The Olympians

Aphrodite is the goddess with the power to make gods and humans alike fall in love. The ancient Greeks had many words for love. There’s the love a child has for a parent (described by the ancient Greek word "storge"), and there’s the love one feels for a friend ("philia" in ancient Greek). But the love Aphrodite rules is the kind of love that takes over you. When you feel this kind of love, it’s impossible to stop thinking about your beloved, and no one else in the cosmos will bring you happiness. It’s said that Aphrodite was born right out of the sea. She’s married to Hephaestus, but that doesn’t stop her from loving anyone she chooses.

The handsome god of music, Apollo, has the power to heal sick bodies, and can see into the future. He’s a master with a bow and arrow, although perhaps not as skilled as his twin sister, Artemis. Still, Apollo can hit any target easily from miles away. He’s close to perfect, although a bit unlucky in romance. Once, he fell in love with the nymph Daphne, but she didn’t return his feelings and begged her father, a river god, to save her. Her father transformed Daphne into a laurel tree, which is why Apollo wears a wreath of laurel leaves on his beautiful hair.

He is the god of war, bloodshed, and the chaos of combat. Nothing could make Ares happier than to hear the ting of bronze swords clashing or the thud of shield crashing upon shield. The odor of the blood, sweat, and tears of battle is the sweetest perfume to him. Ares once had a love affair with Aphrodite, but they were caught and humiliated by her husband, the divine blacksmith, Hephaestus. Ares is father to Aphrodite’s sons, Fear and Terror, and her daughter, Harmony. In the world of humans, if there’s ever a conflict, battle, or war, you can be sure that Ares is close at hand, savoring the sights and the sounds of slaughter.

Artemis is the goddess of archery, the hunt, forests, and the moon. Her favorite place is in the mountains and forests of Greece as she pursues wild game, bow and arrow in hand. Artemis is a dead shot—an Olympian sniper, if you will. Give her a moving target at any distance, tell her which part you want her to hit, and she will nail it every time. She’s also a wicked dancer and a master of every style, whether traditional Greek folk dance or hip-hop. Artemis has zero interest in men or male gods, and she straight out hates humans who are arrogant and think they’re better than the gods. She much prefers the company of her nymph posse, she demands loyalty and will turn on anyone who betrays her trust.

Born fully grown from the forehead of her father, Zeus, Athena is one of the most powerful of the Olympian gods: she is goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship, and strategy. She’s also the goddess of combat, but not the chaos of war favored by her brother Ares. Instead, Athena inspires courage, heroism, and honor. You’ll never see Athena without her helmet, armor, spear, and shield. She comes to the aid of her favorites—like our hero Perseus. But she has no mercy toward those who anger her.

She is the goddess of agriculture and harvest, and mother of Persephone. After Hades kidnaps Persephone, spiriting her away to his underworld palace to make her his queen, Demeter wanders the earth in despair, hopelessly searching for her daughter. A deep depression takes over Demeter’s heart, and she lets all the plants on earth wither and die. Mortals have no food to eat! Zeus hears the mortals’ prayers and forces Hades to return Persephone.

But while she’s with Hades, Persephone eats six seeds of a pomegranate. Each seed means she has to spend one month with Hades in the underworld. So, every year, when the world outside is barren and cold, remember that those are the six months when Persephone is with Hades in the underworld while Demeter is alone, longing for her daughter’s return.

Dionysus is the god of wine and the grapevine. His mother, the beautiful mortal Semele, catches the eye of Zeus. The king of the gods promises her any wish, and so she asks to see Zeus in all of his divine glory. Foolish mortal! The glory of Zeus is so great that Semele bursts into flames when she beholds him. But she’s pregnant, and Zeus quickly takes the unborn baby and sews him into his thigh; soon after, Dionysus is born. Of course, Hera is furious about the whole situation, and so Zeus has Hermes take Dionysus away to earth. There, Dionysus becomes god of the grapevine and of wine, which he shares with mortals, causing delight and trouble ever since.

When the Olympians divide up the world after defeating the Titans, Zeus gets the sky and Poseidon the sea. What is left for Hades? The Underworld, aka Erebus. Technically, Hades isn’t an Olympian because he doesn’t live on Mount Olympus. To guard his kingdom, he has a fierce three-headed guard dog, Cerberus. His wife, Persephone, shares his throne (for a few months of the year). Yet Hades always has plenty of company, because whenever mortals on earth die, their shades descend into the underworld, forever to be Hades’ “guests” in Erebus.

He is the god of fire and blacksmiths. One myth says that Hera was particularly angry with her husband, Zeus, and so she decided to have a child all on her own—Hephaestus. But the poor baby god had weak legs, so Hera tossed him from Olympus and he fell into the sea. Hephaestus was raised by ocean gods, who taught him to make the most beautiful jewelry. When he returned to earth, he honed his skills as a craftsman, becoming a master blacksmith. He forges extraordinary weapons, shields, armor, and other clever inventions. Hephaestus is also said to have invented golden, talking robots to help him in his workshop and house. He’s married to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

Hera is queen of Olympus, wife of Zeus, and goddess of marriage. Hera is famously described as “ox-eyed”—which was a great compliment in ancient Greece—and her big, round eyes are a beauty to behold. She also has a reputation for extreme jealousy. Though Zeus has a wandering eye and tries (not very successfully) to hide his other loves and children from his wife, he always honors Hera above all.

Hermes is the messenger of the gods, a favorite of travelers, thieves, storytellers, and anyone looking for luck. As a bouncing baby god, Hermes jumps from his crib and immediately starts making mischief. He finds a poor tortoise, from whose shell he makes a musical instrument, the lyre. He then steals fifty prized cows from his brother Apollo, offering a couple of the cows as a sacrifice to the gods and hiding the rest away. But Apollo can’t stay angry for long at his adorable sibling, who makes amends by giving him his tortoise lyre. Hermes serves as the messenger of Olympus, and you’ll never find him without his caduceus (a herald’s staff), his wide-brimmed traveler’s hat, and his winged sandals.

While there are few myths about her, Hestia is one of the most important gods to the Greeks because her realm is the fire in the hearth at the center of every home and in every temple. She’s the warmth that protects the Greeks from the bitter cold of a winter’s night, and the flame over which families cook the meals that satisfy their hunger. Zeus gives Hestia the right to be the first to enjoy the aromas and flavors of sacrifices made by mortals. Hestia is the firstborn of Kronos and Rhea, but the last to emerge from Kronos’s belly after he throws up the children he swallowed.

Brother of Zeus, he is god of the sea, horses, and earthquakes. Poseidon lives in a beautiful underwater palace with his wife, the Nereid Amphitrite. Poseidon is lord of the vast ocean, which the Greeks believed surrounded all habitable land, and all of the waters of the earth obey his commands. With his gleaming trident, Poseidon can stir the deep waters into a frightful tempest, and many ships have been destroyed by his anger.

Leader of the Olympian gods, Zeus becomes ruler of all by overthrowing his mighty father, Kronos, who devours his offspring. Wielder of thunderous lightning bolts, Zeus wages a war against the Titans. When he and the Olympians finally defeat them, Zeus buries the Titans in the deepest pits of Tartarus. He’s married to Hera, who is fiercely jealous of the beautiful gods, nymphs, and mortals whom Zeus pursues.