Titans and Olympians

 from Hesiod's Theogony (8th c. BC)

 

Primordial Deities and the Generations of the Titans

 

 

The Titans and the Generations of the Olympians

 

 


Art Gallery

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Chaos Magnum, Inlay in Santa Maria Maggiore’s Basilica in Bergamo, Italy, 16th c.

 

 


Greek and Roman Pantheons

Greek Name Roman Name Functions and Relationships Symbols

1st Generation Olympians

Zeus

Jupiter

  • King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus

  • God of the sky and thunder

  • Brother and husband of Hera

  • thunderbolt

  • eagle

  • oak tree

  • scepter

  • scales

Hera

Juno

  • Queen of the gods

  • Wife and sister of Zeus

  • Goddess of marriage and family

  • peacock

  • pomegranate

  • cuckoo

  • lion

  • cow

Poseidon

Neptune

  • horse

  • bull

  • dolphin

  • trident

Hestia

Vesta

  • Goddess of the hearth, domesticity, and the family.

 

Hades/Pluto

Orcus/Dis

  • God of the Underworld, the dead, and the riches under the Earth

  • Married to Persephone, daughter of Ceres

 

Demeter

Ceres

  • Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons.

  • "cereal".

  • poppy

  • wheat

2nd Generation Olympians

Dionysus

Bacchus

  • God of wine, celebrations and ecstasy

  • Patron god of the art of theatre

  • Son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess Semele

  • Married to the Cretan princess Ariadne

  • The youngest Olympian, as well as the only one to have been born of a mortal woman

  • grapevine

  • ivy

  • cup

  • leopard

  • dolphin

  • goat

Apollo

Apollo

  • God of light, knowledge, music, poetry, prophecy and archery.

  • Son of Zeus and Leto.

  • Twin brother of Artemis.

  • sun

  • lyre

  • bow and arrow

Artemis

Diana

  • Virgin goddess of the hunt, virginity, childbirth, archery, the moon, and all animals.

  • Daughter of Zeus and Leto

  • Twin sister of Apollo.

  • moon

  • deer

  • hound

  • she-bear

  • snake

  • cypress tree

  • bow and arrow

Hermes

Mercury

  • Winged messenger of the gods

  • Escorts the dead to the Underworld

  • God of commerce and thieves.

  • Trickster god

  • Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia.

  • Married Dryope

  • Father of Pan who became the god of nature, lord of the satyrs, inventor of the panpipes, and comrade of Dionysus.

  • caduceus 

  • winged sandals and cap

  • tortoise

Athena

Minerva

  • Virgin goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, defense, and strategic warfare.

  • Motherless goddess

  • Sprang from Zeus' head full-formed and armored

  • aegis of Medusa

  • the owl

  • olive tree

  • snakes

  • spear

Ares

Mars

  • God of war, violence and bloodshed.

  • Son of Zeus and Hera

  • Lover of Aphrodite/Venus

  • Father of Eros/Cupid

  • "martial."

  • boar

  • war hound

  • spear and shield

Other Olympians

Aphrodite

Venus

  • Goddess of love, beauty, sex, and desire. 

  • Married to Hephaestus

  • Affairs with Ares, Adonis, and Anchises (among others)

  • Mother of Cupid and Aeneas

  • "aphrodisiac" and "venereal".

  • dove

  • sparrow

  • apple

  • dolphin

  • swan

  • fish

  • rose

Hephaestus

Vulcan

  • Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of fire and the forge.

  • Married to Aphrodite, and faithful

  • "volcano."

  • fire

  • anvil

  • axe

  • hammer

Eros

Cupid

  • The god of sexual love and beauty.

  • Winged

  • Alternatively depicted as a grown male and a small child

  • lyre

  • bow and arrow