Lineage
Family Tree
Who is related to whom, from Chaos and Gaia to the Titans, the Olympians and the heroes. Every family is shown as parents on top and their children below.
How to read this tree
- Each box is one family. The parents are at the top and their children are underneath.
- Gold names open the god's card. Under every name you will find a link to their article, or “Article coming soon”.
- Follow the links. “Their family ↓” jumps to a child's own family. “↑ Their parents” jumps back up.
113 figures, and more as the hall grows.
- 1
In the beginning
Before there were gods, there were the first beings. Everything else in Greek myth comes from them.
Chaos
Chaos is the first being, the empty gap before the world. Three of the oldest powers came out of it: Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the deep pit) and Nyx (Night).
Parent
CChaos
The first being, the gap before everything
Article coming soon
Their 3 children
The first ground
TTartarus
The deep pit below the underworld
Article coming soon
NNyx
Primordial goddess of night
Article coming soon
Gaia
Gaia, the Earth, brought forth Uranus (the Sky) and Pontus (the Sea) on her own. Nearly every god below comes from her.
Parent
The first ground
Their 2 children
First king of heaven
PPontus
The sea itself, born of Gaia
Article coming soon
Tartarus & Gaia
Gaia and Tartarus had Typhon, the most dangerous monster of all and the father of many beasts.
Parents
TTartarus
The deep pit below the underworld
Article coming soon
The first ground
Their child
Challenger of Zeus
Article coming soon
Nyx & Erebus
Night, with Darkness in some tellings, gave birth to the forces nobody escapes: Sleep, Death, Retribution and the Fates.
Parents
NNyx
Primordial goddess of night
Article coming soon
EErebus
Primordial darkness, husband of Nyx
Article coming soon
Their 4 children
Sleep
Death, the quiet kind
Reckoner of excess
TThe Fates
The three Fates who spin and cut each life
Article coming soon
- 2
The Titans
Earth and Sky had the Titans, the older gods who ruled before the Olympians. The Titans married each other and had children of their own.
Uranus & Gaia
Earth and Sky had the Titans, the older gods who ruled before the Olympians. Cronus, the youngest, overthrew his father.
Parents
First king of heaven
The first ground
Their 5 children
OOceanus
Titan of the river that circles the world
Article coming soon
HHyperion
Titan of light and watching
Article coming soon
CCoeus
Titan of foresight and questions
Article coming soon
IIapetus
Titan of mortal life
Article coming soon
King of the Titans
Uranus
When Cronus cut down Uranus, Aphrodite rose from the sea foam in Hesiod's version. Homer calls her a daughter of Zeus instead.
Parent
First king of heaven
Their child
The force that unmakes plans
Oceanus & Tethys
Titans of the great river that circles the world. Their children include the river Styx and the wise Metis.
Parents
OOceanus
Titan of the river that circles the world
Article coming soon
TTethys
Titaness of fresh water, wife of Oceanus
Article coming soon
Their 2 children
SStyx
River goddess. The gods swear oaths by her
Article coming soon
Titaness of wise counsel
Hyperion & Theia
Titans of light. Their children are the sun, the moon and the dawn.
Parents
HHyperion
Titan of light and watching
Article coming soon
TTheia
Titaness of sight and shining light
Article coming soon
Their 3 children
Driver of the sun
Driver of the moon
EEos
Goddess of the dawn
Article coming soon
Coeus & Phoebe
Titans of foresight and radiance. Their daughter Leto became the mother of Apollo and Artemis.
Parents
CCoeus
Titan of foresight and questions
Article coming soon
PPhoebe
Titaness of radiance and prophecy
Article coming soon
Their 2 children
Mother of the twin archers
AAsteria
Titaness of falling stars, mother of Hecate
Article coming soon
Iapetus & Clymene
Iapetus was the Titan of mortal life. His sons include Prometheus, who gave fire to people, and Atlas, who holds up the sky.
Parents
IIapetus
Titan of mortal life
Article coming soon
CClymene
Ocean nymph, mother of Prometheus and Atlas
Article coming soon
Their 3 children
Titan advocate of mortals
EEpimetheus
Titan who acts first and thinks later
Article coming soon
AAtlas
Titan who holds up the sky
Article coming soon
- 3
Children of the Titans
The next generation: the family of the river Styx, the family of the Sun, the mother of Hecate, and the seven Pleiades.
Styx & Pallas
Styx is the river the gods swear their most binding oaths on. Her children stand beside Zeus: Victory, Strength, Force and Zeal.
Parents
SStyx
River goddess. The gods swear oaths by her
Article coming soon
PPallas
Titan of warcraft, husband of Styx
Article coming soon
Their 4 children
Winged victory
Personification of power
BBia
Force, personified
Article coming soon
ZZelus
Zeal and rivalry, personified
Article coming soon
Helios
Helios drives the sun across the sky each day. His children include Phaethon and the queen Pasiphae.
Parent
Driver of the sun
Their 2 children
PPhaethon
Helios's son, who lost control of the sun chariot
Article coming soon
PPasiphae
Queen of Crete, mother of the Minotaur
Article coming soon
Pasiphae & Minos
The king and queen of Crete. Their daughter Ariadne helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth.
Parents
PPasiphae
Queen of Crete, mother of the Minotaur
Article coming soon
MMinos
King of Crete, later a judge of the dead
Article coming soon
Their child
Princess of Crete
Asteria & Perses
A Titan pair who had Hecate, goddess of crossroads, night and magic.
Parents
AAsteria
Titaness of falling stars, mother of Hecate
Article coming soon
PPerses
Titan of destruction, father of Hecate
Article coming soon
Their child
Keeper of thresholds
Atlas & Pleione
Atlas holds up the sky. With the ocean nymph Pleione he had seven daughters, the Pleiades. One of them, Maia, became the mother of Hermes.
Parents
AAtlas
Titan who holds up the sky
Article coming soon
PPleione
Ocean nymph, mother of the Pleiades
Article coming soon
Their 7 children
Eldest of the Pleiades
EElectra
One of the seven Pleiades
Article coming soon
TTaygete
One of the seven Pleiades
Article coming soon
AAsterope
One of the seven Pleiades
Article coming soon
CCelaeno
One of the seven Pleiades
Article coming soon
AAlcyone
One of the seven Pleiades
Article coming soon
MMerope
One of the seven Pleiades
Article coming soon
- 4
The Olympians
Cronus, the youngest Titan, took the throne from his father. His own children, led by Zeus, took it from him and became the gods of Olympus.
Cronus & Rhea
The first Olympians. Cronus swallowed each child at birth, until Rhea hid Zeus and fed Cronus a stone instead. Zeus later freed his brothers and sisters and led them to victory.
Parents
King of the Titans
Titan queen, mother of the Olympians
Their 6 children
Keeper of the flame that is not a weapon
Queen of the gods
Lady of the grain
Host of the dead
Lord of the sea
King of the gods
- 5
Zeus and his children
Zeus had many partners and many children. Each family below is Zeus and one partner, with the children they had together.
Zeus & Hera
The king and queen of the gods. Hera is Zeus's sister as well as his wife, and the children below are theirs.
Parents
King of the gods
Queen of the gods
Their 3 children
War without a plan
Maker of what the gods cannot improvise
Cupbearer of the gods
Zeus & Metis
Metis, goddess of wisdom, was Zeus's first wife. He swallowed her when it was foretold her son would overthrow him, and Athena was born from his head.
Parents
King of the gods
Titaness of wise counsel
Their child
Mind in armor
Zeus & Leto
Leto, a Titan's daughter, gave birth to the twins Apollo and Artemis on the island of Delos.
Parents
King of the gods
Mother of the twin archers
Their 2 children
Lord of the oracle
Huntress of the margin
Zeus & Maia
Maia, one of the Pleiades, gave birth to Hermes in a mountain cave.
Parents
King of the gods
Eldest of the Pleiades
Their child
Messenger, thief, and escort of the dead
Zeus & Semele
Semele was a Theban princess. Zeus saved her unborn son Dionysus when she was destroyed by his glory.
Parents
King of the gods
Mortal mother of Dionysus
Their child
The god who arrives from elsewhere
Demeter & Zeus
Demeter, goddess of grain, and her brother Zeus had Persephone, who became queen of the underworld.
Parents
Lady of the grain
King of the gods
Their child
Queen below, maiden of the return
Zeus & Alcmene
Alcmene was a mortal queen. Her son Heracles became the greatest hero of Greece.
Parents
King of the gods
Queen of Thebes, mother of Heracles
Their child
Hero who became a god
Zeus & Danae
Zeus visited the imprisoned princess Danae as a shower of gold. Their son was the hero Perseus.
Parents
King of the gods
Princess of Argos
Their child
Hero of Argos
Zeus & Leda
Zeus came to Leda, the queen of Sparta, as a swan. Their daughter Helen caused the Trojan War.
Parents
King of the gods
LLeda
Queen of Sparta, mother of Helen
Article coming soon
Their child
HHelen
Her beauty started the Trojan War
Article coming soon
- 6
Poseidon and the sea
The sea is its own old family, from Pontus down to the monsters, and Poseidon, lord of the sea, has children in every corner of it.
Pontus
Pontus is the sea itself, another child of Gaia. He and Gaia are the grandparents of many sea monsters.
Parent
PPontus
The sea itself, born of Gaia
Article coming soon
Their child
PPhorcys
Old sea god, father of monsters
Article coming soon
Phorcys & Ceto
Phorcys and Ceto are old sea gods. Their children are monsters, among them the three Gorgons.
Parents
PPhorcys
Old sea god, father of monsters
Article coming soon
CCeto
Sea goddess of the great sea beasts
Article coming soon
Their 3 children
Gorgon of the western edge
SStheno
A Gorgon, sister of Medusa
Article coming soon
EEuryale
A Gorgon, sister of Medusa
Article coming soon
Poseidon & Amphitrite
Poseidon, lord of the sea, and Amphitrite, queen of the sea, had Triton, the herald of the waves.
Parents
Lord of the sea
AAmphitrite
Queen of the sea, wife of Poseidon
Article coming soon
Their child
TTriton
Herald of the sea with a conch shell
Article coming soon
Poseidon & Aethra
Theseus was raised as the son of King Aegeus, but Poseidon claimed him as his own child.
Parents
Lord of the sea
AAethra
Princess of Troezen, mother of Theseus
Article coming soon
Their child
Hero-king of Athens
Poseidon & Euryale (daughter of Minos)
In Hesiod's version, the giant hunter Orion was Poseidon's son by Euryale, a daughter of King Minos.
Parents
Lord of the sea
EEuryale (daughter of Minos)
Daughter of King Minos
Article coming soon
Their child
Hunter among the stars
Poseidon & Thoosa
Poseidon and the sea nymph Thoosa had the Cyclops Polyphemus, whom Odysseus blinded.
Parents
Lord of the sea
TThoosa
Sea nymph, mother of Polyphemus
Article coming soon
Their child
PPolyphemus
The Cyclops Odysseus blinded
Article coming soon
Poseidon & Medusa
Poseidon and Medusa had Pegasus, the winged horse that sprang from her when Perseus cut off her head.
Parents
Lord of the sea
Gorgon of the western edge
Their child
Bearer of the thunderbolt
Article coming soon
Theseus
Hippolytus was Theseus's son by an Amazon queen, whom poets call Hippolyta or Antiope.
Parent
Hero-king of Athens
Their child
HHippolytus
Hunter prince, son of Theseus
Article coming soon
- 7
Gods and heroes
The grandchildren of Zeus and others. Healers, poets, lovers and the founders of cities.
Apollo & Coronis
Apollo and Coronis had Asclepius, who learned to heal so well that he could raise the dead.
Parents
Lord of the oracle
CCoronis
Princess loved by Apollo, mother of Asclepius
Article coming soon
Their child
God of healing
Apollo & Calliope
Orpheus, the poet who walked into the underworld, is the son of Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. Some say his father was a Thracian king rather than Apollo.
Parents
Lord of the oracle
CCalliope
Muse of epic poetry
Article coming soon
Their child
Poet who walked into Hades
Asclepius
Asclepius, god of medicine, had daughters who stood for health and cures.
Parent
God of healing
Their 2 children
HHygieia
Goddess of health
Article coming soon
PPanacea
Goddess of cures
Article coming soon
Hermes
In some tellings Hermes is the father of Pan, the god of shepherds and wild places.
Parent
Messenger, thief, and escort of the dead
Their child
God of shepherds and wild places
Aphrodite & Ares
Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus but loved Ares. Their children include Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Harmonia. Later stories add Eros, though Hesiod counts Eros among the very first beings.
Parents
The force that unmakes plans
War without a plan
Their 4 children
The pull between bodies
HHarmonia
Goddess of harmony, wife of Cadmus
Article coming soon
PPhobos
Fear, personified. Son of Ares
Article coming soon
DDeimos
Terror, personified. Son of Ares
Article coming soon
Aphrodite & Anchises
Aphrodite loved the Trojan prince Anchises. Their son Aeneas escaped burning Troy and became the ancestor of Rome.
Parents
The force that unmakes plans
AAnchises
Trojan prince, father of Aeneas
Article coming soon
Their child
AAeneas
Trojan hero who escaped the burning city
Article coming soon
Harmonia & Cadmus
Cadmus founded Thebes and married Harmonia. Their daughters include Semele, who became the mother of Dionysus.
Parents
HHarmonia
Goddess of harmony, wife of Cadmus
Article coming soon
CCadmus
Founder of Thebes, slayer of the sacred dragon
Article coming soon
Their 4 children
Mortal mother of Dionysus
IIno
Theban princess who became a sea goddess
Article coming soon
AAutonoe
Theban princess, sister of Semele
Article coming soon
AAgave
Theban princess, mother of King Pentheus
Article coming soon
- 8
Mortal houses
Some great families begin among mortals. Their stories join the gods when a god falls in love with one of them.
Laertes & Anticleia
The king and queen of Ithaca raised Odysseus, the man of many turns.
Parents
LLaertes
King of Ithaca, father of Odysseus
Article coming soon
AAnticleia
Queen of Ithaca, mother of Odysseus
Article coming soon
Their child
King of Ithaca, wanderer
Odysseus & Penelope
Odysseus and Penelope had one son, Telemachus, who grew up while his father was away at war and then lost at sea.
Parents
King of Ithaca, wanderer
PPenelope
Faithful wife of Odysseus
Article coming soon
Their child
TTelemachus
Son of Odysseus and Penelope
Article coming soon
Acrisius
Acrisius, king of Argos, locked his daughter Danae in a tower because an oracle said her son would kill him.
Parent
AAcrisius
King of Argos, father of Danae
Article coming soon
Their child
Princess of Argos
Electryon
Electryon was king of Mycenae and the father of Alcmene, the mother of Heracles.
Parent
EElectryon
King of Mycenae, father of Alcmene
Article coming soon
Their child
Queen of Thebes, mother of Heracles
Greek myths do not agree with each other, so some lines follow one ancient poet over another. Where they differ, the note under the family says so. Browse all the gods.