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Many historians will argue that the Ancient Greek Civilization contributed more to our modern-day civilization than any other group of people. They were a knowledgeable people, who valued intelligence and ambition as well as physical strength. They lived in a democratic society and encouraged all the people to “strive for excellence”. They made many contributions in the fields of philosophy, astrology, physics, biology and mathematics as well as contributing to the dramatic arts and sports (As you may already know-they started the Olympic Games back in 776 BC). But what about their religious beliefs? We know that that they built many beautiful temples and buildings (ex-the Parthenon and the Acropolis), but who did they worship in these great structures?

The Ancient Greeks were a deeply religious people. They believed in many gods who appeared in human form, but who had superhuman powers and strength. Historians are not certain when these stories about the Greek Gods originated, but they were first recorded by the famous poet Homer who lived in Greece around 800 BC.

The story of the origin of the Greek Gods is very long and detailed, but we’ll begin with the story of the Olympians which are the most well-known of the Greek Gods. The story begins with the Titans, also referred to as the elder gods, who ruled the earth before the Olympians. Cronus was the ruler of the Titans and he was married to Rhea. Together they had several children, but fearing that he would someday be overthrown by one of his children, Cronus would swallow his children soon after they were born. Rhea was not happy with this situation, so when one of her son’s was born, she hid her child on the island of Crete and tricked her husband into swallowing a rock instead of her son. This child was named Zeus, and as his father had predicted, Zeus overthrew his father and the other Titans, rescued his swallowed brothers and sisters, and became the ruler of the Olympians, the new Greek Gods to rule the earth.

The Olympians were a group of twelve gods who ruled the earth. They each had different personalities and responsibilities. The Ancient Greek Civilization greatly worshiped and respected these gods. They also built many shrines and buildings for these gods and much of the art from the time depicts images of these gods. Following is a brief description of some of the more common of these Olympic Gods.

Zeus is the supreme ruler of the gods. He also rules over the sky and the heavens. His symbol is the thunderbolt, which he would throw at other gods and humans that displeased him. Zeus was often in conflict with other gods. One story tells how Zeus was displeased with Prometheus, who was another god who was sympathetic with the mortals. When Zeus found out that Prometheus gave mortals fire, he had Prometheus tied to a mountain where an eagle would swoop down on him everyday and eat part of his liver. At night, his liver would grow again and then the eagle would return the following day (Don’t worry- Prometheus was later rescued by Hercules).

Hera is Zeus’ wife, the Queen of heaven, and is the protector of marriage and married women. Hera is known for her jealousy and getting revenge for Zeus’ infidelities. She is also known to have manipulated and tricked Zeus. One myth describes how the gods wanted to interfere with the Trojan War and influence the outcome of the war. Zeus was against this idea and did not want the gods to interfere with the war of the mortals. Hera then distracted Zeus and caused him to fall asleep so she and the other gods were free to interfere with the war.

Hades is the brother of Zeus and is the ruler of the underworld and the dead. He is often depicted as a very greedy and selfish god who is always trying to increase the number of subjects in the underworld. He is also the god of wealth because of all the precious metals that are contained in the surface of the earth. Hades symbol is a helmet, which when he wears it, renders him invisible. One story tells how Hades fell in love with Persephone and abducted her while she was gathering flowers and brought her to live with him in the underworld.

Poseidon is also the brother of Zeus and is the god of the sea and earthquakes. His symbol is the trident, which he uses to shake the earth and shatter objects. Poseidon was a very popular god in Greek mythology, thus there are many stories about him. He is depicted as an angry and temperamental god, probably because of his association with the turbulent sea and earthquakes.

Athena is the daughter of Zeus. The myth of her birth states that she sprang from Zeus’ forehead as a full-grown adult, all dressed in armor and ready for war. She is the goddess of intelligence, skill, war and crafts. She is also able to bestow courage, skill and victory in war to those who believe in her and in the pursuit of justice. Athena also produced the olive tree and was the guardian of the city of Athens.

Apollo is the god of prophecy, music, artistic inspiration, archers and healing. Apollo is the son of Zeus, but not of Hera. The story of Apollo’s birth deals with the jealous wrath of Hera. When Hera discovered that Lito, another god, was pregnant with Zeus’ children, she refused to let Lito give birth to the children. Lito, while trying to hide from Hera, discover an island named Delos where she was able to hide and give birth to Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis. Apollo was often depicted as a handsome god who charmed many other gods and mortals with his music.

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. Many of the stories about Aphrodite deal with her suffering as the result of being a victim of love. Aphrodite had many male companions, but most the Greek stories talk about her love for Ares, the god of war. Aphrodite also assisted in bringing men and women together in love, doing this for both the mortals and the gods. One of the most famous couples she helped bring together was Paris and Helen (do some research about the Trojan War to learn more about Paris and Helen).

Hermes is the son of Zeus and is his messenger. He is the god of merchants and is the messenger of Zeus. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He is also the guide for the dead to go to the underworld. Hermes is said to have invented the lyre (a musical instrument), the musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing and gymnastics.

These are only a few of the Greek Gods represented in Greek Mythology. Hopefully, this sparked your interest, and you’ll do some research and learn more about the Greek Gods!