Previously, we talked about the primeval entities of both Mesopotamian and Egyptian mythologies, in the form of Tiamat and Nun respectively. Well, in the case of Greek mythology, the role of a primordial deity (protogenoi) at the beginning of creation is played by Gaia (or Gaea). In essence, she was regarded as the mother of all creation, whose conception signaled the starting of order after the long period of chaos (the symbolic scope of void or abyss). And thus all the Greek gods and goddesses descended from her lineage, with the first generation being born from her union with Ouranos (or Uranus), the sky god.

And like other ancient mythologies, this primordial Greek goddess, while initially depicted in a positive note, ultimately took the form of an antagonist. The former narrative is alluded to by her rebellious actions against her husband (and later her son), when Ouranos imprisoned many of their offsprings – comprising giants, inside her womb. However, as the Olympian Greek gods (discussed later) gained ascendancy in the pantheon of Greek divine entities, Gaia’s portrayal took a somewhat negative turn.

This is hinted by her conspiracy against Zeus, the king of Greek gods, to overthrow him – in retaliation for the imprisonment of the Titans (Gaia’s other sons with Ouranos) in Tartaros, the abyss within the underworld. Interestingly enough, in spite of such abstract aspects and narratives, Gaia was often visually depicted in a simple manner, as a buxom, matronly woman rising from the ground, sometimes garbed in green – thus signifying her association to Earth.

As the name suggests, Nemesis was the god of retribution. She would carry out judgment and inflict punishments upon those who perpetrated evil against others or amassed good fortune that they didn’t deserve. Also known as the god of revenge, she represented the consequences one had to face for every single felony. For this reason, many worshiped her as the very personification of all life’s repercussions for sin.

Nemesis was never known to judge crime and criminals connected to personal vendettas. She would rather scrutinize the general situation of every man before deciding what he should receive – shades of happiness or heaps of retribution. Her actions were aimed at maintaining a balance within human affairs. She was the one who distributed happiness and, at the same time, dealt out misery. It was her job to make sure that there was neither too much happiness nor too much sorrow.

Also known as the goddess of marriage and birth, Hera was the wife of Zeus and by extension, also the queen of all gods. Being the divine representation of marriage, she always showed a special interest in protecting married women and preserving the sacred bond that was created when two souls were bound together in matrimony. But she had particularly tough time keeping Zeus for herself and he had countless extramarital affairs.

Hera ruled over the heavens and the mortal world long before her marriage to Zeus. Even the mighty Zeus feared her. She was particularly fierce towards his other love interests and would go to great lengths to have them punished, so much so that she would not even spare their children. In her absolute anger and anguish over Zeus’ never-ending affairs, she would blindly punish others in the name of justice. The queen of gods was destined to remain forever jealous and plotting revenge upon Zeus’ love interests.

Leto was one of the earliest and, as many would argue, the favorite lover of the mighty Zeus. But she is much better known for her struggling years of motherhood and is considered as the goddess of motherhood. Zeus and Leto were deeply in love and Leto had already given him children way before Zeus married Hera. But that did not lessen Hera’s anguish as she went to great lengths to bring utter despair upon a pregnant and helpless Leto.
Eventually, Leto gave birth to the twin deities Artemis and Apollo. Having two such powerful gods as her children, Leto had regained her lost honor, and both Artemis and Apollo glorified their status in Greek mythology. Despite the hardships she had to endure, her cult began to spread as she wandered from place to place with her children. In the end, she successfully carved her name into Greek mythology as a modest, motherly, and respected figure.