Evil goddesses of ancient Greece. Greek gods list and meaning

We offer a list of the most famous ancient Greek gods with brief descriptions and links to full articles with illustrations.

• Hades is the god - ruler of the kingdom of the dead, as well as the kingdom itself. One of the elder Olympian gods, brother of Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon and Hestia, son of Kronos and Rhea. Husband of the fertility goddess Persephone
• - hero of myths, giant, son of Poseidon and the Earth of Gaia. The earth gave its son strength, thanks to which no one could control him. But Hercules defeated Antaeus, tearing him away from the Earth and depriving him of the help of Gaia.
• - god of sunlight. The Greeks depicted him as a beautiful young man. Apollo (other epithets - Phoebus, Musaget) - son of Zeus and the goddess Leto, brother of Artemis. He had the gift of foreseeing the future and was considered the patron of all arts. In late antiquity, Apollo was identified with the sun god Helios.
• - god of treacherous war, son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks portrayed him as a strong young man.
• - twin sister of Apollo, goddess of hunting and nature, was believed to facilitate childbirth. She was sometimes considered a moon goddess and identified with Selene. The center of the cult of Artemis was in the city of Ephesus, where a grandiose temple was erected in her honor - one of the seven wonders of the world.
• - god of medical art, son of Apollo and the nymph Coronis. To the Greeks he was represented as a bearded man with a staff in his hand. The staff was entwined with a snake, which later became one of the symbols of the medical profession. Asclepius was killed by Zeus for trying to resurrect the dead with his art. In the Roman pantheon, Asclepius corresponds to the god Aesculapius.
• Atropos(“inevitable”) - one of the three moiras, cutting the thread of fate and ending a human life.
• - the daughter of Zeus and Metis, born from his head in full military armor. Goddess of just war and wisdom, patroness of knowledge. Athena taught people many crafts, established laws on earth, and gave musical instruments to mortals. The center of veneration of Athena was in Athens. The Romans identified Athena with the goddess Minerva.
• (Kytherea, Urania) - goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the marriage of Zeus and the goddess Dione (according to another legend, she emerged from the sea foam, hence her title Anadyomene, “foam-born”). Aphrodite corresponds to the Sumerian Inanna and the Babylonian Ishtar, the Egyptian Isis and the Great Mother of the Gods, and finally, the Roman Venus.
• - god of the north wind, son of the Titanides Astraeus (starry sky) and Eos (morning dawn), brother of Zephyr and Note. He was depicted as a winged, long-haired, bearded, powerful deity.
• - in mythology, sometimes called Dionysus by the Greeks, and Liber by the Romans, was originally a Thracian or Phrygian god, whose cult was adopted by the Greeks very early. Bacchus, according to some legends, is considered the son of the daughter of the Theban king, Semele, and Zeus. According to others, he is the son of Zeus and Demeter or Persephone.
• (Hebea) - daughter of Zeus and Hera, goddess of youth. Sister of Ares and Ilithyia. She served the Olympian gods at feasts, bringing them nectar and ambrosia. In Roman mythology, Hebe corresponds to the goddess Juventa.
• - goddess of darkness, night visions and sorcery, patroness of sorcerers. Hecate was often considered the goddess of the moon and was identified with Artemis. Hecate's Greek nickname "Triodita" and the Latin name "Trivia" originate from the legend that this goddess lives at crossroads.
• - hundred-armed, fifty-headed giants, the personification of the elements, sons of Uranus (Heaven) and the goddess Gaia (Earth).
• (Helium) - god of the Sun, brother of Selene (Moon) and Eos (dawn). In late antiquity he was identified with Apollo. According to Greek myths, Helios travels around the sky every day in a chariot drawn by four fiery horses. The main center of the cult was located on the island of Rhodes, where a giant statue was erected in his honor, considered one of the seven wonders of the world (the Colossus of Rhodes).
• Gemera- goddess of daylight, personification of the day, born of Nikta and Erebus. Often identified with Eos.
• - the supreme Olympian goddess, sister and third wife of Zeus, daughter of Rhea and Kronos, sister of Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Poseidon. Hera was considered the patroness of marriage. From Zeus she gave birth to Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus and Ilithyia (the goddess of women in childbirth, with whom Hera herself was often identified.
• - son of Zeus and Maya, one of the most significant Greek gods. Patron of wanderers, crafts, trade, thieves. Possessing the gift of eloquence, Hermes patronized schools and speakers. He played the role of messenger of the gods and guide of the souls of the dead. He was usually depicted as a young man in a simple hat and winged sandals, with a magic staff in his hands. In Roman mythology it was identified with Mercury.
• - goddess of the hearth and fire, eldest daughter of Kronos and Gaia, sister of Hades, Hera, Demeter, Zeus and Poseidon. In Roman mythology, she corresponded to the goddess Vesta.
• - son of Zeus and Hera, god of fire and blacksmithing. He was considered the patron saint of artisans (especially blacksmiths). The Greeks portrayed Hephaestus as a broad-shouldered, short and lame man, working in a forge where he forges weapons for the Olympian gods and heroes.
• - mother earth, foremother of all gods and people. Coming out of Chaos, Gaia gave birth to Uranus-Sky, and from her marriage with him gave birth to titans and monsters. The Roman mother goddess corresponding to Gaia is Tellus.
• - god of sleep, son of Nyx and Erebus, younger twin brother of the god of death Thanatos, favorite of the muses. Lives in Tartarus.
• - goddess of fertility and agriculture. The daughter of Kronos and Rhea, she is one of the elder Olympian gods. Mother of the goddess Kore-Persephone and the god of wealth Plutos.
• (Bacchus) - the god of viticulture and winemaking, the object of a number of cults and mysteries. He was depicted either as an obese elderly man or as a young man with a wreath of grape leaves on his head. In Roman mythology, he corresponded to Liber (Bacchus).
• - lower deities, nymphs who lived in trees. The dryad's life was closely connected with her tree. If the tree died or was cut down, the dryad also died.
• - god of fertility, son of Zeus and Persephone. In the Mysteries he was identified with Dionysus.
• - the supreme Olympian god. Son of Kronos and Rhea, father of many younger gods and people (Hercules, Perseus, Helen of Troy). Lord of thunderstorms and thunder. As the ruler of the world, he had many different functions. In Roman mythology, Zeus corresponded to Jupiter.
• - god of the west wind, brother of Boreas and Note.
• - god of fertility, sometimes identified with Dionysus and Zagreus.
• - patron goddess of women in labor (Roman Lucina).
• - the god of the river of the same name in Argos and the most ancient Argive king, the son of Tethys and Oceanus.
• - the deity of the great mysteries, introduced into the Eleusinian cult by the Orphics and associated with Demeter, Persephone, Dionysus.
• - personification and goddess of the rainbow, winged messenger of Zeus and Hera, daughter of Thaumant and the oceanid Electra, sister of the Harpies and Arches.
• - demonic creatures, children of the goddess Nikta, bringing troubles and death to people.
• - Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia, was thrown into Tartarus by Zeus
• - Titan, youngest son of Gaia and Uranus, father of Zeus. He ruled the world of gods and people and was dethroned by Zeus. In Roman mythology, it is known as Saturn, a symbol of inexorable time.
• - daughter of the goddess of discord Eris, mother of the Harites (according to Hesiod). And also the River of Oblivion in the underworld (Virgil).
• - Titanide, mother of Apollo and Artemis.
• (Metis) - the goddess of wisdom, the first of the three wives of Zeus, who conceived Athena from him.
• - mother of nine muses, goddess of memory, daughter of Uranus and Gaia.
• - daughters of Nikta-Night, goddess of fate Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos.
• - god of ridicule, slander and stupidity. Son of Nyukta and Erebus, brother of Hypnos.
• - one of the sons of Hypnos, the winged god of dreams.
• - patron goddess of the arts and sciences, nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.
• - nymphs-guardians of waters - deities of rivers, lakes, springs, streams and springs.
• - daughter of Nikta, a goddess who personified fate and retribution, punishing people in accordance with their sins.
• - fifty daughters of Nereus and the oceanids Doris, sea deities.
• - son of Gaia and Pontus, meek sea god.
• - personification of victory. She was often depicted wearing a wreath, a common symbol of triumph in Greece.
• - goddess of the Night, product of Chaos. The mother of many gods, including Hypnos, Thanatos, Nemesis, Mom, Kera, Moira, Hesperiad, Eris.
• - lower deities in the hierarchy of Greek gods. They personified the forces of nature and were closely connected with their habitats. River nymphs were called naiads, tree nymphs were called dryads, mountain nymphs were called orestiads, and sea nymphs were called nereids. Often, nymphs accompanied one of the gods and goddesses as a retinue.
• Note- the god of the south wind, depicted with a beard and wings.
• Ocean is a titan, the son of Gaia and Uranus, the forefather of the gods of the sea, rivers, streams and springs.
• Orion is a deity, the son of Poseidon and the Oceanid Euryale, daughter of Minos. According to another legend, he came from a fertilized bull skin, buried for nine months in the ground by King Girieus.
• Ora (Mountains) - goddesses of the seasons, peace and order, daughters of Zeus and Themis. There were three of them in total: Dike (or Astraea, goddess of justice), Eunomia (goddess of order and justice), Eirene (goddess of peace).
• Pan is the god of forests and fields, the son of Hermes and Dryope, a goat-footed man with horns. He was considered the patron saint of shepherds and small livestock. According to myths, Pan invented the pipe. In Roman mythology, Pan corresponds to Faun (the patron of herds) and Silvanus (the demon of the forests).
• Peyto- goddess of persuasion, companion of Aphrodite, often identified with her patroness.
• Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, the goddess of fertility. The wife of Hades and the queen of the underworld, who knew the secrets of life and death. The Romans revered Persephone under the name Proserpina.
• Python (Dolphinus) is a monstrous serpent, the offspring of Gaia. Guarded the ancient oracle of Gaia and Themis in Delphi.
• The Pleiades are the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and the oceanids Pleione. The most striking of them bear the names of Atlantis, friends of Artemis: Alcyone, Keleno, Maya, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta, Electra. All the sisters were combined in a love union with the gods, with the exception of Merope, who became the wife of Sisyphus.
• Pluto - god of the underworld, until the 5th century BC. named Hades. Later, Hades is mentioned only by Homer, in other later myths - Pluto.
• Plutos is the son of Demeter, a god who gives wealth to people.
• Pont- one of the most ancient Greek gods, the son of Gaia (born without a father), god of the Inner Sea. He is the father of Nereus, Thaumantas, Phorcys and his sister-wife Keto (from Gaia or Tethys); Eurybia (from Gaia; Telkhines (from Gaia or Thalassa); genera of fish (from Thalassa.
• - one of the Olympian gods, brother of Zeus and Hades, who rules over the sea elements. Poseidon also had power over the bowels of the earth; he commanded storms and earthquakes. He was depicted as a man with a trident in his hand, usually accompanied by a retinue of lower sea deities and sea animals.
• Proteus is a sea deity, son of Poseidon, patron of seals. He had the gift of reincarnation and prophecy.

List of Gods of Ancient Greece

Hades - god - ruler of the kingdom of the dead.

Antaeus is a hero of myths, a giant, the son of Poseidon and the Earth of Gaia. The earth gave its son strength, thanks to which no one could control him.

Apollo is the god of sunlight. The Greeks depicted him as a beautiful young man.

Ares is the god of treacherous war, the son of Zeus and Hera.

Asclepius - god of medicine, son of Apollo and the nymph Coronis

Boreas is the god of the north wind, the son of the Titanides Astraeus (starry sky) and Eos (morning dawn), brother of Zephyr and Note. He was depicted as a winged, long-haired, bearded, powerful deity.

Bacchus is one of the names of Dionysus.

Helios (Helium) is the god of the Sun, brother of Selene (goddess of the Moon) and Eos (dawn). In late antiquity he was identified with Apollo, the god of sunlight.

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maya, one of the most multi-valued Greek gods. Patron of wanderers, crafts, trade, thieves. Possessing the gift of eloquence.

Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera, the god of fire and blacksmithing. He was considered the patron of artisans.

Hypnos is the deity of sleep, the son of Nyx (Night). He was depicted as a winged youth.

Dionysus (Bacchus) is the god of viticulture and winemaking, the object of a number of cults and mysteries. He was depicted either as an obese elderly man or as a young man with a wreath of grape leaves on his head.

Zagreus is the god of fertility, the son of Zeus and Persephone.

Zeus is the supreme god, king of gods and people.

Zephyr is the god of the west wind.

Iacchus is the god of fertility.

Kronos is a titan, the youngest son of Gaia and Uranus, the father of Zeus. He ruled the world of gods and people and was overthrown from the throne by Zeus...

Mom is the son of the goddess of Night, the god of slander.

Morpheus is one of the sons of Hypnos, the god of dreams.

Nereus is the son of Gaia and Pontus, a meek sea god.

Not - the god of the south wind, was depicted with a beard and wings.

Ocean is a titan, the son of Gaia and Uranus, the brother and husband of Tethys and the father of all the rivers of the world.

The Olympians are the supreme gods of the younger generation of Greek gods, led by Zeus, who lived on the top of Mount Olympus.

Pan is a forest god, the son of Hermes and Dryope, a goat-footed man with horns. He was considered the patron saint of shepherds and small livestock.

Pluto is the god of the underworld, often identified with Hades, but unlike him, he owned not the souls of the dead, but the riches of the underworld.

Plutos is the son of Demeter, a god who gives wealth to people.

Pontus is one of the senior Greek deities, the offspring of Gaia, the god of the sea, the father of many titans and gods.

Poseidon is one of the Olympian gods, the brother of Zeus and Hades, who rules over the sea elements. Poseidon was also subject to the bowels of the earth,
he commanded storms and earthquakes.

Proteus is a sea deity, son of Poseidon, patron of seals. He had the gift of reincarnation and prophecy.

Satyrs are goat-footed creatures, demons of fertility.

Thanatos is the personification of death, the twin brother of Hypnos.

The Titans are a generation of Greek gods, the ancestors of the Olympians.

Typhon is a hundred-headed dragon born of Gaia or Hera. During the battle of the Olympians and the Titans, he was defeated by Zeus and imprisoned under the volcano Etna in Sicily.

Triton is the son of Poseidon, one of the sea deities, a man with a fish tail instead of legs, holding a trident and a twisted shell - a horn.

Chaos is an endless empty space from which at the beginning of time the most ancient gods of the Greek religion - Nyx and Erebus - emerged.

Chthonic gods are deities of the underworld and fertility, relatives of the Olympians. These included Hades, Hecate, Hermes, Gaia, Demeter, Dionysus and Persephone.

Cyclops are giants with one eye in the middle of their forehead, children of Uranus and Gaia.

Eurus (Eur) - god of the southeast wind.

Aeolus is the lord of the winds.

Erebus is the personification of the darkness of the underworld, the son of Chaos and the brother of Night.

Eros (Eros) - god of love, son of Aphrodite and Ares. In the most ancient myths - a self-emerging force that contributed to the ordering of the world. He was depicted as a winged youth (in the Hellenistic era - a boy) with arrows, accompanying his mother.

Ether - sky deity

Goddesses of ancient Greece

Artemis is the goddess of hunting and nature.

Atropos is one of the three moiras, cutting the thread of fate and ending human life.

Athena (Pallada, Parthenos) is the daughter of Zeus, born from his head in full military armor. One of the most revered Greek goddesses, the goddess of just war and wisdom, the patroness of knowledge.

Aphrodite (Kytherea, Urania) - goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the marriage of Zeus and the goddess Dione (according to another legend, she came out of the sea foam)

Hebe is the daughter of Zeus and Hera, the goddess of youth. Sister of Ares and Ilithyia. She served the Olympian gods at feasts.

Hecate is the goddess of darkness, night visions and sorcery, the patroness of sorcerers.

Hemera is the goddess of daylight, the personification of day, born of Nyktos and Erebus. Often identified with Eos.

Hera is the supreme Olympian goddess, sister and third wife of Zeus, daughter of Rhea and Kronos, sister of Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Poseidon. Hera was considered the patroness of marriage.

Hestia is the goddess of the hearth and fire.

Gaia is mother earth, the foremother of all gods and people.

Demeter is the goddess of fertility and agriculture.

Dryads are lower deities, nymphs who lived in trees.

Ilithyia is the patron goddess of women in labor.

Iris is a winged goddess, Hera's assistant, messenger of the gods.

Calliope is the muse of epic poetry and science.

Kera are demonic creatures, children of the goddess Nikta, who bring misfortune and death to people.

Clio is one of the nine muses, the muse of history.

Clotho (“spinner”) is one of the moiras that spins the thread of human life.

Lachesis is one of the three Moira sisters, who determine the fate of every person even before birth.

Leto is a Titanide, mother of Apollo and Artemis.

Maya is a mountain nymph, the eldest of the seven galaxies - the daughters of Atlas, the beloved of Zeus, from whom Hermes was born to her.

Melpomene is the muse of tragedy.

Metis is the goddess of wisdom, the first of the three wives of Zeus, who conceived Athena from him.

Mnemosyne is the mother of nine muses, the goddess of memory.

Moira - goddess of fate, daughter of Zeus and Themis.

The Muses are the patron goddesses of the arts and sciences.

Naiads are nymphs who guard the waters.

Nemesis is the daughter of Nyx, a goddess who personified fate and retribution, punishing people in accordance with their sins.

Nereids - fifty daughters of Nereus and Oceanids Doris, sea deities.

Nika is the personification of victory. She was often depicted wearing a wreath, a common symbol of triumph in Greece.

Nymphs are the lowest deities in the hierarchy of Greek gods. They personified the forces of nature.

Nikta is one of the first Greek deities, the goddess is the personification of the primordial Night.

Orestiades - mountain nymphs.

Ora - goddess of the seasons, peace and order, daughters of Zeus and Themis.

Peyto is the goddess of persuasion, the companion of Aphrodite, who was often identified with her patroness.

Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, the goddess of fertility. The wife of Hades and the queen of the underworld, who knew the secrets of life and death.

Polyhymnia is the muse of serious hymn poetry.

Tethys is the daughter of Gaia and Uranus, the wife of Oceanus and the mother of the Nereids and Oceanids.

Rhea is the mother of the Olympian gods.

Sirens are female demons, half-woman, half-bird, capable of changing the weather at sea.

Talia is the muse of comedy.

Terpsichore is the muse of dance art.

Tisiphone is one of the Erinyes.

Tyche is the goddess of fate and chance among the Greeks, companion of Persephone. She was depicted as a winged woman standing on a wheel and holding a cornucopia and a ship's rudder in her hands.

Urania is one of the nine muses, the patroness of astronomy.

Themis - Titanide, goddess of justice and law, second wife of Zeus, mother of mountains and moira.

Charites are goddesses of female beauty, the embodiment of a kind, joyful and eternally young beginning of life.

The Eumenides are another hypostasis of the Erinyes, revered as goddesses of benevolence who prevented misfortunes.

Eris is the daughter of Nyx, sister of Ares, goddess of discord.

Erinyes are the goddesses of vengeance, creatures of the underworld, who punished injustice and crimes.

Erato - Muse of lyrical and erotic poetry.

Eos is the goddess of the dawn, sister of Helios and Selene. The Greeks called it “rose-fingered.”

Euterpe is the muse of lyrical chant. Depicted with a double flute in her hand.

Each of the peoples of the Ancient World had their own deities, powerful and not so powerful. Many of them had unusual abilities and were the owners of wonderful artifacts that gave them additional strength, knowledge and, ultimately, power.

Amaterasu ("Great Goddess Who Illuminates the Heavens")

Country: Japan
Essence: Sun Goddess, ruler of the heavenly fields

Amaterasu is the eldest of three children of the progenitor god Izanaki. She was born from drops of water with which he washed his left eye. She took possession of the upper heavenly world, while her younger brothers got the night and the watery kingdom.

Amaterasu taught people how to cultivate rice and weave. The imperial house of Japan traces its ancestry from her. She is considered the great-grandmother of the first Emperor Jimmu. The rice ear, mirror, sword and carved beads given to her became sacred symbols of imperial power. According to tradition, one of the emperor's daughters becomes the High Priestess of Amaterasu.

Yu-Di (“Jade Sovereign”)

Country: China
Essence: Supreme Overlord, Emperor of the Universe

Yu-Di was born at the moment of the creation of Earth and Heaven. The Heavenly, Terrestrial, and Underground worlds are subject to him. All other deities and spirits are subordinate to him.
Yu-Di is absolutely emotionless. He sits on a throne in a robe embroidered with dragons and holding a jade tablet in his hands. Yu Di has an exact address: the god lives in a palace on Mount Yujingshan, which resembles the court of the Chinese emperors. Under it, there are celestial councils responsible for various natural phenomena. They perform all sorts of actions that the Lord of Heaven himself does not condescend to do.

Quetzalcoatlus ("Feathered Serpent")

Country: Central America
Essence: Creator of the world, lord of the elements, creator and teacher of people

Quetzalcoatl not only created the world and people, but also taught them the most important skills: from agriculture to astronomical observations. Despite his high status, Quetzalcoatl sometimes acted in a very peculiar way. For example, in order to get maize grains for people, he entered an anthill, turning into an ant himself, and stole them.

Quetzalcoatl was depicted both as a feathered serpent (the body symbolizing the Earth, and the feathers representing vegetation) and as a bearded man wearing a mask.
According to one legend, Quetzalcoatl voluntarily went into overseas exile on a raft of snakes, promising to return. Because of this, the Aztecs initially mistook the conquistador leader Cortes for the returned Quetzalcoatl.

Baal (Balu, Baal, "Lord")

Country: Middle East
Essence: Thunderer, god of rain and elements. In some myths - the creator of the world

Baal, as a rule, was depicted either as a bull or as a warrior riding on a cloud with a lightning spear. During the festivities in his honor, mass orgies took place, often accompanied by self-mutilation. It is believed that human sacrifices were also made to Baal in some areas. From his name comes the name of the biblical demon Beelzebub (Ball-Zebula, “Lord of the Flies”).

Ishtar (Astarte, Inanna, "Lady of Heaven")

Country: Middle East
Essence: Goddess of fertility, sex and war

Ishtar, sister of the Sun and daughter of the Moon, was associated with the planet Venus. Associated with the legend of her journey to the underworld was the myth of nature dying and being reborn every year. She often acted as an intercessor for people before the gods. At the same time, Ishtar was responsible for various feuds. The Sumerians even called wars “the dances of Inanna.” As a goddess of war, she was often depicted riding a lion, and was probably a prototype of the Whore of Babylon riding on a beast.
The passion of the loving Ishtar was destructive for both gods and mortals. For her many lovers, everything usually ended in big trouble or even death. The worship of Ishtar included temple prostitution and was accompanied by mass orgies.

Ashur ("Father of the Gods")

Country: Assyria
Essence: God of War
Ashur is the main god of the Assyrians, the god of war and hunting. His weapon was a bow and arrow. As a rule, Ashur was depicted together with bulls. Another symbol of it is the solar disk above the tree of life. Over time, as the Assyrians expanded their possessions, he began to be considered the consort of Ishtar. The High Priest of Ashur was the Assyrian king himself, and his name often became part of the royal name, as, for example, the famous Ashurbanipal, and the capital of Assyria was called Ashur.

Marduk ("Son of Clear Sky")

Country: Mesopotamia
Essence: Patron of Babylon, god of wisdom, ruler and judge of the gods
Marduk defeated the embodiment of chaos Tiamat, driving the “evil wind” into her mouth, and took possession of the book of destinies that belonged to her. After that, he cut Tiamat's body and created Heaven and Earth from them, and then created the entire modern, ordered world. The other gods, seeing the power of Marduk, recognized his supremacy.
Marduk's symbol is the dragon Mushkhush, a mixture of scorpion, snake, eagle and lion. Various plants and animals were identified with the body parts and entrails of Marduk. The main temple of Marduk - a huge ziggurat (step pyramid) - probably became the basis of the legend of the Tower of Babel.

Yahweh (Jehovah, "He Who Is")

Country: Middle East
Essence: Single tribal god of the Jews

Yahweh's main function was to help his chosen people. He gave the Jews laws and strictly monitored their implementation. In clashes with enemies, Yahweh provided the chosen people with assistance, sometimes the most direct. In one of the battles, for example, he threw huge stones at his enemies, in another case he abolished the law of nature, stopping the sun.
Unlike most other gods of the ancient world, Yahweh is extremely jealous, and forbids the worship of any deities except himself. Severe punishments await those who disobey. The word “Yahweh” is a replacement for the secret name of God, which is forbidden to be spoken out loud. It was impossible to create his images either. In Christianity, Yahweh is sometimes identified with God the Father.

Ahura-Mazda (Ormuzd, “God the Wise”)

Country: Persia
Essence: Creator of the World and all that is good in it

Ahura Mazda created the laws by which the world exists. He endowed people with free will, and they can choose the path of good (then Ahura Mazda will favor them in every possible way) or the path of evil (serving Ahura Mazda's eternal enemy Angra Mainyu). Ahura Mazda's assistants are the good beings of Ahura created by him. He is surrounded by them in the fabulous Garodman, the house of chants.
The image of Ahura Mazda is the Sun. He is older than the whole world, but at the same time, eternally young. He knows both the past and the future. In the end, he will achieve the final victory over evil, and the world will become perfect.

Angra Mainyu (Ahriman, "Evil Spirit")

Country: Persia
Essence: The embodiment of evil among the ancient Persians
Angra Mainyu is the source of everything bad that happens in the world. He spoiled the perfect world created by Ahura Mazda, introducing lies and destruction into it. He sends diseases, crop failures, natural disasters, gives birth to predatory animals, poisonous plants and animals. Under the command of Angra Mainyu are the devas, evil spirits, who carry out his evil will. After Angra Mainyu and his minions are defeated, an era of eternal bliss should begin.

Brahma ("Priest")

Country: India
Essence: God is the creator of the world
Brahma was born from a lotus flower and then created this world. After 100 years of Brahma, 311,040,000,000,000 earthly years, he will die, and after the same period of time a new Brahma will self-generate and create a new world.
Brahma has four faces and four arms, which symbolizes the cardinal directions. Its indispensable attributes are a book, rosary, a vessel with water from the sacred Ganges, a crown and a lotus flower, symbols of knowledge and power. Brahma lives on the top of the sacred Mount Meru and rides on a white swan. The descriptions of the action of Brahma's weapon Brahmastra are reminiscent of the description of nuclear weapons.

Vishnu ("All-encompassing")

Country: India
Essence: God is the keeper of the world

The main functions of Vishnu are maintaining the existing world and opposing evil. Vishnu appears in the world and acts through his incarnations, avatars, the most famous of which are Krishna and Rama. Vishnu has blue skin and wears yellow clothes. He has four hands in which he holds a lotus flower, a mace, a conch shell and Sudarshana (a rotating disk of fire, his weapon). Vishnu reclines on the giant multi-headed snake Shesha, which swims in the world's Causal Ocean.

Shiva ("Merciful")

Country: India
Essence: God is the destroyer
Shiva's main task is to destroy the world at the end of each world cycle in order to make room for a new creation. This happens during the dance of Shiva - Tandava (which is why Shiva is sometimes called the dancing god). However, he also has more peaceful functions - a healer and a deliverer from death.
Shiva sits in lotus position on a tiger skin. There are snake bracelets on his neck and wrists. On Shiva's forehead there is a third eye (it appeared when Shiva's wife, Parvati, jokingly covered his eyes with her palms). Sometimes Shiva is depicted as a lingam (an erect penis). But sometimes he is also depicted as a hermaphrodite, symbolizing the unity of the male and female principles. According to popular beliefs, Shiva smokes marijuana, so some believers consider this activity a way to understand him.

Ra (Amon, "Sun")

Country: Egypt
Essence: Sun God
Ra, the main god of Ancient Egypt, was born from the primordial ocean of his own free will, and then created the world, including the gods. He is the personification of the Sun, and every day with a large retinue he travels across the sky in a magic boat, thanks to which life in Egypt becomes possible. At night, Ra's boat sails along the underground Nile through the afterlife. The Eye of Ra (sometimes considered an independent deity) had the ability to pacify and subjugate enemies. The Egyptian pharaohs traced their origins to Ra, and called themselves his sons.

Osiris (Usir, "The Mighty One")

Country: Egypt
Essence: God of rebirth, ruler and judge of the underworld.

Osiris taught people agriculture. His attributes are associated with plants: the crown and boat are made of papyrus, he holds bundles of reeds in his hands, and the throne is covered with greenery. Osiris was killed and cut into pieces by his brother, the evil god Set, but was resurrected with the help of his wife and sister Isis. However, having conceived the son Horus, Osiris did not remain in the world of the living, but became the ruler and judge of the kingdom of the dead. Because of this, he was often depicted as a swaddled mummy with free hands, in which he holds a scepter and flail. In Ancient Egypt, the tomb of Osiris was highly revered.

Isis ("The Throne")

Country: Egypt
Essence: Intercessor Goddess.
Isis is the embodiment of femininity and motherhood. All segments of the population turned to her with pleas for help, but, first of all, the oppressed. She especially patronized children. And sometimes she acted as a defender of the dead before the afterlife court.
Isis was able to magically resurrect her husband and brother Osiris and give birth to his son Horus. In popular mythology, the floods of the Nile were considered the tears of Isis, which she shed for Osiris, who remained in the world of the dead. The Egyptian pharaohs were called the children of Isis; sometimes she was even depicted as a mother feeding the pharaoh with milk from her breast.
The image of the “veil of Isis” is known, meaning the concealment of the secrets of nature. This image has long attracted mystics. No wonder Blavatsky’s famous book is called “Isis Unveiled.”

Odin (Wotan, "The Seer")

Country: Northern Europe
Essence: God of war and victory
Odin is the main god of the ancient Germans and Scandinavians. He travels on the eight-legged horse Sleipnir or on the ship Skidbladnir, the size of which can be changed at will. Odin's spear, Gugnir, always flies to the target and hits on the spot. He is accompanied by wise crows and predatory wolves. Odin lives in Valhalla with a squad of the best fallen warriors and warlike Valkyrie maidens.
In order to gain wisdom, Odin sacrificed one eye, and in order to understand the meaning of the runes, he hung on the sacred tree Yggdrasil for nine days, nailed to it with his own spear. Odin's future is predetermined: despite his power, on the day of Ragnarok (the battle preceding the end of the world) he will be killed by the giant wolf Fefnir.

Thor (Thunder)

Country: Northern Europe
Essence: Thunderer

Thor is the god of the elements and fertility among the ancient Germans and Scandinavians. This is a hero god who protects not only people, but also other gods from monsters. Thor was depicted as a giant with a red beard. His weapon is the magic hammer Mjolnir (“lightning”), which can only be held with iron gloves. Thor is girded with a magic belt that doubles his strength. He rides across the sky in a chariot drawn by goats. Sometimes he eats goats, but then resurrects them with his magic hammer. On the day of Ragnarok, the last battle, Thor will deal with the world serpent Jormungandr, but he himself will die from his poison.

Ancient Greek mythology was formed in the south of the Balkan Peninsula and became the basis of the worldview of the peoples of the Mediterranean in antiquity. It had a strong influence on ideas about the world in the pre-Christian era, and also became the basis for many later folklore stories.

In this article we will look at who the gods of Ancient Greece were, how the Greeks treated them, how ancient Greek mythology was formed and what influence it had on later civilizations.

The origins of Greek mythology

The settlement of the Balkans by Indo-European tribes - the ancestors of the Greeks - occurred in several stages. The first wave of settlers were the founders Mycenaean civilization, which we know from archaeological data and Linear B.

Initially, the higher powers in the minds of the ancients did not have personification (the element did not have an anthropomorphic appearance), although there were family ties between them. There were also legends about the universe, linking gods and people.

As the settlers settled in a new place, their religious views also modified. This happened thanks to contacts with the local population and events that had a strong impact influence on the life of the ancients. In their minds, both natural phenomena (change of seasons, earthquakes, eruptions, floods) and human actions (the same wars) could not do without the intervention or direct will of the gods, which is reflected in literary works. Moreover, later interpretations of events, when their participants were no longer alive, were based precisely on divine intrigue (for example, the Trojan War).

Influence of Minoan culture

The Minoan civilization, located on the island of Crete and a number of smaller ones (Thira), was partly the predecessor of the Greek one. Relatives The Minoans did not come to the Greeks. They, judging by archaeological data, originated from prehistoric Asia Minor from Neolithic times. During their life on Crete they formed unified culture, language (it has not been completely deciphered) and religious ideas based on the mother cult (the name of the Great Goddess has not reached us) and bull worship.

The state that existed on Crete did not survive the crisis of the Bronze Age. Climate change on mainland Eurasia has led to mass migrations from the mainland, which Crete did not escape; Pelasgians and other so-called “peoples of the sea” (as they were called in Egypt) began to settle on it, and later - the second wave of Greek settlers - the Dorians. A volcanic eruption on the island of Thira led to a protracted economic crisis from which the Minoan civilization never recovered.

Nevertheless, the religion of the Minoans had a strong influence on that of the Greeks who moved here. The island fits firmly into their ideas about the world, there they placed the homeland of many of their gods, and the legend of the Minotaur (a remnant of the bull cult) survived both Ancient Greece and subsequent eras.

Names of the gods of Mycenaean Greece

In the tablets written in Linear B, it was possible to read the names of some gods. They are also known to us from later inscriptions, already classical. The difficulty in reading these tablets was that the letter itself was borrowed o (like all letter systems) from Minoan, which, in turn, was a development of the old hieroglyphic characters. First, people from mainland Greece who lived in Knossos began to use the letter, and then it spread to the mainland. It was used most often for economic purposes.

The structure of the letter was syllabic. Therefore, the names of the gods below will be given in this version.

It is unknown to what extent these deities were personified. A priestly stratum existed in the Mycenaean period, this fact is known from written sources. But some circumstances are suggestive. For example, name of Zeus occurs in two variants - di-wi-o-jo and di-wi-o-ja - both masculine and feminine. The very root of the word - “div” - has the meaning of a deity in general, which can be seen in parallel concepts in other Indo-European languages ​​- remember, for example, the Iranian devas.

In this era, ideas about the creation of the world from Mist and Chaos, which gave birth to the sky (Uranus) and the earth (Gaia), as well as darkness, the abyss, love, and night, also disappear. In later beliefs of some developed cults of these gods and titans we don’t see - all the stories with them have been preserved in the form of myths about the universe.

Pre-Greek cults of mainland Greece

It should be noted that a number of areas of life of the ancient Greeks that we attribute to them are not Greek in origin. This also applies to the cults that “controlled” these areas. All of them belonged earlier to the peoples who lived here before the first wave of Greek Achaean settlers. These were both Minoans and Pelasgians, Cycladic Islanders and Anatolians.

Definitely, the pre-Greek manifestations of the cult include the personification of the sea as an element and concepts associated with the sea (the word θάλασσα is most likely of Pelasgian origin). This also includes the cult olive tree.

Finally, some of the deities were originally of external origin. So, Adonis came to Greece from the Phoenicians and other Semitic peoples.

All this existed among the peoples who lived in the eastern Mediterranean before the Greeks, and was adopted by them along with a number of deities. The Achaeans were people from the continent and did not cultivate olives, nor did they possess the art of navigation.

Greek mythology of the classical period

The Mycenaean period was followed by a decline in civilization, which was associated with the invasion of the northern Greek tribes - the Dorians. After this comes the period of the Dark Ages - so called due to the lack of written sources in Greek dating from that period. When the new Greek writing appeared, it had nothing in common with Linear B, but arose independently from Phoenician alphabet.

But at this time, the mythological ideas of the Greeks formed into a single whole, which was reflected in the main source of those times - Homer’s poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”. These ideas were not entirely monolithic: there were alternative interpretations and variations, and these were developed and supplemented in later times, even when Greece was under the rule of the Roman Empire.

Gods of Ancient Greece

Homer in his poems does not explain where the gods and heroes of his works came from: from this we can conclude that they were known to the Greeks. The events described by Homer, as well as the plots of other myths (about the Minotaur, Hercules, etc.) were considered by them to be historical events, where the actions of gods and people are closely intertwined.

Ancient Greek gods

The gods of Ancient Greece during the polis period can be divided into several categories. The Greeks themselves divided the other world depending on the “relevance” of a particular god at the current moment, the sphere of his influence, as well as his status among other gods.

Three generations of gods

The world, according to the Greeks, arose from Mist and Chaos, which gave birth to the first generation of gods - Gaia, Uranus, Nikta, Erebus and Eros. In the classical period, they were perceived as something abstract, and therefore they did not have any developed cults. Nevertheless, their presence was not denied. Thus, Gaia (earth) was a chthonic force, ancient and indomitable, Eros in the main source of those times was the embodiment of physical love, Uranus represented the sky.

The second generation of gods were the Titans. There were many of them, and some of them became the progenitors of people and other gods. Some of the most famous titans include:

• Kronos is the father of the Olympian gods;
• Rhea - mother of the Olympian gods;
• Prometheus - who gave fire to people;
• Atlas - holding the sky;
• Themis is the giver of justice.

The third generation is the gods of Olympus. It was they who were revered by the Greeks, the temples of these gods were erected in cities, and they are the main characters of many myths. The Olympian gods also took on a number of functions of older gods: for example, initially Helios was the sun god, and later he was brought closer to Apollo. Because of this duplication of functions, it is often difficult to give a "crossword" concise definition of a Greek god. Thus, both Apollo and Asclepius can be called the god of healing, and both Athena and her companion Nike can be called the goddess of victory.

According to legend, the Olympian gods defeated the Titans in a ten-year battle, and now rule over people. They have different origins, and even their lists differ from one author to another. But we will tell you about the most influential of them.

Olympian gods

Let's imagine the Olympian gods in the following table:

The information indicated in the fourth column is ambiguous. In different regions of Greece, there were different versions of the origin of the Olympians who were not the children of Kronos and Rhea.

The Olympian gods had the most developed cults. Statues were erected for them, temples were built, and holidays were held in their honor.

The Olympus mountain range in Thessaly, the highest in Greece, was considered the habitat of the Olympian gods.

Minor gods and goddesses

They were the younger generation of gods and also had different origins. Most often, such gods were subordinate to the older ones and performed some specific function. Here are some of them:

This is a separate category of revered objects of Greek mythology. They are heroes of myths and represent people of semi-divine origin. They have superpowers, but, like people, they are mortal. Heroes are favorite characters in ancient Greek vase paintings.

Of all the heroes, only Asclepius, Hercules and Polydeuces were awarded immortality. The first was elevated to the rank of gods because he surpassed everyone in the art of healing and gave his knowledge to people. Hercules, according to one version, received immortality thanks to the fact that he drank the milk of Hera, with whom he later feuded. According to another, it was the result of an agreement on ten labors (in the end he performed twelve).

Polydeuces and Castor (the Dioscuri twins) were the sons of Zeus and Leda. Zeus gave immortality only to the first, because the second had died by that time. But Polydeuces shared immortality with his brother, and since then it was believed that the brothers lie in the tomb for a day, and spend the second on Olympus.

Other heroes worth mentioning are:

• Odysseus, king of Ithaca, participant in the Trojan War and wanderer;
• Achilles, a hero of the same war, who had one weak spot - his heel;
• Perseus, conqueror of Medusa the Gorgon;
• Jason, leader of the Argonauts;
• Orpheus, a musician who descended to his dead wife in the underworld;
• Theseus visiting the Minotaur.

In addition to gods, titans and heroes, in the beliefs of the Greeks there were also entities of a smaller order, representing a place or element. Thus, the winds had their own name (for example, Boreas is the patron of the north wind, and Not - the southern wind) and the sea elements, and rivers, streams, islands and other natural objects were under the power of the nymphs who lived there.

Supernatural beings

Appear regularly in myths and poems. Here are some of them:

• Gorgon Medusa;
• Minotaur;
• Basilisk;
• Sirens;
• Griffins;
• Centaurs;
• Cerberus;
• Scylla and Charybdis;
• Satires;
• Echidna;
• Harpies.

The role of the gods for the Greeks

The Greeks themselves did not consider the gods to be something distant and absolute. They weren't even all-powerful. Firstly, each of them had his own area of ​​​​activity, and secondly, they argued among themselves and people, and victory was not always on the side of the former. Gods and people were connected by a common origin, and people considered the gods to be superior to them in strength and abilities, hence the worship and peculiar ethics of treating the gods: they could not be angered and they could not be proud of victories over them.

An illustration of the latter was the fate of Ajax, who escaped the wrath of Poseidon, but the latter still caught up with him and broke the rock to which he was clinging. And also a symbolic description of the fate of Arachne, who surpassed Athena in the art of weaving and was turned into a spider.

But both gods and people were subject to fate, which was personified by the three Moirai, weaving the thread of fate for every mortal and immortal. This image comes from the Indo-European past and is identical to the Slavic Rozhanitsy and Germanic Norns. For the Romans, fate is represented by Fatum.

Their origin is lost; in ancient times there were various legends about how they were born.

At a later time, when Greek philosophy began to develop, the concepts of what governs the world began to develop precisely in the direction of a certain higher world that has power over everything. First, Plato outlined the theory of ideas, then his student, Aristotle, substantiated the existence of a single deity. The development of such theories prepared the way for the spread of Christianity later.

Influence of Greek mythology on Roman

The Roman Republic, and then the Empire, absorbed Greece quite early, in the 2nd century BC. But Greece not only avoided the fate of other conquered territories that underwent Romanization (Spain, Gaul), but also became a kind of standard of culture. Some Greek letters were borrowed into the Latin language, dictionaries were replenished with Greek words, and knowledge of Greek itself was considered a sign of an educated person.

The dominance of Greek mythology was also inevitable - it was closely intertwined with Roman, and Roman became, as it were, its continuation. The Roman gods, who had their own history and characteristics of the cult, became analogues of the Greek ones. Thus, Zeus became an analogue of Jupiter, Hera - Juno, and Athena - Minerva. Here are some more gods:

• Hercules - Hercules;
• Aphrodite - Venus;
• Hephaestus - Vulcan;
• Ceres - Demeter;
• Vesta - Hestia;
• Hermes - Mercury;
• Artemis - Diana.

Mythology was also subsumed under Greek models. Thus, the original god of love in Greek mythology (more precisely, the personification of love itself) was Eros - among the Romans it corresponded to Cupid. The legend of the founding of Rome was “tied” to the Trojan War, where the hero Aeneas was introduced, who became the ancestor of the inhabitants of Lazio. The same applies to other mythical characters.

Ancient Greek mythology: influence on culture

The last followers of the cult of the ancient Greek gods lived in Byzantium back in the first millennium AD. They were called Hellenes (from the word Hellas) in contrast to the Christians, who considered themselves Romans (heirs of the Roman Empire). In the 10th century, Greek polytheism was completely eradicated.

But the myths and legends of Ancient Greece did not die. They became the basis of many folklore stories of the Middle Ages, and in countries completely distant from each other: for example, the story about Cupid and Psyche became the basis for the fairy tale about beauty and the beast, presented in the Russian corpus as “The Scarlet Flower.” In medieval books, pictures with scenes from the mythology of the Greeks - from European to Russian - are not uncommon (in any case, they are in the Litsevoy Vault of Ivan the Terrible).

All European ideas about the pre-Christian era were associated with the Greek gods. Thus, the action of Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear” dates back to pre-Christian times, and although at that time the Celts lived on the territory of the British Isles and there were Roman garrisons, it is the Greek gods that are mentioned.

Finally, Greek mythology became a source of subjects for the works of artists, and for a long time it was a plot from Greek mythology (or, as an option, the Bible) that was supposed to be the topic of the examination paper for graduation from the Academy of Arts in the Russian Empire. The future members of the Itinerants Association who broke this tradition became famous.

The names of the Greek gods and their Roman analogues are used to name celestial bodies, new types of microscopic creatures, and some concepts have firmly entered the vocabulary of citizens far from Greek mythology. Thus, inspiration for a new business is described as the convergence of the muse (“for some reason the muse does not come”); the mess in the house is called chaos (there is even a colloquial version with the emphasis on the second syllable), and the vulnerable spot is called the Achilles heel by those who do not know who Achilles is.

Gods of ancient Greece

Hades - god - ruler of the kingdom of the dead.

Antaeus is a hero of myths, a giant, the son of Poseidon and the Earth of Gaia. The earth gave its son strength, thanks to which no one could control him.

Apollo is the god of sunlight. The Greeks depicted him as a beautiful young man.

Ares is the god of treacherous war, the son of Zeus and Hera.

Asclepius - god of medicine, son of Apollo and the nymph Coronis

Boreas is the god of the north wind, the son of the Titanides Astraeus (starry sky) and Eos (morning dawn), brother of Zephyr and Note. He was depicted as a winged, long-haired, bearded, powerful deity.

Bacchus is one of the names of Dionysus.

Helios (Helium) is the god of the Sun, brother of Selene (goddess of the Moon) and Eos (dawn). In late antiquity he was identified with Apollo, the god of sunlight.

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maya, one of the most multi-valued Greek gods. Patron of wanderers, crafts, trade, thieves. Possessing the gift of eloquence.

Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera, the god of fire and blacksmithing. He was considered the patron of artisans.

Hypnos is the deity of sleep, the son of Nyx (Night). He was depicted as a winged youth.

Dionysus (Bacchus) is the god of viticulture and winemaking, the object of a number of cults and mysteries. He was depicted either as an obese elderly man or as a young man with a wreath of grape leaves on his head.

Zagreus is the god of fertility, the son of Zeus and Persephone.

Zeus is the supreme god, king of gods and people.

Zephyr is the god of the west wind.

Iacchus is the god of fertility.

Kronos is a titan, the youngest son of Gaia and Uranus, the father of Zeus. He ruled the world of gods and people and was overthrown from the throne by Zeus...

Mom is the son of the goddess of Night, the god of slander.

Morpheus is one of the sons of Hypnos, the god of dreams.

Nereus is the son of Gaia and Pontus, a meek sea god.

Not - the god of the south wind, was depicted with a beard and wings.

Ocean is a titan, the son of Gaia and Uranus, the brother and husband of Tethys and the father of all the rivers of the world.

The Olympians are the supreme gods of the younger generation of Greek gods, led by Zeus, who lived on the top of Mount Olympus.

Pan is a forest god, the son of Hermes and Dryope, a goat-footed man with horns. He was considered the patron saint of shepherds and small livestock.

Pluto is the god of the underworld, often identified with Hades, but unlike him, he owned not the souls of the dead, but the riches of the underworld.

Plutos is the son of Demeter, a god who gives wealth to people.

Pontus is one of the senior Greek deities, the offspring of Gaia, the god of the sea, the father of many titans and gods.

Poseidon is one of the Olympian gods, the brother of Zeus and Hades, who rules over the sea elements. Poseidon was also subject to the bowels of the earth,
he commanded storms and earthquakes.

Proteus is a sea deity, son of Poseidon, patron of seals. He had the gift of reincarnation and prophecy.

Satyrs are goat-footed creatures, demons of fertility.

Thanatos is the personification of death, the twin brother of Hypnos.

The Titans are a generation of Greek gods, the ancestors of the Olympians.

Typhon is a hundred-headed dragon born of Gaia or Hera. During the battle of the Olympians and the Titans, he was defeated by Zeus and imprisoned under the volcano Etna in Sicily.

Triton is the son of Poseidon, one of the sea deities, a man with a fish tail instead of legs, holding a trident and a twisted shell - a horn.

Chaos is an endless empty space from which at the beginning of time the most ancient gods of the Greek religion - Nyx and Erebus - emerged.

Chthonic gods are deities of the underworld and fertility, relatives of the Olympians. These included Hades, Hecate, Hermes, Gaia, Demeter, Dionysus and Persephone.

Cyclops are giants with one eye in the middle of their forehead, children of Uranus and Gaia.