Gods of crafts of ancient Greece. Ancient gods of ancient Greece briefly

Names greek gods and goddesses are still heard today - we know the myths and legends about them, we can use them to convey the image. Often in modern literary works mention some motifs known since the times of ancient Greece. Let's consider brief information about Greek gods and goddesses, the mythology of this country.

Greek gods

There are many Greek gods and goddesses, but we will focus on those whose names are to some extent familiar to a wide circle of people today:

Hades is the famous ruler of the world of the dead, which in myths is often called the kingdom of Hades;
Apollo is the god of light and the sun, a most beautiful young man who is still mentioned as a model of male attractiveness;
Ares is an aggressive god of war;
Bacchus or Dionysus - the eternally young god of wine (who, by the way, was sometimes depicted as an obese man);
Zeus is the supreme deity, ruler over people and other gods.
Pluto is the god of the underworld, who owned countless underground riches (while Hades ruled over the souls of the dead).
Poseidon is the god of the entire sea element, who could easily control earthquakes and storms;
Thanatos – god of death;
Aeolus - lord of the winds;
Eros is the god of love, the force that contributed to the emergence of an ordered world from chaos.

Typically, Greek gods and goddesses were symbolically depicted as beautiful and powerful people living on Olympus. They were not perfect, they were connected by intricate relationships and simple human passions.

Goddesses of ancient Greece

Let's look at the most famous ancient Greek goddesses. There are quite a few of them, and each of them is responsible for something different:

Artemis – goddess of nature, patroness of hunting and hunters;
Athena is the famous goddess of wisdom and war, patron of science and knowledge;
Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty, was considered the standard of female perfection;
Hebe is the deity of eternal youth, who participated in the feasts of the Olympians;
Hecate is a slightly lesser-known goddess of dreams, darkness and witchcraft;
Hera is the supreme goddess, patroness of marriage;
Hestia is the goddess of fire in general and the hearth in particular;
Demeter is the patroness of fertility, helping farmers;
Metis is the goddess of wisdom, the mother of Athena herself;
Eris is the warlike goddess of disassembly.

This is far from full list all Greek gods and goddesses, but this includes the most famous and recognizable of them.

Greek mythology has always attracted attention with its diversity. The names of Greek gods and goddesses began to appear in many ballads, stories and films. A special role has always been given to the goddesses of Hellas. Each of them had its own charm and zest.

Names of Greek goddesses

This list is quite wide and varied, but there are those goddesses who played vital role in Greek mythology. One of them was Aurora, whose name was increasingly given to daughters. Daughter of Hyperion and Thea, goddess of the dawn and wife of the Titan Astraeus. The Greek names of goddesses and their images were always carefully thought out and carried a special semantic load. Aurora brought daylight to people and was often depicted as winged. Often she sat on a chariot drawn by horses in red and yellow blankets. A halo or crown was depicted above her head, and in her hands she held a burning torch. Homer described her image especially vividly. Rising early in the morning from her bed, the goddess sailed on her chariot from the depths of the seas, illuminating the entire Universe with bright light.

Famous Greek goddess names also include Artemis, a wild and unrestrained young maiden. She was depicted in a tightly tucked dress, sandals, with a bow and a spear behind her back. A hunter by nature, she led her nymph friends, and was always accompanied by a pack of dogs. She was the daughter of Zeus and Latona.
Artemis was born on the quiet island of Delos in the shade of palm trees along with her brother Apollo. They were very friendly, and Artemis often came to visit her beloved brother to listen to his magnificent playing of the golden cithara. And at dawn the goddess went hunting again.

Athena is a wise woman whose image was the most revered among all the inhabitants of Olympus who glorified Greek names. There are many goddesses-daughters of Zeus, but only she was born in a helmet and shell. She was responsible for victory in the war and was the patroness of knowledge and crafts. She was independent and proud of the fact that she remained a virgin forever. Many believed that she was equal to her father in strength and wisdom. Her birth was quite unusual. After all, when Zeus found out that a child could be born, surpassing him in power, he ate the mother who was carrying his child. After which he was overcome by a severe headache, and he called on his son Hephaestus to cut off the head. Hephaestus fulfilled his father’s request, and the wise warrior Athena emerged from the split skull.

Speaking about Greek goddesses, one cannot fail to mention the beautiful Aphrodite - the goddess of love, who awakens this bright feeling in the hearts of gods and mortals.
Slender, tall, radiant incredible beauty, pampered and flighty, she has power over everyone. Aphrodite is nothing more than the personification of unfading youth and divine beauty. She has her own maids who comb her golden sparkling hair and dress her in beautiful clothes. Where this goddess passes, flowers instantly bloom and the air is filled with amazing aromas.

The famous Greek names of goddesses are firmly established not only in Greek mythology, but also in world history generally. Many name them after their daughters, believing that they will acquire the same qualities that the great goddesses possessed.

Who knows all the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece?? ? (name it!!!)

Free as a wind**

Gods of ancient Greece
Hades - god - ruler of the kingdom of the dead.

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 (morning dawn). In late antiquity he was identified with Apollo, the god of sunlight.

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

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 dethroned by Zeus. .

Aeolus is the lord of the winds.

Ether - sky deity

Laria and Ruslan F

1. Gaia
2. Ocean
3. Uranus
4. Hemera
5. Chronos
6. Eros
7. Cyclops
8. Titans
9. Muses
10. Rhea
11. Demeter
12. Poseidon
13. Summer
14. Pan
15. Hestia
16. Artemis
17. Ares
18. Athena
19. Aphrodite
20. Apollo
21. Hera
22. Hermes
23. Zeus
24. Hecate
25. Hephaestus
26. Dionysus
27. Pluto
28. Antey
29. Ancient Babylonia
30. Persephone

Nikolay Pakhomov

Lists of gods and genealogy differ among different ancient authors. The lists below are compilative.
First generation of gods
At first there was Chaos. Gods who emerged from Chaos - Gaia (Earth), Nikta (Nyukta) (Night), Tartarus (Abyss), Erebus (Darkness), Eros (Love); gods that emerged from Gaia - Uranus (Sky) and Pontus (inner Sea). The gods had the appearance of those natural elements that they embodied.
Children of Gaia (fathers - Uranus, Pontus and Tartarus) - Keto (mistress of sea monsters), Nereus (calm sea), Taumant (sea wonders), Phorcys (guardian of the sea), Eurybia ( sea power), titans and titanides. Children of Nyx and Erebus - Hemera (Day), Hypnos (Dream), Kera (misfortune), Moira (Fate), Mom (Slander and Stupidity), Nemesis (Retribution), Thanatos (Death), Eris (Strife), Erinyes (Vengeance) ), Ether (Air); Apata (Deception).

Natalia

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 a god treacherous war, 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 wealth 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 - son of Poseidon, one of sea deities, a man with a fish tail instead of legs, holding a trident and a twisted shell - a horn.
Chaos is the endless empty space from which at the beginning of time arose ancient gods Greek religion - Nyx and Erebus.
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 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.

Hades - God is the ruler of the kingdom of the dead.

Antey- 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.

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

Ares- god of treacherous war, son of Zeus and Hera

Asclepius- god of healing arts, son of Apollo and the nymph Coronis

Boreas- 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.

Bacchus- one of the names of Dionysus.

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

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

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

Hypnos- deity of sleep, son of Nikta (Night). He was depicted as a winged youth.

Dionysus (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.

Zagreus- god of fertility, son of Zeus and Persephone.

Zeus- supreme god, king of gods and people.

Marshmallow- god of the west wind.

Iacchus- god of fertility.

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

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

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

Nereus- son of Gaia and Pontus, meek sea god.

Note- the god of the south wind, depicted with a beard and wings.

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

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

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

Pluto- the god of the underworld, often identified with Hades, but unlike from him, who owned not the souls of the dead, but the riches of the underworld.

Plutos- son of Demeter, god who gives wealth to people.

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

Poseidon- one of the Olympian gods, 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- sea deity, son of Poseidon, patron of seals. He had the gift of reincarnation and prophecy.

Satires- goat-footed creatures, demons of fertility.

Thanatos- personification of death, twin brother of Hypnos.

Titans- generation of Greek gods, ancestors of the Olympians.

Typhon- 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- 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- 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 - deities of the underworld and fertility, relatives of the Olympians. These included Hades, Hecate, Hermes, Gaia, Demeter, Dionysus and Persephone.

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

Eurus (Eur)- god of the southeast wind.

Aeolus- lord of the winds.

Erebus- personification of the darkness of the underworld, son of Chaos and 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- deity of the sky

Goddesses of ancient Greece

Artemis- goddess of hunting and nature.

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

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

Aphrodite (Kytharea, 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- daughter of Zeus and Hera, goddess of youth. Sister of Ares and Ilithyia. She served the Olympian gods at feasts.

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

Gemera- goddess daylight, personification of the day, born of Nikta and Erebus. Often identified with Eos.

Hera- 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- goddess of the hearth and fire.

Gaia- mother earth, foremother of all gods and people.

Demitra- goddess of fertility and agriculture.

Dryads- lower deities, nymphs who lived in trees.

Diana-goddess of the hunt

Ilithia- patron goddess of women in labor.

Iris- winged goddess, assistant of Hera, messenger of the gods.

Calliope- muse of epic poetry and science.

Kera- demonic creatures, children of the goddess Nikta, bringing troubles and death to people.

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

Clotho ("spinner") - one of the moiras that spin the thread of human life.

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

Summer- Titanide, mother of Apollo and Artemis.

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

Melpomene- muse of tragedy.

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

Mnemosyne- mother of nine muses, goddess of memory.

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

Muses- patron goddess of the arts and sciences.

Naiads- nymphs-guardians of waters.

Nemesis- daughter of Nikta, a goddess who personified fate and retribution, punishing people in accordance with their sins.

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

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

Nymphs- lower deities in the hierarchy of Greek gods. They personified the forces of nature.

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

Orestiades- mountain nymphs.

Ory- goddess of the seasons, peace and order, daughter of Zeus and Themis.

Peyto- goddess of persuasion, companion of Aphrodite, often identified with her patroness.

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

Polyhymnia- the muse of serious hymn poetry.

Tethys- daughter of Gaia and Uranus, wife of Ocean and mother of the Nereids and Oceanids.

Rhea- mother of the Olympian gods.

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

Waist- the muse of comedy.

Terpsichore- muse of dance art.

Tisiphone- one of the Erinyes.

Quiet- 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- one of the nine muses, patroness of astronomy.

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

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

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

Eris- daughter of Nyx, sister of Ares, goddess of discord.

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

Erato- Muse of lyrical and erotic poetry.

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

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

The pantheon of Greek gods is represented not only by strong and powerful gods, but also by goddesses.

Titanides- goddesses of the second generation, six sisters:
Mnemosyne - the goddess who personified memory; Rhea - goddess, mother of the Olympian gods; Theia is the first lunar goddess; Tethys is the goddess who gives life to everything that exists; Phoebe is the goddess, nurse of Apollo, Themis is the goddess of justice.

Olympians - third generation goddesses:
Hera is the goddess of marriage and family, Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, crafts and art, Artemis is the goddess of hunting, fertility and female chastity, Hestia is the goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire, Demeter is the goddess of fertility and agriculture.

Minor Greek goddesses:
Selene - goddess of the Moon; Persephone - goddess of the kingdom of the dead and fertility; Nike - goddess of victory; Hebe - goddess of eternal youth; Eos - goddess of the dawn; Tyche - goddess of happiness, chance and luck; Enyo - goddess of furious war; Chloris - goddess of flowers and gardens; Dike (Themis) - goddess of justice, justice; Nemesis is the winged goddess of revenge and retribution; Iris - goddess of the rainbow; Gaia is the goddess of the earth.

Detailed description of Greek goddesses
Aurora is the goddess of the dawn. The ancient Greeks called Aurora the ruddy dawn, the rose-fingered goddess Eos. Aurora was the daughter of the titan Hipperion and Theia. According to another version of the Sun - Helios and the Moon - Selene).
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Lethe, the sister of Apollo, among female deities the same as her brother among male ones. She gives light and life, she is the goddess of childbirth and the goddess-nurse; accompanied by forest nymphs, hunts through forests and mountains, protects herds and game. She has never submitted to the power of love, and, like Apollo, she does not know the bonds of marriage. In Roman mythology - Diana.
Athena is the daughter of Zeus who had no mother. Hephaestus cut the head of Zeus with an ax, and Athena jumped out of his head in full armor. She is the personification of the prudence of Zeus. Athena is the goddess of intelligence, war, sciences and arts. In Roman mythology - Minerva
Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Diana, so called because she allegedly came from sea foam. She is the goddess of beauty, happy love and marriage, surpassing all goddesses in charm and grace. In Roman mythology - Venus.
Venus - in Roman mythology, the goddess of gardens, beauty and love, was identified with Aeneas' mother Aphrodite. Venus was not only the goddess of beauty and love, but also the patroness of the descendants of Aeneas and all Romans.
Hecate is the goddess of the night, ruler of darkness. Hecate ruled over all ghosts and monsters, night visions and sorcery. She was born as a result of the marriage of the titan Persus and Asteria.
Graces - in Roman mythology, beneficent goddesses, personifying the joyful, kind and eternally youthful beginning of life, daughters of Jupiter, nymphs and goddesses. IN ancient greek mythology- Charites.
Diana - in Roman mythology, the goddess of nature and hunting, was considered the personification of the moon. Diana was also accompanied by the epithet “goddess of the three roads,” interpreted as a sign of Diana’s triple power: in heaven, on earth and under the earth.
Iris is the personification of the rainbow, connecting heaven with earth, a messenger of the gods, a mediator in their relations with each other and with people. This is the messenger of Zeus and Hera and the servant of the latter.
Cybele, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, the wife of Kronos, was considered the great mother of the gods. She is the personification of the principle that organizes the elemental natural forces.
Minerva - in Roman mythology, the goddess of wisdom, art, war and cities, the patroness of artisans.
Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory in Greek mythology, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, a Titanide. Mother of the Muses, whom she gave birth to from Zeus. According to the number of nine nights that Mnemosyne gave to Zeus, there were nine muses.
The Moirai are Lachesis (“the giver of lots”), Clotho (“the spinner”) and Atropos (“the inevitable one”), daughters of Nyx. The Moiras are the goddesses of fate, natural necessity, eternal and immutable world laws.
Muses are goddesses and patrons of the arts and sciences. The Muses were considered the daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory Mnemosyne.
Nemesis is the goddess of vengeance. The duties of the goddess included punishment for crimes, overseeing the fair and equal distribution of goods among mortals. Nemesis was born by Nikto as punishment for Kronos.
Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, or Caecera, the wife of Pluto, or Hades, a formidable mistress of shadows, ruling over the souls of the dead and over the monsters of the underworld, listening, together with Hades, to the curses of people and fulfilling them. In Roman mythology - Proserpina.
Rhea - in ancient myth-making Greek goddess, one of the Titanides, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, wife of Kronos. The cult of Rhea was considered one of the most ancient, but was not widespread in Greece itself.
Tethys is one of the most ancient deities, a Titanide, the daughter of Gaia and Uranus, the sister and wife of the Ocean, the mother of streams, rivers and three thousand oceanids, was considered the goddess who gives life to everything that exists.
Themis is the goddess of justice. The Greeks also called the goddess Themis, Themis. Themis was the daughter of the sky god Uranus and Gaia. Her daughters were the goddesses of fate - the Moiras.
The Charites, the daughters of Zeus and the oceanid Eurynome, embodied a joyful, kind and eternally young beginning. The names of these beautiful goddesses were Aglaya (“shining”), Euphrosyne (“well-meaning”), Thalia (“blooming”), Cleta (“desired”) and Peyto (“persuasion”).
Eumenides - merciful, benevolent goddesses - one of the names of female deities, most known under the name Erinyes, among the Romans the Furies, which means angry, furious, avenging goddesses.
Erinyes are the daughters of Earth and Darkness, terrible goddesses of curse, revenge and punishment, who rebelled against criminals and punished them only for the sake of restoring moral order in the world; they mainly acted as avengers for the violation of family rights sanctified by nature. In Roman mythology - Furies

The main gods in Ancient Hellas were recognized as those who belonged to the younger generation of celestials. Once upon a time, it took away power over the world from the older generation, who personified the main universal forces and elements (see about this in the article The Origin of the Gods of Ancient Greece). The gods of the older generation are usually called titans. Having defeated the Titans, the younger gods, led by Zeus, settled on Mount Olympus. The ancient Greeks honored the 12 Olympian gods. Their list usually included Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hermes, Hestia. Hades is also close to the Olympian gods, but he does not live on Olympus, but in his underground kingdom.

Gods Ancient Greece. Video

God Poseidon (Neptune). Antique statue of the 2nd century. according to R.H.

Olympian goddess Artemis. Statue in the Louvre

Statue of Virgin Athena in the Parthenon. Ancient Greek sculptor Phidias

Venus (Aphrodite) de Milo. Statue approx. 130-100 BC.

Eros Earthly and Heavenly. Artist G. Baglione, 1602

Hymen- companion of Aphrodite, god of marriage. After his name, wedding hymns were also called hymens in Ancient Greece.

- daughter of Demeter, kidnapped by the god Hades. Inconsolable mother after long search found Persephone in the underworld. Hades, who made her his wife, agreed that she should spend part of the year on earth with her mother, and the other with him in the bowels of the earth. Persephone was the personification of grain, which, being “dead” sown into the ground, then “comes to life” and comes out of it into the light.

The abduction of Persephone. Antique jug, ca. 330-320 BC.

Amphitrite- wife of Poseidon, one of the Nereids

Proteus- one of the sea deities of the Greeks. Son of Poseidon, who had the gift of predicting the future and changing his appearance

Triton- son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, messenger depths of the sea blowing a conch shell. By appearance- a mixture of man, horse and fish. Close to the eastern god Dagon.

Eirene- goddess of peace, standing at the throne of Zeus on Olympus. IN Ancient Rome- goddess Pax.

Nika- goddess of victory. Constant companion of Zeus. In Roman mythology - Victoria

Dike- in Ancient Greece - the personification of divine truth, a goddess hostile to deception

Tyukhe- goddess of luck and good fortune. For the Romans - Fortuna

Morpheus – ancient greek god dreams, son of the god of sleep Hypnos

Plutos– god of wealth

Phobos(“Fear”) – son and companion of Ares

Deimos(“Horror”) – son and companion of Ares

Enyo- among the ancient Greeks - the goddess of frantic war, who arouses rage in the fighters and brings confusion into the battle. In Ancient Rome - Bellona

Titans

Titans are the second generation of gods of Ancient Greece, generated by natural elements. The first Titans were six sons and six daughters, descended from the connection of Gaia-Earth with Uranus-Sky. Six sons: Cronus (Time among the Romans - Saturn), Ocean (father of all rivers), Hyperion, Kay, Kriy, Iapetus. Six daughters: Tethys(Water), Theia(Shine), Rhea(Mother Mountain?), Themis (Justice), Mnemosyne(Memory), Phoebe.

Uranus and Gaia. Ancient Roman mosaic 200-250 AD.

In addition to the Titans, Gaia gave birth to Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires from her marriage with Uranus.

Cyclops- three giants with a large, round, fiery eye in the middle of their forehead. In ancient times - personifications of clouds from which lightning flashes

Hecatoncheires- “hundred-handed” giants, against whose terrible strength nothing can resist. Incarnations of terrible earthquakes and floods.

The Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires were so strong that Uranus himself was horrified by their power. He tied them up and threw them deep into the earth, where they are still rampaging, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The presence of these giants in the belly of the earth began to cause terrible suffering. Gaia persuaded her youngest son, Cronus, to take revenge on his father, Uranus, by castrating him.

Cron did it with a sickle. From the drops of blood of Uranus that spilled, Gaia conceived and gave birth to three Erinyes - goddesses of vengeance with snakes on their heads instead of hair. The names of Erinny are Tisiphone (the killing avenger), Alecto (the tireless pursuer) and Megaera (the terrible). From that part of the seed and blood of castrated Uranus that fell not on the ground, but in the sea, the goddess of love Aphrodite was born.

Night-Nyukta, in anger at the lawlessness of Krona, gave birth to terrible creatures and deities Tanata (Death), Eridu(Discord) Apata(Deception), goddesses of violent death Ker, Hypnos(Dream-Nightmare), Nemesis(Revenge), Gerasa(Old age), Charona(carrier of the dead to the underworld).

Power over the world has now passed from Uranus to the Titans. They divided the universe among themselves. Cronus became the supreme god instead of his father. The ocean gained power over a huge river, which, according to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, flows around the entire earth. Four other brothers of Cronos reigned in the four cardinal directions: Hyperion - in the East, Crius - in the south, Iapetus - in the West, Kay - in the North.

Four of the six elder titans married their sisters. From them came the younger generation of titans and elemental deities. From the marriage of Oceanus with his sister Tethys (Water), all the earth's rivers and Oceanid water nymphs were born. Titan Hyperion - (“high-walking”) took his sister Theia (Shine) as his wife. From them were born Helios (Sun), Selena(Moon) and Eos(Dawn). From Eos were born the stars and the four gods of the winds: Boreas(North wind), Note(South wind), Marshmallow(west wind) and Eurus(Eastern wind). The Titans Kay (Heavenly Axis?) and Phoebe gave birth to Leto (Night Silence, mother of Apollo and Artemis) and Asteria (Starlight). Cronus himself married Rhea (Mother Mountain, the personification of the productive power of mountains and forests). Their children are the Olympic gods Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus.

The Titan Crius married the daughter of Pontus Eurybia, and the Titan Iapetus married the oceanid Clymene, who gave birth to the Titans Atlas (he holds the sky on his shoulders), the arrogant Menoetius, the cunning Prometheus (“thinking first, foreseeing”) and the feeble-minded Epimetheus (“thinking after").

From these titans came others:

Hesperus- god of the evening and the evening star. His daughters from the night-Nyukta are the nymphs Hesperides, who guard on the western edge of the earth a garden with golden apples, once presented by Gaia-Earth to the goddess Hera at her marriage to Zeus

Ory- goddesses of parts of the day, seasons and periods of human life.

Charites- goddess of grace, fun and joy of life. There are three of them - Aglaya (“Rejoicing”), Euphrosyne (“Joy”) and Thalia (“Abundance”). A number of Greek writers have different names for charites. In Ancient Rome they corresponded to grace

Rhea, captured by Cronus, bore him bright children - the Virgin - Hestia, Demeter and the golden-shod Hera, the glorious might of Hades, who lives underground, and the provider - Zeus, the father of both immortals and mortals, whose thunder makes the wide earth tremble. Hesiod "Theogony"

Greek literature arose from mythology. Myth- this is a performance ancient man about the world around him. Myths were created at a very early stage in the development of society in various areas of Greece. Later, all these myths merged into a single system.

With the help of myths, the ancient Greeks tried to explain all natural phenomena, presenting them in the form of living beings. At first, experiencing a strong fear of natural elements, people depicted the gods in a terrible animal form (Chimera, Gorgon Medusa, Sphinx, Lernaean Hydra).

However, later the gods become anthropomorphic, that is, they have a human appearance and are characterized by a variety of human qualities (jealousy, generosity, envy, generosity). The main difference between gods and people was their immortality, but for all their greatness, the gods communicated with mere mortals and even often entered into love relationships with them in order to give birth to a whole tribe of heroes on earth.

There are 2 types of ancient Greek mythology:

cosmogonic (cosmogony - the origin of the world) - ends with the birth of Kron
theogonic (theogony - the origin of gods and deities)

The mythology of Ancient Greece went through 3 main stages in its development:

pre-Olympic- This is mainly cosmogonic mythology. This stage begins with the idea of the ancient Greeks that everything came from Chaos, and ends with the murder of Cronus and the division of the world between the gods.
Olympic(early classic) – Zeus becomes the supreme deity and, with a retinue of 12 gods, settles on Olympus.
late heroism- heroes are born from gods and mortals who help the gods in establishing order and destroying monsters.

Poems were created on the basis of mythology, tragedies were written, and lyricists dedicated their odes and hymns to the gods.

There were two main groups of gods in Ancient Greece:

titans - gods of the second generation (six brothers - Ocean, Kay, Crius, Hipperion, Iapetus, Kronos and six sisters - Thetis, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Theia, Themis, Rhea)
olympian gods - Olympians - gods of the third generation. The Olympians included the children of Kronos and Rhea - Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus, as well as their descendants - Hephaestus, Hermes, Persephone, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Athena, Apollo and Artemis. Supreme God there was Zeus, who deprived his father of Kronos (the god of time) of power.

The Greek pantheon of the Olympian gods traditionally included 12 gods, but the composition of the pantheon was not very stable and sometimes numbered 14-15 gods. Usually these were: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Hades. The Olympian gods lived on the sacred Mount Olympus ( Olympos) in Olympia, off the coast of the Aegean Sea.

Translated from ancient Greek, the word pantheon means "all gods". Greeks

deities were divided into three groups:

Pantheon (great Olympian gods)
Lesser deities
Monsters

Heroes occupied a special place in Greek mythology. The most famous of them:

v Odysseus

Supreme gods of Olympus

Greek gods	Functions	Roman gods
	god of thunder and lightning, sky and weather, law and fate, attributes - lightning (three-pronged pitchfork with jagged edges), scepter, eagle or chariot drawn by eagles
	goddess of marriage and family, goddess of the sky and starry skies, attributes - diadem (crown), lotus, lion, cuckoo or hawk, peacock (two peacocks pulled her cart)
Aphrodite	“foam-born”, goddess of love and beauty, Athena, Artemis and Hestia were not subject to her, attributes - rose, apple, shell, mirror, lily, violet, belt and golden cup, bestowing eternal youth, retinue - sparrows, doves, dolphin, satellites - Eros, harites, nymphs, oras.
	god of the underworld of the dead, “generous” and “hospitable”, attribute – a magic invisibility hat and the three-headed dog Cerberus
	the god of treacherous war, military destruction and murder, he was accompanied by the goddess of discord Eris and the goddess of frantic war Enio, attributes - dogs, a torch and a spear, the chariot had 4 horses - Noise, Horror, Shine and Flame
	god of fire and blacksmithing, ugly and lame on both legs, attribute – blacksmith’s hammer
	goddess of wisdom, crafts and art, goddess of just war and military strategy, patroness of heroes, “owl-eyed”, used male attributes (helmet, shield - aegis made of Amalthea goat skin, decorated with the head of the Gorgon Medusa, spear, olive, owl and snake), appeared accompanied by Nika
	god of invention, theft, trickery, trade and eloquence, patron of heralds, ambassadors, shepherds and travelers, invented measures, numbers, taught people, attributes - a winged staff and winged sandals	Mercury
Poseidon	god of the seas and all bodies of water, floods, droughts and earthquakes, patron of sailors, attribute - trident, which causes storms, breaks rocks, knocks out springs, sacred animals - bull, dolphin, horse, sacred tree - pine
Artemis	goddess of hunting, fertility and female chastity, later - goddess of the Moon, patroness of forests and wild animals, forever young, she is accompanied by nymphs, attributes - a hunting bow and arrows, sacred animals - a doe and a bear
Apollo (Phoebus), Cyfared	“golden-haired”, “silver-haired”, god of light, harmony and beauty, patron of the arts and sciences, leader of the muses, predictor of the future, attributes - silver bow and golden arrows, golden cithara or lyre, symbols - olive, iron, laurel, palm tree, dolphin , swan, wolf
	goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire, virgin goddess. accompanied by 6 priestesses - vestals, who served the goddess for 30 years
	“Mother Earth”, goddess of fertility and agriculture, plowing and harvest, attributes – a sheaf of wheat and a torch
	god of fruitful forces, vegetation, viticulture, winemaking, inspiration and fun	Bacchus, Bacchus

Minor Greek gods

Greek gods	Functions	Roman gods
Asclepius	“opener”, god of healing and medicine, attribute – a staff entwined with snakes
Eros, Cupid	the god of love, the “winged boy”, was considered the product of a dark night and a bright day, Heaven and Earth, attributes - a flower and a lyre, later - arrows of love and a flaming torch
	“the sparkling eye of the night,” the moon goddess, queen of the starry sky, has wings and a golden crown
Persephone	goddess of the kingdom of the dead and fertility	Proserpina
	goddess of victory, depicted winged or in a pose of rapid movement, attributes - bandage, wreath, later - palm tree, then - weapons and trophy	Victoria
	goddess of eternal youth, depicted as a chaste girl pouring nectar
	“rose-fingered”, “beautiful-haired”, “golden-throned” goddess of the morning dawn
	goddess of happiness, chance and luck
	sun god, owner of seven herds of cows and seven herds of sheep
Kron (Chronos)	god of time, attribute – sickle
	goddess of furious war
Hypnos (Morpheus)
	goddess of flowers and gardens
	god of the west wind, messenger of the gods
Dike (Themis)	goddess of justice, justice, attributes - scales in right hand, blindfold, cornucopia in left hand; The Romans put a sword in the goddess's hand instead of a horn
	god of marriage, marital ties	Thalassius
Nemesis	winged goddess of revenge and retribution, punishing violations of public and moral standards, attributes - scales and bridle, sword or whip, chariot drawn by griffins	Adrastea
	"golden-winged", goddess of the rainbow
	goddess of the earth

In addition to Olympus in Greece, there was the sacred Mount Parnassus, where they lived muses – 9 sisters, Greek deities who personified poetic and musical inspiration, patroness of the arts and sciences.

Greek muses

	What does it patronize?	Attributes
Calliope ("beautifully spoken")	muse of epic or heroic poetry	wax tablet and stylus (bronze writing rod)
(“glorifying”)	muse of history	papyrus scroll or scroll case
(“pleasant”)	muse of love or erotic poetry, lyrics and marriage songs	kifara (plucked string musical instrument, a type of lyre)
(“beautifully pleasing”)	muse of music and lyric poetry	aulos (a wind musical instrument similar to a pipe with a double reed, the predecessor of the oboe) and syringa (a musical instrument, a type of longitudinal flute)
(“heavenly”)	muse of astronomy	spotting scope and sheet with celestial signs
Melpomene (“singing”)	muse of tragedy	wreath of grape leaves or ivy, theatrical robe, tragic mask, sword or club.
Terpsichore (“delightfully dancing”)	muse of dance	wreath on the head, lyre and plectrum (mediator)
Polyhymnia (“a lot of singing”)	muse of sacred song, eloquence, lyricism, chant and rhetoric
(“blooming”)	muse of comedy and bucolic poetry	comic mask in hands and wreath ivy on head

Lesser deities in Greek mythology they are satyrs, nymphs and oras.

Satires - (Greek satyroi) are forest deities (the same as in Rus' goblin), demons fertility, retinue of Dionysus. They were depicted as goat-legged, hairy, with horse tails and small horns. Satyrs are indifferent to people, mischievous and cheerful, they were interested in hunting, wine, and pursued forest nymphs. Their other hobby was music, but they only played wind instruments that produced sharp, piercing sounds - the flute and the pipe. In mythology, they personified the rude, base nature in nature and man, so they were represented with ugly faces - with blunt, wide noses, swollen nostrils, tousled hair.

Nymphs – (the name means “source”, among the Romans it means “bride”) personification of the living elemental forces, noticed in the murmur of a stream, in the growth of trees, in the wild beauty of mountains and forests, spirits earth's surface, manifestations of natural forces acting besides man in the solitude of grottoes, valleys, forests, far from cultural centers. They were depicted as beautiful young girls with wonderful hair, wearing wreaths and flowers, sometimes in a dancing pose, with bare legs and arms, and loose hair. They engage in yarn and weaving, sing songs, dance in the meadows to the flute of Pan, hunt with Artemis, participate in the noisy orgies of Dionysus, and constantly fight with annoying satyrs. In the minds of the ancient Greeks, the world of nymphs was very vast.

The azure pond was full of flying nymphs,
The garden was animated by dryads,
And the bright water spring sparkled from the urn
Laughing naiads.

F. Schiller

Nymphs of the mountains - oreads,

nymphs of forests and trees - dryads,

nymphs of springs – naiads,

nymphs of the oceans - oceanids,

nymphs of the sea - nerids,

nymphs of the valleys - drink,

nymphs of meadows - limnades.

Ory - goddesses of the seasons, were in charge of order in nature. Guardians of Olympus, now opening and then closing its cloud gates. They are called the gatekeepers of the sky. Harnessing the horses of Helios.

There are numerous monsters in many mythologies. There were a lot of them in ancient Greek mythology too: Chimera, Sphinx, Lernaean Hydra, Echidna and many others.

In the same vestibule, crowds of shadows of monsters crowd:

Biform scylla and herds of centaurs live here,

Here Briareus the hundred-armed lives, and the dragon from Lernaean

The swamp hisses, and the Chimera frightens enemies with fire,

Harpies fly in a flock around three-body giants...

Virgil, "Aeneid"

Harpies are evil child abductors and human souls, suddenly swooping in and disappearing just as suddenly, like the wind, terrify people. Their number ranges from two to five; are depicted as wild half-women, half-birds of a disgusting appearance with the wings and paws of a vulture, with long sharp claws, but with the head and chest of a woman.

Gorgon Medusa - a monster with a woman’s face and snakes instead of hair, whose gaze turned a person to stone. According to legend there was beautiful girl with beautiful hair. Poseidon, seeing Medusa and falling in love, seduced her in the temple of Athena, for which the goddess of wisdom, in anger, turned the hair of the Gorgon Medusa into snakes. The Gorgon Medusa was defeated by Perseus, and her head was placed on the aegis of Athena.

Minotaur - a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. He was born from the unnatural love of Pasiphae (the wife of King Minos) and a bull. Minos hid the monster in the Knossos labyrinth. Every eight years, 7 boys and 7 girls descended into the labyrinth, destined for the Minotaur as victims. Theseus defeated the Minotaur, and with the help of Ariadne, who gave him a ball of thread, he got out of the labyrinth.

Cerberus (Kerberus) - This three headed dog with a snake tail and snake heads on his back, he guarded the exit from the kingdom of Hades, not allowing the dead to return to the kingdom of the living. He was defeated by Hercules during one of his labors.

Scylla and Charybdis - These are sea monsters located within an arrow's flight distance of each other. Charybdis is a sea whirlpool that absorbs water three times a day and spews it out the same number of times. Scylla (“barking”) is a monster in the form of a woman whose lower body was turned into 6 dog heads. When the ship passed by the rock where Scylla lived, the monster, with all its jaws open, abducted 6 people from the ship at once. The narrow strait between Scylla and Charybdis posed a mortal danger to everyone who sailed through it.

There were also other mythical characters in Ancient Greece.

Pegasus - winged horse, favorite of the muses. He flew at the speed of the wind. Riding Pegasus meant receiving poetic inspiration. He was born at the source of the Ocean, therefore he was named Pegasus (from Greek “stormy current”). According to one version, he jumped out of the body of the gorgon Medusa after Perseus cut off her head. Pegasus delivered thunder and lightning to Zeus on Olympus from Hephaestus, who made them.

From the foam of the sea, from the azure wave,

Faster than an arrow and more beautiful than a string,

An amazing fairy horse is flying

And easily catches the heavenly fire!

He loves to splash in colored clouds

And often walks in magical verses.

So that the ray of inspiration in the soul does not go out,

I saddle you, snow-white Pegasus!

Unicorn – mythical creature, symbolizing chastity. Usually depicted as a horse with one horn coming out of its forehead. The Greeks believed that the unicorn belonged to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Subsequently, in medieval legends there was a version that only a virgin could tame him. Once you catch a unicorn, you can only hold it with a golden bridle.

Centaurs - wild mortal creatures with the head and torso of a man on the body of a horse, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets, accompany Dionysus and are distinguished by their violent temperament and intemperance. Presumably, centaurs were originally the embodiment of mountain rivers and turbulent streams. In heroic myths, centaurs are the educators of heroes. For example, Achilles and Jason were raised by the centaur Chiron.