Olympians

in ancient Greek mythology, the gods who inhabited Olympus. According to the myths, the children of the god Cronus were led by Zeus in a rebellion against their father and other gods of the older generation—the Titans. They defeated the Titans after a hard struggle and became established on Olympus, dividing power over the world among themselves. Zeus became the supreme ruler. His own children, for example, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Iris, and Hebe, numbered among the Olympians.

The Olympians were viewed by the Greeks as being different from mere mortals owing to their detachment from people’s suffering and anxieties. From this belief derives the allegorical meaning of the word “Olympian,” that is, a person who stays calm in the face of earthly passions and anxieties.