A complete guide of names, meanings and mythology of Greek God

Learn everything about the most powerful Greek gods and goddesses, as well as what they represent.


Whether you prepare an examination of the classics or try to show a date , you may be looking to brush the names of Greek God, as well as those of the goddesses, as well as what they mean. With several generations of deities and the minor characters they meet along the way, it can be difficult to keep the right mythology. Below, we have drawn up a useful list of Who's Who on Mount Olympus. So read the rest to take the exam, impress your friends or just take advantage of the satisfaction of learning something new.

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Who are the Greek gods and goddesses?

sculpture of Poseidon, Apollo and Artemis in the meeting of gods
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The ancient poets Hesitantly And Homer are often recognized for the establishment of Greek mythology, however Epic of Hesiod Theogony is really what gave life to the gods.

The poem with 1,000 lines, which results in "the birth of the gods", describes how the universe was born. According to Hesiod, it all started with chaos, the personification of absolute nothingness. From there came love, earth, mountains and the sea and other components which help compose the universe, each represented by a different divinity.

They are called the primordials and form the basis of the ancient Greek religion, adored and revered for having maintained the ideals of the ancient Greek people. They would later give birth to the Titans, the second generation of gods to govern the Greek pantheon. And the Titans would eventually fight with their own children, the Olympians.

The conflict, too known as titanomachy , would last 10 years, ending with the Olympians defeating their parents. From there, the group moved to Mount Olympus to govern the universe.

Of course, this is the abbreviated version, but we have provided many more details below. Read the rest to find out more about the gods and goddesses involved in the history and powers they have.

The primordial gods

Goddess of earth Gaia
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Chaos: Chaos represents the nothingness of which everything else was born. He is also known as the god of emptiness and is responsible for the creation of the first beings, Gaia, Tartare, Uranus, Nyx and Erebus.

Ananke: Anake is the goddess of inevitability , compulsion and necessity. In the version of the history of Hesiod, she emerged at the dawn of time as an incorporeal and self-formulated being. Other myths of creation speak of her alongside her companion chronos, the primordial god of time, intertwined in the form of a snake and linked around the "egg of the primordial world", a symbol of pre-creation.

Chronos: Chronos is the primordial god of time. He is recognized for having helped to create the universe alongside his wife Ananke by dividing the world into land, in sea and in the sky. It is often represented in the form of a serpentine with three heads: that of a man, a bull and a lion.

Ether: Also spelled, an ether is the primordial god of light. It is also the personification of "blue ether", or the brilliant and clear part of the sky. He and his sister, Hemera, the primordial goddess of the day, are the opposite of their parents: erebus, the god of darkness, and Nyx, the goddess of the night. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Hemera: Hemera is the goddess of the day. According to the writings of Heriod, she is the daughter of Nyx and Erebus and sister of Aether, the God and the personification of light. Some poets, however, said that she was rather the daughter of Chronos and others that she came out of chaos alongside Nyx.

Erebus: Erebus is the personification of darkness. He had no physical form, existing exclusively as a ghost type figure. He is the offspring of chaos and the father of Ather and Hemera by Nyx, the goddess of the night.

Eros: Eros is the god of love and sex. In the world of Hesiod, he was the son of Chaos, although subsequent traditions had him as the son of Aphrodite of Zeus, Ares or Hermès, the entire Olympian generation. They also recognize him as the god of fertility. In the end of Antiquity, he was in fact loved by a cult of fertility in species , which is modern Boeotia.

Gaia: Gaia is the personification of the earth, also called "mother earth" or "mother goddess". It is believed that all the other gods and goddesses have come down from her. According to Hesiod, she gave birth to Uranus, which she married later. Together, they created the twelve titans. Hesiod also claims that she carried three cyclops to open, three hecatoncheire and the giants 100 and 50 in the head.

NYX: Nyx is the primordial goddess of the night and has the ability to put men to sleep. Even Zeus , the chief of the Olympians, feared. She is the offspring of chaos and the mother of Ather and Hemera by Erebus, the god of darkness.

Ourea: The Oias are the primordial gods and the personification of the mountains. Unlike other gods, they are generally not involved in the struggles of humanity. Rather, they are considered terrestrial entities, more and more reclusive as civilization would develop further. OIAS are generally represented as Gray -beard elderly Perched at the top of the largest mountains of Greece.

Pontus: Pontus is the god of the sea and the father of maritime creatures. Son of Gaia, he is often represented with horns of crab claws coming out of his head.

Tartar: Tartare represents the lowest point in the universe, embodying an area under the underground world, although distinct from it. According to Hesiod, the tartare exists "below the earth that the sky of the earth" is also called " Misty tartare, “Thank you to its lamentable, dark and sometimes monstrous appearance.

Uranus: Uranus is the personification of the sky and the heavens. It is called both the first offspring of Gaia as well as its primordial partner. Together, the two created the titans, the cyclops, the hecatoncheires and the hundreds of giants. He was finally overthrown at the dawn of time by his son, Cronus.

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Titan's gods and goddesses

Oceanus statue of the Trevi Fountain in Rome
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COEUS: Coeus is the Northern Titan God. Often considered the wisest of the titans, he has the Prophecy .

CRIUS: Crius is the god of celestial constellations, representing one of the four cosmic pillars separating heaven and earth.

Cronus: Cronus is the god of time and the youngest of his generation. He would end up directing the uprising against his father and becoming the head of the Titans.

Hyperion: Hyperion is the Titan God of celestial light. He is also known as the "Eastern Titan" or the "Titan of the Sun".

IAPETUS: Iapetus is the Titan God of mortality and the Father in Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius.

Oceanus: Oceanus is the Elder of Titans and the god of the Océanus sweet river, which surrounds the earth.

Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne is the Titan goddess of memory. She is also the mother of the nine muses that entertained the gods on Mount Olympus while singing, dancing, in music and playing poetry.

Phoebe: Phoebe is the goddess Titan of intelligence responsible for granting knowledge to gods and mortals. The brightness and the brilliance of the moon are considered a symbol of its intellect.

RHEA: Rhea is the goddess Titan of maternity and fertility. It is also believed that she wore the 12 Olympians, which is why she was also often called "mother goddess" throughout ancient Greece.

Tethys: Tethys is the Titan goddess of rivers and fresh water. She was the wife of Oceanus and spoke more than 3,0000 gods of the river.

Theia: Theia is the Titan goddess of light and vision. She married Hyperion, the God of celestial light. Together, they had three children Selene, Helios and Eos, each capable of manipulating light .

Themis: Themis is the goddess Titan of the law and the divine order. Some traditions argue that she would betray her brothers and sisters in the Titanomachy, storage with the Olympians and finally becoming the second wife of Zeus.

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The Olympians: the twelve gods of the Pantheon

statue of ancient greek god apollo in athens greece
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Apollo : Apollo is the ancient Greek god of the sun, music, poetry and art. He is also the twin brother of Artemis and frequently represented surrounded by the nine Muses.

Aphrodite : Aphrodite is celebrated as the goddess of love and beauty. Its symbols include doves, roses and myrtles.

Buttocks : Ares is the Olympian God of War, Thirst and Violence. His half-sister, Athena, represents the most rational and the fairest aspects of combat.

Artemic : Artemis is the Greek goddess of hunting, wild animals, chastity and childbirth. It is often represented with a deer or a hunting dog nearby. THE Temple from Artemis to Ephesus was named according to her and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Athena : The ancient Greeks venerated Athena as the goddess of war and wisdom. The Parthenon in Athens was initially dedicated to him.

Move : Demeter is the goddess of harvest and agriculture and the mother of Persephone, queen of hell.

Dionysos : Dionysos is the god of wine, theater and fertility. He is the youngest of the Olympian gods.

Hera : Hera is the Greek goddess of women and marriage and the protector of women during childbirth. As Zeus' longest , she was also known as "Queen of the Gods".

Hephaestus: Hephaestus is the god of fire, the work of metals, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. He was married to Aphrodite, although the two had no children together and divorced later because of his current love story with Ares.

Hestia : Hestia is the virgin goddess of the home and the house. She finally abandoned her place on Mount Olympus for Dionysos, which is why she is sometimes excluded from the list of Olympians.

Hermes : Hermès is the messenger of the gods, also known as "God messenger". He was able to travel between the kingdoms on his winged sandals.

Poseidon : Poseidon was celebrated as the sea god, although he also reigns over horses and earthquakes. While he has a human form, he generated the winged horse Pegasus as well as the polyphemus cyclops, which is blinded by Ulysses and the company in the Odyssey.

Zeus : Zeus is the king of the gods who reigned on Mount Olympus. He is also known as the god of thunder and lighting, as well as law and order.

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The names of Greek God on the planets

Astronaut hands with background of blue planet.
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Many important figures in ancient Roman mythology have been lifted Greek traditions . The Romans were also responsible for appointing the majority of the planets of the solar system, which is why so much crossing exists. Below, we have broken down what God corresponds to each planet and what is their Greek equivalent.

  1. Jupiter : The Roman name for Zeus. THE 79 moons on the planet are mainly named after her lovers or daughters.
  2. March : The Roman name for Ares.
  3. Mercury : Roman equivalent of Hermès.
  4. Earth : Roman equivalent of Gaia.
  5. Neptune : The Roman equivalent of Poseidon.
  6. Saturn : The Roman name for Cronus. The names of the planet 82 moons are also derived from Greek myths.
  7. Uranus : The only planet that has really kept its original Greek name.
  8. Venus : The Roman name for Aphrodite

Other Greek gods and goddesses

ancient statues human heads
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Greek mythology has given birth to hundreds of powerful gods and deities, although little known as well as first -hand, titans and Olympians. Below, we will guide you through a few familiar names worthy of revision.

  1. Finish : Achelois is a goddess of the minor moon whose name means "she who washes pain".
  2. Adonis : The God of beauty and desire. He was also a lover both for Aphrodite and Persephone.
  3. Attis : Attis is the minor god of vegetation, the fruits of the earth and the Renaissance.
  4. Electra : Electra is an old nymph associated with storm clouds and wind.
  5. Glaucus : A fisherman who has become immortal by eating a magic herb, Glaucus has ultimately become the god of the sea. His name is derived from the Greek word for "Grisish Blue" or "Luminaire".
  6. Hecate : Hectate is the goddess of magic, witchcraft and night.
  7. Hercules : Hercules is the half-god of heroes, sports, athletes, health, agriculture, fertility, trade, oracles and the divine protector of humanity. He was also known as the strongest man in the world.
  8. Iris : Iris is the goddess of the rainbow and the Messenger of the Olympian gods.
  9. Nereus : A sea god called by Homer like " Old man of the sea . ""
  10. Prometheus : Prometheus is the god of fire. He also challenged the Olympians by stealing their fire and giving it to mortals in the form of knowledge, technology and other important aspects of civilization.

Wrap

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