The Family Tree of the Greek Gods

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Untangle the complex relationships between the Titans and Olympians

Co-authored by Julia VanderHoeven and Devin McSween

Last Updated: February 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Primordial Gods
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• Titans
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• Olympian Gods
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• Minor Gods & Monsters
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• Video
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There are hundreds of gods in Greek mythology, and many of them are related! In particular, the primordial gods, the Titans, and the 12 Olympians share a complicated and very intertwined family tree (if you catch our drift…). In this article, we’re here to break down the Greek gods’ family tree, starting with Chaos of the primordial gods, moving through the Titans and Twelve Olympians, and ending with some minor gods and monsters, with help from Greek and Roman mythology expert Julia VanderHoeven and comparative mythologist Maria Souza. Keep on reading to untangle the Greek gods’ intriguing family web!

Greek Mythology Family Tree

The Greek gods all come from Chaos, the goddess who created the universe. Gaia (the Earth) and Uranus (the sky) were formed after her. Together, they birthed the Titans. Two of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea, got married and had the first 6 Olympians. Zeus had various affairs, which produced the rest of the Olympians.

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Section 1 of 4:

Primordial Gods Family Tree

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1. 
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   Chaos According to Greek myth, Chaos was the first primordial god (called Protogenoi, which means “first born”), who were early gods who personified concepts that formed the universe. She was the personification of the infinite space between earth and heaven, and VanderHoeven explains that the universe was created from her. Chaos created 2 children by herself:

   • Nyx, the personification of night
   • Erebus, the personification of darkness
   • Note: In some myths, Gaia (the Earth), Tartarus (the deep abyss below the Earth), and Eros (the personification of love) are children of Chaos. However, in most myths, they’re believed to have simply emerged after Chaos came into being.
   • For instance, VanderHoeven says Eros, the god of love, was one of the first primordial gods to spring from Chaos.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Julia VanderHoeven is a Greek and Roman mythology expert with a Master’s degree in Classics from Trinity College (Dublin). She also shares insights on mythology and history on her Instagram, @museofmythology.

   Maria Souza is a comparative mythologist with a postgraduate degree in Comparative Mythology from the Dédalus Institute. She’s also the host of the Women and Mythology Podcast.
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   Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of the Earth and is commonly known as Mother Earth. In most myths, she simply emerged from Chaos. She birthed 3 major primordial deities by herself:

   • Uranus, the personification of the sky and heavens
   • Pontus, the personification of the sea
   • Ourea, the personification of the mountains
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   Erebus + Nyx Though technically siblings, VanderHoeven says Erebus and Nyx were married. Together, the darkness and the night had 2 children:

   • Aether, the personification of the bright blue upper sky
   • Hemera, the personification of the day
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   Nyx According to VanderHoeven, Nyx had many primordial gods and goddesses all by herself, who were also gods of universal concepts. The children she bore alone personified a mixed bag of positive and negative concepts:

   • Moros, the god of doom
   • The Keres, the goddesses of violent deaths
   • Thanatos, the god of peaceful death
   • Hypnos, the god of sleep
   • The Oneiroi, the spirits of dreams. VanderHoeven says this can include Morpheus, the god of dreams.
   • Momus, the god of blame, ridicule, and scorn
   • Oizys, the goddess of misery and suffering
   • The Hesperides, goddess nymphs of evening and sunset
   • The Moirai (Fates), the 3 goddesses who determine each person’s destiny
   • Nemesis, the goddess of retribution
   • Apate, the goddess of deception and fraud
   • Philotes, the goddess of friendship
   • Geras, the god of old age
   • Eris, the goddess of strife and discord
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   Tartarus + Gaia Tartarus is the personification of the abyss that lies below the Earth, even below the Underworld. It’s described as a stormy pit, where evil things are tortured. Like Gaia, Tartarus was believed to leap out from Chaos all by himself. The two joined together, and in most myths, had 1 fearsome child:

   • Typhon, a giant with serpents for legs and fingers
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Section 2 of 4:

The Titans Family Tree

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1. 
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   Uranus + Gaia According to myth, Gaia created Uranus, the sky, to cover her on all sides. And while Uranus is technically her son, the two came together, and Gaia birthed three major deities: the Titans, the Cyclops, and the Hecatoncheires:

   • The Titans: These are the major gods that came before the Olympians and were eventually overthrown by them.
     • Oceanus, the Titan god of freshwater
     • Coeus, the Titan god of inquiry
     • Crius, the Titan god of constellations
     • Hyperion, the Titan god of heavenly light
     • Iapetus, the Titan god of mortality
     • Theia, the Titan goddess of sight and the bright blue sky
     • Rhea, the Titan goddess of fertility and motherhood
     • Themis, the Titan goddess of justice, law, and order
     • Mnemosyne, the Titan goddess of memory
     • Phoebe, the Titan goddess of intellect
     • Tethys, the Titan goddess of freshwater
     • Cronus, the Titan god of time and harvest
   • The Cyclops: These are one-eyed giants.
     • Brontes
     • Steropes
     • Arges
   • The Hecatoncheires: These are giants with 100 hands and 50 heads.
     • Cottus
     • Briareus
     • Gyges
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   Cronus + Rhea While Cronus was the youngest of Uranus’ and Gaia’s children, he was the king of the Titans. Like most of his Titan siblings, he married one of his sisters, Rhea, who was regarded as the queen of the Titan gods. Together, they produced 6 children, who later became the Olympian gods:

   • Hestia, the goddess of the hearth
   • Demeter, the goddess of agriculture
   • Hera, the goddess of marriage, women, and family
   • Hades, the god of the dead and king of the Underworld
   • Poseidon, the god of the sea and storms
   • Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder, and eventual king of the Olympian gods
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   Oceanus + Tethys Oceanus was considered the Titan god of the Okeanos River, which was believed to be the source of the Earth’s fresh water. He married his sister, Tethys, who was also related to fresh water, and the two produced two groups of deities:

   • The Oceanids: These are a group of 3,000 nymph goddesses. They were broadly grouped into the Nephelai (cloud nymphs), Aurai (breeze nymphs), Naiades (spring and fountain nymphs), Leimonides (pasture nymphs), and Anthousai (flower nymphs).
   • The Potamoi: These are a group of 3,000 river gods.
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   Hyperion + Theia Hyperion was the Titan god of heavenly light. He married his sister Theia, who was the Titan goddess of sight and the bright blue sky. Together, they had 3 children related to light and the sky:

   • Helios, the Titan god of the sun
   • Selene, the Titan goddess of the moon
   • Eos, the Titan goddess of the dawn
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   Coeus + Phoebe Coeus doesn’t have a large role in Greek mythology and is simply named as a Titan, while Phoebe, his sister, is regarded as the Titan goddess of intellect and prophecy. The two married and produced 2 children who are important in several myths:

   • Leto, the Titan goddess of motherhood
   • Asteria, the Titan goddess of stars and divination
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   Iapetus + Clymene Iapetus is another major Titan god, who, like Coeus, doesn’t have much of a role in mythology. He married Clymene, an Oceanid nymph, and the two had 4 children who are important in several myths:

   • Atlas, the Titan god who holds up the sky and heavens
   • Prometheus, the Titan god of foresight, who brought fire to humanity
   • Epimetheus, the Titan god of afterthought
   • Menoetius, the Titan god of rage
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Section 3 of 4:

The Olympian Gods Family Tree

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1. 
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   Zeus + Hera Following the family tradition among the Titans, Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, made his sister, Hera, his bride. (VanderHoeven notes that this is pretty common in mythology!) Together, the god of the sky and the goddess of marriage had 4 children, 2 of whom became Olympian gods:

   • Ares, the god of war (Olympian)
   • Hephaestus, the god of fire, blacksmiths, and metalworking (Olympian)
   • Hebe, the goddess of youth and cup-bearer to the Olympians
   • Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth
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   Zeus + Metis Before Zeus was married to Hera, VanderHoeven says he was partnered with Metis, the Titan goddess of intelligence (an Oceanid nymph and his aunt). According to myth, Zeus heard a prophecy that if Metis had a son, he would overthrow Zeus. So, Zeus convinced Metis to turn into a fly and swallowed her. However, Metis was pregnant, and the baby survived. Eventually, their child burst out of Zeus’ forehead as the Olympian goddess:

   • Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare
   • In the myth, Athena springs out of Zeus’ head as a fully grown adult and clothed in her battle gear.
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   Zeus + Leto While Zeus was married to Hera, Souza says he had many other affairs with partners who weren’t his wives. The god famously had an affair with Leto, the Titan goddess of motherhood, who was the daughter of Titans Coeus and Phoebe (making Leto and Zeus first cousins). VanderHoeven says the two had 2 children:

   • Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, nature, wildlife, and young women
   • Apollo, the god of healing, prophecy, knowledge, and music and art
   • Fun fact: Apollo and Artemis are actually twins!
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   Zeus + Maia Zeus had yet another affair that produced another Olympian god. The king of the gods seduced Maia, one of the 7 Pleiades nymphs. She was the daughter of Atlas and Pleione, an Oceanid nymph. Together, they had 1 child:

   • Hermes, the god of travelers, trade, thievery, and the messenger to the gods
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   Uranus According to early myths, Uranus impregnated Gaia once more after the 12 Titans were born. Cronus, his son, was in the process of overthrowing Uranus, and cut off his genitals and threw them in the sea, causing it to foam. From that seafoam, a new Olympian god was born:

   • Aphrodite, the goddess of love, pleasure, and beauty
   • Note: In some later myths, Aphrodite is said to be the daughter of Zeus and the Titan goddess Dione.
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   Zeus + Semele One of Zeus’ other affairs was with a mortal, Semele. Semele was a Theban princess whose parents were Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, and Harmonia, the goddess of harmony (and daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, making Semele his great-granddaughter). Zeus and Semele had 1 child:

   • Dionysus, the god of wine, vegetation, festivity, ritual madness, and theatre
   • Note: Dionysus is sometimes considered one of the 12 Olympians. Both he and Hestia have interchangeable positions on Mount Olympus.
   • Fun fact: VanderHoeven notes that Zeus’ relationships with mortal women didn’t usually end well, as Hera was an (understandably) jealous wife. However, she always exacted her revenge on the women, not on Zeus.
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Section 4 of 4:

Minor Gods and Monsters Family Tree

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1. 
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   Zeus + Demeter Zeus famously stepped out on Hera for his other sister and fellow Olympian, Demeter. Together, the two had 1 child:

   • Persephone, the goddess of spring growth. She later married Hades (her uncle) and became queen of the Underworld.
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   Zeus + Mnemosyne Unsurprisingly, Zeus had another affair, this time with his aunt Mnemosyne, the Titan goddess of memory. Together, they had 9 daughters who were known as the Muses:

   • Calliope, the muse of epic poetry
   • Euterpe, the muse of lyric poetry
   • Erato, the muse of love poetry
   • Melpomene, the muse of tragedy
   • Thalia, the muse of comedy
   • Polyhymnia, the muse of religious hymns
   • Terpsichore, the muse of dance
   • Clio, the muse of history
   • Urania, the muse of astronomy
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   Ares + Aphrodite While Aphrodite was married to fellow Olympian Hephaestus, the two famously never had children. Instead, Aphrodite was well known for having an affair with his brother, Ares. Together, the god of war and the goddess of love had 6 divine children:

   • Harmonia, the goddess of harmony
   • Eros, the god of love.
     • Note: The child of Ares and Aphrodite is considered different from the primordial god Eros. VanderHoeven says he’s a cherub god who uses his bow and arrow to make people fall in love (aka Cupid in Roman mythology).
   • Anteros, the god of requited love
   • Himeros, the god of desire and lust
   • Deimos, the god of fear and dread
   • Phobos, the god of panic
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   Typhon + Echidna Echidna is a monstrous being with the head of a woman and the body of a serpent. In some myths, she’s also the daughter of Tartarus and Gaia, like Typhon. In others, she’s the daughter of Callirhoe, an Oceanid nymph, and Chrysaor, son of Poseidon and Medusa. Regardless of her parentage, Echidna and Typhon married and had several monstrous offspring:

   • Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the Underworld
   • Chimera, a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion and goat, the body of a lion, and a serpent as a tail
   • Hydra, a nine-headed water serpent
   • Sphinx, a creature with the face and chest of a woman, the body of a lion, and wings of an eagle
   • Orthrus, a two-headed dog with a serpent as a tail
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   Gaia + the blood of Uranus Uranus and Gaia technically had more children, but not in the normal way. According to myth, when Cronus slew his father, Uranus, his blood fell onto Gaia, which created 3 groups of beings:

   • The Erinyes (Furies), the three goddesses of vengeance who punished criminals
   • The Gigantes, a group of 100 giants who warred with the Olympians
   • The Meliae, a group of dryad nymphs of the ash tree
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• If you want to learn more about Greek mythology, Souza recommends reading Theogony (by Hesiod) or The Odyssey (by Homer). If you want something a little lighter, she suggests Circe by Madeline Miller. Or, simply follow your interests and let that guide you. Souza says movies, documentaries, and books are all great ways to get into Greek mythology!
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