Twelve Olympians [Maveric Universe]

Twelve Olympians
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is semi-protected.
The Twelve Olympians by Monsiau, circa late 18th century.

The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon (Greek: Δωδεκάθεον < δώδεκα, dōdeka, "twelve" + θεοί, theoi, "gods"), in Greek mythology, were the principal gods of the Greek pantheon, residing atop Mount Olympus. The first ancient reference of religious ceremonies for them is found in the Homeric Hymn to Hermes. The classical scheme of the Twelve Olympians (the Canonical Twelve of art and poetry) comprises the following gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hestia. The respective Roman scheme comprises the following gods: Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Ceres, Mars, Mercury, Vulcan, Venus, Minerva, Apollo, Diana and Vesta.[1]

There was, however, a great deal of fluidity when it came to who was counted among their number in antiquity.[2] Around 400 BC Herodorus included in his Dodekatheon the following deities: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Alpheus, Cronus, Rhea and the Charites.[3] Wilamowitz agrees with Herodorus' version of the Twelve.[4]

Herodotus includes Heracles as one of the Twelve.[5] Lucian also includes Heracles and Asclepius as members of the Twelve, without explaining which two had to give way for them. At Kos, Heracles and Dionysus are added to the Twelve, and Ares and Hephaestus are left behind.[6] However, Pindar, Apollodorus,[7] and Herodorus disagree with this. For them Heracles is not one of the Twelve Gods, but the one who established their cult.[3]

Plato connected the Twelve Olympians with the twelve months, and proposed that the final month be devoted to rites in honor of Pluto and the spirits of the dead, implying that he considered Hades to be one of the Twelve.[8] Hades is phased out in later groupings due to his chthonic associations.[9] In Phaedrus Plato aligns the Twelve with the Zodiac and would exclude Hestia from their rank.[10]

Hestia is sometimes displaced by Dionysus.[9] Hebe, Helios and Persephone are other important gods, goddesses, which are sometimes included in a group of twelve. Eros is often depicted alongside the other twelve, especially his mother Aphrodite, but is rarely considered one of the Olympians.

The Twelve Olympians gained their supremacy in the world of gods after Zeus led his siblings to victory in war with the Titans. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hades were siblings. Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, the Charites, Heracles, Dionysus, Hebe, and Persephone were children of Zeus. Although some versions of the myths state that Hephaestus was born of Hera alone, and that Aphrodite was born of Ouranos.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Detail
o 1.1 Classical Olympians
o 1.2 Other definitions
o 1.3 Close to the Olympians
* 2 See also
* 3 References
* 4 External links

Detail
Classical Olympians
Greek Deities Series
Primordial deities
Titans (predecessor deities)
Greek sea gods
Chthonic deities
Muses (personified concepts)
Other deities
The Twelve Olympians
Zeus Hera
Poseidon Hermes
Hestia Demeter
Aphrodite Athena
Apollo Artemis
Ares Hephaestus
Greek Name Roman Name Statue God(dess) Of... Generation
Zeus Jupiter Jupiter Versailles Louvre Ma78.jpg King of the Gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, thunder, and justice. First
Hera Juno Hera Campana Louvre Ma2283.jpg Queen of the Gods and of the heavens; goddess of women, marriage, and motherhood. First
Poseidon Neptune Neptune fountain02.jpg Lord of the Sea; god of the seas, earthquakes, created horses. First
Demeter Ceres Demeter Pio-Clementino Inv254.jpg Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. First
Hestia Vesta Hestia-meyers.png Goddess of the hearth and home (left so Dionysus could be in the twelve). First
Aphrodite Venus NAMA 262 Aphrodite Epidaure 2.JPG Goddess of love, beauty, desire, and fertility. Second [A]
Apollo Apollo Roman Statue of Apollo.jpg The Sun God; god of light, healing, music, poetry, prophecy, archery and truth. Second
Ares Mars Ares villa Hadriana.jpg God of war, frenzy, hatred, and bloodshed. Second
Artemis Diana Diane de Versailles Leochares 2.jpg Goddess of the hunt, of maidens, and the moon. Second
Athena Minerva Athena Giustiniani Musei Capitolini MC278.jpg Goddess of wisdom, crafts, and strategic battle. Second
Hephaestus Vulcan Vulcan Coustou Louvre MR1814.jpg Blacksmith to the Gods; god of fire and the forges. Second
Hermes Mercury Hermes-louvre3.jpg Messenger of the Gods; god of commerce, speed, thieves, and trade. Second

Notes

* A ^ According to an alternate version of her birth, Aphrodite was born of Ouranos — after Cronus threw his castrated genitals into the sea. This supports the etymology of her name, "foam-born". As such, Aphrodite would belong to a generation above, or equal to, Zeus and his siblings. See Aphrodite#Birth

Other definitions

These are not included in the classical list of the Twelve Olympians, but they are sometimes included in other lists of the Twelve Olympians, as noted above.

* Alpheus - A river-god.
* Asclepius - God of medicine and healing.
* the Charites - Goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility.
* Cronus - Titan; father of Zeus.
* Dionysus - God of wine, parties, and merriment (became an Olympian when Hestia left).
* Hades - Lord of the Dead; god of the Underworld and earthly (gems and precious metals) wealth.
* Hebe - Goddess of youth, and cupbearer.
* Helios - Titan; Personification of the Sun.
* Heracles - Greatest hero of the Greek myths.
* Persephone - Goddess of the spring and death, daughter of Demeter.
* Rhea - Titaness; mother of Zeus.

Close to the Olympians

* Bia - Personification of violence.
* Cratos - Personification of power.
* Dione - Mother of Aphrodite by Zeus.
* Eileithyia - Goddess of childbirth; daughter of Hera and Zeus.
* Eos - Personification of Dawn.
* Eris - Goddess of Discord.
* Eros - God of lust and desire.
* Ganymede - Cupbearer of the gods palace at Olympus.
* Horae - Wardens of Olympus.
* Iris - Personification of the Rainbow, also the messenger of Olympus along with Hermes.
* Leto - Titaness; the mother of Apollo and Artemis.
* Morpheus - God of Dreams.
* Muses - Nine ladies of science and arts.
* Nemesis - Greek goddess of retribution and revenge.
* Nike - Goddess of victory.
* Pan - God of the wild, shepherds, nature, and animals.
* Paean - Universal healer.
* Perseus - Zeus' son, one of the greatest heroes in all of Greek mythology.
* Selene - Titaness; Personification of the Moon.
* Zelus - Emulation.

See also

Family tree of the Greek gods
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search



Chaos
the Void



Tartarus
Hell

Gaia
the Earth







Eros[1]
Desire




Erebus
Darkness

Nyx
the Night


Moros
(Doom)

Oneiroi
(Dreams)

Nemesis
(Retribution)

Momus
(Blame)

Philotes
(Affection)

Geras
(Aging)




Typhon
the Wind

Ouranos
the Sky



Ourea
Mountains

Pontus
the Sea

Aether
Heaven

Hemera
the Day




Thanatos
(Death)

Hypnos
(Sleep)

Eris
(Strife)

Apate
(Deceit)

Oizys
(Distress)

Moirae &
Keres



Erinyes

Gigantes

Meliae

Aphrodite[2]

Hecatonchires

Titans

Cyclopes

Echidna





Oceanus

Tethys

Hyperion

Theia

Coeus

Phoebe

Kronos

Rhea

Themis

Mnemosyne

Crius

Iapetus



Oceanids


Clymene

Helios

Eos

Asteria

Demeter



Hestia



Hera



Prometheus



Epimetheus





Inachus

Melia





Heliades

Selene



Leto

Hades



Poseidon



Zeus




Muses

Atlas





































Apollo

Artemis




Persephone

Athena
Hebe Hephaestus Ares



Hyades

Hesperides

Pleiades



Epaphus


Enyo
Dione



Dryope



Maia



Alcmene


Semele
Hermes

Aphrodite
{{{ HCL }}}



Dionysus



{{{ PAN }}}

Tyche

Rhodes

Peitho

Eunomia

Hermaphroditus



Eros[1]



Harmonia


Deimos
Heracles

Anteros
Himeros
Phobos

Hephaestus was married to Aphrodite. The essential Olympians' names are given in bold font.
[edit] See Also

* Greek mythology history
[edit] Notes1. ^ a b Conflicting origins. Eros is usually mentioned as the son of Aphrodite and Ares, but Hesiod's Theogony places him as one of the primordial beings, born from the Void (Chaos).
2. ^ a b There are two major conflicting stories for Aphrodite's origins: Hesiod (Theogony) claims that she was "born" from the foam of the sea after Cronos castrated Uranus, thus making her Uranus' daughter; but Homer (Iliad, book V) has Aphrodite as daughter of Zeus and Dione. According to Plato (Symposium 180e), the two were entirely separate entities: Aphrodite Ourania and Aphrodite Pandemos.