Major Figures of Greek Mythology: The Olympians and Key Deities

The Olympian Pantheon (12 Major Gods)

1. Zeus – King of gods; sky, thunder, justice, oaths. Roman: Jupiter.
2. Hera – Queen; marriage, women, childbirth. Roman: Juno.
3. Poseidon – Sea, earthquakes, horses. Roman: Neptune.
4. Demeter – Agriculture, harvest, fertility, seasons. Roman: Ceres.
5. Athena – Wisdom, strategic war, crafts, cities. Roman: Minerva.
6. Apollo – Sun, music, prophecy, healing, poetry. Roman: Apollo.
7. Artemis – Hunt, wilderness, moon, childbirth. Roman: Diana.
8. Ares – War, violence, courage. Roman: Mars.
9. Aphrodite – Love, beauty, desire. Roman: Venus.
10. Hephaestus – Fire, metalworking, craftsmanship. Roman: Vulcan.
11. Hermes – Messenger, trade, travel, thieves, guide of dead. Roman: Mercury.
12. Dionysus – Wine, festivity, theater, ecstasy. Roman: Bacchus.

Major Chthonic / Other Deities

• Hades – Underworld, dead, wealth (minerals). Not Olympian (resides below). Roman: Pluto.
• Persephone – Queen of Underworld, spring growth. Roman: Proserpina.
• Hestia – Hearth, home, family (gave up Olympian seat to Dionysus). Roman: Vesta.
• Eros / Cupid – Desire (son of Aphrodite/Ares).
• Pan – Wild, shepherds, flocks, panic.
• Nemesis – Retribution, balance.
• The Fates (Moirai) – Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos.
• The Muses – 9 patrons of arts/sciences.

Heroes & Mortals

• Heracles (Hercules), Perseus, Theseus, Jason, Odysseus, Achilles, Atalanta, Bellerophon