A to Z Mythology Dictionary- A
Achemenides- a greek warrior who fought in the war at troy, sailed with Odysseus, and got stuck on the island of Polyphemus, which he claimed was home to giants.
Acropolis- 1. in any major city this was the citadel. 2. the citadel of Athens. It is now a museum.
Aea- City where Jason and the Argonauts looked for the golden fleece.
Aeaea- The island of Circe, where Odysseus was trapped for a year.
Agamemnon- The king of Mycenae and Argos, brother to Menelaus and Anaxibia. He was murdered by Clytemnestra adn Aegisthus on his victorious return from Troy.
Ajax- A prince of Salamis. He was the second strongest warrior in the Trojan war, next to Achilles, and fought Hector to a draw.
Amazons- Said to be from Scythia, they are a nation of warrior women. They hunted and fought, and were highly aclaimed in their horseback riding skills, and archery. Their most famous queen is probably Hippolyta.
Ambrosia- Traditionaly known as the food of the gods. They ate ambrosia and drank nectar. The word ambrosia means immortal.
Amphitrite- Queen of the sea. She is the wife of Poseidon. She at first would not have anything to do with Poseidon, but he finally won her over with the gift of a new sea creature he made for her- the dolphin.
Andromeda- A princess of Joppa. Cassiopeia, her mother the queen, boasted that she was more beautiful than the ocean nymphs, the Nereids. Poseidon got angry at this remark and sent a sea monster to ravage the coast. Only the sacrifice of Andromeda would stop it. Her parents had no choice but to agree, so she was chained to a rock to be eaten by the monster. Luckily, Perseus was just returning from his journy of defeating the gorgon Medusa and saved her life. He showed the head of Medusa to the monster, and he was turned to stone, as all victems do who look in Medusa's eyes. Perseus and Andromeda were married.
Antigone- A young girl- the daughter of Oedipus. She found that her brother, Polynices, had been killed in combat with her other brother. Her uncle, Creon, said Polynices was a rebel, and he would not give him burrial. Antigone wanted to properly respect her slain brother, so she stole his body and buried it, giving him the proper cerimonys. Because of her disobedience to Creon's orders, he ordered her to be burried alive in a cave. Some myths say she killed herself, others say her love and Creon's son, Haemon, and her were secretly married and ran away together. Antigone is also the name of a play by Sophocles about her.
Aphrodite- (Roman name-Venus) The godess of love and beauty. Her birth is debatable, some say she was born of Zeus and Dione, others the story of her being born of sea foam near Cyprus and rising out of the ocean. She is one of the most celebrated dieties in the ancient world. She was so beautiful and had such charm that all the men were competing to be her husband. She, however, chose Hephastus, a crippled blacksmith who made Zeus's thunderbolts. This may seem like a kind action but she was terribly unfaithful in her marrage, and he was not the type to do anything about it.
Apollo- (also known as Helios, Helius, Hyperion, and Phoebus) The sun god, child of Zeus and Leto who was raised by Posidon in order to avoid Hera. His sister was Artemis, the godess of the Hunt. He specialised in medicine, music, and poetry. He created Colossus.
Arachne- A proud greek maiden foolish enough to challenge Athena to a weaving contest. Because of her pride, and then great sorrow at losing, Athena changed her into a spider.
Artemis- (Roman name: Diana)(also known as: Cynthia, Delia, Hecate, Luna, Phoebe, and Selene) Daughter of Zeus and Leto, also the twin sister of Apollo. She was the godess of the Hunt. Her symbol is the moon. She was the godess of childbirth but was a protector of unmarried women and agreed with chastity. Atlas- A mythical strong man who as punishment was forced to carry the world on his shoulder.
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