Twelve Olympians

The Twelve Olympians by Monsiau, circa late 18th century.

The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon (Greek: Δωδεκάθεον

< δώδεκα,[1] dōdeka, "twelve"+ θεοί, theoi, "gods"), in Greek mythology,
were the principal gods of the Greek pantheon, residing atop Mount Olympus.
The first ancient reference of religious ceremonies for them is found in the
Homeric Hymn to Hermes. The classical scheme of the Twelve Olympians
(the Canonical Twelve of art and poetry) comprises the following gods: Zeus,
Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Ares, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis,
Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes and Dionysus. The respective Roman
scheme comprises the following gods: Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Minerva,
Mars, Ceres, Apollo, Diana, Vulcan, Venus, Mercury and Bacchus.
Hades (Roman: Pluto) was not generally included in this list. He did not have
a seat in the pantheon because he spent almost all of his time in the
underworld. Also commonly seen among the twelve is Hestia (Roman: Vesta.)
When Dionysus was offered a seat, the total number of Olympians became
thirteen. Believing thirteen to be an unlucky number and wishing to avoid a
fight, Hestia stepped down.

There was, however, a great deal of fluidity when it came to who was counted
among their number in antiquity.[3] Around 400 BC, Herodotus included in
his Dodekatheon the following deities: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hermes,
Athena, Apollo, Alpheus, Cronus, Rhea and the Charites.[4]
Wilamowitz agrees with Herodotus' version of the Twelve.[5]

Herodotus includes Heracles as one of the Twelve.[6] Lucian also includes

Heracles and Asclepius as members of the Twelve, without explaining which
two had to give way for them. At Kos, Heracles and Dionysus are added to
the Twelve, and Ares and Hephaestus are left behind.[7] However, Pindar,
Apollodorus,[8] and Herodorus disagree with this. For them Heracles is not
one of the Twelve Gods, but the one who established their cult.[4]

Plato connected the Twelve Olympians with the twelve months, and proposed
that the final month be devoted to rites in honor of Pluto and the spirits of the
dead, implying that he considered Hades to be one of the Twelve.[9] Hades is
phased out in later groupings due to his chthonic associations.[10] In
Phaedrus Plato aligns the Twelve with the Zodiac and would exclude Hestia
from their rank.[11]

Hebe, Helios and Persephone are other important gods, goddesses, which are
sometimes included in a group of twelve. Eros is often depicted alongside the
other twelve, especially his mother Aphrodite, but is rarely considered one of
the Olympians.
The Twelve Olympians gained their supremacy in the world of gods after
Zeus led his siblings to victory in war with the Titans. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon,
Demeter, Hestia, and Hades were siblings. Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus,
Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, the Charites, Heracles, Dionysus, Hebe,
and Persephone were children of Zeus. Although some versions of the myths
state that Hephaestus was born of Hera alone, and that Aphrodite was born
of Uranus.

The fourteen gods and goddesses listed among the Twelve most often.

•Greek deities

•series

•Primordial deities

•Titans

•Aquatic deities

•Chthonic deities

•Personified concepts

•Other deities

•Olympian deities

•Aphrodite

•Apollo

•Ares

•Artemis

•Athena

•Demeter

•Dionysus

•Hades

•Hephaestus

•Hera
 •Hermes

•Hestia

•Poseidon

•Zeus

Greek Name Roman Name

Zeus Jupiter

King of the Gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, and thunder.
Youngest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Symbols are the lightning bolt
and the eagle.

Hera Juno

Queen of the Gods, and the goddess of marriage and motherhood. Symbols
are the peacock and the cow. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Wife and sister
of Zeus.

Poseidon Neptune

Lord of the Sea; god of the seas, earthquakes and horses. Symbols include
the hippocamp and the trident. Son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and
Hades.

Demeter Ceres

Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. Symbols include the
poppy. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Sister of Zeus.

Hades Pluto

Lord of the Dead, god of the underworld and earthly wealth. Symbols include
the Helm of Darkness, a bident, and a skull. Son of the Titans Cronus and
Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Poseidon.

Hestia Vesta

Virgin goddess of home and the hearth. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and
the sister of Zeus.

Aphrodite Venus
Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. Daughter of Zeus and Dione or, in
other traditions, of Uranus. Symbols include the dove.

Apollo Apollo

God of light, healing, music, poetry, prophecy, archery, and the arts. Symbols
include the bow and the lyre. Artemis is his twin sister. Son of Zeus and Leto.

Ares Mars

God of war and bloodshed. Symbols include the boar and the spear. Son of
Zeus and Hera.

Artemis Diana

Virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon. Symbols include the deer and the
bow. Twin sister of Apollo, daughter of Zeus and Leto.

Athena Minerva

Virgin goddess of wisdom, crafts, and battle strategy. Symbols are the olive
tree and the owl. Daughter of Zeus, according to some traditions by Metis.

Dionysus Bacchus

God of wine, festivities and ecstacy. His symbol is the grapevine. Son of Zeus
and the mortal Semele.

Hephaestus Vulcan

Blacksmith to the Gods; god of fire and the forge. Son of Zeus and Hera or,
according to some traditions, of Hera alone.

Hermes Mercury

Messenger of the Gods; god of commerce and thieves. Symbols include the
caduceus. Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia.

Notes

A ^ 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

B ^ Romans also associated Phoebus with Helios and the sun itself. However,
they also used the name legaced by the Greeks, Apollo.
Other definitions

These are not included in the classical list of the Twelve Olympians, but they
are sometimes included in other lists of the Twelve Olympians, as noted
above.

Alpheus – A river-god.

Asclepius – God of medicine and healing.

the Charites – Goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and

fertility.

Cronus – Titan; father of Zeus.

Eros – God of erotic love and desire.

Hebe – Goddess of youth, and the cupbearer for the gods.

Helios – A titan and the personification of the Sun.

Heracles – Greatest hero of the Greek myths.

Pan – God of the wild, shepherds, nature, and animals.

Persephone – Goddess of the spring and death, daughter of Demeter. Also

Queen of the Underworld.

Rhea – Titaness; mother of Zeus.

Close to the Olympians

Anemoi – Wind gods: Boreas (north wind), Notus (south), Zephyrus (west),
Eurus (east).

Bia – Personification of violence.

Kratos – Personification of power.

Dione – Mother of Aphrodite by Zeus.

Eileithyia – Goddess of childbirth; daughter of Hera and Zeus.

Eos – Personification of dawn.

Eris – Goddess of discord.

Ganymede – Cupbearer of the god's palace at Olympus.

Hecate - Goddess associated with magic, witches and crossroads

Horae – Wardens of Olympus.

Iris – Personification of the Rainbow, also the messenger of Olympus along

with Hermes.

Janus- God of doors, beginnings, ends and choices

Leto – Titaness; the mother of Apollo and Artemis.

Morpheus – God of dreams.

Muses – Nine ladies of science and arts.

Nemesis – Greek goddess of retribution and revenge.

Nike – Goddess of victory.

Paeon – Physician of the gods.

Perseus – Son of Zeus, the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid
dynasty.

Selene – Titaness; personification of the Moon.

Zelus – Emulation.