From the plethora of Gods and heroes of the Greek Mythology, the Ancient Greeks chose the twelve more representative, important and symbolic Gods, and placed them as their protectors and judges at the Olympian palace of the top of Mytikas Mountain. Ancient Greeks projected on those twelve Gods own faults and virtues, passions and weaknesses, love and hatred, nightmares and dreams. The twelve Gods of Olympus gained their power after defeating the Titans during the Titan Wars.
Zeus
Father of Gods and mortals, Zeus, the king of Olympus and leader of the Greek pantheon, sovereign of lightning, punisher and protector, lover and warlord, defeat his father Cronos and threw the Titans and the Giants in the Tartars, the zone of Hades were the bad souls were sent. He was governor of the whole and he was in total control of everything. Known for his erotic adventures, Zeus always caused the jealousy of his spouse, Hera. Ancient Greeks attributed several names to Zeus, but the most recognizable one was Xenios Zeus, as he was also the protector of hospitality.
Hera
Sister and spouse of Zeus, Hera was the protector of women and marriage. However, she often had to siege and to punish the countless lovers of her husband as well as the children of Zeus' intercourse outside his marriage. Hera was often abandoning Zeus and she wandered for days, but she always returned to her husband. Her main characteristic was her immense jealousy and the fact that she could conceive and give birth to children without Zeus.
Poseidon
Poseidon, son of Cronos and Rea, was the God of sea, drinkable waters and sources, sovereign of the seas and the geological phenomena. Poseidon was worshipped as the eminently God of seamen. His personal animosity with Odysseus was the cause that the latter had to wander for ten years after the end of the Trojan War until he finally returns in Ithaca.
Athena
Athena, daughter of Zeus and Metis, the goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship, strategy and war, was the prototype of the present-day "career woman". According to the myth, Athena was born from the head of her father Zeus, who swallowed her in the fear that Hera would give birth to a son, who might be more powerful than Athena. Athena emerged well armed, wearing helmet and keeping a shield. She did not have erotic adventures and symbolized the eternal virginity. Her beloved city was Athens, which took also her name. Her symbols were the spear, the owl and the olive.
Demeter
One of the oldest and most famous goddesses of the Ancient Greek mythology, Demeter, daughter of Cronos and Rea, was the goddess of agriculture, vegetation, land and fertility. Demeter was distant and humble and she disliked love and romance. However, her brother Zeus, transformed into bull managed to have intercourse with her, from which her only daughter Persephone was conceived. When Persephone was abducted from Hades, Demeter fell in deep depression. With the help of Zeus, she managed to take her daughter back home. The legend says that when Persephone goes to the Under World, Demeter mourns and mankind experiences winter time, while when Persephone stays with her mother at Olympus, Demeter is happy and mankind experiences summer time.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus, son of Zeus and Hera was the ugliest god; however he was astute and inventive, sovereign of manufactures and metallurgy, skilful and strong craftsman. Not only he moulded with clay Pandora, the first mortal woman, but he also made the first robots such as Talus, the guard of Crete, golden girls and cupreous dogs.
Apollo
Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto, was the god of the sun and light, truth and prophecy, archery, medicine, healing music, poetry, and the arts. Being born in the holy island of Delos, Apollo was one of the most important gods of the Greek pantheon. Apollo was associated to the Youth and the Beauty because as Sun he stays eternally young each dawn and he pours light on all the beautiful things on Earth. He is also related to the Medicine and the Therapeutics because the solar light gives health and it disinfects and proliferates the healthy and therapeutic plants. He is also associated to the Music because his light vibrates all elements of the Music of the Whole. Apollo's most significant and famous temple is at Delphi. There, his priestess Pithia, sat on a three-legged stool and inhaling fumes, made prophecies, which were typically ambiguous and incomprehensible, but they were also authoritative and sometimes determined the course of empire.
Artemis
Artemis was one of the oldest, most complex but extremely interest characters of the Greek pantheon. Daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo, Artemis were the goddess of hunting, mountains and forests and protector of young children and animals. The regions where Artemis was worshipped were always fertile while the regions where people did not honour her were infertile as an expression of her displease and rage. One of her main characteristics was her cruelty towards the offenders of her rules. The arc, the coffins and the deer characterized Artemis as depicted in the Greek mythology.
Hermes
Son of Zeus and Midwife, Hermes was the messenger of Gods and mortals and protector of tradesmen, wayfarers and wrestlers. One of his basic traits is that he functioned as the carrier of the souls to the Under World. He was closely related to the Moon, because he preferred to do his activities at night. His symbols were his caduceus, emblem of messengers, and the winged sandals. His erotic adventures were countless, however Hermes was deeply in love with Aphrodite, but he never succeeded in attracting her.
Ares
Ares, son of Zeus and Hera, Ares was the god of war. Because of his particularly confrontational nature many scholars of the 19th century claimed that he was a foreigner god, considering that the Greek imagination could not have created such a wild god. In the myth, Ares is presented bellicose and provocative representing the impulsive nature of war. Because of his nature, no city ever honoured him and he was not particularly agreeable to the remainder Gods. His characteristic was the numerous conflicts with Athena, the other martial goddess. Paradoxically, the fruit of his illegal love with Aphrodite was the Harmony.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite, daughter of Cronos, was the goddess of beauty, love and pleasure. Having emerged from the sea, Aphrodite was the Deification of feminine beauty. Gods and mortals were all intrigued by her attractiveness and sensuality. Aphrodite is believed to have been frequently unfaithful to her spouse Hephaestus. Being naturally cheerful and glamorous, Aphrodite had nothing in common with the grimy, hard-working Hephaestus. As Homer writes in Odyssey, Aphrodite loved Ares because he was impulsive and unstable like her.
Hestia
Hestia, daughter of Cronos and Rea, was the goddess of home, domestic life and family. Being the oldest daughter, she was placed above all other important Deities. Protector of familial happiness, Hestia as her altar the centre of house and she typically offered the first and the last sacrifice in each festive gathering of people. The myth says that Hestia took a holy oath to remain a virgin for ever. To honour her, Zeus gave the right to sit in the middle of the house.