s ▁( sp ir its ▁of ▁rivers ), ▁N ai ads ▁( who ▁dw elled ▁in ▁spr ings ), ▁D ry ads ▁( who ▁were ▁spirits ▁of ▁the ▁trees ), ▁N ere ids ▁( who ▁inhab ited ▁the ▁sea ), ▁river ▁gods , ▁S aty rs , ▁and ▁others . ▁In ▁addition , ▁there ▁were ▁the ▁dark ▁powers ▁of ▁the ▁under world , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Er in yes ▁( or ▁Fur ies ), ▁said ▁to ▁purs ue ▁those ▁guilty ▁of ▁cr imes ▁against ▁blood - rel atives . ▁In ▁order ▁to ▁honor ▁the ▁An cient ▁Greek ▁p ant he on , ▁po ets ▁composed ▁the ▁H omer ic ▁H ym ns ▁( a ▁group ▁of ▁thirty - three ▁songs ). ▁Gregory ▁N agy ▁( 1 9 9 2 ) ▁regards ▁" the ▁larger ▁H omer ic ▁H ym ns ▁as ▁simple ▁pre l udes ▁( comp ared ▁with ▁The og ony ), ▁each ▁of ▁which ▁inv okes ▁one ▁god ." ▁ ▁The ▁gods ▁of ▁Greek ▁myth ology ▁are ▁described ▁as ▁having ▁essentially ▁cor p ore al ▁but ▁ideal ▁bodies . ▁According ▁to ▁Walter ▁Bur k ert , ▁the ▁defining ▁characteristic ▁of ▁Greek ▁anth rop omorphism ▁is ▁that ▁" the ▁Greek ▁gods ▁are ▁persons , ▁not ▁abstra ctions , ▁ideas ▁or ▁concepts ." ▁Reg ard less ▁of ▁their ▁underlying ▁forms , ▁the ▁An cient ▁Greek ▁gods ▁have ▁many ▁fant astic ▁ab ilities ; ▁most ▁significantly , ▁the ▁gods ▁are ▁not ▁affected ▁by ▁disease , ▁and ▁can ▁be ▁wounded ▁only ▁under ▁highly ▁unusual ▁circumstances