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The Pantheon of Greek Gods on Mount Olympus - An Introduction For Beginners - Part 1

The Pantheon of Greek gods is mainly made up of the 12 deities (gods and goddesses) that the ancient Greeks believed lived atop Mount Olympus (also known as the Olympian Gods or the Gods of Mount Olympus). But because we love our readers so much, we've actually included 14 Greek gods and goddesses in this 2 part article - you'll find out why we simply couldn't miss out the bonus 2 gods later. You're welcome readers!


Feast your eyes on gods 1-7 below:


The Pantheon of Greek Gods - Part 1 - Gods A-D


A woman in a flowing white dress poses with arms up, set against a bright pink background. Text reads "Aphrodite" in bold pink on black.

Aphrodite


Goddess of:

Love and beauty


Relatives:

Daughter of Zeus; married to Hephaestus


Fun Fact:

In contrast to Aphrodite, who stunned everybody with her beauty, her husband Hephaestus was well known for being obscenely ugly. Zeus arranged the marriage for the pair, thinking it would bring peace to the gods. But the match was an unhappy one. Aphrodite would much rather have paired up with the god of war, Ares.







A man in ancient attire with a red cape and lyre stands on a blue and black background. Yellow text reads Apollo. He's holding arrows.

Apollo


God of:

The sun and light


Relatives:

Son of Zeus; and twin brother to Artemis


Fun Fact:

Apollo gets the award for being the god of the most things. He really did have his fingers in a tonne of different pies. If you had a problem and weren't sure who to pray to, odds are Apollo was your guy. As well as being the god of the sun and light, he was also the god of music, poetry, prophecy, truth, healing, archery, wealth, the list goes on.



Illustration of a warrior in red and gold armor with a shield, labeled "Ares" on a black strip. Bold stance against a gray background.

Ares


God of:

War and violence


Relatives:

Son of Zeus and Hera


Fun Fact:

Unlike Athena, who stood for strategy in war, Ares represented the nasty sides of battle; the violence, bloodshed and chaos. Unsurprisingly, not many people liked this side of combat and so, as a result, Ares was the most unpopular god amongst mortals and other gods alike.



A woman in a white dress aims a bow on a green background. The name Artemis is written vertically in black. Dynamic and focused mood.

Artemis


Goddess of:

The hunt


Relatives:

Daughter of Zeus; and twin sister to Apollo


Fun Fact:

Artemis was well known for being a master hunter and is always shown holding the bow and arrow made for her by Hephaestus. But she was also a fierce protector of animals. When Agamemnon killed one of her sacred stags, Artemis sends ferocious winds to halt the progress of his army's ships during the Trojan War. The goddess of the hunt was so well loved that the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.



Warrior woman in white dress and red helmet holds spear and shield. Background is brown. Text reads "Athena" vertically on black strip.

Athena


Goddess of:

Wisdom and war


Relatives:

Daughter of Zeus


Fun Fact:

As part of her battle gear, Athena had an awesome plumed helmet, an epic spear and a shield called the Aegis that had Medusa's decapitated head on it. Why Medusa's head, you ask? Well, Athena played a large part in transforming Medusa into the petrifying snaky-haired gorgon we all know and love. So once she'd helped Perseus defeat the monster (Athena loved gifting fun inventions to heroes on their quests), she popped Medusa's head on her shield so she could turn all her enemies to stone.



Woman with blonde hair in green dress holding wheat, on green background. Vertical text: Demeter. Mood is serene.

Demeter


Goddess of:

Agriculture and the harvest


Relatives:

Sister of Hera, Hades, Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus; mother of Hades' wife, Persephone


Fun Fact:

When her daughter, Persephone, was taken to the underworld by Hades, Demeter was too sad to do her job as the goddess of the harvest, no food grew and the mortals starved. Zeus demanded Hades release Persephone, but because she had eaten a pomegranate seed in the underworld, she couldn't leave the underworld full time. A deal was made where Persephone could spend part of the year with her mother and the rest of the year with Hades. The ancient Greeks believed that the months of the year when no food grew must be the season when Persephone returned to the underworld and Demeter was left in misery without her daughter.



Man in a toga holding grapes with "Dionysus" text. Purple and black background, gold accents. Mythological theme, confident stance.

Dionysus


God of:

Wine and partying


Relatives:

Son of Zeus


Fun Fact:

Dionysus takes the medal for the weirdest origin story in Greek myths. Hera hated Dionysus' mother, a mortal woman called Semele, and tricked Zeus into killing her before Dionysus was born. Luckily, the King of the Gods managed to save the baby with some quick thinking. Zeus decided to pop Dionysus into his own leg until he was ready to be born. Could you imagine? Just walking around with a baby in your leg? Like "yeah, my wife killed his mum so I just popped him in my leg for safe keeping". Only in ancient Greek myths!



Can't get enough of the Greek gods? Want to check out the remaining 7 entries of this line up? We don't blame you! Check it out here:


The Pantheon of Greek Gods - Part 2 - Gods E-Z (coming 24/11/25)

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