How many goddesses are there in ancient greece

Poseidon and Apollo relentlessly pursued her since they both wanted to marry her. But she kept the oath she had made to Zeus that she would forever remain pure and undefiled and thus never entered into marital union with a man.

She symbolized the warmth of a house from the burning fire in the hearth. Most of the ancient Greeks believed her to be the divine representation of tranquility in a normal domestic life. Despite this, historical and archaeological evidence shows that her popularity never really took off. In fact, it is even said that she was removed from the pantheon of Olympian gods, her place given to Dionysus.

In many ways, her Roman counterpart Vesta was far more influential since she represented the union between the colonies and the major cities of the Roman era. The youngest daughter of Zeus and Hera, Hebe was considered the divine personification of everlasting youth and beauty. Being the mistress of everlasting elegance and charm, she is labeled as the goddess of youth in Greek mythology.

Her role on Mount Olympus was to serve the nectar that made the Olympian gods immortal. Despite being worshiped as a deity who could bestow youthfulness, she was more involved in the daily chores at Olympus, such as being the handmaiden to Hera and even preparing the royal chariot. She later married the popular demigod Hercules and had two children with him — Alexiares and Anicetus. As the name suggests, Nemesis was the god of retribution.

Also known as the god of revenge, she represented the consequences one had to face for every single felony. Nemesis was never known to judge crime and criminals connected to personal vendettas. She would rather scrutinize the general situation of every man before deciding what he should receive — shades of happiness or heaps of retribution.

Her actions were aimed at maintaining a balance within human affairs. She was the one who distributed happiness and, at the same time, dealt out misery. It was her job to make sure that there was neither too much happiness nor too much sorrow. Leto was one of the earliest and, as many would argue, the favorite lover of the mighty Zeus.

But she is much better known for her struggling years of motherhood and is considered as the goddess of motherhood. Zeus and Leto were deeply in love and Leto had already given him children way before Zeus married Hera. Eventually, Leto gave birth to the twin deities Artemis and Apollo. Having two such powerful gods as her children, Leto had regained her lost honor, and both Artemis and Apollo glorified their status in Greek mythology. Despite the hardships she had to endure, her cult began to spread as she wandered from place to place with her children.

In the end, she successfully carved her name into Greek mythology as a modest, motherly, and respected figure. A popular deity in the age of the Titans, Rhea was the wife of Kronos, another Titan who dethroned his father Uranus to become the new ruler, effectively making Rhea queen.

For this reason, she is often called the mother of gods — a title far more deserving than her predecessor goddesses like Gaea and Cybele. She further reinforced this title when she gathered the much-needed courage to trick her own husband Kronos in order to save her children. In his utter paranoia that his children might dethrone him, Kronos would gobble up every single newborn.

In an effort to put a stop to this lunacy, Rhea gave him a stone to swallow instead of Zeus when he was born. Kronos ended up throwing up all the children he had swallowed and thus Rhea was able to revive the first of the Olympian gods.

Popular in Greek mythology as the most beautiful deity whose angelic appearance could charm even the hardest of hearts, she possessed the title of goddess of beauty, love, and desire. Besides her astounding beauty, she also had the power to ignite love and desire among gods, mortals, and even the birds and beasts. She was also said to have a role in the natural cycle of the birth, death, and rebirth of all mortals and living beings in nature.

She is known to be the daughter of Zeus, though the stories behind her birth vary. Worried that her charm would stir up a lot of unnecessary commotion among the gods, Zeus had her married to Hephaestus, the legendary Olympian craftsman. But that did not stop her from having a not-so-secret love affair with the god of war, Ares. Aphrodite was the divine personification of the desire and affection that binds everyone together.

Demeter was the daughter of two prominent Titans: Kronos and Rhea. Being the goddess of harvest and grain, she was given a high status in ancient Greek mythology.

Even though she was one of the first Olympian gods, she took a path which was very different to other contemporary Olympians. She refused to be confined to the realms of Mount Olympus and went to the temples dedicated to her by her followers. She lived close to those who worshiped her, and in many ways, depended on her. She has always had a substantial following among mortals since she had the power to bless them with rich harvests, and she also created the seasons that were favorable for the planting of crops.

Judging from his many cult sites, he was one of the most important gods in Greek religion. His main sanctuary at Delphi, where Greeks came to ask questions of the oracle, was considered to be the center of the universe Hermes Other important deities were Aphrodite, the goddess of love; Dionysos, the god of wine and theater ; Ares, the god of war ; and the lame Hephaistos, the god of metalworking.

The ancient Greeks believed that Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in mainland Greece, was the home of the gods. Ancient Greek religious practice, essentially conservative in nature, was based on time-honored observances, many rooted in the Bronze Age — B.

Although the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, believed to have been composed around the eighth century B. Nor did they have a strict priestly caste. The relationship between human beings and deities was based on the concept of exchange: gods and goddesses were expected to give gifts.

Votive offerings, which have been excavated from sanctuaries by the thousands, were a physical expression of thanks on the part of individual worshippers.

The Greeks worshipped in sanctuaries located, according to the nature of the particular deity, either within the city or in the countryside. A sanctuary was a well-defined sacred space set apart usually by an enclosure wall. This sacred precinct, also known as a temenos, contained the temple with a monumental cult image of the deity, an outdoor altar, statues and votive offerings to the gods, and often features of landscape such as sacred trees or springs.

Many temples benefited from their natural surroundings, which helped to express the character of the divinities. For instance, the temple at Sounion dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea, commands a spectacular view of the water on three sides, and the Parthenon on the rocky Athenian Akropolis celebrates the indomitable might of the goddess Athena. The central ritual act in ancient Greece was animal sacrifice, especially of oxen, goats, and sheep.

Sacrifices took place within the sanctuary, usually at an altar in front of the temple, with the assembled participants consuming the entrails and meat of the victim.

Liquid offerings, or libations Religious festivals, literally feast days, filled the year. Hercules known in Greek as Heracles or Herakles is one of the best-known heroes in Greek and Roman mythology. His life was not easy—he endured many trials and completed many daunting tasks—but the reward for his suffering was a promise that he would live forever among the gods The Greek philosopher Aristotle B.

Though overshadowed in classical times by the work of his teacher Plato, from late antiquity Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Greek Mythology: The Olympians At the center of Greek mythology is the pantheon of deities who were said to live on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.

Recommended for you. Ancient Greek Art. Greek Communists Clash with the British in Athens. Franklin D. Roosevelt Encourages Greek Resistance. Athena was said to have been the favourite child of Zeus.

Over time Athena became known as the goddess of war, representing more civilised aspects of battle such as skill, wisdom and justice. Of all the ancient Greek gods, Apollo is the only one to have the same name in Roman mythology. Beautiful and athletic, he is considered the embodiment of kalos kagathos, a phrase used in ancient Greece to refer to gentlemanly conduct in a military context.

Hephaestus was, according to myth, either born lame or became lame in childhood. He seemed to displease his parents, Zeus and Hera, who each threw him out of Olympus at different intervals. Ill-tempered and vengeful, Poseidon was considered one of the most tempestuous gods of the Olympians. He was god of the sea, earthquakes, storms and — perhaps rather curiously — horses. Known for her deftness with a bow and her ability to turn herself — and others — into animals, Artemis was one of the most venerated of Greek deities.

Demeter was said to have taught humans how to sow and plough food, thereby putting an end to their formerly nomadic existence. But just as her powers could be fruitful, so too could they be disastrous: she was believed to bestow famine upon those who displeased her. As goddess of fertility, she also possessed the ability to gift women with a good or bad pregnancy. As king of Mount Olympus the home of Greek gods Zeus was father of both gods and mortals alike. He was believed to be omnipotent and was known for having many lovers much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife, Hera.

Rachel Dinning is digital section editor at HistoryExtra.