By Tim Lambert
The Ancient Greeks were polytheists (they worshipped many gods). The Greeks imagined that gods and goddesses were like human beings.
A
Acamas
Acamas was the son of the hero Theseus. He fought in the Trojan War.
Achilles
Achilles was a Greek warrior who fought in the Trojan War. His mother was a nymph named Thetis. When Achilles was a child she dipped him into the River Styx in the underworld to make him immortal but she held him by his heel and that part of his body remained mortal. During the Trojan War, the Trojan Paris fired an arrow at Achille’s heel and killed him.
Actaeon
Actaeon was a hunter who saw the goddess Artemis bathing. She turned him into a stag and he was killed by his dogs.
Aeneas
Aeneas was a Trojan and a great warrior. He survived the Trojan War and fled to Italy.
Agamemnon
Agamemnon was the commander of the Greeks during the Trojan War
Ajax
Ajax was a great Greek warrior who fought in the Trojan war
Amazons
The Amazons were a mythical race of women warriors
Ambrosia
Ambrosia was the food of the Greek gods
Amphitrite
Amphitrite was the wife of Poseidon the sea god
Andromeda
Andromeda was a princess. Her parents unwisely boasted that she was lovelier than the Nereids. Poseidon flooded the land and to appease him Andromeda was chained to a rock to be sacrificed to a sea monster. Perseus turned up just in time to kill the monster.
Apollo
Apollo was the Greek god of music and poetry. He was also the god of prophecy.
Aphrodite
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love
Arachne
Arachne was a Greek woman who was very good at weaving. The goddess Athene turned her into a spider.
Ares
Ares was the Greek god of war
Argus
Argus was a giant with 100 eyes
Ariadne
Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos of Crete and she helped Theseus to kill the Minotaur
Artemis
Artemis was the goddess of hunting and wild animals
Asclepius
Asclepius was the Greek god of medicine and healing
Asphodel Fields
The Asphodel Fields were a part of the underworld where people who were not particularly good or bad went after their death
Athene
Athene was the Greek goddess of wisdom and crafts
Atlas
Atlas was a titan (a human-shaped giant) who held up the sky to prevent it from falling to earth
Augeus
Augeus owned stables with cattle that had not been cleaned for years. One of the tasks of Hercules was to clean them. he did so by diverting a river through it.
Auster
Auster was the god of the south wind
B
Bellerophon
Bellerophon was a Greek hero who killed the chimera. However, he tried to ride Pegasus the winged horse to Mount Olympus (dwelling place of the gods). Zeus sent a gadfly that stung the horse and threw its rider to the ground.
Boreas
Boreas was the god of the north wind
C
Calliope
Calliope was the muse of epic poetry
Cassandra
Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam of Troy. The god Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy but he later added a curse that nobody would ever believe her prophecies.
Centaurs
Centaurs were mythical beings. They were half human and half horse.
Cerberus
Cerberus was a dog with 3 heads who guarded the underworld and prevented the dead from escaping
Ceres
Ceres was the Greek goddess of agriculture and the harvest
Cerynean hind
The Cerynean hind had golden antlers and bronze hooves. It was caught by Hercules.
Charon
Charon was the boatman who ferried the dead across the River Styx
Charybdis
Charybdis was a huge whirlpool that wrecked ships
Chimera
Chimera had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a snake’s tail
Chiron
Chiron was one of the centaurs
Chloris
Chloris was the Greek goddess of flowers
Circe
Circe was a sorceress who met Odysseus
Clio
Clio was the muse of history
Cronos
Cronos was the leader of the Titans. He was overthrown by his son Zeus.
Cyclops
The Cyclops were one-eyed giants. The most famous was Polyphemus who was outwitted by Odysseus. The Cyclops were children of Gaia the earth goddess and Uranus the sky god.
D
Daedalus
Daedalus was the first man to fly with his son Icarus
Danae
Danae was the mother of the hero Perseus
Demeter
Demeter was the Greek goddess of harvests and fertility
Deucalion
In the Greek version of the flood story Zeus sent a terrible flood. Deucalion built an ark and survived with his wife Pyrrah.
Diomedes
Diomedes was a Greek hero who fought in the Trojan War
Dionysus
Dionysus was the Greek god of wine
Dryads
Dryads were female spirits who lived in woods and groves
E
Echidna
Echidna was part woman and part snake
Echo
Echo was a nymph. The goddess Hera cursed her so she could only repeat what other people said. Unable to speak to her lover Echo faded away till only her voice remained.
Elysian Fields
The Elysian Fields were part of the underworld. They were a paradise for the righteous after death.
Endymion
Endymion was a handsome man. Zeus put him into an eternal sleep in which he never grew old.
Eos
Eos was the goddess of the dawn
Erato
Erato was the muse of love poetry
Eris
Eris was the goddess of discord
Eros
Eros was a Greek god who made people fall in love by piercing them with his arrows. He was the son of Aphrodite.
Erymanthian boar
The Erymanthian boar was a ferocious beast captured by Hercules
Eurydice
Eurydice was the wife of Orpheus
Euris
Euris was the god of the East wind
Europa
Europa was a princess of Tyre. The chief god Zeus appeared to her in the form of a bull and took her to Crete. She was the mother of King Minos.
Euterpe
Euterpe was the muse of music
F
Fates
The fates were 3 goddesses who decided each person’s destiny
G
Gaia
Gaia was the first goddess. She was the earth goddess and she gave birth to Uranus the sky god. Later she gave birth to the Cyclops and the Titans.
Galatea
Galatea was the statue made by Pygmalion who became a woman
Ganymede
Ganymede was a boy who was abducted by the gods and became their cupbearer
Gorgon
A gorgon was a female monster with snakes for hair. Gorgons were so hideous they turned anyone who saw them into stone.
H
Harmonia
Harmonia was the goddess of harmony
Harpies
Harpies were evil creatures, part women, part birds
Hector
Hector was a Trojan warrior. He was killed by Achilles.
Hecuba
Hecuba was the queen of Troy and the mother of Paris
Helen
Helen was the wife of Menelaus. A Trojan prince called Paris took her to Troy.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire and craftsmen
Hera
Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of marriage
Hercules
Hercules was a hero. He was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman and he performed a series of heroic tasks known as the labours of Hercules.
Hermes
Hermes was the messenger of the Greek gods
Hesperides
Herperides were nymphs who looked after the golden apples that belonged to Hera
Hestia
Hestia was the Greek goddess of the hearth (the centre of family life)
Hippolyta
Hippolyta was a queen of the Amazons (women warriors)
Hydra
The hydra was a snake-like monster with 9 heads. It was eventually killed by Hercules.
Hypnos
Hypnos was the god of sleep. Our word hypnosis comes from him.
I
Icarus
Icarus was the son of Daedalus the first man to fly. Unfortunately, Icarus flew too near the sun and the wax holding his feathers melted.
Iphigenia
Iphigenia was the daughter of Agamemnon. She was sacrificed by her father.
Iris
Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow
Ixion
Ixion was an evil man who was punished by being tied to a wheel of fire that rolled forever
J
Jason
Jason was a hero who led a group of heroes in a quest to obtain the golden fleece. They were called the Argonauts after their ship the Argo.
L
Labyrinth
The Labyrinth was an underground maze in Knossos in Crete. The Minotaur lived there.
Leda
Leda was the queen of Sparta and the mother of Helen
M
Maenads
Maenads were female followers of the god Dionysus
Medusa
Medusa was a gorgon. She was killed by Perseus.
Melpomene
Melpomene was the muse of tragedy
Menelaus
Menelaus was a Greek king. His wife was Helen.
Midas
Midas was king of Phrygia (in what is now Turkey). He foolishly wished that everything he touched would turn to gold.
Minotaur
The Minotaur was a monster with a human body and a bull’s head. He lived in a labyrinth in Crete. Every 9 years 7 young men and 7 young women from Athens were sent to be devoured by him. He was killed by Theseus.
Morpheus
Morpheus was the Greek god of dreams
Muses
The muses were goddesses of the arts and branches of knowledge. They inspired human artists and thinkers.
N
Naiads
The Naiads were freshwater nymphs who presided over streams, rivers, and lakes
Narcissus
Narcissus was a young man who fell in love with his reflection
Nectar
Nectar was the drink of the Greek gods
Nemean Lion
The Nemean Lion was a ferocious beast with skin so tough no weapon could penetrate it. Hercules managed to strangle it.
Nemesis
Nemesis was the Greek goddess of vengeance and retribution
Nereids
Nereids were nymphs of the sea
Nymphs
Nymphs were minor goddesses
O
Odysseus
Odysseus was king of Ithaca. He fought in the Trojan War and on his journey home he had many adventures, which are told in the Odyssey.
Mount Olympus
Olympus was the dwelling place of the main Greek gods
Orpheus
Orpheus was a musician. He was one of the Argonauts.
Orthus
Orthus was a two-headed dog
P
Paris
Paris was a Trojan prince who killed Achilles
Patroclus
Patroclus was a Greek warrior in the Trojan War. He was killed by the Trojan Hector.
Pelops
Pelops was the son of Tantalus. His father killed him and served him at a feast for the gods. They brought him back to life. The goddess Demeter had eaten one of his shoulders but they replaced it with ivory.
Penelope
Penelope was the wife of Odysseus
Pentheus
Pentheus was king of Thebes. He tried to stop the worship of the god Dionysius and was torn limb from limb.
Pan
Pan was the Greek god of shepherds. In appearance, he was half man, half goat.
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman
Pegasus
Pegasus was a winged horse
Persephone
Persephone was the daughter of the gods Zeus and Demeter. For part of the year she lived in the underworld with Hades and during that time Demeter refused to let anything grow.
Perseus
Perseus was a hero who killed Medusa and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster
Phyllis
Phyllis was a woman who was turned into an almond tree
Pirithous
Pirithous was king of the Lapiths and a friend of Theseus
Plutus
Plutus was the Greek god of wealth
Polydeuces
Polydeuces was a Greek hero. He was one of the Argonauts.
Polyhymnia
Polyhymnia was the muse of sacred poetry
Poseidon
Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea
Priam
Priam was king of Troy
Procrustes
Procustes offered hospitality to travellers. He then made them fit a bed by stretching their limbs if they were too short and cutting off parts if they were too long. Procrustes was killed by the hero Theseus.
Prometheus
Prometheus was a Titan. He stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mankind. As a punishment Zeus chained him to a rock and an eagle ate his liver each day. (It regrew each time it was eaten).
Pygmalion
Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue of a woman he had carved. The goddess Aphrodite turned the statue into a real woman.
Psyche
Psyche was a mortal woman but Zeus made her immortal so she could marry Eros
Pyrrha
Pyrrha was the wife of Deucalion, the hero who survived the flood
R
Rhea
Rhea was one of the titans. She married Cronos, ruler of the Titans. She had 6 children, the gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, and the goddesses Hestia, Hera, and Demeter.
S
Satyrs
Satyrs were creatures who looked like young men but they had horse tails and ears
Semele
Semele was the human mother of the god Dionysus. (Zeus was his father).
Silenus
Silenus was a satyr. He was usually drunk!
Sirens
The Sirens were part birds and part women. They lived on an island with a rocky shore and they sang a song so beautiful that passing sailors would sail towards them and be shipwrecked on the rocks.
Sisyphus
Sisyphus was a king who, after his death was punished by being made to roll a huge boulder up a hill. Every time he did it rolled back down again.
Sphinx
In Greek mythology, the sphinx had the body of a lion, the head of a woman, and wings like an eagle
Styx
In Greek mythology, the River Styx was the boundary between the world of the living and the underworld. The dead had to cross it in a boat.
T
Talos
Talos was a giant living, bronze statue that guarded Crete.
Tantalus
Tantalus was an evil man who invited the gods to a feast and served them his son as food! As a punishment, Tantalus was made to stand in a pool of water but whenever he tried to drink the water receded from him. Over his head were the branches of fruit trees but whenever he tried to eat fruit the branches moved out of his reach. This myth gave us the English word tantalise.
Tartarus
Tartarus was a place where evil people were punished after death
Telemachus
Telemachus was the son of the hero Odysseus
Terpsichore
Terpsichore was the muse of dancing
Thalia
Thalia was the muse of comedy
Thanatos
Thanatos was the god of death
Theseus
Theseus was the Ancient Greek hero who killed the Minotaur
Thetis
Thetis was a nereid or sea nymph. She was the mother of Achilles
Tiresias
Tiresias was a blind seer (a person who could see the future)
Titans
The Titans were a race of giants who ruled the Earth until they were overthrown by the gods of Olympus
Triton
Triton was a sea god. He was the son of Poseidon and he acted as his herald.
Tyche
Tyche was the Greek goddess of fortune
Typhon
Typhon was a giant monster. There are different versions of how he looked but he is usually described as having a human upper half and snake coils instead of legs.
U
Urania
Urania was the muse of astronomy
Uranus
Uranus was the sky god. He was the son and husband of Gaia the earth goddess. He was the father of the Cyclops and the Titans. Uranus was overthrown by his son Cronos.
Z
Zephyr
Zephyr was the god of the west wind
Zeus
Zeus was the ruler of the Greek gods. He also controlled lightning, thunder, and rain.