Greek mythology is certainly a popular topic to write about. From Rick Riordan, to Josephine Angelini, to Aimee Carter, Greek mythology has often been incorporated within a plethora of genres, including young adult. What’s more, many TV shows have taken a different perspective on these legends, from the small screens of Supernatural to even big movies such as Disney’s Hercules.

But despite their popularity, just who are the gods and goddesses? What are their backgrounds, and why are they so important now? As such, below are the descriptions of each of the Greek deities, known as the 12 Olympians.

Zeus
Zeus is known as the god of thunder, the sky, and justice, as well as the king of the gods. However, he has his flaws, one of them being that he keeps cheating on his wife and sister, Hera.

Hera
Hera is the queen of the gods, and rules over women, marriage, and fertility. Because of her husband’s cheating ways, she often goes out of her way to get revenge on Zeus’s many lovers.

Poseidon
Poseidon is the god of the sea and the storms. He is the brother of Hades, god of the Underworld, and Zeus. In the Iliad, it was Poseidon who helped the Greeks fight the Trojans in the Trojan War.

Athena
Daughter of Poseidon, Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war, and has been known to bring victory to her worshipers through her strategies. Legend has it she that when she was born, she was already an adult and was wearing her armor.

Demeter
Demeter is the goddess of agriculture and the seasons. She is most known for being the mother of Persephone, who was taken from her in order to become Hades’s wife.

Apollo
Apollo is the god of the sun, music, and medicine. Both he and another goddess are twins. Although he is seen as a rather benevolent god, he is also known to bring disease.

Artemis
Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, and the goddess of the hunt and the moon. She has a hunting party around her, and has also been associated with witchcraft during the European Witch Trials.

Ares
Ares is the god of war and violence. Because of his violent nature, many of the other gods hate him. Ironically enough, he is also Aphrodite’s lover, though she’s already married to Hephaestus.

Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. Born from sea foam, she is a patron of prostitutes, and was married to Hephaestus. Interestingly enough, she, along with Hera and Athena, started the Trojan War.
 
Hermes
Hermes is the god of travel, communication, and thieves. He is also known as a bit of trickster, as well as a helper to ferry souls between the divine and the mundane.

Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the god of blacksmithing and the forge. He crafts weapons for the gods, and is married to Aphrodite. Interestingly enough, he rarely, if at all, cheated on Aphrodite.

Dionysus
Dionysus is the god of wine, fertility, and ecstasy. He is the only god that came from a human mother, and plays an important in Greek culture.

The Greek gods and goddesses have been used in many stories. They were given human characteristics that made them more identifiable with the Greeks, and to this day, we enjoy their squabbles through the books we read. Still, it’s important to recognize their cultural significance, as well as how they can be incorporated into our stories.