| B |
| Bacchus - In Greek and Roman mythology, the god of wine and ecstasy, identified with Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and Liber, the Roman god of wine. His followers were mostly women who celebrated in a rite that gave us the modern term Bacchanalia. His feasts were euphoria-filled revelries. The name Bacchus came into use in ancient Greece during the 5th century bc. It refers to the loud cries with which he was worshiped at the Bacchanalia. M = Proserpina, F = Jupiter Balios - Achilles' horse, and brother of Achilles' other horse, Xanthos. Balios spoke Greek, and could uncouple itself from Achilles' chariot to fight at his master's side. Baubo - A Greek goddess of laughter of the kind generated by indecent gestures or ribald jokes. She is supposed to have tried to comfort Demeter who was sadly searching for Persephone. When Demeter resisted Baubo's efforts to cheer her, Baubo lifted her dress and exposed herself. This brought a grin to Demeter's face, the barren earth stirred and soon Persephone returned. An almost identical story is told in Japan involving Uzume and the goddess Amaterasu. Baucis and Philemon - The poor old couple who were the only ones willing to give hospitality to Zeus and Hermes who were wandering the earth disguised as mortals. This so touched Zeus he granted their dearest wish, that they remain united even in death. They were transformed into trees whose branches forever intertwined. Begoe - Roman Goddess of lightning and thunder. Bellerophon - He rode Pegasus, slew the monster Chimaera, and defeated the Amazons in battle. He tried to ride Pegasus to the top of Mount Olympus, thus angering Zeus, who sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus which caused Bellerophon to be thrown from his mount to his death. M = Eurymede, F = Glaucus, G = Sisyphus Bellona - The goddess of war, popular among the Roman soldiers. She accompanied Mars in battle. She was sometimes portrayed as Mars' charioteer or muse. This serpent-haired goddess is often described as the feminine side of the god Mars. She is identified with the Greek war goddess Enyo. In front of Bellona's temple, the fetialis (priestly officials) performed the declaration of war ceremony, the casting of a spear against the distant enemy. Bellona's attribute is a sword and she is depicted wearing a helmet. She could be of Etruscan origin. Human sacrifices were made to her. Bia - A female warrior, noted for being the one to bind Prometheus to the rocky crag as eternal punishment for providing fire to humanity. M = Pallas, F = Styx Biblys - One of a pair of Greek twins. She fell in love with her brother and when he, horrified, refused her love, she turned into a constantly flowing (weeping) fountain. Bolbe - A lake goddess. Bona Dea - Latin for "Good Goddess". The deity of fruitfulness, both in earth and in women. She was worshipped by the Vestals as the goddess of chastity and fertility. Bo�tes - Greek inventor of the plough. At his death he, his plough, and the two oxen yoked to it, were taken into the heavens as the constellation, Bo�tes. Boreas - God of the north wind. He is usually pictured as winged, bearded, and very strong. He was a Titan, and known for his violent acts. Among them was his abduction of Orithyia, who eventually bore him twins. M = Eos, F = Astraeus, Ss = twins Zetes and Calais; and Haemus, D = Chione, Cleopatra, 12 Erichthonian colts Bormonia - A goddess of healing. Britomartis - Britomartis may well be the great goddess of Minoan Crete. She is traditionally depicted as a young, lithe and strong hunter, often carrying arrows. She had as her companions, a suckling babe and a snake, two powerful symbols of the generative force. Minos of Crete intended to rape the virginal goddess and chased her for nine months through forested land and she eluded capture by throwing herself off a high cliff into the ocean. There she was miraculously saved, caught in the fishnets that she herself crafted and gave to humanity. She is also a moon goddess. Her symbolism has been mostly taken over by Artemis. M = Carme, F = Zeus Bremusa - One of Penthesilea's twelve companions at Troy, where she was killed. Briareus - He was also known as Aegeon. A Greek Titan, who had fifty heads and a hundred hands, and fought in the Titan war against Zeus. Brimo - A Greek death goddess. Brisa - A Greek nymph, nurse of Dionysus. Briseis - First name Hippodamia. She was given to Achilles as a prize in the Trojan War, and taken from him by Agamemnon, which caused the famous quarrel that led to the death of Patroclus. Brize - Hera's gadfly, large as a sparrow with a sting the size of a dagger; she was sent by Hera to torment Io (transformed into a cow by Zeus, her lover, so that Hera couldn't find her, but to no avail). When Hermes rescued Io he killed Brize, too. Brizo - Greek Goddess worshiped as a prophet specialising in the interpretation of dreams. She was also a minor goddess of the sea invoked to protect ships/crews. Brome - Another Greek nymph who was a nurse for Dionysus. Brontes - A Greek Cyclops. He was the personification of a blacksmith, and his name means Thunder. He crafted Artemis' silver bow, even though she spurned his amorous advances. Bubona - Roman Goddess protector of animals. Butes - One of the Argonauts. He was a master bee-keeper whose honey was the sweetest that could be found; so sweet, in fact, that he was commissioned to supply it to the gods on Mount Olympus as a treat. Byblis - A Roman water nymph who suffered from unrequited love. |
| Key - M = Mother, F = Father, B = Brother(s), Ss = Sister(s), S = Son(s), D = Daughter(s),W = Wife(s), H = Husband(s) |