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Acheron- One of four rivers of the lower regions. See Styx.
Achilles- The son of Peleus and Thetis. In the Trojan War, he was the most distinguished of the Greeks for his strength and bravery. When he was born, Thetis plunged him in the river Styx, which made him invulnerable in every part except the heel by which she held him. And in this heel later he received a fatal wound.
Acis- The handsome shepherd loved by the nymph Galatea, whose favor the monstrous Cyclops, Polyphemus, sued for in vain.
Acrisius- Son of King Abas or Argos, grandson of Lynceus, and great-grandson of Danaus. An oracle had declared that Danaë, the daughter of Acrisius, would give birth to a son who would kill his grandfather. For this reason, Acrisius kept Danaë shut up in a brazen tower. But her she became the mother of Perseus, by Zeus, who visited her in the form of a shower of gold.
Acropolis- Poseidon, wanting to become the protector of Athens, struck open the rock of the Acropolis with his trident so that salt water would leap forth and subside into a deep well. But Athena made an olive tree grow there, and since this was the most prized of all the trees in Greece, she had outdone Poseidon, becoming the protector of Athens.
Actæon- The son of Aristæus and Autonoë, daughter of Cadmus. He was reared by Chiron and, becoming passionately fond of the chase, passed his days chiefly in pursuit of wild beasts that haunted Mount Cithæron. There, having accidentally come upon and seen Diana (Artemis) and her nymphs taking a bath, he was turned into a stag by her and killed by his own hounds.
Adad- An Assyrian and Babylonian god of the storm. His weapons were flood, lightning, and famine.
Adissechen- In Hindu mythology, the serpent with a thousand heads which holds the universe in place.
Aditi- In Indian mythology, an ancient mother goddess. By Dyaus, the sky god, she was the mother of Surya.
Admetus- See Alcestis and Apollo.
Adonis- God of vegetation, a beautiful youth, loved and adopted by Aphrodite. He was from Cyprus and he was born of incest between Princess Myrrha and her own father, king of Cyprus. Despite a warning by Aphrodite, he went hunting on his own and was slain by a wild boar. Anemones, the Adonis flower are said to have sprung from his blood. Aphrodite was devastated at his loss, and at last obtained from Proserpina consent that Adonis should spent six months on earth with her and six months among the shades.
Adrammelech- A god of the people of Sepharvaim, to whom infants were burned in sacrifice. He was later known as one of the fallen angels.
Æacus- Son of Jupiter and grandson of the river god Asopus. He was renowned throughout Greece for his justice and piety, and after his death he became one of the judges in Hades.
Æetes- Father of Medea and king of Colchis when Phrixus brought there the golden fleece.
Ægæon- Another name for Briareus, the giant.
Ægeus- King of Athens, and father of Theseus. In grief at the supposed loss of his son, he withdrew himself into the sea, thereafter called Ægean.
Ægir- God of the ocean, whose wife is Ran. They had nine daughters, the billows, who were clad in colored, diaphanous robes and whose moods varied with that of their brother, the wind.
Ægis- The shield of Jupiter (Zeus) that could terrify his enemies and protect his friends. It was made by Vulcan (Hephæstus).
Ægle- The mother of the Graces. Also the name of one of the sisters of Phaëthon.
Æolus- A son of Neptune, or, according to others, of Hippotes, and ancient lord of the Lipari Isles. Jupiter made him keeper of the winds, which, having previously been represented as mythical persons, under the names Zephyrus, Boreas, Notus, and Eurus, were afterwards considered the servants of Æolus. He held them imprisoned in a cave of an island in the Mediterranean Sea, and let them loose only to further his own designs or those of others, in producing storms. He is usually described by the poets as virtuous, upright, and friendly to strangers. He is represented pictorially as a vigorous man supporting himself in the air by wings, and blowing into a shell trumpet, like a Trojan, while his short mantle waves in the wind.
Æsacus- A son of Priam, who was enamored of the nymph Hesperia and, on her death, threw himself into the sea. He was changed by Thetis into a cormorant.
Æsir- The name of the thirteen celestial gods of Scandinavia, who lived in Asgard, accessible only by the bridge of the rainbow. The chief was Odin. They were rivals with the Vanir deities for a time.
Æson- The father of Jason. In extreme old age, he was restored to youth by the magic arts of Medea.
Æstas- Personification of summer; he is crowned with corn and generally holds a sickle in his hand. So he appears on reliefs, medals, and gems, usually in company with the representation of the other three seasons. He is depicted as youthful and sprightly, while Ver, "spring," is infantile and tender; Autumnus, "autumn," is mature and manly; and Hiems, "winter," is old and decrepit.
Afraid of Nothing- Among some North American Indian tribes, the goddess dwelling in the East, who created the world and prepared it for the dwelling of men.
Agamemnon- King of Argos in Greece and commander in chief of the allied Greeks who went to the siege of Troy. Agamemnon married Clytemnestra, the daughter of Tyndareus, by whom he became the father of Iphianassa (Iphigenia). On his return home from Troy, he was killed by Clytemnestra and her paramour.
Aganippe- A fountain at the foot of Mount Helicon, in Bœotia, consecrated to Apollo and the Muses. It was supposed to have the power of inspiring those who drank of it. From it the Muses were called Aganippides.
Agni- A Hindu (Cedic) god of light and fire. He appears under many characters, but chiefly embodies eternal youth. With Indra and Surya, Agni is one of the three chief deities invoked in the Rig Veda, the ancient collection of Hindu hymns. Sometimes he is regarded as a beneficent household god, a protector against the horror of darkness, and a fire of passion.
Ahriman- In early Persian, Angra Mainya. A deity of the ancient Persians, representing the principle of evil. Unlike Ormuzd, the principle of god, who is eternal, Ahriman is created and will one day perish.
Ajax- The son of Telamon, and one of he Greek heroes in Homer's Iliad. He was of great stature, strength, and courage, but dull in mind. He killed himself out of vexation because, in a competition for the armor of Hector, the prize was awarded to Ulysses (Odysseus).
Akuman- The most malevolent of all the Persian gods.
Alcestis or Alceste- A daughter of Pelias, and the wife of Admetus. By request of Apollo, the gods had granted eternal life to Admetus, but on the condition that, when the appointed time came for the good king’s death, some one should be found willing to die in his stead. This decree was reported to Alcestis, Admetus' beautiful young wife, who offered herself as substitute and cheerfully gave her life for her husband. But immortality was too dearly bought at such a price. Admetus mourned until Hercules (Heracles), pitying his grief descended into Hades and brought back Alcestis.
Alecto- One of the Furies. She is represented with her head covered with serpents, and breathing vengeance, war, and pestilence.
Alectryon- A servant of Mars, who was changed by him into a cock because he did not warn his master of the rising of the sun.
Alfadur or Alfadir- In Scandinavian mythology, one of the many names of Odin. It means "father of all".
Alpheus- A river god who fell in love with the nymph Arethusa and pursued her. Diana came to her rescue and changed her into a fountain.
Althæa- Sister of Atalanta, and mother of Meleager. She caused the death of her son and killed herself in remorse.
Amazons- A nation of women warriors who lived in Scythia. They were notorious for removing their right breast to improve their performance as archers. Early traditions tell of their appearance at the siege of Troy, under Penthesilea, their queen, who was eventually slain by Achilles. Hercules defeated them when, as one of his labors, he was required to obtain the girdle of their queen Hippolyta. Theseus later made an expedition against them and carried off their queen Antiope. In revenge they invaded Greece and were defeated on the site of Athens. A similar story was told among the Caribs in regard to a tribe of women warriors in South America and accounts for the name of the river Amazon.
Ambrosia- The food of the gods, so called because it preserved their immortality.
Amun- Egyptian god of wind and ruler of the air. He created the sky and earth with his thought. Later, he was associated with the sun god, Re as Amun-Re. He took the name of Tutankhamen. His fame spread throughout Egypt and beyond. He was also associated with the mystery of creation, and was believed to have created the air, which gave life to human beings. His name Amun means "the hidden one". He is at different times represented as a ram with large twisted horns; a human figure with a ram's head; a king seated on a throne and wearing a disk surmounted by two tall ostrich feathers.
Amida- One of the principle Buddhist gods of Japan, originally a god of light. Usually he is represented as seated cross-legged on a lotus flower. The "Great Buddha" at Kamakura is an image of Amida.
Ammon- A cult name of Jupiter, under which he was worshipped at Thebes in Egypt. As Jupiter Ammon he was represented as having the horns of a ram. See Amen.
Amphion- Son of Jupiter and Antiope, and brother of Zethus. He and Zethus were born on Mount Cithæron and grew up among the shepherds. When they had learned their origin, they marched against Thebes, where reigned Lycus, the husband of their mother Antiope, who had married Dirce in her stead. They took the city and killed Lycus and Dirce, because they had treated Antiope with great cruelty. After they had obtained possession on Thebes, they fortified it by a wall. Amphion had received a lyre from Mercury, on which he played with such magic skill that the stones moved of their own accord and formed the wall.
Amphitrite- Wife to Poseidon and mother to Triton, a merman (half man, half fish).
Ancæus- A son of Neptune who, having left a cup of wine untasted to pursue a wild boar, was killed in his attempt to destroy it. With this story is connected the proverb, "There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip."
Anchises- Zeus, angered at Aphrodite for making him commit several affairs with mortal women and neglect his own wife, Hera, forced Aphrodite to fall in love with a poor mortal shepherd named Anchises. For having dared to sleep with a goddess, Aphrodite punished Anchises by sending a swarm of bees to blind him, while Zeus made him lame with a thunderbolt. He was king of Dardanus and, by his union with Aphrodite, father of Æneus. On the capture of Troy by the Greeks, Æneus carried his father on his shoulders from the burning city.
Andromache- The wife of Hector, prince of Troy. After the death of Hector, she was given to Neoptolemus of Epirus. Later, she married a Trojan, Helenus. She is the subject of a tragedy by Euripedes.
Andromeda- Daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia. The sea nymphs, offended by her mother, had sent to ravage the coast a sea monster which, according to an oracle of Jupiter Ammon, would not desist until Andromeda had been offered to it as a sacrifice. This sea monster was the snake-headed Gorgon, Medusa. Perseus beheld the maiden fastened with chains to a rock and the monster rising out of the sea to devour her, while her parents stood on the shore in despair. He rushed down upon the monster, struck it a deadly blow, delivered the maiden, and obtained her as his wife.
Angurvadel- The sword of the Norse hero Frithjof, which, inscribed with Runic letters, blazed in time of war, but gleamed with a dim light in time of peace.
Antæus- One of the giants, sons of Neptune, whose home was in Libya. His strength was invincible so long as he remained in contact with his mother, the earth, but when he was lifted from it, his strength decreased. One of the exploits ascribed to Hercules was his conquest of Antæus, whose weakness he had discovered.
Antigone- Daughter of Œdipus, king of Thebes. When Œdipus had put out his eyes and was exiled, she shared his misfortunes and acted as his guide until his death at Colonus. After her return to Thebes, one of her brothers, Polynices, leading an attack on Thebes, was slain. Creon, the new king, forbade him burial. Antigone, disobeying the prohibition, was sentenced to be buried alive, but committed suicide in anticipation of the execution.
Anu- The chief of the Babylonian tried of gods, the others being Bel and Ea. He was the king of heaven and the father of the gods. In Hindu mythology, Anu was a son of King Yayati, who cursed him for refusing to bear the burden of his old age.
Anubis- An Egyptian deity who had the head of a jackal and the body of a human. It led the souls of the dead to the underworld. It also helped Osiris at his final judgement. It's particular concern was with the dead and it is also considered as the inventor of embalming.
Aphrodite- The daughter of Zeus and the nymph Dione, Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty. According to one legend, she was born naked and fully grown from the foam of the sea. The zephyrs carried her to Cythera where she was taken care of and sent to the gods. Although she was beautiful and charming, she was also jealous, cruel, and promiscuous. She married the ugly Hephaestus, god of fire, on Zeus' orders. Among her lovers were Ares, Hermes, Dionysus, and Poseidon. But the love of her life was Adonis, the god of hunting. She followed him everywhere that he went. But, in spite of Aphrodite’s' warnings, he went out to hunt a wild boar and was killed by it. She was so upset and distraught that Zeus felt sorry for her and allowed her to see him 6 months out of every year. Venus was Aphrodite's Roman counterpart.
Apis- One of the Egyptian gods worshipped under the form of a man with a bull's head.
Apocalyptic Beast- Mentioned in the book of Revelation in the bible, this creature has two horns and speaks like a dragon. It bears the mystical number 666.
Apollo- According to both Greeks and Romans, Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, born on the island Delos. He was heard through the Delphic oracle, a priestess who answered questions that ranged from the ordinary to the far-fetched. He was regarded as the god of the sciences and the arts, especially poetry, music, and medicine. They ascribed to him the greatest skill in the use of the bow and arrow, which he proved in killing the serpent Pytho, the sons of Nobe, and the Cyclopes. The last achievement incensed Zeus and he was banished from Olympus. During his exile, Apollo abode as a shepherd with Admetus, king of Thessaly. All sudden deaths were believed to be the effect of his arrows; and with them he sent the plague into the camp of the Greeks before Troy. As he had the power of punishing men, so he was also able to deliver men, if duly propitiated. From his being the god that afforded help, he was the father of Asclepius, the god of healing. As a god of inspiration and prophecy, he gave oracles and communicated this gift to other gods and to men. He was often referred to by his cult name Phoebus, meaning "bright".
Apophis- An Egyptian serpent of chaos that hated Re, the sun god. Every night, on the waterways of the underworld, Re was fiercely attacked by him as he returned to the east. But Apophis was always defeated by Re.
Arachne- A Mæonian maid who, proud of the skill in weaving and embroidery imparted to her by Minerva, ventured to challenge her patron goddess to a trial of skill. Minerva accepted the challenge. Arachne produced a piece of cloth in which the armours of the gods were woven, and, as the goddess could find no fault with it, she tore the work to pieces. Arachne, in despair, tried to hang herself. Minerva, however, loosened the rope and saved her life, but the rope was changed into a cobweb, and Arachne herself, into a spider.
Aralu- The Babylonian underworld. It was described as a melancholy place, where the dead wandered with only clay and dust for food.
Ares- The Greek god of war, identified by the Romans with Mars. He is often represented as the lover of Aphrodite, or Venus.
Arethusa- A wood nymph of Elis, in Greece, who, pursued by the river god Alpheus, was changed into a spring and ran under the sea. The waters of this spring, mingling with the river, rose again in the fountain or Arethusa in the island of Ortygia near Syracuse.
Argo- A fifty-oared ship in which Jason and his companions made their voyage to Colchis in search of the golden fleece. This ship was built of pines cut from Mount Pelion, and, although larger than any other previously constructed, it moved lightly and easily, and was therefore called the Argo, "swift-sailing." From her name, those who embarked in her were called Argonauts. The mast of the Argo was taken from the forest of Dodona, where the oaks were endowed with the power of making predictions; therefore, the ship was regarded as an animated being, in accord with fate, to which a man might commit himself with confidence.
Argonauts- The participants in the so-called Argonautic expedition. It was a voyage from Greece to Colchis undertaken by Jason in order to obtain the golden fleece. The task had been imposed upon Jason by his uncle Pelias, in the hope of destroying the hero. Jason, however, invited the most illustrious heroes of Greece to join him, among them Hercules, Castor and Pollux, Peleus, Pirithous, and Theseus. The vessel built for the purpose was named Argo. After various adverse events it arrived at Æeta, the capital of Colchis, where Jason, with the help of Medea, was successful in his quest.
Argus- A fabulous being of enormous strength, who had a hundred eyes, of which only two were closed in sleep at the same time. Hera, jealous of Io, whom her husband, Zeus, loved, changed her into a heifer and set Argus to guard her. Zeus and Hermes slay him, and Hera placed his hundred eyes in the tail of her favorite bird, the peacock.
Ariadne- Daughter of Minos, second king of Crete, and of Pasiphaë. She fell in love with Theseus, who was shut up in the labyrinth to be devoured by the Minotaur, and gave him a clew of thread by which, after he had killed the monster, he extricated himself from the windings of the labyrinth. He took Ariadne back with him but deserted her on the island of Naxos, where Bacchus gave her a crown of gems which on her death he placed as a constellation in the sky.
Arion- A Greek bard, who, while passenger on a ship, was made to leap overboard and leave his money with the crew. He was taken up by dolphins, and carried on their backs safe to land.
Artemis- Daughter of Zeus and Latona, and twin sister of Apollo. She was the goddess of chastity, the chase, and the woods. Artemis was identified by the Romans with Diana.
Asgard- In Scandinavian mythology Asgard represents the city of the gods, situated at the center of the universe, and accessible only by the bridge Bifröst, or the rainbow.
Astarte- An ancient Syrian deity, noticed in the Old Testament under the name Ashteroth. She was a goddess of love, women, and the moon, and hence corresponds to Aphrodite or Venus.
Atalanta- A maid of Arcadia with athletic tastes who joined in the Calydonian hunt, and, at the funeral games of Pelias, won the prize in wrestling. Warned not to marry, she offered her hand to any suitor who could overcome her in a race. The penalty of failure was death. Hippomenes won by the stratagem of throwing three golden apples before her, which she paused to pick up. They were married, but the pair was transformed into lions by Cybele and continued to accompany her.
Aten- The name of the winged solar disk, the worship of which was introduced into Egypt by Amenhotep IV in the 14th century B.C. Hymns addressed to Aten hail him as creator and lord of love. No image of this deity was permitted to be made.
Athena- The Greek goddess of wisdom, identified by the Romans with Minerva. She was claimed by Athens as its guardian deity and in that character was usually known as Pallas Athena.
Atlantis- A mythical island in the West, mentioned by Plato, Pliny, and other ancient writers, and said to have sunk beneath the ocean.
Atlas- One of the Titans, son of Iapetus and Clymene. Being conquered by Zeus, he was condemned to the labor of bearing on his head and hands the heaven he had attempted to destroy.
Atropos- The one of the three Parcæ, or Fates, that cuts the thread of life. Her name signifies “the inexorable one.” The other two Fates were Clotho, who spins the thread, and Lachesis, who determines its length. See Fates.
Augean Stables- The stables of Augeas, king of Elis, in Greece. In these stables he had kept 3000 oxen, and the stalls had not been cleaned for thirty years. When Hercules was required to cleanse these stables, he caused two rivers to run through them and afterward slew Augeas.
Augurs- Men whose principal business was to observe and interpret the entrails of animals and other phenomena which were regarded by the Romans as omens if the future.
Auræ- The breezes, nymphs of the air, a species of sportive, happy beings and well-wishers to mankind. They were represented as winged.
Aurora- The goddess of the morning or the dawn, sometimes described as the goddess of day. She is represented as standing in a magnificent chariot, drawn by winged steeds. A brilliant star sparkles upon her forehead, and from her rosy finger tips drops dew; with one hand she grasps the reins, and she holds in the other a lighted torch.
Avatar- The incarnations or descents of the deity Vishnu, of which nine are believed to be past. The tenth is yet to come when Vishnu will descend from heaven on a white-winged horse, and will introduce on earth a golden age of virtue and peace.
Avernus- A small, deep lake in Campania, occupying the crater of an extinct volcano, and almost completely shut in by steep and wooded heights. It was supposed to be the entrance to the infernal regions, which standard bearer of the infernal regions.
Azazel- According to Ewald, a demon belonging to the pre-mosaic religion. Another opinion identifies him with Eblis, or the devil, who refused to prostrate himself before Adam. Milton makes him the standard bearer of the infernal hosts.
Azreal- In the Jewish and Mohammedan mythology, the name of an angel who watches over the dying, and separates the soul from the body. It means in Hebrew “help of God.”

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