Hephaestus and Vulcan are both a little rough around the edges. Nonetheless, these two switch back and forth between being Olympus’s cherished blacksmith and Rome’s most feared weapons master, depending on their mood. So let’s determine which is the definitive god of fire.

JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER
There’s no way to sugarcoat this. Brace yourself for unsightly lumps, lots of body hair, and, in the case of Vulcan, one leg being shorter than the other. It’s hard to judge who pulls off the look better. But who are we kidding? This was never going to be a beauty contest.

ARMS AND HAMMERS...

It’s never easy being the family know-it-all. It’s worse when your tribe is made up of oafish, ego-driven gods. No two deities know this better than Athena and Minerva, but which one—Greek или Roman—is the true Goddess of Wisdom?

COMING OUT AHEAD
Athena and Minerva were both born in a distinctive way: plucked from their father’s head. (Weird, but still not the weirdest childbirth when it comes to the Greek and Roman gods.) Manifested straight from the mind, these two were blessed with legendary wisdom and brainpower. But in a pantheon of fighters, when has intelligence ever been the...

By now, everyone knows that having a god as a dad isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Odds are he’ll barely be around to raise you, you’ll spend a good chunk of your life hunted by monsters, and your biological mother will probably die some tragic but noble death. Worst of all? You’ll never know what to get him for Father’s Day.

POSEIDON

Much like the ocean itself, Poseidon’s mood can shift from chill to tumultuous at any moment. But there’s nothing еще calming than a pet to take care of. Since Poseidon already lords over all sea life, it can be challenging to surprise him. How...