The Greek Gods and Goddesses
The ancient Greek world was shrouded in mysticism. And this world was
ruled by a handful of omnipotent beings called Olympians, the gods of Olympus.
There were 14 main gods, as follows:
ZEUS, KING OF THE GODS
Zeus was the father of the gods and their king, the most powerful of the gods. He wielded
lightning and was not afraid of anyone. Maybe just his wife, Hera. He is the king of the universe
which was won from the Titans. Zeus won the empire of heaven and ruled after Kronos was killed.
He is married to Hera but is known for his many extramarital affairs. He has many children,
demigods, from these relationships. He is responsible for the universal order,
the basis of the realms. He leads the change of seasons and the alternation of day and night.
His authority is absolute. He is a god with temperament and easy to piss off.
HERA - Queen of the gods
Hera was the wife of Zeus, queen of the gods. Hera was the goddess of marriage,
of children and goddess of the household. Hera also appears in myths as very jealous and evil.
Maybe It is normal, when you think of how much her husband cheated on her.
POSEIDON, KING of the seas and oceans
Poseidon is the ruler of the seas and of all stretches of water. He is the brother of Zeus,
along with Hades. Poseidon was very strong. He could lift islands from the depths or sink ships.
The Greeks were frightened by his strength, especially those who lived on the coast. The myth
of Perseus and Andromeda is related to the great Poseidon. Poseidon was given the land of the seas.
Along with his wife, Amphitrite, he led a group of minor gods.
These included Triton and the Nereids. He was revered by sailors and seafarers.
Historians observe him as a sea god in many ancient Greek cities.
He is second in power to Zeus. Poseidon carries a trident that causes massive earthquakes.
Eventually he fell in love with Demeter. If he wanted to win her heart, the goddess asked
him to create the most wonderful creature. After several attempts, he created the horse.
HADES, THE GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD
Hades, the third brother ruled The afterlife. He lives in the underworld and is the ruler
of the dead. The kingdom of the dead is not for everyone. And such a land would transform anyone.
So Hades does not appear much in Greek myths. But many Greeks believed in him.
They believed it was the personification of death itself and they made offerings to it.
But his negative image was not entirely clear. Contrary to popular belief,
Hades was not responsible for the redemption of the souls. The three demigods Minos, Aiakos and
Rhadamanthys were responsible for the trial and decided who goes where. He was also quite honest
if we consider that he let Hercules take Cerberus with him in one of his works. But he deceived
Persephone into staying with him in the afterlife. He probably felt lonely and inconsolable.
ARES, THE GOD OF WAR
Ares is the son of Zeus, the god of war. Tall and handsome, but cruel and conceited. Ares represents
the violence and chaos of war. He was looking forward to the war and not fighting for justice.
His acts of recklessness made him hated by the gods and especially by his parents,
Zeus and Hera, who preferred Athens, his sister. Also, Ares was not much loved by people either.
HERMES, the God of the THIEVES
Hermes was also the son of Zeus and the messenger of the gods.
Being the messenger of the gods allowed Hermes to travel to all realms. The other gods had full
confidence in him. But also people trusted him because he is the god of the travelers.
Hermes sometimes appears as an athletic young man, sometimes as an old man. He was famous for
his boldness and his cunningness.. Travel quickly between the three worlds: the sky, the waters and
the underworld. He looks a lot like the trickster god Loki from Norse mythology. He has done a lot
of pranks on the gods since he was a child, thus he will become the god of thieves and cunning.
APOLLO, THE GOD OF THE SUN
Apollo was the oldest son of Zeus, the god of the sun, light and music. Apollo is the
god with many faces. He was born by Leto in Delos. And it helped its inhabitants a lot.
His mother's relationship with Zeus attracted the wrath of Hera.
Sometimes he is the god of serenity and music, described with a harp..
He was also an unsurpassed archer and was often described with his silver bow. He also appears as
the god of healing and medicine, but can destroy with his bow and arrows when he was pissed off.
He harnessed his four horses to the chariot and pulled the sun on the sky every day,
bringing life and light to the world. Apollo is also a god of prophecy,
his great temple at Delphi and its oracle being famous in the ancient world.
Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty
Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and love. She is described as the most beautiful woman
born from the foam of the sea. Her son, Eros, is responsible for all the lovers in the world.
ARTEMIS, THE GODDESS OF HUNTING
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus, the twin sister of Apollo. and is the goddess of hunting.
She appears in mythology as the opposite of Aphrodite.
Relentlessly, she punishes all those who do not respect her,
for example turning one of them into a deer and giving him as food for her dogs;
ATHENS, THE GODDESS OF WISDOM
Athens is the goddess of wisdom. A great myth tells the story of Athens' contest with her uncle,
Poseidon, for the city of Athens. Poseidon gave the people the miracle stallion, Pegasus.
But Athens won their hearts by giving them the olive tree,
which also became the symbol of the city with its protector, the goddess Athena.
HESTIA, THE GODDESS OF THE Heart
Hestia was the goddess of home, hearth, and family. She was also Hera's sister. There are
very few myths about Hestia. But she was probably one of the ancient gods, the most important
goddess of women in ancient Greece. DEMETER, the God of the agriculture
Demeter was the goddess of grain, and the harvest in Greek mythology. She
was the daughter of Chronos and Rhea. With Zeus, Demeter had a daughter, Persephone.
Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, is one of the most important goddesses in Greek mythology.
The goddess is associated with the constellation of the virgin and,
therefore, in many descriptions she appears as a young woman holding a bunch of wheat in her hand.
DIONYSOS, THE GOD OF WINE
Dionysus was the god of wine, civilization, law and order. He was also the god of festivities
and pleasure. He was also a very popular god among the other gods and humans alike.
He is the only god who had a mortal parent. His mother, Semele. And his father was, of course,
Zeus. He was brought under the protection of the mountain nymphs because of Hera's anger
against his father's mistresses had become ferocious. Dionysus slowly built a cult,
worshipers and adventurers accompanying him in his travels around the world.
He was far more present among men than any other god. This made him a very beloved god - he spent
time with people, drank and lived among them. Then he fell in love with Ariadne, who was
abandoned by Theseus after he saved her from the Minotaur. He finds Ariadne on the island of Naxos.
The Greeks worshiped him at many festivals. And,
in many places in ancient Greece, he was even more popular than Zeus.
Hephaestus, THE GOD OF FIRE
Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen and the husband of Aphrodite. Hephaestus is the son
of Zeus and Hera. God of fire and forge. His greatest creation will be the Pandora's box.
Hephaestus is also the lame god, the only god with a deficiency in Greek mythology.
He makes the weapons of the gods, but also those of the Trojan War.
These gods laid the foundations of myths. They had an impact on Greek civilization, but also on the
West in general. Greek mythology continues to be an impetus for creation, a source of inspiration.
These were the Greek Gods. The gods of the Olympus.
In the future maybe we will speak about each one particularly.
I hope that you enjoyed this episode of Curious Facts.
And if you do, Please like the video. And if you look forward for new videos on our channel please
subscribe and click on the bell to be notified when new videos arrive.