Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video we’re going to discuss the
10 most Powerful goddesses in Greek mythology. Let us know in the comments if you agree with
the selection, and if you don’t, tell us who you would have included instead.
Let’s get into it.
Starting us off is Nyx.
Nyx was the Personification of night and one of the first-generation primordial deities. Like
Gaia, she was a prolific producer of children. Coupled with Erebus, the personification
of Darkness, she produced Aether, Light, and Hemera, Day. She then went on to independently
Produce a great number of children, all of whom we won’t name, but here’s a few:
The Moirai, The Fates, Thanatos, Death, Eris, Strife, and Hypnos, Sleep. In and of itself,
the fact that she was a first-generation primordial deity would likely earn her a place
on this list. Her powers as a creator outsrip every god in Greek mythology except for Gaia. But
the instance that truly showcased her power was a confrontation - or rather lack thereof - she had
with Zeus. In the Iliad, there’s a conversation between Hypnos and Hera in which they discuss
what happened the last time Hypnos was persuaded to use his sleep-inducing powers against Zeus,
who woke up in a rage when his mind ceased to be ensnared. He searched for Hypnos,
but relented when the pursuit took him to Nyx, whom Hypnos was hiding behind. Such
was Nyx’ power that Zeus was struck with awe and was unwilling to arouse her anger
Up next we have Hestia
The first born child of Cronus and Rhea, and the sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, and Demeter,
Hestia was the goddess of the hearth. She makes the list for being deemed the most important
of all goddesses. Both Poseidon and Apollo pursued her, but their efforts were in vain;
for she rejected their advances, deciding instead to remain a virgin goddess. This decision was
conducive to maintaining a peaceful dynamic amongst the gods on Olympus, so Zeus rewarded
her with a position of unparalleled primacy. The hearth, what she personified, was made central
to each home, and through it, she received the choicest portions of sacrifices made to the gods;
and this honour went even further, for she was also a recipient of the sacrifices dedicated
at the various temples of all the other gods worshipped throughout Greece. Viewed one way,
she was the most important part of the home: her fires gave warmth, emitted light,
provided protection, and perhaps most importantly, were the principal place of human connection:
where stories were told, food was shared, and friends and family spent time with each
other. Viewed another way, she was the locus of sacrifice, making her in large part, the primary
intermediary between mortal and divine, between humans and gods, for the honouring of the gods,
particularly bu burning sacrifices, was the main channel of communication
available to humanity to invoke and supplicate the capricious immortals that governed creation.
At number three is Demeter.
Demeter was the goddess of grain, the harvest, and agriculture. Her Roman equivalent was Ceres,
and like Hera and Hestia, she too was also born to the first-generation Titans Cronus
and Rhea. You may be wondering why she’s been included on this list, but as you’ll see,
she’s much more powerful than she appears at first glance. The myth for which she is best
known is the abduction of Persephone, and it’s in this myth that her true power is revealed.
As Told in the Homeric Hymns, Zeus sanctioned the abduction of Persephone, bestowing Hades with his
blessing. Persephone was picking flowers in a meadow, enjoying the sun, the colours, and the
fragrances, but this blooming meadow, irresistible in its beauty, was actually a trap set by Gaia,
another party complicit in the abduction; and by her contrivances an opportune moment was created
for one pining god to stage an ambush. Hades split the earth, emerged from the chthonic depths,
raced forward in a chariot pulled by black horses, grabbed his not-so-willing bride to be,
and whisked her down to the underworld with him. The whole affair was over in a flash, yet
still Demeter heard a cry, catalysing a days-long search of the mortal plane for her daughter. After
scouring the earth for nine days, she finally learns from Helios, who observed the abduction
from his celestial vantage point, that the culprit was Hades. Despondent and dejected, she departed
the lofty heights of Olympus, assumed the guise of an old woman, and lived amongst mortals for a
year. All that time the earth reflected her mood; crops wouldn’t grow, which led to starvation,
which led to a cessation of sacrifices honouring the gods, which resulted in Zeus capitulating,
sending Hermes as an emissary to entreat Hades, persuading him to release Persephone. Hades
acquiesced, but he tricked Persephone into eating a pomegranate seed before sending her on her way,
binding her to the underworld and forcing her to return to him for one third of every year.
If stifling plant growth worldwide, bringing about mass starvation, and forcing Zeus,
the king of the gods, to bend to your demands isn’t power, I don’t know what is.
Up next we have Hecate
Called by Hesiod the strong-thundering Shaker of Earth, Hecate, the daughter of
the second-generation t\Titans Asteria and Perses, was herself a third-generation Titan. Her sphere
of influence was as vast as any other god in Greek mythology, and according to the poet Hesiod,
she was honored by Zeus above all others. She was bestowed with far-reaching authority, granted a
portion of the earth, the sea, and the heavens. Hecate was a divinity characterized by duality,
comprising beneficence as well as a darker side. Witchcraft, the moon, crossroads, and,
necromancy were associated with her. Doorways, transitions, and crossroads were also deeply
connected with her. She permeated virtually every aspect of life in ancient Greece. People deemed
worthy could be blessed with prosperity. Soldiers and armies could be granted victory. Competitors
could be empowered to defeat their opponents in athletic contests. She was honored with every
privilege and could dictate the outcome of almost any situation or event.
At number five we have Metis
One of the Oceanids, who were the group of 3,000 water nymphs born to first-generations
Titans Oceanus and Tethys, Metis, her name meaning ‘cunning’ or ‘wisdom’, and herself
a second generation Titan, features on this list because of her exceptionally powerful children:
the one she bore and the one she didn’t. As told in Apollodorus’ Bibliotheca,
Metis resisted Zeus’ advances by taking many shapes in a rapid series of transformations,
but her efforts notwithstanding, she was overpowered; and unfortunately,
this was only the beginning of her troubles. Zeus learnt from Gaia that Metis, as sired by him,
was destined to bear exceptionally powerful children: first a daughter, wise and strong,
then a son, bold and mighty, who would become king of the gods. To forestall this,
Zeus swallowed Metis, a tactic not unlike that used by his own father, Cronus, who swallowed his
six children to preempt his usurpation by one of them. Sometime later, after a period of gestation,
Zeus became afflicted with an excruciating pain in his head. In a move to alleviate his suffering,
he had Prometheus - in other versions Hephaestus - deliver a splitting blow to the side of his skull,
and out sprung Athena, fully grown, clad in armour, weapon in hand. Ironically,
also as told by Apollodorus, it was Metis who provided the emetic that Zeus used to force
Cronus to disgorge his five brothers and sisters trapped inside their father. I doubt she would
have volunteered her support if she knew her fate was to be imprisoned in much the same way.
Up next we have the Moirai
The Moirai, more commonly known as the fates, were a trio of goddesses,
and though their number was three, they effectively acted as one being,
coalescing into a single purpose, personifying the inexorable destiny that imbued each person.
Their parentage is ambiguous, one reason being that Hesiod contradicts himself in his own work,
saying they were the children of Nyx, but then also saying they were the children
of Zeus and the Titan goddess Themis. Clotho, “The Spinner”, spun the life thread; Lachesis,
“The Caster of Lots”, determined what a person’s fate would be, measuring the thread, and Atropos,
“The Unturnable One, ensured that person’s fate could not be changed, cutting the thread. The
fates were so powerful because of the inevitability of what they manifested.
They were the nexus to which the threads of every person’s life was tethered, and even the gods were
powerless to disrupt or prevent what was to come to pass; although there do seem to be exceptions
to this, particularly with Zeus, who was sometimes called Zeus Moiragetes, the leader of the fates.
At number seven is Hera
The wife of Zeus, Hera, known as Juno to the Romans, was the queen of the gods. Along with
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, and Demeter, she’s one of six children born to the first-generation
Titans Cronus and Rhea. With the exception of Zeus, the other five siblings were swallowed
at birth by Cronus, who did this in an effort to preempt his usurpation at the hands of one
of his children. Later, when Zeus was grown, he emerged from hiding and brought about the
disgorgement of his siblings, freeing them from their incarceration inside their own father.
The reason she makes this list is fourfold: She’s one of the first six Olympians;
as Zeus’ wife she’s the queen of the gods; she’s incredibly cunning, having tricked Zeus on
numerous occasions; and finally, because of the exchange between her and Artemis in the Iliad.
The two of them locked horns, but it quickly became apparent who the greater of the two was:
Hera lets loose a tirade excoriating Artemis; following that, she disarms her, stripping her
of bow and quiver, and proceeds to punctuate the one-sided altercation by boxing Artemis’ ears.
Hera had a wide-ranging sphere of influence, though perhaps more than anything else,
she was a guardian of women, especially protecting them in their capacities as wives and mothers,
which by extension placed aspects of those sacred duties, such as nuptial ceremonies, marriage, and
childbirth, within her purview. Hera’s marriage to Zeus created the marriage paradigm in ancient
Greece; of course, by today’s standards, this notion seems at best ironic and at worst tragic,
for Zeus was a notorious philanderer, his extra-marital affairs now existing in infamy.
On a secondary level, Hera also watched over developed areas,
like cities, settlements, and personal dwellings, as well as the people who inhabited them.
The cuckoo, along with peacocks, cattle, and horses, was one of the animals sacred
to her. Plants sacred to her included: the pomegranate, a symbol of fertility,
myrtle, a symbol of marriage, the poppy, and the white madonna lily;
this last was said to have first come from the white milk of her breasts.
Up next we have Gaia
Gaia was the personification of the earth, and along with Tartarus, Eros,
Erebus, and Nyx, was one of the five first-generation primordial deities. Beyond
being the manifestation of the earth, she also independently produced the observable features
of the material world. Uranus, the sky, Ourea, the mountains, and Pontus, the sea, were her progeny,
and she took Uranus as her consort. Together they made the Hecatonchires, the Cyclopes, and the 12
first-generation Titans. She was the preeminent force of creation in Greek mythology, and while
she couldn’t exert her power or impose her will in a combative sense, she could function as a sort of
divine brood mother, producing powerful children that could act destructively on her behalf. Per
apollodorus account, she created the giants to wage war against the Gods in retaliation
for the Titans being imprisoned in Tartarus, and afterwards, she created Typhon, the most
powerful monster in the Greek mythos, who would challenge Zeus for supremacy over the cosmos.
At number nine is Athena
Athena had an unconventional start in life. She was born out the side of a man’s skull,
instead of emerging from a woman’s womb. Her mother, Metis, was prophesied to bear incredibly
powerful children, first a daughter, then a son mighty enough to overthrow his father, Zeus,
who forestalled such an eventuality by swallowing Metis, who was already pregnant with Athena when
she entered Zeus’ belly. This is all to say that Athena being extraordinarily powerful,
even when compared to other gods, was written in prophecy. And she did not disappoint. She
emerged fully grown, clad in armor, battle ready. She was one of the only gods to be
described as killing more than one giant in the Gigantomachy, crushing Enceladus when she hurled
the island of Sicily on him, and killing Pallas, flaying him, and using his skin to protect her
during the war. Her great strength was matched by her deep wisdom, an attribute which made her
far superior to her brother Ares. The two of them supported opposite sides in the Trojan
war. Athena was for the Greeks, and Ares for the Trojans. Towards the end of the war they engaged
in a one-on-one fight in which Ares was humbled. Athena backed away from Ares' spear thrust and
then counterattacked by launching a boulder at his head, crumpling him to the ground in a heap.
Finishing up our list is Themis
One of the 12 first generation titans born to Gaia and Uranus, Themis,
meaning ‘sacred law’ or ‘custom’, personified order, especially as established by nature or
by the gods. Her inclusion in this list is predicated on being a one-time wife of Zeus,
and for personifying such an important aspect of Greek society, a fact that’s corroborated by her
close working relationship with the king of the gods. She was Zeus’ second wife, and together,
they had many children, including: Eunomia (Good Order), Eirene (Peace), the Moirae (Fates), the
Horae (Seasons), and Dike (Justice). In effect, all of these children were almost like extensions
of Hestia herself, for each of them represented an aspect of the world that promoted orderliness,
meaning all of them reinforced their own mothers sphere of influence and locus of power.
She served as a sort of right hand for Zeus, helping him enforce law,
order, and good governance. In this capacity,
as written by the poet Pindar, she was seated on a throne next to him.
In addition to Zeus, Themis was also closely associated with Gaia. Because
of this, she became imbued with additional secondary attributes,
such as those of a prophet and those of a fertility deity.
An interesting aspect of Themis’ mythology is that she features as one of the owners of
the Oracle of Delphi. Gaia, the original owner, passed control of the oracle at Delphi to Themis,
who in turn gave it to Phoebe, who then passed it to Apollo.
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