AEOLUS . . Keeper of the winds.
AETHON . . One of the four horses which pull Helios' chariot.
ALECTO . . Alecto is one of the three Furies or Erinyes and sometimes known as a Greek goddess of war and death.
ALCYONE . . Symbolized by a kingfisher, she is a Pleaide seduced by Zeus.
ALECTRONA . . An early Greek goddess, Alectrona is the daughter of the sun. No beast of burden could enter her sanctuary in Rhodes. Anyone bringing an ass, horse, or mule to her shrine had to undergo ritual purification.
AMPHITRITE . . Amphirite is a Nereid, a water nymph confined to the waters surrounding Greece. Poseidon chose her as his wife, but she was repulsed and ran. When Delphinus came to plead on Poseidon's behalf, she consented and became his wife.
ANANKE . . Plato called Ananke the mother of the Moriae or Fates and is the personification of necessity or the force of destiny. One of Jupiter's moons is given the name Ananke.
APHRODITE . . The Goddess of love and beauty
APOLLO . . A proud, youthful god of music, he rides a chariot because of his association with the sun god Helios.
ARES . . The God of war.
ARETE . . Arete is the Greek goddess of justice and teacher of Heracles.
ATE . . Ate is the embodiment of folly, moral blindness, infatuation, and mischief. It was her Apple of Discord which caused the Trojan War.
ATROPOS . . Known as Atropos the Inflexible. One of the three Moirae.
ARTEMIS . . Goddess of the hunt and the moon, and of forests and wild animals.
ATHENA . . Goddess of Wisdom and war.
ASCALAPHUS . . The son of Orphne and Acheron. Ascalaphus was able to tell Hades that Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, thus allowing Hades to keep Persephone prisoner in the Underworld for six months out of the year. Demeter turned him into an owl for his tattling.
CELAENO . . Celaeno was a Pleiade seduced by Poseidon.
CER . . The Greek goddess of violent death, Cer is the daughter of Nyx ("night") and sister of the Moriae ("fates"). This name was also used of the malevolent ghost of any dead person.
CERBERUS . . The giant three-headed dog which guards the entrance to the Underworld.
CHARON . . The Ferryman for the vessel which traverses the River Styx, in the Underworld.
CLOTHO . . Known as Clotho the Spinner. One of the three Moirae.
CLYMENE . . One of the Neried.
COTYS . . Coyts the goddess of sexuality was revered in Thrace. There her servants, the baptai ("baptized ones"), celebrated secret festivals in her honor.
CRONOS . . Father of Zeus and lord of the universe.
CYANE . . One of the Nereid. Cyane witnessed the abduction of her friend Persephone by Hades, and when she cried out, Hades flung his sceptre at her, turning her into a fountain.
DEIMOS . . Deimos (fear or terror) is Poseidon's son. Mars' smaller moon is called Deimos.
DEUCALION . . Son of Promethius.
DEMETER . . One of the twelve Olympians. Goddess of agriculture and fertile soil. Mother of Plutus by Iasion and Persephone by Zeus. When her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, Demeter threatened to strip the Earth of its fertility forever unless she was returned. Zeus sent Hermes to fetch Persephone, but she had eaten while in the Underworld which gave Hades rightful claim to her.
DIONYSUS . . God of the wine.
DORIS . . She is the daughter of Oceanus and the wife of Nereus. Together they have fifty lovely daughters, known as Nereids in her husbands honor.
DRYADS . . Dryads (Hamadryads) are elemental forces incarnated in a bark-like body. They were usually female and mortal, dying when the tree died. A dryad will punish mortals for thoughtlessly breaking her branches or harming her.
ELECTRA . . Electra was one of the Pleiades seduced by Zeus. She gave birth to Dardanus, founder of Troy.
ENYO . . Enyo is the goddess of war and takes delight in carnage and destruction of towns. She is usually considered the daughter of Ares whom she accompanies in battles.
EOS . . One of the four horses which pull Helios' chariot.
EPAPUS . . Epaphus is the son of Zeus and Io. He founded the city of Memphis in Egypt.
ERIS . . Eris is the goddess of discord and the spirit of strife, and the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is obsessed with bloodshed, havoc, and suffering. She calls forth war and her brother Ares carries out the action. She had a golden apple that was so bright and shiny everybody wanted to have it. When she threw it among friends, their friendship came to a rapid end. When she threw it among enemies, war broke out, for the golden apple of Eris was an apple of discord.
EROS . . The son of Aphrodite and the mischeivious god of love, he darted about with a quiver full of arrows. They were arrows of love and he delighted in shooting them into the hearts of unwary victims. Whoever was hit by one of his arrows fell head over heels in love with the first person he saw, while Eros laughed mockingly.
EUROPA . . Europa is the goddess of the moon from which the name "Europe" comes from. One of Jupiter's moons is called Europa.
GAEA . . Gaea is the earth goddess. With Uranus she bore the rest of the Titans. She is regarded as all producing and all nourishing, and one of the deities of presiding over marriage.
HADES . . Hades is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon and god of the underworld. He kidnapped Persephone, and she became the Queen of the dead during winter.
HARMONIA . . The "uniter"
HECATE . . A goddess often associated with witchcraft
HELIADES . . The daughters of the sun, these seven sisters were poplar tree goddesses who cried amber tears at the death of their brother Phaethon.
HELIOS . . Helios guides the sun, in the form of a chariot, across the sky every day. The chariot is pulled by a team of wild horses manageable only by Helios himself. The horses are Aethon, Eos, Phlegon, and Pyrois.
HEMERA . . The personification of day, she was the daughter of Erebus and Nyx, who were brother and sister. Her own brother was Aether, by whom she became the mother of Thalassa, the personification of the Mediterranean Sea. In the ancient cosmogenies she was a kind of forerunner of Eos, goddess of the dawn. She is often identified with Eos, even being called by some the mother of Memnon and Phaethon. She was also said to have carried off Cephalus, son of Hermes and Herse, although most accounts name Eos as the one responsible.
HENNA . . A town in Sicily. It was from Henna's beautiful plain that Persephone was abducted by Hades.
HERA . . Hera is the Goddess of Marriage and Birth, and the wife of Zeus. She is very proud, and jealous of Zeus's numerous affairs.
HERMES . . God of travelers, and thieves, and messenger of Zeus.
HEPHAESTUS . . God of fire and metalworking, architecture, arts, and crafts.
HESPERIDES . . Hesperides were the guardians of the golden apples Hera received from Gaea at her marriage to Zeus. They were said to be the daughters of Nyx, the goddess of night. Some accounts say their names were Aegle, Erytheia, Hestia and Arethusa. They were regarded as comely and talented singers. The location of the Hesperides' garden was a mystery and was the destination of one of Heracles' most difficult tasks, the acquisition of the golden apples.
HESTIA . . Goddess of the hearth
THE HORAE . . The Horae are the goddesses of the seasons and the orderly procession of things in general. They are also the collective personification of justice. Hesoid, who saw them as givers of the law, justice and peace, gave them the names Eunomia (Discipline), Dice (Justice) and Eirene (Peace). At Athens two of the Horae, were called Thallo and Carpo, and to the Athenians, represented the budding and maturity of growing things. As a result, Thallo became the protectress of youth.
HYGIA . .Hygia is the Greek goddess of health and the daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing.
HYPNOS . . The god of sleep, Hypnos was the son of Nyx (Night) and the brother of Thanatos (Death). He is variously described as living in the underworld, in the land of the Cimmerians, or in a dark, misty cave on the island of Lemnos. The waters of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness and oblivion, flowed through this chamber. Hypnos lay on his soft couch, surrounded by his many sons, who were the bringers of dreams. Chief among them were Morpheus, who brought dreams of men; Icelus, who brought dreams of animals; and Phantasus, who brought dreams of inanimate things. In Homer's Iliad, Hypnos is enlisted by Hera to lull Zeus to sleep so that she can aid the Greeks in their war against Troy. As a reward for his services, Hypnos is given Pasithea, one of the Graces, to wed.
IRIS . . The winged, rainbow goddess Iris is Hera's messenger. When she is not delivering messages she is asleep under Hera's bed. She is one of the few who can journey at will to the underworld where she fetches water for solemn oaths, and wears a dress of iridescent drops.
KAKIA . . Kakia is vice personified invented to foil Arete, the goddess of virtue. The two fought over Hercules. His teacher was Areta and Kakia attempted to seduce him with promises of love, ease, and riches.
LACHESIS . . Known as Lachesis the Disposer. One of the three Moirae.
LYSSA . . Lyssa's name means "canine madness," and she is the Greek underworld goddess who drove her dogs through the world prodding the divine intoxication of the Maenads to destructive fury.
MAIA . . Goddess of the spring, she was the eldest and most beautiful of the Pleaide sisters. Seduced by Zeus, she gave birth to Hermes and later became foster-mother to Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto, during the period while Callisto was a bear, and before she and Arcas were placed in the heavens by Zeus.
MALOPHOROS . . A goddess of the underworld.
MAELIA . . In one of the Greek creation myths, Mother Gaea had her son Uranus castrated. Drops of his blood fell on her and from those spots, Gaea conceived tree spirits called Maelia. As the world's original women, they were the mothers of humankind.
MELISSA . . Melissa is the nymph who cared for the infant Zeus while he was being hid from Cronus. She often plundered beehives to feed Zeus, who then developed a permanent sweet tooth. When Melissa's role in protecting Zeus was discovered, she was turned into a lowly insect. Zeus took pity on her and turned her into a honeybee.
MEROPE . . One of the Pleidaes, she married Sisyphus, son of Aeolus, grandson of Deucalion, and great-grandson of Prometheus. Sisyphus founded the city of Ephyre.
METIS . . Metis, a Titans' daughter, is Zeus' wife and the goddess of prudence. She helped overthrow Cronus by feeding him herbs that caused him to, in effect, regurgitate his children. Jupiter's innermost moon is named after Metis.
MINOS . . Minos was the King of Create. He was the son of Zeus and Europa. He created a famous legal code. His success as a law giver was such that after his death he was made one of the three judges of the dead in the underworld. During his rule Create became a major power with an excellent education system, wide spread trade, impressive buildings, and flourishing arts. It became the strongest navel power.
MNEMOSYNE . . The goddess of Memory, she mated with Zeus to produce the 9 Muses.
THE MOIRAE . . The Moirae are the Fates, the personification of the destiny of humans. The three Moirae are Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Clotho ("spinner") spins the thread at the beginning of one's life, Lachesis ("measurer") weaves the thread into the fabric of one's actions, and Atropos ("inevitable") snips the thread at the conclusion of one's life. Gods as well as mortals have to submit to the will of the Moirae. Their sister, Nemesis, saw to it that all evil and all good on earth were justly repaid.
THE MUSES . . The nine Muses are the goddesses of arts and sciences and inspire those who excel in these pursuits. They are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Their names are Clio (History), Urania (Astronomy), Melpomene (Tragedy), Thalia (Comedy), Terpsichore (Dance), Calliope (Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry), Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods), and Euterpe (Lyric Poetry). Apollo is the leader of the Muses.
NEMESIS . . Goddess of divine vengence, sister to the Moirae.
NEREIDS . . The fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris. Attendants of Poseidon. They are named in honor of their father. All of them lovely, they are the nymphs of the sea. Some of the better known are Thetis and Amphitrite.
NEREUS . . Nereus is also called The Old Man of the Sea. He is known as a gentle and trustworth god, who never lies, and is full of kind thoughts. He is the son of Pontus. With his wife Doris he fathers fifty lovely daughters, known as Nereids in his honor.
NIKE . . Winged goddess of victory
NYX . . Nyx is the night personified. She is among the very oldest of the gods, having been born from Chaos. She is regarded as the subduer of men and gods alike. She is winged and rides in a chariot wearing a dark dress with blinking stars surrounding her. Her residence is Hades.
OREADS . . Oreads are sweet-singing nymphs of mountains and rocks. They are slender, pale women who wear thin robes woven in caves on fine looms only visible to the second-sighted. To honor these elementals, the Greeks used to anoint rocks with fragrant oils, hang attractive belts on rocks, and leave offerings in caves.
ORPHNE . . A Nereid. Also known as Gorgyra. Mother of Ascalaphus.
PAN . . A god of flocks and music, he was once confronted by the dreaded Typhon. He escaped by turning his lower half into that of a fish and swimming away. Saturn's first moon is called Pan.
PANDORA . . Beautiful and curious, she is responsible for the world's ills. Saturn's fourth moon is called Pandora.
PANIC . . Son of Ares. Brother of Eris (Discord), Trembling, Phobos (Alarm), Metus (Fear), Demios (Dread), and Pallor.
PEITHO . . Peitho is the personification of seduction and persuasion. She is said to be the daughter of Aphrodite and Hermes.
PERSEPHONE . . The daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Wife of Hades. When Hades asked Zeus to allow him to wed Persephone, Zeus agreed. Hades kidnapped her and took her to the Underworld. Demeter demanded that she be released, so Zeus sent Hermes to bring her home. However, she had eaten while in the Underworld, which gave Hades rightful claim to her.
PHILYRA . . Daughter of Oceanus (the river that encircles the world) and the Titan Tethys. Cronos, while searching for Zeus, seduced her in the form of a horse. Rhea's discovery of the affair forced her into hiding, where she bore Cheiron. Her shame was so great that she asked Zeus to turn her into a linden tree, a request he granted.
PHLEGON . . One of the four horses which pull Helios' chariot.
PHOEBE . . By her brother Coeus she is the mother of Asteria and Leto. Through Leto, she is the grandmother of Apollo and Artemis. The 18th moon of Saturn is given the name Phoebe.
PHOBOS . . Phobos is Poseidon's son. Mars' largest moon is named Phobos.
PONTUS . . Pontus means Deep Sea. He is the son of Gaea and the father of Nereus.
POSEIDON . . One of the twelve Olympians. God of the sea. Husband of Amphritite. Had many children by many women. Was often unsuccessful in competitions with other gods and goddesses.
PROMETHEUS . . Titan who brought fire to mankind against Zeus' wishes. The 3rd moon of saturn is given the name Prometheus.
PYROIS . . One of the four horses which pull Helios' chariot.
RHADAMANTHYS . . Son of Zeus and Europa. Upon his death, Zeus appointed him one of the three judges of the dead.
RHEA . . Rhea was the wife of the Titan Cronus, who made it a practice to swallow their children. When Zeus was about to be born, she bore him in secret and gave Cronus a stone wrapped as an infant to swallow. The 14th moon of Saturn is given the name Rhea.
RIVER STYX . . A river made up of all the mortal souls in the Underworld.
SELENE . . Goddess of the moon
STEROPE . . Also known as Asterope, she was one of the Pleiades. She was ravished by Ares and gave birth to Oenomaus, king of Pisa.
STYX . . The goddess of the River Styx that wound beneath the earth in the land of the dead is called is also called Styx "the hated one," who prevented the living from crossing into the realm of Persephone without first undergoing death's torments.
TAYGETE . . Also known as Taygeta, she was one of the Pleiades and was seduced by Zeus to gave birth to Lacedaemon, founder of Sparta.
TEIRESIAS . . A famous prophet of Thebes. Teiresias accidentally came across Athena while she was bathing, so she blinded him. At his mother pleading Athena gave Teiresias the gift of prophecy to compensate for his blindness. Amoung his prophecies were: A warning to Pentheus to recongnize and honor Dionysus when he first appeared in Thebes. A prediction of the greatness of Hercules. He reveled to Oedipus that Oedipus had unknowningly murdered his own father. Advice to Odysseus on how to placate Poseidon.
TELPHASSA . . Telphassa the "wide-shiner," is an early Greek goddess of light who was probably imported from Phoenicia. She is the mother of Europa.
THE FATES . . The three Moirae, sisters who supervise the creation, duration, and termination of all mortals' lives. They are Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.
TETHYS . . Tethys the wife of Oceanus and gave birth to around 3,000 river-gods and the Oceanides. Hera was raised by Tethys until she was ready to marry Zeus. The 9th moon of saturn is given the name Tethys.
THE ERINYES . . The Erinyes (Eumenides) names are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. They are solemn maidens dressed as huntresses, wear bands of serpents around their heads, and carry torches. They pursue wrongdoers and torment them in ways that make the criminals wish they were dead. Crimes that especially draw their attention are disobedience toward parents, ill treatment of the elderly, murder, violation of the law of hospitality, and improper conduct toward suppliants.
THE PLEIADES . . The Pleiades are the daughters of Atlas seven in number: Electra, Maia, Taygete, Alcyone, Merope, Celaeno, and Sterope. They were always persued by Orion but, they always fled him successfully. Zeus took pity on them and placed them in heaven as stars, to keep them out of Orion's reach. Maia, was the mother of Hermes. Electra, was the mother of Dardanus, the founder of Troy.
THEIA . . A beautiful goddess of light.
THEMIS . . Themis is the goddess of the order of things established by law, custom and ethics. By Zeus' command, she convenes the assembly of the gods, and she is invoked when mortals assemble. She is the mother of the Horae (seasons), the Hesperides and Prometheus.
TRITON . . The trumpetor of the sea. His trumpet is a great shell. He is the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite.
TYCHE . . Tyche is the personification of luck and chance.
UNDERWORLD . . Hades realm. Land of the dead.
ZEUS . . One of the twelve Olympians. Husband of Hera. The supreme ruler of the Greek Pantheon. Had many children by many women.
