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{{Short description|Major deities of the Greek pantheon}}
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[[file:Greek - Procession of Twelve Gods and Goddesses - Walters 2340.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|Fragment of a [[Hellenistic]] [[relief sculpture|relief]] (1st century BC{{endash}}1st century AD) depicting the twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from left to right: Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and spear), Demeter (scepter and wheat sheaf), Hephaestus (staff), Hera (scepter), Poseidon (trident), Athena (owl and helmet), Zeus (thunderbolt and staff), Artemis (bow and quiver) and Apollo (lyre) from the [[Walters Art Museum]].<ref>[[Walters Art Museum]], [http://art.thewalters.org/detail/38764 accession number 23.40].</ref>]]
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In [[ancient Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]], the '''twelve Olympians''' are the major [[Deity|deities]] of the Greek [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]], commonly considered to be [[Zeus]], [[Poseidon]], [[Hera]], [[Demeter]], [[Aphrodite]], [[Athena]], [[Artemis]], [[Apollo]], [[Ares]], [[Hephaestus]], [[Hermes]], and either [[Hestia]] or [[Dionysus]].<ref>Hansen, [https://books.google.com/books?id=a-NmaO-kM2UC&pg=PA250 p. 250]; Burkert, pp. 125 ff.; Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43]; Chadwick, [https://archive.org/details/mycenaeanworld00chad/page/85 p. 85]; Müller, [https://archive.org/details/ancientartandit00welcgoog/page/n439 pp. 419 ff.]; Pache, [https://books.google.com/books?id=lNV6-HsUppsC&pg=RA2-PA308 pp. 308 ff.]; Thomas, [https://books.google.com/books?id=9CUxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT35 p. 12]; Shapiro, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7q1LDrb9btkC&pg=PT362 p. 362]; Long, [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA140 pp. 140–141]; Morford, p. 113; Hard, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA80 p. 80].</ref> They were called ''Olympians'' because, according to tradition, they resided on [[Mount Olympus]].

Besides the twelve Olympians, there were many other cultic groupings of twelve gods.

==Olympians==
The Olympians are a race of [[deity|deities]], primarily consisting of a third and fourth generation of immortal beings, worshipped as the principal gods of the Greek [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]] and so named because of their residency atop [[Mount Olympus]]. They gained their supremacy in a ten-year-long [[Titanomachy|war of gods]], in which [[Zeus]] led his siblings to victory over the previous generation of ruling immortal beings, the [[Titans]], children of the [[Greek primordial deities|primordial deities]] [[Gaia]] and [[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]]. They were a family of gods, the most important consisting of the first generation of Olympians, offspring of the Titans [[Cronus]] and [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]]: Zeus, [[Poseidon]], [[Hera]], [[Demeter]] and [[Hestia]], along with the principal offspring of Zeus: [[Aphrodite]],<ref>According to [[Homer]], Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus (''[[Iliad]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:3.374 3.374], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:20.105 20.105]; ''[[Odyssey]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.perseus-eng1:8.308 8.308], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg002.perseus-eng1:8.320 320]) and Dione (''[[Iliad]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.tlg001.perseus-eng1:5.370 5.370–71]), see Gantz, pp. 99–100. However, According to [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+183 183–200], Aphrodite was born from Uranus' severed genitals, see Gantz, pp. 99–100.</ref> [[Athena]], [[Artemis]], [[Apollo]], [[Ares]], [[Hephaestus]], [[Hermes]] and [[Dionysus]]. Although [[Hades]] was a major deity in the Greek pantheon and was the brother of Zeus and the other first generation of Olympians, his realm was far away from Olympus in the [[Greek underworld|underworld]], and thus he was not usually considered to be one of the Olympians.<ref>Hansen, [https://books.google.com/books?id=a-NmaO-kM2UC&pg=PA250 p. 250]; Morford, p. 113; Hard [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA80 p. 80].</ref> Olympic gods can be contrasted to [[chthonic]] gods<ref>Chadwick, [https://archive.org/details/mycenaeanworld00chad/page/85 p. 85].</ref> including Hades and his wife [[Persephone]], by mode of sacrifice, the latter receiving sacrifices in a ''[[bothros]]'' ({{lang|grc|βόθρος}}, "pit") or ''[[megaron]]'' ({{lang|grc|μέγαρον}}, "sunken chamber")<ref>Dillon, [https://books.google.com/books?id=A4YyVL0sygAC&pg=PA114 p. 114].</ref> rather than at an altar.

The canonical number of Olympian gods was twelve, but besides the (thirteen) principal Olympians listed above, there were many other residents of Olympus, who thus might be considered to be Olympians.<ref>Ogden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA2, pp. 2–3]; Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43]; Hansen, [https://books.google.com/books?id=a-NmaO-kM2UC&pg=PA250 p. 250]; Burkert, p. 125.</ref> [[Heracles]] became a resident of Olympus after his [[apotheosis]] and married another Olympian resident [[Hebe (mythology)|Hebe]].<ref>[[Herodotus]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126%3Abook%3D2%3Achapter%3D43 2.43–44].</ref> According to [[Diodorus Siculus]], some said that Heracles was offered a place among the twelve, but refused as it would mean one of the original twelve being "cast out".<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/4B*.html#39 4.39.4].</ref> In the ''[[Iliad]]'', the goddess [[Themis]], who is listed among the twelve [[Titans (mythology)|Titans]], dwells on Olympus alongside the other gods,<ref>[[Homer]], ''[[Iliad]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134%3Abook%3D15%3Acard%3D78 15.88]</ref> making her a Titan and an Olympian at the same time. According to Hesiod, the children of [[Styx]]—[[Zelus]] (Envy), [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]] (Victory), [[Kratos (mythology)|Kratos]] (Strength), and [[Bia (mythology)|Bia]] (Force)—"have no house apart from Zeus, nor any dwelling nor path except that wherein God leads them, but they dwell always with Zeus".<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0020.tlg001.perseus-eng1:371-403 386–388].</ref> Some others who might be considered Olympians include the [[Horae]], the [[Charites|Graces]], the [[Muses]], [[Eileithyia]], [[Iris (mythology)|Iris]], [[Dione (Titaness)|Dione]], and [[Ganymede (mythology)|Ganymede]].<ref>Just who might be called an Olympian is not entirely clear. For example, Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43], describes Heracles, Hebe, the Muses, and the Graces as Olympians, and on [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA45 p. 45], lists Iris, Dione, and Eileithyia among the Homeric Olympians, while Hansen, [https://books.google.com/books?id=a-NmaO-kM2UC&pg=PA250 p. 250], describes Heracles, Hebe, the Horae, and Ganymede as notable residents of Olympus, but says they "are not ordinarily classified as Olympians".</ref>

==Twelve gods==
Throughout ancient Greece, there were many cultic groupings of twelve gods, with varying members. The earliest evidence of Greek religious practice involving twelve gods ([[Ancient Greek|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|δωδεκάθεον}}, {{Transliteration|grc|dōdekátheon}}, from {{lang|grc|δώδεκα}} {{Transliteration|grc|dōdeka}}, "twelve", and {{lang|grc|θεοί}} {{Transliteration|grc|theoi}}, "gods") comes no earlier than the late sixth century BC.<ref>Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43]; Rutherford, p. 43.</ref> According to [[Thucydides]], an [[Altar of the Twelve Gods|altar of the twelve gods]] was established in the [[agora]] of [[Ancient Athens|Athens]] by the [[archon]] Pisistratus (son of [[Hippias (tyrant)|Hippias]] and the grandson of the tyrant [[Pisistratus]]), around 522&nbsp;BC.<ref>Rutherford, pp. 43–44; [[Thucydides]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0105%3Abook%3D6%3Achapter%3D54 6.54.6–7].</ref> The altar became the central point from which distances from Athens were measured and a place of supplication and refuge.<ref>Gadbery, p. 447.</ref>

[[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]] apparently also had an early tradition of twelve gods.<ref>Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43]; Rutherford, p. 44; Long, pp. 58–62 (T 13), 154–157.</ref> The ''[[Homeric Hymns|Homeric Hymn to Hermes]]'' ({{Circa|500 BC}}) has the god [[Hermes]] divide a sacrifice of two cows he has stolen from Apollo, into twelve parts, on the banks of the river [[Alfeios|Alpheus]] (presumably at Olympia):
{{blockquote|Next glad-hearted Hermes dragged the rich meats he had prepared and put them on a smooth, flat stone, and divided them into twelve portions distributed by lot, making each portion wholly honorable.<ref>Long, pp. 61–62 (T 13 G), 156–157; ''[[Homeric Hymns|Homeric Hymn to Hermes]]'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=D804873CE4D29E774667567AC3A6A3E0?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138%3Ahymn%3D4%3Acard%3D94 128–129].</ref>}}

Pindar, in an ode written to be sung at Olympia c.&nbsp;480&nbsp;BC, has [[Heracles]] sacrificing, alongside the Alpheus, to the "twelve ruling gods":<ref>Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43]; Rutherford, p. 44; Long, pp. 59–60 (T 13 C), 154–155.</ref>
{{blockquote|[Heracles] enclosed the [[Altis]] all around and marked it off in the open, and he made the encircling area a resting-place for feasting, honoring the stream of the Alpheus along with the twelve ruling gods.<ref>[[Pindar]], ''Olympian'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DO.%3Apoem%3D10 10.49].</ref>}}

Another of Pindar's Olympian odes mentions "six double altars".<ref>Rutherford, p. 44; Long, pp. 58 (T 13 A), 154; [[Pindar]], ''Olympian'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg001.perseus-eng1:5 5.5].</ref> [[Herodorus|Herodorus of Heraclea]] (c.&nbsp;400&nbsp;BC) also has Heracles founding a shrine at Olympia, with six pairs of gods, each pair sharing a single altar.<ref>Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43]; Rutherford, p. 47; Long, pp. 58–59 (T 13 B), 154; ''FGrH'' 31 F34a-b.</ref>

Many other places had cults of the twelve gods, including [[Delos]], [[Chalcedon]], [[Magnesia on the Maeander]], and [[Leontinoi]] in [[Sicily]].<ref>Rutherford, p. 45; Delos: Long, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA11 11], [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA87 87–90] (T 26), [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA182 182]; Chalcedon: Long, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA56 56]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA57 57] (T 11 D), [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA217 217]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA218 218]; Magnesia on the Maeander: Long, [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA53 pp. 53–54] (T 7), [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA221 221]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA223 223]; Leontinoi: Long, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA95 95]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA96 96] (T 32), [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA157 p. 157].</ref> As with the twelve Olympians, although the number of gods was fixed at twelve, the membership varied.<ref>Long, pp. 360–361, lists 54 Greek (and Roman) gods, including the thirteen Olympians mentioned above, who have been identified as members of one or more cultic groupings of twelve gods.</ref> While the majority of the gods included as members of these other cults of twelve gods were Olympians, non-Olympians were also sometimes included. For example, Herodorus of Heraclea identified the six pairs of gods at Olympia as: Zeus and Poseidon, Hera and Athena, Hermes and Apollo, the Graces and Dionysus, Artemis and [[Alpheus (deity)|Alpheus]], and [[Cronus]] and [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]].<ref>Dowden, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yOQtHNJJU9UC&pg=PA43 p. 43]; Rutherford, p. 47; Hard, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA81 p. 81]; Long, pp. 58–59 (T 13 B), 141, 154; ''FGrH'' 31 F34a-b.</ref> Thus, while this list includes the eight Olympians: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus, it also contains three clear non-Olympians: the Titan parents of the first generation of Olympians, Cronus and Rhea, and the river god Alpheus, with the status of the [[Graces]] (here apparently counted as one god) being unclear.

[[Plato]] connected "twelve gods" with the twelve months and implies that he considered [[Pluto (mythology)|Pluto]] (or Hades) one of the twelve in proposing that the final month be devoted to him and the spirits of the dead.<ref>Rutherford, pp. 45–46; [[Plato]], ''[[Laws (Plato)|The Laws]]'' 828 [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0166%3Abook%3D8%3Asection%3D828b b-d].</ref>

The Roman poet [[Ennius]] gives the [[interpretatio graeca|Roman equivalents]] (the {{lang|la|[[Dii Consentes]]}}) as six male-female complements,<ref name="PapAm">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Greek mythology |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Americana |year=1993 |volume=13 |page=431}}</ref> preserving the place of [[Vesta (mythology)|Vesta]] (Greek Hestia), who played a crucial role in [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]] as a state goddess maintained by the [[Vestals]].

==List==
There is no single canonical list of the twelve Olympian gods. The thirteen Greek gods and goddesses, along with their Roman counterparts, most commonly considered to be one of the twelve Olympians are listed below.
{| class="wikitable"
! style="padding:0.5em 0.5em;white-space:nowrap;"|Greek!! style="padding:0.5em 0.5em;white-space:nowrap;" |Roman!! style="padding:0.5em 0.5em;white-space:nowrap;" |Image!!style="padding:0.5em 0.5em;white-space:nowrap;"|Functions and attributes
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Zeus]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] || [[File:Jupiter Smyrna Louvre Ma13.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |King of the gods and ruler of [[Mount Olympus]]; god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order and justice.<br />The youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Brother and husband of Hera and brother of Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia. He had many affairs with goddesses and mortals, such as his sister Demeter and [[Leto]], mortals [[Leda (mythology)|Leda]] and [[Alcmene]], and more.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hamilton |first=Edith|publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers |title=Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes |others=Illustrated by Tierney, Jim.|date=September 26, 2017 |isbn=978-0-316-43852-0|edition=75th anniversary illustrated |location=New York|oclc=1004059928}}</ref> His symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, bull, scepter, and scales.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Hera]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] || [[File:Hera Campana Louvre Ma2283.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage, women, childbirth and family.<br />The youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Sister and wife of Zeus. Being the goddess of marriage, she frequently tried to get revenge on Zeus' lovers and their children.<br />Her symbols include the peacock, cuckoo, and cow.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Poseidon]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] || [[File:Statue of Poseidon NAMA 235 (DerHexer), part 2.JPG|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |God of the seas, water, storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and horses.<br />The middle son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Married to the [[Nereid]] [[Amphitrite]]; although, as with many of the male Greek gods, he had many lovers.<br />His symbols include the trident, horse, bull, and dolphin.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Demeter]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Ceres (mythology)|Ceres]] || [[File:Demeter Altemps Inv8546.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Goddess of the harvest, fertility, agriculture, nature and the seasons. She presided over [[grains]] and the [[fertility]] of the earth.<br />The middle daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Also the lover of Zeus and Poseidon, and the mother of [[Persephone]], [[Despoine]], [[Arion (horse)|Arion]].<br />Her symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, cornucopia, and pig.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Apollo]]|| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Apollo]]|| [[File:Italy-3104 - Apollo (5378415112).jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |God of Sun, light, [[Oracle|prophecy]], [[philosophy]], archery, truth, inspiration, poetry, music, arts, manly beauty, medicine, healing, and plague.<br />The son of Zeus and [[Leto]], and the twin brother of Artemis.<br />His symbols include bow and arrow, lyre, raven, swan and wolf.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Artemis]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Diana (mythology)|Diana]] || [[File:Diane de Versailles - Musée du Louvre AGER Ma 589.jpg|82px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, virginity, the Moon, archery, childbirth, protection and plague.<br />The daughter of Zeus and [[Leto]], and the twin sister of Apollo.<br />Her symbols include the Moon, horse, deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree, and bow and arrow.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Ares]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] || [[File:Ares Canope Villa Adriana b.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |God of war, violence, bloodshed and manly virtues.<br />The son of Zeus and Hera, all the other gods despised him except Aphrodite. His Latin name, Mars, gave us the word "[[wikt:martial|martial]]".<br />His symbols include the boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear, and shield.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Athena]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Minerva]] || [[File:Mattei Athena Louvre Ma530 n2.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare.<ref>{{cite book |title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature |date=1995 |publisher=Merriam-Webster |isbn=9780877790426 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eKNK1YwHcQ4C&pg=PA81 81]}}</ref><br />The daughter of Zeus and the [[Oceanid]] [[Metis (mythology)|Metis]], she rose from her father's head fully grown and in full battle armor.<br />Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.
|-
| style="padding-left:0.65em;"|[[Hephaestus]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Vulcan (mythology)|Vulcan]] || [[File:Vulcan Coustou Louvre MR1814.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of the forge, craftsmanship, invention, fire and volcanoes.<br />The son of Hera, either by Zeus or through [[parthenogenesis]]. Married to Aphrodite. His Latin name, Vulcan, gave us the word "[[volcano]]".<br />His symbols include fire, anvil, axe, donkey, hammer, tongs, and quail.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Aphrodite]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] || [[File:Cnidus Aphrodite Altemps Inv8619.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Goddess of love, pleasure, passion, procreation, fertility, beauty and desire.<br />The daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid or Titaness [[Dione (Titaness)|Dione]], or perhaps born from the sea foam after [[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]]' blood dripped into the sea after being castrated by his youngest son, [[Cronus]], who then threw his father's genitals into the sea. Married to Hephaestus, although she had many adulterous affairs, most notably with Ares. Her name gave us the word "[[aphrodisiac]]", while her Latin name, Venus, gave us the word "[[venereal]]".<br />Her symbols include the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, [[myrtus|myrtle]], and rose.
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Hermes]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]] || [[File:Hermes Ingenui Pio-Clementino Inv544.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Messenger of the gods; god of travel, commerce, communication, borders, eloquence, diplomacy, thieves, and games. He was also the guide of dead souls.<br />The son of Zeus and the nymph [[Maia]]. The second-youngest Olympian, just older than Dionysus.<br />His symbols include the [[caduceus]] (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork, and tortoise (whose shell he used to invent the lyre).
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|''Most lists of the "twelve Olympians" consist of the above eleven plus either Hestia or Dionysus''
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Hestia]] || style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Vesta (mythology)|Vesta]] || [[File:Hestia Giustiniani.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |Goddess of the hearth, fire and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family; she was born into the first Olympian generation and was one of the original twelve Olympians.<br />She is the first child of Cronus and Rhea, the elder sister of Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, and Zeus.
<br />''Some lists of the Twelve Olympians omit her in favor of Dionysus, but the speculation that she gave her throne to him in order to keep the peace seems to be a modern invention.''{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
|-
| style="padding-left:1em;"|[[Dionysus]]|| style="padding-left:1em;"| [[Liber]] || [[File:Dionysos Louvre Ma87 n2.jpg|75px]] || style="padding:0.5em;" |God of wine, the grapevine, fertility, festivity, ecstasy, madness and resurrection. Patron god of the art of [[theatre]].<br />The son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess [[Semele]], and the youngest Olympian god. Married to the Cretan princess [[Ariadne]].<br />His symbols include the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger, panther, leopard, dolphin, goat, and pinecone.
|}

==Genealogy==
{{Family tree of the Olympians|collapsed=no|cap_oly=y}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Ancient Greece|Religion}}
* [[Dii Consentes]], the Roman equivalent of the twelve Olympians
* [[Family tree of the Greek gods]]
* {{lang|la|[[Interpretatio graeca]]}}, including a table of mythological equivalents
* [[List of Greek mythological characters]]
* [[Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes]]
* [[Hellenismos]]
* [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]]
* [[Greek mythology in popular culture]]
* [[Olympian spirits]]
* [[Æsir]]
* [[Tuatha Dé Danann]]
* [[Anunnaki]]
* [[Elohim]]
* [[Adityas]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* [[Walter Burkert|Burkert, Walter]], ''Greek Religion'', [[Harvard University Press]], 1985. {{ISBN|0-674-36281-0}}.
* Chadwick, John, ''The Mycenaean World'', Cambridge University Press, 1976. {{ISBN|9780521290371}}.
* Dillon, Matthew, ''Girls and Women in Classical Greek Religion''. London: Routledge. (2002). {{ISBN|0415202728}}.
* [[Diodorus Siculus]], ''Library of History, Volume III: Books 4.59-8'', translated by [[Charles Henry Oldfather|C. H. Oldfather]], [[Loeb Classical Library]] No. 340. Cambridge, Massachusetts, [[Harvard University Press]], 1939. {{ISBN|978-0-674-99375-4}}. [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/LCL340/1939/volume.xml Online version at Harvard University Press]. [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/home.html Online version by Bill Thayer].
* Dowden, Ken, "Olympian Gods, Olympian Pantheon", in ''A Companion to Greek Religion'', Daniel Ogden editor, John Wiley & Sons, 2010. {{ISBN|9781444334173}}.
* Gadbery, Laura M., "The Sanctuary of the Twelve Gods in the Athenian Agora: A Revised View", ''Hesperia'' '''61''' (1992), pp.&nbsp;447–489.
* Gantz, Timothy, ''Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources'', Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Two volumes: {{ISBN|978-0-8018-5360-9}} (Vol. 1), {{ISBN|978-0-8018-5362-3}} (Vol. 2).
* [[William Hansen (classicist)|Hansen, William]], William F. Hansen, ''Classical Mythology: A Guide to the Mythical World of the Greeks and Romans'', Oxford University Press, 2005. {{ISBN|9780195300352}}.
* Hard, Robin (2004), ''The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology"'', Psychology Press, 2004, {{ISBN|9780415186360}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC Google Books].
* [[Herodotus]]; [[The Histories of Herodotus|''Histories'']], [[A. D. Godley]] (translator), Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1920; {{ISBN|0674991338}}. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+1.1.0 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'', in ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by [[Hugh Evelyn-White|Hugh G. Evelyn-White]]'', Cambridge, Massachusetts., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Homer]], ''The Iliad with an English Translation by A. T. Murray, Ph.D., in two volumes''. Cambridge, Massachusetts., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library]. {{Cite Wikisource|The Iliad (Murray)}}
* [[Homer]]; ''The Odyssey with an English Translation by A. T. Murray, Ph.D., in two volumes''. Cambridge, Massachusetts., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1919. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0136%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library]. {{Internet Archive|odyssey0001home_x5m3|Vol.&nbsp;I|page=9|at=no}}, {{Internet Archive|odyssey0002home_v0p4|Vol.&nbsp;II|page=5}}.
* [[Homeric Hymns|''Homeric Hymn to Hermes (4)'']], in ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White'', Cambridge, Massachusetts., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0013.tlg004.perseus-eng1:1-29 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
* Long, Charlotte R., ''The Twelve Gods of Greece and Rome'', Brill Archive, Jan 1, 1987. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3dUUAAAAIAAJ Google Books].
* Morford, Mark P. O., Robert J. Lenardon, ''Classical Mythology'', Eighth Edition, Oxford University Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-19-530805-1}}.
* Müller, Karl Otfried, ''Ancient Art and Its Remains: Or, A Manual of the Archaeology of Art'', translated by John Leitch, B. Quaritch, 1852.
* Ogden, Daniel "Introduction" to ''A Companion to Greek Religion'', Daniel Ogden editor, John Wiley & Sons, 2010. {{ISBN|9781444334173}}.
* Pache, Corinne Ondine, "Gods, Greek" in ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome, Volume 3'', Oxford University Press. 2010. {{ISBN|9780195170726}}.
* [[Pindar]], ''Odes'', Diane Arnson Svarlien. 1990.
* [[Plato]], ''[[Laws (dialogue)|Laws]]'' in ''Plato in Twelve Volumes'', Vols. 10 & 11 translated by R. G. Bury. Cambridge, Massachusetts, [[Harvard University Press]]; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1967 & 1968. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0059.tlg034.perseus-eng1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
* Rutherford, Ian, "Canonizing the Pantheon: the Dodekatheon in Greek Religion and its Origins" in ''The Gods of Ancient Greece: Identities and Transformations'', editors Jan N. Bremmer, Andrew Erskine, Edinburgh University Press 2010. {{ISBN|978-0748637980}}.
* Shapiro, H. A., "Chapter 20: Olympian Gods at Home and Abroad" in ''A Companion to Greek Art'', editors [[Tyler Jo Smith]], Dimitris Plantzos, John Wiley & Sons, 2012. {{ISBN|9781118273371}}.
* Thomas, Edmund, "From the pantheon of the gods to the Pantheon of Rome" in ''Pantheons: Transformations of a Monumental Idea'', editors Richard Wrigley, [[Matthew Craske]], Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2004. {{ISBN|9780754608080}}.
* [[Thucydides]], ''Thucydides translated into English; with introduction, marginal analysis, notes, and indices. Volume 1.'', Benjamin Jowett. translator. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1881. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.04.0105 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* Berger-Doer, Gratia, "Dodekatheoi", in ''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae]] (LIMC). III.1: Atherion &ndash; Eros'', pp. 646&ndash;658, Zurich and Munich, Artemis Verlag, 1986. {{ISBN|3760887511}}. [https://archive.org/details/limc_20210516/Lexicon%20Iconographicum%20Mythologiae%20Classicae/LIMC%20III-1%20Atherion-Eros/mode/2up Internet Archive].

{{Greek religion}}
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[[Category:Cultural lists|Twelve Olympians]]
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