Depictions of the gods of Olympus are among the most popular subjects for Greek vases. The Olympian gods include Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hades, Hephaestus, Hermes and Poseidon. A casual viewer could interpret a vase depicting a woman standing by a bull as a farm scene, but Greek vases with this imagery illustrate the myth of Europa who was carried away by the god Zeus after he took the form of a bull and seduced her. Vases depicting a woman in warrior garb emerging from a man's head illustrate the myth of Athena, the patron Goddess of Athens. According to the myth, Athena was born as an adult woman who sprang fully-armored from the head of her father Zeus.
The children or distant relatives of the primary Olympian gods are the Muses and lesser gods like Pan, who had the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat. Many Greek vases depict myths involving the Muses who were nine beautiful goddesses representing different artistic talents and virtues. Vases that show a woman carrying a writing tablet illustrate the myth of Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. A vase depicting the goat-god Pan holding a flute made from seven hollow reeds illustrates the myth of Pan and the nymph Syrinx. Pan makes unsuccessful romantic approaches to the beautiful nymph Syrinx. After Syrinx runs away, the myth tells how Pan creates the pan flute, inspired by the memory of her beautiful singing.
Monsters were the central figures in numerous Greek myths and depicted on thousands of Greek vases. Cerberus was the mythical two-headed dog belonging to Hades, God of the Underworld. One famous myth tells the story of how Hercules descended to the Underworld and defeated Cerberus in order to save his half-sister Persephone. Other vases depict the snake-limbed Typhon or Typhoeus, one of the deadliest of Greek monsters. Greek vase artists were challenged in depicting Typhoeus who was so large that his head reached to the stars and his lower body was made of hundreds of hissing snakes. In the myth of Typhoeus, the monster originally defeated Zeus, who was only able to defeat the monster and bury him under Mt. Etna with the help of all the other gods.
The myths that related most to Greek daily life, people and cities were the myths about heroes and villains who were sons and daughters of the gods or about ordinary human beings who were asked to undertake quests for the gods. Greek vases used in daily life depict mythical heroes and their opponents, including Hercules and the golden apples of Hesperides; Perseus and the monster Medusa; Jason and the Golden Fleece; and the long journey home Odysseus was forced to take after the Trojan War. Medusa is one of the best known monsters of myth. Depicted on many vases, Medusa sometimes appears as a beautiful woman with snake hair and at other times as a figure with wings who seems much more monstrous.