He was a son of Cronus and Rhea, the main deity of Earth and sky and the god of light. He was sending rains, thunders and lightnings. He was guarding the order of the world and justice. He was the guardian of all the Greek tribes and the patron of each homestead..
He was worshiped in the whole Greece. The main places of Zeus cult were Nemea and Olympia, where the biggest festivities took place. Another important place was Dodona, where was Zeus’ oracle.
His attributes are a royal scepter, a lightning bolt, an eagle and a fringed shield.
She was the main Olympian goddess, sister and wife of Zeus. The queen of sky and Earth. She was mainly looking after married women and family life. Hera’s sacred bird was peacock and her favourite plants were lily and pomegranate. The main centres of Hera’s worship were Samos, Argos, Sparta and Mycenae.
She was a daughter of Zeus and Metis (a titanes worshiped as a mother of wisdom and deep thought). Athena was a goddess of wisdom, prudence and war. She was looking after craft, social life and female work, in particular weaving.
Athena’s attributes were a spear, a helmet and the aegis. Her favourite plant was an olive tree and her sacred animal an owl.
She was a daughter of Cronus and Rhea and a sister of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter and Hades. Hestia was a goddess of hearth and home and a patron of families, orphans and widows. She was worshiped in each home and in each Greek temple. Her altar looked like a kitchen stove with eternal fire.
He was a son of Cronus and Rhea and a brother of Zeus. He was a god of seas, rivers, islands, peninsulas. He ruled over all the living creatures in seas and inland waters. He had power over sailors and their ships.
Poseidon’s attribute was a trident, which he used to cause sea storms and earthquakes. The main centre of Poseidon’s cult was a temple in Cape Sounion. His sacred animals were horses and dolphins.
She was a goddess of Earth, grain, agriculture and harvest. She was worshiped in the whole Greece. The place of Demeter’s special cult was a temple in Eleusis in Attica. The Greeks believed that she had invented the mill and had taught people how to grow vegetables. Her symbols were ears of grain, a narcissus and a poppy. Her favourite bird was a crane.
He was a son of Zeus and Leto. He was a god a beauty and son. By shooting sunrays he healed diseases but also suddenly killed people. In Delphi through the high priestess Pythia he prophesied the future.
Apollo was also worshiped as a god of music, poetry, art and science. His sacred symbols were a swan, a hawk, a raven, a laurel, a quiver and a bow.
She was a twin sister of Apollo and a virgin goddess of hunt. She was vengeful and unaccessible for people. She was sending sudden death to pregnant women.
Artemis was looking after the Amazons. She was worshiped in mountain regions of Greece, mainly in Arcadia. Her sacred animal was a doe and her attribute was a crescent.
She was a goddess of love, born from the sea waves. The centres of Aphrodite’s cult were located mainly in Knidos, Paphos in Cyprus. Her husband was Hephaestus, whom she was constantly betraying with Ares. Her attributes were pigeon, rose and myrtle.
He was a son of Zeus and Hera and a god of bloody and cruel war. His sacred animals were a wolf, a dog and a hawk. The Greeks believed that Ares in particular loved wild Thrace and he enjoyed spending time there.
He was a god of flair and cleverness and also the messenger of the gods. He hold the role of the protector of roads, heralds, travellers, traders, craftsmen and thieves.
He was worshiped in many ways. For example by installing next to roads pillars with his bust, also known as herms. His attributes were a traveler’s hat, a caduceus with a serpent and winged sandals.
He was a son of Zeus and Hera and a god of fire and blacksmithing. He was famous from his ugliness and infirmity. He became limp after being thrown down Mount Olympus twice. Hephaestus erected divine palaces on Olympus. He also created the shield for Zeus, the Trident for Poseidon and the armour for Achilles.
He was a son of Zeus and Semele. He was a god of vines and mystical madness. He was considered as the one who taught people drinking wine and cheerful, carefree lifestyle. He was traveling with his procession of drunk satyrs, centaurs and maenads (also known as Bacchantes).
Dionysus celebrations are the origin of theatrical performances. His symbols were an ivy and a bunch of grapes.
He was the god of an underworld. He was a son of Cronus and Rhea and a brother of Poseidon and Zeus. Together with his wife Persephone he ruled over souls of the dead and underworld demons.
His attributes were cypress trees and daffodils grown on graves and also the cornucopia, also called the horn of plenty.
He was a god of love, friendship and loyalty. According to an accepted theory he was a son of Aphrodite and Ares. He was shown as a little, winged boy who was an originator of love. On a whim he released arrows, which hurt gods and people.
His attributes were arrows, bow and quiver.
She was a goddess of victory. She was sending wins in wars, sport championships and life problems. She was depicted as a winged woman with a palm twig in her hand and wreath on her head.
He was the god of sun. Everyday he was riding his chariot on the narrow way in the middle of the sky. In the evening he immersed in the waves of the ocean and rested there until dawn. His ride was a symbol of a migration of the sun on the sky.
She was a goddess of the rainbow and a divine messenger of Zeus and Hera. She was a link between the sky and Earth and between gods and people.
She was sending rains, fertilizing fields and provided clouds with water.
She was a goddess of youth. She was serving gods during their feasts on Olympus.
She was a sister of Helios and a goddess of the moon. During the night she was riding her chariot on the sky. This symbolized a migration of the sun on the sky.
He was a god of medicine. He was a student of centaur Chiron and a son of Apollo. He healed the sick. His attributes were a staff wrapped with serpents, a pine cone and a laurel wreath.
He was a son of Poseidon and a god of winds. He ruled over Aeolia Island near Sicily. There in a big cave he imprisoned eight gods of wind. He was releasing them on Zeus’ order.
He was the oldest of all titans. He was a personification of all the seas, which were imagined as a one big river flowing around the flat land.
She was a goddess of fate and fortune. She was identified with Roman goddess Fortuna. She is depicted as a blind woman with the horn of plenty and a rudder.
They were sea deities, who looked like half-women and half-birds (sometimes half-fish). With their beautiful singing they were attracting sailors, who then were throwing themselves to the sea. Then sirens would eat them.
He was a son of Hermes and nymph Dryope. He was a god of shepherds. He was depicted as half-man and half-goat looking rather scary. During midday scorcher he was resting. People had to be quiet at that time, because if Pan woke up and appeared suddenly the sheep would panic and, run away and jump into abyss
He was a son of Dionysus and Aphrodite. He was a god of gardens and fields. He was making the nature fertile.
They were three sisters, spinners and goddesses of human fate. Lachesis started a life thread. Clotho spinned it. Finally Atropos, who was called “inexorable”, cut the life thread.
They were three cruel goddess and a personification of revenge. Alecto was the unceasing one. Tisiphone - an avenger of murder. And Megaera - the jealous one.
Bibliography: Greek gods & goddesses on Wikipedia
Translated from our Polish website by Maria Czekaj