These are the Greek gods and goddesses of Earth and the Underworld.
The Chthonic deities inhabited the opposite realm from the Olympians - the Earth or the Underworld. Cchthon means earth in Greek. These immortals therefore acquired a slightly more dark and shadowy aspect than their bright Olympian counterparts. Nevertheless, the following gods had their place in the Greek pantheon, for they fulfilled certain fundamental needs, including providing an explanation for what happens to mortals after death.


Erinyes (Furiae)
These were female spirits also known as Furies who exacted vengeance against those who committed specific crimes

Keres
Keres were female spirits of death and destruction in ancient Greece

Hades (Pluto)
God of the Underworld and ruler of the dead; husband of Persephone

Hekate (Trivia)
Goddess of magic; an alternate spelling of her name is Hecate

Persephone (Proserpina)
Goddess of the Underworld and wife of Hades, also known as Kore (the maiden)

Thanatos
God of death

Important Greek gods who do not fit into a specific category.


Amphitrite
Sea goddess and wife of Poseidon

Asklepios (Asclepius)
God of healing

Boreas
God of the north wind

Dike (Iustitia)
Goddess of justice

Eileithyia (Lucina)
Goddess of childbirth

Eirene (Pax)
Goddess who personified peace

Enyo (Bellona)
Goddess of war

Eos (Aurora)
Goddess of the dawn

Erebus
Personification of darkness

Eris (Discordia)
Goddess whose name means "discord" or "strife"

Eros (Cupid)
God of love and desire

Eunomia
Goddess who personified discipline or good government

Fates (Moirai aka Parcae)
Goddesses who supervised fate. The poet Hesiod names them Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos

Graces (Charites aka Gratiae)
A trio of graceful goddesses associated with Aphrodite

Hebe (Juventas)
Goddess who was a cupbearer for the Olympian gods

Helios (Sol)
God of the sun

Hesperus (Vesper)
The evening star

Hestia (Vesta)
Goddess of the home and hearth

Himeros
God of sexual desire and companion of Aphrodite

Horae
A trio of goddesses of the Seasons. There were two generations of Horae.

Hygeia
Goddess of health

Hypnos (Somnus)
God of Sleep; brother of Thanatos

Iris
Goddess of the rainbow and messenger of Hera

Morpheus
God of dreams

Muses
Nine goddesses, each of whom embodied an aspect of the humanities and arts

Nemesis
Goddess of retribution

Nereus
Sea god who fathered 50 daughters the Nereids (seanymphs)

Nike (Victoria)
Goddess of victory

Nymphs
Female nature spirits

Nyx
Goddess who personifies night

Pan (Faunus)
God of the countryside

Peitho
Goddess who personifies persuasion. Peitho often accompanies Aphrodite in myth

Selene (Luna)
Goddess of the moon

Triton
Water god. Son of Amphitrite and Poseidon

Tyche (Fortuna)
Goddess of fortune

Zephyrus
God of the west wind

In Greek mythology, twelve gods and goddesses ruled the universe from atop Greece's Mount Olympus. These Olympians had come to power after their leader, Zeus, overthrew his father, Kronos, leader of the Titans. All the Olympians are related to one another. The Romans adopted most of these Greek gods and goddesses, but with new names.


Aphrodite (Venus)
Goddess of love and beauty

Apollo (Apollo)
God of the arts (poetry and music), archery, and divination

Ares (Mars)
God of war

Artemis (Diana)
Goddess of the hunt and protector of children

Athena (Minerva)
Goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts. Patron of Athens

Demeter (Ceres)
Goddess of agriculture and fertility

Dionysos (Bacchus)
God of wine, mysteries, and the theatre

Hephaistos (Vulcan)
God of smiths and metalworkers

Hera (Juno)
Goddess of marriage; consort of Zeus

Hermes (Mercury)
God of merchants and messenger of Zeus

Poseidon (Neptune)
God of the sea and earthquakes

Zeus (Jupiter)
God of the sky and ruler of Olympus

The Titans were a race of gods who were the parents and precursors of the Olympians. They were defeated by this younger generation of deities, who were led by Zeus. The ancient Greek poet Hesiod, in his Theogony, claims that the goddess Gaia first gave birth to Ouranos, then mated with him to produce these offspring. Later, Ouranos was to name his children Titans, which translates into overreachers.


Atlas
Atlas led the struggle between the Titans and Olympians, and for this he was punished...

Epimetheus
This Titan was the brother of Prometheus; his name means "afterthought"

Gaia (Tellus)
Gaia was an Earth goddess. She is also the mother of the Titans

Hyperion
God who was the father of Helios, Eos, and Selene

Iapetos
God who fathered Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus

Koios (Coeus)
God who mated with Phoebe and together they produced Leto and Asteria

Kreios (Crius)
God who sired Astraios, Pallas, and Perses

Kronos (Cronus)
It was Kronos, son of Gaia and Ouranos, who castrated his father; in turn, Kronos was the sire of many of the Olympians

Leto (Latona)
The goddess Leto bore the Olympian deities Artemis and Apollo to Zeus

Mnemosyne
The name Mnemosyne means "memory". She and Zeus together produced the Muses

Okeanos (Oceanus)
God of the Ocean and water; father of the Oceanids ("three thousand slenderankled daughters")

Ouranos (Uranus)
Ouranos was both the son and the consort of Gaia. He was also the father of the Titans

Phoebe
Goddess who conceived Leto and Asteria by the Titan Koios

Prometheus
The name of this Titan means "forethought". In myth, Prometheus was punished for giving fire to humans he was bound, and daily an eagle would devour his liver

Rheia (Rhea)
Rheia was a mother goddess who bore the deities Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus to Kronos

Tethys
The goddess Tethys gave birth to daughters who personified rivers; she was the consort of Okeanos

Theia
Theia was a goddess who mated with Hyperion and consequently bore Helios, Selene, and Eos

Themis
According to Hesiod, the goddess Themis was the second wife of Zeus, and she conceived by him the Seasons (Lawfulness, Justice, and Peace) and the Fates