Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus, mountain, northern Greece, 2,917 m (9,570 ft) high, the highest point in Greece, on the boundary between Thessaly and Macedonia, near the Aegean Sea. In early Greek mythology it was believed to be the home of the gods. On its summit were the palaces of the gods, which had been built by Hephaestus, god of metalwork. The entrance to Olympus was through a gate of clouds, protected by the goddesses known as the Seasons. Zeus had his throne on Olympus, and the gods feasted on nectar and ambrosia and were serenaded by the Muses.

The 12 major Olympian deities were Zeus and his wife Hera; his brothers Poseidon, god of the sea, and Hades, god of the underworld; his sister Hestia, goddess of the hearth; and his children: Athena, goddess of wisdom; Ares, god of war; Apollo, god of the sun; Artemis, goddess of the moon and of the hunt; Aphrodite, goddess of love; Hermes, messenger of the gods; and Hephaestus. Later Greek writers transferred the home of these deities to a heavenly region free from snow and storm and filled with light.