In ancient times, Greek Gods were believed to control everything about the world and the people in it. They were considered to be untouchable, quite like humans in form but without the capacity for illness or weakness. When bad things happened, it was believed that the Gods were unhappy, and so they had caused it to happen. But when good things happened to the people, the Greek Gods were in a good mood, and thus the humans were in their good graces.
The Greek Gods were seen as part of a large, multi-generational family. The oldest members of the family were those that created the earth, and as the Gods multiplied and their family grew, the younger Gods took on more responsibilities for the ways and woes of the world.
The most common Gods were the Olympians, believed to live in the Pantheon on Mount Olympus. These Gods were representative of everything in the world, in broad strokes – the lesser Gods were responsible for lesser things, but still just as important in the grand scheme of life. The Olympian Gods are as follows:
Zeus was the leader of the Gods, represented by the sky and thunder in Greek mythology. He was the husband and brother of Hera, but he was known to have affairs with many other Gods, as well as mortal women.
Other Gods include:
- Poseidon, also known as Neptune, was the God of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.
- Hera, the wife of Zeus, was always solemn and faithful. She was the Goddess of marriage, and was often thought to be plotting revenge against those who had turned her husband’s head.
- Hermes is the God of travelers, those who cross boundaries, poets, writers, weights, measures, and more.
- Hestia is the Goddess of the hearth and the family.
- Dionysus, the God of wine, also promotes law and civilization.
- Hephaestus is the God of fire and forge, and all things that pertain to the flame.
- Artemis presides of hunting, as well as childbirth and child rearing.
- Athena was the Goddess of strategy and war.
- Apollo was dedicated to poetry and art, and was considered the standard of male beauty.
- Ares was the God of war.
- Aphrodite, one of the most popular Greek Gods, was the Goddess of romance, love, and sexuality.
Each Greek God had its own expectations of the people of the earth, as well as their own responsibilities toward them. The Greek Gods were considered untouchable, unless they chose to walk among the people, which they often did. Greek Gods are now part of Greek Mythology, but for many centuries they were believed to be the perfect Gods who ruled over all of creation.
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