus. He married Dryope, the daughter of Dryops, and their son Pan became the god of nature, lord of the satyrs, inventor of the panpipes and comrade of Dionysus. | Second |
| Dionysus | Bacchus |  |
God of wine, celebrations and ecstacy. Symbols include the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger, panther, leopard skin, dolphin and goat. Son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess Semele. Married to the Cretan princess Ariadne. The youngest Olympian, as well as the only one to have been born of a mortal woman. | Second |