The gods of the Iliad are not remote or transcendent — they are passionate, petty, and deeply invested in the war's outcome. Their interventions are constant and consequential. This table tracks who supports whom and what each god does in the poem.

God	Side	Domain	Key Role in the Iliad
Zeus	Neutral / Arbiter	King of gods, sky, thunder, fate	Attempts to balance the war while honoring his promise to Thetis to punish the Greeks. Cannot override fate even for his own son Sarpedon (Book 16). Seduced by Hera in Book 14 to distract him.
Hera	Pro-Greek	Queen of gods, marriage, women	Fiercely pro-Greek, still furious over the Judgment of Paris. Seduces Zeus in Book 14 to distract him while Poseidon helps the Greeks. One of the poem's most active divine schemers.
Athena	Pro-Greek	Wisdom, warfare, crafts	Actively intervenes in battle — restrains Achilles in Book 1, assists Diomedes in Book 5, deceives Hector in Book 22. The most hands-on divine ally the Greeks have.
Poseidon	Pro-Greek	Sea, earthquakes, horses	Secretly helps the Greeks against Zeus's prohibition in Books 13–14. Driven off by Zeus in Book 15 but not before turning the tide.
Hermes	Neutral / Messenger	Messages, travelers, the dead	Guides Priam safely to Achilles' tent in Book 24. The gentlest divine presence in the poem.
Hephaestus	Pro-Greek	Fire, metalworking, crafts	Forges Achilles' new armor in Book 18 at Thetis's request. Drives the river Scamander back with fire in Book 21.
Apollo	Pro-Trojan	Sun, prophecy, archery, plague	Sends the plague on the Greeks in Book 1. Protects Hector repeatedly. Stops Patroclus at Troy's walls in Book 16. Guides Paris's fatal arrow after the poem ends.
Aphrodite	Pro-Trojan	Love, beauty, desire	Protects Paris throughout. Rescued him from Menelaus in Book 3. Wounded by Diomedes in Book 5 — one of the poem's most striking moments. Her favoritism toward Paris is a constant Trojan liability.
Ares	Pro-Trojan	War, bloodshed	Fights for the Trojans in several books. Wounded by Diomedes in Book 5 with Athena's help — he screams like ten thousand soldiers and retreats to Olympus. Not respected even by Zeus.
Thetis	Pro-Greek (Achilles)	Sea-nymph, not an Olympian	Achilles' divine mother. Petitions Zeus on his behalf in Book 1 — her favor is the mechanism that drives Zeus's pro-Trojan stance. Commissions Achilles' new armor in Book 18.

The war in heaven mirrors the war on earth — Hera and Athena support the Greeks because they lost the Judgment of Paris; Aphrodite and Apollo support the Trojans because Paris awarded Aphrodite the golden apple. Zeus tries to remain above the fray but is compromised by his promise to Thetis. The result is a divine stalemate that prolongs the human war. Fate — moira — operates above all of them; even Zeus cannot save his own son when Sarpedon's hour comes.