GODS

Apollo: God of Music, healing, plague prophecies, poetry and archery; associated with light, truth and the sun. He is Artemis twin brother and Hermes elder brother, and son of Zeus and Leto. He was depicted as a various attributes including a laurel wreath, bow and quiver, raven and lyre. Apollo’s sacred animals are red cattle.

 Ares: God of war, bloodlust, violence, manly courage and civil order. The son of Zeus and Hera, he was depicted as either a mature, bearded spear. His attributes are golden armour and a bronze-tripped spear. His sacred animals are the culture, venomous snakes, alligators and dogs.

Dionysus: God of wine, parties and festivals, madness, civilization, drunkenness and pleasure at forever young. He was depicted in art as either an older bearded god or a pretty effeminate, long-haired youth. His attributes include the thyrsus (a pinecone-tipped staff), drinking cup, grape vine, and a crown of ivy. Animals sacred to him include dolphins, serpents, tigers, panthers, and donkeys. A later addition to the Olympians, in some accounts he replaced Hestia.

Hephaestus: Crippled god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry, sculpture and volcanism. The son of Hera alone, he is the smith of the gods and the husband of the adulterous Aphrodite. He was usually depicted as a bearded man holding hammer and tongs—the tools of a smith—and riding a donkey. His symbols are the hammer, tongs, and anvil. His sacred animals are the donkey, the guard dog and the crane.

Hermes: God of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles, language, writing, diplomacy, athletics, and animal husbandry. He is the messenger of the gods, a psych pomp who leads the souls of the dead into Hades' realm, and the son of Zeus and Maia. He was depicted either as a handsome and athletic beardless youth, or as an older bearded man. His attributes include the herald's wand or caduceus, winged sandals, and a traveller’s cap. His sacred animals are the tortoise, the ram, and the hawk.

Hades: King of the Underworld. His consort is Persephone and his attributes are the key of Hades, the Helm of Darkness, and the three-headed dog, Cerberus. The screech owl was sacred to him. Despite being the son of Cronus and Rhea and the elder brother of Zeus, as a chthonic god he is only rarely listed among the Olympians.

Poseidon: God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, storms, earthquakes, and the creator of horses; known as the "Earth Shaker" or "Storm Bringer". He is a son of Cronus and Rhea and brother to Zeus and Hades. In classical artwork, he was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with a dark beard, and holding a trident. The horse and the dolphin are sacred to him.

Zeus: The king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather, thunder, law, order, and fate. He is the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, whom he overthrew after Cronus swallowed his brothers and sisters and he is brother-husband to Hera. In artwork, he was depicted as a regal, mature man with a sturdy figure and dark beard. His usual attributes are the royal sceptre and the lightning bolt. His main attribute was his master bolt. His sacred animals are the eagle and the bull.