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The Ancient Greeks practiced a very complex form of Polytheism. The early Greek religion had various levels of god-like beings interacting on both the supernatural and human planes of existence. There were varying levels of gods ranging from supreme beings down to half gods with one human parent and one deity as a parent.

Here is a listing and explanation of the most prevalent beings associated with Greek Mythology:

• Zeus - Zeus was the main god of Greek myth. Zeus was considered the king of the other gods. He ruled Mount Olympus, the home of all the Greek Gods. Zeus also ruled as the god of thunder and the sky.
• Apollo – Apollo is one of the better known gods, through modern movie references and some of the remaining Greek structures of the times devoted to Apollo. Apollo was the god of many things, however the most prominent in mythology was his rule as the god of the Sun. He was also considered the god of music, poetry, prophecy, and healing. Apollo was also one of the sons of Zeus.

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• Ares – Ares was the Greek god of war. He was also a son of Zeus.
• Aphrodite - Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love. She was also the goddess of lust and beauty and often considered the most beautiful. She also was the mother of Eros.
• Athena – Athena was the goddess of war, wisdom, and crafts. She was the daughter of Zeus and considered one of the most wise of Greek mythology.
• Dionysus – Dionysus is the god parties, wine, and happiness.
• Hades - Hades was considered the god of the afterworld. He was also considered the brother of Zeus.
• Hera – Hera’s most prominent attribute is that she was both the wife and sister of Zeus. She was also considered the goddess of marriage, and of women.
• Poseidon – Poseidon was considered the sea god. God of water and earthquakes.

There were many other figures in Greek mythology that did not exist at the same level as the gods that resided on Mount Olympus. These figures may have existed on Earth or in between, some are considered gods and other are not. The rest will be listed here:

• Chaos – Chaos was known as the god of nothingness. Perhaps the first god, since all else came from the nothingness.
• Cronos – Cronos was considered the god of time.
• Uranus - Uranus was considered the god of the sky, and the father of the Titans
• Atlas – Atlas was one of the Titans, the predecessors of the Olympian gods. His duty was to hold the world on his shoulders and keep it from falling.
• River Styx – The River Styx was a mythological underground river that ran from the Earth to Hades.
• Achilles – Achilles was a fabled warrior said to have been the hero of the battle of Troy. Mentioned in Homer’s Illiad. His only weak point was said to be his heel, hence the term “Achille’s Heel”
• Charon – Charon was the being who rowed the boat between Hades and Earth on the River Styx, transporting the souls of the dead to the underworld.
• Eros – Eros was considered the god of lust and intercourse.
• Heracles – Heracles, also known as Hercules, was the son of Zeus, but not of Hera, resulting in Hera’s hatred of him.
• Nemesis – Nemesis was a spirit whose purpose was to punish those who were guilty of Hubris.
• Nike – Nike was considered the goddess of victory or triumph.
• Triton - Triton was the son of Poseidon. He was also considered a god and a messeneger of the sea, often personified as a merman.
• Adonis – Adonis was a Greek figure who was possibly considered a god of rebirth or vegitation. Possibly a godlike representation of the changing of the seasons.
• Andromeda – Andromeda is a figure of Greek myth who served punishment for her mother’s actions and was forced to become a sacrifice at sea.
• Cassandra – Cassandra was a figure in Greek Mythology who was blessed by Apoll with the gift of prophecy, however because she did not return Apollo’s love she was in turn cursed by Apollo to teh result that no one would believe her prophecies any longer.
• Daedalus – Deadalus was one of Greek Mythology’s greatest craft makers. He crafted wings for himself and his son Icarus.
• Icarus – Icarus was the son of Deadalus. Most famous for his attempted escape from Crete with his father, which resulted in the melting of his wings when he soared to close to the Sun and his ultimate death.
• Midas – Midas was a king in Greek Mythology who is famous for his touch. In return for a favor Midas was granted a wish, which was that anything he touched turned to gold, this wish turned out to be a curse.
• Minos – Minos was the king of Crete, and son of Zeus.
• Minotaur – Minotaur was the half-man half-bull that roamed the labrynth on Crete. Said to be the son of Minos’s wife and a Bull.
• Oedipus – Oedipus was the king of Thebes, best known for unkowingly killing his father and marrying his mother.
• Pandora – Pandora was the first woman in Greek Mythology.

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