Republic of the Philippines

MINDORO STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

Bongabong Campus
Labasan, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro

College of Teacher Education

MODULE IN MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLOREMYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLOREMYTHOLOGY
AND FOLKLORE

The 12 Olympian Gods

The 12 Olympians - Mount Olympus
The 12 Olympians achieved their supremacy over the older primeval gods when
they were victorious in the Battle of the Titans. According to mythology and the legend in
the Greek Creation Myth the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece consisted of three
major groups and generations:

 The Primeval Gods (including Gaia and Uranus)

 The Titans (including Cronus and Rhea)
 The Olympian Gods

The Olympians

During the Battle of the Titans the older gods

were believed to have been based on Mount Othrys
and the rebellious new gods were based on Mount
Olympus - hence their title of the Olympians. Mount
Othrys and Mount Olympus are two actual mountains
that exist in Greece. The people of ancient times
believed the story that the gods lived above the
mountains that were protected by golden clouds. The
Ancient Greeks could easily believe that their gods and
goddesses lived in golden palaces, far out of the reach
of men, and hidden from their sight by the protection of
the clouds in the secluded domain of Mount Olympus.

The Olympian Gods Family Tree

The Names of the 12 Olympians

There were twelve major gods and goddesses who resided in the magnificent
palaces on Mount Olympus, referred to as the 12 Olympian gods or simply the 12
Olympians.

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 According to Greek mythology the 12
Olympians used to meet together in their
grand council hall which was presided over by
Zeus, who was the king of the gods and his
wife, Hera, who was the queen of the gods.
The ancient Greeks believed that the
Olympians were a family, and just like mortal
families, there jealousies, quarrels and
arguments between the gods and goddesses.
The names of the principle Olympians were:

 Zeus
 Hera
 Athena
 Aphrodite
 Apollo
 Ares
 Poseidon
 Demeter
 Artemis
 Hephaestus
 Hermes
 Hestia or Dionysus

The figures depicted from left to right are:

 Hestia, the goddess of the hearth who is depicted with the symbol of the scepter
associated with rulers
 Hermes, the messenger of the gods, is depicted with the symbol of the cap and the
caduceus (a staff that was entwined by snakes)
 Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, is illustrated with the symbol of the veil
that represented femininity
 Ares, the god of war, is depicted with his symbols of the helmet and spear
 Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, is shown with the symbol of the scepter and
wheat sheaf
 Hephaestus, the god of fire and metal-working, is depicted with the scepter
 Hera, the queen of the gods holds a scepter
 Poseidon, the god of the sea, is depicted with the symbol of the trident
 Athena, the goddess of wisdom is shown with the symbols of the owl and helmet
 Zeus, the king of the gods, is illustrated with the symbols of the thunderbolt and
sceptor
 Artemis, the goddess of the hunt is shown holding the bow and quiver
 Apollo the god of the sun and music, is depicted with the lyre

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 The Ancient Gods of Greek Mythology

All of the ancient gods of Greek mythology and legend were immortals, they could
not die. However, they were vulnerable and could be wounded or replaced by stronger
gods. The Greek Creation myth creates a supernatural world in which various generations
of gods supplanted the elder gods who were confined in the depths of the Underworld.
The ancient gods of Greece formed three major groups:
 The Primeval Gods
 The Titans
 The Olympian Gods

There is some confusion in this list as the god Dionysus is sometimes replaced by the
goddess Hestia. Hades, also known as Pluto, was not usually included among the 12
Olympians because his realm was the underworld.

The 12 Olympians and their symbols and attributes

The following image depicts an ancient bas-relief of the 12 Olympians accompanied by
various symbols and the attributes associated with each of the major Greek gods and
goddesses. In ancient Greek art the sculptures, vases, mosaics and paintings of the 12
Olympians were often depicted with images representing their symbols. The symbols of
the 12 Olympians enabled the ancient Greeks to easily recognise and identify the names
of their gods and goddesses.

The Ancient Gods - the Creation Myth

The Creation myth of the ancient Greeks started with Chaos, a careless god who
inhabited a dark, chaotic void in which all things were a confused mass. There was no
solid land, no sun, no moon, no fluid sea, no flowing rivers or fresh water, no mountains
and no pure air. Chaos created Nyx out of the darkness and they produced Erebus whose
province was the Underworld. Erebus then took his mother Nyx as his wife. The offspring
of Erebus and Nyx were Aether and his sister Hemera who brought light and day. Chaos,
Erebus, and Nyx were deprived of their power by Aether and Hemera. The union of Aether
and Hemera produced Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (Hell), Pontus (sea) and Eros (Love). These
were the first primeval deities who were initially born out of chaos. Gaia, the Earth Mother
then created Uranus and together they overthrew the elder gods and produced twelve
gigantic children who became collectively known as the Titans.

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 The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - the
Titans
Uranus was frightened of the strength of his gigantic children and to prevent their ever
making use of their strength against him,
he seized them immediately after their
birth and hurled them down into a dark
abyss, below the Underground, called
Tartarus, where he kept this generation
of the ancient gods in chains.

The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - the Titans

The names of the Ancient Gods referred to as the Titans were:
 Male Titans: Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus
 Female Titanides: Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea and Themis

The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - the Cyclopes and the Centimani

Following the imprisonment of the 12 Titans Uranus and his wife Gaia produced
another three giant sons, the Cyclopes. The Cyclopes were one-eyed giants called
Brontes (Thunder), Steropes (Lightning), and Arges (Sheet-lightning). Once again Uranus
threw them into Tartarus with the 12 captive Titans. In due time their number was again
increased by three more sons of Uranus called the Centimani (Hundred-Handed Ones),
who were giants of incredible strength and ferocity that surpassed that of all Titans. The
names of the Centimani were Cottus, Briareus, and Gyes.

The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - Cronus defeats Uranus

Gaia hated the treatment that her children had received at the hands of Uranus. She
pleaded with him to release them from Tartarus but Uranus refused. Gaia swore revenge
on her husband, and descended into Tartarus, where she convinced the Titans to
conspire against Uranus and take his throne. Cronus, the youngest of the Titans, hated
Tartarus and hated his cruel father for his cruelty. Cronus showed courage and agreed to
face his father. Gaia released him from his chains, and gave him a weapon, an incredibly
sharp scythe, to attack his father. Cronus vanquished his father and bound him in chains.
Cronus then took possession of the vacant throne, intending to rule the universe forever.
Uranus cursed his son, and made the prophecy that a day would come when Cronus
would also be supplanted by his children and suffer just punishment for his rebellion.

The Ancient Gods Creation Myth - The Rule of the Titans

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 Cronus released his brothers and sisters from the horrors of Tartarus and ruled as
the king of these ancient gods. Each of his siblings were given a portion of the world to
govern.
Cronus was the Titan god of time and the ages
Coeus was the god of Intelligence
Rhea was the goddess of fertility and the mother of gods
Phoebe goddess of the Moon
Oceanus lord of the ocean
Tethys goddess of the rivers
Iapetus was the god of Mortal Life
Hyperion was the lord of light
Mnemosyne was the goddess of memory and the inventor of words
Theia was the Mother of the Sun and goddess of all that glitters
Crius was the god of the constellations
Themis was the goddess of justice and order

Immortal Gods
The Ancient Gods
Their powers were legendary and seemingly limitless. But how did the ancient Greeks
perceive the Ancient Gods? What were the Ancient Gods like?

 The Ancient Gods lived forever - they were vulnerable, they could be wounded but
they could not be killed
 They lived in beautiful golden palaces, golden chariots drawn by fabulous creatures.
 They had mechanical servants similar to robots but who could talk and think
 They had fabulous weapons such as the thunderbolts hurled by Zeus
 They could control the weather
 They had the magical power of transformation - the gods and goddesses could
transform themselves into animals or inanimate objects. They also had the power to
transform others in terrible monsters or objects such as trees
 Their blood was a bright unearthly fluid called Ichor that had the power of producing
new life
 The Immortal gods were perceived as resembling mortals, but they were superior in
every way
o They were more beautiful
o They were taller
o They were stronger
o They had superior mental capabilities
 The Immortal gods married and had families
 The Immortal gods needed food, drink and sleep to nourish their bodies
 The Immortal gods wore the same styles of clothes to mortals but were made of
finer materials
 The Immortal gods used similar styles of weapons as humans
 The Immortal gods had the same emotions as mortals and displayed feelings of
love, gratitude, jealousy, hate and revenge
 In Ancient Greek mythology the Immortal gods and deities visited humans. fell in
love and their children were called 'demigods' or 'Heroes' who were famous for their
courage and great strength

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Ancient Gods family tree and Genealogy

The Ancient Gods family tree provides an instant overview of the genealogy of the
ancient Greek gods and goddesses - a 'who's who' of the famous names, family
connections, genealogy and relationships between the main characters who feature in the
legends and mythology of the Immortal gods and deities.

The Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology – Chaos

Chaos was the first of all gods or divinities, a careless deity who ruled over
confusion which was defined as the void of emptiness, within the universe. Chaos
provided an explanation of the nature and genesis of the universe.

Ancient Gods family tree and Genealogy

The Ancient Gods family tree provides an instant overview of the genealogy of the
ancient Greek gods and goddesses - a 'who's who' of the famous names, family connections,
genealogy and relationships between the main characters who feature in the legends and
mythology of the Immortal gods and deities.

The Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology – Chaos

Chaos was the first of all gods or divinities, a careless deity who ruled over confusion
which was defined as the void of emptiness, within the universe. Chaos provided an
explanation of the nature and genesis of the universe.

The Ancient Gods were born out of Chaos

The Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology - The First Ancient Gods

The first Ancient Gods came from Chaos and Nyx and emerged self-formed at the
beginning of the creation of Earth who would create 'Order out of Chaos'. The names of the

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first Ancient Gods were Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (Hell) and Eros (Love) and Erebus (Darkness).
The first Ancient Gods included Earth, Air, Sea, Sky, Darkness, Night, Light, Day, Fresh
Water, Underworld, Procreation and Time. These primeval, immortal gods were inseparable
from their native elements but also had genders and domains assigned to them.

The race of giants

The most famous of these primeval gods, the first of the Ancient Gods, were
Uranus, Gaia, Erebos, Tartarus, Pontus and Eros (not to be confused with the later god
Eros who was the son of Aphrodite)

Ancient Gods in Greek Mythology - The Titans

The first Ancient Gods were overthrown by their offspring, led by Cronus, who
became known as the Titans. The names of the Ancient Gods referred to as the Titans
were:

 Male Titans: Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus

 Female Titanides: Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea and Themis

The Children of the Titans - Ancient Gods

Each of the first generation of males joined with one of his sisters (the Titanides) to
produce children. The second generation of Ancient Gods consisted of:

 Eos, Helios, and Selene, Leto, Asteria, Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius,
Metis, Astraeus, Pallas, Perses, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus

The Ancient Gods - The Olympians

Some of the children of the Titans rebelled against the first Ancient Gods starting a
ten year conflict called Battle of the Titans (the Titanomachy). In Greek mythology the first
generation of the Ancient Gods, the Titans, used Mount Othrys as their base. This was
was assaulted by the younger Ancient Gods, led by Zeus, who used Mount Olympus as
their base. The younger Ancient Gods were victorious and became known as the
Olympians. The names of the principle Olympian gods, who were also Ancient Gods,
were:

 Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hestia or Dionysus, Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, Poseidon,

Demeter, Artemis, Hephaestus and Hermes

The Titanomachy - The

Battle of the Titans
against the Olympians

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Other Ancient Gods
There were many other lesser deities who were also classed as Ancient Gods such
as the Nymphs, Dryads and Sirens. The children of unions between the gods and mortals
were called Demigods and many of these were also considered as Immortal.

LEARNING RESOURCES
Kathleen Sears. Mythology 101 From Gods and Goddesses To Monsters And Mortals, Your Guide To Ancient
Mythology
Megan E. Bryant . Mythopedia: Oh My Gods!
Folklore unit notes.pdf

Prepared by:
Reggie Carlo A. Reamosio
Instructor 1

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