The mythology of Ancient Greece is famous for its gods; and of course society in Ancient Greece was polytheistic, meaning that many gods were worshiped. Today most people will be able to name a handful of deities, like Zeus and Poseidon, but in the wider pantheon, there were literally thousands of gods and goddesses. Even in Ancient Greece not all deities were given equal status, and as such, some were more important than others.

Broadly speaking, there are three periods of time in Greek mythology; the time of the Protogenoi, the rule of the Titans and the rule of the Olympians. Each period had its own grouping of major Greek gods.

Protogenoi

The Protogenoi were the primordial gods of Greek mythology; the first born. Hesiod, in the Theogony would name 11 gods from this grouping.

Gaia – Gaia was one of the first four deities born from nothingness, and was the female personification of the earth. Gaia would remain important throughout the classical Greek period, and even today some still revere the goddess as the epitome of “mother earth”. Gaia would give birth to many other deities.

Nyx – The personification of night, Nyx was the daughter of Chaos, and the bringer of night-time to the earth’s surface. In Greek mythology, Nyx was primarily important because of the offspring that she bore; including Hypnos and Thanatos, Nemesis and the Moirai.

Ouranus – Ouranus is often considered the first major god of Greek mythology, as he was the first to claim the position of supreme ruler. Ouranus was the son of Gaia, and the personification of the sky and the heavens. Ouranus would mate with Gaia, and bring forth the Cyclopes, Hecatonchires and most importantly the Titans.

The other Protogenoi were Chaos (Gap), Eros (Procreation), Tartarus (Hell), Erebus (Darkness), Pontus (Sea), the Ourea (Mountains), Aether (Light) and Hemera (Day).

The Titans

Gaia having mated with Ouranus would give birth to twelve Titans; six male Titanes and six female Titanides. Gaia would instigate her offspring to rise up against their father; and although the male Titans agreed to hold down their father, only Kronos was willing to use the adamantine sickle to castrate him.

Kronos – Being the one to neuter Ouranus, Kronos took up the mantle of supreme ruler, and lead his siblings in a period known as the “Golden Age”.

Oceanus – Kronos’ brother, Oceanus was an important deity as he was the personification of the great fresh water river that was thought to circle the earth. This river was thought to begin where the Mediterranean ended in the west, and the god was initially seen as the source of all life giving water.

Atlas – Some of the offspring of the Titans were also classed as Titans, though normally referred to as second-generation Titans. Atlas is arguably the most famous of these offspring, and it was he who led the Titans on the battlefield during the Titanomachy. For his role in the war, Zeus would mete out special punishment, and Atlas was forced to hold up the heavens for eternity.

The other first generation Titans were Rhea, Iapetus, Themis, Tethys, Hyperion, Theia, Crius, Mnemosyne, Coeus and Phoebe; whilst other second generation Titans included Prometheus.

The Olympians

There was commonly said to be Twelve Olympians, who came to power in the cosmos after success in the Titanomachy. Eleven names of the Olympians are generally considered to be Zeus, Posiedon, Demeter, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphoridte, Hephaestus and Hermes; the twelfth deity though could be Hestia, Dionysus or Heracles.

Zeus – After the Titanomachy the three brothers, Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, drew lots to divide the cosmos up. By winning dominion over the earth and heavens, Zeus would become supreme ruler, and leader of the Greek pantheon.

Hades – Hades was the god of the underworld, and responsible for all those who died. With a palace in the underworld, Hades was not considered one of the 12 Olympians, but he was the god who ultimately could send someone to Tartarus (hell) for eternity or to the Elysian Fields (paradise).

Apollo – Apollo was a son of Zeus, and a god whose importance would last from the Greek period through to the Roman one. Apollo was a god closely linked with the sun and light, but also prophecy and healing. As the god of prophecy, Apollo was the god of the oracles, the priestess who were consulted for all important decisions throughout the ancient world.

The gods mentioned though, are only a small fraction of the wider pantheon of deities. Many gods were more important in a localised setting than in the whole ancient world, and the importance of many would rise and fall depending on the time period in antiquity.