The Gods of Olympus
Source: Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
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The gods of ancient Greece lived on the summit of Mount Olympus, the highest peak in all of Greece. Later, their dwelling was conceived as being located in the heavens. From Olympus the gods kept watch over the world, but they also loved, fought... and busied themselves with hindering the lives of mortals according to their will.
Zeus or Jupiter is the lord of the sky and the earth and holds dominion over a multitude of gods and immortal beings, of whom the most important are:
Aphrodite or Venus,
Apollo,
Ares or Mars,
Artemis or Diana,
Athena or Minerva,
Demeter or Ceres,
Dionysus or Bacchus,
Hephaestus or Vulcan,
Hera or Juno,
Hermes or Mercury,
Hestia or Vesta, and
Poseidon or Neptune.
Hades or Pluto, brother of Zeus, is the lord of the underworld. These Olympian gods are the successors of an earlier generation:
Gaia or Mother Earth was the first goddess and engendered the lineage of the Titans together with her son Uranus. The Titans, led by Cronus, set about dethroning Uranus, and were in turn defeated by their own children, led by Zeus, son of Cronus.
After the defeat of the Titans, Zeus and his brothers Poseidon and Hades drew lots to decide who would reign over the heavens, the seas... and the underworld.