How are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades related?

Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are brothers, all sons of Cronus and Rhea. After defeating the Titans, they divided major realms by lot: Zeus received the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the Underworld.

Who are Zeus’s parents?

Zeus’s parents are the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Cronus swallowed their children to prevent a prophecy, but Rhea hid Zeus and gave Cronus a wrapped stone. Zeus later released his siblings and led them against the Titans.

Are Zeus and Hera siblings?

Yes. Zeus and Hera are children of Cronus and Rhea, and they are also husband and wife in Greek myth. Ancient poets preserve different accounts of their courtship and of the parentage of some children attributed to them.

Is Hades one of the Twelve Olympians?

Hades is a sibling of Zeus but is usually excluded from the Twelve because his realm is the Underworld rather than Mount Olympus. Lists of the Twelve commonly vary between Hestia and Dionysus.

What is the simplest way to read the Greek gods family tree?

Choose Mythic spine to follow the central succession from Chaos and Gaia to the Olympians and heroes. Vertical tree arranges generations from top to bottom, while 12 Olympians isolates the principal Olympian group.

Why do Greek gods also have Roman names?

Roman religion identified many Greek deities with Roman gods of related, but not identical, roles. Zeus became associated with Jupiter, Hera with Juno, and Athena with Minerva. MythBranch presents these as cultural equivalents rather than simple translations.

Does Greek mythology have one official family tree?

No. Poets, local cults, dramatists, and mythographers sometimes preserve different genealogies. Hesiod’s Theogony supplies the most influential early framework, while other sources provide alternatives. The atlas presents a clear central lineage and notes meaningful variation.

Greek Mythology Family Tree — Interactive Tool

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THE MYTHIC INDEX · FIELD GUIDE 01

Greek gods. Roman names.
One connected lineage.

The atlas arranges divine generations from the earliest cosmic beings to the Titans, Olympians, and heroes. Extended documentation appears below the interactive chart.

42 figures50 connections6 generations

01 · ORIGIN TO OLYMPUS

The Greek God Family Tree

The Greek god family tree begins before Zeus. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Chaos appears first; Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros follow near the beginning of the ordered cosmos. Gaia brings forth Uranus, and their union produces the Titans. Earth and Sky become parents, while memory and divine law appear as Mnemosyne and Themis.

Cronus and Rhea become parents of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus swallows each child to prevent being overthrown, but Rhea conceals Zeus. Once grown, Zeus releases his siblings and leads the younger gods against the Titans. Their victory establishes a new order built on the same divine lineage.

A clear Greek mythology family tree needs distinct lines: descent records ancestry, union identifies partners, and encounter marks a story without inventing kinship. Select a figure to trace a branch, then open its profile for family and variant traditions. Aphrodite’s two birth stories and the changing place of Hestia or Dionysus among the Twelve show why no chart can erase every ancient disagreement.

Browse the complete visual index of Greek gods and goddesses ↗

02 · THE OLYMPIAN ORDER

Gods of Olympus: The Twelve

The category of Twelve Olympians concerns membership in the Olympian order and cannot be derived from kinship alone. Lists commonly exchange Hestia and Dionysus; Hades is Zeus’s sibling but normally remains outside the group.

Jupiter

Zeus

King of the gods; sky, thunder, and divine authority.

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Juno

Hera

Queen of Olympus; marriage, queenship, and legitimacy.

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Neptune

Poseidon

Ruler of the sea; earthquakes, horses, and storms.

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Ceres

Demeter

Goddess of grain, agriculture, and the seasonal cycle.

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Minerva

Athena

Goddess of wisdom, crafts, and strategic warfare.

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Apollo

God of prophecy, music, healing, and archery.

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Diana

Artemis

Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, and young life.

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Mars

Ares

God of the violent and immediate force of battle.

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Venus

Aphrodite

Goddess of desire and beauty, with variant birth stories.

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Vulcan

Hephaestus

Divine smith of fire, craft, armor, and automata.

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Mercury

Hermes

Messenger and boundary-crosser; travel, trade, and cunning.

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Bacchus

Dionysus

God of wine, theatre, ecstatic ritual, and transformation.

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The Twelve are not one set of siblings. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Demeter are children of Cronus and Rhea; several younger Olympians are children of Zeus; Aphrodite’s parentage varies. The chart keeps generation, category, and relationship separate.

Roman counterparts are cultural identifications, not simple translations. MythBranch places the closest conventional Roman equivalent beneath each Greek name without treating the two traditions as identical.

Open the dedicated 12 Olympian gods family tree ↗

03EARLIEST GENERATIONSFrom Primordials to Titans

From Primordials to Titans: The Complete Genealogy

The Primordial gods personify the earliest Greek cosmos. Chaos is a yawning gap rather than modern disorder; Gaia is Earth, Nyx is Night, and Erebus is Darkness. Gaia produces Uranus and Pontus, then joins with Uranus to produce the twelve Titans, Cyclopes, and Hundred-Handers.

The Titans are an older divine generation, not a separate species. Oceanus is linked with the world’s waters; Hyperion fathers Helios, Selene, and Eos; Mnemosyne becomes mother of the Muses; Themis represents divine order. Cronus and Rhea occupy the central succession because their children become the first Olympian siblings.

The overthrow of Uranus by Cronus and of Cronus by Zeus forms a repeating succession myth, yet older powers remain active. Mythic spine emphasizes this central chain, while Full atlas retains its surrounding figures and encounters.

These family links also explain why later Olympian myths remain connected to older cosmic powers: divine authority changes hands, but ancestry continues across each revolution, preserving Gaia, the Titans, and their descendants within one continuous mythological history together.

Because the ancient sources differ, the tree presents a selected central lineage. The era pages document additional relationships and variant genealogies.

04ATLAS CONTROLSHow to Use This Family Tree

How to Read the Interactive Family Tree

Scan the complete mythological field for context, or isolate a clearer lineage by choosing the view that matches your question:

Full atlas combines gods, heroes, monsters, genealogy, and story encounters.
Vertical tree arranges figures by generation for easier comparison.
Mythic spine presents the central succession in a clear left-to-right sequence.
12 Olympians isolates the principal Olympian group.

Filter by era or figure type, and search by Greek name, Roman name, or domain. Selecting a label traces the connected branch; selecting a portrait opens the full profile. The legend separates lineage, union, and encounter.

Drag to pan, scroll or use the controls to zoom, and reset at any time. The printable edition preview describes the classroom chart now in production.

05QUICK ANSWERSFrequently Asked Questions

Greek Mythology Family Tree FAQ

These answers explain the distinctions that are easiest to miss when a complicated mythological tradition is compressed into one visual chart.

01How are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades related?: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are brothers, all sons of Cronus and Rhea. After defeating the Titans, they divided major realms by lot: Zeus received the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the Underworld.
02Who are Zeus’s parents?: Zeus’s parents are the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Cronus swallowed their children to prevent a prophecy, but Rhea hid Zeus and gave Cronus a wrapped stone. Zeus later released his siblings and led them against the Titans. Explore the Zeus family tree.
03Are Zeus and Hera siblings?: Yes. Zeus and Hera are children of Cronus and Rhea, and they are also husband and wife in Greek myth. Ancient poets preserve different accounts of their courtship and of the parentage of some children attributed to them.
04Is Hades one of the Twelve Olympians?: Hades is a sibling of Zeus but is usually excluded from the Twelve because his realm is the Underworld rather than Mount Olympus. Lists of the Twelve commonly vary between Hestia and Dionysus.
05What is the simplest way to read the Greek gods family tree?: Choose Mythic spine to follow the central succession from Chaos and Gaia to the Olympians and heroes. Vertical tree arranges generations from top to bottom, while 12 Olympians isolates the principal Olympian group.
06Why do Greek gods also have Roman names?: Roman religion identified many Greek deities with Roman gods of related, but not identical, roles. Zeus became associated with Jupiter, Hera with Juno, and Athena with Minerva. MythBranch presents these as cultural equivalents rather than simple translations.
07Does Greek mythology have one official family tree?: No. Poets, local cults, dramatists, and mythographers sometimes preserve different genealogies. Hesiod’s Theogony supplies the most influential early framework, while other sources provide alternatives. The atlas presents a clear central lineage and notes meaningful variation.