In magic we call upon the Gods and the Goddesses to help us with spell work and rituals. Below is a list of the Gods and Goddesses most associated with Wicca. I cannot write a full list of every God and Goddess in every pantheon as there are hundreds. Nor can I write a full list of every power of the Gods I’ve selected below because some have so many powers it’s impossible to cover them all. Below are listed the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse and Celtic Gods and Goddesses with a brief introduction only. These will give you a taste of each pantheon and help you choose which may feel right for you. But you should certainly research your chosen pantheon more fully.
Greek & Roman Gods and Goddesses
Most of the Greek Gods were also worshipped in Ancient Rome. Even though the names were changed they are ultimately the same Gods. Below I usually refer to Greek Gods for the sake of brevity, rather than any personal preference. If both names are mentioned then it is the Greek name that is mentioned first.
In the beginning, there was only chaos and nothing - but out of this nothingness came light. Gaia, the earth, Erebus, the underworld, and Night emerged from the mixing of chaos and light, and Gaia gave birth to Uranus, the heavens, who then became her mate, and Oceanus, the oceans. Gaia and Uranus together produced twelve Titans, three Cyclopes, and three hundred-handed giants, or Hecatoncheires, but Uranus feared his children as a threat to his throne, and bade Gaia take them back into her womb.
Gaia loved her children however, and hated Uranus’ tyranny. She supplied her youngest child, Cronus, with a sickle, and told him to kill his father with it. He cut off Uranus’ genitals, and these fell into the sea and from them were created Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, and the Fates, the Giants, and the Meliai nymphs. Cronus succeeded Uranus on the throne and married his sister Rhea. He freed the Titans and shared his kingdom among them, but imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires in Tartarus, a fiery pit much like Hell.
Cronus
Cronus was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky. He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age, until he was overthrown by his own son, Zeus and imprisoned in Tartarus. The Greeks considered him a cruel and tempestuous force of chaos and disorder, but the Romans believed him to be a more positive God.
Rhea / Cybele
In early traditions, Rhea is known as the Mother of Gods and therefore is strongly associated with Gaia, the earth. She gave birth to six children, but their father Cronus ate the first five. And so she hid the sixth, Zeus, in a cave in Crete. Zeus later forced his father to disgorge his siblings, and so back out came Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon and Hera. Rhea is often associated with the Roman Goddess Cybele.
Zeus / Jupiter
Zeus is the King of Gods, the head God of Mount Olympus. He has been weakened over the centuries as his power comes from being worshipped and with the introduction of many other religions he is not worshipped as much these days. Zeus is God of the Skies too. He sees to it that the good are rewarded and the bad punished.
Hera / Juno
Hera is the Goddess of the Sky, mostly the sky at night. She is also Goddess of Marriage, which includes revenge on people cheating in relationships. As the wife of Zeus she loved him very much, but Zeus had many affairs and his mistresses paid a heavy price at the hands of Goddess Hera, especially Leto, Semele and Alkmene, whom she played out a series of nasty revenges on.
Poseidon / Neptune
Poseidon, the brother of Zeus, is the God of Seas and Oceans. Later named Neptune by the Romans he had many lovers of both sexes. Poseidon created islands and offered calm seas, though his anger could cause earthquakes, drownings and shipwrecks. Not surprisingly, sailors prayed to him for a safe voyage.
Hades / Pluto
Hades is the Brother of Poseidon and Zeus. God of the Underworld, he drew lots with his brothers to decide on the parts of the earth they would rule over. Present at funerals to take the dead to the underworld, he abducted and married Zeus’s daughter Persephone. Hades is also a God of Wealth because of the rich nutrients in the soil and the mines in which precious metals and diamonds are found.
Apollo
Apollo, son of the great God Zeus, is God of the Sun, and of Music, Art and Poetry. He is also God of Light, Truth and Healing. The rays of the Sun were Apollo’s arrows, fired at humanity to provide inspiration, life and healing. He was named Apollo by both Greek and Romans.
Artemis / Diana
Artemis and Diana are Goddesses of the Hunt and are often depicted with a bow and arrow. It is said the crescent moon is their bow. Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo and a Moon Goddess, was later worshipped in ancient Rome as Diana. Artemis is also the Goddess of Childbirth and is said to assist women in labour. Diana and Artemis are fiercely independent. Both are virgins and will give their love to no man or God. Artemis, a skilful hunter, killed Orion when he tried to make advances towards her. She also killed Adonis for spreading word he was a better hunter than her.
Athena / Minerva
Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom, Mathematics, Science and Law and Justice, as well as many other things. She did not have a mother but was born straight from Zeus’s brain. One of the most powerful of all Greek Gods and Goddesses, she competed with Poseidon to become Patron of Athens, the capital city of one of the greatest civilisations ever, and we can tell by the name of the city that she won. She is also the patron Goddess of teachers, intellect and clarity.
Aphrodite / Venus
Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, the Goddess of Beauty, Pleasure and Procreation. She was born from the foam of the sea, is eternally young and beautiful, with charms that make her irresistible to anyone. She had affairs with many different Gods, including Ares and Adonis. Her son is Eros / Cupid, the God of Love.
Ares / Mars
Ares is the Greek God of War, the God of Courage and Fearlessness. If you need to call upon strength then call upon Ares; he loved fighting so much he was often said to have come down from the sky and joined in great battles, sending many men to Hades, which Hades was grateful for.
Hermes / Mercury
Hermes, son of Zeus, guides the dead to the underworld but is also messenger of the Gods, journeying from one God to the next at lightning speed. As he is a trickster and very cunning he is also the God of Thieves, whilst later he became the God of Shepherds.
Pan / Faunus
Pan, half goat and half man, burgeoning with sexuality and often depicted with an erect penis, is the God of the Wild, and of Forests and Shepherds. Likened to the Celtic God Cernunnos, he can also be seen playing a flute and is a God of Fertility.
Hestia / Vesta
Hestia is the sister of Zeus and Goddess of the Home and Family. She is known as the virgin Goddess, for when both Apollo and Poseidon asked for her hand in marriage she refused and told Zeus she wanted to remain a virgin for eternity so she could look after all families on earth.
Demeter / Ceres
Demeter is the Goddess of Agriculture and Farming. Sister of Zeus and daughter of Cronus and Rhea, she keeps the land fertile. Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades and forced to marry him. Helped by Artemis, Demeter searched everywhere for Persephone, eventually being told by the Sun God Apollo that her daughter had been abducted by Hades with Zeus’s permission. As revenge she stopped all crops and flowers from growing. The land became barren. God’s creations were slowly being destroyed. Zeus had little option but to grant permission for Persephone to be freed from the underworld. And