Abaris
In Greek mythology Abaris was a priest to the god Apollo.
Apollo gave him a golden arrow which rendered him invisible and also cured
diseases and gave oracles. Abaris gave the arrow to Pythagoras.
Abas
Abas was the son of Celeus and Metaneira. He
mocked Demeter and was turned into a lizard. By
some accounts he was the 12th king of Argolis who owned a magic shield.
Abdera
Abdera was an ancient Greek city supposedly founded by Hercules
in honour of his friend Abderus.
Abderus
Abderus was a friend of Hercules. Hercules
left him to look after the mare of Diomedes, which ate him.
Absyrtus
Absyrtus (Apsyrtus) was a son of Aeetes, King of Colchis and brother
of Medea. When Medea fled with Jason
she took Absyrtus with her and when her father nearly overtook them she
murdered Absyrtus and cut his body into pieces and threw it around the
road so that her father would be delayed picking up the pieces of his son.
Acacetus
Acacetus is a name sometimes given to Hermes
because of his eloquence.
Acamas
Acamas was a son of Theseus and
Phaedra.
He went to Troy with Diomedes to demand the return
of Helen.
Acastus
Acastus was a son of Pelias. He
was one of the argonauts.
Acestes
In Greek mythology, Acestes was a Sicilian bowman who in a trial of
skill discharge an arrow with such force that it ignited.
Achaeus
In Greek mythology, Achaeus was a son of Xuthus
and Creusa. He returned to Thessaly and recovered
the dominions of which his father had been deprived.
Achates
In Greek mythology Achates was a companion of Aeneas
in his wanderings subsequent to his flight from Troy.
He typified a faithful friend and companion.
Acheloides
see "Sirens"
Achelous
In Greek mythology, Achelous was a river god who changed into a snake
and a bull while fighting Hercules, but was defeated
when Hercules broke off one of his horns.
Achemon
Achemon and his brother Basalas were two Cercopes who were for ever
arguing. One day they insulted Hercules, who tied
them by their feet to his club and marched off with them like a brace of
hares.
Acheron
Acheron was one of the rivers of Hades.
Acherusia
In Greek mythology, Acherusia was a cave on the borders of Pontus which
led to the infernal regions. It was through this cave that Hercules
dragged Cerberus to earth.
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidons
in Thessaly, and of the sea nymph Thetis,
who rendered him invulnerable, except for the heel by which she held him,
by dipping him in the river Styx. Achilles
killed Hector at the climax of the Iliad,
and according to subsequent Greek legends was himself killed by Paris,
who shot a poisoned arrow into Achilles' heel.
Achmon
Achmon is an alternative spelling for Achemon.
Acis
In Greek mythology, Acis was a son of Faunus
and a river nymph. He loved the sea-nymph
Galatea
and was killed by his jealous rival Polyphemus.
Acontius
In Greek mythology, Acontius was a beautiful youth of Ceos. To win
the love of Cydippe, daughter of a noble Athenian, he threw before her,
in the precinct of the temple of Artemis,
an apple on which he had written the vow: 'I swear by the sanctuary of
Artemis
to marry Acontius.' Cydippe read the words aloud and threw the apple away
but the goddess had heard her, and when Cydippe was about to marry another
she fell so ill that her father married her to Acontius by order of the
Delphic oracle.
Acrisius
In Greek mythology, Acrisius was a son of Abas
and the twin brother of Proteus with
whom he quarreled even in the womb. He was the father of Danae.
When Abas died, Acrisius expelled Proteus from his inheritance, but Proteus
returned supported by Iobates and Acrisius was compelled to give him Tiryns
while he kept Argos.
Actaeon
In Greek mythology, Actaeon was a great hunter who was turned into
a stag by Artemis for looking on her while she was
bathing. He was subsequently torn to pieces by his own dogs.
Adaro
In the mythology of the Solomon Islands, Adaro is a sea-spirit.
Addanc
The addanc was a dwarf or marine monster which lived near lake llyon.
He was killed in some accounts by Peredu who obtained a magic stone which
made him invisible.
Adrastea
Adrastea was an alternative name for Nemesis.
Adrastus
Adrastus was the son of Talaus
and the king of Argos. He attempted to restore Polynices
to his throne at Thebes, he failed but led a second assault leading the
Epigoni.
He died of grief when he heard that his son had been killed in the Epigoni
assault.
Aello
Aello was one of the harpies.
Aeneas
Aeneas was a Trojan hero. He was the son of Anchises and Aphrodite.
He led the survivors of the Trojan war to
Italy.
Aeolus
Aeolus was the son of Hippotes. He lived on a rocky island where the
winds were trapped in caves. He let the winds out as commanded by the gods.
Aesculapius
Aesculapius was the son of Apollo and Coronis.
His mother died at his birth, struck by an arrow of Artemis.
His father saved him and took him to the physician Chiron who taught Aesculapius
about healing, he was the Roman god of medicine, his worship introduced
at Rome about 291 BC.
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was a Greek hero of the Trojan
wars, son of Atreus, king of Mycenae, and brother
of Menelaus. He married Clytemnestra,
and their children included Electra, Iphigenia,
and Orestes. He sacrificed Iphigenia
in order to secure favorable winds for the Greek expedition against Troy
and after a ten years' siege sacked the city, receiving Priam's
daughter Cassandra as a prize. On his return home,
he and Cassandra were murdered by Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus.
His children Orestes and Electra later killed the guilty couple.
Ajax
In Greek mythology, Ajax was son of Telamon, king of Salamis, he was
second only to Achilles among the Greek heroes
in the Trojan War. According to subsequent Greek legends, Ajax went mad
with jealousy when Agamemnon awarded the armor
of the dead Achilles to Odysseus.
He later committed suicide in shame.
Alastor
In Greek mythology, Alastor is a name applied to any avenging demon,
but principally to Zeus as the vindicator.
Alcaeus
Alcaeus was a son of Perseus and Andromeda.
Alcestis
Alcestis was the wife of Admetus in Greek mythology. Her husband was
ill, and according to an oracle would not recover unless someone vowed
to die in his place. Alcestis made the vow and her husband recovered. After
she died Hercules brought her back from the infernal
regions.
Alcides
Alcides is an alternative name for Hercules.
Alcmene
In Greek mythology, Alcmene is the virgin goddess of midwinter, midwinter's
moon, the new year, stateliness, beauty and wisdom.
Alcmene was the wife of Amphitryon. Zeus
visited Alcmene in the form of her husband, and the child of their union
was the Greek hero Heracles.
Alcyone
In Greek mythology, Alcyone is the goddess of the sea, the moon, calm
and tranquility; She who brings life to death and death to life.
Alphito
In Greek mythology, Alphito was a white goddess of barley flour, destiny
and the moon. The hag of the mill and the lady of the nine heights.
Amaethon
Amaethon was the celtic god of husbandry.
Amazon
in Greek mythology, the Amazons were a group of female warriors living
near the Black Sea, who cut off their right breasts to use the bow more
easily. Their queen, Penthesilea, was killed by Achilles
at the siege of Troy. The Amazons attacked Theseus
and besieged him at Athens, but were defeated, and Theseus took the Amazon
Hippolyta captive; she later gave birth to Hippolytus.
For more info Click here.
Ambrosia
In Greek mythology, ambrosia was the food of the gods which was supposed
to confer eternal life upon all who ate it.
Amor
Amor was the Roman god of love.
Amphictyonis
In Greek mythology, Amphictyonis was the goddess of wine and friendship
between nations.
Amphion
In Greek mythology, Amphion was a son of Zeus
and Antiope. He was the husband of Niobe.
Amphion had great skill in music which he was taught by Hermes.
He helped build the walls of Thebes, the stones moving themselves into
position at the sound of his lyre.
Amphitrite
Amphitrite was the Greek goddess of the sea and wife of Poseidon.
Amphitryon
In Greek mythology, Amphitryon was King of Thebes, son of Alcaeus and
husband of Alcmena.
Amymone
Amymone was a daughter of Danaus. She and her sisters were sent to
search for water when Poseidon caused
a drought in the district of Argos. Whilst searching she threw a spear
at a dear, missed it and hit a satyr
which pursued her. She called to Poseidon for help. He came, drove off
the satyr and produced a perennial spring for her at Lerna, where he met
her.
Anadyomene
Anadyomene is a name of Aphrodite when she
was represented as rising from the sea.
Androcles
In Roman mythology, Androcles was a Roman slave who fled from a cruel
master into the African desert, where he encountered a crippled lion and
took a thorn from its paw. The lion later recognized the recaptured slave
in the arena and spared his life. The emperor Tiberius was said to have
freed them both.
Andromache
In Greek mythology, Andromache was the wife of Hector.
Andromeda
Andromeda was a daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopea.
Perseus found her bound to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster. Perseus
rescued her after killing the sea monster so that she might become his
wife.
Annona
In Roman mythology, Annona was the Goddess of the circling year and
its harvest produce; Matron of commerce and the market place.
Antaeus
Antaeus was the giant son of Poseidon
and Ge. He was invincible so long as he remained in contact with the earth.
Hercules
killed him by picking him up so that his feet were off the ground and then
stifling him.
Anteros
In Greek mythology, Anteros was the god of mutual love. He was said
to punish those who did not return the love of others.
Antheia
In Crete, Antheia was the goddess of vegetation, lowlands, marshlands,
gardens, blossoms, the budding earth and human love.
Anthesteria
Anthesteria was a Greek festival held each year in honour of the gods,
particularly Bacchus and to celebrate the beginning
of spring.
Antigone
In Greek mythology Antigone was a daughter of Oedipus
and Jocasta. She was celebrated for her devotion
to her father and her brother Polynices.
Antilochus
In Greek mythology, Antilochus was a son of Nestor. He was a hero of
the Trojan war and was renowned for his speed of foot. He was killed by
Memnon.
Antiope
In Greek mythology, Antiope was a daughter of Nycteus, King of Thebes.
Zeus
was attracted by her beauty and came to her in the guise of a Satyr.
Antiope conceived twins by Zeus, and scared of her father's wrath fled
to Sicyon where she married King Epopeus. Antiope was the goddess of the
new moon, the gad-flydance and fecundity; Mother of the morning and evening
star.
Aphrodisia
Aphrodisia was the festival in celebration of Aphrodite
celebrated throughout Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love. The Romans called her Venus.
In Greek mythology, Aphrodite was the goddess of love (equivalent to the
Roman Venus, Phoenician Astarte and the Babylonian Ishtar). She is said
to be either a daughter of Zeus or to have
sprung from the foam of the sea. She was the unfaithful wife of Hephaestus,
the god of fire, and the mother of Eros. Aphrodite
surpassed all the other goddesses in beauty, and hence received the prize
of beauty from Paris. She likewise had the power of granting beauty and
invincible charm to others. In the vegetable kingdom the myrtle, rose,
apple, and poppy, among others, were sacred to Aphrodite, as, in the animal
world, were the sparrow, dove, swan, and swallow.
Apollo
Click here.
Arachne
In Greek mythology, Arachne was a Lydian woman who was so skillful
a weaver that she challenged the goddess Athena to
a contest. Athena tore Arachne's beautiful tapestries to pieces and Arachne
hanged herself. She was transformed into a spider, and her weaving became
a cobweb. She was therefore related to the textile industries. The matron
of spinning, weaving and dyeing and the weaver of destiny.
Arcadia
Arcadia was a green mountainous isolated region in the centre of Peloponnese
inhabited by shepherds and peasants.
Ares
Ares was the Greek god of storms and tempests. He was a son of Zeus
and Hera. He became symbolic with storms and turmoil
in human relationships and hence to being the god of war. The Romans called
him Mars.
Arethusa
In Greek mythology, Arethusa was a daughter of Nereus
and Doris. She was a nympth changed by Artemis into
a fountain to enable her to escape the pursuit of Alpheus.
Argonauts
In Greek mythology the Argonauts were heroes who made a hazardous voyage
to Colchis with Jason in the ship the Argo to get
the golden fleece.
Argus
In Greek mythology the Argus was a beast and son of Arestor with a
hundred eyes of which he could only close two at a time. He was placed
by Juno to guard Io, whom Jupiter
had changed into a heifer. But Mercury, who was sent to carry her off,
managed to surprise and kill Argus whereupon Juno transfered his eyes to
the tail of a peacock, her favourite bird.
Ariadne
In Greek mythology Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos.
She helped Theseus out of the labyrinth
with a thread. She was abandoned by Theseus on the Isle of Naxos where
she subsequently met and married
Bacchus.
Arimaspians
In Greek mythology the Arimaspians were a one-eyed people who conducted
a perpetual war against the griffins in an attempt to steal the griffin's
gold.
Aristaeus
In Greek mythology Aristaeus was the son of Apollo
and Cyrene. He introduced bee-keeping.
Artemis
Click here
Aruspices
The Aruspices (Haruspices) were a class of priests in ancient Rome.
Their job was to foretell the future from the entrails of sacrificial victims.
Ascanius
Ascanius was a son of Aeneas and Creusa.
He escaped from Troy with his father.
Asclepius
Asclepius was a Greek god of healing. He was the son of Apollo
and Coronis. He was taught the art of healing by Cheiron.
Zeus
killed him with a thunderbolt as a punishment for bringing a dead man back
to life.
Astraea
In Greek mythology Astraea was the daughter of Zeus
and Themis, the goddess of justice.
Atalanta
In Greek mythology Atalanta was a famous huntress of Arcadia.
She was to be married only to someone who could outrun her in a race, the
consequence of failure being death.
Ate
Ate was the goddess of infatuation, mischief and guilt. She would mislead
men into actions which would be the ruin of them.
Athena
Athena (Athene) was the Greek goddess of intellect. She was the daughter
of Zeus and Metis. For more info Click
here.
Athene
see "Athena"
Atlantiades
Atlantiades was another name for Hermes.
Atlantides
Atlantides was name given to the Pleiades
who were fabled to be the seven daughters of Atlas.
Atlantis
In Greek mythology, Atlantis was an island continent, said to have
sunk following an earthquake. The Greek philosopher Plato created an imaginary
early history for it and described it as a utopia.
Atlas
Atlas was a giant who had to support the heavens upon his shoulders.
Atreus
In Greek mythology Atreus was the son of Pelops and Hippodamia. He
was King of Mycenae. To seek revenge on his brother Thyestes for seducing
his wife, Atreus gave a banquet at which Thyestes dined on the flesh of
his own sons.
Attis
In classical mythology, Attis was a Phrygian god whose death and resurrection
symbolized the end of winter and the arrival of spring. He was loved by
the goddess Cybele, who drove him mad as a punishment
for his infidelity, he castrated himself and bled to death.
Augean stables
in Greek mythology, the Augean stables were the stables of Augeas,
king of Elis in southern Greece. One of the labors of Hercules
was to clean out the stables, which contained 3,000 cattle and had never
been cleaned before. He was given only one day to do the task so he diverted
the river Alpheus through their yard.
Aurora
Aurora was goddess of the dawn. She was the daughter of Hyperion and
Theia, and sister of Helios and Selene.
Autolycus
In Greek mythology, Autolycus was an accomplished thief and trickster.
He was a son of the god Hermes, who gave him the
power of invisibility.
. .
Bacchanalia
Bacchanalia were feasts held in honor of Bacchus
and characterized by licentiousness and revelry.
Bacchus
Bacchus was another name for Dionysus.
Basalas
see "Achemon"
Bateia
In Greek mythology, Bateia was a daughter of Teucer.
She was married to Dardanus by whom she had two
sons, Ilus and Erichthonius.
Bellerophon
In Greek mythology, Bellerophon was a victim of slander who was sent
against the monstrous chimera, which he killed with the help of his winged
horse Pegasus. After further trials, he ended his life as a beggar. His
story was dramatized by Euripides.
Bellona
Bellona was the Roman goddess of war.
Beltaine
Beltaine is the name of the feast of the spring equinox.
Bia
In Greek mythology, Bia was a son of Styx
and the Titan Pallas. Bia was the personification of might and force.
Boan
Boan was another name for Dana. In this version of events, Boan visited
a sacred well which, to punish her for breaking the law, rose up and pursued
her to the sea and thus became the river Boyne where lived the salmon of
knowledge which fed on nuts dropped from the nine hazeltrees at the water's
edge.
Boreas
In Greek mythology, Boreas was the north wind god. He was the son of
Astraeus and Aurora.
Briareus
In Greek mythology, Briareus or Aegaeon was a son of Uranus
and Gaea. He was a giant with a hundred hands and fifty
heads who helped Zeus to conquer the Titans,
and guarded them when they were imprisoned in Tartarus.
Britomartis
In Cretan mythology, Britomartis was a daughter of Zeus
and Carme. Like Artemis, she was a virgin huntress.
Minos
loved and persued her, and to escape from him she threw herself into the
sea but was saved by Artemis who made her a goddess.
Bromius
Bromius was another name for Dionysus.
Bucentaur
In Greek mythology, the bucentaur was a mythical creature, half man
and half ox
Buryale
Buryale was one of the Gorgons.
Busiris
In Greek mythology, Busiris was a king of Egypt and the reputed founder
of the city of Thebes. He was killed by Hercules.
. .
Cadmus
In Greek mythology, Cadmus was the son of Agenor, king of Phoenicia,
and the brother of Europa. He settled in Thrace and
then in Boeotia where he founded the ancient city of Cadmeia. He gave the
Greeks an alphabet.
Caduceus
Caduceus is the winged and serpent twisted staff or wand of Hermes.
Calliope
Calliope was the muse of eloquence and heroic poems.
She was the chief of the muses, and was said to have
been the mother of Orpheus by Apollo.
Callisto
Callisto was a daughter of Lycaon. She was one of Artemis'
huntresses. She bore Arcas to Zeus. To conceal
their affair, Zeus turned her into a bear.
Calypso
In Greek mythology, Calypso was a sea nymph
who inhabited the island of Ogygia. She waylaid the homeward-bound Odysseus
and promissed him immortality if he would marry her. After seven years
she was ordered by the gods to let him depart.
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of Priam,
King of Troy. Her prophecies were never believed,
because she had rejected the love of the god Apollo.
She was murdered with Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra,
having been awarded as a prize to the Greek hero on his sacking of Troy.
Castalia
Castalia is a spring on Mount Parnassus, near Delphi, frequented by
Apollo
and the Muses and thus a fount of poetical inspiration.
Castor
Castor was the twin brother of polydeuces.
He was a son of Zeus and Leda.
He, like his brother was born from an egg after Zeus visited Leda disguised
as a swan.
Celaeno
Celaeno was one of the harpies.
Celeus
In Greek mythology, Celeus was King of Eleusis and the husband of Metaneira.
Centaur
A centaur was a beast half horse, and with the head, torso and arms
of a man.
Cepheus
Cepheus was the king of Aethiopia. He displeased Poseidon
by having a beautiful daughter, Andromeda. Poseidon
then sent floods and a sea monster to terrorise the area until cepheus
gave his daughter as a sacrifice to the sea monster.
Cerberus
Cerberus was a huge and savage dog with three heads which guarded the
entrance to Hades. He was the offspring of Echidne
and Typhon.
Cercyon
Cercyon was a son of Hephaestus. He was king
near Eleusis. He challenged all travellers and wrestled them to death until
he challenged and was killed by Theseus.
Ceres
Ceres was the Roman goddess of agriculture, equivalent to the Greek
Demeter.
Cestus
In Greek mythology, the cestus was a girdle worn by Aphrodite
and which was endowered with the power of exciting love towards the wearer.
Chalybes
The Chalybes were mythical inhabitants of north Asia
Minor who invented iron working.
Chaos
In Greek mythology, Chaos was the infinite space before Ge (the earth)
was created.
Charites
The Charites were the Greek goddesses of gracefulness and the charms
of beauty.
Charon
Charon was the ferryman who transported the dead across the river Styx
to Hades.
Charybdis
In Greek mythology, the charybdis was a whirlpool formed by a monster
of the same name on one side of the narrow straits of Messina, Sicily,
opposite the monster Scylla.
Cheiron
Cheiron was a centaur. He was a son of Cronus
and Philyra. He learnt hunting and
medicine from Apollo and Artemis.
Chimaera
The chimaera was a monster composed of the head of a lion, the body
of a goat and a serpant for a tail. Bellerophon
was sent to slay it.
Chryse
In Greek mythology, Chryse was a warlike goddess of the metal gold,
in its refinement and all that is regarded as having great value.
Circe
In Greek mythology, Circe was an enchantress living on the island of
Aeaea. In Homer's Odyssey, she turned the
followers of Odysseus into pigs.
Odysseus, bearing the herb moly provided by Hermes
to protect him from the same fate, forced her to release
his men.
Clio
Clio was the muse of history.
Clytemnestra
In Greek mythology, Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon.
With the help of her lover Aegisthus, she murdered her husband and his
paramour Cassandra on his return from the Trojan
War, and was in turn killed by her son Orestes.
Comus
In later Greek mythology, Comus was a god of revelry, banquets and
nocturnal entertainments. He was generally depicted as a drunken youth.
The depiction by Milton of Comus as a son of
Bacchus
and Circe was an idea thought of by Milton, and not
the Greeks or Romans.
Corbenic
Corbenic was the castle in the Arthurian legend in which the Holy Grail
was kept.
Cornucopia
In Greek mythology, the cornucopia was one of the horns of the goat
Amaltheia, which was caused by Zeus to refill itself indefinitely with
food and drink.
Cratos
Cratos was a son of Uranus and
Gaea.
He was very strong.
Creusa
In Greek mythology, Creusa was the daughter of Erechtheus
and wife of Xuthus. She was also loved
by
Apollo.
Cronus
Cronus was the son of Uranus. He
succeeded to the throne of the gods when Uranus was deposed. He married
Rhea. He appears in Greek mythology.
Cupid
Cupid was another name for Amor.
Cupido
Cupido is an alternative spelling for Cupid.
Curetes
In Greek mythology the Curetes were attendants of Rhea. They were supposed
to have saved the infant Zeus from his father
Cronus
and then to have become a sort of bodyguard of the god. There were curetes
also in The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus,
nearby Izmir.
Cybele
Cybele was the Great Mother Goddess of the Phrygians
in Anatolia and later the Greeks and Romans.
Cyclops
In Greek mythology, the Cyclops were one of a race of Sicilian giants,
who had one eye in the middle of the forehead and lived as shepherds. Odysseus
blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus
in Homer's Odyssey.
. .
Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was an Athenian artisan whose skill rivaled
that of Hephaestus. He was ordered by King Minos
to construct a vast underground palace linked by a labyrinth of rooms into
which Minos imprisoned his wife Pasiphae
and her monstrous child the Minotaur. Daedalus
fled from Crete because he knew the secret of the labyrinth and didn't
trust Minos not to kill him. He fled with his son Icarus
using wings made by them from feathers fastened with wax.
Daemons
In Greek and Roman mythology, the daemons (or genii)
were an order of invisible beings. The Greeks believed them to be inferior
deities and that Zeus assigned one daemon
to each man and woman at his birth, to attend, protect and guide him or
her and at his or her death dying with him or her. They were nameless,
and like the multitude of mankind, innumerable. Some of them acted as personal
attendants to deities of a higher order, and in that case were represented
under particular forms, and enjoyed distinctive names, while others were
believed to watch over particular districts, towns or nations. The Romans
believed them to be intermediate beings linking mankind with the gods.
Danaans
The Danaans were one of the three Nemedian families who survived the
Fomorian victory. The brought the stone of destiny from Falias.
Danae
In Greek mythology, Danae was daughter of Acrisius,
king of Argos. He shut her up in a bronze tower because of a prophecy that
her son would kill his grandfather.
Zeus became
enamored of her and descended in a shower of gold; she gave birth to Perseus.
Daphne
Daphne was a daughter of Peneus.
She was pursued by Apollo and asked to be turned
into a laurel tree to escape him, which she was.
Daphnis
Daphnis was a son of Hermes and a nymph.
He was raised by Sicilian shepherds when his mother abandoned him.
Dardanus
In Greek mythology, Dardanus was a son of Zeus
and Electra. He was originally a king in Arcadia,
he migrated to Samothrace and from there to Asia where Teucer
gave him the site of his town, Dardania. He married Bateia.
Deianeira
Deianeira was the daughter of Oeonus
and the wife of Hercules.
Deidamia
Deidamia fell in love with Achilles and bore
him Neoptolemus.
Demeter
Demeter was a Greek goddess of the earth. She is also called Ceres.
She was the nourishing mother, bringing forth fruits. She was a daughter
of Cronus and Rhea. For more info Click
here.
Demigod
A demigod was a Greek hero. They were men who possessed god-like strength
and courage and who had performed great tasks in the past.
Deucalion
In Greek mythology, Deucalion was the son of Prometheus.
Warned by his father of a coming flood, Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha built
an ark. After the waters had subsided, they were instructed by a god to
throw stones over their shoulders which then became men and women.
Dia
Dia is an alternative name for Hebe.
Diana
Diana was the Roman name for the Greek goddess
Artemis.
Dike
Dike was the attendant of justice to Nemesis.
Dionysus
Dionysus was a Greek god of happiness. He was also called Bacchus
and Iacchus.
Dirae
see "Erinys"
Dis
In Roman mythology, Dis was the god of the underworld, also known as
Orcus.
Discordia
Discordia was the Roman goddess of strife.
Dryades
The dryades were nymphs of the
woods and trees.
. .
Echo
Echo was a mountain nymph and a
servant of Hecate.
Egeria
In Roman mythology, Egeria was a goddess of healing springs, wisdom,
human laws and death. She was the Oak-Queen and granter of easy deliveries.
Eirene
Eirene was the goddess of peace.
Electra
In Greek mythology, Electra was daughter of Agamemnon
and Clytemnestra, and sister of Orestes
and Iphigenia. Her hatred of her mother for murdering
her father and her desire for revenge, fulfilled by the return of her brother
Orestes, made her the subject of tragedies by the Greek dramatists Aeschylus,
Sophocles, and Euripides.
Electryon
Electryon was a son of Perseus and Andromeda.
Elementals
The Elementals are creatures or spirits of the elements. They are the
forces of nature.
Elysium
In Greek mythology, Elysium was originally another name for the Islands
of the Blessed, to which favored heroes were sent by the gods to enjoy
a life after death. It was later a region in Hades.
Endymion
In Greek mythology, Endymion was a beautiful young man loved by Selene,
the Moon goddess. He was granted eternal sleep in order to remain forever
young.
Enyo
Enyo was the Greek goddess of war.
Eos
Eos was the goddess of dawn. She was the daughter of Hyperion and Thia,
and sister of Helios and Selene.
Epaphus
In Greek mythology, Epaphus was a son of Zeus
and Io who was born on the River Nile. He became King
of Egypt and married Memphis, or by some accounts Cassiopeia. he had a
daughter, Libya, who gave her name to the African country of Libya.
Epigoni
The Epigoni were the descendants of the seven against Thebes who attacked
the city ten years after their fathers had done so. They were organised
by Adrastus.
Epimetheus
Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus.
Erato
Erato was the muse of love and marriage songs.
Erebus
Erebus was the Greek god of darkness.
Erechtheus
In Greek mythology, Erechtheus (Erichthonius) was an Attic hero, said
to have been the son of Hephaestus and Atthis.
He was brought up by Athena.
Erichthonius
see "Erechtheus"
Eridanus
Eridanus was a Greek river god known as the king of rivers. He was
a son of Oceanus and Tethys.
Erigone
In Greek mythology, Erigone was the goddess of death, trees and fertility
and associated with wine and a pastoral economy.
Erinys
The Erinys or Furiae also called Dirae, Eumenides, or Semnae - that
is, the "revered" goddesses - were, in Greek mythology, daughters of Night,
or, according to another myth, of the Earth and Darkness, while a third
account calls them offspring of Cronus and Eurynome.
They were attendants of Hades and Persephone,
and lived at the entrance to the lower world. Their first duty was to see
to the punishment of those of the departed who, having been guilty of some
crime on earth, had come down to the shades without obtaining atonement
from the gods. At the command of the higher gods, sometimes of Nemesis,
they appeared on earth pursuing criminals. Nothing escaped their sharp
eyes as they followed the evil-doer with speed and fury, permitting him
no rest.
Eris
Eris was the Greek goddess of strife, deceit, discord and disputation.
The provoker of rivalry, contention, murder and wars.
Eros
Eros was the Greek god of love. He was the son of Aphrodite.
Eteocles
In Greek mythology, Eteocles was a son of the incestuous union of Oedipus
and Jocasta and brother of Polynices.
He denied his brother a share in the kingship of Thebes, thus provoking
the expedition of the Seven against Thebes, in which he and his brother
died by each other's hands.
Eumenides
see "Erinys"
Europa
Europa was the daughter of Agenor. She was carried off by Zeus
who had transformed himself into a great white bull.
Eurus
Eurus was the east wind god.
Euryale
Euryale was one of the gorgons.
Eurydice
In Greek mythology, Eurydice was the wife of Orpheus.
She was a dryad, or forest nymph, and died from a snake bite. Orpheus attempted
unsuccessfully to fetch her back from the realm of the dead.
Euterpe
Euterpe was the muse of music.
. .
Fama
Fama was an alternative name for the Roman goddess Pheme.
In this form she was the mighty goddess of the word of mouth and human
gossip.
She Who initiates and furthers communication.
Fate
In Greek and Roman mythology, the Fates was goddesses who decreed what
would happen to both men and gods.
Fauna
In Roman mythology, Fauna was the mother goddess of earth, rural life,
fields, cattle and wild creatures. She was a protectress of women.
Faunus
Faunus was a Roman god similar to Pan.
Februata
In Roman mythology, Februata was the oracular goddess of love's passion.
She who calls forth animals from their winter hibernation.
Felicitas
In Roman mythology, Felicitas was the goddess of joyous events, laughter,
happiness and contentment. She who suckles the young.
Flora
Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers, youth, and spring.
Fornax
In Roman mythology, Fornax was the goddess of the mysteries of bread-baking
and the embryo's development.
Fortuna
Fortuna was the Roman goddess of luck.
Furiae
see "Erinys"
. .
Gaea
Gaea was a Greek goddess of the earth.
Galatea
In Greek mythology, Galatea was the daughter of Nereus
and Doris. She rejected the advances of the Cyclops Polyphemus
and instead gave herself to the Sicilian shepherd Acis.
Polyphemus crushed Acis beneath a rock.
Ganymeda
Ganymeda is an alternative name for Hebe.
Ganymedes
Ganymedes was a son of the Trojan king Tros.
He was carried off by Zeus and became the
cup-bearer of the gods.
Genii
Genii is an alternative name for the daemons.
Golden fleece
The golden fleece was the fleece of the ram on which Phrixus had escaped
and was given to Aetes the king of Colchis. It hung from an oak tree in
the grove of Ares where a dragon guarded it.
Gordian Knot
In Greek mythology, the Gordian Knot was
tied by King Gordius, and could only be unraveled by a future conqueror
of Asia. Alexander the Great cut it with his
sword in 334BC.
Gorgons
In Greek mythology, the Gorgons; Stheino,
Buryale,
and Medusa, were daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. Two
of them were believed to be immortal, while the third. Medusa, the youngest
and most beautiful of them, was mortal. She loved Poseidon,
and having met him once in the temple of Athene,
to the desecration of that building, was punished by having her beautiful
hair turned into snakes, thus making her appearance more ghastly than that
of her sisters. Her face was terrible to behold, turning the spectator
into stone. At last Perseus, finding her asleep, cut off her head with
his curved sword, and presented it to Athene, who had assisted him in the
enterprise, to be worn on her aegis or shield as a terror to her enemies.
The ancient poets describe the Gorgons generally as horrid, aged
women,
and frequently place them by the side of the Furies. In early times there
was only one Gorgon - Medusa - instead of the three of later times. The
winged horse, Pegasus, was the offspring of her and Poseidon. In art Perseus
is represented standing with sword in one hand and the head of Medusa in
the other, turning his face away to avoid seeing it. The subject of Perseus
cutting off the head of Medusa occurs in one of the earliest examples of
Greek sculpture - one of the metopes of the oldest temple at Selinus, in
Sicily; and from the conventional manner in which her face is represented,
compared with the other parts of the sculpture, it is agreed that the type
must have been familiar for some time to Greek art. To possess a representation
of a Gorgon's face waa to be provided with a charm against ills, and accordingly
it was frequently employed as a personal ornament.
Graces
Graces is an alternative name for the Charites.
Graeae
In Greek mythology, the Graeae were three daughters of Phorcys and
Ceto: Deino, Pephredo, and Enyo; their names meaning
respectively "alarm", "dread", and "horror". They were sisters and at the
same time guardians of the Gorgons, they were conceived
as misshapen hideous creatures, hoary and withered from their birth, with
only one eye and one tooth for the common use of the three, and were supposed
to inhabit a dark cavern near the entrance to Tartarus.
The belief in their existence seems to have been originally suggested by
the gray fog or mist which lies upon the sea and is a frequent source of
danger to the mariner. It is said that Perseus obtained from them the necessary
information as to the dwelling of the Gorgons by seizing; their solitary
eye and tooth, and refusing to return them until they showed him the way.
Griffin
The griffin was a mythical monster, the supposed guardian of hidden
treasure, with the body, tail, and hind legs of a lion, and the head, forelegs,
and wings of an eagle.
Guatrigakwitl
In Wishok mythology, Guatrigakwitl is the creator who made all things.
. .
Hades
Hades was the Greek god of the underworld. He was a son of Cronus.
For more info Click here.
Haemus
In Greek mythology, Haemus was a son of Boreas
and Oreithyia. He married Rhodope and by her had a son, Hebrus.
He and his wife presumed to assume the names of Zeus
and Hera and were turned into mountains for their insolence.
Harmonia
Harmonia was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.
She married Cadmus. At the wedding she was given
a necklace made by Hephaestus which conferred
irresistible beauty upon the wearer. For more info Click
here.
Harpies
In Greek and Roman mythology the Harpies were creatures employed by
the higher gods to carry out the punishment of crime. They were three in
number : Aello, Ocypete,
and Celaeno, or Podarge; and were said to be daughters
of the giant Thaumas and the Oceanid nymph
Electra.
Their body was that of a bird, their head that of a woman; and it would
seem that they were originally goddesses of the storm, which carries everything
along with it. Their manner of punishing those whom they were sent to punish
was to carry off all the food set before their victim, and devour it, or
failing
that, to render it uneatable. Among others who were punished in this way
was Phineus, a king of Thrace, his crime having been cruelty toward his
own son and contempt of the gods. For showing the
Argonauts
the way to Colchis he was, however, freed from their persecution by Calais
and Zetes, the winged sons of Boreas, who, in gratitude,
killed them.
Hebe
Hebe was the goddess of youth. She was the daughter of Zeus
and Hera.
Hebrus
In Greek mythology, Hebrus was a river god. He was the son of Haemus
and Rhodope.
Hecate
Hecate was a Greek goddess of the moon and spirits. Dogs were sacred
to her.
Hector
In Greek mythology, Hector was a Trojan prince,
son of King Priam and husband of Andromache,
who, in the siege of Troy, was the foremost
warrior on the Trojan side until he was killed by Achilles.
Helen
In Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of Zeus
and Leda, and the most beautiful of women. She
married
Menelaus,
King of Sparta, but during his absence, was abducted by Paris, Prince of
Troy.
This precipitated the Trojan War. Afterwards
she returned to Sparta with her husband.
Helicon
Helicon was a mountain in central Greece, on which was situated a spring
and a sanctuary sacred to the Muses.
Helios
Helios was the Greek god of physical light.
Helle
In Greek mythology, Helle was the daughter of Athamas, King of Thessaly,
and sister of Phryxes. With her brother she ran away from Ino,
their cruel stepmother, on a ram with a Golden Fleece. Helle fell into
the sea and drowned, thus giving her name to the Hellespont.
Hemera
Hemera was the Greek goddess of day. She was born from Erebus
and Nyx. She emerged from Tartarus
as Nyx left it and returned to it as she was emerging from it.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus was the Greek god of volcanic fire. The Romans called him
Vulcan.
He was the son of Zeus and Hera.
Hera
Hera was a Greek goddess. She was mother to Hephaestus.
For more info Click here.
Heracles
see "Hercules"
Hercules
In Greek and Roman mythology, Hercules (Heracles) was considered as
the perfect athlete. He was given twelve labors.
1) Kill the Nemean lion.
2) Destroy the Lernean hydra.
3) Capture alive the Erymanthian boar.
4) Capture alive the Ceryneian stag.
5) Kill the Stymphalian birds.
6) Clean the Augean stables.
7) Bring alive into Peloponnesus the Cretan bull.
8) Obtain the horses of Diomedes.
9) Obtain the girdle of Hippolyte.
10) Kill the monster and cattle of Geryon.
11) Obtain the apples of Hesperides.
12) Bring from the infernal regions Cerbeus the three headed dog of
Hades.
Hermaphroditus
In Greek mythology, Hermaphroditus was the son of Hermes
and Aphrodite. He was loved by a nymph
who asked for eternal union with him. Her request was granted and they
became one body with both male and female sex organs.
Hermes
Click here.
Hesperides
The Hesperides were daughters of Atlas and Hesperis.
Hestia
Click here.
Hippocoon
In Greek mythology, Hippocoon was a King of Sparta. He was the son
of Oebalus and Gorgophone. He refused to purify Hercules
after he murdered Iphitus and further offended Hercules by killing Oeonus.
Hippolytus
In Greek mythology, Hippolytus was the son of Theseus.
When he rejected the love of his stepmother, Phaedra,
she falsely accused him of making advances to her and turned Theseus against
him. Killed by Poseidon at Theseus' request,
he was in some accounts of the legend restored to life when his innocence
was proven.
Horae
The horae were the Greek goddesses of the seasons. They were daughters
of Zeus and Themis.
Hydra
In Greek mythology, the Hydra was a huge monster with nine heads. If
one were cut off, two would grow in its place. One of the 12 labours of
Hercules
was to kill it.
Hygea
Hygea was the daughter of Aesculapius. She
was the goddess of health.
Hymen
Hymen was the Greek and Roman god of marriage.
Hymenaeus
Hymenaeus is an alternative name for Hymen.
Hypnos
In Greek mythology, Hynos or Somnus,
was a son of Night, and the twin brother of Thanatos
(death), with whom he lived in deep subterranean darkness at the entrance
to Tartarus. His influence extended
to gods as well as men, and by the latter he was viewed as a special benefactor,
giving the weary refreshing rest, and sufferers alleviation of their pain.
He was represented in different forms and attitudes, with different attributes
- now nude, or lightly or heavily clad, now standing, or striding hastily,
or reposing heavily; or as a powerful youth holding a poppy or a horn,
from which sleep trickled down on those reposing; or as a child, and sometimes
as a bearded, aged man. On his head were the wings of a hawk or a night
bird, and beside him frequently a lizard. He was looked on as a favourite
of the Muses, apparently because of the dreams he
was supposed to communicate to men.
. .
Iacchus
Iacchus is an alternative name for Dionysus.
Icarus
Icarus was the son Daedalus. They went to Crete
and were prevented from leaving by ship by king Minos.
They escaped from the Minos labyrinth by means of wings made by his father
Daedalus of feathers stitched to ribs of willow and the feathers held together
by wax. In escaping Icarus showed off and flew too close to the sun, the
wax holding the feathers to the wings melted and Icarus fell into the sea
and was drowned.
Ino
see "Leucothea"
Io
In Greek mythology, Io was the daughter of Inachus. She was beloved
of Zeus. Zeus changed her into a white heifer
to protect her from the jealousy of Hera.
Ion
In Greek mythology Ion was the son of Apollo
and the Arthenian princess Creusa, whom Apollo
raped on the Acropolis. Creusa abandoned Ion at birth, and Apollo
took the child to Delphi, where he was brought up in ignorance of his true
parentage. In the meantime, Creusa married King Xuthus.
After several childless years, they went to Delphi to ask advice. Apollo
told Xuthus that the first person he met on leaving the shrine would be
his son - and that person was Ion. Furious that Xuthus was adopting someone
she took to be a stranger, Creusa tried to kill Ion, but Apollo
appeared and explained the situation. They all went back to Athens and
in due course Ion sailed North and became the ancestor of the Ionian
nation.
Iphigenia
In Greek mythology, Iphigenia was a daughter of Agamemnon
and Clytemnestra. She was sacrificed by her
father at Aulis to secure favorable winds for the Greek fleet in the expedition
against Troy, on instructions from the prophet Calchas.
According to some accounts, she was saved by the goddess Artemis,
and made her priestess.
Irene
Irene was the Greek goddess of peace. She was sometimes regarded as
one of the Horae, who presided over the seasons and
the order of nature, and were the daughters of Zeus
and Themis.
Iris
Iris was the goddess of the rainbow. She was the daughter of Thaumas
and Electra. She was a sister of the harpies.
She was a messenger who conveyed divine commands from Zeus
and Hera to mankind.
Ismene
In Greek mythology, Ismene was the youngest child of Oedipus
and Jocasta, and the sister of Antigone,
Eteocles
and Polynices. When Antigone proposed
to bury Polynices against King Creon of Thebes' orders, Ismene refused
to help, but when Antigone was arrested and charged with the burial, she
tried to share the blame, only to be rejected contemptuously by her sister.
Ixion
In Greek mythology, Ixion was King of the Lapithae in Thessaly who
was punished for his wickedness by being tied to a perpetually revolving
wheel of fire.
. .
Janus
Janus was a two faced Roman god of beginnings and ends.
Jason
Jason was the rightful king of Iolcus. He was smuggled out of Iolcus
by Cheiron. When Jason returned to claim his birthright,
Pelias
sent him to fetch the golden fleece from Colchis.
Jocasta
Jocasta was the wife of Laius the king of Thebes.
She unwittingly had incest with Oedipus,
bringing a plague on Thebes. Her father sacrificed himself to rid Thebes
of the plague. Jocasta hanged herself when she learnt the truth of her
marriage to Oedipus.
Juno
Juno was the Roman name for the Greek goddess
Hera.
Jupiter
Jupiter was the Roman name for the Greek god Zeus.
Juturna
In Roman mythology, Juturna was a goddess of springs, rivers, aqueducts
and fountains. The matron of architects and sculptors.
Juventas
In Roman mythology, Juventas was a goddess of increase and blessings.
She was representative of the eternal youth and solidarity of a species.
. .
Lacedaemon
In Greek mythology, Lacedaemon was a son of Zeus
and Taygete. He married Sparte. He was King of Lacedaemon and named the
capital city Sparta after his wife.
Laestrygones
The Laestrygones were a race of giant cannibals. They were ruled by
Lamus. At Telepylos Odysseus
lost all but one of his ships to them.
Laius
Laius was the king of Thebes and father of Oedipus.
Laocoon
Laocoon was a Trojan prophet, son of Antenor and a priest of Apollo
and Poseidon. He warned the Trojans
against the Wooden Horse.
Laodice
Laodice was a daughter of Priam
and the wife of Helicaon. When Troy fell she was
swallowed by the earth.
Lares
The Lares were beings of the Roman religion protecting households and
towns.
Larissa
Larissa was a city in Thessaly where
Achilles
was reportedly born.
Leda
Leda was a daughter of Thestius. She was the wife of Tyndareus.
She was seduced by Zeus and gave birth to
two eggs. From one hatched her daughter Helen and
son Polydeuces, and from the other
hatched Castor.
Lemnos
Lemnos was a small island at the mouth of the Hellespont. Hephaestus
landed on Lemnos when Zeus threw him out of
heaven, and set up a forge on the island.
Lethe
In Greek mythology, Lethe was a river of the underworld whose waters,
when drunk, brought forgetfulness of the past.
Leto
In Greek mythology Leto was the mother of Apollo.
For more info Click here.
Leuce
Leuce was a nymph loved by Hades. He turned her
into a white poplar tree.
Leucothea
Leucothea was a friendly sea-goddess who assisted Odysseus
in his dangerous voyage. She was the daughter of Cadmus
and originally the wife of Athamas, in which capacity she bore the name
of Ino. She had incurred the wrath of Hera because
she had suckled the infant Bacchus, and was pursued
by her raving husband and thrown into the sea where she was saved by a
dolphin and subsequently took her place as a marine deity under the name
of Leucothea.
Liber Pater
Liber Pater was an ancient Italian god of the vine.
Libera
Libera was the Roman name for the Greek goddess Persephone.
Litai
In Greek mythology, the Litai were sweet-natured goddesses, whose special
duty was to recompense the persons whom Ate had reduced to distress and
ruin. Their name signifies " prayers of the penitent," and the allegory
in this case is not far to seek. Prayers atone and make amends for what
a man does to the harm of others in thoughtlessness or from infatuation,
without wicked thought or design. In the Homeric poems they are described
as lame, wrinkled, and squinting - those deformities being caused by the
trouble they had in making good the harm done by Ate. Penitent prayers
were at best but sorry aid in making good the evil done from infatuation
or carelessness. The Litai were supposed to be daughters of Zeus,
and to place before him the prayers of those who invoked his assistance.
Luna
Luna was the Roman name of the Greek goddess
Selene.
Lutinus
Lutinus was the Roman name for the Greek god Priapus.
. .
Maia
In Greek mythology, Maia was the daughter of Atlas and the mother of
Hermes.
Manes
The manes were the souls of departed people in the Greek and Roman
religions.
Mars
Mars was the Roman name for the Greek god
Ares.
Marsyas
In Greek mythology, Marsyas was a satyr
who took up the pipes thrown down by the goddess Athena
and challenged the god Apollo to a musical contest.
On losing, he was flayed alive.
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea was the sorceress daughter of the king of
Colchis. When Jason reached Colchis, she fell in love
with him, helped him acquire the Golden Fleece, and they fled together.
When Jason later married Creusa, daughter of the
king of Corinth, Medea killed his bride with the gift of a poisoned garment,
and then killed her own two children by Jason.
Meditrina
Meditrina was a Roman goddess of health. She was a sister of Hygea.
Medusa
Medusa was the youngest and most beautiful of the Gorgons.
She loved Poseidon and desecrated the
temple of Athene by meeting Poseidon there. For this
she was punished by having her hair turned to snakes. The result was her
appearance was so hideous to behold that it would turn the viewer to stone.
Megapenthes
In Greek mythology, Megapenthes was a son of Proteus
and King of Argos. He exchanged his dominion with that of Perseus and afterwards
killed Perseus.
Melpomene
Melpomene was the muse of tragedy.
Memnon
Memnon was the son of Eos and Tithonus.
He was the king of Ethiopia who helped the
Trojans
and killed many Greeks. He was killed by Achilles
in single combat whilst
Zeus weighed their
fates in the balance.
Menelaus
Menelaus was the husband of Helen of Troy.
Mercury
Mercury was the Roman name for the Greek god Hermes.
Midas
In Greek mythology, Midas was a king of Phrygia
who was granted the gift of converting all he touched to gold. He soon
regretted his gift, as his food and drink were also turned to gold. For
preferring the music of Pan to that of
Apollo,
he was given ass's ears by the latter.
Minerva
Minerva was the Roman name of the Greek goddess Athene.
Minos
In Greek mythology, Minos was a king of Crete (son of Zeus
and Europa). He was a philanderer, and this displeased
his wife Pasiphae who blamed Aphrodite.
He demanded a yearly tribute of young men and girls from Athens for the
Minotaur.
After his death, he became a judge in
Hades.
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a monster, half man and half bull,
offspring of Pasiphae, wife of King
Minos
of Crete, and a bull. It lived in the Labyrinth at Knossos, and its victims
were seven girls and seven youths, sent in annual tribute by Athens, until
Theseus
killed it, with the aid of
Ariadne, the daughter
of Minos.
Mnemosyne
Mnemosyne was the mother of the muses. She signified
the memory of great events.
Moerae
Moerae was the Greek goddess of right and reason.
Momus
Momus was the ancient Greek god of jeering. He jeered bitterly at the
actions of both men and gods, sparing no one with his insinuations except
Aphrodite,
in whom he could find nothing to blame, and vexed himself to death in consequence.
Morpheus
In Greek mythology, Morpheus was one form of the god of dreams (the
other being Oneiros). His job was
to fashion dreams, as the gods desired them to be sent to men. In this
task he was assisted by Icelus, who fashioned those dreams that had all
the appearance of reality, by Phobetor, the author of alarming dreams,
and Phantasus, who tricked sleepers with innumerable and strange phenomena.
But we find Morpheus also represented in the capacity of a sort of watchman
and guardian of dreams, as Aeolus was of the winds.
Mors
Mors was the Roman version of the Greek god Thanatos.
Muse
see "muses"
Muses
The muses were nymphs of the springs.
Myrtilus
Myrtilus was the son of Hermes.
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