Aphrodite, god of love, beauty and sexuality

According to Hesiod's Theogony, she was born when Cronus cut off Uranus' genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the sea foam (aphros) arose Aphrodite.Because of her beauty other gods feared that jealousy would interrupt the peace among them and lead to war, and so Zeus married her to Hephaestus, who was not viewed as a threat. Aphrodite had many lovers, both gods like Ares, and men like Anchises. Aphrodite also became instrumental in the Eros and Psyche legend, and later was both Adonis' lover and his surrogate mother. Many lesser beings were said to be children of Aphrodite.

Aphrodite is also known as Cytherea (Lady of Cythera) and Cypris (Lady of Cyprus) after the two cult-sites, Cythera and Cyprus, which claimed her birth.Myrtles, doves, sparrows, horses, and swans are sacred to her. The Greeks further identified the Ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor with Aphrodite.^[4]Aphrodite also has many other local names, such as Acidalia, Cytherea and Cerigo, used in specific areas of Greece. Each goddess demanded a slightly different cult but Greeks recognized in their overall similarities the one Aphrodite. Attic philosophers of the fourth century separated a celestial Aphrodite (Aprodite Urania) of transcendent principles with the common Aphrodite of the people (Aphrodite Pandemos).

Petra tou Romiou ("The rock of theGreek"), Aphrodite's legendary birthplace inPaphos, Cyprus

Apollo, god of music

Apollo was one of the most important gods of Olympus. His godly dominion was over colonists, medicine (was the father and adviser of Asclepius), and he was also the patron defender of the herds and flocks. As his most known role, the god of prophesy he was the Oracular patron god of the Delphic oracle. Last but not least he was the god of music and poetry as the leader of the muses (Apollo Musagetes). Olynthos, where this particular form of tetradrachm was originally minted was a city known as a center of imperial opposition (ie. to the Athenian rule). The proportions of the coin reflects those of superb tetradrachm specimens found in the remarkable collection in the National Museum of Greece, the scale of the coin has been reduced for the purpose of becoming a wearable ring.

Ares the god of war

The Greek god of war, Ares was known to the Romans as Mars. Because the month of March was named after him, Romans believed that March coincided with the season of wars. Mars was conceived by Juno, the wife of Juno, after Flora, the goddess of flowering and blossoming plants, touched her with a magical herb. Being the god of war, Mars was driven by rage and a strong desire for violence. Mars was said to have raped Rhea Silvia, a virgin priestess. As a result, Rhea Silvia became pregnant with twin sons, Romulus and Remus, the two heroes, who founded the city of Rome. That is why, Mars was considered the ancestors of Romans. He was believed to help Romans in times of crisis.

Athena vs Ares

Legend has it that during Trojan War, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom Athena entered into a wide scale conflict with Ares, the God of War. Athena gave her gifts of strategy, wisdom and craftsmanship to the Greeks, while Ares bestowed bold force, strength and power to the Trojans. The battle was fierce, but in the end it was Athena who stood victorious leaving Ares with a considerable wound. It was on this day that Ares lost his pride in battle, causing him to forever burn with rage for a chance at revenge and glory against everything Athena stood for.

The Parthenon (Temple of Athena) stood upon the hill of the Acropolis of Athens and served as a treasury for many mythical and powerful relics that were never meant to be embraced by mortal men. As such many of the relics pertaining to the goddess Athena remained hidden and were left undisturbed for over a millennia. However, during the mid-15th century the city of Athens fell to the Ottoman empire, which resulted in an explosion that nearly decimated the Parthenon. Although many people place blame on the Venetian bombardment on an Ottoman ammunition depot supposedly triggering the explosion, there are many records that seem to indicate that the events that took place were shrouded in controversy. There are even some accounts that portrayed the explosion that occurred as being not-of-this-earth, but rather the phenomenon to be that of the power of Athena herself, her anger over what had become of her beloved city.

Beautiful pictures of gods and their temple

Bust of Zues

Surrounded by the Olympian gods, Prometheus prepares to animate the first man

Temple of Zues

Temple of Athena, Delphi,Greece

Olympians Family Tree

twelve olympian gods

Zeus



King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky and thunder. Youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, scepter and scales. Brother and husband of Hera, although he had many lovers.





Hera


Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and family. Symbols include the peacock, pomegranate, crown, cuckoo, lion and cow. Youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Wife and sister of Zeus. Being the goddess of marriage, she frequently tried to get revenge on Zeus' lovers and their children.




Poseidon
Lord of the seas, earthquakes and horses. Symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin and trident. Middle son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Married to the Nereid Amphitrite, although, like his brother Zeus, he had many lovers.



Dionysus


God of wine, celebrations and ecstasy. Patron god of the art of theatre. Symbols include the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger, panther, leopard, dolphin and goat. Son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess Semele. Married to the Cretan princess Ariadne. The youngest Olympian, as well as the only one to have been born of a mortal woman.





Apollo


God of light, music, poetry, prophecy and archery. Symbols include the sun, lyre, bow and arrow, raven, dolphin, wolf, swan and mouse. Twin brother of Artemis. Youngest child of Zeus and Leto.




Artemis


Virgin goddess of the hunt, virginity, archery and all animals. Symbols include the moon, deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree and bow and arrow. Twin sister of Apollo. Eldest child of Zeus and Leto.




Hermes


Messenger of the Gods; god of commerce and thieves. Symbols include the caduceus (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork and tortoise (whose shell he used to invent the lyre). Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. The second-youngest Olympian, just older than Dionysus. He married Dryope, the daughter of Dryops, and their son Pan became the god of nature, lord of the satyrs, inventor of the panpipes and comrade of Dionysus.

Athena

Virgin goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, defence and strategic warfare. Symbols include the owl and the olive tree. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Metis, she rose from her father's head fully grown and in full battle armor after he swallowed her mother.

              
               Ares


God of war, violence and bloodshed. Symbols include the boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear and shield. Son of Zeus and Hera, all the other gods (excluding Aphrodite) despised him. His Latin name, Mars, gave us the word "martial."






Aphrodite


Goddess of love, beauty, and desire . Symbols include the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, myrtle and rose. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Dione, or perhaps born from the sea foam after Uranus' blood dripped onto the earth and into the sea after being defeated by his youngest son Cronus. Married to Hephaestus, although she had many adulterous affairs, most notably with his brother Ares. Her name gave us the word "aphrodisiac."




Hephaestus



Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of fire and the forge. Symbols include the fire, anvil, ax, donkey, hammer, tongs and quail. Son of Hera, either by Zeus or alone. After he was born, his parents threw him off Mount Olympus, and he landed on the island of Lemnos. Married to Aphrodite, though unlike most divine husbands, he was rarely ever licentious. His Latin name, Vulcan, gave us the word "volcano."




Demeter


Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. Symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, and pig. Middle daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Her Latin name, Ceres, gave us the word cereal."