Greek mythology is not really clear whether or not Mount Olympus was a place on earth or in the heavens.

But the
Greeks did name the tallest mountain peak Mount Olympus. 

There are twelve major gods in Greek mythology. Whenever the council of twelve met, they met on Mount
Olympus. Except for Hades, who preferred his home in the underworld, the eleven other Olympians also kept a 
home on Mount Olympus.

Here are the twelve Olympians, the 12 major gods:

Zeus/Jupiter

Zeus had two brothers and three sisters. When their father died, the boys - Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades - divided
the world up between themselves. Zeus took all of the heavens, Poseidon took the sea, andHades took the
underworld. Each was quite content with their selection. 

Zeus had a very jealous wife named Hera. He also had a whole bunch of kids. Zeus was very fond of all his
children. Each of his children had special magical powers.   

The Greeks loved to tell stories about the magical family who ruled the heavens. The Greeks truly believed that
Zeus, Hera, and all the gods were real. They believed the gods could interfere in their lives, to help or hinder
them. 
But Zeus was special. According to the ancient Greeks, the king of gods was an elected position. When the gods
voted Zeus to be the king, Zeus remained king forever. No one tried to vote him out of office because Zeus was the
most powerful god of all. 

Zeus had many powers. He could throw lightning bolts. His horse, Pegasus, carried his lightning bolts for him. Zeus
could throw his voice, and sound like anybody. He could shape shift, and look like anybody. In fact, he was so good
at shape shifting that he could shape shift into the form of an animal. 

Zeus had a quick temper, a big sense of humor, and lots of girlfriends. He was not afraid of anything except  Hera,
his wife.

Hera/Juno 

Hera was married to Zeus. She was the queen of all the gods, and also the goddess of marriage. 

Hera was very jealous of her famous and powerful husband, Zeus. Hera was rarely nice to the many children Zeus
had by other mothers. 

There are many myths about Hera's jealously, anger, and revenge. 
Other myths share stories about Hera's servant, Argus. Argus had 100 bright eyes all over his body. He was a great
guard because he never closed more than half his eyes at one time! 

Hades/Pluto

Hades and Zeus were brothers. 

Hades had a seat on Mount Olympus, the magical mountain on which all the main gods, the Olympians, lived. But
Hades did not live on Mount Olympus. 

When the three sons of Cronos divided up the world, Zeus took the sky,Poseidon took the sea, and Hades took the
underworld. Zeus became the king of the gods. Poseidon married happily. Hades was content, living in the
Underworld. 

Hades was NOT the lord of death. His job was to run the Underworld. He was a good ruler. Parts of the Underworld
were very nice, like the Elysian Fields, where heroes dwelled after they died. Parts were not so nice. Those were for
people who were not so nice during their lifetime.  

You might think Hades would be terribly lonely, surrounded by the souls of the dead. But he wasn't lonely. Not at
all. His brother Zeus visited, as did his nephews Apollo, Hermes, and Ares. Hades came up to the surface now and
then, if he had to be on Mount Olympus for a meeting of the gods or something. The truth was, Hades preferred the
Underworld. It was home. 

Hades had everything he needed. He had an invisible helmet, which he liked very much. He had a golden chariot,
which was his pride and joy. He had his faithful and deeply loved companion, his three-headed dog, Cerberus. He
was perfectly content. At least he was content, until he fell in love with the beautiful Persephone. But that's a
different story. If you wish to read it, see the links below.

Poseidon/Neptune

Poseidon was the Lord of the Sea. His brothers were Zeus - the king of all the gods, and Hades - the king of the
underworld. 

Poseidon was a good looking fellow. He had deep blue eyes and streaming green hair.   He was a  restless fellow,
always on the move. 

Poseidon was very powerful. He could raise his hand and a new island would appear! The Greeks were terrified of
Poseidon. 

All the Greeks, but especially those who lived in coastal towns, built a temple to honor Poseidon. They brought
special gifts to the temple every day, hoping to keep him happy. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't. Poseidon
was very moody.
Poseidon had many wives. But his main wife was not jealous, so Poseidon did not have the problems at home that
Zeus did. 

Athena/Minerva

Athena was born without a mother.  Her father was the mighty Zeus, king of all the gods. Athena was born directly
out of Zeus' brain.  

Zeus loved all his children, but if he had to pick a favorite, it would probably have been Athena, the goddess of
wisdom.

Athena was a powerful force, and one of the 12 deities who held a seat onMount Olympus.

Ares/Mars

Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera.  His father was king, his mother was queen. 

Ares was tall and handsome, and  mean and self-centered. His sidekick, Eris, the spirit of disagreement, traveled
everywhere with him. They carried four spirits along as well - the spirits of Pain, Panic, Famine, and Oblivion. 

Neither of his parents were very fond of Ares. It was difficult to like Ares. 

In Greek mythology, Ares did not care who won or lost a battle. He just liked to see bloodshed.   Most of the other
gods stayed as far away from Ares as possible. He only caused trouble.

When the ancient Romans first heard the many Greek myths about the war god Ares, they thought Ares was
terrific!  

As they did with nearly all the Greek deities and the myths that went with them, the ancient Romans pretended that
Ares had always been a Roman god. They renamed him Mars, the god of war. 
Apollo/Apollo

Apollo and Artemis were twins. They were the magical children of Zeus and Leto. The twins - Apollo and his sister,
Artemis - adored their mother.  Apollo, especially, was very protective of his mother. 

When the ancient Romans heard the many Greek myths about Apollo, they loved them! 

The ancient Romans were always borrowing gods from other cultures. When they ran into a myth they liked, they
renamed the god and made him or her a Roman god. 

They loved the myths about Apollo so much that they did not even change his name. Apollo is Apollo in Greek and
in Roman mythology, and the stories are the same.

Artemis/Diana 

Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was Apollo's twin sister. 

Artemis was very different from her brother.  To took a lot to get Apollo angry. He was usually pretty gentle and full
of warmth. 

But Artemis was nearly always cold and pitiless. The only thing Artemis loved besides her family were her floppy-
eared dogs. 

Artemis was the goddess of the hunt. 

Hermes/Mercury 

Zeus was the king of all the gods. And Hermes was Zeus' youngest son. 

Hermes was born mischievous. Even as a baby, Zeus could tell that Hermes was going to be a whole lot of fun to
have around. He liked his son Hermes very much. 
Zeus wanted Hermes to have an important job in the world of the Greek gods.  Hermes was fast on his feet and very
clever. Zeus decided he would make a wonderful messenger. 

Things were always going on in the mythical world. The job of messenger to the gods allowed Hermes to have the
inside scoop on just about everything. It is no wonder that there are probably more myths that include Hermes than
any other god. 

The other gods trusted Hermes. Hermes had a true warmth. He was playful enough to be interesting. He was very
bright and very loyal.  He was the best negotiator in the world.  He was always cracking deals to get himself and
others out of trouble. 

Aphrodite/Venus

Aphrodite was the exception to the Greek God family tree. Some say her parents were unknown, and that she was
born of sea foam. Others, like the poet Homer, said she was a daughter of Zeus. No one knows quite where to place
her on the Greek God family tree. 

However she was born, Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty. She was an essential element of many Greek
myths. Aphrodite could be kind or merciless. 

Hephaestus/Vulcan

Hephaestus was the only Olympianwho limped. He was the son of Hera and Zeus. Some say he was born with a
limp. Others say Zeus, in a fit of temper, flung him off Mount Olympus when he was just a baby. 

Hephaestus is the god of fire and forge. He made things, like the gods home on Mount Olympus. He married (and
was deeply loved) by Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.  

Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create the first woman out of clay. Hephaestus created Pandora. 

Hestia/Vesta 

Hestia was the goddess of heath and home. 

Her sisters were famous. One of her sisters was Hera, wife of Zeus, queen of the gods, and the goddess of marriage.
Her other sister was Demeter, goddess of agriculture and the harvest. 

You would think that there would be lots of myths about such an important goddess. But there are not a lot of myths
about Hestia. 

But Hestia was deeply honored by the ancient Greek women. Every day, when the women gathered in the central
courtyard of their homes, to do their sewing and cooking, they knew that Hestia was keeping watch over them. 
The women of ancient Greece listened to stories about the other gods. But they took comfort from Hestia. To them,
Hestia was perhaps the most famous of all. 

“Nectar” is derived from Latin nectar "drink of the gods", which in turn has its origins in the Greek word (néktar),
presumed to be a compound of the elements nek- "death" and -tar "overcoming".

According to Viking legends, brave warriors who died in battle went to Valhalla — a heaven of sorts, where
beautiful maidens would await their arrival with jugs of mead.In ancient Greece, the same beverage was known as
ambrosia. It was believed to be the drink of the gods —sent down to earth from heaven in the form of dew, and then
gathered by bees. In Celtic mythology, a river of mead flows through paradise.Mead is made from fermented honey.
It is perhaps the first alcoholic beverage ever known. Modern mead enthusiasts — inspired by primitive cave
paintings of people gathering honey from hives — claim the drink was discovered by accident. They say hunter-
gatherers out in the woods came upon a beehive filled with rain water. Thirsty, they guzzled the water from the hive.
Naturally occurring yeasts could have been present in the hive, causing the honey-water to ferment... and bam! The
world's first drunks were feeling magical.Eventually in southern Europe, mead waned in popularity as people
learned to ferment fruit and make wine. Fruit was cheaper than honey, and the flavor of wine was more consistent.
In the north, however, where fruit was harder to grow, mead remained a popular drink through the Middle Ages.
Mead today is available in several varieties. Sweet meads are a fun alternative to dessert wines. They have a strong
honey flavor. Due to their intense sweetness, they are best enjoyed in small doses. The Sky River Meadery in Sultan,
Washington recommends them warmed up in the winter, perhaps with a sprinkling of cinnamon, nutmeg, or
cardamom. Dry meads, with a more subtle honey flavor, are also available. They can be a nice alternative to wine
with Asian and Mediterranean cuisine, and also go nicely with Thanksgiving turkey.