Greek and Roman Gods

This page is designed to field questions of the form "Who was the Greek (or Roman) god of ... ?"

See also: The Primordial Greek Gods, Classical mythology, Titans, Homer, Graces etc.  (The last of these also includes the Muses, Furies, Fates and Gorgons.)

The Olympians

The Olympians were a group of 12 gods who ruled the earth after overthrowing the Titans. They lived on Mount Olympus, after which they are named.

The first five Olympians are the sons and daughters of the Titans Cronos and Rhea:

		Greece		Rome
Ruler of the Olympians; "father of gods and men"; god of the sky and thunder		Zeus		Jupiter
Wife of Zeus/Jupiter; mother of Ares/Mars, Hephaestus/Vulcan, Hebe/Juventa and (Roman) Minerva		Hera		Juno
God of the sea; also had the power to cause earthquakes		Poseidon		Neptune
God of the Underworld		Hades		Pluto
Virgin goddess of the hearth		Hestia		Vesta

Goddess of love, desire and beauty

Aphrodite

Venus

The remaining Olympians are all sons and daughters of Zeus:

		Mother		Greece		Rome
God of war		Hera		Ares		Mars
Goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts, and strategic warfare		Metis (mee–tis)		Athena		Minerva
God of music, medicine and healing, light and truth		Leto		Apollo		Apollo
The messenger of the gods		Maia		Hermes		Mercury
Goddess of hunting, the moon, childbirth (etc.) – twin sister of Apollo		Leto		Artemis		Diana
God of fire and the forge		Hera		Hephaestus		Vulcan

Zeus was born on

Crete

Other

Domain		Greece		Rome
God of the winds		Aeolus
Goddess (or personification) of necessity		Ananke
God of healing – at whose temple Hippocrates studied		Asclepius
Goddess of criminal rashness and consequent punishment		Ate
Goddess of flowers		Chloris		Flora
Goddess of agriculture (corn, grain, the harvest, and the fertility of the earth)		Demeter		Ceres
Goddess and personification of justice		Dike
God of wine (and fertility)		Dionysus		Bacchus
Dawn		Eos		Aurora
Goddess of discord		Eris
God of erotic love – son of Aphrodite		Eros		Cupid
Cupbearer to the gods		Ganymede
Goddess of youth – wife of Heracles		Hebe		Juventas
Goddess of crossroads, witchcraft, sorcery etc.		Hecate		Trivia
God of the Sun		Helios		Sol
God of fire, volcanoes, blacksmiths, etc.		Hephaestus		Vulcan
Goddess of the hearth, home and family		Hestia		Vesta
Goddess of health and cleanliness		Hygeia
God / goddess of marriage		Hymen		Juno
God of sleep		Hypnos		Somnos
Goddess of peace		Irene		Pax
God of mirth or fault–finding		Momus
God of dreams – gave his name to a potent analgesic drug		Morpheus
Goddess of revenge and retribution		Nemesis		Nemesis
Goddess of victory		Nike		Victoria
God of flocks and herds		Pan		Sylvanus
Wife of Hades and goddess of the Underworld		Persephone
Personification of friendship		Philia
God of wealth		Plutus
Goddess of the soul		Psyche
Goddess of the Moon		Selene		Luna
God of death (overshadowed by Hades)		Thanatos
Two–headed god of gates; chief God of Rome before Jupiter				Janus
God of boundaries				Terminus
Morning star		Phosphorus		Apollo
Evening star		Hesperus		Lucifer
Spirits of the dead				Manes
Household gods				Penates
Spirits of ancestors				Lares
Attendant spirit of each individual Roman				Genius

© Haydn Thompson 2017–20