REPORTED BY : ASTRAL IAN V.

CEBUMA

The Olympian gods were the main deities in Ancient Greece. After overthrowing their ancestors, the Titans, the Olympian gods became the rulers of the Cosmos representing the civilization of the world. The Olympian gods were majestically and democratically dwelling on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece, built by the Cyclopes. The leader of the Olympian gods was Zeus. The gods were born and grew just like human beings, some of them even married, however they were unaging and death never came to them. They lived inside human-like bodies with an ethereal fluid called ichor running through the veins. They had passions and human weaknesses and were many times at fault, but were then obliged to take the full responsibility of their actions. Greek myths always refer to the twelve Gods of Mount Olympus, but actually, in total there were more Olympian Gods in Greek Mythology. However, there were never more than twelve at one time. The four alternative gods were Hestia, Hades, Dionysus and Demeter, depending on the location.

Zeus was the Supreme God in Ancient Greece, father of the Olympian gods and ruler of mankind. Zeus was the last child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea and had five older brothers and sisters. All of them had been swallowed by their jealous father; however, Zeus managed to escape the menace and flee. Later on, he would revenge on his father and set his siblings free. Zeus married his own sister Hera, the goddess of marriage and monogamy, but was giving her plenty of reasons to be jealous, since Zeus was renowned of his numerous love affairs. As a result, Zeus was the father of plenty of children. The symbols of Zeus were the scepter, the throne and the thunderbolt, which was as a gift from the Cyclopes because he liberated them. Zeus' tree was the oak tree and his sacred animal was the eagle.

Poseidon, the Greek god of the Seas, was born by the major Titans Cronus and Rhea. He was an older brother of Zeus, the King of the gods. Poseidon was the Greek god responsible for natural and supernatural events, mainly the ones associated to the sea world. He possessed a trident which was so powerful that it could shake the earth. Poseidon could cause tempests and earthquakes, drown lands, shatter rocks and had the ability to finally bring back peacefulness. Poseidon possessed two palaces, the one was up in Mount Olympus and the other was located in the depths of the seas and was bejeweled with gold and precious gems. Usually Poseidon preferred to stay with his wife Amphitrite beneath the ocean. His symbol was the trident and his sacred animals were the dolphin and the horse. According to a tradition, he was the one who breathed life into the first horse on earth.

Greek goddess Hestia was the eldest daughter of the titans Cronus and Rhea and a senior goddess among the mortals. She was the first to be swallowed by her father, but the last to be disgorged. Hestia personified the fire hat was burning in the hearth of every home. All families were pouring sweet wine in her name and dedicated her the richest portion. The hearth fire was not allowed to go out by any family unless it was ritually extinguished. Hestia herself was never leaving her residence, the sacred mountain of Olympus. Hestia may not have had a public cult, but she was always worshipped in any temple, regardless of the god it was dedicated to. All Olympian deities respected and loved Hestia because of her kind, forgiving soul and her discrete character, since Hestia never participated in any disputes or wars.

Hermes was born inside a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia (Peloponnes) as the son Zeus, the King of the Gods, and the mountain Nymph Maea, who was a daughter of the Titan Atlas. Hermes was wearing wings on his sandals and therefore was the speediest of all Greek gods. Because of his speed, Hermes received the role of the messenger and conductor of souls to the Underworld. Hermes was a messenger of all gods, but mostly he was known for performing duties for his father Zeus with great pleasure. Zeus appreciated Hermes' wits highly and always asked for Hermes' assistance throughout his decisions, especially when it came to cheating on his wife Hera. Hermes symbolizes the petasus, a flat hat and winged sandals. Hermes usually held a winged staff with snakes wrapped around it in his hands in order to gain access everywhere.

Hera was born by the Titans Cronus and Rhea and was one of the three sisters of Zeus and later on became his wife as well. The royal wedding of Zeus and Hera was celebrated with exceptional splendor and the couple gave birth to four children; Eilithyia, the goddess who was protecting the childbirth, Ares, the Olympian god of war, Hebe, the goddess of youth and Hephaestus, the Olympian god of metallurgy. According to some beliefs, Hephaestus was born without the intervention of Zeus. Hera was a beautiful(but not really desirable), mature woman with big eyes and pierced lobes. She was wearing an ornate crown on her head, elegant clothes tightened with a belt and woven by goddess Athena and golden sandals were hugging her feet. Hera loved to wear jewelry and pamper her body with divine cosmetics. Hera's symbol were the diadem, the scepter and the pomegranate, a symbol of fertility. Her flower was the lily and her sacred animals were the peacock and the cow.

Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera , although it was considered by some that he had been conceived prenuptially. Hephaestus was married to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Beauty, but unfortunately Aphrodite never devoted herself entirely to Hephaestus. Hephaestus was a very kind and loveable god, but was the only deity who was physically ugly and lame. When his mother Hera saw him for the first time, she was so frustrated that she took her son and threw him from Mount Olympus to the depths of the seas, causing a deformation to his leg. Hephaestus was finally rescued by two Nereids, Thetis and Eurynome, who raised him for nine years inside a cave, far away and hidden from his cruel mother. The symbols of Hephaestus were the Fire, the axe, the pincers and the hammer

Greek god Hades was a son of the titans Cronus and Rhea. Hades' wife was Persephone, whom he abducted from her divine mother Demeter and took with him down to the Underworld. Hades was the Greek god of the Dead and, according to Plato, he should be considered as one of the Olympian gods. Hades was the supreme ruler of the Underworld. Almost never did he leave his gloomy kingdom but was residing there instead, surrounded by darkness and silence. Hades' helper was Charos, the angel of dead. Charos had the duty to transfer the dead people 's souls with a boat over the River Acheron from the world of the living to the world of the dead. Furthermore, Hades had a dog with three heads which was named Cerberus. Hades had gloomy features. He had a beard and dark hair falling over his brow. His sacred symbol was the helmet, which helped him stay invisible.

Dionysus was born in Thebes as the son of Zeus, the King of the Gods and the beautiful princess Semele. Because of his mortal mother, his birthplace Thebes refused to acknowledge him as an immortal at first. Dionysus was a god known for his lightheartedness and always offered his help to anyone in need. He was therefore very popular among gods and mortals and many festivals were being held every year in his honor. Nevertheless, Dionysus was many times misunderstood. Dionysus was one of the Olympian gods who actually did not live in Mount Olympus but was constantly travelling around the world together with Satyrs and Maenads in order to discover the secrets of winemaking. The symbols of Dionysus were the thyrsos, a wooden stick wrapped with ivy leaves and vines, the flute and the wine barrels. his sacred animals were the panther and the tiger.

Demeter was the second daughter of the major Titans Rhea and Cronus, after Hestia, the goddess of the hearth. Demeter was a peace-loving deity and the source of all growth and life; she was the goddess who provided all nutrition on the earth and taught mortals how to cultivate the earth and ease life. Demeter was most appreciated for introducing wheat to mankind, making man different from animals. The symbols of Demeter were the ear of wheat and the grains.

Athena was a child of Zeus and Metis, Zeus' first wife, who was keeping inside herself all the world's wisdom. Athena was the goddess who taught mankind various skills such as weaving and sewing to the women and agriculture and metallurgy to men. She was always giving precious advice and stood by on any danger. After competing against the Greek god Poseidon, Athena officially became the patron deity of the city of ancient Athens and the Parthenon was built in her honor. She was known as "Athena Nike" (Athena the victorious), as she was believed to have given the Athenians the victory during the Persian War. Athena's symbols were the spear, the distaff and the aegis (a goatlike shield, to which the head of the Gorgon Medusa was fastened in order to terrify the opponents). Athena's tree was the olive tree and her sacred animal was the owl, the symbol of wisdom.

Greek goddess Artemis was born in Mount Cynthus at the island of Delos in Greece as a daughter of Zeus, the Ruler of the Greek gods and the mortal Leto. As a child, Artemis had asked from her father Zeus to remain an eternal virgin and therefore became one of the three Virgin Goddesses in Greek mythology. Artemis had absolute sovereignty over nature and was said to bring fertility to all places that worshipped her. Usually accompanied by Nymphs and Oceanids, Artemis loved to hunt with arrows dipped in poison. Artemis was usually armed with bow and arrows and was wearing a knee-high chiton (a sort of tunic). The symbols of Artemis were the bow and the pike. Her tree was the cedar and her sacred animals were the snake, the bear and the deer.

Ares, the Greek god of War, was the son of Zeus and Hera. The halfsister of Ares was Athena, the goddess of Wisdom and Skill. Athena also was a goddess of War but approached war solely for the purposes of justice. Just like his mother Hera, Ares had a very difficult character to deal with and was therefore rather unpopular among the other deities and mankind. For this reason, no Greek city wanted to have him as its patron. He often had conflicts and fights with Artemis, the goddess of the Hunt and also with his sister Athena, especially during the Trojan War. The symbol of Ares was the spear and his sacred animal was the dog.

Apollo was born by the King of the Gods Zeus and the mortal Leto in the divine Greek island of Delos. He was the younger twin of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt. Apollo was the Greek god of the Music. He invented the lute(a plucked string instrument with a body shaped like a pear), but he was more popular for playing the lyre, which was invented by Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Apollo excelled in important music contests, competing against Greek god Hermes and the Satyr Pan as well as other deities. Apollo's symbols were the lyre, the tripod, the laurel tree and the navel stone. His plants were the myrtle and the laurel. Apollo's sacred animals were the wolf, the raven and the lizard.

Aphrodite was created from the foam of the crystal waters of Paphos in the fragrant island of Cyprus, when the Titan Cronos slew his father, the major Titan Ouranos, and threw then his genitals into the sea. Aphrodite was married to the lame smith Hephaestus, who was the Olympian God of the Iron, but her heart was devoted to Ares, the God of War, with whom Aphrodite was having a passionate, but secret love affair. Aphrodite was the most attractive goddess of Mount Olympus. She was the goddess of Love, Beauty and Eternal Youth, arousing desire to gods and humans as well as birds and beasts. In addition, she was connected with the death/rebirth of nature and human beings. Aphrodite's symbols were the girdle(which she was using to compel love), the seashell and the mirror. Her sacred animal was the dove.