Hey YouTube, Jim here!
Welcome to Top10Archive!
It’s arguably one of the most popular pantheons,
the subject of video games and dozens of movies.
Of course, after diving into the world of
Grecian mythological monsters, we knew we’d
be coming back to once again flip through
the pages of history to discuss the deities
of Olympus.
An easy list to compile as many of us have
heard these names before, we present to you
the top ten gods and goddesses of Greek mythology.
While we identify these Gods and Goddesses,
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Archive!
10.
Hades
Lord of the Underworld, God of the Dead, Hades
has always been a talking point among those
with a fascination for Greek mythology.
Once brought into the world, Hades, the overseer
of funeral rites, was devoured by Kronos and
later saved by Zeus.
He played a pivotal role in locking the Titan
gods in the pit of Tartarus, but when it came
time to divide the cosmos between Zeus, Poseidon,
and himself, he was bestowed the realm of
the underworld.
Hades is the son of Cronus and Rhea, the forced
husband of Persephone and father to Zagreus,
Macaria, and The Erinyes.
9.
Ares
Depicted as both a proud, bearded and armored
warrior and a nude young man wielding a spear
and helm, the God of War had an insatiable
need for battle and destruction.
To the Spartans, Ares was the soldier every
Grecian man should want to be, a strong and
resilient military leader.
The Olympian fathered seven immortal and over
30 mortal offspring, some with his wife Aphrodite
and others with the Goddess of War, Enyo,
and an abundance of mortal women.
Ares is also father to Drakon Ismenian, a
dragon-serpent that guards Ismenian Spring
of Thebes.
8.
Hermes
Upkeeping communication between the mortals
below and the Olympians, Hermes was swift
running and could travel between worlds with
ease.
Son of Zeus and Maia and known for being the
Greek god of commerce, Hermes also stood as
a protector of travelers and athletes, often
tricking the other gods in order to protect
humans.
Beyond being a messenger, Hermes was often
charged with carrying dead souls to Hades
or delivering dreams from Zeus to humans.
Along with commerce, Hermes oversaw social
interactions, travel, friendship, games, hospitality,
and sex.
7.
Dionysus
If you’re a bit of a wine-o with a divided
personality that’s both joyful and ill-tempered,
you’re not too different from the Grecian
God of Fertility and Wine.
This patron of the arts was the son of Zeus
and his mortal wife, Semele.
When a jealous Hera, Zeus’ main wife, learned
of the child, she manipulated the mortal into
requesting to see the Zeus’ “true form,”
which instantly killed her.
Zeus saved Dionysus, forcing Hera to enlist
the Titans to kill the young god.
Though they tore him apart, Rhea returned
him to life and Zeus, seeking protection for
his son, gave him to the mountain nymphs.
6.
Apollo
Son of Zeus and Leto, Apollo wore many hats
as the God of Music, God of Healing, and the
God of Light.
All of those titles seem considerably moot
when compared to his main task of pulling
the Sun across the sky with his four-horse
chariot.
With Zeus up to his old tricks of godly adultery,
Hera refused to allow Leto to give birth to
Apollo on land, forcing the Titan goddess
to seek refuge in the newly formed Delos.
Apollo, also known as the Archer, favors the
Delians for the assistance they lent during
his birth.
5.
Aphrodite
Undeniably one of the most beautiful goddesses
of the Grecian pantheon, Aphrodite, quite
ironically, was married to the ugliest of
the gods, Hephaestus.
The temptress of Olympus serves as the Goddess
of Love, Beauty, and Sexuality, a role she
filled through her promiscuity and relations
with both gods and mortals.
It is said that Aphrodite was not born of
the usual natural process but instead rose
from a foam that gathered around the castrated
genitals of Uranus.
Her relation to the other gods is a point
of question, though deriving from any part
of Uranus would make her a daughter of the
Titans and cousin of Zeus.
4.
Hera
Wife and sister of Zeus, Hera was considered
the supreme goddess and the patron of marriage
and childbirth.
After many failed attempts to court her, Zeus
turned himself into a disheveled cuckoo to
earn her sympathy.
When she held the broken bird to her, Zeus
turned back into his human form and raped
her, leading to their forced marriage.
Though Zeus’ wrath kept her from attempting
a second rebellion after the first one failed,
Hera often allows her contention for her husband
to get in the way of his plans.
3.
Poseidon
Brother of Zeus and ruler of the seas, the
trident-wielding Poseidon is also believed
to have had connections to earthquakes and
horses.
Poseidon fathered many children, including
Theseus, Belus, Neleus, Atlas, Triton, and
the monstrous Polyphemus, Orion, and Antaeus.
To show honor to the dual god of water and
land, the Isthmia festival was held in his
name and, much like the Olympics, pooled together
the greatest athletes for a series of contests.
Despite being commonly known as a god of the
sea, many places of worship dedicated to him
were further inland, which shows his strong
connection to dry land as the ennosigaios,
or “earth-shaker”.
2.
Athena
The motherless daughter of Zeus, Athena who
ruled as the Goddess of War, Handicraft, and
Practical Reason was said to be born from
her father’s forehead.
Another version claims Zeus swallowed the
Goddess of Counsel, Metis, while she was pregnant
with Athena, allowing the child to be born
from him.
Regardless of her origin, she’s always been
recognized as Zeus’ favorite and the most
powerful of his offspring.
Outside of her place on the battlefield, Athena
was recognized for her proficiency in spinning
and weaving.
The city of Cecropia, now modern-day Athens,
adopted Athena’s name after she won the
favor of its inhabitants over Poseidon by
bestowing them the gift of an olive tree.
1.
Zeus
We fought him in God of War and watched Liam
Neeson bring him to life in Clash of the Titans,
but do you really know Zeus?
Wielding his staple lightning bolt, the weather
and sky god is the lead deity of the Grecian
pantheon with a history, like Hades, that
starts with being eaten by Kronos.
With the aid of Rhea, wife of Kronos, the
infant Zeus was saved from his fate and hidden
in a cave on Crete.
It was here that he met Amalthaea, the nymph
responsible for nursing the young god, giving
him the strength to dethrone his father, Kronos.
With the Titan gods locked away, Zeus took
control of the heavens and Olympus and became
the moral overseer of mortals.
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