What ancient Greek gods. Gods and goddesses of ancient Greece

Gods of Olympus of Ancient Greece

The names of the ancient Greek gods that everyone knows - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hephaestus - are actually the descendants of the main inhabitants of heaven - the Titans. Having defeated them, the younger gods, led by Zeus, became the inhabitants of Mount Olympus. The Greeks worshiped, revered and paid tribute to the 12 gods of Olympus, personifying in Ancient Greece elements, virtue or the most important areas of social and cultural life.

Worshiped Ancient Greeks and Hades, but he did not live on Olympus, but lived underground, in the kingdom of the dead.

Who is more important? Gods of Ancient Greece

They got along well with each other, but sometimes there were clashes between them. From their life, which is described in Ancient Greek treatises, the legends and myths of this country emerged. Among the celestials there were those who occupied the high steps of the podium, while others were content with glory, being at the feet of the rulers. The list of gods of Olympia is as follows:

• Zeus.

• Hera.

• Hephaestus.

• Athena.

• Poseidon.

• Apollo.

• Artemis.

• Ares.

• Demeter.

• Hermes.

• Aphrodite.

• Hestia.

Zeus- the most important of all. He is the king of all gods. This thunderer personifies the endless firmament. Led by lightning. It is this ruler who distributes good and evil on the planet, the Greeks believed. The son of the titans married his own sister. Their four children were named Ilithyia, Hebe, Hephaestus and Ares. Zeus is a terrible traitor. He constantly engaged in adultery with other goddesses. He did not neglect earthly girls either. Zeus had something to surprise them with. He appeared to the Greek women either in the form of rain, or as a swan or a bull. Symbols of Zeus are eagle, thunder, oak.

Poseidon. This god ruled over the sea elements. In importance he was in second place after Zeus. In addition to oceans, seas and rivers, storms and sea monsters, Poseidon was “responsible” for earthquakes and volcanoes. In ancient Greek mythology, he was the brother of Zeus. Poseidon lived in a palace under water. He rode around in a rich chariot drawn by white horses. The trident is the symbol of this Greek god.

Hera. She is the main of the female goddesses. This celestial goddess patronizes family traditions, marriage and love unions. Hera is jealous. She cruelly punishes people for adultery.

Apollo- son of Zeus. He is the twin brother of Artemis. Initially, this god was the personification of light, the sun. But gradually his cult expanded its borders. This god turned into the patron of the beauty of the soul, mastery of art, and everything beautiful. The muses were under his influence. Before the Greeks, he appeared in a rather refined image of a man with aristocratic features. Apollo played excellent music and was engaged in healing and divination. He is the father of the god Asclepius, the patron saint of doctors. At one time, Apollo destroyed the terrible monster that occupied Delphi. For this he was exiled for 8 years. Later he created his own oracle, the symbol of which was the laurel.

Without Artemis The ancient Greeks did not imagine hunting. The patroness of forests personifies fertility, birth and high relations between the sexes.

Athena. Everything related to wisdom, spiritual beauty and harmony is under the auspices of this goddess. She is a great inventor, lover of science and art. Artisans and farmers are subordinate to her. Athena “gives the go-ahead” for the construction of cities and buildings. Thanks to her, public life flows smoothly. This goddess is called upon to protect the walls of fortresses and castles.

Hermes. This ancient Greek god is quite mischievous and has earned the reputation of being a fidget. Hermes is the patron of travelers and traders. He is also the messenger of the gods on earth. It was on his heels that charming wings began to shine for the first time. The Greeks attribute traits of resourcefulness to Hermes. He is cunning, smart and knows all foreign languages. When Hermes stole a dozen cows from Apollo, earning his wrath. But he was forgiven, because Apollo was captivated by the invention of Hermes - the lyre, which he presented to the god of beauty.

Ares. This god personifies war and everything connected with it. All kinds of battles and battles - under the representation of Ares. He is always young, strong and handsome. The Greeks painted him as powerful and warlike.

Aphrodite. She is the goddess of love and sensuality. Aphrodite constantly incites her son Eros to shoot arrows that ignite the fire of love in the hearts of people. Eros is the prototype of the Roman Cupid, a boy with a bow and quiver.

Hymen- god of marriage. Its bonds bind the hearts of people who met and fell in love with each other at first sight. Ancient Greek wedding chants were called "hymens".

Hephaestus- god of volcanoes and fire. Potters and blacksmiths are under his patronage. This is a hardworking and kind god. His fate did not turn out very well. He was born with a limp because his mother Hera threw him from Mount Olympus. Hephaestus was educated by the goddesses - the queens of the sea. On Olympus he returned and generously rewarded Achilles, presenting him with a shield and Helios with a chariot.
Demeter. She personifies the forces of nature that people have conquered. This is agriculture. A person’s entire life is under the watchful control of Demeter - from birth to deathbed.
Hestia. This goddess patronizes family ties, protects the hearth and comfort. The Greeks took care of offerings to Hestia by setting up altars in their homes. All residents of one city are one big community-family, the Greeks are sure. Even in the main city building there was a symbol of Hestia's sacrifices.
Hades- ruler of the kingdom of the dead. In his underground world, dark creatures, dark shadows, and demonic monsters rejoice. Hades is considered one of the most powerful gods. He moved around the kingdom of Hades in a chariot made of gold. His horses are black. Hades - owns untold wealth. All the gems and ores that are contained in the depths belong to him. The Greeks feared him more than fire and even Zeus himself.

Except 12 gods of Olympus and Hades, the Greeks also have a lot of gods and even demigods. All of them are descendants and brothers of the main celestials. Each of them has its own legends or myths.

Wedding in Greece. Meteors or union in heaven.

Meteors are huge rocks. They perched right outside the Greek city of Kalambaka. There are monasteries and a majestic kingdom of freedom and beauty everywhere. Fly over such sights in a hot air balloon. What could be more beautiful? An unforgettable trip will give you a lot of impressions and unique emotions.

Tours to Greece in summer - choosing an airline

The holiday season is in full swing. Many Russians choose Greek resorts for their holidays. Right now, many are interested in which international and domestic airports in Greece are ready to receive domestic tourists and at the same time offer the most favorable terms of cooperation.

Kos Island

Located in the Aegean Sea, the island of Kos has been compared to the “Aegean floating garden”. Its blooming gardens, green meadows and shady parks take you into the incomparable fairy tale of Greece. Pink flamingos walk on the salt lakes of this island, the rarest birds have chosen the forests, and the coastal cliffs have become a haven for mountain goats. On the southern coast it is quite easy to spot Mediterranean seals.

Tahini (also known as sesame paste) is a fatty paste made from ground sesame seeds. It is added to some appetizers and main courses, and is also used as a base for many sauces. Tahini consists entirely of ground sesame seeds. In some Greek taverns, tahini is diluted with water or mixed with olive oil and lemon juice, and many different spices and seasonings are added.

Thessaloniki in Greece. History, sights (part eight)

Towers and fortresses rise above the historical part of Thessaloniki - buildings that have dominated the city for more than six centuries. In ancient times, fortifications were built to protect and defend any more or less large settlement, and Thessaloniki is no exception. In the Old Town is Ano Poli (Upper Town), called by the local population Kastra (Fortress), located from the center to the north of Thessaloniki, which was not overcome by the devastating fire of 1917. In the old days, Ano Poli was a fortress and was surrounded by fairly high fortified walls, some of which, belonging to the Byzantine and Ottoman eras, have survived to this day.

As is known, they were pagans, i.e. They believed in several gods. There were a great many of the latter. However, there were only twelve main and most revered ones. They were part of the Greek pantheon and lived on the sacred So, what are the Olympian gods of Ancient Greece? This is the question being considered today. All the gods of Ancient Greece obeyed only Zeus.

He is the god of the sky, lightning and thunder. People are also considered. He can see the future. Zeus maintains the balance of good and evil. He is given the power to punish and forgive. He strikes guilty people with lightning, and overthrows the gods from Olympus. In Roman mythology it corresponds to Jupiter.

However, on Olympus near Zeus there is also a throne for his wife. And Hera takes it.

She is the patroness of marriage and mothers during childbirth, the protector of women. On Olympus she is the wife of Zeus. In Roman mythology, her counterpart is Juno.

He is the god of cruel, treacherous and bloody war. He is delighted only by the spectacle of a hot battle. On Olympus, Zeus tolerates him only because he is the son of the Thunderer. Its analogue in the mythology of Ancient Rome is Mars.

Ares will not have long to go on rampage if Pallas Athena appears on the battlefield.

She is the goddess of wise and just war, knowledge and art. It is believed that she came into being from the head of Zeus. Her prototype in the myths of Rome is Minerva.

Has the moon risen in the sky? This means, according to the ancient Greeks, the goddess Artemis went for a walk.

Artemis

She is the patroness of the Moon, hunting, fertility and female chastity. Her name is associated with one of the seven wonders of the world - the temple in Ephesus, which was burned by the ambitious Herostratus. She is also the sister of the god Apollo. Her counterpart in Ancient Rome is Diana.

Apollo

He is the god of sunlight, marksmanship, as well as a healer and leader of the muses. He is the twin brother of Artemis. Their mother was the Titanide Leto. His prototype in Roman mythology is Phoebus.

Love is a wonderful feeling. And, as the inhabitants of Hellas believed, she is patronized by the equally beautiful goddess Aphrodite

Aphrodite

She is the goddess of beauty, love, marriage, spring, fertility and life. According to legend, it appeared from a shell or sea foam. Many gods of Ancient Greece wanted to marry her, but she chose the ugliest of them - the lame Hephaestus. In Roman mythology, she was associated with the goddess Venus.

Is considered a jack of all trades. He was born with an ugly appearance, and his mother Hera, not wanting to have such a child, threw her son from Olympus. He didn't crash, but since then he's been limping badly. His counterpart in Roman mythology is Vulcan.

There is a big holiday, people are happy, wine flows like a river. The Greeks believe that it is Dionysus who is having fun on Olympus.

Dionysus

Is and fun. Was carried and born... by Zeus. This is true, the Thunderer was both his father and mother. It so happened that Zeus’s beloved, Semele, at the instigation of Hera, asked him to appear in all his power. As soon as he did this, Semele immediately burned in the flames. Zeus barely managed to snatch their premature son from her and sew him into his thigh. When Dionysus, born of Zeus, grew up, his father made him cupbearer of Olympus. In Roman mythology his name is Bacchus.

Where do the souls of dead people go? To the kingdom of Hades, that’s how the ancient Greeks would have answered.

This is the ruler of the underground kingdom of the dead. He is the brother of Zeus.

Is the sea rough? This means that Poseidon is angry about something - this is what the inhabitants of Hellas thought.

Poseidon

This is the oceans, the lord of the waters. He is also the brother of Zeus.

Conclusion

That's all the main gods of Ancient Greece. But you can learn about them not only from myths. Over the centuries, artists have formed a consensus about Ancient Greece (pictures presented above).

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 an ancient man’s idea of ​​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:

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

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

1. 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.
2. Olympic(early classic) – Zeus becomes the supreme deity and, with a retinue of 12 gods, settles on Olympus.
3. 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:

1. titans - gods of the second generation (six brothers - Ocean, Kay, Crius, Hipperion, Iapetus, Kronos and six sisters - Thetis, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Theia, Themis, Rhea)
2. 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. The supreme god was Zeus, who deprived his father 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

Minor Greek gods

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

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 - “bride”) the personification of living elemental forces, noticed in the murmur of a stream, in the growth of trees, in the wild beauty of mountains and forests, spirits of the 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:

Two-shaped 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 - these are evil kidnappers of children and human souls, suddenly swooping in and disappearing as suddenly as the wind, terrifying 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, she was a 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 is a three-headed dog with a snake tail and snake heads on its back, guarding 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 - a 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 stormy streams. In heroic myths, centaurs are the educators of heroes. For example, Achilles and Jason were raised by the centaur Chiron.

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 older generation of gods 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.

- the main deity of ancient Greek mythology, the king of all other gods, the personification of the boundless sky, the lord of lightning. In Roman religion Jupiter corresponded to it.

Poseidon - the god of the seas, among the ancient Greeks - the second most important deity after Zeus. Like olithe symbol of the changeable and turbulent water element, Poseidon was closely associated with earthquakes and volcanic activity. In Roman mythology he was identified with Neptune.

Hades - the ruler of the gloomy underground kingdom of the dead, inhabited by the ethereal shadows of the dead and terrible demonic creatures. Hades (Hades), Zeus and Poseidon made up the triad of the most powerful gods of Ancient Hellas. As ruler of the depths of the earth, Hades was also involved in agricultural cults, with which his wife, Persephone, was closely associated. The Romans called him Pluto.

Hera - sister and wife of Zeus, the main female goddess of the Greeks. Patroness of marriage and conjugal love. Jealous Hera severely punishes violation of marriage bonds. For the Romans, it corresponded to Juno.

Apollo - originally the god of sunlight, whose cult then gained broader meaning and connection with the ideas of spiritual purity, artistic beauty, medical healing, and retribution for sins. As the patron of creative activity, he is considered the head of the nine muses, and as a healer, he is considered the father of the god of doctors, Asclepius. The image of Apollo among the ancient Greeks was formed under the strong influence of Eastern cults (the Asia Minor god Apelun) and carried refined, aristocratic features. Apollo was also called Phoebus. He was revered under the same names in Ancient Rome.

Artemis - sister of Apollo, virgin goddess of forests and hunting. Like the cult of Apollo, the veneration of Artemis was brought to Greece from the East (the Asia Minor goddess Rtemis). Artemis's close connection with forests stems from her ancient function as the patroness of vegetation and fertility in general. The virginity of Artemis also contains a dull echo of the ideas of birth and sexual relations. In Ancient Rome she was revered in the person of the goddess Diana.

Athena is the goddess of spiritual harmony and wisdom. She was considered the inventor and patroness of most sciences, arts, spiritual pursuits, agriculture, and crafts. With the blessing of Pallas Athena, cities are built and public life continues. The image of Athena as a defender of fortress walls, a warrior, a goddess who, at her very birth, emerged from the head of her father, Zeus, armed, is closely connected with the functions of patronage of cities and the state. For the Romans, Athena corresponded to the goddess Minerva.

Hermes is the ancient pre-Greek god of roads and field boundaries, all boundaries separating one from the other. Because of his ancestral connection with roads, Hermes was later revered as the messenger of the gods with wings on his heels, the patron of travel, merchants and trade. His cult was also associated with ideas about resourcefulness, cunning, subtle mental activity (skillful differentiation of concepts), and knowledge of foreign languages. The Romans have Mercury.

Ares is the wild god of war and battles. In Ancient Rome - Mars.

Aphrodite is the ancient Greek goddess of sensual love and beauty. Her type is very close to the Semitic-Egyptian veneration of the productive forces of nature in the image of Astarte (Ishtar) and Isis. The famous legend about Aphrodite and Adonis is inspired by the ancient eastern myths about Ishtar and Tammuz, Isis and Osiris. The ancient Romans identified it with Venus.

Eros - son of Aphrodite, divine boy with a quiver and bow. At the request of his mother, he shoots well-aimed arrows that ignite incurable love in the hearts of people and gods. In Rome - Amur.

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

Hephaestus - a god whose cult in the era of hoary antiquity was associated with volcanic activity - fire and roar. Later, thanks to the same properties, Hephaestus became the patron of all crafts associated with fire: blacksmithing, pottery, etc. In Rome, the god Vulcan corresponded to him.

Demeter - in Ancient Greece, she personified the productive force of nature, but not wild, as Artemis once was, but “ordered”, “civilized”, the one that manifests itself in regular rhythms. Demeter was considered the goddess of agriculture, who rules the annual natural cycle of renewal and decay. She also directed the cycle of human life - from birth to death. This last side of the cult of Demeter constituted the content of the Eleusinian mysteries.

Persephone - daughter of Demeter, kidnapped by the god Hades. The inconsolable mother, after a 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.

Hestia - patron goddess of the hearth, family and community ties. Altars to Hestia stood in every ancient Greek house and in the main public building of the city, all citizens of which were considered one big family.

Dionysus - the god of winemaking and those violent natural forces that drive a person to insane delight. Dionysus was not one of the 12 “Olympian” gods of Ancient Greece. His orgiastic cult was borrowed relatively late from Asia Minor. The common people's veneration of Dionysus was contrasted with the aristocratic service to Apollo. From the frenzied dances and songs at the festivals of Dionysus, ancient Greek tragedy and comedy later emerged.

In this project we will talk in detail about each ancient Greek Olympian god.

Introduction:

We want to tell you what each ancient Greek god patronized and describe it in detail.

1st generation of gods:

1) Uranus - in ancient Greek mythology, the personification of the sky, the husband of Gaia (earth), belongs to the most ancient generation of gods. Hemera gave birth to Uranus, or she gave birth to him in a dream; or Uranus is the son of Chaos (in other myths the son of Ether) and Hemera; or son of Ophion and the elder Thetis. Father of the Titans and Titan Gods. “The first began to rule the whole world.”

2) Gaia - Ancient Greek goddess of the earth. Born after Chaos. She is the older sister of Uranus, Tartarus and Thalassa. Gaia is the mother of everything that lives and grows on her, as well as the mother of Sky, Sea, titans and giants. Daughter of Ether and Hemera.

2nd generation of gods:

1) Kronos - in ancient Greek mythology, the supreme deity, according to another opinion, Titan, the youngest son of the first god Uranus (sky) and the goddess Gie (earth). Initially - the god of agriculture, later, in the Hellenistic period, he was identified with the god personifying time, Chronos. The period of Cronus' rule was considered a golden age.

A golden age began under him. Kronos was afraid of Uranus's prediction that one of his children born to him by Rhea would overthrow him, and therefore swallowed them one by one. So he swallowed Hestia, Demetrius, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. From the union of Kronos with the nymph Flira (whom he later, fearing Rhea's jealousy, turned into a mare), the centaur Chiron was born.

2) Rhea - Titanide in ancient Greek mythology, the mother of the Olympian gods. Daughter of Uranus and Gaia. Wife and sister of the titan Kronos, mother of the hearth goddess Hestia, goddess of fields and fertility
Demeter, goddess of families and clans of Hera, god of the underworld Hades, god of the seas Poseidon, god of thunder and lightning Zeus. According to the Orphics, daughter of Protogon. In the Roman Pantenon it corresponds to Opa and Cybele.

• 3 generations of gods:

1) Zeus - in ancient Greek mythology, the god of the sky, thunder and lightning, in charge of the whole world. The main god of the Olympians, the third son of the Titan Kronos and Rhea (erroneously the son of Kronos and Gaia). Brother of Hades, Hestia, Demeter, and Poseidon. Zeus's wife is the goddess Hera. Father of gods and men. In Roman mythology it was identified with Jupiter.

The attributes of Zeus were: a shield and a double-sided ax (labrys), sometimes an eagle; Olympus (Zeus-Olympia) was considered his seat. Zeus is thought of as “fire”, a “hot substance”, inhabiting the ether, owning the sky, the organizing center of cosmic and social life.

In addition, he distributes good and evil on earth, putting shame and conscience into people. Zeus is a formidable punitive force, sometimes he is associated with fate, sometimes he himself acts as a creature subject to the Moiras - fate, fate. He can foresee the future. He announces the destinies of fate with the help of dreams, as well as thunder and lightning. The entire social order was built by Zeus, he is the patron of city life, the protector of the offended and the patron of those who pray, he gave laws to people, established the power of kings, he also protects the family and home, and monitors the observance of traditions and customs. Other gods obey him.

Zeus belongs to the third generation of gods who overthrew the second generation - the Titans. Zeus's father Kronos was predicted that he was destined to be defeated by his own son and, in order not to be overthrown by his children, he each time swallowed the child just born to Rhea.

Rhea finally decided to deceive her husband and secretly gave birth to another child - Zeus. According to Pausanias, “to list all those localities that claim to be the place of birth and education of Zeus would be impossible even for someone who would approach this issue with complete seriousness.” Different versions of the myth call the birthplace of the island of Crete (a cave in Mount Dikte, or Mount Ida) or Phrygia (Mount Ida). Instead of a newborn, she gave Kronos a swaddled stone to swallow. Zeus's navel fell off near the city of Fena on Crete. The newborn Zeus was bathed in the river Lusius in Arcadia.

2) Hera - third daughter of Kronos and Rhea, wife of Zeus, sister of Demeter, Hestia, Hades and Poseidon. Together with the rest of the children, Kronos was swallowed by her father, and then, thanks to the cunning of Metis and Zeus, she was cast out by him. Before the titamachy, Rhea hid her daughter with Oceanis and Tethys, and subsequently she would reconcile her uncle and aunt in their quarrels.

The wife of Zeus, her brother, the third after Metis and Themis. However, their secret relationship began long before the wedding, and it was Hera who played an active role in it.

Zeus fell in love with Hera when she was a girl and turned into a cuckoo, which she caught. On Mount Kokkygion (Kukushechya) in Argolis there is a temple of Zeus, and nearby on Mount Prone there is a temple of Hera. (The cuckoo is called the “Queen of Egypt”). The marriage of Zeus and Hera remained secret for 300 years. The wedding of Zeus and Hera took place in the land of Knossos, in an area near the Ferena River, where the temple stands.

Hera gave birth to her husband Hebe (according to some authors, Hera gave birth to her from lettuce), Ilithyia and Ares. According to version, she gave birth to Ares without a husband, having received a flower from the Olensky fields from the nymph Chloris. “Having passed the marital bed,” she gave birth to Hephaestus (according to Homer, he was also from Zeus) - independently in revenge on her husband, who single-handedly gave birth to Athena. From touching the earth she gave birth to the monster Typhon (according to the main version, his mother was Gaia). According to legend, when Hera saw the weak and ugly baby Hephaestus, Hera threw him off Olympus in anger. But Hephaestus survived and subsequently took revenge on his mother.

Also called among children are Agra and Angela. Olen's hymn to Hera says that Hera was raised by Orami, and her children are Ares and Hebe.

Ilithyia is a companion-attribute of Hera, Arga and Angel practically do not appear.

Hera is the most powerful of the goddesses of Olympus, but she is also subordinate to her husband Zeus. She often angers her husband, mainly with her jealousy. The plots of many ancient Greek myths are built around the disasters that Hera sends to the lovers of Zeus and their children.

3) Hades - in ancient Greek mythology, the god of the underworld of the dead and the name of the kingdom of the dead itself. The eldest son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Husband of Persephone, revered and invoked with him.

According to Hesiod, when Hades was born, his father swallowed him, like all his children (according to Hyginus, he was thrown into Tartarus by his father).

After the division of the world between three brothers (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades), after the victory over the Titans, Hades inherited the underworld and power over the shadows of the dead. Hades was considered the deity of underground wealth and fertility, bestowing harvests from the bowels of the earth.

4) Poseidon -in ancient Greek mythology, the god of the seas, one of the three main Olympian gods along with Zeus and Hades. Son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Zeus, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. During the division of the world after the victory over the Titans, Poseidon received the water element. Gradually he pushed aside the ancient local gods of the sea: Nereus, Oceanus, Proteus and others.

5) Hestia - in ancient Greek mythology, the young goddess of the family hearth and sacrificial fire. The eldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea, sister of Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Hades and Poseidon. Corresponds to the Roman Vesta.

Hestia doesn't like Aphrodite's affairs. Poseidon and Apollo sought her hand, but she took a vow of chastity and lived with her brother Zeus. Her image was in the Athenian Prytaneum. Called “owner of the Pythian laurel.” Her statue by the road in Thessaly. Her altar is in the grove of Zeus Gomoria near Aegia (Achaia). Founded the city of Knossos.

A sacrifice was made to her before the start of any sacred ceremony, no matter whether the latter was of a private or public nature, due to which the saying “start with Hestia” was formed, which served as a synonym for a successful and correct start to the task. That is why she was revered together with Hermes, the initiator of sacrifices.

As a reward for this, she was given high honors. In the cities, an altar was dedicated to her, on which fire was always maintained, and the evicting colonists took the fire with them from this altar to their new homeland.

6) Demeter - in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of fertility, patroness of agriculture. One of the most revered deities of the Olympic pantheon.

Demeter is the second daughter of Kronos and Rhea and the mother of Persephone, wife of Hades. Sister and lover of Zeus, sister of Hera, Hestia, Hades and Poseidon. According to legend, she was devoured by her father Kronos and then removed from his womb. The main thing in the mythology about Demeter is the myth of the abduction of her daughter Persephone by Hades.

Homer’s “Odyssey” mentions the myth of Demeter and the Cretan deity of agriculture Iasion, according to which they give birth to Plutos (the god of wealth) in a thrice-plowed field of fertile Crete; Zeus, jealous of Demeter, kills Iasion with lightning. According to Hesiod, in the image of the generation of Plutos (wealth), the combination of Demeter with Jasion on thrice plowed land shows her teaching people about agriculture.

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