The Twelve Olympians
By Vickie Chao
1
The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. According to their
legends, there were twelve major deities. Together, they were called the twelve
Olympians. The twelve Olympians did not rule the world from the very beginning.
They had a falling-out with the Titans. The two sides went into war that lasted for
nearly ten years. When the fight was finally over, the Olympians had won. They
threw the Titans to the underworld. Then they moved to live atop Mount Olympus.
They ruled the world from there.
2
Of the twelve Olympians, Zeus was the most powerful. He was the leader of
the entire band. His word was final. No deity would ever dare to cross him! Zeus
had many wives. One of them, Hera, was actually his sister. She was also among
the twelve Olympians. Zeus and Hera had several children together. Some of them
wound up in this elite group, too.
3
So, besides Zeus and Hera, who else made up the twelve Olympians? The
ancient Greeks, apparently, could not answer the question definitely. They had ten
specific gods and goddesses that were always on the list. Then, they had four
alternate ones for the two remaining spots. Here are the fourteen deities:
4
Later in history, the Romans learned of the Greek deities. They adopted them
as their own. They even gave them Roman names. Apollo was the only one in the
pack who kept his original identity.
5
The ancient Greeks wrote many tales about their deities. In those stories, they
would never die, for the gods and goddesses were immortals. But aside from that,
they were no different from us, the mortals. Atop Mount Olympus, there were
sibling rivalries and family crises all the time. The Greek deities fought among
themselves endlessly. Their love and hatred toward each other could surpass the
best television show's plot!
The Twelve Olympians
1. Who was the leader of the twelve
Olympians?
Cupid
Zeus
Hera
Aphrodite
2. Which of the following Greek
goddesses was born full-grown from
Zeus' head?
Demeter
Hestia
Aphrodite
Athena
3. Which of the following Greek
deities was the protector of women
in childbirth?
Apollo
Aphrodite
Ares
Artemis
4. According to Greek myths, who
ruled the underworld?
Demeter
Zeus
Hades
Poseidon
5. According to Greek myths, who was 6. Which of the following about the
the mother of Cupid?
twelve Olympians is true?
Ceres
They were friends. They had
Juno
no relation with one another.
Diana
They lived in the underworld.
Venus
Apollo was the leader of the pack.
They defeated the Titans.
7. Which deity was in charge of
hunting?
Vesta
Diana
Neptune
Vulcan
8. How many deities were candidates
for the twelve Olympians?
14
13
12
15