Twelve Olympians

In the ancient Greek religion and its mythology, the Twelve Olympians are the major deities of the Greek pantheon, commonly considered to be Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes and either Hestia, or Dionysus. Hades and Persephone were sometimes included as part of the twelve Olympians (primarily due to the influence of the Eleusinian Mysteries), although in general Hades was excluded, because he resided permanently in the underworld and never visited Olympus. The Olympians mostly included members of the third generation of the Greeks gods, descending from the Titans.

Twelve Olympians

The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon (Greek: Î"ωδεκάθεον，δώδεκα, dōdeka, "twelve" and θεοί, theoi, "gods"), were the principal deities of the Greek pantheon, residing atop a mythical Mount Olympus. The Olympians gained their supremacy in a war of gods in which Zeus led his siblings to victory over the Titans.

The concept of the "Twelve Gods" is older than any extant Greek or Roman sources. The gods meet in council in the Homeric epics, but the first ancient reference to religious ceremonies for the Olympians collectively is found in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes. The Greek cult of the Twelve Olympians can be traced to 6th-century BC Athens and probably has no precedent in the Mycenaean period. The altar to the Twelve Olympians at Athens is usually dated to the archonship of the younger Pesistratos, in 522/521 BC.

While the number was fixed at twelve, there was considerable variation as to which deities were included. However, the twelve as most commonly portrayed in art and poetry were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes and either Hestia, or Dionysus.

Hades, known in the Eleusinian tradition as Pluto, was not usually included among the Olympians because his realm was the underworld. Plato connected the Twelve Olympians with the twelve months, and implies that he considered Pluto one of the twelve in proposing that the final month be devoted to him and the spirits of the dead. In Phaedrus Plato aligns the Twelve with the Zodiac and would exclude Hestia from their rank. But Eudoxus of Cnidus was the first to relate gods and signs.

In ancient Greek religion, the "Olympian Gods" and the "Cults of Twelve Gods" were often relatively distinct concepts. The Dodekatheon of Herodorus of Heraclea included Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hermes, Athena, Apollo, Alpheus, Cronus, Rhea and the Charites. The historian Herodotus states that Heracles was included as one of the Twelve by some. At Kos, Heracles and Dionysus are added to the Twelve, and Ares and Hephaestus are not. For Pindar, the Bibliotheca, and Herodorus, Heracles is not one of the Twelve Gods, but the one who established their cult. Lucian (2nd century AD) includes Heracles and Asclepius as members of the Twelve, without explaining which two had to give way for them.

Hebe, Helios, Selene, Eos, Eros and Persephone are other important gods and goddesses who are sometimes included in a group of twelve. Eros is often depicted alongside the other twelve, especially his mother Aphrodite, but not usually counted in their number.

The Roman poet Ennius gives the Roman equivalents (the Dii Consentes) as six male-female complements, preserving the place of Vesta (Greek Hestia), who played a crucial role in Roman religion as a state goddess maintained by the Vestals.

Olympians

Major Olympians

1. Notes

2. ^{^} Romans also associated Phoebus with Helios and the sun itself, however, they also used the Greek name: Apollo.
3. ^{^} According to an alternate version of her birth, Aphrodite was born of Uranus, Zeus' grandfather, after Cronus threw his castrated genitals into the sea. This supports the etymology of her name, "foam-born". As such, Aphrodite would belong to the same generation as Cronus, Zeus' father, and would technically be Zeus' aunt. See the birth of Aphrodite

Other Olympians

The following gods and goddess are sometimes included as one of the twelve Olympians.

Minor residents of Mount Olympus

The following gods, goddesses, and demigods were not usually counted as Olympians, although they had close ties to them.

• Aeolus â€" King of the winds, keeper of the Anemoi, master of the seasonal winds.
• Amphitrite â€" Queen of the Sea, mother of Triton and wife of Poseidon.
• Anemoi â€" The personifications of the four wind directions (North, South, East and West).
• Aura â€" Goddess of cool breezes and fresh air.
• Bia â€" Personification of force.
• Circe â€" minor goddess of magic, not to be confused with Hecate.
• Deimos â€" God of terror, son of Ares and brother of Phobos.
• Dione â€" Oceanid; Mother of Aphrodite by Zeus in Homer's version.
• Eileithyia â€" Goddess of childbirth; daughter of Hera and Zeus.
• Enyo â€" A goddess of warfare, companion of Ares. She was also the sister of Ares in some cases. In those cases, her parents are Zeus and Hera.
• Eos â€" Personification of dawn.
• Eris â€" Goddess of discord and strife.
• Ganymede â€" Cupbearer of the gods' palace at Olympus.
• Graces â€" Goddesses of beauty and attendants of Aphrodite and Hera.
• Harmonia â€" Goddess of concord and harmony, opposite of Eris, daughter of Aphrodite.
• Hecate â€" Goddess associated with magic, witches and crossroads.
• Helios â€" Titan; personification of the sun.
• Horae â€" Wardens of Olympus.
• Hypnos â€" God of sleep, father of Morpheus and son of Nyx.
• Iris â€" Personification of the Rainbow, also the messenger of Olympus along with Hermes.
• Kratos â€" Personification of power.
• Leto â€" Titaness of the unseen; the mother of Apollo and Artemis.
• Moirai â€" The 'Fates'. Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the allotter) and Atropos (the unturnable).
• Momus â€" God of satire, mockery, satires, and poets.
• Morpheus â€" God of dreams.
• Muses â€" Nine goddesses of science and arts. Their names are Calliope, Urania, Clio, Polyhymnia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Thalia, Euterpe, and Erato.
• Nemesis â€" Greek goddess of retribution and revenge, daughter of Nyx.
• Nike â€" Goddess of victory.
• Nyx â€" Goddess of night.
• Paean â€" Physician of the gods.
• Perseus â€" Son of Zeus and Danae, slayer of Medusa, the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty.
• Phobos â€" God of fear, son of Ares and brother of Deimos.
• Selene â€" Titaness; personification of the moon.
• Styx â€" Goddess of the River Styx, the river where gods swear oaths on.
• Thanatos â€" God of Death, sometimes a personification of Death.
• Theseus â€" Son of Poseidon, first Hero of Athens and slayer of the Minotaur.
• Triton â€" Messenger of the Seas, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. He holds a twisted conch shell.
• Tyche â€" Goddess of Luck.
• Zelus â€" Personification of Emulation.

Genealogy

See also

• Dii Consentes, the Roman equivalent of the Twelve Olympians
• Family tree of the Greek gods
• Interpretatio graeca, including a table of mythological equivalents
• List of Greek mythological characters
• Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes
• Hellenismos
• Olympia

Notes

References

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