God or Goddess of: Master Blacksmith and Craftsman of the Gods blacksmiths, metalworking, the forge, craftsmanship, invention, fire, volcanoes, carpenters, artisans, sculptors, and metallurgy Parents: Hera alone sometimes Hera and Zeus While most of the Greek gods are no longer worshipped, Aphrodite is a major deity in modern Neopagan religions, including the Church of Aphrodite, Wicca, and Hellenismos. While Aphrodite has many well-known myths, some of her most famous stories are from the Iliad‘s Trojan War. The great philosopher Plato believes that the two conflicting stories were about two different goddesses with the same name.Īlthough Hera forced Aphrodite to marry Hephaestus, Aphrodite took on many lovers, including Ares. The more famous of Aphrodite’s origin stories (by Hesiod), states that she was born when Cronus castrated his father Uranus (Ouranos) with a sickle and cast the genitalia into the sea foam. In one telling from Homer, Aphrodite is the daughter or Zeus and the Titaness Dione. Symbols: Dolphin, Rose, Scallop Shell, Myrtle, Dove, Sparrow, Girdle, Mirror, Pearl, and SwanĬhildren: Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Pothos, Anteros, Himeros, Hermaphroditus, Rhodos, Eryx, Peitho, The Graces, Priapus, and AeneasĪphrodite, the Goddess of Love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation, has various origin stories. God or Goddess of: Love, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, fertility, and desire Parents: Zeus and Dione or Uranus’s severed genitals and Seafoam In Roman mythology, Hermes was known as Mercury, a name derived from the Latin merx, which meant “merchandise,” and the origin of the words merchant and commerce. Hermes is also often depicted with a Caduceus, a winged staff intertwined with two snakes. Like the other gods, Hermes has several symbols, but his most famous are his winged sandals (Talaria) and his winged helmet (Petasos). In addition to his duties as Zeus’s personal messenger, Hermes led souls down into the Underworld. He is the Messenger of the Gods as well as the patron god of travelers, hospitality, diplomacy, roads and trade, and thievery. Hermes is the second youngest of the Olympians and is the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. Symbols: Talaria (winged sandals), Caduceus, Tortoise, Lyre, Rooster, Petasos (winged helmet), Palm Tree, and GoatĬhildren: Evander, Pan, Hermaphroditus, Abderus, Autolycus, Eudoros, Angelia, and Myrtilus God or Goddess of: Messenger of Gods travel, commerce, communication, borders, eloquence, diplomacy, thieves, and games Did You Know?ĭionysus traveled all over Greece and as far as India to spread his cult of wine. There were many cults associated with Dionysus and their main religious focus was on the consumption of wine. Dionysus is credited with gifting mankind with wine and teaching humans how to cultivate grapes to create wine. Often depicted as an effeminate, long-haired youth, Dionysus was the God of Wine, festivity, ecstasy, and insanity. Symbols: Grapevine, Thyrsus, Bull, Panther, Ivy, Goat, Masks, and ChaliceĬhildren: Priapus, Hymen, Thoas, Staphylus, Oenopion, Comus, Phthonus, the Graces, and Deianiraĭionysus, also spelled Dionysos, is the youngest of the Olympian Gods and was Zeus’s son with either Demeter, Semele, and sometimes Persephone. God or Goddess of: Wine, winemaking, grape harvest, fertility, festivity, ecstasy, insanity, ritual madness, orchards and fruit, vegetation, and theatre Parents: Zeus and Demeter or Zeus and Semele sometimes Zeus and Persephone So with all that in mind, here are the oldest Greek Gods. The order of the gods in between, however, is up for debate. Usually, Athena was born first and Hermes and Dionysus are the two youngest. However, for the most part the order of the first generation of Olympians (Zeus and his siblings) is agreed upon and represented in this list.įor the second generation of Olympians, the timeline is even more difficult as many of their stories overlap one another. Determining who is the oldest of these gods is challenging, as many of the gods have more than one origin story. While there are technically numerous gods in the Greek pantheon, most people are thinking of the Olympians and Hades when “Greek Gods” are mentioned.įor the purposes of this list, we have only included the Olympians and Hades. Stories from Classical Greek Mythology have been taught in schools and even reimagined for younger generations - like the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Although the worship of the Greek Gods is no longer widespread, their myths and stories have fascinated people for generations, especially in the Western world.
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