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Glossary of Greek Mythology
Abid Hussain Bhutto
Achilles:
A mythical Greek hero of the Iliad; a foremost Greek warrior
at the siege of Troy; when he was a baby his mother tried to
make him immortal by bathing him in a magical river but the heel
by which she held him remained vulnerable--his 'Achilles' heel'
Adonis:
1. any handsome young man. 2. A handsome youth loved by both
Aphrodite and Persephone. When Adonis died Zeus decreed that he
should spend winters in the under world with Persephone and
spend summers with Aphrodite.
Aegisthus:
The seducer of Clytemnestra and murderer of Agamemnon who
usurped the throne of Mycenae until Agamemnon's son Orestes
returned home and killed him
Aeneas: A
mythical Greek warrior who was a leader on the Trojan side of
the Trojan War; hero of the Aeneid
Aeneid:
An epic in Latin by Virgil; tells the adventures of Aeneas after
the Trojan War; provides an illustrious historical background
for the Roman Empire
Agamemnon:
The king who lead the Greeks against Troy in the Trojan War
Ajax: A
mythical Greek hero; a warrior who fought against Troy in the
Iliad
Andromeda:
1. An Ethiopian princess and daughter of Cassiopeia; she was
fastened to a rock and exposed to a sea monster that was sent by
Poseidon, but she was rescued by Perseus and became his wife. 2.
A constellation in the northern hemisphere between Cassiopeia
and Pegasus; contains the Andromeda galaxy
Antigone:
The daughter of King Oedipus who disobeyed her father and was
condemned to death
Aphrodite:
Goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Zeus in ancient
mythology; identified with Roman Venus
Apollo:
Greek god of light; god of prophesy and poetry and music and
healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis also
known as Phoebus.
Ares:
Greek god of war; son of Zeus and Hera; identified with Roman
Mars
Argo:
Formerly a large constellation in the southern hemisphere
between Canis Major and the Southern Cross; now divided into
Carina and Pyxis and Puppis and Vela.
Argonaut:
1.Someone engaged in a dangerous but potentially rewarding
adventure.
Ariadne:
Beautiful daughter of Minos and Pasiphae; she fell in love with
Theseus and gave him the thread with which he found his way out
of the Minotaur's labyrinth
Artemis:
The virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon; daughter of Leto
and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
Asclepius:
Son of Apollo; a hero and the Roman god of medicine and healing;
his daughters were Hygeia and Panacea.
Athena:
Goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian
of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva
Athene:
Goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare; guardian
of Athens; identified with Roman Minerva
Atlas: A
Titan who was forced by Zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders
Augeas:
The mythical Greek king who for 30 years did not clean his
stables which contained his vast herd of cattle
Aurora:
1. an atmospheric phenomenon consisting of bands of light caused
by charged solar particles following the earth's magnetic lines
of force. 2. Goddess of the dawn; counterpart of Greek Eos
Basilisk:
A serpent (or lizard or dragon) able to kill with its breath or
glance
Bellerophon:
A mythical hero of Corinth who performed miracles on the
winged horse Pegasus (especially killing the monster Chimera)
Callisto:
The second largest of Jupiter's satellites
Calypso:
The sea nymph who detained Odysseus for seven years
Cassiopeia:
1. A W-shaped constellation in the northern hemisphere near
Polaris. 2. The wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda
Castor: A
multiple star with 6 components; second brightest in Gemini;
close to Pollux
Centaur:
A mythical being that is half man and half horse
Centaurus:
A conspicuous constellation in the southern hemisphere near
the Southern Cross
Cepheus:
A faint constellation in the northern hemisphere near Cassiopeia
and the pole star. 2. King of Ethiopia and husband of Cassiopeia
Cerberus:
The three-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades; son of
Typhon
Charon:
The ferryman who brought the souls of the dead across the river
Styx or the river Acheron to Hades
Charybdis:
A ship-devouring whirlpool lying on the other side of a
narrow strait from Scylla
Chimera:
Fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head and a goat's
body and a serpent's tail; daughter of Typhon
Chiron:
The learned centaur who tutored Achilles, Asclepius, Hercules,
Jason, and other heroes
Circe: A
sorceress who detained Odysseus on her island and turned his men
into swine
Clytemnestra:
Wife of Agamemnon who had him murdered when he returned from
the Trojan War
Cronus:
The supreme god until Zeus dethroned him; son of Uranus and Gaea
in ancient Greek mythology; identified with Roman Saturn
Daedalus:
an Athenian inventor who built the labyrinth of Minos; to escape
the labyrinth he fashioned wings
Damocles:
The Greek courtier to Dionysius the Elder who (according to
legend) was condemned to sit under a naked sword that was
suspended by a hair in order to demonstrate to him that being a
king was not the happy state Damocles had said it was (4th
century BC)
Daphne: A
nymph who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape the
amorous Apollo
Demeter:
Goddess of fertility and protector of marriage in ancient
mythology; counterpart of Roman Ceres
Dido: A
princess of Tyre who was the founder and queen of Carthage;
Virgil tells of her suicide when she was abandoned by Aeneas
Dionysus:
God of wine and fertility and drama; the Greek name of Bacchus
Echo: A
nymph who was spurned by Narcissus and pined away until only her
voice remained
Electra:
The daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; persuaded her
brother (Orestes) to avenge Agamemnon's death by helping her to
kill Clytemnestra and her lover (Aegisthus)
Epimetheus:
Brother of Prometheus; despite Prometheus's warning against
gifts from Zeus he accepted Pandora as his wife
Eros: God
of love; son of Aphrodite; identified with Roman Cupid
Europa:
The 4th largest of Jupiter's satellites; covered with a smooth
shell of frozen water
Euryale:
One of the three Gorgons
Eurydice:
The wife of Orpheus
Gaea:
Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in
ancient mythology
Galatea:
A maiden who was first a sculpture created by Pygmalion and was
brought to life by Aphrodite in answer to Pygmalion's prayers
Ganymede:
1. A Trojan boy who was so beautiful that Zeus carried him away
to serve as cupbearer to the gods. 2. The largest of Jupiter's
satellites
Gorgon:
Any of three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who
had live snakes for hair; a glance at Medusa turned the beholder
to stone
Griffin:
Winged monster with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion
Hades:
1.The god of the underworld in ancient mythology; brother of
Zeus and husband of Persephone. 2. (Religion) the world of the
dead
Harpy:
Vicious winged monster; often depicted as a bird with the head
of a woman
Hebe: The
goddess of youth and spring; wife of Hercules; daughter of Zeus
and Hera; cupbearer to the Olympian gods
Hector: A
mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
Helios:
Ancient god of the sun; drove his chariot across the sky each
day; identified with Roman Sol
Hephaestus:
The lame god of fire and metalworking in ancient mythology;
identified with Roman Vulcan
Hera:
Queen of the Olympian gods in ancient Greek mythology; sister
and wife of Zeus remembered for her jealously of the many mortal
women Zeus fell in love with; identified with Roman Juno
Hercules:
1. a hero noted for his strength; performed 12 immense labours
to gain immortality. 2. A large constellation in the northern
hemisphere between Lyra and Corona Borealis
Hero:
Priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander
drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her
Hydra: 1.Monster
with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two
new one. 2. A long faint constellation in the southern
hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and Cancer
Hygeia:
The goddess of health; daughter of Aesculapius and sister of
Panacea.
Icarus:
Son of Daedalus; while escaping from Crete with his father
(using the wings Daedalus had made) he flew too close to the sun
and the wax melted and he fell into the Aegean and drowned
Io: 1.
A maiden seduced by Zeus; when Hera was about to discover
them together Zeus turned her into a white heifer. 2. The
closest of Jupiter's moons; has active volcanoes
Jason:
The husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in
quest of the Golden Fleece.
Jocasta:
Queen of Thebes who unknowingly married her own son Oedipus
Laius:
King of Thebes who was unwittingly killed by his son Oedipus
Latona:
Wife or mistress of Zeus and mother of Apollo and Artemis in
ancient mythology; called Latona in Roman mythology
Leander:
A youth beloved of Hero who drowned in a storm in the Hellespont
on one of his nightly visits to see her
Lesbos:
An island of eastern Greece in the eastern Aegean Sea; in
antiquity it was famous for lyric poetry
Medea: A
princess of Colchis who aided Jason in taking the Golden Fleece
from her father.
Medusa: A
woman transformed into a Gorgon by Athena; she was slain by
Menelaus:
The king of Sparta at the time of the Trojan War; brother of
Agamemnon; husband of Helen
Mermaid:Half
woman and half fish; lives in the sea
Merman:
Half man and half fish; lives in the sea
Midas:
The greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn
everything he touched into gold
Minos:
Son of Zeus and Europa; king of ancient Crete; ordered Daedalus
to build the labyrinth; after death Minos became a judge in the
underworld
Minotaur:
A mythical monster with the head of a bull and the body of a
man; slain by Theseus
Myrmidon:
A member of the warriors who followed Achilles on the expedition
against Troy
Narcissus:
A beautiful young man who fell in love with his own
reflection
Nemesis:
The goddess of divine retribution and vengeance
Niobe:
The daughter of Tantalus who’s boasting about her children
provoked Apollo and Artemis to slay them all; Niobe was turned
to stone while bewailing her loss
Odysseus:
A famous mythical Greek hero; his return to Ithaca after the
siege of Troy was described in the Odyssey
Oedipus:
A tragic king of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father Laius
and married his mother Jocasta; the subject of the drama
'Oedipus Rex' by Sophocles
Orestes:
The son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; his sister Electra
persuaded him to avenge Agamemnon's death by killing
Clytemnestra and Aegisthus
Orion: 1.
a constellation on the equator east of Taurus; contains
Betelgeuse and Rigel
Orpheus:
A great musician; when his wife Eurydice died he went to Hades
to get her back but failed
Pan: god
of fields and woods and shepherds and flocks; represented as a
man with goat's legs and horns and ears; identified with Roman
Sylvanus or Faunus
Panacea:
1. Hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by
the alchemists.
Pandora:
The first woman; created by Hephaestus on orders from Zeus who
presented her to Epimetheus along with a box filled with evils
Paris:
The prince of Troy who abducted Helen from her husband Menelaus
and provoked the Trojan War
Pasiphae:
Daughter of Helios and mother of Ariadne
Pegasus:
1. a constellation in the northern hemisphere near Andromeda and
Pisces. 2. The immortal winged horse that sprang from the blood
of the slain Medusa; was tamed by Bellerophon with the help of a
bridle given him by Athena; as the flying horse of the Muses it
is a symbol of highflying imagination
Penelope:
The wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for
10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted
numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
Persephone:
Daughter of Zeus and Demeter; made queen of the underworld
by Pluto in ancient mythology; identified with Roman Proserpina
Perseus
Perseus:
1. A conspicuous constellation in the northern hemisphere;
between Auriga and Cassiopeia and crossed by the Milky Way. 2.
The son of Zeus who slew Medusa (with the help of Athena and
Hermes) and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster
Philemon:
A simple countryman who offered hospitality to Zeus and Hermes
when they came to earth without revealing their identities in
order to test people's piety
Phoenix:
1. a legendary Arabian bird said to periodically burn itself to
death and emerge from the ashes as a new phoenix; according to
most versions only one phoenix lived at a time and it renewed
itself every 500 years. 2. A constellation in the southern
hemisphere near Tucana and Sculptor
Pollux:
The brightest star in Gemini; close to Castor
Pomona:
The goddess of fruits and fruit trees
Poseidon:
The god of the sea and earthquakes in ancient mythology; brother
of Zeus and Hades and Hera; identified with Roman Neptune
Priam:
The last king of Troy; father of Hector and Paris and Cassandra.
Procrustes:
A mythical giant who was a thief and murderer; he would
capture people and tie them to an iron bed, stretching them or
hacking off their legs to make them fit; was killed by Theseus
Prometheus:
The Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to
mankind; Zeus punished him by chaining him to a rock where an
eagle gnawed at his liver until Hercules rescued him
Psyche: A
beautiful princess loved by Cupid who visited her at night and
told her she must not try to see him; became the personification
of the soul
Pygmalion:
A king who created a statue of a woman and fell in love with it;
Aphrodite brought the sculpture to life as Galatea
Pythagoras:
Greek philosopher and mathematician who proved the Pythagorean
Theorem; considered to be the first true mathematician (circa
580-500 BC)
Rhea:
Fertility goddess in ancient Greek mythology; wife of Cronus and
mother of Zeus; identified with Roman Ops and Cybele of ancient
Asia Minor
Salamander:
Reptilian creature supposed to live in fire
Sappho:
The Greek lyric poet of Lesbos; much admired although only
fragments of her poetry have been preserved (6th century BC)
Scylla: A
sea nymph transformed into a sea monster that lived on one side
of a narrow strait; drowned and devoured sailors who tried to
escape Charybdis (a whirlpool) on the other side of the strait
Sibyl: 1.
A woman who tells fortunes. 2. (Ancient Rome) a woman who was
regarded as an oracle or prophet
Siren: A
sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to
destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived
Sphinx: A
riddling winged monster with a woman's head and breast on a
lion's body; daughter of Typhon
Stheno:
One of the three Gorgons
Tantalus:
A wicked king and son of Zeus; condemned in Hades to stand in
water that receded when he tried to drink and beneath fruit that
receded when he reached for it
Theseus:
A hero and king of Athens who was noted for his many great
deeds: killed Procrustes and the Minotaur and defeated the
Amazons and united Attica
Titan:
1.The largest of the satellites of Saturn; has a hazy nitrogen
atmosphere. 2. Any of the primordial giant gods who ruled the
Earth until overthrown by Zeus; the Titans were offspring of
Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth)
Typhon: A
monster with a hundred heads and one of the whirlwinds; son of
Typhoeus and father of Cerberus and the Chimera and the Sphinx
Unicorn:
An imaginary creature represented as a white horse with a long
horn growing from its forehead
Zephyr:
1. a slight wind (usually refreshing). 2. The Greek god of the
west wind
Zephyrus:
The west wind, or zephyr; - usually personified, and made the
most mild and gentle of all the sylvan deities
Zeus: The
supreme god of ancient Greek mythology; son of Rhea and Cronus
whom he dethroned; husband and brother of Hera; brother of
Poseidon and Hades; father of many gods; counter part of Roman
Jupiter.
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