We show you here the most known Names of Greek Mythology. Discover the most important references of their mythology.
Greek Mythology Names
The predominant mythologies handed down through the centuries are those of the Greeks and Romans. The Greek mythology names and Roman mythology names of each culture include gods and goddesses who interacted with humans, with good, bad and indifferent motives.
The names of the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology varied from the Roman names, although each culture attributed to deities with comparable powers and spheres of influence. The following table shows those areas and the names of the important deities in each mythology.
List of Greek Mythology Names
| Greek name | Roman name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Zeus | Jupiter | King of gods |
| Hera | Juno | Goddess of marriage |
| Poseidon | Neptune | God of the sea |
| Cronus | Saturn | Minor son of Uranus, father of Zeus. |
| Aphrodite | Venus | Goddess of love |
| Hades | Pluto | God of the underworld |
| Hephaestus | Vulcan | God of the forge |
| Demeter | Ceres | Goddess of the harvest |
| Apollo | Apollo | God of music and medicine |
| Athena | Minerva | Goddess of wisdom |
| Artemis | Diana | Goddess of the hunt |
| Ares | Mars | God of war |
| Hermes | Mercury | Messenger of the gods |
| Dionysus | Bacchus | God of wine |
| Persephone | Proserpina | Goddess of the underworld |
| Eros | Cupid | God of love |
| Gaia | Gaea | Goddess of the earth |
In addition to the gods and goddesses named here there were many other gods and immortals in Greek mythology. The Greek names of other gods include the goat god Pan; Rhea, the sister of Cronus and the mother of his children; Heracles, the son of a mortal and Zeus who had to earn his immortality; Ganymede, a beautiful prince whom Zeus brought to Olympus to be his cup bearer; and the four winds: Zephyrus, Eurus, Notus and Boreas.
Like the Christian god, Jehovah, Zeus/Jupiter was considered the almighty father, but instead of being the father of man, he was the father of the lesser gods. Zeus was actually a third generation god.
The Olympians as teachers
Hera/Juno was their mate, although she was not the mother of all their children. Zeus, Hera and the other third-generation gods of Ancient Greece were Olympians; that is, they lived on top of Mount Olympus, the highest peak in Ancient Greece, or a heaven in the heavens. Sometimes these gods mingled with mortals, even falling in love and having children with mortal men and women.
One lesson that Greek myths loved to teach was the lesson of arrogance, or pride. When a mortal (or god) exhibited hubris, thinking that he or she was better than the gods, he or she would inevitably experience a resulting tragedy as well. If one of the lesser gods began to think that he or she was more powerful than Zeus, then he too would be struck down once or twice. This type of metaphorical lesson continues in Bible stories, Shakespeare’s tragedies, and even in modern literature and art.
Of course, the stories of these ancient gods were not provided only as a way to guide men’s behavior. Many of the myths explain various aspects of the world. Of course, there is a story about how the world was created, but there are also stories to explain things like the changing of the seasons.
Parallels with Christianity and other modern religions
Every religion has a“creation myth,” although those who currently practice a religion argue that it is not a myth. Christianity has the story of God creating the Heavens and the Earth, and the story of the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. The Greeks actually had several creation myths, including one that included an egg from which all the planets, the Earth and all creatures hatched.
It is interesting to note other parallels. For example, Eve, the first woman in Christianity, was tempted to sin by the serpent and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As punishment, Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden where they had everything they desired. In Greek mythology, the first woman is Pandora. Sound familiar? Pandora is tempted to open a forbidden box (in some versions jar) and brings chaos releasing all the evils of the world.
The first humans were destroyed in a great flood sent by Zeus. The only survivors were a man, Deucalion, and his wife. Of course, this parallels the story of Noah and his ark.
Mount Olympus itself is often considered the Greek version of Heaven, and Hades, named after the god who ruled the underworld, is the Christian equivalent of Hell.
