Greek Pantheon

     The Greeks are famous for their polytheistic religion. They worshipped, feared, and loved the gods. Their pantheon consisted of twelve main gods and goddesses, called the Olympians, and a hundred more lesser deities. The Greeks' lives revolved around the gods, since they controlled everything. The main gods controlled the most important aspects of life, some more so than others.

     The head or king god was Zeus, the god of the sky. Known as Cloud-Gatherer, he could bring rain and thunderstorms. He was involved in many affairs but his wife was Hera, his sister. Beautiful Hera was the queen of the Olympians and the goddess of marriage and childbirth. In being the goddess of childbirth, Hera had her own children. One of her most famous children was Aphrodite, the goddess of love, lust, and beauty. Naturally, she was a Greek favorite. Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus, the lord of the forge and fire. He was a blacksmith and the god of technology. He had several brothers, one of which was Ares. Ares was the violent god of war who had several affairs with Hephaestus's wife Aphrodite. (Encyclopedia)

     Along with Aphrodite and Hephaestus was Apollo, the god of music, healing, and manly youth. His twin was Artemis, a huntress and goddess of nature and the moon. Also their sibling was Hermes, the messenger of the gods and transporter of the dead mortals to Hades. He was also the god of commerce, invention, and trickery. Last but not least in this family was Athena, goddess of wisdom, arts, and war. (Greek) But Zeus also had a few siblings besides Hera. One was Demeter, deity of fertility and harvest. She was calm and creative. Her calmness was unlike Poseidon, her brother. Poseidon was god of the sea and creator of earthquakes and horses. Another sibling was Hades, who didn't get a spot in the Olympians but was still important as he was the god of the underworld. The last direct sibling in this family was Hestia, goddess of homes. It is said that she gave up her throne on Mount Olympus to Dionysus, god of wine, parties, and enjoyment. (Buzzle)

     Different gods were patrons of different cities. For example, the Spartans valued war and therefore Ares was one of their patron gods. Obviously, Athena was the patron goddess of Athens, which focused on trade. Athena was one of the most important of the gods, since everyone wanted what she could offer: she used strategy in war and could give industrial gifts. Athena was also said to be Zeus's favorite child, although she knew this and tried to manipulate him in The Iliad to give her privileges.

     The Olympians were the most crucial deities who controlled main pieces of life. For example, Zeus controlled rainfall. Ares and Athena could cause success in battle. Most cities had patron gods or goddesses. The people of the cities would pray to that god the most, who usually reflected the city's goals and wants. The gods were essential to Greek life and influenced everything they did. In this way, we would be somewhere else without the Greek pantheon.