The Greek gods were once worshiped by the ancient people for their strength and power. Though they knew well to never cross the gods or get on their d

The Greek gods were once worshiped by the ancient people for their strength and power. Though they knew well to never cross the gods or get on their dark side. These warnings were recorded in the form of outlandish tales that detailed the outcomes of those who did exactly that. Though most of the time it was done for some of the most petty reasons you could imagine. Below are five of the pettiest gods that the Greek pantheon has to offer. 1. Athena Although she is the goddess of wisdom, Athena is still prone to unwise decisions, such as that time she turned Medusa into the pale-faced monster with snakes for hair. Though the latter wasn’t always this way, she was once a beautiful maiden who, one day, was violated by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Even though she was the victim and had no control over what took place there, Athena punished her by transforming into the monster that turns her victims into stone. 2. Hades Despite his status as the god of the underworld, Hades was actually a pretty chill guy, more so than his hot-headed brothers Zeus and Poseidon. But that doesn't mean he'll just sit back and let you walk all over him, he’s still a god after all. When a hero named Peirithous traveled to the underworld in hopes of charming Persephone, Hades’ wife, the god, aware of his intentions, decided to set a trap for the mortal man. Upon arriving, Hades offered him a stone throne, but when he sat, Peirithous was bound to the seat with snakes, where he was forced to stay for all eternity. Over time, his body eventually grew into the seat. 3. Zeus The god of thunder himself, has a long history of trysts with mortal women and for being equally petty, given his long lists of acts of revenge. Metis was the first wife of Zeus long before Hera who played an instrumental role in taking down his father. But when he learnt that she would bore a son that would surpass him and take his place as the king of the gods, Zeus became enraged. Refusing to let such a thing happen, he swallowed Metis whole, along with his unborn son, despite everything she did for him. 4. Hera The queen of the gods is on par with her husband in terms of pettiness and cruelty. In her case she is a jealous goddess who, instead of confronting her cheating husbands, takes out her wrath on the unsuspecting mortal women, goddesses and their children alike. Like that time when she sent two snakes to attack the young hero Heracles, one of Zeus’ many illegitimate children, when he was a baby. If that wasn’t enough she also placed a curse on the hero which caused him to slay his wife and children. 5. Apollo Apollo is the music-loving son of Zeus who has inherited his father’s insatiable lust for beautiful women. And like his father, he doesn’t handle rejection too well. After falling in love with a mortal woman named Cassandra, Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy in an attempt to charm her. Although grateful, Cassandra still refused to jump in bed with the god. Enraged, Apollo cast a curse on her so that no one will believe Cassandra’s prophecies, no matter how true they were. So after failing to warn the people of the city of Troy’s downfall, Cassandra was captured, assaulted and eventually slain for her inability to do so.

The Greek Pantheon’s Most Petty Gods

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