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GREEK ROMAN
Aphrodite Venus
Apollo Apollo
Ares Mars
Artemis Diana
Athena Minerva
Demeter Ceres
Dionysus Liber
Hephaestus Vulcan
Hera Juno
Hermes Mercury
Hestia Vesta
Poseidon Neptune
Zeus Jupiter
GREEK ROMAN
Asclepius Aesculapius
Charites Gratiae
Dioscuri Dioscuri
Eileithyia Lucina
Eros Cupid
Hebe Juventas
Heracles Hercules
Horae Horae
Leto Latona
Moirae Parcae
Muses Musae
Nike Victoria
Tyche Fortuna
GREEK ROMAN
Atlas Atlas
Cronus Saturn
Oceanus Oceanus
Prometheus Prometheus
Rhea Ops
Tethys Tethys
Themis Themis
GREEK ROMAN
Gaea Tellus
Nyx Nox
Uranus Caelus
GREEK ROMAN
Charon Charon
Erinyes Furiae
Hades Dis, Pluto
Hecate Hecate
Persephone Proserpine
HE IMMORTALS of the Ancient Greek pantheon can be divided into roughly eight classes.
THE FIRST of these were the PROTOGENOI or First Born gods. These were the
primeval beings who emerged at creation to form the very fabric of universe:
Earth, Sea, Sky, Night, Day, etc. Although they were divinites they were purely
elemental in form: Gaia was the literal Earth, Pontos the Sea, and Ouranos the
Dome of Heaven. However they were sometimes represented assuming
anthroporphic shape, albeit ones that were indivisible from their native element.
Gaia the earth, for example, might manifest herself as a matronly woman half-
risen from the ground ; and Thalassa the sea might lift her head above the THE GODS
waves in the shape of a sea-formed woman.
THE THIRD were the body- and mind-affecting DAIMONES (Spirits). EG Sleep (Hypnos), Love (Eros),
Joy (Euphrosyne), Hate (Eris), Fear (Phobos), Death (Thanatos), Old Age (Geras), etc.
THE FOURTH class consisted of the THEOI (Gods) who controlled the forces of nature and bestowed
civilised arts upon mankind.
THE FIFTH were the 12 OLYMPIAN GODS who governed the universe and commanded the legions of
lesser gods and spirits. They were, namely, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Artemis, Apollon, Ares,
Athene, Aphrodite, Hephaistos, Hermes, Dionysos, and Hestia.
THE SIXTH of the immortals were the spirits of the CONSTELLATIONS which circed the heavenly night
sky. Every constellation, including the twelve signs of the Zodiac, was possessed
of one or more spirits EG Saggitarius was the centaur Kheiron, Gemini the
Dioskouroi Twins, etc.
The Greek Pantheon was ruled by a council of twelve great gods known as the Olympians, namely Zeus,
Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athene, Hephaistos, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollon, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysos, and
sometimes Hestia.
These twelve gods demanded worship from all their subjects. Those who failed to honour any one of the
Twelve with due sacrifice and libation were duly punished.
Directly and through a host of divine minions the Twelve gods governed all aspects of human life.
ZEUS
HERE
DEMETER
APOLLON
ARTEMIS
ATHENE
ARES
APHRODITE
HERMES
HEPHAISTOS
DIONYSOS
HESTIA
HESTIA
Spouse: None (Virgin Goddess)
Offspring: None (Virgin Goddess)
Animals: Swine
Plants: Chaste Tree
Iconography: Chaste tree branch, Head veil, Kettle
Images: Vase paintings & statues pg 2 (below)
Theoi Pages: 1 - 2
The thirteenth of the great gods was Haides, King of the Dead. Unlike the other 12, he was never titled
Olympian, nor did he partake in the feasts of Heaven. Instead this lord remained ever enthroned within
the gloom of the underworld.
HAIDES
PERSEPHONE
The other Gods and Spirits of the Pantheon fell within the sphere of one or more of the twelve great
Olympians. They essentially functioned as minions and, servants of the greater gods.
The most important of these gods appear below.
HEKATE
THE 3 ERINYES (Furies)
HELIOS
GAIA
RHEA
THEMIS
LETO
PAN
EILEITHYIA
EROS
AMPHITRITE
ASKLEPIOS
ASKLEPIOS
Offspring: See pg 1 (below)
Animals: Serpent
Plants: Herbs (healing)
Iconography: Serpent-entwined staff
Images: Mosaics pg 1; statues pg 2 (below)
Theoi pages: 1 - 2
THE 9 MOUSAI (Muses)
THE 3 KHARITES (Graces)
THE 3 HORAI (Seasons)
THE 3 MOIRAI (Fates)
HERAKLES THEOS
For hundreds of other minor gods and spirits see the A- Z Guide.
Those listed here on the Pantheon page were the best known and most widely
worshipped gods of ancient Greece. SIREN
Greek myth and legend is filled with a wide variety of monsters and creatures
ranging from Dragons, Giants, Demons and Ghosts, to multiformed creatures
such as the Sphinx, Minotaur, Centaurs, Manticores and Griffins.There were also
many fabulous animals such as the Nemean Lion, golden-fleeced Ram and
winged horse Pegasus, not to mention the creatures of legend such as the
Phoenix, Unicorns (Monocerata) . Even amongst the tribes of man, myth
spoke of strange peoples inhabiting the far reaches of the earth such as the
hopping Umbrella-Foots, the one-eyed Arimaspians, the SPHINX Dog-Headed men, and
the puny Pygmies.
HORSES, CABEIRIAN (Hippoi Kabeirikoi) A pair of metallic, fire-breathing horses owned by the twin
Cabiri gods.
MAIDENS, GOLDEN (Kourai Khryseai) Four golden maidens which Hephaestus crafted as his own
attendants.
TALUS (Talos) A bronze giant which Hephaestus crafted for Queen Europa of Crete to patrol the
borders of her island.
BEASTS, AFRICAN (Theres Aithiopes) The semi-legendary land of Ethiopia (Sub-saharan Africa) was
the home of many fabulous beasts.
AMPHISBAENAE (Amphisbainai) Saharan snakes with two heads, one at each end of the body.
BULLS, ETHIOPIAN (Tauroi Aithiopikoi) Gigantic African bulls whose red hides were impervious to
steel.
CATOBLEPAS (Katoblepon) African hoofed animals whose downward looking head, when raised,
could kill man with a gaze or with its noxious breath.
LEUCROCOTAE (Leukrokota) An animals with a powerful jaw of bone in place of teeth, which could
imitate human voices to lure it prey.
PEGASI, ETHIOPIAN (Pegasoi Aithiopikoi) The winged horses of Ethiopia who had a single horn
growing from their forehead.
SATYRS, ISLAND (Satyroi Nesioi) Ape-like satyrs native to certain islands off the African coast.
SATYRS, LIBYAN (Satyroi Libyes) Monkey-like satyrs who lived in the forest of Mount Atlas.
BEASTS, INDIAN (Theres Indikoi) Legendary India was the home of many fabulous beasts.
ANTS, INDIAN (Myrmekes Indikoi) Gigantic ants which guarded the gold-fields of the Indian desert.
CETEA, INDIAN (Ketea Indikoi) Fabulous half-animal, half-fish sea-monster such as fish-tailed lions,
bears, wolves, rams and even spiny-haired mermaids.
BULL, SERPENT (Tauros Ophis) A black-skinned monster with the foreparts of a bull and the rearparts
of a serpent. It was slain by the Sea-Titan Aegaeon during the Titan-War.
CENTAURS (Kentauroi) A tribe of creatures who had the heads and torsos of men and the bodies of
horses.
CENTAURIDES (Kentaurides) The female centaurs, women with the bodies of horses in place of legs.
CHIRON (Kheiron) A wise, immortal Centaur, half-brother of Zeus. He was the mentor of many Greek
heroes.
EURYTION 1 A Thessalian centaur who tried to abduct the bride of King
Pirithoos.
CERBERUS (Kerberos) The three-headed, giant hound that guarded the gates CHIMERA
of Hades. It had lion's feet, a mane of serpents and the tail of a viper.
DEER, CERYNITIAN (Elaphos Kerynitis) A golden-horned deer which Heracles was sent to fetch as one
of his twelve labours.
DEMONS (Kakodaimones) Some of the personified spirits and demons of the underworld were
monstrous in appearance.
ACHLYS (Akhlys) The demon of misery was a pale green hag with bleeding cheeks and tear-stained
eyes, overgrown fingernails and dusty hair.
EMPUSA (Empousa) A flame-haired vampiric demon with a leg of bronze and a hoofed foot of an ass.
Disguised as a beautiful woman she seduced men to feed on their flesh and blood.
EURYNOMUS (Eurynomos) A blue-black skinned demon of the underworld
who fed on the flesh of corpses.
and fed on the blood of dying men. They were pale ugly hags with clawed hands
and gnashing teeth.
DOG, ORTHRUS
LIMOS The demon of hunger was a starved, wasted creature with parchment
underworld to terrify men. One side of her body was ink-black and the other
bone-white. DRAGON, COLCHIS
ZELUS (Zelos) The demon of jealousy was a monstrous hag that fed upon
venomous serpents. Her body was shrunken, her teeth black, and her breasts
covered in green venom.
DOG, GOLDEN (Kuon Khryseos) A golden hound which Rhea sent to guard the
infant Zeus and his nurse the goat Amaltheia. DRAGON, THEBAN
DRACAENAE (Drakainai) Female-monsters with the head and torsos of women DRAGONS, MEDEAN
and serpentine-tails in place of legs.
woman and a serpent's tail. Her head was wreathed in snakes and her
serpentine body was arrayed with a thousand snake's tails for feet. She was
armed with a giant scorpion's sting, black wings and around her waist were
arrayed the heads of fifty wild beasts. DRAGON, HYDRA
DRACAENA, SCYTHIAN (Drakaina Skythia) A Scythian dracaena who seduced Heracles and bore
him three sons.
ECHIDNA 1 (Ekhidna) An immortal Cicilian dracaena who mated with the monstrous giant Typhon and
bore a brood of the most fearsome of monsters.
ECHIDNA 2 (Ekhidna) A monstrous she-serpent which ravaged Argos.
DRAGON, COLCHIAN (Drakon Kolkhios) A gigantic Colchian dragon which guarded the famed
golden-fleece.
Damasen.
EAGLE, CAUCASUS
DRAGON, THEBAN (Drakon Ismenios) A monstrous Theban dragon slain by
the hero Cadmus. From its earth-sown teeth were sprung a race of fully-grown,
armed warriors.
GIANT, TYPHON
EAGLE, OF ZEUS (Aetos Dios) A gigantic golden eagle, the animal familiar of
Zeus.
ALCYONEUS (Alkyoneus) The King of the Giants who was immortal within his homeland of Pallene.
Herakles wounded him and dragged him incapacitated from his country to die.
ALOADAE (Aloidai) Twin giants who tried to storm Olympus by piling three mountains one upon the
other. They were slain by the gods.
ANTAEUS (Antaios) A Libyan giant who drew his strength from the earth. He lifted and strangled to
death by Heracles.
ARGUS PANOPTES (Argos Panoptes) A giant whose body was covered with eyes. He was slain by
Hermes.
CYCLOPES, ELDER (Kyklopes) Three one-eyed giants who forged the weapons of the gods.
GEGENEES A tribe of six-armed Mysian giants which were slain by the Argonauts.
GIGANTES, HECA- The one hundred giants of Phlegra who waged war on the gods. They were led
by Alcyoneus, Porphyrion and Enceladus.
HYPERBOREAN GIANTS (Gigantes Hyperboreioi) Three gigantic sons of Boreas the god of the North
Wind who were immortal priests of the virtuous Hyperborean tribe.
animal heads, two hundred hands each tipped with fifty serpents, a pair of
serpent tails for legs, giant wings, and a fire-breathing maw. He was buried
beneath Mt Etna by Zeus.
GRAEAE (Graiai) Three old hags born with grey hair, wrinkled skin and only one
tooth and one eye between them.
GRIFFINS (Grypes) Winged beasts with the foreparts of eagles and the bodies
of lions. HORSE, PEGASUS
HARPIES (Harpyiai) Three winged monsters with the bodies of birds and the
heads and torsos of women.
BALIUS & XANTHUS (Balios, Xanthos) Two immortal horses owned by the MEN, CECROPS
hero Achilles.
HYDRA (Hydra) The nine-headed serpent of Lerna who sprung two heads for every one which was
decapitated. It was slain by Heracles.
LEUCROCOTAE See Beasts, African
LION, NEMEAN (Leon Nemeios) A gigantic Argive lion whose skin was impervious to weapons. It was
strangled by Heracles.
MANTICORE (Mantikhoras) A winged Persian monster with the head of a man, the body of a lion and a
spiked missile-throwing tail.
MEN, EARTH-BORN (Anthropoi Autokhthonoi) Unusual men sometimes sprouted from the earth itself.
CECROPS (Kekrops) An earth-born king of Athens who had the tail of a serpent in place of legs.
SPARTI (Spartoi) A race of earth-born warriors, which sprang fully grown, armed and ready for battle
from the sown teeth of a dragon.
MEN, FANTASTIC Races of strangely-formed men were believed to inhabit the farthest reaches of the
earth.
ASTOMI (Astomoi) A hair-covered Indian tribe of men without mouths, who sustained themselves on
the scent of aromatic plants.
BLEMMYAE (Blemmyai, Sternophthalmoi) A tribe of headless African men whose faces were set
upon their chests.
CALINGI (Kalingoi) A short-lived Indian tribe who reached maturity at five and died of old age at eight.
CHOROMANDAE (Khromandai) A hair-covered Indian tribe, with dog's teeth and a horrible scream in
place of speech.
MACHLYES (Makhlyes) A Libyan tribe whose bodies were female on one side and male on the other.
MANDI (Mandoi) A race of Indians who grew old and wrinkled shortly after birth.
NULI (Nuloi) An African people with backward-turned, eight-toed feet.
PANDAE (Pandai) A tribe of long-lived Indian men with gigantic ears, eight fingers and toes, and
white-hair covering their bodies which turned black with age.
PYGMIES (Pygmaioi) A tribe of one and a half foot tall African men who rode goats into battle against
migrating cranes.
who used their gigantic foot as shade against the midday sun.
MINOTAUR (Minotauros) A Cretan monster with the head of a bull and the hairy MINOTAUR
body of a man.
NEADES Gigantic animals native to the island of Samos whose roar could split
apart the ground.
PANES A tribe of nature-spirits which had the heads and torsos of men, the legs
and tails of goats, goatish faces and goat-horns.
RIVER, ACHELOUS
AEGIPAN (Aigipan) A demi-god with the fore-parts of a goat and the tail of a
fish.
PEGASUS (Pegasos) A winged horse tamed by the hero Bellerophon and ridden into battle with the
Chimera.
PHASMA Ghosts or phantoms which haunted the living. Some were corporeal in form, retaining their
physical bodies, others were merely bodiless spirits.
GHOST, PHILINNION A dead Macedonian woman who rose up from her tomb at night to haunt a
handsome young guest of her parents. She was probably a lamia (vampire).
GHOST, POLYCRITUS (Polykritos) A dead man who rose up from his grave and devoured his living
hermaphroditic son.
LAMIAE (Lamiai) Vampiric demons whichy preyed on young men in the guise of a beautiful woman
and drank their blood.
LAMIA LIBYAN (Lamia Libys) A vampiric Libyan demon which preyed on children. She could pluck
out her own bleeding eyes.
had the tail of a serpentine fish and a bull's horn on his head.
African town.
SEA-GOD, TRITON
SATYR, LEMNIAN (Satyros Lemnios) A satyr which consorted with a woman
SEA-MONSTER
SILENI (Seilenoi) A race of elderly Satyrs with the bodies of old-men, pug-noses, the tails of horses,
and asses' ears.
SEA GODS & DAEMONES (Theoi Daimones Einalioi) Many of sea-gods appeared as fish-tailed
mermen, or were otherwise fabulous in form.
NEREUS An elderly sea-god with the coiled tail of a fish in place of legs.
SCYLLA (Skylla) A monstrous sea-dracaena with the upper body of a beautiful nymphe, the
serpentine-tail of a sea-monster and sprung from her waist a ring of six dog foreparts.
TELCHINES (Telkhines) Sea-demons with the heads of dogs and flippers of seals in place of hands.
TRITON A sea-god with either a single or a pair of serpentine fish-tails in place of legs.
TRITONES A race of sea daemones with the upper bodies of men and the tails of fish. Some were
fearsome, scaly monsters with sharp carnivore teeth.
SCOLOPENDRA (Skolopendra) A gargantuan sea-monster with hair extending from its nostrils, a flat
crayfish-like tail and rows of webbed feet lining each of its flanks.
SHEEP, GOLDEN (Melai Khryseoi) A flock of aggressive and highly poisonous, golden-fleeced sheep.
SIRENS (Seirenes) Three winged sea-monsters whose irresistable song lured sailors to their deaths.
They had the heads (or heads and torsos) of women and the bodies of birds.
SPHINX A Theban monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lioness.
TURTLE, GIANT A giant turtle preyed on the men cast into the sea by the bandit Sciron.
UNICORNS Fabulous Indian horses with a single magical horn. The Greeks called them Monocerata
(One-Horned) which the Romans translated as Unicorni.
APHRODITE was the great Olympian goddess of beauty, love, pleasure and and
procreation. She was depicted as a beautiful woman usually accompanied by the
winged godling Eros (Love). Her attributes included a dove, apple, scallop shell and
mirror. In classical sculpture and fresco she was often depicted nude.
This site contains a total of 18 pages describing the goddess Aphrodite, including
general descriptions, mythology, and cult. The content is outlined in the table
below. Quotes for these pages are still being compiled (see bottom of this page for
the current status of this project).
PART 2: GODDESS OF
See Family of Aphrodite
Love & Procreation
Beauty & Grace
Pleasure, Merriment ENCYCLOPEDIA
Love Poetry
Star of Venus
Identified with APHRODI′TE (Aphroditê), one of the great Olympian
Foreign Goddesses divinities, was, according to the popular and poetical
notions of the Greeks, the goddess of love and
PART 3: APHRODITE
beauty. Some traditions stated that she had sprung
MYTHS 1
from the foam (aphros) of the sea, which had
gathered around the mutilated parts of Uranus, that
Birth of Aphrodite
War of the Giants
had been thrown into the sea by Kronos after he had
Flight from unmanned his father. (Hesiod. Theog. 190; compare
Typhoeus Anadyomene.) With the exception of the Homeric
Creation of Pandora hymn on Aphrodite there is no trace of this legend in
Feasts of the Gods Homer, and according to him Aphrodite is the
Birth of Priapos daughter of Zeus and Dione. (Il.v. 370, &c., xx. 105.)
Pythian Music Later traditions call her a daughter of Kronos and
Contest Euonyme, or of Uranus and Hemera. (Cic. De Nat.
Weaving Contest Deor. iii. 23; Natal. Com. iv. 13.)
Priapus. (Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. i. 9, 32.) Besides him Golgos and Beroe are
likewise called children. of Adonis and Aphrodite. (Schol. ad Theocrit. xv. 100;
Nonn. Dionys. xli 155.) On his death Adonis was obliged to descend into the lower
world, but he was allowed to spend six months out of every year with his beloved
Aphrodite in the upper world. (Orph. hymn. 55. 10.)
Aphrodite possessed a magic girdle which had the power of inspiring love and desire
for those who wore it; hence it was borrowed by Hera when she wished to stimulate
the love of Zeus. (Hom. Il. xiv. 214, &c.) The arrow is also sometimes mentioned as
one of her attributes. (Plnd. Pyth. iv. 380; Theocrit. xi. 16.) In the vegetable
kingdom the myrtle, rose, apple, poppy, and others, were sacred to her.
(Ov. Fast. iv. 15. 143; Bion, Idyll. i. 64; Schol. ad Aristoph. Nub. 993; Paus. ii. 10.
§ 4; Phornut. 23.)
The animals sacred to her, which are often mentioned as drawing her chariot or
serving as her messengers, are the sparrow, the dove, the swan, the swallow, and a
bird called iynx. (Sappho, in Ven. 10; Athen. ix. p. 395; Horat. Carm. iv. 1. 10;
Aelian,Hist. An. x. 34; Pind. Py/th/. l. c.) As Aphrodite Urania the tortoise, the
symbol of domestic modesty and chastity, and as Aphrodite Pandemos the ram was
sacred to her. [Urania; Pandemos.] When she was represented as the victorious
goddess, she had the attributes of Ares, a helmet, a shield, a sword : or a lance,
and an image of Victory in one hand. The planet Venus and the spring-month of
April were likewise sacred to her. (Cie. de Nat. Deor. iii. 20; Ov. Fast. iv. 90.)
All the surnames and epithets given to Aphrodite are derived from places of her
worship, from events connected with the legends about her, or have reference to
her character and her influence upon man, or are descriptive of her extraordinary
beauty and charms. All her surnames are explained in separate articles.
The principal places of her worship in Greece were the islands of Cyprus and
Cythera. At Cnidus in Caria she had three temples, one of which contained her
renowned statue by Praxiteles. Mount Ida in Troas was an ancient place of her
worship, and among the other places we may mention particularly the island of Cos,
the towns of Abydos, Athens, Thespiae, Megara, Sparta, Sicyon, Corinth, and Eryx
in Sicily. The sacrifices offered to her consisted mostly of incense and garlands of
flowers (Virg. Aen. i. 416; Tacit. Hist. ii. 3), but in some places animals, such as
pigs, goats, young cows, hares, and others, were sacrificed to her. In some places,
as at Corinth, great numbers of females belonged to her, who prostituted
themselves in her service, and bore the name of hierodouloi. (Dict.of Ant. s.
v. Hetairai.) Respecting the festivals of Aphrodite see Dict. of Ant. s.v. Adônia,
Anagôgia, Aphrodisia, Katagôgia.
APOLLON
ARES was the great Olympian god of war, battlelust, civil order and manly courage.
In Greek art he was depicted as either a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle
arms, or a nude beardless youth with helm and spear. Because of his lack of
distinctive attributes he is often difficult to identify in classical art.
His adulterous affair with Aphroditein which the pair were trapped in a net
laid by her husband Hephaistos;
The slaying of Adonis, his rival for the love of Aphrodite, in the guise of a
boar;
The transformation of Kadmos of Thebes and his wife Harmonia into
serpents;
The murder of Hallirhothios to avenge his daughter's rape and his
subsequent trial in the court of the Areiopagos;
The arrest of Sisyphos, an impious man who kidnapped the god Death;
The battle of Herakles and Kyknos in which the god intervened in support of
his son;
His support of the Amazones, warrior daughters of the god;
His capture by the Aloadai giants who imprisoned him in a bronze jar;
The Trojan War in which he was wounded by Diomedes in battle with the
help of Athene.
ARTEMIS was the great Olympian goddess of hunting, wilderness and wild animals.
She was also a goddess of childbirth, and the protectress of the girl child up to the
age of marriage. Her twin brother Apollon was similarly the protector of the boy
child. Together the two gods were also bringers of sudden death and disease--
Artemis targetted women and girls, and Apollon men and boys.
In ancient art Artemis was usually depicted as a girl dressed in a short knee-length
chiton and equipped with a hunting bow and quiver of arrows.
Her birth, immediately following which she assisted her mother in the birth of
her twin brother Apollon;
The Trojan War where she was beaten by Hera in an angry contest of the
gods;
The hunter Aktaion who encountered the goddess whilst she was bathing and
was turned into a stag;
The Aloadai giants who attempted to storm Olympos but were tricked by
Artemis into killing each other;
The sacrifice of Iphigeneia whom King Agamemnon offered to her for the
passage of the Greek fleet to Troy;
The giant Orion, a close companion of the goddess, who was slain by the
goddess or her jealous brother;
The Kalydonian boar sent by Artemis to ravage Kaldyon;
The nymph Kallisto, a companion of Artemis, who was seduced by Zeus in
the guise of the goddess.
ATHENE
Her birth from the head of Zeus, fully-grown and arrayed in arms;
Her contest with Poseidon for dominion of Athens in which she produced the
first olive tree and he the first horse;
The War of the Giants in which she buried Enkelados beneath Mount Etna
and made her aigis from the skin of Pallas;
The attempted rape of the goddess by Hephaistos, who spilled his seed upon
the earth and produced Erikhthonios, who she then adopted as her own;
The assisting of Perseus in his quest to slay the Gorgon and the Argonauts in
their quest for the Golden Fleece;
The assisting of Herakles with his twelve labours;
The weaving contest with Arakhne who was transformed by the goddess into
a spider;
The blinding of Teiresias for viewing her naked in the bath;
The Judgement of Paris in which she competed with Hera and Aphrodite for
the prize of the golden apple;
The Trojan War where she sided with the Greeks in battle, but attacked their
ships with a storm when they failed to punish Oilean Ajax for violating her
Trojan shrine.
DEMETER
DEMETER was the great Olympian goddess of agriculture, grain, and bread, the
prime sustenance of mankind. She also presided over the foremost of the Mystery
Cults which promised its intiates the path to a blessed afterlife. Demeter was
depicted as a mature woman, often crowned and holding sheafs of wheat and and a
torch.
Some of the more famous myths featuring the goddess include:--
DIONYSOS
His birth from the thigh of Zeus and his fostering by Ino, Seilenos and the
Nysiades;
His flight from Lykourgos who drove the young god and his followers into the
sea;
The dismemberment of Pentheus who denied the god's divinity and
attempted to drive him from Thebes;
The instruction of Ikarios in winemaking;
The metamorphosis of the Tyrrhenian pirates into dolphins when they
attempted to kidnap him;
His love for Ariadne who he found abandoned by Theseus on the island of
Naxos and wed;
His journey to the underworld to recover his mother or wife;
His campaign against the Indians.
HEPHAISTOS
HEPHAISTOS was the great Olympian god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry and
the art of sculpture. He was usually depicted as a bearded man holding hammer
and tongs--the tools of a smith--and riding a donkey.
His fall from Olympos in which he was cast away by Hera at birth;
The trapping of Hera in a cursed throne and his return to Olympos;
The adultery of his wife Aphrodite who was trapped with Ares in a golden
net;
The crafting of Pandora, the first woman, at the command of Zeus;
The attempted rape of Athenawhich resulted in the impregnation of Earth and
the birth of Erikhthonios;
The crafting of the cursed necklaceof Harmonia which doomed her
descendants to a cycle of tragedy;
The Trojan War in which he fought the river-god Skamandros with fire;
The crafting of the armour of Akhilleus at the request of the hero's mother
Thetis.
HERA
Her marriage to Zeus and her earlier seduction by the god in the guise of a
cuckoo bird;
The birth of Hephaistos who she produced alone and cast from heaven
because he was crippled;
Her persecution of the consorts of Zeus, especially Leto, Semele and
Alkmene;
Her persecution of Herakles and Dionysos, the favourite bastard sons of
Zeus;
The punishment of Ixion, who was chained to a fiery wheel for attempting to
violate the goddess;
The assisting of the Argonauts in their quest for the golden fleece, their
leader Jason being one of her favourites;
The judgement of Paris, in which she competed against Aphrodite and Athene
for the prize of the golden apple;
The Trojan War, in which she assisted the Greeks.
HERMES
HERMES was the great Olympian God of animal husbandry, roads, travel,
hospitality, heralds, diplomacy, trade, thievery, language, writing, persuasion,
cunning wiles, athletic contests, gymnasiums, astronomy, and astrology. He was
also the personal agent and herald of Zeus, the king of the gods. Hermes was
depicted as either a handsome and athletic, beardless youth, or as an older
bearded man. His attributes included the herald's wand
or kerykeion (Latin caduceus), winged boots, and sometimes a winged travellers
cap and chlamys cloak.
Some of the more famous myths featuring the god include:--
POSEIDON
POSEIDON was the great Olympian god of the sea, rivers, flood and drought,
earthquakes, and horses.
He was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with a dark beard, and holding a
trident.
N.B. The collection of Poseidon pages are still largely under construction.
POSEIDON
POSEIDON was the great Olympian god of the sea, rivers, flood and drought,
earthquakes, and horses.
He was depicted as a mature man of sturdy build with a dark beard, and holding a
trident.
The War of the Titaneswhere he fought beside Zeus and Hades to imprison
the old gods in Tartaros;
The division of the cosmos amongst the sons of Kronos in which he received
dominion over the sea;
The burying of Polybotes beneath the island of Kos in the giant war;
The sending of a sea-monster to punish the Trojans for refusing to pay him
for building their walls;
The seduction of women such as Tyro, Amymone, Aithra and the Gorgon
Medousa;
His contest with Athena for dominion of Athens in which he produced the first
horse;
The persecution of Odysseus for the blinding of his son the Kyklops
Polyphemos.
N.B. The collection of Poseidon pages are still largely under construction.
ZEUS
His birth and upbringing in the Diktaion cave, where he was nursed by
Amaltheia and guarded by the shield-clashing Kouretes;
The Titan War in which he overthrew the Titanes and imprisoned them in
Tartaros;
His battle with Typhoeus, a hundred headed, monstrous giant who attempted
to capture heaven;
The War of the Giants who attempted to storm Olympos but were slain by
Zeus and the gods;
The Great Deluge in which he flooded the earth to destroy mankind and
begin the world anew;
His conflict with Prometheus over the theft of benefactions for mankind;
The punishment of Salmoneus, Tantalos and Ixion, men who offended the
god with their impiety;
The birth and life of Herakles, his favoured son, who he had transferred to
Olympos at death;
His extramarital affairs with women such as Leda, seduced in the form of a
swan; Europa, as a bull; Danae, as a golden shower; Kallisto, as Artemis;
and Antiope as a satyr;
The Trojan War which he orchestrated from start to end, including the
casting of the golden apple of discord.
PERSEPHONE
Destructive-Slayer?
Persephonê Proserpina
(persô, phonos)
Persephone was titled Kore (the Maiden) as the goddess of spring's bounty. Once
upon a time when she was playing in a flowery meadow with her Nymph
companions, Kore was seized by Haides and carried off to the underworld as his
bride. Her mother Demeter despaired at her dissappearance and searched for her
the throughout the world accompanied by the goddess Hekate bearing torches.
When she learned that Zeus had conspired in her daughter's abduction she was
furious, and refused to let the earth fruit until Persephone was returned. Zeus
consented, but because the girl had tasted of the food of Haides--a handful of
pomegranate seeds--she was forced to forever spend a part of the year with her
husband in the underworld. Her annual return to the earth in spring was marked by
the flowering of the meadows and the sudden growth of the new grain. Her return
to the underworld in winter, conversely, saw the dying down of plants and the
halting of growth.
Persephone was usually depicted as a young goddess holding sheafs of grain and a
flaming torch. Sometimes she was shown in the company of her mother Demeter,
and the hero Triptolemos, the teacher of agriculture. At other times she appears
enthroned beside Haides.
HAIDES
Hades desired a bride and petitioned his brother Zeus to grant him one of his
daughters. The god offered him Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. However,
knowing that the goddess would resist the marriage, he assented to the forceful
abduction of the girl. When Demeter learned of this, she was furious and caused a
great dearth to fall upon the earth until her daughter was returned. Zeus was
forced to concede lest mankind perish, and the girl was fetched forth from the
underworld. However, since she had tasted of the pomegranate seed, she was
forced to return to him for a portion of each year.
HEKATE
Two metamorphosis myths describe the origins of her animal familiars: the black
she-dog and the polecat (a mustelid house pet kept to hunt vermin). The bitch was
originally the Trojan Queen Hekabe, who leapt into the sea after the fall of Troy and
was transformed by the goddess into her familiar. The polecat was originally the
witch Gale who was transformed into the beast to punish her for her incontinence.
Other say it was Galinthias, the nurse of Alkmene, transformed by the
angryEileithyia, but received by Hekate as her animal.
Hekate was usually depicted in Greek vase painting as a woman holding twin
torches. Sometimes she was dressed in a knee-length maiden's skirt and hunting
boots, much like Artemis. In statuary Hekate was often depicted in triple form as a
goddess of crossroads.
AMPHITRITE
Amphitrite was depicted in Greek vase painting as a young woman, often raising
her hand in a pinching gesture. Sometimes she was shown holding a fish. In mosaic
art the goddess usually rides beside her husband in a chariot drawn by fish-tailed
horses orhippokampoi. Sometimes her hair is enclosed with a net and her brow
adorned with a pair of crab-claw "horns".
TETHYS
TETHYS was the Titan goddessof the sources fresh water which nourished the
earth. She was the wife of Okeanos, the earth-encircling, fresh-water stream, and
the mother of thePotamoi (Rivers), Okeanides(Springs, Streams & Fountains)
and Nephelai (Clouds). Tethys was imagined feeding her children's streams by
drawing water from Okeanos through subterranean aquifers. Her name was derived
from the Greek word têthê, "the nurse" or "grandmother."
Tethys was likely identified with the Titanis Eurynome, one-time Queen of Heaven,
who was cast into the Ocean-stream along with her husband Ophion by Kronos. She
was probably also connected with the Protogenos Thesis (Mother Creation) who
appears in the Orphic cosmogony. Tethys was later represented by poets as the sea
personified, and so equated with Thalassa.
TRITON
SELENE
A number of other goddesses were also associated with the moon, however, only
Selene was represented by the old Greek poets represented as the moon incarnate.
Other Greek moon goddesses included Pasiphae, the
Leukippides,Eileithyia, Hekate, Artemis, Bendis, and Hera (who sometimes doubled
for Selene in the Endymion myth).
IRIS
Rainbow (iris),
Iris Iris, Arcus
Messenger (eiris)
Iris appears in ancient Greek vase painting as a beautiful young woman with golden
wings, a herald's rod (kerykeion), and sometimes a water-pitcher (oinochoe) in her
hand. She was usually depicted standing beside Zeus or Hera, sometimes serving
nectar from her jug. As cup-bearer of the gods Iris is often indistinguishable
from Hebe in art.
NYX
Nyx was a primeval goddess usually represented as simply the substance of night:
a veil of dark veil of mist drawn forth from the underworld which blotted out the
light of Aither (shining upper atmosphere). Her opposite number was Hemera
(Day), who scattered the mists of night, or Eos, the goddess of the dawn.
EOS
AURAI
Transliteratio Latin
Greek Name
n Spelling Translation
Breeze,
Aura Aura
Breezes
Aurai Aurae
(aura)
Aura nymph, Athenian
THE AURAI (or Aurae) were the nymphs of the red- figure vase C5th B.C.
breezes. They were named as daughters of the earth-
encircling river Okeanos or the north-wind Boreas.
In the story of Kephalos they, or a single Aura, were equated with the dawn-
goddess Eos. There was also a Titan goddess named Aura.
GAIA
In myth Gaia appears as the prime opponent of the heavenly gods. First she
rebelled against her husband Ouranos (Sky) who had imprisoned her sons in her
womb. Then later, when her son Kronosdefied her by imprisoning these same
sons, she assisted Zeus in his overthrow of the Titan. Finally she came into
conflict with Zeus, angered with him for the binding of her Titan-sons in the pit
of Tartaros. In her opposition she first produced the tribe of Gigantes and later
the monsterTyphoeus to dethrone him, but both failed in both attempts.
In the ancient Greek cosmology earth was conceived as a flat disk encirced by
the river Okeanos, and topped above by the solid dome of heaven and below by
the great pit of Tartaros. She herself supported the sea and moutains upon her
breast.
Gaia was depicted as a buxom, matronly woman, half risen from the earth (as in
the image right) in Greek vase painting. She was portrayed as inseperable from
her native element. In mosaic art, Gaia appears as a full-figured, reclining
woman, often clothed in green, and sometimes accompanied by grain spirits--the
Karpoi.
ACHOS (Akhos) Pain of Body, Pain of Mind, Grief, Distress (Latin Dolor)
ADEPHAGIA Gluttony
AGON Contest, Struggle
ALALA War-Cry, Battle-Cry
ALGEA (plural) Pain of Body, Pain of Mind, Grief, Distress, Suffering (Latin Dolor)
ANTEROS Reciprocated Love
ATE Delusion, Infatuation, Folly, Reckless Impulse, Rash Action (Latin Nefas, Error)
CALLEIS (Kalleis) Beauty
EPIALES Nightmare
EPIDOTES Ritual Purification
EUDAEMONIA (Eudaimonia) Happiness
EUPRAXIA Good Conduct
LYSSA Rage, Martial Rage, Fury, Raging Madness, Frenzy, Rabies (Latin Ira, Furor, Rabies)
METHE Drunkenness, Inebriety
PLUTUS (Ploutos) Wealth
POMPE Religious Procession
PROPHASIS Excuse, Plea
PTOCHEIA (Ptokheia) Beggary
SOPHIA Wisdom
TELETE Consecration, Initiation
THALIA Festivity, Banquet
The following Latin personifications appear in the works of poets and writers such as Ovid, Virg
Apuleius and Hyginus.
CONSUETUDO Habit, Custom
DOLOR Pain (of body and mind), Ache, Distress, Grief, Sorrow, Anguish, Trouble (Greek Algos
FAMA Rumour, Report, Common Talk, Gossip, Fame, Infamy (Greek Pheme, Ossa)
INSIDIA Ambush
MAJESTA Majesty
MENDACIUM Lie, Untruth, Falsehood (Greek Pseudologus)
SCELUS Crime
SOLLICITATIO Vexation, Anxiety