Best known among the hundreds of gods worshiped by the ancient Greeks are the twelve Olympians. However, there were two generations that came before them as well as a number of lesser gods and abstract personifications. As it would be impractical to include a complete list here, I have included only the most important of these. For detailed information on any of these or the hundreds of other gods of the Greek pantheon, I suggest you visit the Theoi Project (listed at the bottom of the page).
The Olympians
APHRODITE One of the ruling twelve great Olympians. She was the goddess of love, beauty and procreation. Alongside Zeus and Hera, she was also the leader of the Theoi Gamelioi or gods of marriage.
APOLLO (Apollon) One of the twelve great Olympian gods. He was the god of music, prophecy and healing, and the leader of both the Theoi Mousikoi (gods of music) and Theoi Mantikoi (gods of prophecy).
ARES The great Olympian god of war and conflict. He was the leader of the Theoi Polemikoi or gods of war.
ARTEMIS One of the twelve ruling Olympians, Artemis was the goddess of hunting, wild animals, childbirth and children. She was also a death-dealing goddess who brought sudden death to women with her arrows. Alongside her brother Apollo she was a leader of the Theoi Mousikoi or gods of music, presiding over maiden song and dance.
ATHENA One of the twelve great Olympians, Athena was the goddess of war, fortifications and the defence of towns, and of good counsel and heroic endeavour. She was also a patron goddess of craftsmen, presiding over the arts of weaving, pottery, carpentry and the manufacture of oil.
DEMETER One of the twelve great Olympian gods, Demeter was the goddess of agriculture : from the ploughing of the earth, to the milling of grain for flour.
DIONYSUS (Dionysos) One of the twelve great Olympian gods. He was the god of wine, viticulture, and wild vegetation.
HEPHAESTUS (Hephaistos) One of the twelve ruling gods of Olympus. Hephaestus was the craftsman's god presiding over metalworking, building, sculpture, and artistry.
HERA The Queen of the gods, and wife of Zeus. Hera was the goddess of women, and the leader of the Theoi Gamelioi or gods of marriage. She was also a goddess of the sky and stars.
HERMES One of the twelve great Olympian gods. He was the herald of Zeus, and the god of herds and flocks, the country arts, travel, trade, merchants, and thievery.
POSEIDON The King of the sea and one of the twelve ruling gods of Olympus. He weas also the lord of rivers, lakes and other sources of fresh-water, and the god of horses and chariots. Unlike the other Olympian gods he had his residence in the sea rather than heaven, although he still attended all the councils and feasts of the heavenly gods.
ZEUS The great King of the Gods, ruler of Olympos and the Heavens, and leader of the Twelve. He was the god of the sky, weather, kings, fate, law and order.
HAIDES The thirteenth of the great gods was Haides, King of the Dead. Unlike the other 12, he was never titled Olympian, nor did he partake in the feasts of Heaven. Instead this lord remained ever enthroned within the gloom of the underworld.
Other Important Gods
HECATE (Hekate) The younger Titan-goddess of the ghosts, witchcraft and necromancy. She supported Zeus in the Titan war and so retained all of her privileges.
THE ERINYES were three netherworld goddesses who avenged crimes against the natural order. They were particularly concerned with homicide, unfilial conduct, crimes against the gods, and perjury.
HELIUS (Helios) The Titan god of the sun who rode across the sky in a chariot drawn by four fiery, winged steeds. He was an ally of Zeus in the Titan-War.
GAEA (Gaia) The Protogenos of the earth. Mother Earth emerged at the beginning of creation to form the foundation of the universe. Gaea was one of the few Protogenoi to be depicted in anthropomorphic form, however even as such she was shown as a woman partially risen from the ground, inseperable from her native form.
RHEA (Rheia) The Queen of the Titans and goddess of female fertility and the mountain wilds. She saved her son Zeus from the maw of Cronus by substituting the child for a stone wrapped in swaddling cloth. The Titan had devoured her other five children, but these were later freed from his beely by Zeus.
THEMIS The elder Titan-goddess of the natural order, divine law and tradition. She was also a goddess of the oracles of Dodona and Delphi. By Zeus she was the mother of the goddess Fates and of the Seasons, and had a seat by his side on Olympus as advisor.
LETO The younger Titan-goddess of motherhood, light, and womanly demure. She was the mother of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis by Zeus.
PAN was the god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music. He wandered the hills and mountains of Arkadia playing his pan-pipes and chasing Nymphs.
EILEITHYIA The goddess of childbirth and the pains of labour. She was a daughter of Zeus and Hera.
EROS The god of love and sexual desire. He was the son and divine minion of the goddess Aphrodite.
AMPHITRITE was the goddess queen of the sea, the wife of King Poseidon. Some say she was one of the fifty Nereides, others an Okeanis, but most simply describe her as the female personification of the sea: the loud-moaning mother of fish, seals and dolphins. As such she was essentially the same as Thalassa.
ASCLEPIUS The god of medicine and healing. He was originally a mortal man who was destroyed by Zeus for the crime of restoring the dead to life. Afterwards he was welcomed into Olympus as a god.
MUSES (Mousai) Nine sister goddesses of music, song, dance and the other arts. They were minions of the god Apollo Musagete ("Leader of the Muses"), and sang as a choir at the feasts of the gods.
THE KHARITES (or Charites), also commonly known as the Graces, were three goddesses of grace, beauty, adornment, mirth, festivity, dance and song. A number of "younger Kharites" presided over the other pleasures of life, including play, amusement, banqueting, floral decoration, happiness, rest and relaxation. The Kharites were attendants of the goddesses Aphrodite and Hera.
HORAE The goddesses of the seasons and the ordering of heaven. Individually they presided over peace (Eirene), justice (Dike) and good order (Eunomia). The Horae were also guardians of the gates of heaven and handmaidens of the goddess Hera.
MOIRAI (Moirae) The three goddesses of fate who spun the thread of human destiny. They were attendants of Zeus Moiragete ("Leader of the Fates").
HERACLES The greatest of the Greek heroes. Upon his death he was welcomed into Olympus, becoming the gatekeeper of heaven, and the god of strength and heroic endeavour and the averter of evil.
Source
The Theoi Project http://www.theoi.com
