List of Greek Gods and Goddesses Classical Greek Mythology
ADDucation’s list of Greek gods and goddesses is compiled from the works of Hesiod’s Theogony (c700 BC) and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey 760-710 BC) because these authority sources are credited by ancient authors with establishing Greek religious customs and we have referenced dozens of other sources. We’ve also included Greek gods and goddesses family trees.
- ADDucation’s list of Greek gods and goddesses was last updated 25 Oct 2024.
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| Name | Roman Equivalent | Title | Group | Gender | Parents | Siblings | Consort/s | Offspring | Greek Gods and Goddesses Details |
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| Aether | Ether | God of Light and the upper atmosphere. | primordial | Male |
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Hemera, Gaia |
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Aether is one of the elementary substances from which the Universe was formed. Aether is the personification of the upper air only breathed by gods. The air which encircles the mortal world that the rest of us breathe is called Aer (or Chaos). |
| Aphrodite (Cytherea and Cypris) |
Venus | Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. | Olympian | Female |
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Divine consorts:
Mortal consorts:
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Divine offspring:
Mortal offspring:
With unknown fathers:
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Because Aphrodite was beautiful Zeus married her to ugly Hephaestus to avoid rivalry. One of the most famous of all Greek gods and goddesses. |
| Apollo | Apollo | God of music, prophecy, education, healing and disease. | Olympian | Male | Zeus and Leto. | Artemis (twin sister) Half-siblings:
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Apollo was the protecter of boys up to marriage age. As god of prophecy Apollo found a place called Pytho to dispense prophecies to mortals. Python, a giant snake lived in Pytho and terrorized all living creatures so Apollo killed the snake, built a temple, and renamed Pytho to Delphi. There are many other Apollo related myths. One of the most famous of all Greek gods and goddesses. |
| Ares | Mars | God of war, battle and manliness. | Olympian | Male | Zeus and Hera. |
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Least loved of the 12 Olympians. Ares supported the Trojans and spoilt, his cries of pain, reached Mount Olympus. The Aloadae locked Ares in a bronze jar for a lunar year (13 months) later Hermes released him only to learn his fellow Olympians had tricked the twins into killing each other some time ago. |
| Artemis | Diana | Virgin goddess of hunting, wild animals, children, choirs and disease. | Olympian | Female |
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Virgin | Artemis was the protectress of girls up to marriage age. Artemis loved Orion, her hunting companion, but Apollo was jealous and tricked her into accidentally killing him with a long range arrow shot. In her grief Artemis placed Orion in the stars and formed the constellation of Orion.
Artemis sided with the Trojans during the Trojan war95* and clashed with Hera who grabbed Artemis’ bow, beat her about the head and sent her fleeing back to Olympus in tears. |
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| Asclepius (Asklepios, Hepius) | Aesculapius | God of healing and medicine. | deified mortal | Male |
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Epione (goddess of soothing pain). |
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Coronis was killed, while pregnant, for being unfaithful to Apollo. Before her body was burned Apollo saved Asclepius who was given the centaur Chiron, to be raised. Asclepius was taught medicine and eventually learned to raise the dead. Asclepius resurrected Hippolytus which angered Hades who complained to Zeus who killed Asclepius with a lightning bolt. Asklepios means “to cut open”. |
| Athena | Minerva | Virgin goddess of: Warcraft, heroism, counsel, pottery, weaving, olives and oil. | Olympian | Female | Zeus and Metis. |
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Virgin | Athena was Zeus’ favorite daughter, born fully grown and clad in armor from Zeus’s forehead she was even allowed to use his thunderbolt. She was fierce and brave but only fought to defend her state/home. In a contest for Athens against Poseidon he created a salt water spring by striking the ground with his trident.Athena created an Olive tree, symbolizing peace and prosperity and Cecrops, the ruler of Athens accepted the tree and Athena became the patron goddess of Athens. One of the most famous of all Greek gods and goddesses. |
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| Atlas | Atlas | God of endurance and astronomy. | Titan 2nd Gen. | Male | Iapetus and Clymene (Oceanid ) or Asia. |
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Pleione |
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After the Titans lost the Titanomachy96* Zeus condemned Atlas to hold up the sky for eternity, shouldering the weight of the heavens. One of the most famous of all Greek gods and goddesses. |
| Charon | Ferryman of the dead. | Male | Erebos and Nyx | Charon is not a god, but the ferryman who brings the dead across the river of the dead Acheron (often also called Styx or Lethe) to the kingdom of the underworld (Hades) for a fee (obolus = coin that is placed under the dead person’s tongue).
Charon is often depicted as a grim old man, sometimes as a hideous death demon in a sailor’s smock. |
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| Chronos | God of time | primordial Orphic9* | Male | Hydrus and Gaia or none (because Chronos was one of the Protogenoi*98 that emerged at dawn of creation). | Ananke |
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Chronos was a serpent like god with three heads; man, bull and lion. According to the Orphic cosmogony9* Chronos is one of the Protogenoi*98 from which the cosmos began. With Ananke (his daughter and consort) they circled and split open the primal world egg (cosmic egg) which formed the universe including Phanes, the heavens, earth, sea and sky. The English words; chronology, chronometer, chronic, chronicle, and anachronism are all derived from Chronos, the Greek god of time. |
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| Demeter (aka Sito, Thesmophoros) |
Ceres | Goddess of agriculture, grain and bread. The afterlife. | Titaness 2nd Gen. | Female | Chronos and Rhea. |
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Demeter’s daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife so she cursed the world causing the land to become barren and plants to wither and die. Zeus tried to return Persephone from the underworld but unfortunately Persephone had eaten seeds of a pomegranate, given to her by Hades, so she was bound to the underworld for a third of each year. Demeter, grieving being apart from her daughter, withdraws her gifts from the world (Winter) until Persephone‘s return each Spring. |
| Dike (aka Dicé) |
Justitia | Goddess of justice. | Olympian 2nd Gen. | Female | Zeus and Themis. | The Horae (2nd Triad):
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Dike is often depicted beating her opposite Adicia (goddess of injustice) with a hammer. Aspects of both Dike and her mother, Themis, were both identified with the Roman goddess Justitia. | ||
| Dionysus (Dionysos) | Bacchus, Liber | God of wine, drunkenness, madness, parties, vegetation and the Afterlife. | Olympian | Male |
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Ariadne | Priapus, Hymen, Thaos, Staphylus, Oenopion, Comus and Phthonus. | Dionysus is included in some lists of the twelve Olympians, the youngest and last god to be accepted into Mount Olympus. |
| Eileithyia (Ilithyia) |
Lucina | Goddess of childbirth. | Olympian 2nd Gen. | Female | Zeus and Hera. |
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Eros and Sosipolis | When Alcmene was in labour Hera sent Eileithyia to stop the birth and kill both mother and baby but Galinthias, Alcmene’s handmaiden falsely announched the birth which distracted Eileithyia and Heracles was born. Eileithyia, furious at being outwitted by Galinthias, turned her into a weasel. Hecate took pity on Galinthias and made her an attendant. | |
| Eirene (Irene) |
Pax | Goddess of peace and the season of Spring. | Olympian 2nd Gen. | Female | Zeus and Themis | The Horae (2nd Triad):
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Eirene is often depicted holding the infant Pluto and often with her two sister Horae. Sometimes seen with seasonal fruits, palm and olive branches. Symbols include a cornucopia (horn of plenty), sceptre (and a heraldic staff), torch, rhyton (drinking vessel) | ||
| Eos | Aurora | Goddess of the dawn. | Titaness 2nd Gen. | Female | Hyperion and Theia. |
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With Astraeus: Astraea (virgin goddess of innocence and justice), the Anemoi Wind deities:
Five planets/Wandering Stars:
With Tithonus: Memnon and Emathion. |
Eos had large white feathered wings and wore a tiara and a pink gown woven with flowers. Eos consorted with Ares6*which caused Aphrodite to curse her with insatiable sexual desire and she abducted a series of young men including Cephalus, Cleitus, Orion and Tithonus. |
| Erebus | God of darkness and shadow. | primordial | Male | Chaos | Nyx | Aether, Hemera | Darkness (Erebus) and Night (Nyx) appeared out of Chaos | ||
| Eris (aka Discord, Strife) |
Discordia | Goddess and personified spirit /daimona of strife, discord and chaos. | Olympian 2nd Gen. | Female | Zeus and Hera or Erebus and Nyx3* or Nyx1* alone by parthenogenesis99* |
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Eris by 99*Parthenogenesis (alone):
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Eris tried to gatecrash the wedding of Peleus and Thetis but was turned away so she tossed a golden apple of discord inscribed “To The Fairest” into the wedding guests. Hera, Aphrodite and Athena squabbled over the apple, Zeus appointed mortal Paris to resolve the dispute which led to the Trojan war95*. Eris’ opposite is Harmonia. | |
| Eros | Cupid | Winged god of love, procreation, sexual desire and attraction. | primordial | Male | Ares and Aphrodite (or Nyx). |
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Psyche (wife) | Hedone (Roman Voluptas) goddess of pleasure, enjoyment, and delight. | Eros uses arrows to generate love in others. One of the Erotes winged love gods. One of the most famous of all Greek gods and goddesses. |
| Europa | Goddess of the night. | Female |
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Zeus |
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Europa was a Phoenician princess who became the first queen of Crete. Zeus fell in love with Europa after being shot with an arrow from Eros. Zeus metamorphosed into a tame white bull, approached Europa and her handmaidens, who were afraid. To show her handmaidens the bull was tame she mounted the bull and Zeus promptly ran off and swam to Crete where he revealed his form to Europa then seduced/ravished her. |
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| Gaia(Gaea) | Tellus, Terra | Mother of gods. Personification of the Earth (Mother Earth). Mother of the Titans. | primordial | Female |
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Nyx, Tartarus and Erebos. |
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Gaia’s offspring were born in batches and with different species. First the elder Cylops, followed by the Hekatonkheires then the Titans. Uranus locked the elder Cylopes away in her womb and cast the Hekatonkheires into Tartarus so they could not overthrow him.
Angry, Gaia, made a sickle from the hardest flint and plotted with Cronos to kill Uranus. Gaia told Cronus that Uranus had prophesied he would be overthrown by a son so, to prevent this, Cronus swallowed his children whole as they were born. Gaia persuaded Rhea to conceal the birth of baby Zeus. After growing up Zeus returned, forced his father to throw up his siblings, and become the first Olympian ruler. Zeus imprisoned the Titans which made Gaia mad. Gaia sent her last giant son Typhon, by Tartarus, to overthrow Zeus but Typhon was killed, after an epic battle, by Zeus with a thunderbolt. |
| Geras | Senectus | Personification of Old Age. | spirit / daimon | Male |
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– | – | Geras was depicted as a small, skinny, and wrinkled old man. His opposite was Hebe, the goddess of youth. |
| Hades (Plouton and Ploutos). |
Pluto, Di | King of the Underworld. God of the Dead, Death. | primordial | Male | Cronus and Rhea. |
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Persephone |
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After the Olympians defeated the Titans they drew lots to share out the spoils, Hades received the underworld. Hades was never a titled Olympian and did not join feasts in Heaven. Hades was not death itself (that’s Thanatos) but he was greedy and wanted more people to die so he would rule more subjects and become wealthier. Hades had a helmet/cap of invisibility (a gift from the Cyclopes) and a pitchfork to cause earthquakes. Hades abducted Persephone to be his wife in the Underworld. |
| Hebe | Juventas | Goddess of youth. | Olympian 2nd Gen. | Female | Zeus and Hera. |
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Heracles | Alexiares and Anicetus. | Hebe (from the Greek word for youth) is the keeper of the Fountain of Youth which has the power to restore youth. Heracles asked Hebe to make Iolaus, his aging charioteer, young for one day so he could challenge Eurystheus, king of the Tiryns.
Themis, goddess of justice, said it was fair so Hebe made Iolaus young and Iolaus emerged victorious. As cupbearer Hebe served nectar and ambrosia to the Olympian gods but Apollo fired her when she tripped and her dress came undone exposing her breasts. Hebe was replaced by Ganymede, Zeus’ protege and male lover. |
| Hecate(Hekate) | Trivia, Hecata | Goddess of wilderness, childbirth, magic and witchcraft. | Titaness 2nd Gen. | Female | Perses and Asteria |
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Hecate was honored by Zeus above all others. Hecate is associated with the spiritual world and the dead so shrines were placed in households to protect them from evil spirits. Hecate helped Demeter search for her daughter Persephone after she was abducted by Hades. After it was decided Persephone would spend a third of a year in the underworld and the rest on earth Hecate would accompany Persephone to/from the underworld. |
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| Helios | Sol | Titan of the Sun. Personification of the Sun, guardian of oaths. Charioteer of the sun | Titan 2nd Gen. | Male. | Hyperion and Theia. |
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Helios took the side of the Olympians in the Titanmarchy. After Apollo was born Helios passed his duties as ruler of the sun to Apollo but remained the personification of the sun. Every day Helios bought daylight riding his chariot of the sun, drawn by four stallions (Pyrois, Aeos, Aethon and Phlegon) from East to West. |
| Hemera | Dies | Goddess of daytime. | primordial | Female |
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Aether (brother) |
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Out of Chaos darkness (Erebus) and night (Nyx) appeared. Erebus and Nyx bore day (Hemera) and light (Aether).
Day (and night) were imagined as real substances and separate from the sun in ancient Greek cosmogony. Although the Sun ruled the day it was not the source of light. Every day Hemera left Tartarus, just as Nyx entered and vice versa1* Hemera was associated with Eos, the goddess of the dawn and Hera, the queen of heavens. |
| Hephaestus (Hephaistos) |
Vulcan | God of metalworking, fire, building, fine arts, volcanism. | Olympian | Male |
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Hephaestus is depicted as a bearded man holding a hammer and tongs, sometimes riding a donkey.
In one story Hephaestus was Hera’s child by 99*Parthenogenesis. Hephaestus was rejected by Hera because of his deformities and cast from Mount Olympus to Earth. |
| Hera | Juno | Queen of Heaven. Goddess of the Sky, women, marriage and impregnation. | Olympian | Female | Cronus and Rhea. |
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Zeus (his sister). |
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Hera was the wife and sister of Zeus and supreme goddess and patron of childbirth and marriage. Zeus courted Hera but she rejected his advances so he took the form of wet bedraggled cuckoo. Hera took the cuckoo to her bosom and Zeus changed back to his normal form and ravished her after which she marred him to cover her shame. Their wedding night lasted 300 years!
Unsurprisingly their marriage was tempestuous and there are many stories about Hera dealing with her jealousy and plotting revenge for Zeus’s infidelities. |
| Heracles (born Alcaeus) |
Hercules | God of physical strength. Divine protector of mankind. Gatekeeper of Olympus. | demigod / god | Male | Zeus and Alcmene. Amphitryon (foster father). | Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Iphicles, Perseus, Minos, the Muses, the Graces. |
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Heracles, driven temporarily mad by Hera, killed his children and (maybe) wife Megara. As penance Heracles had to serve his cruel uncle Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, and perform “the twelve labors of Heracles“:
After completing the labors Heracles may have sailed with the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. |
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| Hermes (Argeiphontes) |
Mercury | God of animal husbandry, travel, trade, athletics, Language, thievery, good luck, Guide of the dead. Herald of the Gods. | Olympian | Male |
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Hermes could move freely between the mortal and divine worlds – ideal for passing messages and conducting souls into the afterlife. Hermes rescued Io from the primordial hundred eyed giant Argos Panoptes. Hermes helped create Pandora (the first human woman) and deliver her as a gift to Epimetheus. Hermes helped Perseus in his quest to slay the monster Medusa. Hermes guided Heracles to the underworld in his mission to fetch the Cerberos. |
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| Hestia | Vesta | Virgin Goddess of: home, hearth, family, meals, sacrificial offerings. | Olympian | Female | Cronus and Rhea. |
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Virgin | None | Hestia is the eldest of the 12 Olympian gods, known for her kindness. |
| Hypnos (Hypnus) |
Somnus | Personification of Sleep. | spirit / daimon | Male |
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Pasithea |
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Hypnos lived in a cave, next to his twin brother Thanatos, in the underworld. The river Lethe (Forgetfulness) runs through the cave and outside there are poppies and other sleep-inducing plants.
Hypnos tricked Zeus twice at the request of Hera. The first time Hypnos put Zeus to sleep while Hera caused a storm to send Heracles, Zeus’ son, off course when sailing home from Troy. Zeus tried to find Hypnos but he hid with his mother Nyx. The second time Hera offered Pasithea for this wife. Hypnos put Zeus to sleep at the moment Zeus embraced Hera, because Hera enchanted him using a charm from Aphrodite. Hynos immediately told Poseidon he could now help the Greeks and they won the Trojan war95*. Zeus didn’t find out he had been tricked again. |
| Iris | Arcus | Goddess of the rainbow. Messenger of the Gods. | Sky Goddess | Female | Thaumas (Wondrous) and Electra (Amber, a cloud nymph). |
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Zephyrus (West wind) | Pothos10*(one of Aphrodite’s Erotes representing longing or yearning). | Iris travelled on a rainbow to carry divine messages to mortals. Iris was a cup-bearer of the gods. Iris is depicted as a beautiful young woman with golden wings often carrying a pitcher of water from the River Styx. In the Titanomachy96* Iris fought with the Olympians as a messenger while Iris’ twin sister Arce sided with the Titans. |
| Mnemosyne | Moneta | Goddess of memory and remembrance. | Titaness Elder | Female. | Uranus and Gaia. |
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Zeus |
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The word mnemonic was derived from her. Oracular goddess of the underground oracle of Trophonios, Boeotia. |
| Momus | Querella | God of mockery and censure, ridicule, scorn, complaint and harsh criticism. | Olympian | Male |
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– | – | Momus found fault with everything. In one Aesop’s Fable (Perry index 455), the only thing he could find wrong with the goddess Aphrodite was that her sandals squeaked. Momus was blamed for stirring stirring up the Trojan war95* to reduce the human population and was expelled from Mount Olympus. Often depicted as lifting a mask from his face. |
| Moros (Morus) |
Fatum | Doom, fate. | primordial | Male |
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– | – | Moros was omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent and drives mortals to their deadly fate. Momus was feared by all the gods who feared what he would do to them and because once a decree had been made it was destiny and could not be changed. Prometheus is credited with saving mankind by taking foresight of his own doom away and replacing it with false hope21* (elpis) from Pandora’s jar/box. |
| Nemesis | Invidia | Goddess of Vengeance and Retribution, indignation, for evil and undeserved good fortune. Personification of resentment. | spirit / daimona | Female |
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Nemesis bought sorrow to mortals who succumbed to hubris (arrogance before the gods) including Narcissus, a beautiful but arrogant hunter who disdained the ones who loved him. Nemesis lured him to a pool where Narcissus saw his own reflection and fell in love with it, unable to leave he eventually died. |
| Nike | Victoria | Personification and Goddess of victory. | Olympian and spirit / daimona | Female | Pallas and Styx |
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– | – | Nike was a winged goddess of victory in war and games and a divine charioteer. Nike flew over battlefields giving glory to the victors. Nike, along with Zelus, Cratos and Bia were the sentinels of Zeus’ throne. |
| Nyx | Nox | Night. | primordial | Female | Chaos1&10*, Phanes9* | Erebus, Gaia, Tartarus | Erebus (her brother). |
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Out of Chaos darkness (Erebus) and night (Nyx) appeared. Night (and day) were imagined as real substances and separate from the sun in ancient Greek cosmogony. Every day Nyx (night) left Tartarus just as Hemera (day) entered and vice versa1* |
| Oceanus | Oceanus | God of the river. | Titan | Male |
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Titan of the all-encircling river Oceans around the Earth. Source of all Earth’s fresh-water. Oceanus and his brothers Coeus, Hyperion, Crius, Iapetus and Cronus were banished to Tartarus, the lowest level of Hades by Zeus after they were overthrown in the Titanomachy96* against the Olympians. |
| Oizys | Miseria | Personified spirit/daimon of Misery, woe, distress and suffering. | spirit /daimona | Female |
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Nyx (alone) | Oizys was evil-minded and spiteful. | |
| Pan (aka Aegipan) | Faunus | God of fields, groves, wooded glens, the wild, forest, pasture, shepherds, flocks, goats, hunting and rustic music (pan-pipes), theatrical criticism and associated to fertility, Spring and male sexuality. | Male. |
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Pan’s parentage is uncertain, so uncertain it’s possible there is more than one Pan. Pan lived in rustic Arcadia and had the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat.
Pan tried to seduce Syrinx, a beautiful nymph, but she managed to escape to her sisters who turned her into a reed which, as the air blew through, produced a sad mournful melody. Unsure which reed she had become Pan took 7 (or 9) reeds, cut them into various lengths, and fashioned them into the first Syrinx (pan-pipes) and he was seldom seen without it. The word “panic” is derived from Pan‘s name and he claimed credit for the Athenians victory over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) because his angry shout/screech caused panic amongst his enemies. |
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| Persephone | Proserpina | Queen of the Underworld. Goddess of the Afterlife, Spring Growth, Grain. | Female | Zeus and Demeter. |
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Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife and Queen of the underworld. Demeter cursed the world causing the land to become barren and plants to wither and die. Zeus tried to return Persephone from the underworld but unfortunately Persephone had eaten seeds of a pomegranate, given to her by Hades, so she was bound to the underword for a third of each year (Winter). Demeter, withdraws her gifts from the world until Persephone‘s return each Spring. | |
| Philotes | Personification of friendship and affection. | spirit / daimona | Female |
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Philotês in Greek is an alternative meaning for the spirit of sexual intercourse so Philotes may have been a goddess of sexual intercourse. The opposite goddess was Neikea (Arguments). | |||
| Phoebe (Phoibe) |
Goddess of prophecy and oracular intellect. | Titaness Elder | Male | Uranus and Gaia. |
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Coeus |
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According to some accounts Phoebe (after Daphnis and Themis) was the third preistess or “Pythia”, commonly known as the “Oracle of Delphi”, to serve as the oracle at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Phoebe eventually passed her seat to Apollo, her grandson, who was the last to hold it. Associated with the moon and the Endymion myth. |
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| Phorcys (Phorkys) |
God of sea dangers (the old man of the sea) | Sea god | Male | Pontos and Gaia. |
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Ceto (his sister) |
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Phorcys was a fish-tailed god, depicted as a grey-haired, with crab-like skin and crab-claw forelegs. his offspring were dangerous sea monsters. His attribute was a torch. | |
| Plutus (Ploutos) |
God of wealth | Male | Iasion and Demeter (or Tyche and Demeter) |
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Plutus was blinded by Zeus so he would distribute wealth fairly. Plutus is associated with Plouton (Pluton) the god Hades (Haides). | ||||
| Poseidon | Neptune | King of the Seas. God of rivers, earthquakes and horses. | Olympian | Male | Cronus and Rhea. |
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Divine offspring:
Giant offspring:
Mortal offspring:
Poseidon’s offspring from unknown consorts:
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According to some accounts Poseidon, like Zeus, was also hidden by Rhea at birth and entrusted to Caphira (an Oceanid) and the Telchines to raise but others say he was swallowed whole by Cronus at birth just as Hestia, Hera, Hades and Demeter were.
Following the Olympians victory over the Titans Poseidon was given the Sea and received a trident from the Cyclopes. Poseiden built a fence with bronze gates around Tartarus to imprison the Titans. Poseiden had various land disputes with Helios over Corinth, Hera over Argos, Athena over Troezen and Attica and also with Zeus over Thetis. Themis (or the Morae or Proteus) prophesied the son born of Thetis would be mightier than his father so they both backed off. Zeus told his grandson Peleus to marry Thetis and they gave birth to Achilles who did turn out to be mightier than his father. When Poseidon decided to marry Amphitrite (an Oceanid, nymph) she fled to Atlas because she wanted to remain a virgin. Amphitrite was eventually found by Delphin (sea god and leader of the dolphins) who persuaded her to marry Poseidon and organized the wedding. Poseidon rewarded Delphin by placing the constellation Delphinus in the sky. Poseidon and Apollo were punished by Zeus for participating in one of Hera’s rebellious schemes. They were stripped of divine authority and sent to serve King Laomedon of Troy who made them build the walls of Troy for reward but when he refused to pay Poseidon sent a sea monster to destroy Troy which was slain by Heracles. Poseiden sent a sea monster against the Teucrians because Hierax was devoted to Demeter and would not honour him. When Queen Cassiopea boasted she was better than the Nereids he sent a flood and sea-monster to invade the land. Poseiden and Atlas were also connected to the legend of Atlantis where the first ten kings of Atlantis (five pairs of twins) were all sons of Poseidon and Cleito. Atlas was born first and appointed king over the rest and the island was named after him. Poseiden is one of the most famous of all Greek gods and goddesses. |
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| Prometheus | Promitheas | God of forethought. | Titan 2nd Gen. | Male | Iapetus and Clymene. |
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Prometheus protected and looked after mankind. At Mecone he tricked Zeus into claiming the inedible parts of sacrificial animals leaving the nourishing parts for eternity to mankind. Zeus was furious and hid fire from mortals but Prometheus stole it back which caused Zeus to ask Hephaestus to create Pandora, the first woman, to bring troubles to mankind and condemned Prometheus to eternal punishment, from which he was saved by Hercules. | ||
| Rhea | Ops | Mother of gods. Goddess of fertility, motherhood and the mountain wilds. | Titaness Elder | Female | Uranus and Gaia. |
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Cronus (brother) |
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Rhea hid Zeus from Cronus in a cave in Crete guarded by the Curetes. Rhea was skilled in wrestling and cast Queen Eurynome into the Underworld. |
| Selene | Luna | Goddess of the moon. | Titaness 2nd Gen. | Female | Hyperion and Theia. |
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Selene was associated with Artemis and Hecate – all three regarded as lunar goddesses. Selene drove a chariot across the heavens like Helios the Sun god. |
| Styx | Goddess of the River Styx. | Titaness 2nd Gen. | Female |
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Pallus |
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Styx was the first to side with Zeus and the Olympians in the Titanomachy96* against the Titans. After victory she was honored by Zeus who added Styx to the binding oath sworn by the gods.
The River Styx forms the boundary between the underworld and earth. Achilles was immersed in the River Styx by, his mother Thetis, to make him immortal. Holding him by the heel left his Achilles’ heel vulnerable. |
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| Tethys | Goddess of fresh-water, mother of the rivers, springs, streams, fountains and clouds. | Titaness Elder | Female | Uranus and Gaia. |
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Oceanus (brother). |
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Tethys was mother of the Rivers and Springs. | |
| Thanatos | Mors | Personification of Non-violent death. | spirit / daimon | Male |
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Thanatos was the twin brother of Hypnos. | ||
| Themis | Themis | Personification of divine law and order, natural law and custom. | Titaness Elder | Female |
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Zeus |
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Themis established the rules of conduct for the gods and was a trusted advisor for Zeus. As the divine voice and oracle, including Delphi, Themis also laid down the laws of justice and morality for mankind. Themis was closely associated with Demeter. |
| Tyche | Fortuna | Goddess of fortune, chance and luck. | Olympian | Female | Oceanus and Tethys. | Maybe Plutus. | |||
| Uranus (Ouranus) |
Caelus | God of the heavens. Father of the Titans. | primordial | Male |
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Gaia |
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Eldest son of Gaia. Introduced maleness to the world. | |
| Zeus | Jupiter, Jove | King of Heaven. God of Sky, weather, fate and kingship. | Olympian | Male | Cronos and Rhea. |
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Divine offspring:
Semi-divine/mortal children:
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Zeus, and his brothers, overthrew his Titan father Cronus to become the Olympian supreme ruler of cosmos, the gods, the spiritual world, and all mortals. Using Aegis, his shield, Zeus could summon storms, tempests, darkness, thunder and lightning, rain and sunshine. Zeus was god of regulated time, as marked by night and day and the changing seasons rather than eternity.
Zeus took a paternal interest in the actions of mortals including their affairs of state, duties, disputes, misdeeds and punishments. On the one hand Zeus rewarded truth, fairness and charity and on the other he punished cruelty and perjury. Zeus was never faithful to Hera and had love affairs and offspring with goddesses, nymphs, and mortals much to her chagrin. |
Family Tree of Greek Gods and Goddesses:
* Notes about Greek gods and goddesses:
- This list is primarily compiled from the works of Hesiod (Theogony c700 BC) and Homer (Iliad and Odyssey 760-710 BC) because these authority sources are credited by ancient authors with establishing Greek religious customs. We have also referenced other sources, including later Roman sources, as indicated:
1*Hesiod, Theogony. 2*Homer, Iliad. 3*Hyginus. 4*Roman poet Ovid, Metamorphoses. 5*Plato, Republic. 6*Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca. 7*Cicero. 8*Pherecydes of Syros (6th century BCE). 9*Orphic cosmogony. 10*Nonnus, Dionysiaca. 11*Pausanias and Varro. 12*Pausanias, Guide to Greece. 13*Strabo, Geography. 14*Athenaeus. 15*Fulgentius. 16*The Theoi Project. 17*Herodotus. 18* Cicero. 19*Pindar. 20*the Suda. 21*Aeschylus. 22*Bacchylides. 23*Greek poet Panyasis. 24*Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historian. 25*Plato, Apology 41a. 26*Euripides. 27*Tzetzes. 28*Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius. 29*Aelian, Historical Miscellany. 30*Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica. 31*Scholia on Homer Iliad. 32*Scholia on Theocritus. 33*Roman poet Ovid, Heroides. 34*Stephanus Byzantinus. 35*Conon. 36*Virgil, Aeneid. 37*Plutarch. 38*Scholia on Euripides, Phoenician Women. 38*Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History. 39*Robert Graves, The Greek Myths.
95*The Trojan war: Decade long war between the Achaeans (Greeks) and the Trojans (North West Anatolia, Turkey). The Trojans lost. 96*Titanomachy: Decade long war between Titan and Olympian gods. The Olympians won. AKA War of the Titans. 97*Gigantomachy: A later battle between the Gigantes and the Olympian gods. The Olympians won. 98*Protogenoi: First born, primordial deities without gender. 99*Parthenogenesis: asexual reproduction. - ADDucation’s list of the family tree of Greek Gods and Goddesses also includes some semi-divine (demi-gods) and mortals for clarity and completeness.
- Latin spellings have been used throughout instead of the original Greek or Transliteration spellings, although some have been included for clarity.
- In Greek mythology gods often desired mortal women and got what they wanted one way or another. Sometimes by seduction, sometimes in disguise and sometimes by rape/forced sex against their will. In many cases the myths are ambiguous.
Related ADDucation Lists Which May Interest You:
- We’ve done our best to include all the major greek gods and goddesses but it’s always a work in progress.
