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Ionian Pantheon
Also referred to as
The Olympian Pantheon
The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon (Ionian: Δωδεκάθεον < δώδεκα, dōdeka, "twelve"+ θεοί, theoi, “gods”), in Ionian mythology, are the principal deities of the Olympian pantheon, residing atop Mount Olympus. The Olympians gained their supremacy in a war of gods in which Zeus led his siblings to victory over the Titans.
The Ionian cult of the Twelve Olympians can be traced to the second age Athenopolis. The altar to the Twelve Olympians at Athenopolis is usually dated to the archonship of the younger Pesistratos, of that same classical period. This religious practice continues to this day in modern Io, Boeotia, and other pockets of across the Aetheyan Sea in the Phthyan Empire.
The classical scheme of the Twelve Olympians (the Canonical Twelve of art and poetry) comprises the following gods:
- Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Hermes and later on Dionysus who took the place of Hestia
Hades (Phthian: Pluto) was not generally included in this list. He does not have a seat in the pantheon because he spends almost all of his time in the underworld, in which he is the king. The respective Phthian scheme gives the Phthian equivalents of these Ionian gods, but replaces Dionysus (Bacchus) with Hestia (Vesta) so as to list six gods and six goddesses. The difference in the list is explained by the story that when Dionysus was offered a seat among the Olympians, the total number of Olympians became thirteen. Believing this would create a fight amongst the gods, Hestia selflessly stepped down, and is sometimes considered a minor god because of this.
| Ionian Name | Phthian Name | Image | God/Goddess of… | Domains | Favored Weapon |
| Zeus | Jupiter |  |
King of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky and thunder. Youngest child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, oak tree, scepter and scales. Brother and husband of Hera, although he had many lovers. | Glory Good Law Nobility Weather | Javelin |
| Hera | Juno |  |
Queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage and family. Symbols include the peacock, pomegranate, crown, cuckoo, lion and cow. Youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Wife and sister of Zeus. Being the goddess of marriage, she frequently tried to get revenge on Zeus’ lovers and their children. | Charm Community Destruction Madness Nobility | Dagger |
| Poseidon | Neptune |  |
Lord of the seas, earthquakes and horses. Symbols include the horse, bull, dolphin and trident. Middle son of Cronus and Rhea. Brother of Zeus and Hades. Married to the Nereid Amphitrite, although, like most male Ionian Gods, he had many lovers. | Destruction Strength Travel Water Weather | Trident |
| Demeter | Ceres |  |
Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons. Symbols include the poppy, wheat, torch, and pig. Middle daughter of Cronus and Rhea. | Artifice Charm Community Good Healing | Quarterstaff |
| Athena | Minerva |  |
Virgin goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, defense and strategic warfare. Symbols include the owl and the olive tree. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Metis, she rose from her father’s head fully grown and in full battle armor after he swallowed her mother. | Community Knowledge Law Strength War | Dory |
| Apollo | Phoebus Apollo |  |
God of light, knowledge, music, poetry, prophecy and archery. Son of Zeus and Leto. Symbols include the sun, lyre, bow and arrow, raven, dolphin, wolf, swan and mouse. Twin brother of Artemis. | Glory Healing Knowledge Nobility Sun | Longbow |
| Artemis | Diana |  |
Virgin goddess of the hunt, virginity, childbirth, archery and all animals. Symbols include the moon, deer, hound, she-bear, snake, cypress tree and bow and arrow. Daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. | Animal Liberation Luck Plant Strength | Shortbow |
| Ares | Mars |  |
God of war, violence and bloodshed. Symbols include the boar, serpent, dog, vulture, spear and shield. Son of Zeus and Hera, all the other gods (except Aphrodite) despised him. | Glory Protection Strength War | Dory |
| Aphrodite | Venus |  |
Goddess of love, beauty, and desire. Symbols include the dove, bird, apple, bee, swan, myrtle and rose. Daughter of Zeus and the Oceanid Dione, or perhaps born from the sea foam after Uranus’ blood dripped onto the earth and into the sea after being defeated by his youngest son Cronus. Married to Hephaestus, although she had many adulterous affairs, most notably with Ares. | Chaos Charm Liberation Madness Trickery | Makhaira |
| Hephaestus | Vulcan |  |
Master blacksmith and craftsman of the gods; god of fire and the forge. Symbols include fire, anvil, ax, donkey, hammer, tongs and quail. Son of Hera, either by Zeus or alone. Married to Aphrodite, though unlike most divine husbands, he was rarely ever licentious. | Artifice Destruction Earth Fire Protection | Light Hammer |
| Hermes | Mercury |  |
Messenger of the gods; god of commerce and thieves. Symbols include the caduceus (staff entwined with two snakes), winged sandals and cap, stork and tortoise (whose shell he used to invent the lyre). Son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. The second-youngest Olympian, just older than Dionysus. He married Dryope, the daughter of Dryops, and their son Pan became the god of nature, lord of the satyrs, inventor of the panpipes and comrade of Dionysus. | Air Liberation Luck Travel Trickery | Sling |
| Dionysus | Bacchus |  |
God of wine, celebrations and ecstasy. Patron god of the art of theatre. Symbols include the grapevine, ivy, cup, tiger, panther, leopard, dolphin and goat. Son of Zeus and the mortal Theban princess Semele. Married to the Cretan princess Ariadne. The youngest Olympian, as well as the only one to have been born of a mortal woman. | Chaos Charm Liberation Luck Trickery | Kopis |
Other Gods of the Olympian Pantheon
| Ionian Name | Phthian Name | Image | God/Goddess of… | Domains | Favored Weapon |
| Hades | Pluto |  |
God of the Underworld, dead and the riches under the Earth (“Pluto” translates to “The Rich One”); he was born into the first Olympian generation, but as he lives in the Underworld rather than on Mount Olympus, he is typically not included amongst the twelve Olympians. | Darkness Death Law Luck Repose | Quarterstaff |
| Hestia | Vesta |  |
Goddess of the hearth and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family; she was born into the first Olympian generation and was one of the original twelve Olympians, but stories suggest that when Dionysus arrived on Mount Olympus she gave him her place in the twelve to prevent discord. | TBA | TBA |
| Asclepius | Vejovis |  |
The god of medicine and healing. He represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia (“Hygiene”), Iaso (“Medicine”), Aceso (“Healing”), Aglæa/Ægle (“Healthy Glow”), and Panacea (“Universal Remedy”). | TBA | TBA |
| Eros | Cupid |  |
The god of sexual love and beauty. He was also worshipped as a fertility deity, son of Aphrodite and Ares. He was depicted often as carrying a lyre or bow and arrow. He is often accompanied by dolphins, roses and torches. | TBA | TBA |
| Hebe | Juventas |  |
She is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe was the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, serving their nectar and ambrosia, until she was married to Heracles. | TBA | TBA |
| Heracles | Hercules |  |
A divine hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson (and half-brother) of Perseus (Περσεύς). He was the greatest of the Ionian heroes, a paragon of masculinity and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters. | TBA | TBA |
| Pan | Faunus / Sylvanus |
 |
The god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. The root of panic comes from the god Pan. <pan> is the base and<ic> is the suffix. | TBA | TBA |
| Persephone | Proserpina |  |
Queen of the Underworld and a daughter of Demeter and Zeus. She became the consort of Hades when he became the deity who governed the underworld. Also goddess of spring time. She was kidnapped by Hades. The winter season was created when Demeter was mourning the disappearance of her daughter, and in her distraction, neglected the earth, creating its cycles. Demeter mourned her by not allowing crops to grow, so Zeus struck a deal with Hades allowing Persephone to leave the underworld and rejoin her mother for seven months each year (spring/summer). The deal was when she was asked what she had eaten in the underworld when Hades first kidnapped her, the answer was five pomegranate seeds, thus five months each year were spent in the underworld creating winter. | TBA | TBA |
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