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music, poetry, healing and light. Importantly though he was also the god most associated with youth and the sun, and was thus associated with life itself.

Ares
The god of war, Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, closely associated with bloodshed and hatred, Ares figures prominently in the events of the Trojan War. He was though distrusted by the other Olympian gods, and was often in open conflict with them.

Artemis
Twin sister to Apollo, Artemis is one of the most famous of Greek deities. Closely associated with the hunt and the moon, Artemis was also extremely easy to anger. Many of the stories that surround her are about her revenge on those who displeased her in some way.
Athena
Athena was the virgin goddess, and daughter of Zeus and the Titan Metis. Similar to Ares, Athena is associated with warfare, but her stories will normally centre on the assistance that she provides to the mortal heroes, the likes of Perseus, in their quests and adventures. As a result Athena is normally associated with wisdom.

Hephaestus
The Greeks gods and goddesses are normally portrayed as the most beautiful of all people, Hephaestus was the exception though. Son of Hera and Zeus, Hephaestus was deformed and ugly, and rejected by all other gods. Initially thrown out of Mount Olympus he was though eventually given the vital role of Blacksmith to the gods, and creator of all armour and weapons. An inventor of some not it was Hephaestus who created Talus for Zeus to give as a gift to Europa, Talus being a giant bronze robot who would guard Crete.

Aphrodite
Aphrodite is different from all of the second generation of Olympians, in that she was not born of Zeus, but was born as a result of Cronus's actions in cutting of the manhood of his father Uranus. Arguably the most beautiful of all goddesses, she too was known for her love affairs despite being married to Hephaestus. As a result Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty and sex.

As previously mentioned the list was fluid, certainly Hestia gave up her place in the twelve to tend the hearth of Mount Olympus. At the time there was dispute amongst non-Olympian gods about their right to sit amongst the twelve. Hestia was replaced by Dionysus. Other sources also include Heracles, the Greek Hero, as well as other important gods and goddesses.

Dionysus
Perhaps the most jovial of Greek gods, Dionysus was the god of parties and wine. Dionysus was given his seat in Mount Olympus when Hestia decided to leave. Dionysus is often central to stories of drink and merriment.

Heracles
The hero of many stories, Heracles was also known as the favourite son of Zeus. Famed for his labour it is not clear how he became a member of the twelve, unless it occurred after his death and funeral pyre.

The gods of Mount Olympus are central to the whole of Greek mythology, and nothing happens to mortal or immortal without the influence of at least one deity. The gods controlled the day and night, the growing season and all elements that provide life to man. It is not surprising that there was a cult of worship established, and the stories are so well known that their names live on even today.

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