Greek Gods and the Like

 

 Achates

Faithful companion of Aeneas in his wanderings subsequent to his flight from Troy.

 Acheron

River (of grief) in the Underworld.

 Achilles

Greek hero on Trojan War; killed by Paris with an arrow in the heel, his only mortal spot.

 Actaeon

Hunter; punished by Artemis; transformed into a stag and killed by his own hounds.

 Adonis

Beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite.

 Aeneas

Trojan prince; his wanderings after the fall of Troy form the tales of Virgil's Aeneid.

 Aeolus

Son of Poseidon. Guardian of the Winds.

 Aesculapius

God of healing.

 Aether

God of Light

 Agamemnon

Commander of Greek armies in Trojan War; killed by wife Clytemnestra as prophesied by Cassandra.

 Aganippe

Fountain, at the foot of Mt. Helicon, sacred to the Muses.

 Aganippedes

Another name for the Muses.

 Ajax

Great friend and fellow warrior of Achilles; Son of Glauce and Telamon and half-brother of Teuser.

 Amazons

Mythical race of war-like women.

 Andromache

Wife of Hector, Trojan prince.

 Andromeda

Angered Poseidon; was chained to a rock to be eaten by sea-monster but rescued by Perseus.

 Anticleia

Wife of Laertes, mother of Odysseus.

 Aphrodite (Venus)

Goddess of love and beauty.

 Apollo (Apollo, Sol or Phoebus)

Son of Zeus, chariot-driver of the Sun; also god of music, the arts, medicine, and prophesy.

 Ares (Mars)

God of war, son of Zeus, lover of Aphrodite.

 Argonauts

Greek heroes, companions of Jason that sailed in the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.

 Argos

King of Argos, who had a hundred eyes of which only fifty slept at once. Killed by Hermes.

 Ariadne

Daughter of Minos, king of Crete; helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur's labyrinth with thread.

 Aristaeus

Son of Apollo by the water nymph Cyrene. Keeper of Bees.

 Artemis (Diana)

Twin sister of Apollo; goddess of the hunt, of the moon (Selene), and of magic (Hecate).

 Asclepius (Aesculapius)

God of medicine.

 Atalanta

Would only marry the man who could beat her in a running race. Hippomenes succeeded with the help of Aphrodite and golden apples from Garden of Hesperides.

 Athene or Athena

See Pallas Athene. (Pallas = virgin).

 Atlas

Refused to shelter Perseus; was turned into Atlas Mountain and condemned to support the heavens.

 Bellerophon

A hero of Corinth. Aided by Pallas Athene and riding Pegasus, slew the Chimera.

 Autolycus

Grandfather of Odysseus, known for his thievery.

 Boreas (Aquilo)

The North wind

 Calypso

Nymph on Island of Ogygia; kept Odysseus prisoner for seven years.

 Calliope

Muse of Epic Poetry.

 Cassandra

Prophetess-maiden, daughter of Priam, taken as booty by Agamemnon.

 Castalides

A name for the Muses.

 Castor and Pollux

Gods of Boxing, wrestling and equestrian sports.

 Centaurs

Half man, half horse; lived on Mount Pelion.

 Cerberus

Many-headed dog; guarded gateway to Underworld.

 Chaos

Infinite space before creation. From Chaos sprang Ge, the Earth.

 Charities (Graces)

Three attendants of Aphrodite.

 Charon

Ferried souls of dead over rivers of Hades.

 Chimera or Chimaera

Fire-breathing monster with a lion's head, goat's body and dragon's tail. Killed by Bellerophon.

 Chiron

A Centaur, tutor of the gods.

 Clio

Muse of History.

 Cronus or Kronus (Saturn)

Oldest of gods; devoured sons at birth so as to retain his throne; usurped by Zeus.

 Cyclops

Giant with one eye in middle of forehead.

 Daedalus

Craftsman, flew with wings made out of wax.

 Daphne

Nymph pursued by Apollo. To escape him, she prayed either to her father or the  Earth to be turned into a laurel tree.

 Demeter (Ceres)

Goddess of produce of the earth (harvest).

 Dionysus (Bacchus)

God of wine, mirth and revelry.

 Dryads (Hamadryads)

Forest and tree nymphs.

 Electra

Daughter of Agamemnon; Orestes's sister.

 Endymion

Beautiful youth beloved by Selene, who put him in a perpetual sleep.

 Eos (Aurora)

Daughter of Hyperion, goddess of the dawn.

 Erato

Muse of Mime and Love Poetry.

 Erinyes (Furies)

Avenging goddesses punishing evildoers; later the Benignant Ones, the Eumenides protectors of the suppliant (Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone).

 Eris (Discordia)

Goddess of discord.

 Eros (Cupid or Amor)

God of love.

 Eumenides (Furies)

Winged maidens, avenging deities.

 Europa

Beautiful nymph, carried by Zeus in guise of a bull across the sea to Crete.

 Eurus

The South East wind, son of Astraeus and Eos.

 Euterpe

Muse of Lyric Poetry and Music.

 Fates (Morae)

Three sisters who controlled the destiny of men. Clotho spins thread of Life, Lachesis measures thread of Life, Atropos cuts thread of Life.

 Ganymede

Mortal prince; became Zeus's cup bearer.

 Gaea or Ge (Tellus or Terra)

The 'mother Earth' who sprang from Chaos.

 Gorgons

Three winged sisters with snakes for hair; so ugly that whoever looked at them was turned to stone (Euryale, Medusa, Stheno).

 Graces (Charities)

Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus; or Zeus and Hera. Aglaia - Splendor, Euphrosyne - mirth, Thalia - good cheer.

 Hades (Pluto)

God of Underworld; carried off Persephone, daughter of Demeter; also name of Underworld. AKA: Orcus, Dis.

 Harpies

Vultures with old women's heads who tormented men.

 Hebe (Juventas)

Cup bearer to the gods before Ganymede. Goddess of Youth.

 Hecare (Trivia)

Goddess of Dark and Magic.

 Hector

Trojan hero, son of Priam; killed by Achilles.

 Hecuba

Wife of Priam, mother of Paris and Cassandra.

 Helen

Wife of Menelaus, carried off by Paris to Troy; was the cause of the Trojan     War.

 Helios (Sol)

Son of Hyperion, god of the Sun.

 Hephaestus (Vulcan)

God of fire and blacksmiths.

 Hera (Juno)

Daughter of Cronos; Queen of Heaven.

 Heracles (Hercules)

Greek hero; with the help of gods, accomplished twelve labours.

 Hermes (Mercury)

Messenger and herald of the gods. Also god of travellers, merchants, and robbers.

 Hesperides

'The daughters of evening'. These maidens, aided by Ladon, a dragon, guarded Hera's tree that bore golden apples.

 Hesperus (Vesper)

The evening star.

 Hestia (Vesta)

Goddess of the hearth.

 Homer

Traditionally, author of the Iliad and Odyssey, but not ascertained fact though.

 Hours (Horae)

Daughters of Zeus and Themis. Goddesses of Nature and the Seasons who had no adventures.

 Hydra

Seven-headed monster, killed by Hercules.

 Hygieia

Goddess of health. AKA: Hygea, Hygia.

 Hymen

God of marriage.

 Hyperion

A Titan. Father of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn).

 Hypnus or Hypnos

God of sleep.

 Iapetus

Father of Atlas and Prometheus.

 Icarus

Son of Daedalus. Flew too close to the sun using wax wings which melted, he then fell to his death.

 Idomeneus

King of Crete. Contributed 100 ships in the seige of Troy.

 Iliad

Homer's epic poem about the seige of Troy.

 Irene (Pax)

Goddess of Peace

 Iris

Goddess of the Rainbow.

 Jason

Captured Golden Fleece of Aeretes with help of Argonauts.

 Kastor and Polydeukes (Castor and Pollux)

The Heavenly Twins.

 Ladon

A dragon that assisted the Hesperides protect the tree of Hera's that produced golden apples.

 Laertes

King of Ithaca. Husband of Anticleia and father of Odysseus.

 Leander

Youth of Abydos who swam Hellespont each night to see Hero, priestess of Aphrodite.

 Leda

Queen of Sparta, wife of Tyndareus. Mother of Helen after seduction by Zeus disguised as a swan.

 Lethe

River (of forgetfulness) in the Underworld.

 Maenads

Part of the retinue of Dionysus; women driven mad with strong wine.

 Malanion

Husband of Atalanta.

 Medea

Daughter of Aeretes; helped Jason in his quest.

 Medusa

A Gorgon; killed by Perseus.

 Melpomene

Muse of Tragedy.

 Menelaus

King of Sparta, Agamemnon's brother, married Helen.

 Minotaur

Monster with bull's head and body of a man, offspring of Pasiphae and the Cretan Bull that lived in a labyrinth. Killed by Theseus.

 Mnemnosyne

Goddess of memory, mother of nine Muses.

 Moirae or Moerae

See Fates.

 Momus

God of blame and mockery.

 Morpheus

God of Dreams.

 Mors

God of Death.

 Muses

Nine sisters who presided over the arts.

 Naiads

Spring, river and lake nymphs.

 Napaeae (Alseida)

Glen and grove nymphs.

 Narcissus

Gazed into a stream and fell in love with his reflection; was transformed into a flower called after him.

 Nemesis

Goddess of retribution.

 Nereids

Salt- and freshwater nymphs.

 Nike (Victoria)

Goddess of victory.

 Niobe

Daughter of Tantalus, turned to stone by Zeus.

 Notus (Auster)

The South West wind, son of Astraeus and Eos.

 Nymphs

Lesser female deities; peopled whole of nature.

 Oceanids

Sea nymphs.

 Oceanus

A Titan. Son of Ge and Uranus. Seen as the river that encircled the earth.

 Odysseus (Ulysses)

One of Greek leaders in Trojan War; invented the 'wooden horse'.

 Oedipus

Son of Laius, king of Thebes; killed his father, tragically fulfilling prophesy made at his birth.

 Omphale

Queen of Lydia and widow of Tmolus who purchased Hercules as a slave, and he served her for three years.

 Oreads

Mountain and grotto nymphs.

 Orestes

Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.

 Orpheus

Tried unsuccessfully to reclaim wife Eurydice from Hades with the charm of his lyre-playing.

 Pallas Athene (Minerva)

Goddess of wisdom, science and art.

 Pan (Inuus, Faun or Faunus)

Half man, half goat; god of fields, woods, shepherds and flocks.

 Pandora

First woman, made by Zeus out of clay. Released all the ills of the world from her box.

 Paris

Son of Priam; selected Aphrodite as most beautiful goddess; rewarded with Helen.

 Parnassus

Mountain dedicated to Muses: also inhabited by Bacchantes.

 Pegasus

Winged horse; sprang from the head of Medusa. Captured by Bellerophon.

 Penelope

Wife of Odysseus, usually seen as a symbol of fidelity

 Persephone (Proserpina)

Goddess of vegetation (Spring), queen of Underworld and symbol of death.

 Perseus

Killed Gorgon Medusa with help of gods.

 Phlegethon

River (of flames) in the Underworld.

 Phoebus

The Sun god.

 Pillars of Hercules

Two pillars, Calpe and Abyia, erected either side of the straits of Gibraltar by Hercules.

 Polyhymnia

Muse of Songs to the Gods (Hymns).

 Pontus

The Sea, offspring of Ge.

 Poseidon (Neptune)

Brother of Zeus; king of the sea.

 Priam

Last king of Troy. Father of Hector, Paris and Cassandra.

 Prometheus

A Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to men.

 Psyche

Beautiful nymph; beloved by Eros.

 Rhea (Ops)

A Titaness, daughter of Ge. Goddess of fertility and abundance.

 Satyrs

Goat-like spirits of woods and fields; devotees of Bacchus.

 Scylla and Charybdis

Two monsters guarding the Straits of Messina (whirlpools).

 Selene (Artemis)

Daughter of Hyperion, goddess of the moon.

 Sirens

Nymphs whose beautiful voices lured listeners to their death on rocks.

 Sisyphus

Son of Aeolus and husband of Pleiad Merope. Condemned in the Underworld, to perpetually push a large stone uphill, only to see it always roll back down.

 Styx

Chief river (of hate) of the Underworld.

 Tantalus

Son of Zeus condemned in Tartarus to stand up to his chin in water that receded whenever he stooped to drink.

 Tartarus

Abyss below Hades where Titans were confined; place of punishment in Hades.

 Terpsichore

Muse of Song and Dance.

 Tethys

Wife of Oceanus.

 Telamon

Father of Ajax and Teuser.

 Themis

A Titaness, daughter of Ge and Uranus and sister of Cronus. Wife of Zeus before Hera and mother of the Horea and Moerae.

 Teuser

Son of Hesione and Telamon; half-brother of Ajax.

 Thalia

Muse of Comedy.

 Titans

Older race of giant gods.

 Tmolus

Husband of Omphale.

 Tyche (Fortuna)

Goddess of Fortune.

 Urania

Muse of Astronomy.

 Uranus (Uranus)

The Sky, offspring of Ge.

 Zephir

The West Wind.

 Zeus (Jupiter or Jove)

Replaced father, Cronos, as king of gods. AKA: Jove, Jupiter Fulgar, Fulminator,Jupiter Tonans, Jupiter Pluvius, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Jupiter Fifius.

 

Names shown in brackets are the Roman equivalent Gods.


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