The Gods of Olympus and the Lesser Gods

The ancient Greeks were very religious. They believed that the world had been created by certain gods, and that men were ruled by twelve great gods and many lesser ones.
The twelve great gods lived on Mount Olympus in northern Greece, and the greatest of them all was Zeus, the father of the gods. The other eleven Olympian gods were all his relatives- either brothers, sisters or his children. The lesser gods, who did not live on Mount Olympus, were the helpers of the Olympian gods.
All these gods appeared often to men, sometimes helping them, sometimes punishing them, more or less at whim. So men tried in various ways to flatter the gods with ceremonies, prayers and animal sacrifices. They built beautiful temples in the god’s honour, and artists decorated temples, public places and even homes with their statues.
Of course these gods were not real, but were formed in men’s imaginations at a time before Christ had come down to earth. In reading, however, the ancient Greek myths about the lives of the gods, their adventures and their past, their quarrels and jealousies, their concern for and charity towards mankind, one cannot help marveling at the rich imagination of the ancient Greek Spirit. The deeply human aspect of these myths, and the ever-present feeling for justice, can only help the young children to cultivate the more noble, and eternal, moral values.

The Twelve Olympian Gods

The ancient Greeks believed that men’s lives were ruled over by twelve great gods, who lived on the summit of Mount Olympus. There they rested and enjoyed themselves when not involved in human affairs. They often came down to earth to help or punish mortals. They had many virtues, and many faults too, just like mortal men. Each god had certain rights and abilities, and over all of them reigned Zeus, the father of Gods and men.
The Twelve are as follows:

Zeus was born in a cave in Grete, of his mother Rhea. His father was Kronos, who killed his children as soon as they were born for the fear that they would overthrow him. Rhea therefore hid the baby in the cave to keep him from his father’s sight. There the baby Zeus was tended by the Nymphs and suckled by a she-goat. There he slowly grew in strength and wisdom to manhood.

The Battles of Zeus

To become the chief of the gods, Zeus first had to defeat his enemies. Thus he battled with the Giants, with the help of the Cyclops and the men of a hundred hands. In the end he won, hurling the Giants down into the terrible abyss of Tartarus. He then clashed with certain Titans, in particular with Iapetus and his four sons, whom he defeated and punished. One of these, called Atlas, he forced to stand upright, supporting the sky and earth on his mighty head and shoulders. Thus Zeus became lord of Olympus.

Zeus married the goddess Hera, famous for her beauty and wisdom. But he did not love her enough, and had children by other women. Hera became jealous and spiteful, and tried to kill these children. She was also vengeful towards her husband’s mistresses. One day Hera wished to match her beauty against that of two other goddesses, Athena and Aphrodite. So Zeus chose the handsomest man on earth, Paris, to judge the matter, and gave him an apple to give to the most beautiful of the three. Paris chose Aphrodite and Hera was beside herself with jealousy. The ancient Greeks believed Hera to be the protectress of marriages.

The Birth of Athena

Athena was the daughter of Zeus, and was famous for her wisdom. The ancient Greeks showed her in helmet and armour, serious and beautiful, holding a shield and a long spear. Her symbols were an owl and the olive tree. During the Trojan War she helped the Greeks and later often protected Odysseus. The ancient Greeks loved her greatly and dedicated many temples to her. They believed her to be the goddess of wisdom and the arts of war. She was the protectress of Athens, and the Athenians held a great festival in her honour, called the Panathenaea.

Athena and Poseidon dispute Athens

One day Athena and Poseidon were arguing over who would be the protector of the city of Athens. The other gods, seeing this, promised to accept as protector whoever presented the most useful gift to the city. Poseidon brought his trident down hard on the ground, and at once a great horse sprang from the earth. Athena then struck the rock of the Acropolis with her spear, and straight away an olive tree appeared on the spot. The other gods judged the olive tree more useful than the horse, and made Athena protectress of Athens. From then on Athena protected the city whenever it was in danger.

4. The Birth of Aphrodite

The goddess Aphrodite was born among the sea-foam, from which she got her name, which means <<foam-born>>. She came from the seed of the god Uranus, or Sky, the father of Zeus, which had fallen into the sea. From among the waves appeared a lovely girl, who swam to the island of Cythera and from there to the island of Cyprus. Because Aphrodite was very beautiful, she was loved by all the gods, and by men, who believed she was the goddess of physical beauty and lovemaking. The artists of ancient times showed her unclothed, with a lovely face and a perfect body.

5. Hermes, the messenger of the gods

The god Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia. He was born on a mountain top and was clever and inventive. Even as an infant he found a tortoise when exploring one day, and made a lyre by fixing strings to its shell. Thus Hermes made the first musical instrument, and when he played all those around him were enchanted by the sweet music. Once he visited Pierea and stole the cattle of Apollo. When Apollo discovered the thief, he wanted to punish him, but Hermes gave him the lyre, which Apollo desired greatly, in return for the cattle. Hermes was the messenger and herald of the gods, who carried the gods’ messages to mortals. This is why men portrayed him winged sandals and a winged helmet, and with a magical staff in his hand.

6. Artemis, goddess of hunting

The goddess Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She lived in the forests, on the mountains and the lowlands, and was a friend of the Nymphs. She always carried a bow and a quiver full of arrows. When she walked in the forest she was always accompanied by her favourite deer, which men believed to be sacred. Artemis was the best hunter – she never missed her mark. In front of her ran her hunting dogs. She was the protectress of animals and plants, and punished whoever did not respect them or who destroyed them without good reason. She was also the protectress of unmarried girls and pregnant women, whom she helped in childbirth.

7. Apollo, the God of Music and Prophecy

Apollo was Artemis’s twin brother, god of the life-giving sun. With the sweet sound of the lyre Hermes had given him, he beguiled the gods of Olympus, accompanying the Muses in their singing. When still a baby, he used poisoned arrows to kill a great serpent, the Python, which a jealous Hera had sent to eat his mother, Leto. Later he visited the Delphic oracle, and made it into the greatest religious centre of all Greece. For this he was believed to be the protector of the arts of divination, of seeing into the future. He was also a great archer like his sister. The ancients portrayed him as a handsome young man holding a lyre and wearing a crown of laurel leaves

8. Ares, the god of war

Ares was the child of Zeus and Hera, and was strong and fearless. Like him mother, he was harsh and obstinate, and thus often got into fights with the other gods. Once, when his servant forgot to wake him at dawn, Ares punished him by turning him into a cock. And that is why the cock crows every morning. Ares was always dressed in his armour, and was to be found wherever men were at war. He often fought with them, either on foot or on his chariot, which was drawn by four horses with flaming nostrils. Gods and men alike were afraid of him. Only Athena dared to stand up to him. He enjoyed quarelling and fighting, which is why everyone avoided him. In the Trojan War he helped the Trojans, while Athena helped the Greeks.

9. Hephaistos, the god of fire

Hephaistos was the child of Zeus and Hera. He loved his parents and tried to bring them together again. He was a great smith and had his smithy on the island of Lemnos, where he made tools and gifts for gods and men. From the volcano of Lemnos issued the smoke and flames from his workshop. When his father Zeus was warring with the giants, Hephaistos made the thunderbolts with which Zeus defeated them. Zeus, to thank him, gave him for a wife the most beautiful goddess, Aphrodite, with whom he had a child, Eros. Hephaistos was ugly and lame, but goodhearted and humble.

10. Poseidon, the god of the sea

Poseidon was the son of Kronos and Rhea, and thus brother of Zeus. He disputed with Athena as to who would be the protector of Athens, and, as we have seen, he lost. He was the god of the sea and lived in his palace in its depths, leaving occasionally to visit Olympus. To him also belonged the lakes, rivers and the springs. When he was in a good mood, the sea was calm, but when he was angry the sea heaved up great waves, and so sailors tried to placate him with sacrifices. He would sometimes get very angry with men, and send against them fearsome monsters which he himself had created. He would also cause earthquakes. He always carried a trident, or three-pointed spear, such as fishermen use. His favourite creatures were the dolphins, and his attendants were the Neraids.

11. Hades or Pluto, the ruler of the Underworld.

Hades was the second brother of Zeus, and was unlucky when the three brothers divided the world among themselves. Zeus took the Earth, and Poseidon got the Sea, but Hades was left with the dark kingdom of the Underworld below the ground. This was the realm of the dead, where the souls were brought by Hermes. Hades was hard to approach, as he was surrounded by four terrible rivers. The first and fastest of these was called Acheron, over which Charon the ferryman ferried the souls of the dead, receiving in return a small coin for his trouble. No one liked Hades, because he reminded them of death. His wife was Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. In later times Hades was also known as Pluto, while the Underworld was called Hades.

12. Hestia, protectress of the family

 Hestia was a sister of Zeus and had a shining throne on Olympus. Certain gods fell in love with her and wished to marry her, but she refused. These gods then became very angry and started to chase her. Hestia begged Zeus to help her, and promised never to marry, but to devote herself to her work, which was to protect the family. Zeus was moved, and ordered all the other gods to honour her. He also ordered that there should be an altar to Hestia in the temples of all the other gods, and from then on fire from Hestia’s altar was used to rekindle the dead fires of the temple. Also from this time men put hearths in their homes, to warm the house and gather together the whole family. This hearth was also the altar of Hestia in each home.

Dionysus, the god of merrymaking

Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele. He was brought up by the Nymphs and the Muses in a cave which had some grapevines growing at the entrance. One day Dionysus got drunk on the wine from these grapes, and started running around laughing and singing. He taught men to grow the vine and to make the wine, and so men worshiped him as the god of wine and merrymaking. They also held great festivals in his honour, such as the Dionysia and the Anthesteria. They wore masks, and wreaths of flowers on their heads, and made fun of each other with crude jokes.

Dionysus is captured by pirates

Demeter, the goddess of farming

Demeter was a sister of Zeus, and a daughter of Kronos and Rhea. She was not among the twelve Olympian gods, but was on a somewhat lower level. She was worshiped as the goddess of farming, because she taught mankind how to make tools, to tame animals and to grow crops. The farmers held many festivals in her honour, such as the Eleusinia and Thesmophoria. Her favourite birds were the white dove and the crane. On her head she wore a garland of flowers, and she always carried a sickle. She loved her daughter, Persephone very much, and was very sad when Pluto carried her off to be his wife.

Persephone, the daughter of Demeter

When Pluto carried Persephone off to the Underworld, Demeter was miserable. She wept bitterly and unceasingly, and in her sadness would not let the crops grow nor the trees bear fruit. The earth became barren, and men were in danger of starving to death. Then Zeus sent the messenger of the gods, Hermes, to Pluto, to ask him to return Persephone to her mother. Pluto refused. Zeus then suggested a compromise: that Persephone should live six months of the year with her mother in the land of the living, and the other six months with her husband in the Underworld. Both sides agreed to this, so when Persephone was with her mother, Demeter allowed the plants and trees to put out leaves and bear fruit. Thus we have spring and summer. But when her daughter had to return to her husband in the Underworld, Demeter was sad and would not let the earth bring forth, so all plants died or dried up. Thus we have autumn and winter.

Pan, the protector of shepherds

Pan was one of the lesser gods, the son of Hermes and a Nymph, ugly and mischievous. He had a human body, covered in hair, but with goat’s feet, and goat’s horns on his head. He lives in the mountains, in the forests and in ravines and played with the animals, with the wind, with the rivers and with countrymen. Shepherds and hunters had him as their protector. All day he played on a seven-reed pipe, which we now call a pan-pipe. He would laugh, shout, and appear at festivals. He also taught men music and fortune-telling. He protected the shepherds’ flocks at night, with the help of his dog and stick.

Asclepios, the god of medicine and healing

Asclepios was the son of Apollo and the princess Koronis. He grew up in the company of the wise Centaur, Chiron, who taught him the arts of healing and hunting. Thus Asclepios became in time such a great doctor that he could even bring the dead back to life. This caused Hades to complain to Zeus, who struck Asclepios dead with a thunderbolt. Then Apollo, to avenge the death of his son, took up his bow and killed all the Cyclops, who fed the fire to make Zeus’s thunderbolts. The ancient Greeks built many temples in honour of Asclepios, and sick people went to them to be cured. Asclepios always held a staff, and was accompanied by a large snake and his dog.

The nine Muses

The nine Muses were beautiful virgins, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. They were born on Mount Pieria, near Olympus, and lived on Mount Helikon. All day long they sang and danced near the springs and streams where they had their palaces. Their special concern was to praise the achievements of god and men, and this is why men believed that they protected writers and artists. Each of them protected a particular science or art. Their names were Cleio, Thalia, Euterpe, Erato, Calliope, Polymnia, Terpsichore, Melpomene and Urania. Apollo had taught them music, and they were matchless in song and on the lyre.

The three Graces and the three Hours

The Graces were three beautiful girls, daughters of Zeus, who were called Aglaia (Brilliance), Euphrosyne (Joy), and Thalia (Bloom). They protected artists and poets, like the Muses, and accompanied Apollo and Aphrodite. It was also their business to give men beauty, joy, excellence and wisdom. Once, when they were dancing carelessly, they fell into a well, and on that spot appeared a beautiful flower with three petals.
The three Hours were the daughters of Zeus and Themis. Their names were Eunomia, Dike and Irene. They were beautiful girls, decked out in flowers and gifts from the gods which they shared among men. They opened and closed the gates of Heaven and gave advice to the Seasons (apart from Winter), because they looked after the trees and flowers, and made sure that they bore fruit.

Nymphs and Nereids

The Nymphs were daughters of Zeus. Happy and good-hearted, they sang and danced all day long with Pan, who played on his pipes. They loved in forests, caves, rivers, meadows, springs and on mountains, and watched over the fruiting of plants and trees. They also helped to rear animals and shared among mankind all nature’s gifts.
Apart from the land-Nymphs, there were also sea-nymphs, who were called Nereids because they were the daughters of the sea-god Nereas and Oceanis. They were fifty beautiful  maids who lived in the depths of the sea, in a brightly-lit cave, and they were responsible for stirring up the waves, and for calming them. They often accompanied the gods, They would often dance among the waves, or sit on the beach drying their lovely long hair.

Sirens and Gorgons

The Sirens were beautiful women, who however had great wings, and talons instead of feet. They perched on rocks along the shore and sang so sweetly that sailors in passing ships would jump into the sea and swim towards them. As soon as the sailors reached them, however, the Sirens tore them to pieces with their claws, and scattered their bones around. None could escape their siren-song. Only twice did men manage to pass by safely. Odysseus and his men escaped by blocking their ears with wax, while Jason and the Argonauts survived through the help of Apollo, who drowned out the siren-song with the sweet music of his lyre.
The Gorgons were sea monsters with horrible faces, big teeth and a fearsome gaze that turned anyone who looked at them into stone. One of them, Medusa, was killed by the hero Perseus, who chopped off her head without looking at her.