The Pantheon of Greek Gods and Goddesses (The Complete List)

The ancient world was permeated by the divine. More than 3,000 ancient Greek gods and goddesses are mentioned in the ancient sources. Some were local or household deities, while others held more universal significance. The most powerful were the 12 Olympian deities, who controlled the forces of nature and oversaw human affairs. They were preceded by the primordial gods and the Titans, who ruled before they were overthrown by the Olympians. There were also Chthonic deities of the underworld, the Moirai who controlled fate, and the Muses who inspired artists. Read on for a comprehensive list of the ancient Greek gods and goddesses (not quite a complete list of the full 3,000!).

List of Ancient Greek Gods & Goddesses 

Hesiod’s Theogony, a poem composed between 730-700 BCE, provides one of the most detailed accounts of the genealogy of the ancient Greek gods. Here’s a list of the major deities mentioned in Hesiod’s work. The table mentions the domain of each deity as well as its parents and the group to which it belongs. As primordials are listed the deities without parents (for more information on the primordials, read the next section).

The Primordials: Before the Olympian Gods

While the Olympians were the most important deities in the Greek Pantheon, they did not come into existence from nothing. Instead, the primordial gods were the first beings to emerge at the creation of the universe, representing fundamental forces and elements. These beings arose from Chaos, the void of emptiness, marking the beginning of cosmic order.

Nyx, the primordial goddess of night, was among the first to emerge from Chaos. Mysterious and powerful, Nyx was feared even by Zeus. Nyx’s union with Erebus (darkness) produced numerous offspring, including Hypnos (sleep) and Thanatos (death). Nyx was also, in some accounts, the mother of the Moirai (the Fates), Eris (Discord), Nemesis (Retribution), and other important darker deities.

But Gaia, the personification of the earth, was the most important mother. As the ultimate mother, she was able to give birth to Uranus, the sky, by herself. They then formed a partnership and gave birth to many of the next generation of gods. These included Tartarus, the underworld, and Eros, desire.

Early Gods: Titans, Giants & Muses

The most important of Gaia and Uranus’ children were the Titans. According to the creation myth recorded by Hesiod, the Titans were taller than the mountains they used as thrones. The most important of the Titans were Kronos and Rhea, who would go on to give birth to the 12 Olympians, but more on those below.

Then, there were the Muses, nine daughters of Zeus with the Titan Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. The Muses inspired creativity and the arts, influencing both the mortal and divine realms. They included Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (erotic poetry), Euterpe (lyric poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy).

Gaia and Uranus (Saturn) would then give birth to further children, three cyclopes and three monstrous sons, each with fifty heads and one hundred arms. Kronos was so disgusted by these children that he threw them into Tartarus, upsetting their mother Gaia. To take revenge, Gaia made a special sickle for her youngest son, Kronos, so that he could castrate his father and take his place as the ruler of the gods. The Giants arose from the blood of Kronos and joined the divine population.

But Kronos soon followed in his father’s footsteps and began to fear the power of his own children and that they would usurp him. Therefore, he swallowed all the children he had with Rhea. Like her mother, Rhea was upset with this situation, so when she had her final son, Zeus, rather than giving him to Kronos to devour, she gave him a stone. Zeus was then whisked away and raised in secret. When he was ready, he returned to his father, forced his father to vomit up his brothers and sisters, and then led his siblings in a war against the Titans, known as the Titanomachy. Zeus won the war, throwing the Titans into Tartarus and establishing themselves as the new divine order: the Olympian gods.

Zeus: King of the Gods and Mortals

Zeus (known as Jupiter among the Romans) was the ruler of Mount Olympus, the king of all gods. Zeus’ power was unmatched, and he had control over mortals. His main domains were sky, thunder, and lightning. Often depicted holding a lightning bolt, the ruler of Olympus enforced justice and punished those who defied him. As the protector of law and order, he maintained balance in the universe, both in the heavens and on earth.

Zeus was (in)famous for having relationships with goddesses, supernatural creatures like nymphs, but also mortals, resulting in numerous offspring who played significant roles in Greek mythology, including Heracles, Perseus, and Helen of Troy. Significantly, when the Giants tried to overthrow the gods in the Gigantomachy,  Zeus was only able to defeat the giants with the help of his mortal son, Heracles, which helped him earn a place on Mount Olympus alongside the gods.

Hera: Capricious Goddess of Marriage and Family

Hera (Juno among the Romans) was the queen of the gods and the wife of Zeus, which made her the second most powerful Olympian. As the goddess of marriage, women, and family, Hera was revered by women of all ages. Hera was famous for her beauty and was often portrayed as a regal, dignified figure.

Despite her lofty position, Hera had to endure a tumultuous marriage due to her husband’s amorous adventures. Thus, Hera was considered a jealous and vengeful deity, whose punishments of Zeus’ (often unwilling) lovers and their offspring became recurrent themes in many myths. Yet, this capricious Olympian remained a symbol of loyalty and protection for married women.

Poseidon: God of the Sea and Creation

Poseidon (Neptune) was one of Zeus’s brothers, the other being Hades. The three divided the domains of the world among them, with Zeus ruling the heavens and earth, Poseidon ruling the sea, and Hades the underworld. Poseidon was also the god of earthquakes and horses. For the ancient Greeks, seafaring was one of the most essential parts of life, and the sailors feared Poseidon, whose mighty trident could cause storms, floods, and even earthquakes when struck on the ground.

Poseidon, however, had a more tepid side. The master of seas was also associated with creation, and he was credited with raising islands and shaping coastlines. Poseidon played an essential role in various myths and history, including in the Trojan War and his competition with Athena for the city of Athens. He was also considered the patron of the mythical lost city of Atlantis.

Athena: Goddess of Wisdom and War

Athena (Minerva), one of the most famous Olympians, was the goddess of wisdom but also of warfare and strategy. Unlike her half-brother Ares, the god of war, Athena represented the strategic side of warfare. She was also a goddess-protector of those who defended the Greek world from foreign enemies. Above all, her protection was reserved for the city-state that bore her name, Athens.

Athena was also the goddess of crafts, such as weaving and pottery. The goddess’s symbols were the owl, representing wisdom, and the olive tree, symbolizing peace and abundance. As one of the few deities who cared about humans, Athena assisted the Greek heroes, such as Odysseus, Diomedes, Heracles, Jason, and Perseus. Despite being depicted fully armored, Athena valued wisdom over violence, often resorting to tricks and strategies to overcome her enemies.

Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis (wisdom). Zeus received a prophecy that his child by Metis would be more powerful than he himself, so when Metis was pregnant, he tricked her into transforming into a fly and then swallowed her. Athena then grew inside of Zeus, where Metis made her a complete set of armor. Eventually, her growth gave Zeus such a headache that he had to crack his skull open, and Athena emerged fully grown and armored. She became Zeus’ favored daughter and remained celibate, keeping a strategic head rather than falling for love.

Ares: God of War

Clad in armor, Ares (Mars) was the god of war, an embodiment of the brutal and chaotic aspects of conflict. Unlike Athena, who represented strategy and reason in war, Ares symbolized violence, bloodlust, and destruction on the battlefield.

Ares’ cruelty and overt love of war made him unpopular among the other Olympians, and he did not enjoy the same respect from mortals as his half-sister. Yet, Ares’ presence on the battlefield was both feared and respected by soldiers who fought in many conflicts, from the Peloponnesian War to the Conquests of Alexander the Great. Ares’ tumultuous relationship with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, highlighted the tension between love and war.

Aphrodite: Goddess of Love and Beauty

Known for her unparalleled charm and attractiveness, Aphrodite (Venus) was the goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Famously born from sea foam, Aphrodite inspired love and passion in both gods and mortals. She was often depicted as a radiant figure, surrounded by symbols of beauty such as roses, myrtles, doves, and sparrows.

While Aphrodite was synonymous with love and romance, the goddess also had a dark side, as she could (and often did) incite jealousy, lust, and unrequited love. She engaged in affairs with gods and mortals. Aphrodite’s affair with Ares while married to Hephaestus is one of the most well-known love stories in Greek mythology.

Her son Eros (Cupid) was the good of love and sex, famous for his arrows that he uses to make both mortals and immortals fall in love. In most myths, he appears alongside his mother and is the catalyst of her will. But his most famous myth recounts how he met and fell in love with his wife Psyche, against his mother’s mishes.

Hephaestus: God of Fire and Blacksmiths

Hephaestus (Vulcan) was the Greek god of fire, metalworking, and craftsmanship. He was also the god of volcanoes. He was the only Olympian known for physical imperfections, often depicted as lame or deformed. According to one of the stories, Hephaestus’ lameness resulted in his expulsion from Mount Olympus by Hera, his own mother, though he may have been expelled because she was ashamed of his deformity. Zeus, however, intervened, entrusting Hephaestus to make powerful weapons and tools for the gods and heroes, including Zeus’s lightning bolt and Achilles’s armor.

He made his way back to Mount Olympus by making a magical golden throne as a gift for his mother, Hera. But it was actually a trick to get revenge, and when she sat in the chair, mechanisms imprisoned her. Try as they might, the gods could not free her. Hephaestus refused to free her until he was given the hand of Aphrodite in marriage. Their marriage was far from harmonious. Upon discovering her adultery with Ares, Hephaestus ensnared the lovers in an unbreakable chain-link net and dragged them to Mount Olympus to shame them in front of the other Olympians.

Apollo: God of the Sun, Music, and Prophecy

Apollo oversaw multiple aspects of life. He was the god of the sun, music, prophecy, healing, and the arts. As the god of the sun, Apollo drove his chariot across the sky each day, bringing light to the world. He was also a master of the lyre and was often depicted playing it.

As a god of prophecy, Apollo had his own sanctuary, the famous Oracle at Delphi, where people would come to ask for guidance, given by Apollo’s priestesses in cryptic words. Apollo’s twin sister was Artemis, and together, they represented a balance between day and night, civilization and nature.

Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon

Artemis was Apollo’s twin sister. While her brother brought light during the day, Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the moon, brought light during the night. The goddess Selene was also a lunar goddess and Artemis and Selene were often conflated. She was also the goddess of the hunt and wilderness, often depicted carrying a bow and arrows. Her connection to nature made her one of the primary deities for those who lived in rural areas.

Artemis was the protector of animals, as well as young women. A virgin goddess, Artemis represented purity and independence and was particularly venerated by women during childbirth. Artemis was one of the most revered of the Olympians. Her temples, altars, and shrines could be found everywhere in the ancient Greek world, with the magnificent Temple at Ephesus being one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World before being burnt to the ground.

Demeter: Goddess of Agriculture and Harvest

Demeter (Ceres) was the goddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility. For ancient Greek society, which was primarily agriculture-based, keeping Demeter happy was paramount. That’s not surprising, as Demeter was deeply connected to the cycles of life and death, with her myth explaining the changing seasons.

In the myth, Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Hades, the god of the Underworld. In her grief, Demeter withdrew from her duties, causing the world to become barren. To rectify the situation, Zeus instructed Hades to return Persephone to her mother. Hades agreed, but first tricked (or convinced) Persephone to eat pomegranate seeds of the underworld, because once you eat the food of the underworld, you are forever tied to it. Consequently, Persephone could only return to her mother for part of the year, spending the rest of her time as the queen of the Underworld. Demeter’s happiness and sorrow as Persephone comes and goes explain the changing of the seasons. This myth also served as the basis for the Eleusinian Mystery cult.

Hermes: God of Messengers, Commerce, and Thieves

Hermes (Mercury) was the messenger of the gods, with many epithets, known for his speed, wit, and cunning. This also made him the god of commerce, trade, travelers, but also thieves. Hermes is often depicted with winged sandals and a caduceus, a staff entwined with snakes.

Hermes had a significant role not only in life, but also in death, as he was a guide of the souls to the Underworld. He was also known for his trickery and cleverness, often outwitting both gods and mortals. Hermes’s quick thinking and resourcefulness made him a favorite figure in many myths, where he played the role of a mediator and problem-solver.

Hestia: Goddess of the Hearth

Depending on the account, sometimes Hestia appears as the 12th Olympian and other times as Dionysus, with Hestia giving up her position to make room for the foreign god.

Hestia (Vesta) was the goddess of the hearth, but also the protector of the home and the state. Hestia was a virgin goddess, like Athena. Even though Apollo and Poseidon were said to have asked for her hand, she refused. As such, her modesty was an important aspect of her cult and emphasized in her statues. She often appeared veiled and modestly dressed.

She commonly appeared as a woman sitting next to a hearth, which was also her most important symbol. As the hearth was a central aspect of ancient Greek houses, Hestia was particularly significant for everyday life. Through the hearth, the religious center of the house, one could offer sacrifices to the goddess and request her help. Due to the prominent role of the hearth in public spaces, Hestia was also the goddess with a public role.

Dionysus: God of the Grape

Dionysus was the god of wine, ecstasy, fertility, theater, and festivity. He was the son of Zeus and Semele. According to myth, the vengeful Hestia tricked the mortal Semele into forcing Zeus to reveal his true divine form to her, which automatically killed her. Zeus saw that the baby survived, so he sewed it into his thigh for the rest of his gestation. This is one of the reasons that Dionysus was called “twice born.” Historians believe that Dionysus is a later addition to the pantheon and is generally considered to be a god whose cult spread from the East as far as India, even though his true origins remain obscure.

In art, he was often depicted mounted on exotic animals such as panthers and among maenads and satyrs drinking wine, dancing, and playing music. Other creatures of the countryside were often linked to his cult, such as centaurs, nymphs, the god Pan, and Dionysus’s favorite companion, Silenus. Worth noting is that Dionysus was the god of theater, which developed from his cult.

Hades: God of the Underworld and Other Chthonic Deities

Although one of the most important gods in Greek mythology, Hades (Pluto) is not considered an Olympian. A brother of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera, and ruler of his own realm, Hades did not reside on Mount Olympus with the other gods. Hades’ dominion was the Underworld, where he governed the dead and oversaw the afterlife. This made him and his Queen Persephone Chthonic deities (Greek “khthon,” meaning earth or soil) associated with the surface of the earth and what was below, including the dead. Some Olympians, like Demeter or Hermes, were in part Chthonic, as they were associated with the earth, especially agriculture.

Importantly, Hades was not considered evil, but he was more feared than worshiped due to his association with death. Unlike the 12 Olympians, who often interacted with humans, Hades did not meddle in human affairs, focusing on maintaining balance in the afterlife. Most interestingly, unlike his Olympian peers, Hades remained loyal to Persephone. In artistic depictions, Hades is typically depicted with his Queen, or with his companion, Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld, standing at his side.

Helios: Personification of the Sun

Helios is another god with a complicated place in the Greek pantheon. He was considered the embodiment of the sun and was described as driving the sun chariot across the sky, just like Apollo. He was initially a popular god, with the Colossus of Rhodes being a statue of Helios. But over the centuries, he became increasingly identified with Apollo and was overshadowed in Greece.

Nevertheless, he rose to prominence in Rome as Sol Invictus. His main cult day was the 25th of December, later adopted by Christians for the birth of Jesus, underlining his importance.

Hecate: Goddess of Magic

Hecate was the Greek goddess of magic and witchcraft, also associated with the moon and the night. She was also considered the goddess of the crossroads and liminal places between realms, including the realms of the living and the dead, making her a Chthonic goddess. Because of this association with crossroads, she was often depicted as a triple goddess, able to look in all directions. Due to her association with the moon, the triple goddess was sometimes considered a combination of Hecate, Artemis, and Selene.

Hecate seems to have been a foreign goddess from Thrace imported into the Greek pantheon after the age of heroes, because she is explicitly absent from the Homeric epics. But Hesiod, writing in the 7th century BCE, describes her as honored by Zeus above all, and says that he gave her a portion of the earth, the sea, and the starry heavens. This suggests that she had power in all domains, perhaps because magic is all-pervasive, similar to the concept of Heka in ancient Egypt.

Nike: Goddess of Victory

Nike was the goddess of victory, who was portrayed both as a goddess in her own right and as something bestowed by other gods. Statues of Zeus and Athena often had them holding a smaller figure of Nike. She was associated with both victory on the battlefield and victory in competition, such as in the athletic and artistic games that were popular in ancient Greece.

Nike is just one of many complex “personifications” in the ancient Greek pantheon. It is like the Greeks did not know what to call the deity, but they recognized its power, so they called the god by the name of what it manifested, but some still developed complex mythologies. Other personifications included Zelus (envy), Kratos (strength), and Bia (violent force). Personifications were even more prominent in ancient Rome than they were in Greece.

Gaining Immortality: Heracles, Ganymede & Asclepius

The line between man and god was not always clear, and it was possible for mortals to become divine, especially the many children that the gods fathered on mortal women. The most famous example of this is Heracles, the son of Zeus, with the mortal Alcmene. Through his 12 labors and the assistance he rendered the gods in the Gigantomachy, he was able to find a place among the gods. But Heracles was not the only mortal to make the leap.

Ganymede, the son of the first Trojan king, was said to be so beautiful that Zeus himself brought him to Mount Olympus to act as the divine cupbearer. Asclepius was the son of Apollo with Coronis, who was raised by the centaur Cheiron and learned the art of medicine. He became so talented that he could bring the dead back to life. This angered Hades, as Asclepius was stealing his souls, so Zeus was forced to kill him. At Apollo’s request he was later made divine and became the god of medicine.