List of Greek deities

Deities in ancient Greece were seen as immortal, anthropomorphic, and powerful.^[2] They were conceived of as individual persons, rather than abstract concepts or ideas,^[3] and were described as being similar to humans in appearance, though they were considered larger and more beautiful.^[4] Though typically found in mythology and religion in an anthropomorphic visage, the gods were also capable of taking on the form of various animals.^[5] The emotions and actions of deities were largely the same as those of humans;^[6] they frequently engaged in sexual activity,^[7] and were fickle and amoral.^[8] Deities were considered far more knowledgeable than humans,^[9] and it was believed that they conversed in a language of their own.^[10] Their immortality, the most defining marker of their divinity,^[2] meant that, after having grown to a certain point, they did not age any further.^[12] In place of blood, their veins flowed with ichor, a substance which was a product of their diet,^[13] and conferred upon them their immortality.^[14] Divine power allowed the gods to intervene in mortal affairs in various ways; they could cause natural events such as rain, wind, the growing of crops, or epidemics, and were able to dictate the outcomes of complex human events, such as battles or political situations.^[15]

Ancient Greek religion was polytheistic,^[16] and a multiplicity of gods were venerated by the same groups and individuals.^[17] The identity of a deity is demarcated primarily by their name, though this name can also be accompanied by an epithet (or surname),^[18] which may refer to a specific function of the god, to an association with another deity, or to a local form of the divinity.^[19] Worship was the means by which the Greeks honoured their gods, as they believed deities had the power to bring to their lives various positive outcomes which were beyond their own control.^[20] Greek cult, or religious practice, consisted of activities such sacrifices, prayers, libations, festivals, and the building of temples.^[21] By the 8th century BC, most deities were honoured in sanctuaries (temenē), sacred areas which often included a temple and dining room,^[22] and which were typically dedicated to a single deity.^[23] The cult a of deity contributed to how they were viewed, based upon the kinds of sacrifices made in their honour, the relation of their rituals to the social order, and the location of their sanctuaries.^[24]

In addition to their name and cult, a god's character was determined by their mythology (the collection of stories told about them), and their iconography (how they were depicted in ancient Greek art).^[25] Mythological stories about a deity told of their deeds (which may have related to their functions) and linked them, through genealogical connections, to other gods with similar functions.^[18] The most important surviving accounts of Greek mythology can be found in Homeric epic, which tells of encounters between gods and mortals, and Hesiod's Theogony, which explicates a genealogy of the gods.^[26] Some myths attempted to explain the origins of certain cult practices,^[27] while others may have arisen from rituals;^[28] myths known throughout Greece can also have differing local versions.^[29] Artistic representations allow us to understand how deities were depicted over time from the early archaic period, and works such as vase paintings can significantly predate literary sources.^[30] Art contributed to how the Greeks conceived of the gods, and depictions would often assign them certain symbols, such as the thunderbolt of Zeus or the trident of Poseidon.^[18]

The principal gods of the Greek pantheon were the twelve Olympians,^[31] who lived on Mount Olympus,^[32] and were connected to each other as part of a single family.^[33] Zeus was the chief god of the pantheon, though Athena and Apollo were honoured in a greater number of sanctuaries in major cities, and Dionysus is the deity who has received the most attention from modern scholars.^[34] Beyond the central divinities of the pantheon, the Greek gods were numerous.^[35] Some parts of the natural world, such as the earth, sea, or sun, were held as divine throughout Greece, though other natural deities, such the various nymphs and river gods, were primarily of local significance.^[36] Personifications of abstract concepts appeared frequently in Greek art and poetry,^[37] though many were also venerated in cult, with some being worshipped as early as the 6th century BC.^[38] Groups or societies of deities could be purely mythological in importance, such as the Titans, or they could be the subject of significant worship, such as the Muses or Charites.^[39]