About This Quiz
Want to do well on this quiz? There's a good chance that there's a Greek god or goddess who can help with that if you know who to look to.
There were 12 primary gods, known as the Twelve Olympians, who met on Mount Olympus. They loved and hated one another as well as the mortals, appearing to them as lustful lovers or as nightmares, or not at all until death. They fell in love, in hate, and into many vengeful states, but Zeus and these gods weren't the only ones with a hand in the fate of mortals, or a good story to tell.Â
Before the Olympians, and before the gods as we often think of them to be, there was a state of pre-existence, before mortals and before our world. In this primordial state came the first gods, who ruled over the Earth, the underworld, the darkness, and the other basic parts of life around us.
See how much you know about not only the primary gods and their contemporaries, but also how well you know the gods who came before them.
Known as the Dioscuri, Castor was born mortal, while his twin, Pollux, was a demigod. Even as stars, Pollux burns more brightly than Castor in the Gemini constellation.
Boreas is the personification of the north wind. He's often depicted as powerful, bearded, and with winged feet.
It was after a revolt against his father, Kronos, when Zeus became the ruler over all of heaven and earth, and the supreme god of all the Olympians.
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These original gods and goddesses were born from Chaos, the void that came before anything and everything. The primordial deities represent basics such as the earth, air, sky, sea, day, and night.
Zelus and his siblings, Nike, Kratos, and Bia, representing zeal, victory, strength, and force, respectively, were Zeus' winged enforcers, protecting him and the throne. Zelus is also sometimes associated with the notion of romantic jealousy.
As the personification of death, Thanatos would appear to humans when he arrived to carry them to their death off to the underworld. Among his siblings are Geras, god of old age, and Nemesis, god of retribution.
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Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, storms, as well as horses is considered to be one of the worst-tempered, moody, and vengeful gods on Mount Olympus. You might be, too, if your father swallowed you along with your siblings.
Plutus is the personification of wealth and abundance. He's literally named 'Wealth' in Greek, and is often represented as a child with a cornucopia.
It was the Greek god Paean who treated the injuries of the Olympian gods. His name went on to be used to describe saving people from calamity, injury, or evil.
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Zephyrus, one of the Anemoi, is the god of the gentlest of the four winds, the west wind. Also known as "Zephyr," this gentle breeze is also considered to be the messenger of spring.
Typhon is a giant, serpentine monster with 100 heads. He was defeated and then cast into the underworld by Zeus.
Morpheus is believed to be the god who shapes your dreams and who is capable of appearing in the dreams of mortals to deliver messages between the gods and us sleeping people.
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Not to be confused with the Roman god, Hercules, Heracles is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Alcmene. He was known for his masculinity, fertility, and as one of the great heroes of Mount Olympus.
Depicted as a young man with wings on his shoulders, Hypnos, the personification of sleep, is often seen carrying a poppy. He is the son of night, Nyx, and darkness, Erebus.
Hades was born to Kronos and Rhea and had three sisters, Demeter, Hestia, and Hera, as well as two brothers, Poseidon and Zeus. He is considered the god of the dead and the King of the Underworld.
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Calliope is the eldest of the nine Muses, the goddesses of music, song, and dance. She is also the goddess of eloquence. She was originally represented holding a lyre, as the Muse of epic poetry.
As the personification of the sun, he's most often represented driving a four-horse chariot across the sky. Eventually, Helios' story was combined with that of Apollo.
Dionysus, the god of winemaking and fertility, was the son of Zeus and the Theban princess Semele. He was said to be born twice, once from his mother's womb and once from the thigh of his father.
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Aphrodite is the Olympian goddess of sexual love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. She is often represented as a beautiful woman and in classical art she was often depicted in the nude.
She may be Queen of the Underworld, but Persephone is also the goddess of grain and vegetation and is known as Kore, Beautiful Maiden. As the wife of Hades, she is considered the protector of the after-life.
Apollo is the god of the sun and light, as well as music, poetry, art, and knowledge. The personification of harmony, reason, and moderation, he is considered the ideal combination of physical strength and moral virtue.
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Hera, whose name means "lady," is the wife of Zeus and queen of the ancient Greek gods. But she may be best known for her vengeful actions against her husband's lovers and illegitimate children.
Demeter is the goddess of the fertility of the earth. Although she was most often referred to as the goddess of the harvest, she also represents the overarching cycle of life and death.
This god of war is described as "a bloodthirsty killer and conqueror of castles." Ares, son of Zeus and Hera, was well-known for his quick temper and mean disposition.
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Eros is the bow-and-arrow carrying god of sensual love. He is a constant companion to Aphrodite, who, according to some myth, is his mother.
Hermes is one of the 12 gods on Mount Olympus. He's very fast and is almost always pictured wearing winged sandals: because of his speed, his primary job is serving as a messenger among the gods.
Antheia is one of The Graces who attend the goddesses Aphrodite and Hera. The Graces are the goddesses of beauty, grace, joy, mirth, dance, and song.
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It's Tyche who is the goddess of fortune, luck, and prosperity, for good or for bad. In Roman mythology, she is called Fortuna.
Known for his metalworking and blacksmithing work, Hephaestus is also a god of the art of sculpture in addition to weaponry. To avoid fighting among the gods over his beautiful daughter, Zeus had his daughter Aphrodite married to Hephaestus.
The Oneiroi are the flock of dark-winged spirits of the dreams of mortals. Every night they would fly from Erebos, the land of eternal darkness, to the mortal realm.
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As her brother Helios is depicted driving a chariot across the daytime sky, pulling the sun, Selene is seen driving the moon across the night sky. She is also sister to Eos, goddess of the dawn.
Charon is the ferryman of Hades. His job is to carry souls of the newly dead brought to him by Hermes across the rivers Styx and Acheron in Hades, the watery division between the worlds of the living and the dead. Don't forget to travel the underworld with a coin to pay the ferryman.
This fish-tailed god is the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, the god and goddess of the sea. He is seen depicted as a merman.
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It is said that Zeus punished this humanity-loving god to eternal torment after Prometheus gave fire and the knowledge of metalwork to the mortals. He is a pro-human god, credited with modeling the first human from clay.
Kratos, along with his siblings Nike, Bia, and Zelos, are the divine personifications of Strength, Victory, Force, and Zeal, respectively. Kratos, as brute strength, is often depicted as oppressive, brutal, and merciless. Together, they are Zeus' winged enforcers.