Ancient Greece, Olympus

After Zeus became king and ruler (he cast lots with his brothers to see what they would rule) Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter obtained seats on Mount Olympus. Hades had become ruler of The Underworld, and decided to stay there instead of getting a seat. Zeus had chosen Hera as his wife and queen. Zeus and Hera had two children, Ares and Hephaestus, whom also got thrones. Aphrodite, who was born of unknown means, was given a throne due to her immense beauty. Zeus and the titaness Leto had twins, Apollo and Artemis, they were given thrones on Olympus as well. Athena was the child of Zeus and Metis, she was given a throne because of her wisdom. Zeus and Maia had a child whom was very crafty and talented, Hermes. He became messenger of the gods and was thus given a throne. Zeus had a demigod child, Dionysus, whom invented wine. Zeus was ecstatic about this, so he made him an Olympian. Then in some accounts, Hestia tended to the sacred hearth in the halls of Olympus and gave up her place for Dionysus.

Everything started from Chaos. The first-ever state of the world was the emptiness, a void state. Chaos created three gods: Gaia, Tartarus and Eros. Gaia was an ancient maternal deity, similar to Mother Earth. Tartarus was a deep, dark abyss, where criminals were punished, not dissimilar to Hell. Finally, Eros was the god of love and desire. Gaia had a son called Uranus, the God of the Sky. She later mated with him, which was a rather common practice in Greek Mythology. Their union created six male and six female gods, known as the Titans. Cronus, the youngest son, became their king and leader. He ended up mating with his older sister, Rhea, the goddess of fertility and motherhood. Their union produced some of the 12 Olympian Gods. As Titan Cronus craved power, he castrated his father Uranus. He imprisoned him in Tartarus, where he was tortured forever. Soon, Rhea gave birth to five gods, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. Cronus became paranoid that he would be overthrown by his own children. To prevent this from happening, he swallowed all of them whole after they were born. Rhea, however, was not happy with this. When her sixth and youngest son, Zeus, was born, she had him hidden away from his father. Instead, she gave Cronus a large stone to swallow. When Zeus grew older, he decided to take revenge. Cronus’ worst fears came true, as Zeus led the battle of the Gods against the Titans. He overthrew him and the other titans and liberated his siblings. Zeus became the new ruler of Greece, and divided the world in three kingdoms. Zeus became ruler of the skies and the whole world. His brother Poseidon took over the ocean, seas and rivers. Along with their three sisters, they were the first generation of the Olympians. Their brother Hades, who is also known as Pluto, became the king of the underworld. As Hades didn’t live on Mt Olympus, he isn’t one of the original twelve Olympians.

Zeus: King of the gods. A mighty God of Thunder, Lightning, Storms, Weather, Sky, Clouds, Air, Rain, Winds, Law, Justice, Order, Human Fate and Human Race. The Chief & Supreme god. Patron of Kings. Hera: Queen of the gods. A dignified Goddess of Woman, Marriage, Family, Childbirth, Queenship, Sky, Air and Starry Heaven. Patron of Woman and Queens. The Chief & Supreme goddess. Female counterpart of Zeus. Poseidon: A powerful god of the Oceans, Storms, Earthquakes, Floods, Water, Water Bodies, Marine Weather, Aquatic Fertility, Aquatic and Equastrian Creatures. Also Lord of the Sea Deities. Patron of Seafaring and Sailors. Demeter: Goddess of Plants, Harvest, Crops, Nature, Agriculture, Seasons and Fertility. Patron of Farmers. Ares: god of War, Courage, Bravery Violence, Bloodshed, Bloodlust, Manliness, Murder and Cannibalism. Patron of Warriors. Athena: goddess of Wisdom, War, Skills, Useful Arts, Crafts, Weaving, Law, Justice and Civilization. Patron of Scholars and the Military. Apollo: Handsome god of the Sun, Light, Learning, Intelligence, Order, Reason, Logic, Purification, Healing, Disease, Prophecy, Music, Poetry, Archery, Cattle and Useful Arts. Patron of Oracles. Artemis: goddess of the Moon, Hunting, Nature, Animals, Mountains, Midwifery and Childbirth. Patron of Hunters and Virgin Girls. Hephaestus: God of Fire, Metalworking, Volcanoes and Building Constructions. Patron of Blacksmiths. Aphrodite: Beautiful goddess of Love, Lust, Passion, Desire, Beauty, Sex, Sexuality, Procreation and Pleasure. Patron of Prostitutes and Prostituition. Hermes: god of Travel, Communication, Thieves, Message, Heralds, Language, Trade, Sports and Useful Arts. Patron of Merchants. Dionysus: God of the Vines, Wine, Grape-Harvest, Religious Ectasy, Ritual Madness, Vegetation, Revelry, Theatre, Fertility, Fruits and Pleasure. Hestia: Depending on the myth, Dionysus did not become an Olympian and Hestia stayed in her position. Goddess of Fire and Hearth.

All Olympians possess standard magic and supernatural abilities. All gods can change their shape, size, form and appearance. They can grant or revoke abilities. All Olympians also have direct or indirect control over weather, unlike the chthonic god, Hades. Many gods, mainly Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Athena, Hermes etc. can look into the future at varying degrees. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades collectively share powers over the earth.

The Gigantes were a race of great strength and aggression. They were the offspring of Gaia (Earth), born from the blood that fell when Uranus (Sky) was castrated by their Titan son Cronus, who fought the Gigantomachy, their war with the Olympian gods for supremacy of the cosmos. Archaic and Classical representations show Gigantes as human in form, while later representations show Gigantes with snakes for legs. Among the Gigantes whose names survive in literary or epigraphic sources are: Aezeius Agrius Alcyoneus: According to Apollodorus, he was (along with Porphyrion), the greatest of the Giants. Immortal while fighting in his native land, he was dragged from his homeland and killed by Heracles. Alektos/Allektos Aristaeus Asterius (giant) or Aster: a giant killed by Athena. Clytius Damysus: the fastest of the giants. Enceladus or Enkelados: a giant who battled Athena in the war against the gods. Ephialtes Euryalus Eurymedon Eurytus: son of Gaia, killed by Dionysus during the Gigantomachy. Gration Hopladamas or Hopladamus Hippolytus Lion or Leon Mimas Pallas Pelorus Picolous Polybotes Porphyrion: king of the giants. Thoas or Thoon

Almops a giant son of the god Poseidon and the half-nymph Helle. Aloadae, twin giants who attempted to climb to Olympus by piling mountains on top of each other. Otus or Otos. Ephialtes. Anax was a giant of the island of Lade near Miletos in Lydia, Anatolia. Antaeus, a Libyan giant who wrestled all visitors to the death until he was slain by Heracles. Antiphates, the king of the man-eating giants known as Laestrygones which were encountered by Odysseus on his travels. Argus Panoptes, a hundred-eyed giant tasked with guarding Io. Athos: an enemy of Poseidon, best known for the creation of Mount Athos in Chalcidice. Cacus, a fire-breathing Latin giant slain by Heracles. Chthonius Cyclopes (Hesiodic): three one-eyed giants who forged the lightning bolts of Zeus and Helmet and Bident of Hades. Some assisted the god Hephaestus at his workshops. Children of Gaia and Uranus, who were locked by Uranus in Tartarus. Arges Brontes Steropes Cyclopes (Homeric), a tribe of one-eyed, man-eating giants who herded flocks of sheep on the island of Sicily. Polyphemus, a Cyclops, and son of Poseidon. He briefly captured Odysseus and his men, only to be overcome and blinded by the hero. Echion: known for great strength (though not necessarily great size) and having an ability to change the course or direction of winds. The Gegenees, a tribe of six-armed giants fought by the Argonauts on Bear Mountain in Mysia. Geryon: according to Hesiod, Geryon was a giant with one body and three heads, whereas the tradition followed by Aeschylus gave him three bodies. A lost description by Stesichorus said that he has six hands and six feet and is winged; there are some mid-sixth-century Chalcidian vases portraying Geryon as winged. Some accounts state that he had six legs as well, while others state that the three bodies were joined to one pair of legs. The Hekatoncheires or Centimanes (Latin), the Hundred-Handed Ones, giant gods of violent storms and hurricanes

The Laestrygonians, a tribe of man-eating giants encountered by Odysseus on his travels. Antiphates: King of the Laestrygonians. Lion-Headed Giants Leon or Lion: killed by Herakles in the war against the gods. Orion, a giant huntsman whom Zeus placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion. Periboea: a Giantess, daughter of the king of the giants. Talos, a giant forged from bronze by Hephaestus, and given by Zeus to his lover Europa as her personal protector. Tityos, a giant slain by Apollo and Artemis when he attempted to violate their mother Leto. Typhon, a monstrous immortal storm-giant who attempted to launch an attack on Mount Olympus but was defeated by the Olympians and imprisoned in the pits of Tartarus.

The dragons of Greek mythology were serpentine monsters. They include the serpent-like Drakons, the marine-dwelling Cetea, and the she-monster Dracaenae. Homer describes the dragons with wings and legs. Drakons were giant serpents, sometimes possessing multiple heads or able to breathe fire (or even both), but most just spit deadly poison. They are usually depicted without wings. Cetea were sea monsters. They were usually featured in myths of a hero rescuing a sacrificial princess. The Dracaenae were monsters that had the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of any sort of dragon. Echidna, the mother of monsters, and Ceto, the mother of sea monsters, are two famous dracaenae. Some Dracaenae were even known to have had in place two legs, and one (or two) serpent tails.

Aeternae: Giants who use bones as tools, their most notable feature is the saw-toothed protuberances sprouting from their heads. Amphisbaena: A serpent born from Medusa's blood over the Libyan Desert, famous for having two heads one on either end of its body. The Amphisbaena also has dragon wings and chicken feet. Arae: A female demon that personifies curses usually placed by the dead upon their murderers. They would leave the underworld to fulfill the curse. Basilisk: A serpent often called the king of snakes whose gaze could petrify or kill and its toxic breath could break stones. Catoblepas: A buffalo-like creature with shaggy fur, large horns, and a heavy head whose toxic breath and ugly looks could kill. Centaur and Centauride: Creatures with a head and the torso of a human, and the body of a horse. Cyprian centaurs: bull-horned centaurs native to the island of Cyprus. Ichthyocentaurs: a pair of marine centaurs with the upper bodies of men, the lower fronts of horses, and the tails of fish. Onocentaur: part human, part donkey. It had the head and torso of a human with the body of a donkey. Winged centaurs Cerastes: spineless serpents with a set of ram-like horns on their heads. Cerberus: a three headed dog, pet of Hades Cetus or Ceto: sea monsters. Ceuthonymus: daemon of the underworld. Father of Menoetius. Charon: the ferryman of Hades, who transports the dead across the River Styx. Charybdis: a sea monster whose inhalations formed a deadly whirlpool or a huge water mouth. Chimera: a fire-breathing, three-headed monster with one head of a lion, one of a snake, and another of a goat, lion claws in front and goat legs behind, and a long snake tail. Crocotta or Cynolycus: a creature with the body of a stag, a lion's neck, cloven hooves, and a wide mouth with a sharp, bony ridge in place of teeth. It imitates the human voice, calls men by name at night, and devours those who approach it.

Derceto: a half-woman half-fish goddess. Diomedes of Thrace: the son of Ares and Cyrene, known for his man-eating horses. Dryad: tree spirits who look similar to women. Echidna: Mate of Typhon and mother of many monsters. Eidolon: spirit-image of a living or dead person; a shade or phantom look-alike of the human form. Eurynomos: the netherworld daemon of rotting corpses dwelling in the Underworld. Gello: a female demon or revenant who threatens the reproductive cycle by causing infertility, miscarriage, and infant mortality. Ghosts, Shades, Spirits. Gorgons: female monsters depicted with snakes on their head instead of hair, and sometimes described as having tusks, wings, and brazen claws. Euryale: whose scream could kill. Medusa: whose gaze could turn anyone to stone, killed by Perseus. Stheno: the third gorgon sister. Graeae: three old women with one tooth and one eye among them. Also known as the Graeae sisters. Deino Enyo Pemphredo Griffin or Gryphon or Gryps or Grypes: a creature that combines a lion's body and an eagle's head and wings. Harpies: a creature with the torso, head, and arms of a woman, and the talons, tail, and wings (mixed with the arms) of a bird. Very small but can be vicious when provoked. Hippalectryon: a creature with the fore parts of a horse and the hind parts of a cockerel/rooster. Hippocampus: a creature with the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish. Created by Poseidon when he offered them to Athens. Hydras Lernaean Hydra: a many-headed, serpent-like creature that guarded an Underworld entrance beneath Lake Lerna. It was destroyed by Heracles, in his second Labour. Son of Typhon and Echidna. Ipotane: a race of half-horse, half-humans. The Ipotanes are considered the original version of the centaurs. Keres: the spirits of violent or cruel death. Achlys: who may have been numbered amongst the Keres. She was represented on the shield of Heracles. Kobaloi: a mischievous creature fond of tricking and frightening mortals.

Kobaloi: a mischievous creature fond of tricking and frightening mortals. Lamia: a vampiric demon who by voluptuous artifices attracted young men, to enjoy their fresh, youthful, and pure flesh and blood. Corinthian Lamia: a vampiric demon who seduced the handsome youth Menippos in the guise of a beautiful woman to consume his flesh and blood. Leontophonos (meaning "lion-killer"): a small animal whose urine was said to be fatal to lions.[1] Manticore or Androphagos: having the body of a red lion, a human face with three rows of sharp teeth, and the wings of a bat or dragon. The manticore can shoot spikes out of its tail, making it a deadly foe. Merpeople: humans with fish tail after torso (Mermaid as female, Merman as male). They lure adventurers to drown them. Minotaur: a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man; slain by Theseus in the Labyrinth created by Daedelus. Nymph Odontotyrannos: a beast with a black, horse-like head, with three horns protruding from its forehead, and exceeded the size of an elephant. Ophiotaurus (Bull-Serpent): a creature part bull and part serpent. Ouroboros: an immortal self-eating, circular being. The being is a serpent or a dragon curled into a circle or hoop, biting its tail. Panes: a tribe of nature spirits that had the heads and torsos of men, the legs and tails of goats, goatish faces, and goat-horns. Philinnion: an unwed maiden who died prematurely and returned from the tomb as the living dead to consort with a handsome youth named Makhates. When her mother discovered the girl she collapsed back into death and was burned by the terrified townsfolk beyond the town boundaries. Phoenix: a golden-red firebird of which only one could live at a time, but would burst into flames to rebirth from ashes as a new phoenix. Satyrs and Satyresses: creatures with upper human bodies, and the horns and hindquarters of a goat. Some were companions of Pan and Dionysus.

Scylla: once a nereid, transformed by Circe into a many-headed, tentacled monster who fed on passing sailors in the straits between herself and Charybdis by plucking them off the ship and eating them. Scythian Dracanae: upper body of a woman, lower body composed of two snake tails. Sea goats: creatures having the back end of a fish and the front parts of a goat. Sirens: bird-like women whose irresistible song lured sailors to their deaths. Skolopendra: a giant sea monster said to be the size of a Greek trireme. It has a crayfish-like tail, numerous legs along its body which it uses like oars to move, and extremely long hairs that protrude from its nostrils. Child of Phorcys and Keto.[citation needed] Spartae: a malevolent spirit born from violence. Argo crew member Jason fought alongside these creatures after discovering the dragon teeth could create these violent spirits. Spartae is generally depicted as skeletal beings with some form of weapon and military attire. Sphinx Androsphinx or simply Sphinx: a creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Criosphinx: a creature with the head of a ram and the body of a lion. Hieracosphinx: a creature with the head of a hawk and the body of a lion. Stymphalian birds: man-eating birds with beaks of bronze and sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims. Tarandos: a rare animal with the size of an ox and the head of a deer. It could change the color of its hair according to the environment that it was, like a chameleon. It was living at the land of the Scythians. Solinus, wrote about a similar creature in Aethiopia and called it Parandrus. Taraxippi: ghosts that frightened horses. Triton: son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, half-man and half-fish. Typhon or Typhoeus: a humongous savage monster with snake coils instead of limbs; father of several other monsters with his mate Echidna. Almost destroyed the gods but was foiled by Hermes and Zeus.

Unicorns or Monocerata: creatures as large or larger than horses with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from their forehead. Vrykolakas: shares similarities with numerous other legendary creatures, but is generally equated with the vampire of the folklore of the neighbouring Slavic countries. While the two are very similar, a vrykolakas eats flesh, particularly livers, rather than drinking blood, which combined with other factors such as its appearance bring it more in line with the modern concept of a zombie or ghoul. Werewolf or Lycanthrope Winged Horses, or Pterippi. Pegasus: a divine winged stallion that is pure white, son of Medusa and Poseidon, brother of Chrysaor, and father of winged horses. Ethiopian Pegasus: winged, horned horses native to Ethiopia.

Automatons, or Colossi, were men/women, animals and monsters crafted out of metal and made animate in order to perform various tasks. They were created by the divine smith, Hephaestus. The Athenian inventor Daedalus also manufactured automatons.