Greek Gods and Goddesses - Olympians

I got in the Goddess mood and decided to make this post explaining who a few of the Greek Gods and Goddesses were! I'll be making more posts like this soon. These are only the Olympians!
Let me know what so you think of my info :)

Greek Gods and Goddesses
Olympians

Zeus

Photo from
greekmythology.wikia.com

Zeus overthrew his Father Cronus and became the ruler of the Olympian gods. Zeus and his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, drew lots for shares of the world. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky, the rain god and the cloud gatherer. Using a thunderbolt as his weapon, he hurls it at those who upset him. Married to Hera but, is famous for his many affairs. Zeus is also known to punish those that lie or break oaths. He is represented as the god of justice and mercy, the protector of the weak, and the punisher of the wicked. He also has a sister named Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth.
His breastplate is the aegis.
His bird is the eagle.
His tree is the oak. 
His children are: Ares, Eris, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, Hephaestus, Persephone, Hebe, Muses, Dionysus, Epaphus, Minos I and Rhadamanthus


Hera

Photo from
www.infoescola.com

Hera is Zeus' wife (and sister). She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. Hera is the supreme goddess, goddess of marriage and childbirth and takes special care of married women.
Hera's marriage was born in resentment and struggle with Zeus as well as continuing with resentment and struggle. Zeus courted her unsuccessfully, then turned to trickery, changing himself into hurting cuckoo. Hera, feeling sorry for the poor bird, held it to her chest to warm it. Zeus then returned to his human form and took advantage of Hera'a surprise and raped her. She then married him to cover up her shame.

Hera often went against Zeus's plans and was able to outsmart him often.

Most of the stories about Hera are about her jealous revenge for Zeus's infidelities throughout their marriage.
Her animals are the cow and the peacock.
Her favorite city is Argos.
Her children are: Ares, Eris, Hephaestus, Hebe



Poseidon

Photo from
www.mythindex.com

Poseidon is the God of the sea, protector of all waters. He is the brother of Zeus and Hades. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus, he drew lots with Zeus and Hades for shares of the world. His prize was to become lord of the sea and was widely worshiped by seamen. Poseidon married Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus.

He once lusted after Demeter. But to occupy him enough to change his feelings, Demeter asked him to create the most beautiful animal that the world had ever seen. Poseidon then went off to create the very first horse. Some say that his first attempts were unsuccessful and he ended up making a variety of other animals throughout this challenge. By the time the horse was finally created, Poseidon's passion for Demeter had diminished. 

Poseidon's weapon is a Trident that can shake the earth, and shatter anything. He is only second in power to Zeus among the gods. He personality is quite hostile and aggressive and He's very greedy. Poseidon had a series of disputes with other gods as he tried to take over their cities.


Hades

Photo from
www.theoldreligion.org

Hades is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon. He had the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over all of the dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The Erinnyes (also known as the Furies) are always welcome in his land. He is doesn't allow any of his subjects to leave, ever.

Hades is also the god of wealth, due to all of the precious metals and jewels that are mined from the earth. He has an invisibility helmet and rarely leaves the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not erratic. Hades is married to Persephone whom he abducted. He's the King of the dead but not Death itself. That name belongs to another god, Thanatos.

Photo Source
www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us

Ares
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera, who both disliked him. He's the God of War. He is considered murderous and bloodstained but is also known as a coward.
He was once caught having sexual relations with Aphrodite, at that time her husband, Hephaestus, was able publicly taunt him.
His bird is the vulture.

Photo Source
majorolympians.com

His animal is the dog.


Athena
Athena is the virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature, the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She is the daughter of Zeus and has no mother. It is said that she arrived full grown and dressed in armor, springing from the forehead of Zeus. She's fierce and brave in battle but only fights wars where she is defending her state and home from outside enemies.It's said that she invented the bridle (which allowed man to tame horses), the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is the manifestation of wisdom, reason, and purity. As Zeus's favorite child, she was allowed to use all of his weapons including the almighty thunderbolt.
Her favorite city is Athens.
Her tree is the olive. 
Her bird is the owl.


Apollo

Photo from
www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto and has a twin sister named Artemis. He's the God of music, playing a golden lyre. Called the Archer,  for his far shooting with a silver bow. He's also the god of healing who taught man medicine and he god of light and truth -the one who can not speak a lie.

Apollo's most important task is a daily one... To harness his chariot with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky.

He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People would travel to it from all over the Greek land to predict the future.
His tree is the laurel.
His bird is the crow his bird.
His animal is the dolphin.


Aphrodite

Photo from
en.wikipedia.org

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. She represents sex, affection, and the attraction that brings people together.

When it comes to Aphrodite's parents, there are two accounts of her birth:
Some say she's the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Another story goes back to when Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed his severed gentiles into the sea. It's said that Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked onto to shore in Cyprus.The myrtle is her tree.
Her birds are the dove, the swan, and the sparrow.
Her favorite lover is the God of War, Ares.
Her children: Aeneas


Hermes

Photo From
www.geocaching.com

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia and Zeus' messenger.
He's the cleverest of the Olympian gods as well as messenger to all other gods.

Being the fastest of all gods, he wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He's the god of thieves and commerce. He's also the guide for the dead to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of all olive trees.
Her children are: Pan


Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo. She's the goddess of chastity, virginity, the hunt, the moon, and all natural environment. She's the lady of the wild things and is the huntsman of the gods. Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows. She's also the protector of the young. She's a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also resides over childbirth, which may be odd for a virgin, but stories say that it goes back to her birth, Leto no pain when she was born. She became associated with Hecate as well as the moon.
The cypress is her tree.
All wild animals are special to her, especially the deer.


Hephaestus

Photo from
greek-mythology-pantheon.com

Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. It is also mentioned that Hera produced him alone and that he has no father. He's the only god to not be physically good looking. He is also born weak and crippled. There a a couple stories as to how Hephaestus became crippled. Some say that being unhappy with her son's looks, flung him from Mount Olympus into the sea, breaking his legs. Others that he took Hera's side in an argument with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. In reality it is said that he was simply clubfooted and 2 of his sons, Palaemonius and Periphetes, were also clubfooted. He's the God of fire and the forge. The smith and armorer of the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge and is the patron god of both smiths and weavers. He's known as very kind and peace loving. His wife is Aphrodite but is also mentioned as Aglaia (She's one of the three Kharites (Graces) who often appear dancing in a circle with her sisters.)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org - www.greekmythology.com - www.theoi.com - greekmythology.wikia.com - www.infoescola.com - www.mythindex.com - www.mythweb.com