There are more than you can count, but 12 major ones known as Olympians because they live on Mount Olympus. The Big Three are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. They're brothers. Zeus is god of the sky; Poseidon rules the sea; Hades controls the underworld. Hera is Zeus' wife and goddess of the family. Artemis and Apollo are twins. Artemis is goddess of the moon; Apollo is god of the sun. Athena is goddess of wisdom; Ares is God of War. Hephaestus is god of the forge; his wife Aphrodite is goddess of love. Hermesis god of messengers and medicine. There's some debate about the 12th one. Some people say Dionysus, god of wine. Others say Demeter, goddess of the harvest.
Well really, there were three types of Greek Gods.
1. Titans, who were the enemies and parents of some major and minor gods,
2. The 12 major gods (a group called the Olympians), and
3. The minor gods, less important ones such as Janus, God of doorways, beginnings, choices and endings.
There was also Hades, who was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He was not an Olympian, as he was God of Death, and the Olympians did not want him on their council.
The 12 Olympians were:
Zeus, the God of the sky;
His brother, Poseidon, God of the sea;
Wife of Zeus, Hera, Goddess of marriage and Heaven;
Daughter of Zeus, Athena, Goddess of wisdom and battle;
Son of Zeus, Apollo, God of the sun, music, poetry, prophesies, Archery, etc;
Apollo's twin, Artemis, Goddess of the moon, hunting and virgins;
Son of Zeus, Ares, God of war;
Sister of Zeus, Demeter, Goddess of the harvest and nature;
Son of Hera, Hephaestus, God of the forges and Smiths;
(technically) Aunt of Zeus, Aphrodite, Goddess of love and beauty;
Son of Zeus, Hermes, God of highways, merchants, messangers and thieves.
And last but not least, Dionysus, God of wine (and grapevines)
There was a goddess named Hestia, goddess of the Hearth, on the Olympian Council, but when Dionysus was made a God, she stepped down.
Dionysus was the son of Zeus of a mortal woman
The ancient Greeks believed in a pantheon of 12 major gods and hundreds of minor gods. They also believed in Titans (the parents of the gods) and heroes (the children of gods who mated with humans).
There were 12 Olympians, which you could say were the primary focus of worship, but that number didn't include Hades and Hestia, who were important figures. It also doesn't include any of the Primordial deities, personifications and other minor gods and goddesses (like Nike, Nemesis, Thanatos, Iris, Eos, Boreas, etc...) that the Greeks acknowledged and honored. They had dozens of gods and goddesses.
-Indiriel
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12...6 gods....6 godesses :)
There were 12 major gods.
The total number of gods numbers in the thousands.
The ancient Greeks had numerous gods and goddesses: primordial gods, gods who lived on Mount Olympus and a whole host of others. See the related link for a list.
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A lot. The Greeks worship many gods and goddesses so you can't find the exact number. There are many major and minor Greek gods and goddesses. You have to be more specific, how many Greek major gods or how many minor gods.
The ancient Greeks did not have science to explain how the Earth works yet, so they made up stories about Greek gods to explain forces of nature.
Yes; polytheism litterally means the veneration of many gods, and the ancient Greeks had a great number of them.
There were 12 olympian gods
It was convenient to have separate gods for separate activities to turn to for help.. So-called monotheistic religions still have multiple gods with different responsibilities, they just call them saints, prophets, devils etc but treat them as minor gods with different areas of patronage/responsibilities.
Because their religion had many gods. It is called polytheism. There are many such religions.
The Ancient Greeks were polytheists, or they believed in many gods and goddesses. They went to temples to worship and had many religious festivals.
The Greeks believed in all of the gods and goddesses, while everyone had their own god that they worshipped the most. Farmers worshipped Demeter in hopes of a bountiful harvest. Warriors would worship Athena or Ares, so they could be great in battle.
No, the ancient Greeks were pantheistic. they worshiped many gods and goddesses.
The ancient Greeks were Polytheists. This means that they worshipped more than one God.
Ancient Greeks were people who worshiped many gods as polytheists. Fifth-century Greeks did not see themselves at the mercy of gods because they thought the gods were benevolent.
The Greek worshipped many gods, which all had superhuman powers but also human emotions and weaknesses.
Polytheistic = having many gods.
Polytheism is the belief and or worship practices for a belief in "many gods". The religious systems of the ancient world often called paganism also fit the definition of polytheism. Ancient peoples such as ancient Greeks and ancient Romans can be said to believe in polytheism.
Ancient Greeks were people who worshiped many gods as polytheists. Fifth-century Greeks did not see themselves at the mercy of gods because they thought the gods were benevolent.
yes, they worshipped many gods. Somewhat like the Greeks and Romans. Ra was the king of the gods, and the sun god.
The Greek worshipped many gods, which all had superhuman powers but also human emotions and weaknesses.