Talking about Greek mythology is indeed exciting and will never end, especially about the gods and gods. Human civilization at that time still worshiped gods and who were considered to be able to bring positive things to individuals and even many people. There are so many famous gods and goddesses in ancient Greek mythology. Each has its own strengths and specialties. Here are 10 most famous gods and goddesses in ancient Greek mythology.
1. Zeus – God of The Sky and Thunder
There are so many gods, it certainly takes one god as the main or leader. And as you all know, the god of all gods according to Greek mythology is Zeus. After the fall of Chronos, who was the strongest god in the titan era by Zeus, Zeus was appointed to be the next leader of the gods and goddesses in Greek mythology.
Known as the lord of lightning, Zeus ruled all of the Olympians. Since there are 3 territories to guard, Zeus does a lottery to determine who should guard which territory. This lottery was followed by Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades where they have a sibling relationship. Zeus who eventually became the ruler of Olympus who then made Hera his wife.
2. Ares – God of War
Ares is a god who is identified with war. The nickname of the god of war was pinned on him because Ares really liked war. And we can be sure that every war involving Ares will definitely be won by him.
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. Ares has a violent, violent, and sadistic nature. Ares’s wars usually had no positive ends. He just likes to create fear and create riots. As a result, Zeus and Hera did not really like Ares and paid more attention to the other children.
3. Hades – God of the Underworld
Ancient Greek mythology divided the region into the sky, sea, and the afterlife. Each of these regions has its own ruler. If Poseidon controls the seas, then Hades will be chosen as the ruler of the underworld. Hades is the one who leads hell along with the other gods and warriors.
The Greeks believed Hades to be the personification of death. It’s not Hades who makes people into the underworld but 3 demigods. The three demigods were Minos, Aiakos, and Rhadamanthys. Hades was fond of one goddess, Persephone. It is said that Hades forced Persephone to live with him in the underworld.
4. Apollo – God of Sun and Light
Zeus had many children, one of them was Apollo. Apollo is the twin brother of Artemis. According to Greek mythology, Apollo was known as a god who had many faces. Apollo was born to Leto on the Island of Delos. They lived on the Island of Delos as an escape from Hera which did not accept Zeus having a relationship with Leto.
There are many things that can be given by Apollo, maybe this is because he has many faces so Apollo can give a lot to those who worship him. Apollo is known as the god of wealth, healing and medicine. Although described as a good god, Apollo can also bring death. One of Apollo’s superior abilities was archery.
5. Athena – Goddess of War
Talking about war, there are 2 gods who have something to do with war. The first was definitely Ares, the second was Athena. Apart from being known as the goddess of war, Athena is also known as the goddess of wisdom, courage, mathematics, strength, strategist, arts, civilization, and crafts.
Athena and Ares, although they were both war gods, were very different. Ares is more destructive and arrogant, while Athena is very different from Ares. Because Ares has these bad qualities, Zeus as a father favors Athena more. The Greeks believed that it was Athena who protected the city and its people.
6. Prometheus – God of Fire
Titan was the ruling god before the Olympian era. The gods in this titan era were known as strong gods and their immense size. Titan is led by one god, namely Chronos. Another god that belongs to the titan era is Prometheus. He is the son of Lapetus who is also a titan. While his mother is Oceanid.
Prometheus had the ability to see into the future. Prometheus saw a future where the titans were defeated by the Olympian gods. So Prometheus decided to side with the Olympian gods. The war broke out and was won by the Olympians, Prometheus was saved from prison in Tartarus.
7. Chronos – King of the Titanes
Zeus may well be called the god of all gods. But long before the time of Zeus, there were already stronger and bigger gods. The god in question is Chronos. Chronos is one of the most respected titans before Zeus came to power. Because of his large size and strength, Chronos was lined up to become the strongest god.
Chronos is the father of Zeus, Posseidon, and Aphrodite. Chronos is highly paranoid. For fear that his position would be evicted, Chronos swallowed up his three children. Luckily, Gaia and Rhea were able to save Zeus. Zeus, assisted by his brother, defeated Chronos and sealed him in Tartarus.
8. Hermes – God of Messenger
The ancient Greeks knew him as “The messenger”. He is the son of Zeus and also Maia. His name is frequently mentioned in poetry, games, and also in myths. Hermes is described as a handsome and athletic man.
Sometimes Hermes appears as a man with a beard but looks young or also as an old man. Hermes was very intelligent, compared to other gods, Hermes was an intelligent god who could think quickly. Acting as a messenger, Hermes is also known to be very cunning. Not infrequently he manipulated other gods for his benefit.
9. Poseidon – God of the Sea
Has anyone seen the film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief? Here it tells about the Greek gods. One of them is Poseidon. In Greek mythology, Poseidon is a god who rules the seas. Poseidon is described as an athletic man armed with a trident.
Poseidon is the brother of Zeus and also Hades. During the drawing of the god who should control what, Poseison got the sea. So he became ruler of the seas, accompanied by his wife, Amphitrite. Not alone, Poseidon controlled the sea, assisted by several other minor gods such as Triton and Nereid.
10. Hera – Goddess of Marriage and Family
The ancient Greeks worshiped Hera as the goddess of all goddesses. Hera is known as the goddess of birth and marriage. She became the goddess of all goddesses because she held the status of wife of Zeus. Where Zeus is the leader of all the gods and goddesses on Olympus. This automatically made Hera the supreme goddess.
Zeus and Hera have many children. Despite having many children from Zeus, not one of them was dear to her. Heracles is one of Zeus’s sons whom he hates a lot. Because of her power, Hera eliminated Heracles’ rights as a god and banished him to Earth. The only goddess who was almost equal in strength to Hera was Aphrodite.
