{"id":4634,"date":"2026-08-25T22:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T19:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/?p=4634"},"modified":"2026-08-25T22:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T19:15:13","slug":"the-greeks-children-of-gods-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/?p=4634","title":{"rendered":"THE GREEKS, CHILDREN OF GODS \u2013 PART I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Lieutenant General (Ret.) K. H. Konstantinidis<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gods of the Greeks and the Genealogical Webs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Gods of the Greeks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gods of the Greeks were twelve (12)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six gods:<\/strong>
Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And six goddesses:<\/strong>
Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most democratic political system .<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Secondary Deities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metis:<\/strong>
the first wise and virtuous wife of Zeus and mother of Athena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pluto (Hades).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dionysus:<\/strong>
god of entertainment and revelry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heracles:<\/strong>
a symbol of strength and punisher of evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Mount Olympus, the Abode of the Gods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mount Olympus, the sacred mountain of Greece and the ancient world, is renowned throughout the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to one interpretation, the name Olympus<\/strong> is associated with the concept of \u201call-radiant\u201d<\/em>, the heavenly vault and unsurpassed beauty. Olympus was also called:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aigleies<\/strong> (radiant<\/em>), Polydeiras<\/strong> (many-ravined<\/em>), Aipys<\/strong> (rugged, steep and lofty<\/em>), and Ger-Olympus<\/strong> (sacred Olympus<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the highest mountain in Greece, and its highest peak, Mytikas<\/strong>, reaches 2,917 metres<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Greek mythological tradition, the palaces of the gods and the throne of Zeus were situated on the highest parts of Olympus. The Muses were said to dwell in its ravines and on its slopes, among its ancient forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to tradition, the gods descended into the beautiful Tempe Valley<\/strong>, where they bathed in the River Peneius and walked through the lush green meadows among gentle deer and birds with melodious voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many parts of the ancient world where the Greeks settled or travelled, they gave the name Olympus<\/strong> to the highest mountain, in honour of their gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to tradition, two groups of Muses were worshipped on Olympus: the Pierian Muses<\/strong> and the Leibethrian Muses<\/strong>. According to tradition, Orpheus<\/strong> was born in the cave of the Leibethrian Muses, although the exact location of the cave remains unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The god Zeus<\/strong>, supreme ruler and father of mortals and immortals, was the governor and coordinator of the work of the Olympian gods. The Titaness Hera<\/strong>, wife of Zeus, was the mother of many of the immortals of Olympus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. The Greeks and the Patriarchal Family System<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Greeks functioned, according to the classical political and social tradition, primarily within a patriarchal family system<\/strong>, rather than a matriarchal one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Aristotle, the first unit of society is the married couple \u2014 man and woman \u2014 who reproduce and establish a family. Several families form villages, townships and, ultimately, cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. The Genos and Ancestry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genealogical trees and genealogical webs constitute a means of tracing the ancestry and kinship of citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In modern times, with the extensive intermingling of populations and changes in social and legal institutions, the concept of citizenship<\/strong> has become separated from ancestry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citizenship is now primarily a legal status<\/strong>, namely the status of being a citizen of a state, and may be acquired by persons of different ancestry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eugenic Tradition of the Greeks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Greeks’ eugenic outlook<\/strong> was expressed in the particular importance they attached to ancestry, to the physical and intellectual qualities of prospective parents, and to the choice of a spouse, with the aim of producing healthy and capable offspring and ensuring the continuation of the genos<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Greeks’ concern with ancestry, family background and the choice of a spouse was associated with the pursuit of the continuity and vitality of the family and the genos<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(25\/8\/26)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis<\/em><\/strong>
Author \u2013 Member of the Society of Greek Writers<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amphiktyon Blog:<\/em><\/strong> Amphiktyon Blog<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amphiktyon Official Site:<\/em><\/strong> Amphiktyon Official Site<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Lieutenant General (Ret.) K. H. Konstantinidis The Gods of the Greeks and the Genealogical Webs 1. The Gods of the Greeks The gods of the Greeks were twelve (12). Six gods:Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes. And six goddesses:Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite The most democratic political system . 2. Secondary Deities Metis:the first … <\/p>\n

\u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b5\u03c7\u03af\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u03b1\u03bd\u03ac\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b7 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 “THE GREEKS, CHILDREN OF GODS \u2013 PART I”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4635,"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634\/revisions\/4635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amphiktyon.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}