12 Greek Goddesses You Need To Know About

If you are looking to work with a deity or goddess in your practice It can be useful to know about different gods and goddesses out there for you to work with. Greek gods are by far the best-known pantheon available. These greek goddesses stand out from the crowd.

These greek goddesses can be a great addition to any practice though their stories are also fascinating and can give you a glimpse into the spicy psychology that makes what we do so powerful

Greek Goddesses, you want to know about.

Athena:

Athena is a Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law, and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill. In Greek mythology, Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis and was born fully grown and armored from her father’s forehead.

She is often depicted as a fierce warrior and is the goddess of the city of Athens. Athena is also the patron of the arts and crafts and is said to have invented the flute, the trumpet, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot.

She is also the goddess of wisdom and knowledge and is often associated with the owl, which is said to be her sacred bird. According to Greek myth, she was born fully grown and armored, representing the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge. Athena is one of the twelve Olympian gods and is considered one of the most powerful and important of all the Greek deities.

Aphrodite:

Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. She is considered to be the embodiment of physical love and desire and is often associated with the powers of attraction and persuasion. Aphrodite is said to have been born from the sea foam, fully grown and beautiful, and is sometimes referred to as “foam-born.”

Aphrodite is often depicted as a beautiful woman with long flowing hair and a perfect figure and is often accompanied by Cupid, the god of desire, or Eros, the god of love. She is also sometimes depicted holding an apple, a symbol of her association with the mythical beauty contest that sparked the Trojan War.

Aphrodite is considered to be one of the twelve Olympian gods and goddesses and was widely worshiped in ancient Greece. She was especially popular in the city of Corinth, where her temple was one of the most famous religious sites in ancient Greece.

Aphrodite was not only known for her powers of attraction and desire but also of power to inspire or incite love. Her cult and worship were linked to fertility, sexuality, and prosperity. She is also associated with beauty, poetry, and music.

Hera:

Hera is the queen of the gods, and the goddess of marriage, family, and women. She is the wife and sister of Zeus and is considered to be the ruler of the sky and the protector of the home and marriage. She was often associated with the cow and the peacock, which were considered sacred to her.

Hera is known for her jealousy and vindictiveness towards Zeus’ mortal lovers and their illegitimate children. She is known for her wrath and punishment towards those who would try to cheat on their partners or violate the sanctity of marriage.

Despite her jealousy and wrath, Hera was also known to be a protector of marriage and a helper of women in all aspects of their lives. She was often invoked during weddings and invoked by women in childbirth. Many women, especially new brides and mothers, would offer her sacrifices and prayer.

Demeter:

Demeter is the goddess of agriculture, fertility, and the harvest. She is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and is the sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, and Hestia. According to the myth, Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld to be his queen.

Demeter, who was responsible for the fertility of the earth, was grief-stricken, and her sorrow caused the earth to become barren.

Desperate to get her daughter back, Demeter searched for Persephone, and eventually, Zeus intervened, and Persephone was allowed to return to the upper world but had to spend a part of the year in the underworld.

During this time, Demeter would grieve again and nothing would grow on earth, which is the mythological explanation for the seasons and the cycle of growth and decay.

Demeter is often depicted holding a sheaf of wheat, or a cornucopia, which symbolizes her role as a goddess of abundance and fertility. She was widely worshiped in ancient Greece, particularly in rural areas and among farmers, who would offer her sacrifices and prayers for a bountiful harvest.

Demeter was not only associated with the fertility of the earth, but also of human fertility, and was often invoked in rituals related to marriage, childbirth, and the well-being of women and children.

Artemis:

Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, and protector of young girls, she is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo. She is often depicted as a maiden, wearing a short tunic and armed with a bow and arrows, and is often accompanied by hunting dogs.

Artemis is considered the goddess of the wilderness and wild animals and is also associated with the moon and virginity. She is a virgin goddess and was known for her strong independent spirit.

Artemis is known for her hunting skills, being an expert archer, a protector of wild animals, and a hunter of large game. She is also known for her role as the protectress of young girls and women and is often invoked during childbirth.

Artemis is also associated with the concept of virginity and is said to have vowed never to marry. Many women, particularly young girls, invoked her protection and she was considered a guardian of virginity and childbirth.

Artemis was widely worshipped in ancient Greece, particularly in the wilderness areas and in the countryside. She was also one of the twelve Olympian gods and goddesses and was considered one of the most powerful and important of all the Greek deities.

Hestia:

Hestia is the goddess of the hearth, home, and domesticity. She is the eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea and is the sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hera. She is often depicted as a maiden, usually sitting or standing near a fireplace or hearth, which was considered her sacred symbol.

As the goddess of the hearth, Hestia was considered to be the guardian of the home and the protector of domestic life. She was associated with the fire that burned in the hearth, which was the center of the home and the family, and was considered to be a symbol of warmth, safety, and security.

She was also associated with the family meal and was invoked as the protector of the cooking fire.

Hestia was also considered a virgin goddess, and as such, had no consort. She was sometimes associated with the idea of inner stillness and spiritual purity.

Hestia was a relatively minor goddess in the Greek pantheon but was still held in high regard as a symbol of domestic life and the spiritual center of the home. Many households would maintain a small altar to Hestia and would offer her regular sacrifices and prayers.

Persephone:

Persephone is the goddess of springtime and the queen of the underworld. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility. According to the myth, Persephone was out picking flowers with some nymphs when she was seized by Hades, the god of the underworld, who dragged her down to the underworld to be his bride.

Demeter, Persephone’s mother, was grief-stricken and stopped all growth and fertility on earth until she was reunited with her daughter. Zeus intervened and made Hades return Persephone to the upper world, but before she left, Hades gave her pomegranate seeds to eat.

According to the myth, anyone who eats food from the underworld must stay there forever. So, as Persephone had tasted the food of the underworld, she was obligated to spend a third of the year there, during which time Demeter would again grieve and nothing on earth would grow.

This story is often interpreted as the reason for the seasons, and the yearly cycle of growth and decay.

Persephone is also sometimes called Kore, which means “maiden,” and is considered to be the embodiment of youth and new growth, and a symbol of the cycle of death and rebirth.

In some versions of the myth, Persephone is portrayed as a willing partner of Hades and even a powerful queen of the underworld, in others as a victim of abduction. This has led to various interpretations in literature and art in relation to themes of consent, identity, power, and transformation.

Selene:

Selene is the goddess of the moon. She is often depicted as a beautiful woman with a crescent moon on her forehead, riding in a chariot drawn by horses. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia and the sister of Helios, the god of the sun, and Eos, the goddess of dawn.

As the goddess of the moon, Selene was associated with the lunar cycle and was believed to be responsible for the waxing and waning of the moon each month.

She was also considered to be a protector of animals and women in childbirth and was often depicted with a horn of plenty or a cornucopia, symbols of her role as a goddess of abundance and fertility.

In Greek literature, Selene is featured as a figure of beauty and mystery, with a strong association with night, dream, and poetry. She was also admired and often featured in romantic poetry and literature, particularly in her role as a lover of the shepherd prince, Endymion.

Selene is another name for Luna, in Roman mythology. The name Selene was also used in poetry, philosophy, and mysticism, where it symbolizes the moon, night, and eternal love.

Hecate:

Hecate is a goddess of witchcraft, magic, ghosts, and crossroads. She is often depicted as a triple goddess, represented as three women standing together, or as a single woman holding three torches. She is associated with the realm of the dead and the afterlife and is also considered the protector of travelers, especially at crossroads.

She is associated with the moon and the night and is considered one of the most powerful goddesses of the underworld. She is also said to be able to move freely between the world of the living and the world of the dead and was often invoked in magic spells and in divination practices.

Hecate is also sometimes described as a goddess of fate and is said to have the ability to control the destiny of individuals and nations.

Hecate was widely worshiped in the ancient world, particularly in the Greek colonies in Asia Minor. Her cult is said to have continued in some places into the early Christian era, where it was condemned by the Church.

Eris:

Eris is the goddess of chaos, discord, and strife. She is also sometimes referred to as the goddess of jealousy, rivalry, and competition. She is considered to be one of the primordial deities and was born from Chaos.

Eris is most famously known for causing the Trojan War by throwing a golden apple inscribed with the words “To the Fairest” among the Olympian gods and goddesses at a wedding feast.

This led to a dispute between Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera, each claiming to be the fairest. The dispute was eventually resolved by Paris, a mortal prince, who awarded the apple to Aphrodite.

Nemesis:

Nemesis is the goddess of retribution, revenge, and divine justice. She is often depicted as a winged goddess and is said to be the daughter of Nyx, the goddess of night. Her name means “to give what is due” or “distributor of fortune”.

Nemesis is associated with the concept of hubris or excessive pride and the punishment of those who dare to think of themselves as equal or superior to the gods.

She is often depicted as punishing those who have acted in hubristic ways, such as those who have committed murder, stolen, or lied under oath. Nemesis is also said to have the power to control the fates of both individuals and entire nations and to bring about the downfall of those who have angered the gods.

Nyx:

Nyx is a Greek goddess of the night. In Greek mythology, she is often described as the daughter of Chaos and the mother of many other personifications of natural phenomena, such as Sleep, Death, and Dreams.

She was considered one of the primeval deities in Greek religion and was worshiped as the embodiment of night.

According to some myths, Nyx was said to have a palace in the underworld and to have the power to lull the living to sleep.