Gallery · c. 700 BCE – 400 CE texts

Greek Mythology

Ελληνική μυθολογία

41 entities92 relationships11 myths46 artworks

historical mythology

Ancient Greek religion is a historical religion. Its myths are attested in primary literary and material sources; disagreements between authors (Hesiod vs. Orphic vs. local cults) are preserved as variants, not resolved.

01 — Cosmology

The shape of the world

A vertical cosmology: Sky/Olympus above, the Earth and Sea in the middle, the Underworld and the abyssal Tartarus below. The Olympians rule from Olympus; the dead are ruled from the Underworld; the defeated Titans are imprisoned in Tartarus [S1][S2][S3].

02 — The relationship graph

How the divine world is wired

Two ways to read the same data: the genealogy view layers generations top → bottom (partners side by side, children fanning from the union), while the relationships view shows the full web of typed relationships — filter by category, or click any node to open its profile. Line style encodes confidence: solid = attested, dashed = disputed, dotted = scholarly reconstruction.

View

hierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side

Overlays

zoom 2.85× · close

parentage
marriage ♥

far = primordials · medium = all · close = detail — scroll/pan, click a deity to focus

03 — Major myths

The stories

The Hesiodic Creation (Cosmogony)

In the Theogony, the first thing is Chaos, from which come Gaia (Earth), Tartarus, Eros, and Nyx. Gaia bears Ouranos (Sky), and the union of Gaia and Ouranos produces the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hecatoncheires [S1].

3 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

The Overthrow of Ouranos

Ouranos imprisoned his children in Tartarus. Gaia, grieving, forged a flint sickle and set Cronus to castrate and overthrow him; the Erinyes and (in the Theogony) Aphrodite arose from his severed parts [S1].

3 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

The Titanomachy (War of the Titans)

Zeus, grown, forced Cronus to disgorge his siblings, freed the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, and led them to war against the Titans. After a great battle, the Titans were defeated and cast into Tartarus [S1].

5 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

The Birth of Athena

Zeus swallowed Metis, pregnant with their child, to avert the prophecy that the child would overthrow him. Athena was born fully formed and armored from Zeus's head [S1][S4][S5].

3 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

Athena and Poseidon for Athens

Athena and Poseidon each offered a gift to the city: she the olive tree, he the sea (or a horse). The city chose Athena's gift, and she became its patron [S5][S6].

2 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

The Birth of Aphrodite (Two Accounts)

In the Theogony, Aphrodite is born from the sea-foam around Ouranos's severed member at Cythera. In the Iliad, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Both accounts are canonical and incompatible [S1][S2].

3 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

The Abduction of Persephone and the Seasons

Hades abducted Persephone to be his queen. Demeter's grief withheld the earth's fertility until a compromise: Persephone spends part of the year on earth (spring/summer) and part in the underworld (autumn/winter), because she ate pomegranate seeds below [S4][S5].

3 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

Perseus and Medusa

Sent to fetch Medusa's head, Perseus was aided by Athena (mirror-shield) and Hermes (winged sandals, sickle); he beheaded the Gorgon, and Pegasus and Chrysaor sprang from her blood [S1][S5].

4 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

Typhon and Zeus

Typhon, the greatest monster, warred against the gods and wounded Zeus, who was cut and fell. Zeus recovered, regained his thunderbolt, and buried Typhon under Mount Etna [S1][S5].

3 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

The Twelve Labors of Heracles

Driven to madness by Hera, Heracles killed his children and was set to perform the twelve labors for Eurystheus as penance — including the Nemean lion, the Lernaean Hydra, and the capture of Cerberus. After his death he was raised to Olympus [S5].

3 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

Odysseus and the Cyclops

On his way home from Troy, Odysseus was trapped by the Cyclops Polyphemus, whom he blinded and escaped by calling himself 'Nobody' (Outis), so the other Cyclopes did not come when they heard 'Nobody is doing this' [S3].

2 PARTICIPANTS · READ STORY →

The Hesiodic Creation (Cosmogony)

Chaos First

The first thing was Chaos, the yawning gap [S1].

Gaia and the First Beings

From Chaos came Gaia, Tartarus, Eros, and Nyx [S1].

Ouranos and the Titans

Gaia bore Ouranos; their union produced the Titans, Cyclopes, and Hecatoncheires [S1].

Variant traditions (2)

Hesiodic

Chaos → Gaia/Ouranos → Titans (Theogony).

Orphic

A cosmic egg and the god Phanes; a different, later cosmogony [S5].

Sources: [S1]

The Overthrow of Ouranos

The Imprisonment

Ouranos cast his children into Tartarus [S1].

The Sickle

Gaia forged a sickle and set Cronus against him [S1].

The Fall

Cronus castrated Ouranos, who retreated to the heavens [S1].

Sources: [S1]

The Titanomachy (War of the Titans)

The Stone for Zeus

Rhea gave Cronus a wrapped stone in place of the infant Zeus [S1][S5].

The Disgorging

Zeus forced Cronus to vomit up his swallowed siblings [S1].

The War

With the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, Zeus defeated the Titans [S1].

The Division

Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea, Hades the underworld [S1].

Sources: [S1]

The Birth of Athena

The Prophecy

A child of Metis would overthrow Zeus [S1][S5].

The Swallowing

Zeus swallowed Metis while pregnant [S1].

The Birth

Athena sprang from Zeus's head, fully armed [S4][S5].

Sources: [S1] [S4] [S5]

Athena and Poseidon for Athens

The Contest

Both gods offered a gift to the new city [S5].

The Gifts

Athena gave the olive; Poseidon the sea/spring [S5][S6].

The Choice

The city chose Athena, who became its patron [S6].

Sources: [S5] [S6]

The Birth of Aphrodite (Two Accounts)

Theogony Version

Sea-foam from Ouranos's severed member [S1].

Iliad Version

Daughter of Zeus and Dione [S2].

Variant traditions (2)

Theogony (sea-foam)

Born of Ouranos's severed member [S1].

Iliad (Zeus & Dione)

Daughter of Zeus and Dione [S2].

Sources: [S1] [S2]

The Abduction of Persephone and the Seasons

The Abduction

Hades took Persephone from a meadow [S4][S5].

The Grief

Demeter's sorrow made the earth barren [S4][S5].

The Compromise

Persephone divides the year between earth and underworld [S4][S5].

The Pomegranate

Six pomegranate seeds bound her to return (later/Orphic detail) [S4][S5].

Sources: [S4] [S5]

Perseus and Medusa

The Quest

Polydectes sent Perseus for Medusa's head [S5].

The Gifts

Athena's shield, Hermes's sandals and sickle [S5].

The Slaying

Perseus beheaded Medusa via the mirror [S5].

Pegasus

Pegasus and Chrysaor sprang from her blood [S1][S5].

Sources: [S1] [S5]

Typhon and Zeus

The Monster

Typhon, hundred-headed, born of Gaia [S1].

The Wounding

Typhon cut Zeus and made him fall [S1].

The Burial

Zeus buried Typhon under Etna; its fires are his breath [S1][S5].

Sources: [S1] [S5]

The Twelve Labors of Heracles

The Madness

Hera drove Heracles to kill his children [S5].

The Labors

Twelve tasks for Eurystheus [S5].

Cerberus

The final labor: capture Cerberus [S5].

Olympus

After his death he was raised to Olympus [S5].

Sources: [S5]

Odysseus and the Cyclops

The Cave

Odysseus's men were trapped by Polyphemus [S3].

The Blinding

Odysseus blinded the Cyclops with a stake [S3].

'Nobody'

He called himself Outis (Nobody) to outwit the others [S3].

The Wrath

Poseidon (Polyphemus's father) cursed Odysseus's journey home [S3].

Sources: [S3]

04 — Sources & archaeology

When it was written, not when it began

⚠ The date of a source is not the date of the myth it preserves.

c. 1600–1100 BCE

period

Mycenaean

Palace culture; earliest evidence of some deities (Linear B tablets name a 'Po-ti-ni-a,' possibly Athena or a mother-goddess, and a 'Di-wi-je-u,' possibly Zeus).

c. 750–700 BCE

period

Hesiod & Homer

The Iliad, Odyssey, and the Theogony are composed (orated/written). The Olympian pantheon takes its classical literary shape.

c. 700–480 BCE

period

Archaic

Great sanctuaries flourish: Olympia, Delphi, Dodona. Vase painting depicts the myths. The Homeric Hymns are composed.

c. 480–323 BCE

period

Classical

The classical pantheon is fixed; the Parthenon is built for Athena (447–432 BCE). Tragedy and comedy flourish at the Dionysia.

c. 323–31 BCE

period

Hellenistic

Apollo becomes strongly identified with the sun; mystery cults and syncretism (e.g. Sarapis) spread. Later myths (e.g. Ovid's) are composed.

c. 31 BCE – 400 CE

period

Roman & Later

Greek gods are equated with Roman ones (Zeus=Jupiter, etc.). Pausanias writes his survey of Greek sanctuaries (c. 150–180 CE).

05 — Historical artworks

The visual record

46 pieces, all from open-license or public-domain collections. Attribution is always visible; nothing is scraped.

Zeus/Jupiter, seated, as lord of the sky — Bronze Statuette of Zeus (Jupiter) — Bronze Statuette of Zeus (Jupiter) · Unknown (Roman) · late 1st century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Zeus/Jupiter, head and shoulders — Bronze Bust of Zeus (Jupiter) — Bronze Bust of Zeus (Jupiter) · Unknown (Roman) · late 1st century BCE – 1st century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Zeus Sarapis, the syncretic Greco-Egyptian god — Glass Head of Zeus Sarapis — Glass Head of Zeus Sarapis · Unknown (Roman-Egyptian) · 1st–2nd century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Athena, helmeted — Marble Head and Torso of Athena — Marble Head and Torso of Athena · Unknown (Roman) · 1st–2nd century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Athena on a funerary lekythos — Terracotta Lekythos (Oil Flask) with Athena — Terracotta Lekythos (Oil Flask) with Athena · Athena Painter · 1st quarter of 5th century BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Athena, bust in cameo — Glass Cameo: Bust of Athena — Glass Cameo: Bust of Athena · Unknown (Hellenistic/Roman) · 1st century BCE – 3rd century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Athena Promachos between judges; runners on reverse — Panathenaic Prize Amphora (Leagros Group) — Panathenaic Prize Amphora (Leagros Group) · Leagros Group · ca. 510 BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Athena Promachos; boxers on reverse — Panathenaic Prize Amphora (Euphiletos Painter) — Panathenaic Prize Amphora (Euphiletos Painter) · Euphiletos Painter · ca. 530 BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Poseidon/Neptune, bearded, trident-bearing — Bronze Statuette of Poseidon (Neptune) — Bronze Statuette of Poseidon (Neptune) · Unknown (Roman) · early 1st century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Poseidon or a river god (Okeanos-type) — Bronze Statuette of a God, Possibly Poseidon — Bronze Statuette of a God, Possibly Poseidon · Unknown (Hellenistic) · 3rd–2nd century BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Hermes, the messenger god — Marble Statue of Hermes (after Polykleitos) — Marble Statue of Hermes (after Polykleitos) · Polykleitos (Roman copy of Greek original) · 1st or 2nd century CE (original 5th c. BCE) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Hermes Propylaios, the 'gatekeeper' Hermes — Bronze Herm of Hermes Propylaios — Bronze Herm of Hermes Propylaios · Unknown (Roman) · 1st–2nd century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Hermes, standing — Marble Statue of Hermes — Marble Statue of Hermes · Unknown (Roman, Polykleitos type) · 1st or 2nd century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Aphrodite with Eros, the goddess of love with the winged god of love — Limestone Statue of Aphrodite Holding Winged Eros — Limestone Statue of Aphrodite Holding Winged Eros · Unknown (Hellenistic) · late 4th century BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Aphrodite, the Medici-type — Basalt Statuette of Aphrodite (Medici type) — Basalt Statuette of Aphrodite (Medici type) · Unknown (Roman) · late 1st – early 2nd century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Aphrodite, the goddess of love — Marble Statue of Aphrodite — Marble Statue of Aphrodite · Unknown (Roman) · 1st or 2nd century CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Hades and Persephone (Kore) — Terracotta Fragment of a Votive Relief: Hades and Persephone — Terracotta Fragment of a Votive Relief: Hades and Persephone · Unknown (Attic Greek) · ca. 470–460 BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Demeter, Persephone, and Ploutos (the Eleusinian theogony) — Relief Fragments from the Great Eleusinian Relief — Relief Fragments from the Great Eleusinian Relief · Unknown (Roman) · ca. 27 BCE – 14 CE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Perseus and the Graiai (the Gorgon quest) — Bronze Mirror with Perseus and the Graiai — Bronze Mirror with Perseus and the Graiai · Unknown (Etruscan) · ca. 400–350 BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

A gorgon (Medusa-type) with Herakles and Artemis — Gilded Silver Relief: Woman, Herakles, Artemis, and a Gorgon — Gilded Silver Relief: Woman, Herakles, Artemis, and a Gorgon · Unknown (Ancient Near Eastern / Levantine) · 7th–6th century BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)

Ludovisi Ares (detail, Palazzo Altemps) — Ludovisi Ares (detail — Ludovisi Ares (detail · Miguel Hermoso Cuesta · undated · Palazzo Altemps, Rome · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hestia statue (Wellesley College collection) — Hestia statue (Wellesley College collection) — Hestia statue (Wellesley College collection) · Daderot · undated · Wikimedia Commons (institution in source file) · Public domain

Tethys relief, Antakya Museum — Tethys relief — Tethys relief · 83d40m at en.wikipedia · undated · Wikimedia Commons (institution in source file) · Public domain

Eros (Farnese dolphin group) — Eros (Farnese dolphin group) — Eros (Farnese dolphin group) · Miguel Hermoso Cuesta · undated · Wikimedia Commons (institution in source file) · CC BY-SA 4.0

06 — Where scholars disagree

Honest uncertainties

We preserve disagreement rather than inventing answers. Each entry lists the competing positions and how this Atlas presents them.

Aphrodite's parentage

S1 (Theogony)

Born from sea-foam around Ouranos's severed member

S2 (Iliad)

Daughter of Zeus and Dione

PRESENTED AS: Two birth-accounts side by side; neither is declared 'the' truth.

Hephaestus's parentage

S2 (Iliad)

Son of Hera alone

S1 (Theogony)

Son of Zeus and Hera

PRESENTED AS: Both stored; the Iliad's 'Hera alone' is the more distinctive account.

The Olympian 'family' as a system

Literary (Hesiod/Homer)

A tidy pantheon of twelve

Cult (local)

Deities had local identities that predate and differ from the classical syncretic pantheon

PRESENTED AS: We note where a deity's 'family position' is a literary synthesis vs. a local cult reality.

Orphic vs. Hesiodic cosmogony

Hesiodic

Chaos → Gaia/Ouranos → Titans

Orphic

A cosmic egg and the god Phanes

PRESENTED AS: Both cosmogonies presented as variants, not merged.

The Typhon passage

Traditional reading

Part of Hesiod's Theogony

Scholarly view

A later interpolation (lines 810–835)

PRESENTED AS: We flag the passage as likely interpolated, per the scholarly consensus.

Medusa's origin

Hesiodic

Monstrous Gorgon from birth (daughter of Phorcys & Ceto)

Ovid (later)

A beautiful maiden transformed (for hubris / an offense against Athena)

PRESENTED AS: Both versions stored; the 'maiden' version is dated as later (Roman).