Hestia was the goddess of family peace. As her name (“Hearth”) indicates, Hestia was the personification of the family home, The eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea, Hestia asked her brother Zeus to let her remain a virgin, despite the fact that both Poseidon and Apollo wanted her for a wife. The peacefulness of Hestia’s life on Olympus and the stability of her position there meant that she played little part in events and her presence is confined largely to the world of ideas.

Besides the twelve Olympian gods there were other gods who were also frequently worshiped, the difference being their was not on Olympus or they were the child of a god and a mortal, such as Asclepius. The worship of these gods is of great interest because it is often identified with the way of life, the religious ceremonies and the civilization of a given period.

Artemis was a vengeful deity, punishing all those who showed her disrespect. She protected hunters and the innocent. She and Apollo took revenge on Niobe, daughter of Tantalus. Niobe boasted that she gave birth to fourteen children, while Leto only had two. The two gods shot all of Niobe’s children because of this insult. Apollo the boys and Artemis the girls.

Demeter was the goddess of fertility, a mother-deity associated with the earth who protected cultivated soil, wheat in particular. She was also the goddess of the birth of the world: all the flowers, fruits and other living things were the gifts of Demeter. Demeter is closely linked with her daughter Persephone, Whose father was Zeus, and the two female deities are usually mentioned together.

Ares was the fierce god of war, he was always shown wearing his armour and helmet, ready for battle. Wherever war and bloodshed broke out, wherever there was combat, Ares was there. Because of this, the Greeks disliked Ares and he was rarely worshipped, no cities made him a patron. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, he often fought with the other gods - even with Zeus his father. He was worshipped at Thebes, where he was believed to be the forefather of the royal dynasty, since Harmony, wife of king Cadmus of Thebes, was his daughter by Aphrodite. He was the father of other children, too: Cycnus, Diomedes of Thrace (the owner of man-eating horses), Lycaon, Meleager, Dryas and Oenomaos.

Aphrodite was the patron of love and lovers, and her favorite pastime was causing the gods to fall in love with mortal women. She enjoyed weaving plots and enmeshing the gods in love affairs - especially Zeus. Aphrodite was married to the lame god Hephaestus, she had an affair with Ares. Her union with Ares brought Aphrodite the four children: Eros, Deimus, Phobos and Harmony. She was fond of roses and myrtle, and her chariot was drawn by two doves, her favorite bird.

Hermes was the messenger of the gods, god of commerce and prophecy and bearer of dead souls. Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, a beautiful girl who was one of the Pleiads. Even as a baby, it was clear he was going to be crafty beyond compare and a sly god. While still in swaddling-clothes, he stole the oxen of his half-brother Apollo needed all his talents and techniques to find them. In fact, he might have never found them at all without the help of Zeus. The incident passed without resentment and the half-brothers reconciled when Hermes presented Apollo with a lyre he invented and made out of a tortoise shell. Apollo, in return, made him a gift of the oxen and taught him divination.

Apollo was a handsome god: tall and well-built, he had flowing locks and enjoyed frequent romantic encounters with nymphs and mortal women. Apart from his achievements in music, the arts and prophecy, Apollo was also a god of war, who possessed great skill in shooting arrows long distances. Humans paid him the highest honours, dedicating to him sanctuaries, oracles, athletic contests and sacrifices.

Hephaestus’ workshop was on Lemnos. But all the places where there were volcanoes and fire belonged to him. He was strong like any other blacksmith who spends all day with a hammer and anvil. But his legs were weak. He was lame, a fact for which there were two explanations: according to one, Zeus was arguing with Hera one day, when the young Hephaestis dared to intervene on his mother’s side. In his rage, Zeus picked Hephaestus up by the leg and hurled him from Olympus. He fell to earth on Lemnos, where the Sintians, a Thracian people who settled on the island, took care of him - but he was left with a lame leg.

There are two myths about the birth of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.The first is that she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. The other is that she sprang from the seed of Uranus when his genitals fell into the sea after his mutilation by Cronus.

Hermes was the god of commerce and theft, and he served as herald of the gods. There were wings on his helmet and his heels, and he bore a scepter. Apart from his task of taking messages wherever Zeus sent him, he was also entrusted with the task of escorting the souls of those who died to Hades.

The other tale says that he was born lame, and that it was Hera, in shame, who decided to throw him off Olympus. He fell into the Ocean, where Tethys and Eurynome saved him and brought him up in a sea cave. Although he was extremely ugly, we always find him in the company of beautiful women, including Chare (beauty personified) and Aglaea, the youngest of the three Graces.

When Demeter discovered that her daughter was missing, she began to search for her. She wandered anxiously and sadly, day and night, across the entire known world. While she was away from Eleusis, the earth began to grow barren and the crops withered, no plant blossomed and mankind suffered from starvation. It was then that Zeus ordered Hades to send Persephone home, since Demeter threatened to prevent the earth from growing any more plants.

Persephone, Demeter’s only daughter, grew up to be a happy child in the company of her mother and the other goddesses, until one day Hades fell in love with her and abducted her. While she was picking lilies in a field, the ground suddenly swallowed her and Hades carried her off to the underworld.

Apollo was the god of light, music and prophecy. Apollo was the child of Zeus and Leto, Apollo and his sister belonged to the second generation of Olympian gods. The pregnant Leto was pursued by Hera and desperately searched for somewhere to give birth to her children. In fear of the queen of the gods, all the greek cities drove her away. In the end, the barren islet of Delos gave her sanctuary, and it was there that Apollo and Artemis were born.

Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera, he was the god of fire,metal-working and art. He made jewelry and other works of art, but was also prepared to turn out everything from scepters to thrones, amphorae to golden robots. He was the god who forged Achilles’ Armour at the request of Thetis. He depicted the creation of the Armour on Achilles’ Shield.