How many Gods and Goddesses were there, and what were their names and their roles as the gods and goddesses?

Dr. dig responds:
Thanks for posting a question! There are a lot of Greek gods, but the big twelve are called the Olympians, because they lived on Mount Olympus in Greece. The top god was Zeus. He controlled the heavens and wielded a thunderbolt. Zeus married Hera, a proud and beautiful goddess, who protected women and blessed marriages.

Poseidon was the brother of Zeus and the ruler of the seas. His home was an underwater palace, where he kept a gold chariot and white horses. He is always shown with a long flowing beard and he carries a trident.

Pluto was ruler of the Underworld and the Kingdom of the Dead. He owned all the precious metals and gems of the Earth, and he drove a gold chariot with black horses.

Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty. She was born in the sea and rode to shore on a scallop shell. She charmed everyone and wore a gold belt that made her irresistibly attractive. Aphrodite loves Ares, who was the god of War. He was short tempered and violent. He is always seen carrying a spear or a burning torch.

Artemis was the moon goddess. Her silver arrows brought plague and death, though she could heal as well. Artemis was the mistress of all wild animals and enjoyed hunting in a chariot pulled by dogs.

Apollo was the twin brother of Artemis. He was the god of the sun, light and truth. Music, poetry, and science were also under his control. His symbol was the laurel tree. Hermes was the messenger god and he was very swift. He wore a winged hat and sandals (but he didn't deliver flowers!).

Athena was the daughter of Zeus - she was born fully formed, springing out of the head of Zeus! She was the goddess of wisdom and war and she was the patron goddess of the City of Athens, which was named after her.

Dionysos was the god of the vine, wine and fertility. Vase painters loved to paint his image on cups and amphora used for serving wine. He wandered the world teaching people how to make wine.

The deeds of the Greek gods have made wonderful stories. The ancient Greeks imagined them as being very like humans - they got married, they got angry and jealous, they were sometimes wise and good, but they were sometimes also foolish and full of tricks.

If you want to read more about the ancient Greek gods, I would suggest the award winning Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire. My favorite rendition of the Greek is by a wonderful storyteller named Jim Weiss of Greathall Productions. His version of the tales of Greek gods is available only on cassette tape or CD, but they are so good. Also see Odds Bodkin at: www.oddsbodkin.com

After you've gone to library, you can do further research at home on the web, and one of my favorite websites is called Bulfinch's Mythology, at www.webcom.com/shownet/medea/bulfinch/welcome.html

How did the goddes Demeter get her title as the goddess of harvest? How was Demeter born?

Dr. dig responds:
The name Demeter, may stem from two ancient Greek words meaning earth (Gaia- or later Daia-) and mother (meter). Originally, her name probably meant earth-mother, and therefor the goddess who governs the fruits of the earth. There was no greater fruit than grain in the ancient world. Grain or wheat was - and still is - in most parts of the world, the staff of life.

She is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and the sister of Zeus, in Greek mythology.

I've been looking for information on the Greek gods and I found in many places that it said who the twelve great gods are. I found one that said that Hades and Hestia were two of the twelve great gods, but in other places it said that Demeter and Dinoyus were two of the twelve great gods instead. In many of these stories it says that Hestia gave up her spot as a great god for Demeter and that Hades never wanted to come out of the underworld. Which story is correct?

Dr. dig responds:
The wonderful, and at the same time confusing, thing about mythology in any ancient culture is that it changes and develops as time goes on. Just when you think you've got all the gods and goddesses straight, and all the heroes figured out, some ancient author decides to tell you something different and you're back to square one.

I find Greek mythology confusing at the best of times, but that's what makes it so interesting. I find that I am always reading and rereading it because the gods and heroes are always changing places or doing something another god ought to be doing.

And this is probably what is causing a bit of your confusion too.

But to make a long story short the original 12 gods of Mount Olympus were:

Aphrodite, Hera, Zeus, Hestia, Poseidon, Pluto, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Apollo, Athena, and Hermes.

Hestia, however, resigned her throne on Olympus, and when she did so, Dionysos took her place. This is the most usual version of the 12.

As for all your other confusing stories about the gods, they may well be taken from different ancient sources, such as Homer or Hesiod, which is why they may say different things. Homer in his writing of the Odyssey may give us one version of events from the life of the gods, Hesiod in his Theogony may say something entirely different. No wonder modern books on the subject are all mixed up! This is why it is often important to return to the authentic writing of real ancient authors to get a better idea of how we know what we know today.

Were female goddesses considered subordinate to their male counterparts?

Dr. dig responds:
I don't think that female deities of the Olympiad were ever considered subordinate to male deities of the Olympiad. The female goddesses were just as clever, powerful, mighty and important as their divine masculine companions. After all, Athena herself was patron goddess to the city of Athens. Male and female gods played their roles, just as mortal men and women in ancient society played theirs. The roles they played were just different.

Why did Greeks believe in gods?

Dr. dig responds:
The ancient Greeks believed in gods and goddesses to help them explain the way the world and the universe worked.

How did Greek mythology begin and end?

Dr. dig responds:
The myths of the Greeks didn't spring from the head of Zeus like Athena. The stories of the gods developed over many hundreds of years, and were influenced by outside cultures that comminicated and traded with the Greeks over time.

The origins of the Greek gods may have their roots in the rich traditions of the ancient Near East (ancient Mesopotamia especially) that go back thousands of years.

As people from the ancient Near East moved and settled in the regions around the Mediterranean Sea, they brought with them their customs and beliefs.

As the ancient Greek settlements grew, the stories of the gods developed a more local color, and eventually a distinctly 'Greek' mythology emerged.

When the Romans came to power, they translated much of Greek mythology into a mythology of their own.

Much of ancient Greek and Roman mythology lived on after the rise of Christianity in the 4th century A.D. In fact, the early Christians borrowed images and symbols from ancient mythology to help illustrate Christian beliefs. So in some sense, ancient Greek mythology lives on to this day. It has never really died out - it has just changed.