Bulfinch Pantheon Site Map

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Pantheon Site Map

A

Abas, a son of Metaneira, was changed by Demeter into a lizard

Acestes, a son of the Sicilian river-god Crimisus and of a Trojan woman of the name of Egesta or Segesta

Acastus, a son of Pelias, king of lolcus, and of Anaxibia, or as others call her, Philomache.

Acheron a son of Helios and Gaea or Demeter, and was changed into the river bearing his name in the lower world, because he had refreshed the Titans with drink during their contest with Zeus.

Acis, according to Ovid (Metamorphoses I) a son of Faunus and Symaethis.

Acrisius, a mythical king of Argos, and a son of Abas and Ocalea (or Aglaea, depending on the author). He quarrelled constantly with his twin brother Proetus, inventing bucklers in the process, and in the end expelled him to Tiryns.

Achelous, the god of the river Achelous which was the greatest, and according to tradition, the most ancient among the rivers of Greece.

Achilles, the son of Peleus, king of the Myrmidones in Phthiotis, in Thessaly, and of the Nereid Thetis.

Achilles' Armour, Hephaestus Makes Armour For Achilles

Achiroe, according to Apollodorus ii Anchinoe, which is perhaps a mistake for Anchiroe, was a daughter of Nilus, and the wife of Belus, by whom she became the mother of Aegyptus and Danaus.

Acraea, a daughter of the river-god Asterion near Mycenae, who together with her sisters Euboea and Prosymna acted as nurses to Hera.

Actaeon, son of Aristaeus and Autonoe, a daughter of Cadmus. He was trained in the art of hunting by the centaur Cheiron, and was afterwards torn to pieces by his own 50 hounds on mount Cithaeron. The names of these hounds are given by Ovid (Metamorphoses III) and Hyginus.

Actor, son of Aristaeus and Autonoe, a daughter of Cadmus. He was trained in the art of hunting by the centaur Cheiron, and was afterwards torn to pieces by his own 50 hounds on mount Cithaeron. The names of these hounds are given by Ovid (Metamorphoses III) and Hyginus.

Admetus, a son of Pheres, the founder and king of Pherae in Thessaly, and of Periclymene or Clymene. (Apollodorus i) He took part in the Calydonian chase and the expedition of the Argonauts. (Apollodorus i)

Adrastus, a son of Talaus, king of Argos, and of Lysimache. (Apollodorus i. 9.) Pausanias calls his mother Lysianassa, and Hygimis Eurynome.

Adrasteia, a Cretan nymph, daughter of Melisseus, to whom Rhea entrusted the infant Zeus to be reared in the Dictaean grotto.

Adonis, a son of Cinyras and Medarme, according to Hesiod a son of Phoenix and Alphesiboea, and according to the cyclic poet Panyasis, a son of Tlieias, king of Assyria, who begot him by his own daughter Smyrna. (Myrrha.)

Aeetes, or Aeeta, a son of Helios and Perseis. (Theogony of Hesiod 957.)

Aeacus, a son of Zeus and Aegina, a daughter of the river-god Asopus.

Aegisthus, a son of Thyestes, who unwittingly begot him by his own daughter Pelopia. Immediately after his birth he was exposed, by his mother, but was found and saved by shepherds and suckled by a goat.

Aeschylus, The Plays

Aeson, a son of Cretheus, the founder of lolcus, and of Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus.

Aether, Ether or Acmon, a personified idea of the mythical cosmogonies

Aethra, a daughter of king Pittheus of Troezen. Bellerophon sued for her hand, but was banished from Corinth before the nuptials took place.

Aethusa, a daughter of Poseidon and Alcyone, who was beloved by Apollo, and bore to him Eleuther. (Apollodorus iii)

Aeolus, in the mythical history of Greece there are three personages of this name, who are spoken of by ancient writers as connected with one another, but this connexion is so confused, that it is impossible to gain a clear view of them.

Briareus, also called Aegaeon, a son of Uranus by Gaea. Aegaeon and his brothers Gyges and Cottus are known under the name of the Uranids (Theogony of Hesiod), and are described as huge monsters with a hundred arms and fifty heads. (Apollodorus i. Theogony of Hesiod )

Aegeus, according to some accounts a son of Pandion II. king of Athens, and of Pylia, while others call him a son of Scyrius or Phemius, and state that he was only an adopted son of Pandion.

Aethusa, a daughter of Poseidon and Alcyone, who was beloved by Apollo, and bore to him Eleuther. (Apollodorus iii)

Aegis, in Homer, is the shield or buckler of Zeus, fashioned for him by Hephaestus, furnished with tassels and bearing the Gorgon's head in the centre. Originally symbolic of the storm-cloud, it is probably derived from aisso, signifying rapid, violent motion.

Aeneas, the son of Anchises and Aphrodite, and born on mount Ida. On his father's side he was a greatgrandson of Tros, and thus nearly related to the royal house of Troy, as Priam himself was a grandson of Tros. He was educated from his infancy at Dardanus, in the house of Alcathous, the husband of his sister.

Agave, daughter of Cadmus, and wife of the Spartan Echion, by whom she became the mother of Pentheus, who succeeded his grandfather Cadmus as king of Thebes. Agave was the sister of Autonoe, Ino, and Semele (Apollodorus iii), and when Semele, during her pregnancy with Dionysus, was destroyed by the sight of the splendour of Zeus, her sisters spread the report that she had only endeavoured to conceal her guilt, by pretending that Zeus was the father of her child, and that her destruction was a just punishment for her falsehood.

Aegle, 1. The most beautiful of the Naiads, daughter of Zeus and Neaera by whom Helios begot the Charites.
2. A sister of Phaeton, and daughter of Helios and Clymene. In her grief at the death of her brother she and her sisters were changed into poplars.
3. One of the Hesperides.
4. A nymph, daughter of Panopeus, who was beloved by Theseus, and for whom he forsook Ariadne.
5. One of the daughters of Aesculapius by Lampetia, the daughter of the Sun, according to Hermippus or by Epione, according to Suidas. She is said to have derived her name Aegle, "Brightness," or Splendour," either from the beauty of the human body when in good health, or from the honour paid to the medical profession.

Aepytus, one of the mythical kings of Arcadia. He was the son of Eilatus and originally ruled over Phaesana on the Alpheius in Arcadia. When Cleitor, the son of Azan, died without leaving any issue, Aepytus succeeded him and became king of the Arcadians, a part of whose country was called after him Aepytis.

Agamemnon, a son of Pleisthenes and grandson of Atreus, king of Mycenae, in whose house Agamemnon and Menelaus were educated after the death of their father. (Apollodorus. iii. ) Homer and several other writers call him a son of Atreus, grandson of Pelops, and great-grandson of Tantalus.

Agdistis, a mythical being connected with the Phrygian worship of Attes or Atys. Pausanias relates the following story about Agdistis. On one occasion Zeus unwittingly begot by the Earth a superhuman being which was at once man and woman, and was called Agdistis. The gods dreaded it and unmanned it, and from its severed genitalia there grew up an almond-tree.

Agenor, a son of Poseidon and Libya, king of Phoenicia, and twin-brother of Belus. (Apollod. ii. 1. § 4.) He married Telephassa, by whom he became the father of Cadmus, Phoenix, Cylix, Thasus, Phineus, and according to some of Europa also. 2 3 4 5 6

Aglaia, one of the Charites. 2. The wife of Charopus and mother of Nireus, who led a small band from the island of Syme against Troy. Another Agiaia is mentioned in Apollodorus. (Apollodorus. ii)

Agraulos, a daughter of Actaeus, the first king of Athens. By her husband, Cecrops, she became the mother of Erysichthon, Agraulos, Herse, and Pandrosos. 2. A daughter of Cecrops and Agraulos, and mother of Alcippe by Ares.

Aigipan, one of the rustic gods known as Panes, son of Aix and Zeus and a companion of Pan, with whom he is sometimes identified, and Dionysus.

Aix, a nymph and the wife of Pan. She was seduced by Zeus and bore him Aigipan. Aix is also mentioned as the nurse of the infant Zeus and may also identified with the Gorgon Aix.

Alcestis by Euripides

Alcinous, a son of Nausithous, and grandson of Poseidon. His name is celebrated in the story of the Argonauts, and still more in that of the wanderings of Odysseus.

Alcippe, daughter of Ares and Agraulos, the daughter of Cecrops. Halirrhothius, the son of Poseidon, intended to violate her, but was surprised by Ares, and killed, for which Poseidon bore a grudge against Ares. (Apollodorus iii.)

Alcmaeon, a son of Amphiaraus and Eriphyle, and brother of Amphilochus, Eurydice, and Demonassa. (Apollodorus iii) His mother was induced by the necklace of Harmonia, which she received from Polyneices, to persuade her husband Amphiaraus to take part in the expedition against Thebes.

Alcmene, a daughter of Electryon, king of Messene, by Anaxo, the daughter of Alcaeus. According to other accounts her mother was called Lysidice or Eurydice.

Aloeidae, Aloiadae, Aloadae, are patronymic forms from Aloeus, but are used to designate the two sons of his wife Iphimedeia by Poseidon: viz. Otus and Ephialtes.

Alope, a daughter of Cercyon, who was beloved by Poseidon on account of her great beauty, and became by him the mother of a son, whom she exposed immediately after his birth.

Aloeus, 1. A son of Poseidon and Canace. He married Iphimedeia, the daughter of Triops, who was in love with Poseidon, and used to walk by the sea-side, take her hands full of its water, and sprinkle her bosom with it. The two sons whom she had by Poseidon were called Aloeidae. 2. A son of Helios by Circe or Antiope, who received from his father the sovereignty over the district of Asopia.

Alpheus, Alpheus as man. Hunting in the forests of Greece, Alpheus saw Artemis and desired her. Alpheus as a river (present Alfeios River) and river-god, thus like most river-gods a son of Oceanus and Tethys.

Althaea, a daughter of the Aetolian king Thestius and Eurythemis, and sister of Lecla, Hypermnestra, Iphiclus, Euippus, etc. She was married to Oeneus, king of Calydon, by whom she became the mother of Troxeus, Thyreus, Clymenus, and Meleager, and of two daughters, Gorge and Deianeira. (Apollodorus i) Apollodorus states, that according to some, Meleager was regarded as the fruit of her intercourse with Ares, and that she was mother of Deianeira by Dionysus.

Ambrosia, in ancient mythology, Ambrosia is sometimes the food, sometimes the drink, of the gods. The word has generally been derived from Greek a- ("not") and mbrotos ("mortal"); hence the food or drink of the immortals. Thetis anointed the infant Achilles with ambrosia and passed the child through the fire to make him immortal - a familiar Phoenician custom - but Peleus, appalled, stopped her.

Amphidamas, a son of Lycurgus and Cleophile, and father of Antimache, who married Eurystheus. (Apollodorus iii) According to Pausanias and Apollonius Rhodius (Argonautica) he was a son of Aleus, and consequently a brother of Lycurgus, Cepheus, and Auge, and took part in the expedition of the Argonauts.

Amphilochus, a son of Amphiaraus and Eriphyle, and brother of Alcmaeon. (Apollodorus iii) When his father went against Thebes, Amphiloehus was, according to Pausanias, yet an infant, although ten years afterwards he is mentioned as one of the Epigoni, and according to some traditions assisted his brother in the murder of his mother.

Amphitrite, according to Hesiod (Theogony) and Apollodorus a Nereid, though in other places Apollodorus calls her an Oceanid. She is represented as the wife of Poseidon and the goddess of the sea (the Mediterranean), and she is therefore a kind of female Poseidon.

Amaltheia, the nurse of the infant Zeus after his birth in Crete. The ancients themselves appear to have been as uncertain about the etymology of the name as about the real nature of Amaltheia. Hesychius derives it from the verb to nourish or to enrich, others from firm or hard; and others again from to signify the divine goat, or the tender goddess. The common derivation is from to milk or suck.

Amnisiades, the nymphs of the river Amnistis in Crete, who are mentioned in connexion with the worship of Artemis there. (Argonautica.)

Amphiaraus, a son of Oicles and Hypermnestra, the daughter of Thestius. On his father's side he was descended from the famous seer Melampus.

Amphictyon, a son of Deucalion and Pyrrha or according to others an autochthon, who after having married Cranae, the daughter of Cranaus, king of Attica, expelled his father-in-law from his kingdom and usurped his throne. He ruled for twelve years, and was then in turn expelled by Erichthomus.

Amphion, a son of Zeus and Antiope, the daughter of Nycteus of Thebes, and twin-brother of Zethus.

Amymone, one of the daughters of Danaus and Elephantis. When Danaus arrived in Argos, the country, according to the wish of Poseidon, who was indignant at Inachus, was suffering from a drought, and Danaus sent out Amymone to fetch water.

Amycus, a son of Poseidon by Bithynis, or by the Bithyaiian nymph Melia. He was ruler of the country of the Bebryces, and when the Argonauts landed on the coast of his dominions, he challenged the bravest of them to a boxing match.

Amyclas, a son of Lacedaemon and Sparta, and father of Hyacinthus by Diomede, the daughter of Lapithus. He was king of Laconia, and was regarded as the founder of the town of Amyclae.

Amythaon, a son of Cretheus and Tyro and brother of Aeson and Pheres. He dwelt at Pylos in Messenia, and by Idomene became the father of Bias, Melampus, and Aeolia.

Amphitryon, or Amphitruo a son of Alcaeus, king of Troezen, by Hipponome, the daughter of Menoeceus. Pausanias calls his mother Laonome.

Ananke, the Protogenos of inevitability, compulsion and necessity and the personification of destiny, unalterable necessity and fate. She was also the mother of Adrasteia and of the Moirae. She was rarely worshipped until the creation of the Orphic mystery religion. In Roman mythology, she was called Necessitas ("necessity"). From Herodotus, The History Book Eight

Ancient Fragments by I. P. CoryThe Theology Of The Phœnicians.

Anigrides, the nymphs of tle river Anigrus in Elis.

Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Ge, a mighty giant and wrestler in Libya, whose strength was invincible so long as he remained in contact with his mother earth.

Ancaeus, 1. A son of the Arjadian Lycurgus and Creophile or Eurynome, and father of Agapenor. He was one of the Argonauts and partook in the Calydonian hunt in which he was killed by the boar. ( Apollodorus i. 9.) 2. A son of Poseidon and Astypalaea or Alta, king of the Leleges in Samos, and husband of Samia, the daughter of the river-god Maeander, by whom he became the father of Perilaus, Enodos, Samos, Alitherses, and Parthenope.

Anchises, a son of Capys and Themis, the daughter of Ilus. His descent is traced by Aeneas, his son, from Zeus himself. (Apollodorus iii) Hyginus makes him a son of Assaracus and grandson of Capys.

Andraemon, the husband of Gorge, the daughter of the Calydonian king Oeneus, and father of Thoas. When Diomedes delivered Oeneus, who had been imprisoned by the sons of Agrius, he gave the kingdom to Andraemon, since Oeneus was already too old.

Anteros, (Anterôs) was the son of Ares and Aphrodite, given to his brother Eros, who was lonely, as a playmate. He is the personification of unrequited love and punisher of those who scorn love, and is depicted as similar to Eros in every way, but with long hair and butterfly wings. The term was also used for the love which arises in the beloved boy in a pederastic relationship.

Antiope, a daughter of Nycteus and Polyxo or of the river god Asopus in Boeotia. She became by Zeus the mother of Amphion and Zethus, Dionysus threw her into a state of madness on account of the vengeance which her sons had taken on Dirce. In this condition she wandered about through Greece, until Phocus, the grandson of Sisyphus, cured and married her. She was buried with Phocus in one common tomb.

Antimachus, a Trojan, who, when Menelaus and Odysseus came to Troy to ask for the surrender of Helen, advised his countrymen to put the ambassadors to death. It was Antimachus who principally insisted upon Helen not being restored to the Greeks. He had three sons, and when two of them, Peisander and Hippolochus, fell into the hands of Menelaus, they were both put to death.

Anaxibia, 1. A daughter of Bias and wife of Pelias, by whom she became the mother of Acastus, Peisidice, Pelopia, Hippothoe, and Alcestis. (Apollodorus) 2. A daughter of Cratieus, and second wife of Nestor. (Apollodorus) 3. A daughter of Pleisthenes, and sister of Agamemnon, married Strophius and became the mother of Pylades.

Aon, a son of Poseidon, and an ancient Boeotian hero, from whom the Boeotian Aonians and the country of Boeotia (for Boeotia was anciently called Aonia) were believed to have derived their names.

Aphrodite, One of the great Olympian divinities, according to the popular and poetical notions of the Greeks, the goddess of love and beauty. Some traditions stated that she had sprung from the foam of the sea, which had gathered around the mutilated parts of Uranus, that had been thrown into the sea by Cronus after he had unmanned his father. (Theogony of Hesiod)

Aphareus, a son of the Messenian king Perieres and Gorgophone, the daughter of Perseus. (Apollodorus i) His wife is called by Apollodorus (Apollodorus iii) Arene, and by others Polydora or Laocoossa. (Argonautica) Aphareus had three sons, Lynceus, Idas, and Peisus.

Apollo, one of the great divinities of the Greeks, was, according to Homer, the son of Zeus and Leto. Hesiod (Theogony of Hesiod 918) states the same, and adds, that Apollo's sister was Artemis. Neither of the two poets suggests anything in regard to the birth-place of the god, unless we take "born in Lycia," which, however, according to others, would only mean "born of or in light." Apollo is one of the few Greek gods who did not sleep with Aphrodite

Theogony By Apollodorus,

Arethusa, one of the Nereid, and the nymph of the famous well, thus in the island of Ortygia near Syracuse. Alpheius reckons her among the Sicilian nymphs, and as the divinity who inspired pastoral poetry.

Araethyrea, a daughter of Aras, an autochthon who was believed to have built Arantea, the most ancient town in Phliasia. She had a brother called Aoris, and is said to have been fond of the chase and warlike pursuits. When she died, her brother called the country of Phliasia after her Araethyrea.

Ardalus, a son of Hephaestus who was said to have invented the flute, and to have built a sanctuary of the Muses at Troeze who derived from him the surname Ardalides Ardaliotides

Areithous, king of Arne in Ioeotia, and husband of Philomedusa, is called in the Iliad vii the club, because he fought with no other weapon but a club. He fell by the hand of the Arcadian Lycurgus, who drove him into a narrow defile, where he could not make use of his club.

Argalus, the eldest son of Amyclas, and his successor in the throne of Sparta.

Ariadne, a daughter of Minos and Pasiphae or Greta. (Apollodorus iii). When Theseus was sent by his father to convey the tribute of the Athenians to Minotaurus, Ariadne fell in love with him, and gave him the string by means of which he found his way out of the Labyrinth, and which she herself had received from Hephaestus.

Aristaeus, an ancient divinity worshipped in various parts of Greece, as in Thessaly, Ceos, and Boeotia, but especially in the islands of the Aegean, Ionian, and Adriatic seas, which had once been inhabited by Pelasgians. He is described either as a son of Uranus and Ge, or according to a more general tradition, as the son of Apollo by Cyrene, the grand-daughter of Peneius.

Ares, the god of war and one of the great Olympian gods of the Greeks. He is represented as the son of Zeus and Hera. A later tradition, according to which Hera conceived Ares by touching a certain flower, appears to be an imitation of the legend about the birth of Hephaestus, and is related by Ovid.

Argeia, A surname of Hera derived from Argos, the principal seat of her worship.

Arete, the wife of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians. In the Odyssey she appears as a noble and active superintendent of the household of her husband, and when Odysseus arrived in the island, he first applied to queen Arete to obtain hospitable reception and protection. Respecting her connexion with the story of Jason and Medeia.

Artemis, one of the great divinities of the Greeks. Her name is usually derived from uninjured, healthy, vigorous; according to which she would be the goddess who is herself inviolate and vigorous, and also grants strength and health to others. According to the Homeric account and Hesiod (Theogony 918) she was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was the sister of Apollo, and born with him at the same time in the island of Delos.

Arne, 1. A daughter of Aeolus, from whom the Boeotian town Arne, afterwards called Chaeroneia, as well as the Thessalian Arne, were believed to have derived their name. 2. A woman who betrayed her native country for gold, and was therefore metamorphosed into a jackdaw. (Metamorphoses)

Arion, a fabulous horse, which Poseidon begot by Demeter; for in order to escape from the pursuit of Poseidon, the goddess had metamorphosed herself into a mare, and Poseidon deceived her by assuming the figure of a horse. Demeter afterwards gave birth to the horse Arion, and a daughter, Despoena.

Argonautae, the heroes and demigods who, according to the traditions of the Greeks, undertook the first bold maritime expedition to Colchis, a far distant country on the coast of the Euxine, for the purpose of fetching the golden fleeces. They derived their name from the ship Argo, in which the voyage was made, and which was constructed by Argus at the command of Jason, the leader of the Argonauts.

The Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius

Argus, a beast and son of Arestor with a hundred eyes of which he could only close two at a time. He was placed by Juno to guard Io, whom Jupiter had changed into a heifer. But Mercury, who was sent to carry her off, managed to surprise and kill Argus whereupon Juno transfered his eyes to the tail of a peacock, her favourite bird. In Greek mythology, Argus was the name of the builder of the Argo, the ship that carried the hero Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece.

Arsinoe, a daughter of Phegeus, and wife of Alcmaeon. As she disapproved of the murder of Alcmaeon, the sons of Phegeus put her into a chest and carried her to Tegea, where they accused her of having killed Alcmaeon herself.

Asclepius, or Aesculapius, the god of the medical art. In the Homeric poems Aesculapius does not appear to be considered as a divinity, but merely as a human being. No allusion is made to his descent, and he is merely mentioned as the the father of Machaon and Podaleirius.

Asia, 1. A surname of Athena in Colchis. Her worship was believed to have been brought from thence by Castor and Polydeuces to Laconia, where a temple was built to her at Las. 2. A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, who became by Japetus the mother of Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus. (Theogony of Hesiod 359.) According to some traditions the continent of Asia derived its name from her.

Asphodel Meadows, is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death. Hades, the Greek name for the underworld, also the name of the god Hades, is divided into two main sections: Erebus and Tartarus.

Assaracus, a son of Tros and Calirrhoe, the daughter of Scamander. He was king of Troy, and husband of Hieromneme, by whom he became the father of Capys, the father of Anchises.

Astraeus, a Titan and son of Crius and Eurybia. By Eos he became the father of the winds Zephyrus, Boreas, and Notus, Eosphorus (the morning star), and all the stars of heaven. (Theogony 376) Ovid ( Metamorphoses xiv) calls the winds fratres Astraei, which does not mean that they were brothers of Astraeus, but brothers through Astraeus, their common father.

Astypalaea, a daughter of Phoenix and Perimede, the daughter of Oeneus. She was a sister of Europa, and became by Poseidon the mother of the Argonaut Ancaeus and of Eurypylus, king of the island of Cos. The island Astypalaea among the Cyclades derived its name from her.

Asterion, or Asterius, 1. A son of Teutamus, and king of the Cretans, who married Europa after she had been carried to Crete by Zeus. He also brought up the three sons, Minos, Sarpedon, and Rhadamanthys whom she had by the father of the gods. (Apollodorus i) 2. A son of Cometes, Pyremus, or Priscus, by Antigone, the daughter of Pheres. He is mentioned as one of the Argonauts. (Argonautica) There are two more mythical personages of this name, one a river-god [Acraea], and the second a son of Minos, who was slain by Theseus.

Asopus, the god of the river Asopus, was a son of Oceanus and Tethys, or according to others, of Poseidon and Pero, of Zeus and Eurynome, or lastly of Poseidon and Cegluse.

Asteria, a daughter of the Titan Coeus and Phoebe. She was the sister of Leto, and, according to Hesiod (Theogony 409), the wife of Perses, by whom she became the mother of Hecate.

Atabyrius, a surname of Zeus derived from mount Atabyris or Atabyrion in the island of Rhodes, where the Cretan Althaemenes was said to have built a temple to him.

Athamas, a son of Aeolus and Enarete, the daughter of Deimachus. He was thus a brother of Cretheus, Sisyphus, Salmoneus, etc. (Apollodorus i)

Atlas, according to Hesiod (Theogony 507), a son of Japetus and Clymene, and a brother of Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus. According to Apollodorus his mother's name was Asia and, according to Hyginus, he was a son of Aether and Gaia.

Athena, one of the great divinities of the Greeks. Homer calls her a daughter of Zeus, without any allusion to her mother or to the manner in which she was called into existence, while most of the later traditions agree in stating that she was born from the head of Zeus. According to the Theogony of Hesiod, Metis, the first wife of Zeus, was the mother of Athena, but when Metis was pregnant with her, Zeus, on the advice of Gaea and Uranus, swallowed Metis up, and afterwards gave birth himself to Athena, who sprang from his head.

Ate, according to Hesiod (Theogony), a daughter of Eris, and, according to Homer, of Zeus, was an ancient Greek divinity, who led both gods and men to rash and inconsiderate actions and to suffering.

Atthis, or Attis, a daughter of Cranaus, from whom Attica, which was before called Actaea, was believed to have derived its name. The two birds into which Philomele and her sister Procne were metamorphosed, were likewise called Attis.

Attica: Description of Greece by Pausanias

Augeas, a son of Phorbas and Hermione, and king of the Epeians in Elis. According to some accounts he was a son of Eleios or Helios or Poseidon.

Aura, a daughter of Lelas and Periboea, was one of the swift-footed companions of Artemis. She was beloved by Dionysus, but fled from him, until Aphrodite, at the request of Dionysus, inspired her with love for the god.

Autolycus, a son of Hermes or Daedalion by Chione, Philonis, or Telauge.

He was the husband of Neaera, or according to Homer, of Amphithea, by whom he became the father of Anticleia, the mother of Odysseus and Aesimus.

Autonoe, a daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, was the wife of Aristaeus, by whom she became the mother of Polydorus. (Theogony of Hesiod) According to Apollodorus (Apollodorus iii), Polydorus was a brother of Autonoe, and Actaeon was her son.

Auxo 1. One of the Horae. 2. An ancient Attic divinity, who was worshipped, according to Pausanias, together with Hegemone, under the name of Charites

Azan, a son of Ares and the nymph Erato, was the brother of Apheidas and Elatus, and father of Cleitor. The part of Arcadia which he received from his father was called, after him, Azania. After his death, funeral games, which were believed to have been the first in Greece, were celebrated in his honour.

B

The Bacchae Of Euripides

Bacchanalia, Dionysius and the Bacchanalia

Bassareus, a surname of Dionysus which, according to the explanations of the Greeks, is derived from the long robe which the god himself and the Maenads used to wear in Thrace, and whence the Maenads themselves are often called bassarae or bassarides.

Bateia, a daughter of Teucer or of Tros, the wife of Dardanus, and mother of Ilus and Erichthonius.

Battus, a shepherd of Neleus, who saw Hermes driving away the cattle he had stolen from Apollo. The god promised to reward him if he would not betray what he had seen. Battus promised on oath to keep the secret but as Hermes mistrusted him nevertheless, he assumed a different appearance, returned to Battus, and promised him a handsome present, if he would tell him who had stolen the cattle of Apollo.

Belus, a son of Poseidon by Libya or Eurynome. He was a twin-brother of Agenor, and father of Aegyptus and Danaus. He was believed to be the ancestral hero and national divinity of several eastern nations, from whence the legends about him were transplanted to Greece and became mixed up with Greek myths.

Bellerophones, or Bellerophon, properly called Hipponous, was a son of the Corinthian king Glaucus and Eurymede, and a grandson of Sisyphus. According to Hyginus, he was a son of Poseidon and Eurymede.

Bellona, the goddess of war among the Romans. It is very probable that originally Bellona was a Sabine divinity whose worship was carried to Rome by the Sabine settlers.

Benthesicyme, an Ethiopian sea nymph, a goddess of the waves and a daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite, the wife of king Enalos. She raised Eumolpus, son of Chione and Poseidon. (Apollodorus iii) Her husband Enalos: of the sea, may have been Triton, the god of lake Tritonis in

Bias, son of Amythaon, and brother of the seer Melampus. He married Pero, daughter of Neleus, whom her father had refused to give to any one unless he brought him the oxen of Iphiclus.

Biston, a son of Ares. Bistonians The Thracians; so called from Biston, son of Mars, who built Bistonia on the Lake Bistonis.

Boeotus, a son of Poseidon or Itonus and Arne (Antiope or Melanippe), and brother of Aeolus. He was the ancestral hero of the Boeotians, who derived their name from him.

Boreas, Bopeas, or Bopas), the North wind, was, according to Hesiod (Theogony 379), a son of Astraeus and Eos, and brother of Hesperus, Zephyrus, and Notus. He dwelt in a cave of mount Haemus in Thrace.

Bubastis, a daughter of Osiris and Isis, and sister of Horus (Apollo). Her mother, Isis, entrusted Bubastis and Horns to Buto, to protect them from Typhon.

Briareus, also called Aegaeon, a son of Uranus by Gaea. Aegaeon and his brothers Gyges and Cottus are known under the name of the Uranids (Theogony of Hesiod 502), and are described as huge monsters with a hundred arms and fifty heads. (Apollodorus i. Theogony of Hesiod 149)

Briseis, a patronymic from Briseus, and the name of Hippodameia, the daughter of Briseus of Lyrnessus, who fell into the hands of Achilles, and about whom the quarrel arose between Achilles and Agamemnon.

Britomartis, appears to have originally been a Cretan divinity of hunters and fishermen. Her name is usually derived from sweet or blessing, and a maiden, so that the name would mean, the sweet or blessing maiden.

Butes, son of Boreas, a Thracian, was hostile towards his step-brother Lycurgus, and therefore compelled by his father to emigrate. He accordingly went with a band of colonists to the island of Strongyle, afterwards called Naxos. But as he and his companions had no women, they made predatory excursions, and also came to Thessaly, where they carried off the women who were just celebrating a festival of Dionysus. Butes himself took Coronis; but she invoked Dionysus, who struck Butes with madness, so that he threw himself into a well.

Buto, an Egyptian divinity, whom the Greeks identified with their Leto, and who was worshipped principally in the town of Buto, which derived its name from her. Festivals were celebrated there in her honour, and there she had also an oracle which was in high esteem among the Egyptians.

Byzas, a son of Poseidon and Ceroessa, the daughter of Zeus and Io. He was believed to be the founder of Byzantium.

C

Cabeiri, mystic divinities who occur in various parts of the ancient world. The obscurity that hangs over them, and the contradictions respecting them in the accounts of the ancients themselves, have opened a wide field for speculation to modern writers on mythology, each of whom has been tempted to propound a theory of his own.

Caca, a sister of Cacus, who, according to some accounts, betrayed the place where the cattle were concealed which Cacus had stolen from Hercules or Recaranus. She was rewarded for it with divine honours, which she was to enjoy for ever. In her sanctuary a perpetual fire was kept up, just as in the temple of Vesta.

Cacus, a fabulous Italian shepherd, brother of Caca, who was believed to have lived in a cave, and to have committed various kinds of robberies. Among others, he also stole a part of the cattle of Hercules or Recaranus and, as he dragged the animals into his cave by their tails, it was impossible to discover their traces. But when the remaining oxen passed by the cave, those within began to bellow, and were thus discovered.

Cadmilus, according to Acusilaus a son of Hephaestus and Cabeiro, and father of the Samothracian Cabeiri and the Cabeirian nymphs. Others consider Cadmilus himself as the fourth of the Samothracian Cabeiri.

Cadmus, a son of Agenor and Telephassa, and brother of Europa, Phoenix, and Cilix. When Europa was carried off by Zeus to Crete, Agenor sent out his sons in search of their sister, enjoining them not to return without her. Telephassa accompanied her sons. All researches being fruitless, Cadmus and Telephassa settled in Thrace. Here Telephassa died, and Cadmus, after burying her, went to Delphi to consult the oracle respecting his sister.

Caicus, two mythical personages, one a son of Oceanus and Tethys (Theogony of Hesiod 343), and the other a son of Hermes and Ocyrrhoe, who threw himself into the river Astraeus, henceforth called Caicus.

Caeculus, an ancient Italian hero of Praeneste. The account which Servius gives of him runs as follows: At Praeneste there were pontifices and indigetes as well as at Rome. There were however two brothers called indigetes who had a sister.

Callisto, is sometimes called a daughter of Lycaon in Arcadia and sometimes of Nycteus or Ceteus, and sometimes also she is described as a nymph. (Apollodorus iii) She was a huntress, and a companion of Artemis.

Calydon, a son of Aetolus and Pronoe, married to Aeolia, by whom he became the father of Epicaste and Protogeneia. He was regarded as the founder of the Aetolian town of Calydon.

Calypso, under this name we find in Hesiod (Theogony 359) a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and in Apollodorus (Apollodorus i.) a daughter of Nereus, while the Homeric Calypso is described as a daughter of Atlas. This last Calypso was a nymph inhabiting the island of Ogygia, on the coast of which Odysseus was thrown when he was shipwrecked.

Calyce, three mythical beings, the one a daughter of Aeolus and Enarete, and mother of Endymion (Apollodorus i.); the second a daughter of Hecaton and mother of Cygnus by Poseidon and the third is mentioned by Apollodorus among the daughters of Danaus; but the whole passage is probably corrupt.

Campe, a monster which was appointed in Tartarus to guard the Cyclops. It was killed by Zeus when he wanted the assistance of the Cyclops against the Titans. Diodorus mentions a monster of the same name, which was slain by Dionysus, and which Nonnus identifies with the former.

Canace, a daughter of Aeolus and Enarete, whence she is called Aeolis, who had several children by Poseidon.

Caeculus, an ancient Italian hero of Praeneste.

Callirhoe, a daughter of Oceanus, who was the mother of Geryones and Echidna by Chrysaor. (Theogony of Hesiod 351, 981) By Neilus she was the mother of Chione, and by Poseidon of Minyas.

Carme, a daughter of Eubulus, who became by Zeus the mother of Britomartis. Antoninus Liberalis describes her as a grand-daughter of Agenor, and daughter of Phoenix

Cassandra, also called Alexandra, was the fairest among the daughters of Priam and Hecabe. There are two points in her story which have furnished the ancient poets with ample materials to dilate upon. The first is her prophetic power, concerning which, we have the following traditions:

Catillus, There are two Catilli in Roman legend: Catillus the Arcadian, son of Amphiaraus. Catillus, his son. Catillus the Arcadian and his sons Catillus, Tiburtus and Coras escaped the slaughter at Thebes and arrived at the Aniene Plateau. They drove away the Sicilians who lived there and founded a city named Tibur (now Tivoli) in honor of Tiburtius.

Cebren, a Greek river-god (an Oceanid), whose river was located near Troy. He was the son of Oceanus and Tethys and he was the father of Asterope, Hesperia, who are sometimes considered to be each other, and Oenone. The city Cebrene (also spelled Kebrene or Kevrin) was named for Cebren.

Cecrops, according to Apollodorus the first king of Attica, which derived from him its name Cecropia, having previously borne the name of Acte. He is described as an autochthon, the upper part of whose body was human, while the lower was that of a dragon. Hence he is gemimis.

Celaeno, a Pleiad, daughter of Atlas and Pleione, and by Poseidon the mother of Lycus and Eurypylus, or, according to others, of Lycus and Chimaereus by Prometheus.

Celeus, a king of Eleusis, and husband of Metaneira. When Demeter, on her wanderings in search of her daughter, came to Eleusis, she stayed in the house of Celeus.

Centaurs, that is, the bull-killers, are according to the earliest accounts a race of men who inhabited the mountains and forests of Thessaly.

Cephissus, the divinity of the river Cephissus, is described as a son of Pontus and Thalassa, and the father of Diogeneia and Narcissus, who is therefore called Cephisius.

Cephalus, a Molossian chief, who, together with another chief, Antinous, was driven by the calumnies of Charops to take the side of Perseus, in self-defence, against the Romans.

Cer, the personified necessity of death The passages in the Homeric poems in which death appears as a real personification are not very numerous and in most cases the word may be taken as a common noun.

Ceres, the Latin name for Demeter; also the name of one of the asteroids, the first discovered, by Piazzi, in 1801.

Cercyon, a son of Poseidon by a daughter of Amphictyon, and accordingly a half-brother of Triptolemus. Others call him a son of Hephaestus. He came from Arcadia, and dwelt at Eleusis in Attica.

Cerberus, the many-headed dog that guarded the entrance of Hades, is mentioned as early as the Homeric poems, but simply as " the dog," and without the name of Cerberus.

Ceroessa, a daughter of Zeus by Io, and born on the spot where Byzantium was afterwards built. She was brought up by a nymph of the place, and afterwards became the mother of Byzas.

Chaeron, a son of Apollo and Thero, the daughter of Phylas, is the mythical founder of Chaeroneia in Boeotia.

Chalcon, 1. A wealthy Myrmidon, and father of Bathycles. 3. Of Cyparissus, the shield-bearer of Antilochus. He was in love with the Amazon Penthesileia, but on hastening to her assistance he was killed by Achilles, and the Greeks nailed his body to a cross.

Chalciope, 1. A daughter of Rhexenor, or according to others of Chalcodon, was the second wife of Aegeus. 2. A daughter of king Eurypylus in the island of Cos, and mother of Thessalus.

Chaos, the vacant and infinite space which existed according to the ancient cosmogonies previous to the creation of the world (Theogony 116), and out of which the gods, men, and all things arose.

Charis, the personification of Grace and Beauty, which the Roman poets translate by Gratia and we after them by Grace. Homer, without giving her any other name, describes a Charis as the wife of Hephaestus.

Charites, or the Graces. Aphrodite's retinue was usually completed by the Charites and were usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, though they were also said to be daughters of Dionysus and Aphrodite, or of Helios and Aegle

Charon, a son of Erebos, the aged and dirty ferryman in the lower world, who conveyed in his boat the shades of the dead — though only of those whose bodies were buried across the rivers of the lower world.

Charopus, or Charops, bright-eyed or joyful-looking, a surname of Heracles, under which he had a statue near mount Laphystion on the spot where he was believed to have brought forth Cerberus from the lower world.

Charybdis and Scylla, the names of two rocks between Italy and Sicily, and only a short distance from one another. In the midst of the one of these rocks which was nearest to Italy, there dwelt, according to Homer, Scylla, a daughter of Crataeis, a fearful monster, barking like a dog, with twelve feet, six long necks and mouths, each of which contained three rows of sharp teeth.

Cheiron, the wisest and justest of all the centaurs. He was the instructor of Achilles, whose father Peleus was a friend and relative of Cheiron, and received at his wedding with Thetis the heavy lance which was subsequently used by Achilles.

Ceyx, Lord of Trachis, was connected by friendship with Heracles. He was the father of Hippasus, who fell in battle fighting as the ally of Heracles.

Chimaera, a fire-breathing monster, which, according to the Homeric poems, was of divine origin.

Chione, a daughter of Boreas and Oreithyia, and sister of Cleopatra, Zetes, and Calais. She became by Poseidon the mother of Eumolpus, and in order to conceal the event, she threw the boy into the sea; but the child was saved by Poseidon.

Chloris, a daughter of the Theban Amphion and Niobe. According to an Argive tradition, her original name was Meliboea, and she and her brother Amyclas were the only children of Niobe that were not killed by Apollo and Artemis. But the terror of Chloris at the death of her brothers and sisters was so great, that she turned perfectly white, and was therefore called Chloris.

Chronos, the Protogenos of time and the very first being to emerge at creation self-formed.

Chthonia, may mean the subterraneous, or the goddess of the earth, that is, the protectress of the fields, whence it is used as a surname of infernal divinities, such as Hecate, Nyx and Melinoe, but especially of Demeter.

Cyrene, a daughter of Hypseus or Peneius by Chlidanope, a granddaughter of Peneius and Creusa, was beloved by Apollo, who carried her from mount Pelion to Libya, where Gyrene derived its name from her.

Chrysaor, 1. A son of Poseidon and Medusa, and consequently a brother of Pegasus. When Perseus cut off the head of Medusa, Chrysaor and Pegasus sprang forth from it. Chrysaor became by Callirrhoe the father of the three-headed Geryones and Echidna. ( Theogony of Hesiod 280) 2. The god with the golden sword or arms. In this sense it is used as a surname or attribute of several divinities, such as Apollo, Artemis and Demeter. We find Chrysaoreus as a surname of Zeus with the same meaning, under which he had a temple in Caria, which was a national sanctuary, and the place of meeting for the national assembly of the Carians.

Chrysothemis, there are four mythical females of this name, and one male, a son of Carmanor, the priest of Apollo at Tarrha in Crete. He is said to have been a poet, and to have won the first victory in the Pythian games by a hymn on Apollo.

Cinyras, a famous Cyprian hero. According to the common tradition, he was a son of Apollo by Paphos, king of Cyprus, and priest of the Paphian Aphrodite, which latter office remained hereditary in his family, the Cinyradae.

Circe, a mythical sorceress, whom Homer calls a fair-locked goddess, a daughter of Helios by the oceanid Perse, and a sister of Aeetes.

Cithara, one of the most ancient stringed instruments, traced back to 1700 B.C. among the Semitic races, in Egypt, Assyria, Asia Minor, Greece and the Roman empire, whence the use of it spread over Europe.

Cithaeron, a mythical king in Boeotia, from whom mount Cithaeron was believed to have derived its name.

Cleolla, according to Hesiod, Catalogues of Women, Pleisthenes was a son of Atreus and Aerope, and Agamemnon, Menelaus and Anaxibia were the children of Pleisthenes by Cleolla the daughter of Dias.

Clio: Herodotus The History

Cleopatra, 1. A daughter of Idas and Marpessa, and wife of Meleager, is said to have hanged herself after her husband's death, or to have died of grief. Her real name was Alcyone. 2. A Danaid, who was betrothed to Etelces or Agenor. There are two other mythical personages of this name in Apollodorus iii.

Clodones, there were revels in Parnassus, in Phocis, Messenia, Arcadia, even Sparta. The festivals were held on mountains, with blazing torches, in dark winter nights. The votaries were in large part women, and were known by many names,--Maenads, Thyiads, Clodones, Mimallones, Bassarides, etc. They were clothed in fawn skins, carried thyrsi and in their ecstasies used to hunt wild animals, tear them in pieces, and sometimes eat them raw.

Clymene, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and the wife of Japetus, by whom she became the mother of Atlas, Prometheus, and others.

Clytemnestra, a daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, and sister of Castor, Timandra, and Philonoe, and half-sister of Polydeuces and Helena. She was married to Agamemnon.

Clytius, 1. A son of Laomedon and father of Caletor and Procleia, was one of the Trojan elders. 2. A son of the Oechalian king Eurytus, was one of the Argonauts, and was killed during the expedition by Heracles, or according to others by Aeetes.

Cocytus, meaning river of wailing or lamentation, was the river in the underworld on the banks of which the dead who could not pay Charon wandered, according to most accounts, for one hundred years. It flowed into the river Acheron, across which lay Hades, the mythological abode of the dead.

Coeus, was the Titan of intelligence. Titans are the giant sons and daughters of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth).

Conisalus, a daemon, who together with Orthanes and Tychon appeared in the train of Priapus.

Coronis, 1. A daughter of Phlegyas and mother of Asclepius. 2. A daughter of Phoroneus, king of Phocis; she was metamorphosed by Athena into a crow, for when she was pursued by Poseidon, she implored the protection of Athena.

Coronus, 1. A son of Apollo by Chrysorthe, father of Corax and Lamedon, and king of Sicyon. 2. A son of Thersander, grandson of Sisyphus, and founder of Coroneia. 3. A son of Caeneus, was a prince of the Lapithae, and father of Leonteus and Lyside. He was slain by Heracles. (Apollodorus. ii) 4. The father of the Argonaut Caeneus. (Apollodorus i. Argonautica)

Corinth: Description of Greece by Pausanias,

Corythus, 1. An Italian hero, a son of Jupiter, and husband of Electra, the daughter of Atlas, by whom he became the father of Jasius and Dardanus. He is described as king of Tuscia, and as the founder of Corythus. 2. A son of Paris and Oenone. He loved Helena and was beloved by her, and was therefore killed by his own father.

Cranaus, an autochthon and king of Attica, who reigned at the time of the flood of Deucalion. He was married to Pedias, by whom he became the father of Cranae, Cranaechme, and Atthis, from the last of whom Attica was believed to have derived its name.

Creon, a mythical king of Corinth, a son of Lycaethus.

Cretheus, a son of Aeolus and Enarete, was married to Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus, by whom he became the father of Aeson, Pheres, Amythaon, and Hippolyte. He is called the founder of the town of lolcus.

Creusa, 1. A daughter of Oceanus and Ge. She was a Naid, and became by Peneius the mother of Hypseus, king of the Lapithae, and of Stilbe. 2. A daughter of Erechtheus and Praxithea, was married to Xuthus, by whom she became the mother of Achaeus and Ion.

Crimisus, a son of Oceanus and Tethys. According to Virgil's Aeneid* (5.38) and Hyginus' Fabulae (273), Crinisus was the father of Acestes by Segesta (Egesta).

Crius, or Creius, a son of Uranus and Gaia, and one of the Titans, who was the father of Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses. (The Theogony of Hesiod)

Cronus, a son of Uranus and Ge, and the youngest among the Titans. He was married to Rhea, by whom he became the father of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cheiron is also called a son of Cronus.

Cupid, Eros, Amor, the god of love, viewed as a chubby little boy, armed with bow and arrows, and often with eyes bandaged.

Cyclopes, creatures with round or circular eyes. The tradition about these beings has undergone several changes and modifications in its development in Greek mythology, though some traces of their identity remain visible throughout.

Cycnus, a son of Apollo by Thyria or Hyria, the daughter of Amphinomus. He was a handsome hunter, living in the district between Pleuron and Calydon, and although beloved by many, repulsed all his lovers.

Cynortes, or Cynortas, a son of Amyclas by Diomede, and brother of Hyacinthus. After the death of his brother Argalus, he became king of Sparta and father of Oebalus or of Perieres. His tomb was shown at Sparta not far from the Scias.

Cyparissus, a youth of Cea, a son of Telephus, was beloved by Apollo and Zephyrus or Silvanus. When he had inadvertently killed his favourite stag, he was seized with immoderate grief, and metamorphosed into a cypress.

Cythereia, or Cythera, Cytherias, different forms of a surname of Aphrodite, derived from the town of Cythera in Crete, or from the island of Cythera, where the goddess was said to have first landed, and where she had a celebrated temple.

D

Dactyls, the Dactyls of mount Ida in Phrygia, fabulous beings to whom the discovery of iron and the art of working it by means of fire was ascribed. Their name Dactyls, that is, Fingers, is accounted for in various ways; by their number being five or ten, or by the fact of their serving Rhea just as the fingers serve the hand, or by the story of their having lived at the foot of mount Ida.

Danae, a daughter of King Acrisius of Argos and Eurydice (no relation to Orpheus' Eurydice). She was the mother of Perseus by Zeus. She was sometimes credited with founding the city of Ardea in Latium.

Danaus, a son of Belus and Anchinoe, and a grandson of Poseidon and Libya. He was brother of Aegyptus, and father of fifty daughters, and the mythical ancestor of the Danai. (Apollodorus. ii.)

Daphne, a fair maiden who is mixed up with various traditions about Apollo. According to Pausanias she was an Oreas and an ancient priestess of the Delphic oracle to which she had been appointed by Ge. Diodorus describes her as the daughter of Teiresias, who is better known by the name of Manto.

Daphnis, a Sicilian hero, to whom the invention of bucolic poetry is ascribed. He is called a son of Hermes by a nymph, or merely the beloved of Hermes. Ovid calls him an Idaean shepherd; but it does not follow from this that Ovid connected him with either the Phrygian or the Cretan Ida, since Ida signifies any woody mountain.

Dardanus, a son of Zeus and Electra, the daughter of Atlas. He was the brother of Jasus, Jasius, Jason, or Jasion, Aetion and Harmonia, and his native place in the various traditions is Arcadia, Crete, Troas, or Italy. Dardanus is the mythical ancestor of the Trojans, and through them of the Romans. It is necessary to distinguish between the earlier Greek legends and the later ones which we meet with in the poetry of Italy.

Deidameia, 1. A daughter of Bellerophontes and wife of Evander, by whom she became the mother of Sarpedon. Homer calls her Laodameia. 2. A daughter of Lycomedes in the island of Scyrus. When Achilles was concealed there in maiden's attire, Deidameia became by him the mother of Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus, and, according to others, of Oneirus also. (Apollodorus iii) 3. The wife of Peirithous, who is commonly called Hippodameia.

Deima, the personification of fear. She was represented in the form of a fearful woman on the tomb of Medeia's children at Corinth.

Deianeira, a daughter of Althaea by Oeneus, Dionysus, or Dexamenus (Apollodorus i), and a sister of Meleager.

Deion, a son of Aeolus and Enarete, was king in Phocis and husband of Diomede, by whom he became the father of Asteropeia, Aenetus, Actor, Phylacus, and Cephalus. After the death of his brother, Salmoneus, he took his daughter Tyro into his house, and gave her in marriage to Cretheus. His name occurs also in the form Deioneus.

Demeter, one of the great divinities of the Greeks. The name Demeter is supposed by some to be the same as mother earth, while others consider Deo, which is synonymous with Demeter and as derived from the Cretan word barley, so that Demeter would be the mother or giver of barley or of food generally.

Homeric Hymn to Demeter,

Demonassa, 1. The wife of Irus, and mother of Eurydamas and Eurytion. (Argonautica) 2. A daughter of Amphiaraus and Eriphyle, was the wife of Thersander, by whom she became the mother of Tisamenus. 3. The mother of Aegialus by Adrastus.

Deiphobe, a daughter of the seer Glaucus and one of the Cumaean Sibyls. (Aeneid Book IV)

Deimas, a son of Dardanus and Chryse and brother of Idaeus, who when his family and a part of the Arcadian population emigrated, remained behind in Arcadia.

Demo, a name of Demeter. It also occurs as a proper name of other mythical beings, such as the Cumaean Sibyl and a daughter of Celeus and Metaneira, who, together with her sisters, kindly received Demeter at the well Callichoros in Attica.

Letters On Demonology And Witchcraft, by Sir Walter Scott

Elizabethan Demonology, by Thomas Alfred Spalding

Shakespeare and Demonology, by Thomas Alfred Spalding

Empire of the Supernatural by Thomas Alfred Spalding

Classification of Devils, by Thomas Alfred Spalding

Fairies and Devils, by Thomas Alfred Spalding

Demophon, the youngest son of Celeus and Metaneira, who was entrusted to the care of Demeter. He grew up under her without any human food, being fed by the goddess with her own milk, and ambrosia. During the night she used to place him in fire to secure to him eternal youth ; but once she was observed by Metaneira, who disturbed, the goddess by her cries, and the child Demophon was consumed by the flames.

Despina, or Despoena, the daughter of Poseidon and Demeter after they mated disguised as horses. Despoena, the ruling goddess or the mistress, occurs as a surname of several divinities, such as Aphrodite, Demeter and Persephone.

Despoena, 1. A goddess of fruit. A daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. Known as Pomona to the Romans 2. The ruling goddess or the mistress, occurs as a surname of several divinities, such as Aphrodite, Demeter and Persephone.

Deucalion, son of Prometheus and Clymene. He was king in Phthia, and married to Pyrr. When Zeus, after the treatment he had received from Lycaon, had resolved to destroy the degenerate race of men who inhabited the earth, Deucalion, on the advice of his father, built a ship, and carried into it stores of provisions and when Zeus sent a flood all over Hellas, which destroyed all its inhabitants, Deucalion and Pyrrha alone were saved.

Dias, father of Cleolla, the mother of Agamemnon by Pleisthenes.

Dice, the personification of justice, was, according to Hesiod, a daughter of Zeus and Themis, and the sister of Eunomia and Eirene. She was considered as one of the Horae; she watched the deeds of man, and approached the throne of Zeus with lamentations whenever a judge violated justice.

Diomede, a daughter of Phorbaa of Lemnos, was beloved by Achilles.

Diomedes, a son of Tydeus and Deipyle, the husband of Aegialeia, and the successor of Adrastus in the kingdom of Argos, though he was descended from an Aetolian family.

Dione, a female Titan, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and, according to others, of Uranus and Ge, or of Aether and Ge. She was beloved by Zeus, by whom she became the mother of Aphrodite.

Dionysia, festivals celebrated in various parts of Greece in honour of Dionysus. We have to consider under this head several festivals of the same deity, although some of them bore different names, for here, as in other cases, the name of the festival was sometimes derived from that of the god, sometimes from the place where it was celebrated, and sometimes from some particular circumstance connected with its celebration.

Dionysius, these mysterious rites were, at first, imparted to a few, but afterwards communicated to great numbers, both men and women

Dionysus, the youthful, beautiful, but effeminate god of wine. He is also called both by Greeks and Romans Bacchus, that is, the noisy or riotous god, which was originally a mere epithet or surname of Dionysus, but does not occur till after the time of Herodotus.

Pater On Dionysus

Dioscuri, sons of Zeus, the well-known heroes, Castor and Pollux, or Polydeuces

Dodon, a son of Zeus by Europa, from whom the oracle of Dodona was believed to have derived its name. Other traditions traced the name to a nymph of the name of Dodone.

Dolops, a son of Hermes, who had a sepulchral monument in the neighbourhood of Peiresiae and Magnesa, which was visible at a, great distance, and at which the Argonauts landed and offered up sacrifices. (Argonautica)

Doris, a daughter of Oceanus and Thetys, and the wife of her brother Nereus, by whom she became the mother of the Nereides. (Theogony 240, Metamorphoses by Ovid ii. 269.) The Latin poets sometimes use the name of this marine divinity for the sea itself.

Dorus, the mythical ancestor of the Dorians; he is described either as a son of Hellen, by the nymph Orseis, and a brother of Xuthus and Aeolus (Apollodorus i); or as a son of Apollo, by Phthia, and a brother of Laodocus and Polypoites (Apollodorus i), whereas Servius calls him a son of Poseidon.

Dryas, a son of Ares, and brother of Tereus, was one of the Calydonian hunters. He was murdered by his own brother, who had received an oracle, that his son Itys should fall by the hand of a relative.

Dryops, a son of the river-god Spercheius, by the Danaid Polydora or, according to others, a son of Lycaon (probably a mistake for Apollo) by Dia, the daughter of Lycaon, who concealed her new-born infant in a hollow oak tree.

E

Echidna, a daughter of Tartarus and Ge (Apollod.), or of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe and according to others again, of Peiras and Styx.

Echo, an Oreade, who when Zeus was playing with the nymphs, used to keep Hera at a distance by incessantly talking to her. In this manner Hera was not able to detect her faithless husband, and the nymphs had time to escape.

Eetion, a king of the Placian Thebe in Cilicia, and father of Andromache and Podes.

Eileithyia, also called Eleithyia, Eilethyia, or Eleutho. The ancients derive her name from the coming or helping goddess. She was the goddess of birth, who came to the assistance of women in labour; and when she was kindly disposed, she furthered the birth, but when she was angry, she protracted the labour and delayed the birth.

Elatus, a son of Ares by Leaneira, Metaneira, or by the nymph Chrysopeleia. He was a brother of Azan and Apheidas, and king of Arcadia. By his wife Laodice he had four sons, Stymphalus, Aepytus, Cyllen, and Pereus.

Electra,

Electra by Euripides, i. e. the bright or brilliant one. 1. A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and the wife of Thaumas, by whom she became the mother of Iris and the Harpies, Aello and Ocypete. 2. A daughter of Atlas and Pleione, was one of the seven Pleiades, and became by Zeus the mother of Jasion and Dardanus.

Elara, a daughter of Orchomenus or Minyas, who became by Zeus the mother of the giant Tityus and Zeus, from fear of Hera, concealed her under the earth. (Apollodorus i. Argonautica) This was where she gave birth to Tityas, who some traditions state to be the son of Elara and Gaia, the earth goddess.

Eleuther, a son of Apollo and Aethusa, the daughter of Poseidon, was regarded as the founder of Eleutherae in Boeotia. He was the grandfather of Jasius and Poemander, the founder of Tanagra. He is said to have been the first that erected a statue of Dionysus, and spread the worship of the god.

Elysion, a section of the Underworld (the spelling Elysium is a Latinization of the Greek word Elysion). Elysium is an obscure and mysterious name that evolved from a designation of a place or person struck by lightning, enelysion, enelysios.

Enceladus, a son of Tartarus and Ge, and one of the hundred-armed giants who made war upon the gods. He was killed, according to some, by Zeus, by a flash of lightning, and buried under mount Aetna and according to others, he was killed by the chariot of Athena, or by the spear of Seilenus.

Endymion, a youth distinguished for his beauty, and renowned in ancient story by the perpetual sleep in which he spent his life.

Enipeus, an Oceanid and a son of Oceanus and Tethys.

Enyo, the goddess of war, who delights in bloodshed and the destruction of towns, and accompanies Mars in battles.

Epaphus, a son of Zeus and Io, who was born on the river Nile, after the long wanderings of his mother. He was then concealed by the Curetes, by the request of Hera, but Io sought and afterwards found him in Syria.

Ephialtes, 1 One of the giants, who in the war against the gods was deprived of his left eye by Apollo, and of the right by Heracles. (Apollodorus i) 2. One of the Aloeidae. When Iphimedeia and her daughter, Pancratis, celebrated the orgies of Dionysus on Mount Drius, they were carried off by Thracian pirates to Naxos or Strongyle; but both were delivered by the Aloadae Otus and Ephialtes.

Epidaurus, the mythical founder of Epidaurus, a son of Argos and Evadne, but according to Argive legends a son of Pelops, and according to those of Elis a son of Apollo.

Epimetheus, was the brother of Prometheus ("foresight", literally "fore-thought"), a pair of Titans who "acted as representatives of mankind" (Kerenyi 1951, p 207). They were the inseparable sons of Japetus, who in other contexts was the father of Atlas.

Eos, in Latin Aurora, the goddess of the morning red, who brings up the light of day from the east. She was a daughter of Hyperion and Theia or Euryphassa, and a sister of Helios and Selene.

Erato, a nymph and the wife of Ares, by whom she became the mother of Elatus, Apheidas, and Azan. She was said to have been a prophetic priestess of the Arcadian Pan.

Erechtheus Erichthonius. There can be little doubt but that the names Erichthonius and Erechtheus are identical; but whether the two heroes mentioned by Plato, Hyginus, and Apollodorus, the one of whom is usually called Erichthonius or Erechtheus I. and the other Erechtheus II., are likewise one and the same person, as Muller and others think, is not so certain, though highly probable.

Erebus, a primordial god, the personification of darkness.

Erigone, 1. A daughter of Icarius, seduced by Bacchus, who came into her father's house. 2. A daughter of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra, and by Orestes the mother of Penthilus.

Erinnyes, Erinnyes or Eumenides (the Romans called them the Furies) were female personifications of vengeance. When a formulaic oath in the Iliad invokes "those who beneath the earth punish whoever has sworn a false oath" — "the Erinyes are simply an embodiment of the act of self-cursing contained in the oath"

Eidothea, a daughter of the aged Proteus, who instructed Menelaus, in the island of Pharos at the mouth of the river Aegyptus, in what manner he might secure her father and compel him to say in what way he should return home.

Eriphyle, a daughter of Talaus and Lysimache, and the wife of Amphiaraus, whom she betrayed for the sake of the necklace of Harmonia.

Eris, Born of Ate and Zeus, or, according to Homer, Hera and Zeus (Iliad IV), she is the goddess who calls forth war and discord. According to the Iliad, she wanders about, at first small and insignificant, but she soon raises her head up to heaven (IV).

Eros, in Latin, Amor or Cupido, the god of love. In the sense in which he is usually conceived, Eros is the creature of the later Greek poets; and in order to understand the ancients properly we must distinguish three Erotes: viz. the Eros of the ancient cosmogonies, the Eros of the philosophers and mysteries, who bears great resemblance to the first, and the Eros whom we meet with in the epigrammatic and erotic poets, whose witty and playful descriptions of the god, however, can scarcely be considered as a part of the ancient religious belief of the Greeks.

Ersa and Pandeia, 1. The wife of Danaus and mother of Hippodice and Adiante. (Apollod. ii. 1.) 2. A daughter of Cecrops and sister of Agraulos, Pandrosos, and Erysichthon. She was the beloved of Hermes, and the mother of Cephalus.

Erysichthon, that is, the tearer up of the earth.

Eryx, in Apollodorus. ii he is called a son of Poseidon though others call him a son of Aphrodite and Butes of Sicily.

Eteocles, 1. A son of Andreus and Evippe, or of Cephisus, who was said to have been the first that offered sacrifices to the Charites at Orchomenos, in Boeotia. 2. A son of Oedipus and Jocaste.

Euboea, 1. A daughter of Asopus, from whom the island of Euboea was believed to have derived its name. 2. A daughter of the river-god Asterion near Mycenae, who together with her sisters Acraea and Prosymna acted as nurses to Hera.

Eurynomus, a daemon of the lower world, concerning whom there was a tradition at Delphi, according to which, he devoured the flesh of dead human bodies, and left nothing but the bones.

Euryale, the name of the three sisters known as the Gorgons; her name means Wide-Wanderer.

Eudora, a daughter of Nereus and Doris.

Euneus, a son of Jason by Hypsipyle, in the island of Lemnos, from whence he supplied the Greeks during their war against Troy with wine.

Euphemus, a son of Poseidon by Europa, the daughter of Tityus, or by Mecionice or Oris, a daughter of Orion or Eurotas.

Euphrosyne, One of the three Charites or Graces. The cheerful one, or life lived in exuberance and joy, the Goddess of mirth, and the incarnation of grace and beauty. A daughter of Zeus and Eurynome, or of Dionysus and Aphrodite.

Eumolpus, that is, " the good singer," a Thracian who is described as having come to Attica either as a bard, a warrior, or a priest of Demeter and Dionysus.

Euphorbus, a son of Panthous and brother of Hyperenor, was one of the bravest among the Trojans. He was the first who wounded Patroclus, but was afterwards slain by Menelaus, who subsequently dedicated the shield of Euphorbus in the temple of Hera, near Mycenae.

Eurotas, a son of Myles and grandson of Lelex. He was the father of Sparta, the wife of Lacedaemon, and is said to have carried the waters, stagnating in the plain of Lacedaemon, into the sea by means of a canal, and to have called the river which arose therefrom after his own name, Eurotas

Eurybia, a daughter of Pontus and Ge, who became by Crius the mother of Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses.

Eurydamas, 1. A son of Irus and Demonassa, was one of the Argonauts. Apollonius Rhodius calls him a son of Ctimenus. 2. One of the suitors of Penelope, who was killed by Odysseus.

Eurydice, the most famous was a woman—or a nymph—who was the wife of Orpheus. While fleeing from Aristaeus, she was bitten by a serpent and died. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept and gave him advice. Orpheus accomplished something no other person ever has: he traveled to the underworld and by his music softened the heart of Hades and Persephone, who allowed Eurydice to return with him to the world of the living.

Eurymedon, a Cabeirus, a son of Hephaestus and Cabeiro, and a brother of Alcon. 2. One of the attendants of Nestor. 3. A son of Ptolemaeus, and charioteer of Agamemnon; his tomb was shown at Mycenae.

Eurynome, a daughter of Oceanus. When Hephaestus was expelled by Hera from Olympus, Eurynome and Thetis received him in the bosom of the sea.

Eurytion, 1, A son of Irus and Demonassa, and a grandson of Actor, is mentioned among the Argonauts. (Argonautica) According to others he was a son of Actor, and he is also called Eurytus. (Apollodorus i) When Peleus was expelled from his dominions, he fled to Eurytion and married his daughter Antigone but in shooting at the Calydonian boar, Peleus inadvertently killed his father-in-law, (Apollodorus iii) 2. A centaur who took to flight during the fight of Heracles with the centaurs ; but he was afterwards killed by Heracles in the dominions of Dexamenus, whose daughter Eurytion was on the point of making his wife. (Apollodorus. ii)

Eurytus, a son of Melaneus and Stratonice was king of Oechalia, probably the Thessalian town of this name. He was a skilful archer and married to Antioche, by whom he became the father of lole, Iphitus, Molion or Deion, Clytius, and Toxeus.

Eurypylus, a son of Euaemon and Ops. He appears in the different traditions about him, as a hero of Ormenion, or Hyria, or as a king of Cyrene.

Europa, the daughter of Agenor, King of Phoenicia, or Telephassa, Her famous brother was Cadmus. She was a beautiful girl who caught the eye of Zeus one day while on the shore at Sidon (Tyre). He transformed himself into a snow-white bull with crescent horns among the herds of Agenor and lay down at her feet as she gathered flowers in the meadows with her attendants.

Euphemus, a son of Poseidon by Europa, the daughter of Tityus, or by Mecionice or Oris, a daughter of Orion or Eurotas.

Euryale, the name of the three sisters known as the Gorgons; her name means Wide-Wanderer.

Evadne, 1. A daughter of Poseidon and Pitane. Immediately after her birth, she was carried to the Arcadian king Aepytus, who brought her up. She afterwards became by Apollo the mother of Iamus. 2. A daughter of Iphis, or Philax. (Apollodorus iii) There are three other mythical personages of the same name.

Evippe, the name of five mythological personages, concerning whom nothing of interest is related. (Apollodorus. ii. Metamorphoses)

F

Fasti By Ovid,

The Fates, properly signifies "a share," and as a personification "the deity who assigns to every man his fate or his share," or the Fates. Homer usually speaks of only one Moira, and only once mentions the Motpai in the plural. In his poems Moira is fate personified, which, at the birth of man, spins out the thread of his future life, follows his steps, and directs the consequences of his actions according to the counsel of the gods. Homer thus, when he personifies Fate, conceives her as spinning, an act by which also the power of other gods over the life of man is expressed.

Faula, was, according to some, a concubine of Heracles in Italy while, according to others, she was the wife or sister of Faunus. Latinus, who is called a son of Heracles by a concubine, was probably considered to be the son of Faula whereas the common tradition describes him as a son of Faunus. Faula was identified by some of the ancients with the Greek Aphrodite.

Faun, place-spirits (genii) of untamed woodland. Romans connected their fauns with the Greek satyrs, wild and orgiastic drunken followers of Dionysus. However, fauns and satyrs were originally quite different creatures. Both have horns and both resemble goats below the waist, humans above; but originally satyrs had human feet, fauns goatlike hooves. The Romans also had a god named Faunus and a goddess Fauna, who, like the fauns, were goat-people.

Faunus, the son of Picus and father of Latinus, was the third in the series of the kings of the Laurentes. In his reign Faunus, like his two predecessors, Picus and Saturn, had promoted agriculture and the breeding of cattle among his subjects, and also distinguished himself as a hunter.

G

Ganymedes, according to Homer and others, he was a son of Tros by Calirrhoe, and a brother of Ilus and Assaracus. Being the most beautiful of all mortals, he was carried off by the gods that he might fill the cup of Zeus, and live among the eternal gods.

Gaia, the Protogenos and the personification of the earth. Mother Earth emerged at the beginning of creation to form the foundation of the universe.

Geryones Geryon, a son of Chrysaor and Calirrhoe, a fabulous king of Hesperia, who is described as a being with three heads, and possessing magnificent oxen in the island of Erytheia. He acts a prominent part in the stories of Heracles.

Gigantes, according to Homer, they were a gigantic and savage race of men, governed by Eurymedon, and dwelling in the distant west, in the island of Thrinacia; but they were extirpated by Eurymedon on account of their insolence towards the gods.

Glaucus, a grandson of Aeolus, son of Sisyphus and Merope, and father of Bellerophontes.

Gorgophone, a daughter of Perseus and Andromeda. Her name means "Gorgon Slayer", a tribute to her father who killed Medusa, the mortal Gorgon. Gorgophone is a central figure in the history of Sparta, having been married to two kings, Oebalus of Sparta (actually Lakonia, Sparta's region) and Perieres of Messenia, the region to the west of Lakonia which Sparta, in the late 8th or early 7th century B.C. enslaved.

Graeae, that is, " the old women," were daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They had grey hair from their birth. Hesiod mentions only two Graeae, viz. Pephredo and Enyo; Apollodorus adds Deino as a third, and Aeschylus also speaks of three Graeae.

Greece: A Smaller History:

The Greek Calendar

Greek Heroines

Gyges, the ordinary name of the hundred-armed giant, who is sometimes called Gyas or Gyes. (Apollodorus, Theogony 149, Fasti by Ovid)

H

Hades, or Pluton, Pluto, Plouton, Dis (Roman), and Aidoneus, the god of the lower world; Plato observes that people preferred calling him Pluton (the giver of wealth) to pronouncing the dreaded name of Hades or Aides. Hence we find that in ordinary life and in the mysteries the name Pluton became generally established, while the poets preferred the ancient name Aides or the form Pluteus.

Halia, 1. One of the Nereides (Apollodorus i.) but the plural, Haliae, is used as a name for marine nymphs in general. 2. A sister of the Telchines in Rhodes, by whom Poseidon had six sons and one daughter, Rhodos or Rhode, from whom the island of Rhodes received its name. Halia, after leaping into the sea, received the name of Leucothea, and was worshipped as a divine being by the Rhodians.

Harmonia, a daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, or, according to others, of Zeus and Electra, the daughter of Atlas, in Samothrace. When Athena assigned to Cadmus the government of Thebes, Zeus gave him Harmoia for his wife, and all the gods of Olympus were present at the marriage. Cadmus on that day made her a present of a peplus and a necklace, which he had received either from Hephaestus or from Europa.

Harpina, a daughter of Asopus, from whom the town of Harpina or Harpinna in Elis was believed to have derived its name. She became by Ares the mother of Oenomaus.

Harpyia, that is, "the swift robbers," are, in the Homeric poems, nothing but personified storm winds. Homer mentions only one by name, viz. Podarge, who was married to Zephyrus, and gave birth to the two horses of Achilles, Xanthus and Balius.

Hebe, the personification of youth, is described as a daughter of Zeus and Hera ( Apollodorus i), and is, according to the Iliad IV, the minister of the gods, who fills their cups with nectar; she assists Hera in putting the horses to her chariot and she bathes and dresses her brother Ares. According to the Odyssey xi she was married to Heracles after his apotheosis.

Hecabe, or in Latin Hecuba, a daughter of Dymas in Phrygia, and second wife of Priam, king of Troy. Some described her as a daughter of Cisseus, or the Phrygian river-god Sangarius and Metope.

Hecate, a mysterious divinity, who, according to the most common tradition, was a daughter of Persaeus or Perses and Asteria, whence she is called Perseis. Others describe her as a daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and state that she was sent out by her father in search of Persephone; others again make her a daughter of Zeus either by Pheraea or by Hera; and others, lastly, say that she was a daughter