Greek mythology is showered in fascinating women, from Helen, whose kidnapping started the Trojan War, to the Amazonians, epic women warriors. But, none are more iconic than the ladies who took their ambrosia in the parlour in the sky. Six goddesses had the honour of calling themselves ‘Olympians’ and today we’re going to see what each of them was all about.

Hera

We have to start with the queen of the Mount Olympus herself, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Hera was the wife of Zeus, king of the gods, and through that connection, Hera also found herself the goddess of marriage, family and… women in general really. Hera features in many myths but some of the most well-known are to do with her jealously over her husband’s infidelity which led her to do a few odd things, like sending a crab to fight Heracles.

Hestia

Hestia’s position on this list is a little bit shaky. It really depends who you ask as to whether she truly holds a place among the twelve Olympians or not. Hestia was goddess of the hearth and therefore represents the home. The ancient Greeks valued hospitality as a chief virtue so Hestia was way more important than what being ‘goddess of the hearth’ sounds like. Although she was honoured at every sacrifice, she doesn’t feature in many myths and it seems her place in the heavenly twelve was taken by Dionysus in later times.

Demeter

The goddess of the harvest and agriculture was a hugely important deity back in the day. But, that’s not all Demeter took care of though, she was also closely associated with the cycle of life and death, just as the crops grow and whither so does the human race and Demeter saw it all. Demeter didn’t monitor the seasons alone though as her daughter, Persephone, Queen and consort of Hades, King of the Underworld, brought the spring with her when she rose up from the Underworld every six months.

Aphrodite

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and believed to be the most beautiful of all the goddesses. So beautiful in fact, that it was arguably her beauty rather than Helen’s that truly begun the spiral of events leading up to the Trojan War (but that’s a long story that once again makes the Trojan War seem a lot like Paris’ fault). Despite being married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite is most commonly linked to her lover Ares, god of war.

Athena

Ah Zeus’s favourite child, Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war strategy. She is said to have been born by bursting from Zeus’s head, fully grown and clad in armour so this girl knows how to make an entrance. Athena features in loads of myths and if her name wasn’t a giveaway, she was also the patron of the city of Athens. Also, she’s a big fan of owls.

Artemis

Goddess of the hunt, wild animals and childbirth, Artemis was a busy lady. She’s often depicted with a bow and arrow in hand and an animal at her side. A daughter of Zeus and Leto, Artemis and her twin brother, Apollo, are the ultimate opposites, whilst she is linked to the moon so Apollo has associations with the sun.

There you have it, The Past in Petticoats’s very first Ladies Who List piece! Hope you enjoyed, make sure you follow this blog for more women’s history content and let me know who your favourite lady of Mount Olympus is in the comments.