A Baker's Dozen of Deities Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The Twelve Olympians, each with specific domains or responsibilities, are also called the Dōdekátheon.

The first-generation Olympians are children of the Titans Kronos and Rhea:
Zeus - the sky, law, order, thunder & lightning; king of the gods
Hera - marriage & childbirth; queen of the gods
Poseidon - the sea, earthquakes, horses
Demeter - agriculture, harvest, fertility
Hestia - hearth, home, family, domesticity, stability

The remaining Olympians are the offspring of Zeus:
Athena (or Athene before 500 B.C.) - wisdom, crafts, war (the more strategic or tactical aspects), Athens
Ares - war (the more brutal and violent aspects) and the enemies of Athens
Artemis - the Moon, the hunt, the wilderness, childbirth, midwifery, chastity
Apollo - the Sun, music, poetry, prophecy, healing; younger twin brother of Artemis
Aphrodite - love, beauty, desire
Hephaestus - fire, the forge, metalworking; Aphrodite's husband
Hermes - trade, thieves, travel; the messenger god
Dionysus - wine, revelry, ecstasy, chaos


Highly anthropomorphic, the Olympians run the gamut of human emotions, including jealousy, love, despair, and anger. The Olympians have intricate family bonds and often tumultuous relationships with one another, with changing alliances and rivalries told in the myths of ancient Greece. Many of the stories are meant to be didactic, to warn against hubris or teach virtue and justice. Central to Greek religion, the Olympians were worshipped in a variety of rituals, sacrifices, and festivals.

The shift in the composition of the Olympian gods, whereby Hestia is replaced by Dionysus (or Dionysos), may reflect changes in Greek religious practices and societal values, particularly an embrace of the frenzied rituals of the wine god and a breakdown of social norms. Some writings say that Hestia (as goddess of stability) gave up her seat at Olympus to Dionysus (as god of chaos) in order to preserve the peace.

(By the way, some writings describe Haphaestus as born solely of the Olympian Hera, without Zeus.)


Leto, a minor goddess of motherhood and modesty, was the mother of Artemis and Apollo. Gaia, personification of the Earth, gave birth to Ouranos (or Uranus), personification of the Heavens (or the Sky, if you like). Together they were the progenitors of Titans, who in turn produced the Olympians. Another son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, Hades is a full sibling of the first-generation Olympians and a major deity, but, as King of the Underworld and god of the dead, he is not numbered among the Dōdekátheon. Nor is his Queen, Persephone (also called Kore), though she is the daughter of Olympians Zeus and Demeter.