The major deities of the Greek pantheon were called the Olympians, and they were supreme among the gods after the defeat of the earlier gods known as the Titans. They are Zeus, Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Dionysus, Demeter, Hestia, Hermes, and Hephaestus. Select a god or goddess from the gallery to learn more about them. The Greeks believed that the Olympians lived on the top of Mount Olympus, that high and lofty mountain between Thessaly and Macedon, whose summit, wrapt in clouds and mist, was hidden from mortal view. It was supposed that this mysterious region, which even a bird could not reach, extended beyond the clouds right into Aether, the realm of the immortal gods. The poets describe this ethereal atmosphere as bright, glistening, and refreshing, exercising a peculiar, gladdening influence over the minds and hearts of those privileged beings permitted to share its delights. Here youth never ages, and the passing years leave no traces on its favoured inhabitants. On the cloud-capped summit of Olympus was the palace of Zeus and Hera, of burnished gold, chased silver, and gleaming ivory. Lower down were the homes of the other gods, which, though less commanding in position and size, were yet similar to that of Zeus in design and workmanship, all being the work of the divine artist Hephæstus. Below these were other palaces of silver, ebony, ivory, or burnished brass, where the Heroes, or Demi-gods, resided.