The 12 Olympians

Research Project-Extended Learning

Paeton Koshgarian
Who are the 12 Olympians?
The 12 Olympians are the main deities that make up the Greek
Pantheon. The 12 Olympians are Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter,
Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, and
Dionysus. Though Hestia is many times interchanged with Dionysus as
the 12th deity, for this reason I will include information on both deities.
People who worship these deities are called Hellenists or Hellenistic
Polytheists. Though this religion originated with the Ancient Greeks and
has since had a massive decline in followers, the religion is still alive
today and has practitioners around the world.
Zeus (Δίας)
Zeus is the thunder and sky god, the King of Mount Olympus. He is the
child of Cronus and Rhea and was born in Crete. He is the youngest of
his siblings; Poseidon, Hera, Hades, Hestia, Demeter. He is mainly
associated with a lightning bolt and his sacred animals are eagles and
bulls. People often had their altars for Zeus residential courtyards, inside
their houses, and communities put his altars on hilltops. Nearly every
home in Greece had an altar for him.
Birth of Zeus
Zeus' father, Cronus, knew of his fate. He would be overthrown his
children. To prevent this, Cronus swallowed all the children that Rhea
bore in order to protect himself and the throne. Knowing Zeus' fate,
Rhea sought aid from her parents, Ouranos and Gaia. Listening to what
her parents advised, she traveled to Crete to hide in a cave where she
would secretly give birth to the child. When Zeus was older, he
overthrew his father and took over the throne. Zeus also asked for the
aid of the goddess Metis who fed Cronus a magical elixir causing him to
disgorge his brothers and sisters.
Poseidon (Ποσειδώνας)
Poseidon is the Greek god of the seas and is known to protect sailors
though brings harm to those who have done him wrong. He is 2nd to
youngest of Cronus and Rhea. When he was born Cronus swallowed
him and it wasn’t until Zeus helped them was he released. (See previous
slide). Often Poseidon was mainly worshipped by people who lived and
worked by the sea. Sailors and fisherman prayed to the god daily asking
for safety and prosperity.
Hera (Ήρα)
Hera is the Greek goddess of marriage, women, and is the queen of
gods. She is the middle child of Cronus and Rhea; she faced the same
fate as her brother Poseidon and her other sisters and brother. (See slide
4). Hera's symbol was a Royal scepter, and her animals are cows,
peacocks, lions, and cuckoos. People worshipped Hera so they could
have a successful marriage and successfully have a child. 
Demeter (Δήμητρα)
Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture, grain, and bread. She was
second to oldest child of Cronus and Rhea, and once again faced the
same fate of being swallowed at birth by her father. Her symbol is a
Sheaf of grain, and her sacred animals are snakes and pigs. The people
depended on her for a good harvest. 
The Kidnapping of Persephone
Zeus had arranged the marriage of Persephone and chose Hades to be her
husband. As Hades and Zeus knew that her mother, Demeter, would object to
this as her daughter would be taken to the underworld. One day when
Persephone was collecting flowers with some nymphs, Hades jumped from the
underworld and took Persephone, closing the entrance before anyone could
react. Demeter searched the world looking for her daughter. She asked Helios,
the sun god, being able to witness everything from his high place above the
Earth. Helios did see what happened and told Demeter what he saw. Demeter
demanded that Persephone be brought back and threatened to stop doing her
duties of growing the crops if she is not brought back. Zeus told Hades to bring
the young goddess back. As Hades was bringing her home, he tricked her into
eating a few seeds. Since she ate food from the underworld, she is now bound
to the underworld for 3 months of the year. These three months are the winter
months where Demeter falls into a mournful state and crops do not grow.
Athena (Αθηνά)
Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. She is the daughter of Zeus
and Metis and was bore from Zeus' forehead, fully grown, in full armor.
Her symbol is an aegis, and her sacred animal is an owl. She was
worshipped and prayed to for wisdom, protection, and counseling for
men.
Aphrodite (Αφροδίτη)
Aphrodite is the god of love and beauty. She is considered the daughter
Uranus because when his son castrated him, his genitals were carelessly
thrown into the ocean and Aphrodite rose from the sea foam. But some
sources say that her parents are Zeus and Dione. Her symbols are Eros
(winged goddling) and a conch-shell. Her sacred animals are a dove and
a goose. People prayed to Aphrodite for a good husband or caring wife,
some would sacrifice bloody meat to resemble a heart.
Apollon (Απόλλων)
Apollon or Apollo is the Greek god of healing, plagues, music, poetry,
and medicine. He is also the god of light, which is often mistaken as the
sun god, though he is associated with the sun. He is the child of Zeus
and Leto and the twin brother of the goddess, Artemis. His symbols are
a lyre and a bow, his sacred animals are swans and ravens. He was
considered best of the Greek gods and is a picture for the Hellenistic
religion.
Artemis (Άρτεμις)
Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt. Like her brother, Apollon, is
associated with the sun, Artemis is associated with the moon. She is the
daughter of Zeus and Leto, and like mentioned before, the twin sister of
Apollon. Her symbol is a bow and arrow, and her sacred animals are
bears and deer. The Greeks prayed to Artemis when they were going to
hunt. They would also pray to her for a healthy child and a successful
birth (as she was the Goddess of childbirth as well).
Ares (Άρης)
Ares is the Greek god of war and courage, and his parents are Zeus and
Hera. His symbol is a helm, and his sacred animal is a serpent. Ares was
worshiped by warriors, as well as those to prevent or cause fear, dread
or courage. 
Hephaestus (Ήφαιστος)
Hephaestus is the Greek god of smiths, fire, and metalworking. He is
the blacksmith of the gods, and he made all the weapons of the gods.
Some of the greatest creations he made were the silver bows of Artemis
and Apollon, and Apollon's golden chariot. He is the child of Zeus and
Hera, though other sources state that he is the child of Hera alone. His
symbols are a hammer and tongs, and his sacred animal is a donkey.
Hephaestus was worshipped in the manufacturing and industrial centers
of Greece, particularly Athens.
Hermes (Ερμής)
Hermes is the Greek god of athletics, messengers, herds, trade, and
thievery. He is the son of Zeus and Maia and is a personal messenger of
his father. He is also the guide of the dead, leading souls to the
underworld. His symbol is a caduceus, and his sacred animals are rams,
hares, and hawks. He was worshipped in Olympia where the Olympic
Games was celebrated, and sacrifices made to him included cakes,
honey, goats, pigs and lambs.
Hestia (Εστία)
Hestia is the Greek goddess of the hearth and the home. She is the first
born of Cronus and Rhea and was swallowed by her father at birth (See
slide 4). Her symbol is a kettle, and her sacred animal is a pig. The
worship of Hestia was centered around the hearth. It was common to see
that she was respected by the offering of the first and last libations of
wine at feasts. 
Dionysus (Διονύσου)
Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, theatre, festivity, madness, and
pleasure. He is the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele, meaning he is a
demigod, though he became a god because he was "twice born". When
Semele was pregnant with Dionysus, Hera became jealous and tricked
Semele into asking Zeus to show his full glory, bound to an oath, Zeus
was forced to do this. Semele died at the sight and Zeus recovered the
unborn child, sewing him into his thigh until he was ready to be born.
His symbol is a thyrsus, and is sacred animals are panthers, bulls, and
serpents. His worship included much destruction and chaos though he
was widely worshipped because of the Greeks love for wine and theatre.
 Thank you for reading!
I'm so glad I chose to do this project, though it did take a while, I had fun
doing it, and I learned much about the Greek gods and the Greeks
themselves!
Sources
• https://www.theoi.com/
• How Did People Worship Zeus? (reference.com)
• Hades and Persephone: Discover the Real Story (Updated 2022) (myth
ologysource.com)