OLYMPIAN GODS

1st appearance: Human Torch Comics #5A (historical); Journey Into Mystery Annual #1 (modern)

Gods: Achelous, Aphrodite/Venus, Apollo/Phoebus, Ares, Artemis, Asklepios, Athena/Athene, Bellona, Cupid/Eros, Demeter, Dionysus, Furies (Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone), Hebe, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Hippolyta, Joya, Livilla, Momos, Neptunia, Pan, Persephone, Phobos, Pluto, Poseidon/Neptune, Priapus, Psyche, Tharamus, Vesta, Zeus; many others
Demigods: Aeneas, Bia, Deimos & Phobos, (sons of Ares & Nox, apparently destroyed), Hercules, Kratos, Tantalus (confined to Hades); many others
Titans (most confined to Hades): Atlas, Chronus, Epimetheus, Iapetus, Menoetius, Mnemosyne, Ouranos (destroyed), Prometheus, Rhea, Tityus, Typhon, many others
Others: Amazons, Centaurs (Centaurian, Nessus), Centimanes (Kottus), Cerebrus/Cerebus, Chaga (witch of the Black Moor), Charon, Charybdis, Cyclopes (Arges, Argus, Polyphemus), Delphic Oracles (Cylla, Sibylla, Thaeleia), Fates, Gorgons, Greek heroes, Harpies, Huntsman, Minotaurs, Satyrs, Scylla, Sirens, Yellow-Crested Titans; many others

Base of Operations: Olympus

Height: 6’ (average)
Weight: 500 lbs (average)
Eyes: Full human range
Skin: Full human range

Traits:  The Olympian gods are all stronger than Earthly mortals; an average god can lift 25-30 tons.  They do not age once they reach adulthood (and several have been born full grown), are immune to all Earthly diseases, and are high resistant to damage.  With time, they can recover from virtually any injury.  Some gods have further “magical” powers – for example, as god of the sea Poseidon has extensive water control abilities.  Virtually all Olympian gods draw some power through Zeus and are thus bound to the Promethean Flame, located in the Temple of the Promethean Flame in the Hall of Zeus in Olympus.  Since the times of the Titans, this flame has empowered the Olympians; if it is doused, the Olympians are banished to Hades as insubstantial spirits until such time as it is restored.

The Olympian gods have been worshipped by various cultures, primarily Greek, Roman, and Atlantean; it is not unusual for a god to have different names in different languages.  The Eternals’ cit5y of Olympia is located near the Mount Olympus gateway to Olympus, and a number of Eternals have been confused with similarly names gods or Titans (Zeus-Zuras, Ouranos-Uranus), but the two peoples are not related.

Virtually all Olympian gods can trace lineage back to Ouranos, though not all of his descendants are considered gods.  The title of “god” has eventually become more one of social acceptance than of lineage, though those more closely related to Zeus’ line generally hold higher status in Olympus.  There are also a number of “demigods” – those descended from the mating of an Olympian god and someone or something else – but again, the only significant difference between the gods and demigods of Olympus seems to be in social status.

History:  In the early ages of the Earth, a sentient life-force developed which would one day become known as the Demiurge.  He birthed the Elder Gods, who eventually warred among themselves until one of them, Atum, transformed itself into the Demogorge and devoured or chased away all but himself and Gaea, also known as Mother Earth.  Atum would reform from the Demogorge and leave Earth, dispersing the energies he had absorbed into the planet.  When mankind eventually began rising towards sentience, their dreams gave form to the abandoned energies; this transformed those who would become the progenitors of mankind’s gods, notably the Olympians, regarded as deities by the peoples of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.

Mythology holds that Gaea, the sole remaining Elder God, gave birth to Ouranos.  She then mated with him, and they parented the first Olympians, the Titans.  They resided in an interdimensional pocket universe in the city known as Olympus, though the city’s origins are unrevealed.  Ouranos was eventually slain by his son, Chronus, who feared the same treatment from his own children and began imprisoning them in a dank underworld known as Hades.  Before Chronus could similarly banish his sixth child, his wife Rhea fled through a dimensional portal to Earth, arriving near Greece’s Mount Olympus, where the child was raised among shepherds.  After reaching adulthood this child, Zeus, freed his siblings Demter, Hera, Neptune, Pluto and Vesta from Hades and led them in a war against their father, a war they would eventually win.  Zeus imprisoned most of the surviving Titans in Hades and set himself up as ruler of Olympus, taking his sister Hera as his queen.  Pluto was asked to rule over the underworld and guard its prisoners, and Zeus set his other siblings to watch over the planet where he grew up – Poseidon to rule Earth’s seas, Demeter to watch over the land, and Vesta to watch over the people.  His rivals thus occupied elsewhere, Zeus ruled a peaceful Olympus for centuries while he and his siblings populated the realm through interbreeding with humans, extradimensionals, Titans, and whatever else caught their fancy.  Select mortals or aliens were occasionally added to the pantheon as well, sometimes further empowered by Zeus.

Under the gods’ watchful eyes, the Olympians’ worshippers flourished, especially the Greek, Roman, and Atlantean civilizations.  The Olympians soon found themselves drawn into conflicts with other gods, in particular the Asgardian gods of Northern Europe and the Ennead of Northern Africa; however, the coming of the world-threatening Celestials taught these gods that there were greater threats to their world than each other, and Zeus and his fellow leaders created the Council of Godheads and made a pact that despite individual conflicts, the pantheons would never go to war as a whole.  When Zeus and the Asgardian leader Odin were unable to head off a war between their peoples, they cooperated to alter the minds of every warrior, leading each to believe briefly they had won.  The Celestials’ existence also drew Zeus’ attention to the Eternals, a Celestial-manipulated offshoot of mankind with powers which made them seem godlike to humanity.  Their city Olympia lay near Mount Olympus, and Zeus and his daughter Athena met with the Eternals to negotiate a treaty by which the Eternals would act for the gods on Earth; despite their best intentions, this led to repeated confusion between similarly named gods and Eternals, heightening each society’s resentment of the other.  When the time came for a final confrontation with the Celestials, Zeus used his people’s annoyance towards the Eternals as motivation to lead them in an invasion of Olympia, though he soon withdrew when it proved unprofitable.

With the exception of Poseidon, who still actively watches over the Atlantean peoples, Zeus and the Olympians gradually withdrew from Earth over the centuries.  This changed dramatically in the 20^th century when individual humans began developing godlike characteristics of their own; individual Olympians investigated and involved themselves with humanity, most notably Aphrodite, the goddess of love (occasionally impersonated as Venus by a mystically transformed siren); Ares, the god of war; Dionysus, the god of drink; and Hercules, a warrior prince who joined the Avengers, a mostly mortal team of super-heroes.  As always, Zeus allowed these excursions, particularly since he himself had grown concerned about his brother Pluto, who had tired of ruling Hades and now coveted Olympus.  When the Asgardian Enchantress controlled Ares into stealing the Promethean Flame and thus banished the Olympian Gods to Hades, Hercules led his fellow Avengers into Olympus to reignite the flame and restore the gods.  The Avengers were hailed as heroes, but when other mortal heroes such as the Champions and the Thing similarly rescued the gods, Zeus grew worried about humanity’s effect on his realm.  When Zeus’ son Hercules was brutally beaten and Zeus unfairly held the Avengers responsible, they not only escaped from Hades but invaded Olympus, turned several of his children and siblings against him, and almost held their own in battle with him.  After finally agreeing to allow the Avengers to leave, Zeus ruled that his Olympians should never again set foot on Earth unless they were willing to give up their godhood; however, by this point gods and mortals had become too involved in each other’s lives, and in following years the Avengers would twice more enter Olympus and come to the rescue of the gods.  Realizing the futility of his attempts at isolation, Zeus reversed his edict following the apparent destruction of the Asgardian pantheon, and even began studying humanity himself, forming the Olympus Corporation with several of the more important deities.

In recent days, Olympus has been invaded twice by other pantheons – once by the Dark Gods, an extraterrestrial race of gods, and then by Mikaboshi of the Amatsu-kami, leading the remnants of the Japanese spirits (he had already destroyed much of his own pantheon) against Olympus.  Though devastated in both assaults, eternal Olympus is always rebuilt – but the disappearance of Zeus during the latter battle leaves the vacant throne of Olympus as a tempting plum for many.

Click for larger image

Artemis - Goddess of the hunt
1st appearance: Thor #129
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 420 lbs

History:  Artemis vowed long ago to retain her purity and virginity forever.  The only men who interest her are hunters, archers, and occasional fighters.  She holds a slight grudge against Apollo for tricking her into killing her lover Orion.

Athena - Goddess of wisdom and war
1st appearance: Thor #164
Height: 5' 10:
Weight: 440 lbs

History:  Athena is the most brilliant of the Olympians.  Her knowledge makes her their acknowledged expert on everything.  She balances her academic powers with martial skills.  Her calm, rational mind provides a needed balance to the more tempestuous gods' actions.

Dionysus - God of wine
1st appearance: Thor #129
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 620 lbs

History:  Dionysus is a hedonistic god who no longer adventures if he can avoid it.  He prefers to surround himself with mortals full of the partying mentality.  He thinks most of the gods are crashing bores.

Hephaestus - Weaponmaker of Olympus
1st appearance: Thor Annual #5
Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 645 lbs

History:  Hephaestus is an industrious god who prefers to spend his time in his workshop, surrounded by his inventions, tools, and assistants.  Although he is married to Venus, he prefers to have little to do with her.  He openly distrusts Mars ever since he caught him with Venus.

Vesta - Goddess of the home
1st appearance: Thor #301
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 410 lbs

History:  Vesta is a semi-retired goddess.  She feels her time of greatest contribution is over.  However, she still maintains an interest in Earthly domestic lifestyles.

Here is some more information on the Olympians