Book of Shadows pt. 1

Deities: Hellenic Pantheon and Altars

The main Gods of Hellenism are the Dodekatheon, the twelve Olympian Gods. There are also numerous other Gods, many of them the sons and daughters of the Olympian Gods.

Zeus: The chief and king of the Gods, renowned for wielding the mighty power of the thunderbolt. Zeus is the son of the Titans Rhea and Cronos, the latter of whom he overthrew after causing him to regurgitate all his sons and daughters (who were the other Gods), thusly earning his place as ruler.

Hera: The wife of Zeus and queen of Olympus. She is best-known for her jealous outbursts against Zeus' mistresses and their offspring. Hera is concerned primarily with marriage, women and fidelity.

Poseidon: The God of the oceans. He is often viewed as a tempestuous God that is easily angered, but this is also a reflection of his unwavering authority. Poseidon is primarily associated with the sea and rivers, horses and earthquakes.

Apollo: Apollo is a God of light, far-viewing into the distance, inspiring us to raise our eyes to greater horizons. He is primarily concerned with music, poetry, healing, prophecy and the arts.

Artemis: She is the virgin Goddess of the hunt who wanders in the wild places. Many associate her with the moon, which is fitting as she is the twin sister of Apollo, who is associated with the sun. Artemis is primarily concerned with animals, chastity, children and the protection of her sacred forest.

Athena: She is the Goddess of wisdom and the patron protector of the city of Athens, which still bears her name. She is regarded as a great warrior and extremely wise. Athena's primary concerns are education, the arts and war.

Ares: Ares is the God of War and the son of Zeus and Hera. As God of War, this is his primary centre of concern, but he also takes interest in issues of strength, martial prowess and in some cases, assertive lust and virility.
Hermes: Hermes is the messenger of the Gods and in this capacity is the God of Guidance, who watches over travellers of all varieties – both physically and spiritually. He is concerned with travel, trade and animal husbandry.

Aphrodite: The Goddess of Love. She is connected to love in all its forms, as well as beauty and sexuality. When Aphrodite was born she was the most beautiful of the Gods, so Zeus gave her in marriage to Hephaestus in order to stop the other Gods warring over here. However, she had many affairs. Her main concerns are love, the sea, beauty and sex.

Hephaestus: Hephaestus is the smith of the Gods, the God of Fire and the forge. He is the God that is closest to workmanship, especially the construction of weaponry. His chief concerns are the forge, construction, the mastery of fire, and crafts.

Dionysus: Centrally, Dionysus is the God of Wine and revelry, though in his Mystery Cults they may have explored many other associations to him. As it is, his primary concerns are wine, parties, drunkenness and sexuality.

Demeter: Demeter is the Goddess of Agriculture, who taught humanity how to work the land. She controls the fertility of the earth and the raising of crops.

In addition to these are Hades and Hestia. Hades is the God of the underworld, who took this area for his realm when the world was divided between him and his brothers, with Zeus ruling from the sky and Poseidon ruling the ocean. But Hades is still a very important God and holds a prominent place within the Greek pantheon. Hestia is the Goddess of the Hearth, who voluntarily gave up her place on Olympus so that she could dwell among humanity. Because of her care for humankind, she is afforded special favours in the homes of Hellenes, being given the libations before each meal and receiving prayers each day. This is certainly not the limit of Greek deities that may be honoured. There are a great many more, such as Pan, Priapus and the Fates, to name but a few.