He is most often shown with grapes and vines, as well as big cats like panthers, leopards and tigers. In some versions, Hestia (one of the children of Cronos and Rhea) is counted as the twelfth Olympian, instead of Dionysos.ĭionysos was the god of wine, vines, fertility, and festivity. Zeus also gave his son a golden chariot pulled by swans as a gift.įinally, we come to Dionysos, the youngest of the Olympian gods and son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele.
When the twins were born, swans are said to have circled the island seven times – hence their association with Apollo – and the island later became sacred to him.
Leto found the island of Delos (in the Cyclades archipelago of Greece), which was a 'floating' island and wasn't anchored to the mainland, and gave birth to Apollo and Artemis safely there. On hearing of Leto's pregnancy, Hera – Zeus' wife – banned Leto from giving birth on land. He is shown on this 4th-century BC Paestan bell-krater, or large wine-mixing bowl, with a white sun shining brightly above his head.Īpollo and Artemis were the children of Zeus and Leto. His symbols include (naturally enough) the sun, a bow and arrow, a lyre, and a swan. The twin brother of Artemis – or Diana – Apollo has many associations including the sun, music, archery, prophecy and healing. According to Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, the ruler Pisistratus established an altar of the 12 gods in Athens around 522 BC.īut how can you tell Ares from Apollo? Do you know the difference between Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite?Īpollo is the only god in the classical pantheon to share the same name in both Greek and Roman traditions. In the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, from around 500 BC, Hermes stands at Olympia on the bank of the river Alpheius and divides a sacrifice into 12 portions for the gods.
There is evidence for Greek religious practice involving 12 gods from the late 6th century BC. The Titans rebelled against their father Ouranos, overthrew him, and Cronos became the ruler of the gods until Zeus deposed him to rule over the Olympic gods – more on that shortly. Together, Gaia and Ouranos had 12 children – known as the Titans – including Cronos and Rhea, Zeus' parents. She then gave birth to Ouranos (the Sky) and other primordial deities like Pontos (the Sea) and Ourea (the Mountains). You may also know this group as the 'Twelve Olympians'.Īccording to Greek mythology, the world began when Gaia (the Earth) emerged from Chaos – an empty nothingness. Although any polytheistic religion (religion with multiple deities) can have a pantheon – and they existed in Norse, Aztec and Sumerian cultures to name a few – we're taking a look at the classical pantheon, and the 12 major deities included in it. Derived from the Greek words ‘πᾶν’ pan – all, and ‘θεός’ theos – god, pantheon literally means 'of all gods'.
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