Religion played a major role in Everyday life ancient Greeks. The main gods were considered the younger generation of celestials, who defeated their predecessors, the titans, who personified the universal forces. After the victory, they settled on the sacred Mount Olympus. Only Hades, the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, lived underground in his domain. The gods were immortal, but very similar to people - they were characterized by human features: they quarreled and reconciled, committed meanness and weaved intrigues, loved and cunning. A huge number of myths that have survived to this day, exciting and fascinating, are associated with the pantheon of Greek gods. Each god played his own role, occupied a certain place in a complex hierarchy and performed the function assigned to him.

The supreme god of the Greek pantheon is the king of all gods. He commanded thunder, lightning, the sky and the whole world. Son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Hades, Demeter and Poseidon. Zeus had a difficult childhood - his father, the titan Kronos, fearing competition, devoured his children immediately after birth. However, thanks to his mother Rhea, Zeus managed to survive. Strengthened, Zeus threw his father from Olympus to Tartarus and received unlimited power over people and gods. He was very revered - the best sacrifices were brought to him. The life of every Greek from infancy was saturated with the praise of Zeus.

One of the three main gods of the ancient Greek pantheon. Son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus and Hades. He was subject to the water element, which he got after the victory over the titans. He personified courage and a quick temper - he could be appeased with generous gifts .. but not for long. The Greeks blamed it for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. He was the patron saint of fishermen and sailors. The invariable attribute of Poseidon was a trident - with it he could cause storms and break rocks.

Brother of Zeus and Poseidon, closing the top three most influential gods of the ancient Greek pantheon. Immediately after birth, he was swallowed by his father Kronos, but was subsequently released from the womb of the latter by Zeus. He ruled the underground kingdom of the dead, inhabited by the gloomy shadows of the dead and demons. One could only enter this kingdom - there was no turning back. One mention of Hades caused awe among the Greeks, because the touch of this invisible cold god meant death for a person. Fertility also depended on Hades, giving a harvest from the depths of the earth. He commanded the underground riches.

Wife and sister of Zeus. According to legend, they kept their marriage a secret for 300 years. The most powerful of all the goddesses of Olympus. The patroness of marriage and conjugal love. Protected mothers during childbirth. She was distinguished by her amazing beauty and ... monstrous character - she was vicious, cruel, quick-tempered and jealous, often sending attacks on the earth and people. Despite its character, it was revered by the ancient Greeks almost on a par with Zeus.

God of unjust war and bloodshed. Son of Zeus and Hera. Zeus hated his son and tolerated it only because of his close relationship. Ares was distinguished by cunning and treachery, starting a war only for the sake of bloodshed. He had an impulsive, irascible character. He was married to the goddess Aphrodite, from her he had eight children, to whom he was very attached. All images of Ares contain military paraphernalia: a shield, helmet, sword or spear, sometimes armor.

Daughter of Zeus and the goddess Dione. Goddess of love and beauty. Personifying love, she was a very unfaithful wife, easily falling in love with others. In addition, she was the embodiment of eternal spring, life and fertility. The cult of Aphrodite was very revered in Ancient Greece- magnificent temples were dedicated to her and great sacrifices were made. An invariable attribute of the goddess's attire was a magical belt (the belt of Venus), which made those who wore it unusually attractive.

Goddess of just war and wisdom. She was born from the head of Zeus .. without the participation of a woman. Born in full combat gear. Depicted as a virgin warrior. She patronized knowledge, crafts and arts, sciences and inventions. She is credited with inventing the flute. She was a favorite of the Greeks. Her images invariably accompanied the attributes (or at least one attribute) of a warrior: armor, spear, sword and shield.

Daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Goddess of fertility and agriculture. As a child, she repeated the fate of her brother Hades and was devoured by her father, but then she was saved by being taken out of his womb. She was the lover of her brother Zeus. From a relationship with him, she had a daughter, Persephone. According to legend, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, and Demeter wandered the earth for a long time in search of her daughter. During her wanderings, the land was struck by crop failure, which caused famine and death of people. People stopped bringing gifts to the gods, and Zeus ordered Hades to return the mother's daughter.

Son of Zeus and Semele. The youngest of the inhabitants of Olympus. God of winemaking (he was credited with the invention of wine and beer), vegetation, the productive forces of nature, inspiration and religious ecstasy. The cult of Dionysus was distinguished by uncontrollable dancing, bewitching music and immoderate drunkenness. According to legend, Hera, the wife of Zeus, who hated the illegitimate child of the Thunderer, sent madness to Dionysus. He himself was credited with the ability to drive people crazy. Dionysus wandered all his life and even visited Hades, from where he rescued his mother Semele. Once every three years, the Greeks held Bacchic festivities in memory of the campaign of Dionysus against India.

Daughter of the Thunderer Zeus and the goddess Leto. She was born at the same time as her twin brother, the golden-haired Apollo. Virgin goddess of hunting, fertility, female chastity. The patroness of women in childbirth, bestowing happiness in marriage. Being a protector during childbirth, she was often depicted as having many breasts. In honor of her, a temple was built in Ephesus, which was one of the seven wonders of the world. Often depicted with a golden bow and a quiver over her shoulders.

God of fire, patron of blacksmiths. Son of Zeus and Hera, brother of Ares and Athena. However, the paternity of Zeus was questioned by the Greeks. Various versions have been put forward. One of them - the obstinate Hera gave birth to Hephaestus from her thigh without male participation, in revenge on Zeus for the birth of Athena. The child was born weak and lame. Hera refused him and threw him off Olympus into the sea. However, Hephaestus did not die and found shelter with the sea goddess Thetis. The thirst for revenge tormented Hephaestus, rejected by his parents, and in the end he had a chance to take revenge. Being a skilled blacksmith, he forged a golden throne of incredible beauty, which he sent as a gift to Olympus. The delighted Hera sat on him and immediately found herself bound by previously invisible fetters. No persuasion and even the order of Zeus had no effect on the blacksmith god - he refused to release his mother. Only Dionysus was able to cope with the shrew, having drunk him.

Son of Zeus and Pleiades Maya. God of trade, profit, eloquence, agility and athleticism. He patronized merchants, helping them to get generous profits. In addition, he was the patron of travelers, ambassadors, shepherds, astrologers and magicians. He also had another honorary function - he accompanied the souls of the dead to Hades. He was credited with the invention of writing and numbers. From infancy, Hermes was distinguished by a penchant for theft. According to legend, he even managed to steal the scepter from Zeus. He did it as a joke ... as a baby. The invariable attributes of Hermes were: a winged rod capable of reconciling enemies, a wide-brimmed hat and winged sandals.

Known to many since childhood. Someone himself was seriously fond of the myths of ancient Greece, someone was instilled with love for ancient culture at school. It would seem strange to transfer this knowledge into adulthood, because all this is actually a myth.

Brief introduction:

However, the ancient Greek gods and the events that happen to them are reflected in many works of literature and cinema, almost all modern stories are taken from antiquity.

Knowledge of the gods of ancient Greece- a necessary condition for understanding the set philosophical questions. That is why every person is simply obliged to know as much as possible about the famous gods from Olympus.

Generations of the gods of ancient Gretsia

• Distinguish several generations ancient Greek gods.

• At first there was only darkness from which Chaos was formed. Combining together, darkness and chaos gave birth to Erob, who personified darkness, Nyukta, or as she is also callednight, Uranus - the sky, Eros - love, Gaia - mother earth and Tartarus, which is the abyss.

I generation of gods

• All heavenly gods appeared due to the union of Gaia and Uranus, the sea deities originated from Pontos, the union with Tartas led to the emergence of giants, while earthly creatures are the flesh of Gaia herself.

• In principle, all the ancient Greek gods came from her, it was she who came up with the names, giving life.

• Usually the goddess of the earth was depicted rather big women, which rises above the planet half ..

• Uranus was the ruler of the universe. If it was depicted, it was only in the form of a comprehensive bronze dome covering the whole world.

• Together with Gaia they gave birth to several titan gods:
• The ocean (all the world's waters, was a horned bull with a fish tail),
• Tethys (also titanide) Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne like the goddess of memory,
• Crius (this titan had the ability to freeze), Kronos.
• In addition to the titans, the Cyclopes are considered the children of Uranus and Gaia. Hated by their father, they were sent down to Tartarus for a long time.
• For a long time, the power of Uranus was incomparable, he single-handedly controlled his children, until one of them, Kronos, otherwise called Chronos, decided to overthrow his father from the pedestal.

• The Time Lord managed to depose his father Uranus by killing him with a sickle. As a result of the death of Uranus, the great titans and titanides appeared on earth, who became the first inhabitants of the planet. Gaia also played a certain role in this, she could not forgive her husband for expelling the firstborn of the Cyclopes to Tartarus. From the blood of Uranus appeared Erinyes, beings who patronized blood feuds. Kronos thus achieved unprecedented power, but the exile of his father did not go unnoticed by his own personality.

• Kronos' wife was his own sister Rhea the Titanide. When Kronos became a father, he was madly afraid that one of his children would also turn out to be a traitor. According to thisTitan devoured the rank of his offspring, as soon as they had time to be born. The fears of Kronos were justified by one of his sons, the great Zeus, who sent his father into the darkness of Tartarus.

II generation of gods

• Titans and titanides are the second generation of the ancient Greek gods.

III generation of gods

• The most famous and familiar to modern man is third generation.

• As is already clear, Zeus became the main among them, he was the undisputed leader, all life on earth strictly obeyed him.

• Apart from Zeus third generation of gods Ancient Greece has 11 more Olympian gods.

• Their wide popularity is justified by the fact that thesethe gods, as legends say, descended to people, participated in their lives, while the titans always remained on the sidelines, lived their own lives, each performing their functions separately.

• All 12 gods lived , based on myths, on Mount Olympus. Each of the gods performed its specific function, had its own talents. Each had a unique character, which was often the cause of human sorrows or, conversely, joys.

And now about the most famous gods in more detail in a brief version ...

Zeus

Poseidon

Other gods

• Each of the described gods was incredibly powerful and very revered in ancient Greece, but not only the third, most famous generation consisted of them.
• The descendants of Zeus also adjoined him. Among them are the common children of the Thunderer and Hera.
• For example, Ares, who personified masculinity, was often called the god of war. Ares never appeared alone anywhere, he was always accompanied by two faithful companions: Eris, the goddess of discord and Enyo, the goddess of war.
• His brother Hephaestus was worshiped by all blacksmith craftsmen, he was also the guardian of fire.
• He was unloved by his father, because outwardly he was very ugly, and limped.
• Despite this, he had a total of two wives, Aglaya, and the beautiful Aphrodite.

Aphrodite

Hera was the last, but not the only wife of Zeus. His second wife Themis was absorbed by the Thunderer even before Athena was born, but this did not prevent the birth of one of the great goddesses.

Athena was produced by her father, Zeus himself, and came out of his head. It personifies war, but not only. She is also known as the embodiment of wisdom and crafts. All the ancient Greeks addressed her, but especially the inhabitants of the city of Athena, since the young goddess was considered the patroness of this settlement.

Less well known in wide circles is another daughter of Zeus and Themis, Ora, who personified the seasons. In addition, the daughters of Zeus and Themis are also credited with the three goddesses Cloto, Lachesis and Atropos, who together were simply called Moira.

First, Clotho spun the threads of life, Lachesis determined human destiny, and Anthropos personified death. However, not all sources of information call Moira the daughters of Zeus, there is another version, according to which they were daughters of the night.

One way or another, all three sisters were constantly in close proximity to the supreme god, helping him keep track of people, and predetermining many different destinies.

On this, the children of Zeus, born in a legal marriage, end, and a whole galaxy of illegitimate, but from this no less revered and respected descendants begins. These are the twin brother and sister Apollo, who was the patron of music, and the predictor of the future, and Artemis, the goddess of hunting.

They appeared with Zeus after a relationship with Leto. Artemis was born earlier. Speaking of her, not only the image of a huntress, but also a pure and immaculate maiden pops up in her head, since Artemis embodied chastity, was not loving, to be more precise, there is not a single confirmation of her possible novels.

But Apollo, on the contrary, is known not only as a golden-haired young man and the embodiment of light, but also for his many love affairs. One of love stories became very symbolic for the young god, leaving an eternal reminder of himself in the form of a wreath of laurel that crowned the head of Apollo.

Another illegitimate son, Hermes, was born from the galaxy of Maya. He patronized merchants, speakers, gymnasiums and sciences, and was also the god of animal husbandry. During life, the ancient Greeks asked Hermes for the gift of eloquence, and after death they relied on him as a faithful guide on their last journey. It was Hermes who accompanied the souls of the dead to the kingdom of Hades. He is widely known, thanks, among other things, to his permanent attributes: winged sandals and an invisibility helmet and a rod decorated with a metal weave in the form of snakes.

In addition, it is also known about the illegitimate daughter of Zeus, Persephone, born of the goddess Demeter, as well as the son of Dionysus, who was born a mere mortal woman, Semele. Dionysus, however, was a full-fledged god, the patron of the theater.

Ariadne became his wife, which brought Dionysus even closer to greatness, making him also one of the most famous gods of ancient Greece. Other children of Zeus, born of mortal women, are also known. This, for example, is Perseus, who was born by the Argive princess Danae, the famous Elena is also the daughter of Zeus, the Spartan queen Leda became her mother, the Phoenician princess gave the Thunderer another descendant of Minos.

All the Olympic gods led a calm, measured life, succumbing to hobbies, mortal passions, fleeting amusements, while not forgetting to fulfill each of their direct duties. Life on Olympus was not so simple, due to the numerous feuds and intrigues between various gods. Each sought to prove his power, while not encroaching on the duties of the other, so sooner or later a compromise was reached. But not all the gods of ancient Greece were lucky enough to live on Mount Olympus, some of them lived in other, less well-known places. These are all those who, for whatever reason, fell out of favor with Zeus or simply did not deserve his recognition.

In addition to the Olympic gods, there were others. For example, Hymen, who was the patron saint of marriage bonds. He was born thanks to the union of Apollo and the muse Calliope. The goddess of victory, Nike, was the daughter of the titan Pallat, Irida, who personified the rainbow, was born to one of the oceanids, Electra. Ata can also be distinguished as the goddess of gloomy reason, her father was the famous Zeus. The child of Aphrodite and Ares, Phobos, the god of fear, lived separately from his parents, just like his brother Deimos, the lord of horror.

Apart from the gods ancient Greek mythology Muses, nymphs, satyrs and monsters are also distinguished. Each character is thoughtful and individual, carries some idea. Each has a certain type of behavior, thinking, perhaps it is precisely because of this that the world of myths is so multifaceted, and is of particular interest in childhood.

At the end, I must say...

The above gods are just a short version. Naturally, this list of gods cannot be called complete. Hundreds of books are not enough to tell about all the gods of ancient Greece without exception, but everyone must know about the existence of the above. If for the inhabitants of ancient Greece the pantheon of gods served as an excuse for all kinds of objects and phenomena, then for modern man the images themselves are curious.

Not their material environment and not the reasons that inspired the birth of such heroes, but the allegories that they evoke. Otherwise, it will be impossible to understand all the ancient Greek myths and legends. Almost any text written in antiquity has references to one or more of the main gods of both the first, second and third generations.

And since all literature, and the theater of modernity, in any case, are built on ancient ideals, every self-respecting person must know these ideals. The images of Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo have long become common nouns, today they are very archetypal, and, oddly enough, understandable to everyone.

Just because you don't have to take it seriously Greek mythology in order to know the famous story of the Apple of Discord. And there are many such examples. Therefore, the gods of ancient Greece are not just passing characters from childhood, this is something that absolutely every educated adult should know.

A brief excursion into history

Greece has not always been called that. Historians, in particular, Herodotus, single out even more ancient times in those territories that were later called Hellas, the so-called Pelasgian.

This term comes from the name of the tribe of Pelasgians ("storks") who came to the mainland from the Greek island of Lemnos. According to the conclusions of the historiographer, the then Hellas was called Pelasgia. There were primitive beliefs in something unearthly, saving for people - cults of fictional creatures.

The Pelasgians united with a small Greek tribe and adopted their language, although they never developed from barbarians into a nationality.

Where did the Greek gods and myths about them come from?

Herodotus assumed that the Greeks adopted from the Pelasgians the names of many gods and their cults. At least, the veneration of the lower deities and Kabirs - the great gods, with their unearthly power, rid the earth of troubles and dangers. The sanctuary of Zeus in Dodona (a city near the present Ioannina) was built much earlier than the Delphic one, which is still famous. From those times came the famous "troika" of Kabirs - Demeter (Axieros), Persephone (Axiokersa, in Italy - Ceres) and her husband Hades (Axiokersos).

In the Pontifical Museum in the Vatican, a marble statue of these three kabirams is installed in the form of a triangular pillar by the sculptor Scopas, who lived and worked in the 4th century BC. e. At the bottom of the pillar are carved miniature images of Mitra-Helios, Aphrodite-Urania and Eros-Dionysus as symbols of an inseparable chain of mythology.

From there, the names of Hermes (Camilla, Latin "servant"). In the History of Athos, Hades (Hell) is the god of the other world, and his wife Persephone gave life on earth. Artemis was called Caleagra.

The new gods of Ancient Hellas descended from the "storks", took away their right to reign. But they already had a human appearance, although with some exceptions left over from zoomorphism.

The goddess, the patroness of the city named after her, was born from the brain of Zeus, the main god of the third stage. Therefore, before him, the heavens and the earthly firmament were ruled by others.

The first ruler of the earth was the god Poseidon. During the capture of Troy, he was the main deity.

According to mythology, he ruled both the seas and the oceans. Since Greece has a lot of island territories, the influence of Poseidon and his cult also applied to them. Poseidon was the brother of many new gods and goddesses, including such famous ones as Zeus, Hades and others.

Further, Poseidon began to stare at the continental territory of Hellas, for example, at Attica, a huge part to the south of the central mountain range of the Balkan Peninsula and to the Peloponnese. He had a reason for this: in the Balkans there was a cult of Poseidon in the form of a fertility demon. Athena wanted to deprive him of such influence.

The goddess won the dispute over the land. Its essence is this. Once there was a new alignment of the influence of the gods. At the same time, Poseidon lost the right to land, he was left with the seas. The sky was intercepted by the god of thunder and lightning. Poseidon began to challenge the rights to certain territories. He hit the ground during a dispute on Olympus, and water came out from there, and

Athena gave Attica an olive tree. The gods decided the dispute in favor of the goddess, considering that the trees would be more useful. The city was named after her.

Aphrodite

When the name of Aphrodite is pronounced in modern times, her beauty is mostly revered. In ancient times, she was the goddess of love. The cult of the goddess first originated in the colonies of Greece, its current islands, founded by the Phoenicians. Worship similar to Aphrodite was then reserved for two other goddesses, Asherah and Astarte. In the Greek pantheon of gods

Aphrodite was more suited to the mythical role of Ashera, a lover of gardens, flowers, a resident of groves, the goddess of spring awakening and voluptuous pleasure with Adonis.

Reincarnating as Astarte, the "goddess of heights", Aphrodite became impregnable, always with a spear in her hand. In this guise, she protected family fidelity and doomed her priestesses to eternal virginity.

Unfortunately, in later times the cult of Aphrodite split into two, if I may so express the differences between the various Aphrodites.

Myths of Ancient Greece about the gods of Olympus

They are the most common and most cultivated in both Greece and Italy. This supreme pantheon of Mount Olympus included six gods - the children of Kronos and Hera (the Thunderer himself, Poseidon and others) and nine descendants of the god Zeus. Among them are the most famous Apollo, Athena, Aphrodite and others like them.

In the modern interpretation of the word "Olympian", except for the athletes participating in the Olympiads, it means "calmness, self-confidence, outward greatness." And earlier there was also the Olympus of the gods. But at that time, these epithets applied only to the head of the pantheon - Zeus, because he fully corresponded to them. We talked about Athena and Poseidon in detail above. Other gods of the pantheon were also mentioned - Hades, Helios, Hermes, Dionysus, Artemis, Persephone.

It causes genuine interest, intrigues and excites. It combines fictional and modern world. Many books have been written about him and many films have been made. The pantheon of the Greek gods is a real storehouse for studying the history, customs and life of Ancient Greece. What function did the celestials perform on the sacred Mount Olympus? What unthinkable power and authority were endowed with? This and much more will be discussed in our new divine article!

The pantheon, or simply a group of gods belonging to the same religion, consisted of a large number of celestials, each of which performed the assigned role and carried out its function. In their appearance and behavior, the gods and goddesses were similar to ordinary people. They experienced the same emotions and feelings, fell in love and quarreled, got angry and had mercy, deceived and spread gossip. But their main difference was immortality! Over time, the history of the relationship between the gods increasingly grew into myths. And this only increased interest and admiration for the ancient religion ...

Representatives of the younger generation of celestials in Ancient Hellas were considered the main gods. Once they took away the right to rule the world from the older generation (titans), who personified the elements of nature and universal forces. Having defeated the titans, the younger gods, led by Zeus, settled on Mount Olympus. We will talk about the 12 main Olympian gods and goddesses, their assistants and companions, who were worshiped by the Greeks!

The king of the gods and the main deity. The representative of the infinite sky, the lord of lightning and thunder. Zeus had unlimited power over both people and gods. The ancient Greeks honored and feared the Thunderer, appeasing him in every possible way with the best donations. Babies learned about Zeus even in the womb, and all misfortunes were attributed to the wrath of the greatest and all-powerful.

Brother of Zeus, ruler of the sea, rivers, lakes and oceans. He personified courage, stormy temper, quick-tempered character and unearthly strength. Being the patron saint of sailors, he could induce hunger, turn over and sink ships and decide the fate of fishermen in open waters. Poseidon is closely associated with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The brother of Poseidon and Zeus, to whom the entire underworld, the kingdom of the dead, obeyed. The only one who did not live on Olympus, but was rightfully considered the Olympic god. All the dead went to Hades. Although people were afraid to even pronounce the name of Hades, in ancient mythology he is presented as a cold, unshakable and indifferent god, whose decision must be unquestioningly carried out. In his dark kingdom with demons and shadows of the dead, where the sun's rays do not penetrate, you can only enter. There is no way back.

Aristocratic and refined, the god of healing, sunlight, spiritual purity and artistic beauty. Having become the patron of creativity, he is considered the head of 9 muses, as well as the father of the god of doctors Asclepius.

The most ancient god of roads and travel, the patron of trade and merchants. This celestial with wings on his heels was associated with a subtle mind, resourcefulness, cunning and an excellent knowledge of foreign languages.

The insidious god of war and fierce battles. The mighty warrior preferred massacres and waged war for the sake of war itself.

The patron saint of blacksmithing, pottery and other crafts associated with fire. Even in the era of ancient times, Hephaestus was associated with volcanic activity, roar and flame.

Wife of Zeus, patroness of marriage and conjugal love. The goddess was distinguished by jealousy, anger, cruelty and excessive severity. In a state of rage, she could bring terrible troubles to people.

The daughter of Zeus, the beautiful goddess of love, who easily fell in love with herself and fell in love herself. In her hands was concentrated a great power of love, pure and sincere, which she bestowed on gods and people.

Goddess of just war, wisdom, patroness of spiritual pursuits, art, agriculture and crafts. Athena Pallas was born from the head of Zeus in full uniform. Thanks to her, state life flows and cities are built. For her knowledge and intelligence among the pantheon of Greek gods, she was the most respected and authoritative celestial.

The patroness of agriculture and the goddess of fertility. She is the guardian of life, who taught a person peasant labor. She fills the barns and restocks. Demeter is the embodiment of the primeval energy of creativity, the great mother that gives birth to all living things.

Artemis

Goddess of forests and hunting, sister of Apollo. The patroness of vegetation and fertility. The virginity of the goddess is closely related to the idea of ​​birth and sexual relations.

In addition to the 12 main Olympic gods, among the Greek celestials there were many no less significant and authoritative names.

God of winemaking and all natural forces that make a person happy.

Morpheus. Everyone was in his arms. Greek god of dreams, son of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Morpheus knew how to take any form, accurately copy the voice and appear to people in dreams.

The son of Aphrodite and concurrently the god of love. A cute boy with a quiver and a bow accurately throws arrows at people, which kindle indestructible love in the hearts of gods and people. In Rome, Amur corresponded to him.

Persephone. Daughter of Demeter, kidnapped by Hades, who dragged her to his underworld and made her his wife. She spends part of the year upstairs with her mother, the rest of the time she lives underground. Persephone personified the seed that is sown in the ground and comes to life at the time when it comes to light.

The patroness of the hearth, family and sacrificial fire.

Pan. Greek god of forests, patron of shepherds and flocks. Presented with goat legs, horns and a beard with a flute in his hands.

Goddess of victory and constant companion of Zeus. The divine symbol of success and a happy outcome is always depicted in a pose of rapid movement or with wings. Nika takes part in all musical competitions, military enterprises and religious celebrations.

And this is not all the Greek names of the gods:

• Asclepius is the Greek god of healing.
• Proteus is the son of Poseidon, a sea deity. He had the gift to predict the future and change appearance.
• Triton - the son of Poseidon, brought news from the depths of the sea, blowing into the shell. Depicted as a mixture of horse, fish and man.
• Eirene - the goddess of peace, stands at the Olympian throne of Zeus.
• Dike is the patroness of truth, a goddess who does not tolerate deceit.
• Tyukhe is the goddess of good luck and a successful event.
• Plutos is the ancient Greek god of wealth.
• Enyo is the goddess of furious war, causing rage in the fighters, bringing confusion into the battle.
• Phobos and Deimos are the sons and companions of Ares, the god of war.

The names of most of the gods are arranged as hyperlinks, where you can go to a detailed article about each of them.

The main deities of Ancient Greece: 12 Olympic gods, their helpers and companions

The main gods in Ancient Hellas were those that belonged to the younger generation of celestials. Once it took power over the world from the older generation, personifying the main universal forces and elements (see about this in the article The Origin of the Gods of Ancient Greece). The gods of the older generation are usually called titans. Having defeated the titans, the younger gods, led by Zeus, settled on Mount Olympus. The ancient Greeks honored 12 Olympian gods. Their list usually included Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hermes, Hestia. Hades is also close to the Olympian gods, but he does not live on Olympus, but in his underworld.

Legends and myths of Ancient Greece. Cartoon

Goddess Artemis. Statue in the Louvre

Statue of Athena the Virgin in the Parthenon. Ancient Greek sculptor Phidias

Hermes with caduceus. Statue from the Vatican Museum

Venus (Aphrodite) de Milo. Statue ca. 130-100 BC

God Eros. Red-figure dish, ca. 340-320 BC e.

Hymen Companion of Aphrodite, god of marriage. According to his name, wedding hymns were also called hymens in ancient Greece.

Daughter of Demeter, kidnapped by the god Hades. The inconsolable mother, after a long search, found Persephone in the underworld. Hades, who made her his wife, agreed that she would spend part of the year on earth with her mother, and the other with him in the bowels of the earth. Persephone was the personification of the grain, which, being "dead" sown in the ground, then "comes to life" and comes out of it into the light.

The Abduction of Persephone. Antique jug, ca. 330-320 BC

Amphitrite Poseidon's wife, one of the Nereids

Proteus One of the Greek sea deities. The son of Poseidon, who had the gift to predict the future and change his appearance

Triton- the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, the messenger of the deep sea, trumpeting the shell. By appearance- a mixture of man, horse and fish. Close to the eastern god Dagon.

Eirene- the goddess of the world, standing at the throne of Zeus on Olympus. In ancient Rome, the goddess Pax.

Nika- goddess of victory. Constant companion of Zeus. In Roman mythology - Victoria

Dike- in ancient Greece - the personification of divine truth, a goddess hostile to deceit

Tyukhe- Goddess of good luck and luck. The Romans - Fortuna

Morpheus- the ancient Greek god of dreams, the son of the god of sleep Hypnos

Plutus- god of wealth

Phobos("Fear") - the son and companion of Ares

Deimos("Horror") - the son and companion of Ares

Enyo- among the ancient Greeks - the goddess of violent war, which causes rage in the fighters and brings confusion to the battle. In Ancient Rome - Bellona

Titans

The Titans are the second generation of the gods of Ancient Greece, born of the elements of nature. The first titans were six sons and six daughters, descended from the connection of Gaia-Earth with Uranus-Sky. Six sons: Kron (Time. for the Romans - Saturn), Ocean (father of all rivers), Hyperion, Kay, Crius, Iapetus. Six daughters: Tethys(Water), Theia(Shine), Rhea(Mother Mountain?), Themis (Justice), Mnemosyne(Memory), Phoebe.

Uranus and Gaia. Ancient Roman mosaic 200-250 A.D.

In addition to the titans, Gaia gave birth to Cyclopes and Hecatoncheirs from marriage with Uranus.

cyclops- three giants with a large, round, fiery eye in the middle of the forehead. In ancient times - the personification of the clouds, from which lightning sparkles

Hecatoncheires- "hundred-armed" giants, against whose terrible power nothing can resist. Embodiments of terrible earthquakes and floods.

The Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires were so strong that Uranus himself was horrified by their power. He tied them up and threw them into the depths of the earth, where they still rage, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The stay of these giants in the womb of the earth began to cause her terrible suffering. Gaia persuaded her youngest son, Kronos, to take revenge on her father, Uranus, by castrating him.

Kron made it with a sickle. From the drops of blood of Uranus shed at the same time, Gaia conceived and gave birth to three Erinyes - goddesses of vengeance with snakes on their heads instead of hair. Erinnia's names are Tisiphone (killing avenger), Alecto (tireless pursuer) and Megara (terrible). From that part of the seed and blood of castrated Uranus that fell not on the ground, but in the sea, the goddess of love Aphrodite was born.

Night-Nyukta, in anger at the lawlessness of Kron, gave birth to terrible creatures and deities of Tanata (Death), Eridu(Discord) Apatou(Deceit), goddesses of violent death Ker, Hypnos(Dream-Nightmare) Nemesis(Revenge), Gerasa(Old age), Charon(carrier of the dead to the underworld).

Power over the world has now passed from Uranus to the Titans. They divided the universe among themselves. Kron instead of the father became the supreme god. The ocean received power over a huge river, which, according to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, flows around the whole earth. Four other brothers Kronos reigned in the four corners of the world: Hyperion - in the East, Crius - in the south, Iapetus - in the West, Kay - in the North.

Four of the six Elder Titans married their sisters. From them came the younger generation of titans and elemental deities. From the marriage of Oceanus with his sister Tethys (Water), all earthly rivers and water nymphs-Oceanids were born. The titan Hyperion - ("high-walking") took his sister Teia (Shine) as his wife. From them were born Helios (Sun), Selena(moon) and Eos(Dawn). From Eos were born the stars and the four gods of the winds: Boreas(North wind), Note(South wind), Marshmallow(west wind) and Eurus(Eastern wind). The titans Kay (Celestial Axis?) and Phoebe gave birth to Leto (Night Silence, mother of Apollo and Artemis) and Asteria (Starlight). Kron himself married Rhea (Mother Mountain, the personification of the productive forces of mountains and forests). Their children are the Olympic gods Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus.

The titan Crius married the daughter of Pontus Eurybia, and the titan Iapetus married the oceanid Clymene, who gave birth to the titans Atlanta (he holds the sky on his shoulders), the arrogant Menetius, the cunning Prometheus (“thinking before, foreseeing”) and the feeble-minded Epimetheus (“thinking after").

From these titans came others:

Hesperus- god of the evening and the evening star. His daughters from the night, Nyukta, are the Hesperides nymphs, who guard a garden with golden apples on the western edge of the earth, once presented by Gaia-Earth to the goddess Hera during her marriage to Zeus

Ory- goddesses of parts of the day, seasons and periods of human life.

Charites- the goddess of grace, fun and joy of life. There are three of them - Aglaya ("Glee"), Euphrosyne ("Joy") and Thalia ("Abundance"). A number of Greek writers have charites with other names. In ancient Rome, they corresponded graces