1. Note

Magical Correspondences of the Gods

1. Zeus (Ζεύς)

King of the Gods, Lord of the Sky and Storms

  • Domains: Sky, thunder, lightning, storms, law, justice, kingship, fate, hospitality (xenia), oaths, governance

  • Symbols: Thunderbolt, eagle, sceptre, oak tree, throne, scales

  • Epithets: Olympios, Xenios (protector of guests), Horkios (keeper of oaths), Panhellenios

  • Associations: Order of the cosmos, leadership, the weather, destiny, prophecy (especially at Dodona), fatherhood

  • Sacred Animals: Eagle, bull

  • Major Cult Centres: Olympia, Dodona, Athens, Nemea

  • Myths: Ruler after defeating the Titans; father of gods and heroes; presided over the Trojan War

2. Hera (Ἥρα)

Queen of the Gods, Goddess of Marriage and Women

  • Domains: Marriage, family, childbirth, motherhood, queenship, fidelity, feminine power

  • Symbols: Peacock, cow, pomegranate, lotus-tipped staff, diadem, veil

  • Epithets: Teleia (of completion/marriage), Gamelia (of weddings), Basileia (queen), Argeia (of Argos)

  • Associations: Legitimate union, protection of married women, royal authority, female nobility

  • Sacred Animals: Peacock, cow, lion

  • Major Cult Centres: Argos, Samos, Olympia

  • Myths: Jealousy toward Zeus’s lovers; rivalry with Heracles and other children of Zeus

3. Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν)

God of the Sea and Earthquakes

  • Domains: Sea, oceans, storms, earthquakes (the “Earth-shaker”), horses, flood, drought, harbours

  • Symbols: Trident, horse, dolphin, bull, seafoam, chariot drawn by hippocamps

  • Epithets: Ennosigaios (Earth-shaker), Hippios (of horses), Asphaleios (protector from earthquakes)

  • Associations: Naval power, sea-faring, natural disasters, horse-breeding, rivalries with other deities (notably Athena)

  • Sacred Animals: Horse, dolphin, bull

  • Major Cult Centres: Isthmia, Cape Sounion, Corinth, Helike

  • Myths: Contest with Athena for Athens; seduction of Medusa; creation of horses from sea foam

4. Demeter (Δημήτηρ)

Goddess of Agriculture and the Harvest

  • Domains: Agriculture, grain, fertility of the earth, the seasons, nourishment, sacred law, death and rebirth

  • Symbols: Sheaves of wheat, cornucopia, torch, bread, barley, pig

  • Epithets: Thesmophoros (law-bringer), Chloe (green shoot), Anesidora (sender of gifts)

  • Associations: Farming, planting, seasonal cycles, rural festivals, female initiatory rites

  • Sacred Animals: Pig, snake

  • Major Cult Centres: Eleusis (Eleusinian Mysteries), Arcadia, Sicily

  • Myths: Abduction of Persephone; creation of the Eleusinian Mysteries; taught humanity to cultivate grain

5. Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ)

Goddess of Wisdom and War Strategy

  • Domains: Wisdom, strategy in warfare, crafts, weaving, reason, justice, civilization, heroic endeavour, protector of cities

  • Symbols: Owl, olive tree, aegis (shield with Medusa’s head), spear, helmet

  • Epithets: Parthenos (maiden), Polias (of the city), Promachos (champion), Glaukopis (bright-eyed)

  • Associations: Rationality over passion, civic virtue, artisanship, invention, choral poetry

  • Sacred Animals: Owl, snake

  • Major Cult Centres: Athens (Parthenon), Lindos (Rhodes), Sparta

  • Myths: Sprang from Zeus’s head; gave the olive tree to Athens; guide of heroes like Odysseus and Perseus

6. Apollo (Ἀπόλλων)

God of the Sun, Music, and Prophecy

  • Domains: Light, prophecy, oracles, music, poetry, healing, archery, plague, purification, youth

  • Symbols: Lyre, laurel wreath, bow and arrows, raven, tripod

  • Epithets: Phoebus (bright), Pythios (of Delphi), Musagetes (leader of the Muses), Loxias (oblique, ambiguous speech)

  • Associations: Order, beauty, male youth (kouros), rationality, balance, sacred knowledge

  • Sacred Animals: Raven, swan, wolf, dolphin

  • Major Cult Centres: Delphi, Delos, Claros

  • Myths: Slayer of Python; protector of oracles; brother of Artemis; helped or hindered heroes with his oracles

7. Artemis (Ἄρτεμις)

Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon

  • Domains: Wild animals, hunting, childbirth, virginity, protector of women and children, moonlight, wilderness

  • Symbols: Bow and arrows, deer, crescent moon, hunting dog, cypress

  • Epithets: Potnia Theron (mistress of animals), Agrotera (of the wilds), Lochia (protector of childbirth)

  • Associations: Sacred virgins, untamed nature, liminal spaces (thresholds), adolescent girls

  • Sacred Animals: Deer, bear

  • Major Cult Centres: Ephesus, Delos, Brauron, Sparta

  • Myths: Punishment of Actaeon; twin sister of Apollo; protector of maidens and animals

8. Ares (Ἄρης)

God of War (Bloodlust)

  • Domains: War (especially chaos, violence, and bloodshed), physical courage, destruction, male aggression

  • Symbols: Spear, helmet, dog, vulture, shield

  • Epithets: Enyalios (warlike), Andreiphontes (manslaying), Alaláxios (battle-cry)

  • Associations: Conflict, vengeance, battlefield fury, physical power

  • Sacred Animals: Dog, vulture, boar

  • Major Cult Centres: Thebes, Sparta, Thrace

  • Myths: Affair with Aphrodite; rivalries with Athena and Hephaestus; father of the Amazons (by some accounts)

9. Hephaestus (Ἥφαιστος)

God of Fire and Forge

  • Domains: Fire, metalworking, craftsmanship, technology, sculpture, volcanoes

  • Symbols: Hammer, anvil, tongs, forge, donkey

  • Epithets: Polytechnes (of many skills), Amphigúeis (crippled one), Klytotekhnēs (renowned artisan)

  • Associations: Blacksmiths, artisans, invention, disabled persons, subterranean fires

  • Sacred Animals: Donkey, crane

  • Major Cult Centres: Lemnos, Athens, Sicily

  • Myths: Thrown from Olympus; built the palaces of the gods; crafted Achilles’ armour

10. Aphrodite (Ἀφροδίτη)

Goddess of Love and Beauty

  • Domains: Love (physical and romantic), beauty, pleasure, procreation, fertility, charm

  • Symbols: Dove, rose, seashell, mirror, girdle

  • Epithets: Ourania (heavenly), Pandemos (of the people), Philommeides (laughter-loving)

  • Associations: Erotic desire, marriage, passion, seduction, reconciliation

  • Sacred Animals: Dove, swan, hare

  • Major Cult Centres: Cyprus, Cythera, Corinth

  • Myths: Born from sea foam; mother of Eros; love affair with Ares; instigator of the Trojan War

11. Hermes (Ἑρμῆς)

Messenger of the Gods, Guide of Souls

  • Domains: Travel, communication, commerce, thievery, boundaries, language, herdsmen, trickery, liminality, the dead

  • Symbols: Caduceus (staff), winged sandals, petasos (hat), tortoise, purse

  • Epithets: Psychopompos (guide of souls), Argeiphontes (slayer of Argus), Logios (eloquent)

  • Associations: Movement, cunning, diplomacy, marketplace, transitions (including life/death)

  • Sacred Animals: Ram, tortoise, rooster

  • Major Cult Centres: Arcadia, Athens, Mount Cyllene

  • Myths: Inventor of the lyre; escorted souls to Hades; divine trickster; helper of Odysseus and Perseus

12. Hestia (Ἑστία)

Goddess of the Hearth and Domestic Life

  • Domains: Hearth, home, domestic harmony, cooking, state altars, communal meals

  • Symbols: Hearth fire, kettle, veil, circle

  • Epithets: Boulaia (of the council), Prytaneia (of the public hearth), Eukhos (gracious)

  • Associations: Sacred fire, family unity, civic religion, virginity, peace

  • Sacred Animals: Pig (occasionally), donkey

  • Major Cult Centres: Every Greek home and city hearth; few formal temples

  • Myths: Gave up her Olympian seat for Dionysus in some traditions; rarely involved in conflict; honoured with the first sacrifice at any feast