There are fourteen main gods and goddesses, twelve of which have thrones on Olympus. There are also many minor gods and goddesses.
Gods
Zeus- (zoose) King of the gods and ruler of the skies. He is the youngest son of Rhea and Kronos.
Poseidon- (poh-SYE-dun) Ruler of the seas and is also Zeus' older brother. Though he lives underwater, he has a throne on Olympus.
Hades- (HAY-dees) Ruler of the Underworld and Zeus and Poseidon's brother. Hades lives in the Underworld and has no throne on Olympus. Lord of the dead.
Ares- (AIR-eez) God of war and son of Zeus and Hera. He never married but was a lover to Aphrodite.
Apollo- (uh-POL-oh) God of music, archery and healing. Twin of Artemis and son of Zeus and Leto. Lord of the sun.
Dionysus- (dye-oh-NI-sus) The "party god". He is the god of wine and fertility. Son of Zeus and Semele.
Hermes- (HUR-meez) The god of travellers, doctors, and thieves. The son of Zeus and Maia. He was never married.
Hephaestus- (he-fess-tus) The god of the fire and the forge. He is the only god that is physically ugly or lame. It is said that he became lame when Hera threw him off the mountain when she saw how ugly he was. He is married to Aphrodite.
Goddesses
Hera- (HAIR-ah) Zeus' wife and sister. She is the goddess of marriage and childbirth.
Demeter- (de-MEE-tur) Daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Goddess of grain and agriculture. Also known as "earth mother". Mother of Persephone.
Hestia- (hess-TIA) Hestia is the oldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea. She is the goddess of the hearth, the home and the family and watches over the eternal flame. She had a throne on Olympus but gave it up to Dionysus.
Artemis- (AR-ti-mis) The goddess of the hunt. She is the twin of Apollo, and one of the goddesses sworn to virginity. Daughter of Leto and Zeus.
Athena- (ah-THEE-nuh) The goddess of wisdom, arts, and literature. She is the daughter of Metis and Zeus. She never married. The capital city of Greece, Athens, is named after Athena.
Aphrodite- (ah-fro-DYE-tee) The goddess of love, beauty and desire. She was born of sea foam. Aphrodite married Hephaestus but loved Ares more.
Minor Gods and Goddesses
Persephone- Daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She is the goddess of springtime. She was abducted by Hades and ever since has had to spend half of the year there.
Eros- In roman mythology Eros is known as Cupid. He is the god of love and son of Aphrodite.
Hebe- Hebe is a daughter of Hera and Zeus. She is the goddess of youth and a cupbearer to the gods. She is married to Hercules.
Eris- Daughter of Zeus and Hera, she is the goddess of discord.
Helios- The god of the sun. Son of Hyperion.
Thanatos- The god of death.
Pan- Son of Zeus and the nymph Callisto. He is the god of the Wild. His name made the basis for the word "panic".
Nemesis- The goddess of righteous anger, due enactment, or devine vengence. This god helped to avenge those who were wronged.
The Fates- They have the power to control ones fate.
