Greek Religion, Myth and Legend

Chaos - empty space which produced Ge (The Earth)

Titans

Name Attributes Spouses Family
Astraeus father of stars    
Atlas carries world    
Coeus      
Cronos   sister, Rhea Zeus, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, Hades
Iapetus     Prometheus, Atlas, Epimetheus
Hyperion sun    
Helios sun, identified with Hyperion/Apollo    
Prometheus gave fire to man    

Gods

Name Attributes Parents/Family Wives
Achelous river god daughter, Callirhoe  
Adonis Syrian deity    
Anteros mutual love half- brother of Eros  
Apollo (Cynthus, Phoebus, Loxias, Musagetes, the Pythian, ) father of Aristhaeus, Asclepius Cyrene, Coronis
Ares war    
Asclepius healing son of Apollo and Coronis  
Asopus river god    
Attis vegetation    
Charon ferries souls to Hades if paid    
Dionysus      
Enipeus      
Enyalios      
Epahus   son of Zeus and Io  
Erebus darkness son of Chaos  
Erechteus      
Eros love son of Zeus/Hermes and Aphrodite  
Evenus river god    
Hades Underworld son of Cronus and Rhea  
Helios sun   Perse, mother of Circe
Hephaestus earth, fire metalwork son of Zeus and Hera father of Charis Aphrodite?
Hermaphroditus joined with nymph Salmacis son of Hermes and Aphrodite  
Hermes (Atlantiades, Cyllenius) travellers, traders, thieves, winged messenger son of Zeus and Maia  
Hymen weddings    
Hypnus sleep    
Iasion/Iasius/Iasus lover of Demeter son of Zeus and Electra  
Myrtilus   son of Hermes  
Nereus sea son of Pontus and Ge Doris
Palaemon/Melicertes sea son of Athamas and Ino  
Pan man/goat, shepherds, mischief, panic    
Phorcys sea father of Ladon, Gracae, Echidne, Gorgons  
Poseidon sea and thunder (Hippios, Bluehaired)    
Priapus fertility, lust, donkey son of Dionysos and Aphrodite  
Proteus subject of Poseidon    
Triton sea son of Poseidon and Amphitrite  
Zeus chief father of Arcas, Castor, Polydeuces  
Phaeton charioteer of sun son of Helios and Clymene  
Idas   son of Poseidon + twin of Lunceus  
Silenus wise satyr tutor of Dionysus  
Uranus      

Goddesses

Name Attributes Parents/Family Husbands
Aphaia      
Aphrodite love (the Cytherean)    
Arethusa river goddess    
Artemis Cynthia twin of Apollo  
Athene wisdom    
Demeter      
Dia mother    
Earth Gaea/Ge   mother of Uranus etc.  
Eos dawn    
Eris quarrels    
Hecate underworld, sorcery    
Hera orig living things, marriage childbirth Chronus and Rhea Zeus
Hestia hearth Zeus and Hera  
Hygeia health    
Ilithyia / Eileithyia childbirth Hera  
Leucothea foaming sea 'white goddess'    
Metis   mother of Athene  
Mnemosyne memory daughter of Uranus + mother of the Musae Zeus
Nemesis retribution Oceanus  
Nike victory/competition Pallas and Styx  
Perse   Oceanus Helios
Persephone   Zeus and Demeter  
Psyche soul personified    
Rhodos/Rhode   Poseidon Helios
Selene identified with Artemis    
Tyche/Tuche luck Zeus  
Leto d Coeus + Phoebe Artemis and Zeus Apollo
Rhea   Ge and Uranus  
Tethys     Oceanus
Themis law, justice Ge and Uranus

mother of Horae and Moerae

Zeus (before Hera)

Musae/Muses

The nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, (Memory) daughter of Uranus

Calliope - epic poetry Clio - history Erato - mime
Euterpe - lyric poetry, music Melpomene - tragedy Polyhymnia - hymns
Terpsichore - song, dance Thalia - comedy Urania - astronomy

Charities/Graces

(orig. just Charis, wife of Hephaestus)

Aglaia Euphrosyne Thalia

Fates/Moirae

(Latin Parcae)

daughters of Zeus and Themis

Clotho spins thread of life
Lachesis measures thread
Atropos cuts thread

Nymphs

Acis Caenis Calypso Cassiopeia Echo Egeria
Galatea Idaea Leuce Oenone Parthenope Pluto
Syrinx Tyro        

Nereids

50 beautiful sea nymphs, daughters of Nereus + Doris

Amphitrite Thetis Peliea ?      

Oceanides

sea nymphs, 40 daughters of Oceanus

Naiads

fresh-water nymphs

Horae

(Hours)

Daughters of Zeus and Themis identified with nature and the seasons

Irene-peace          

Hyades

nymphs who looked after infant Dionysius on Mt Nys

Hesperides

'daughters of evening' Maidens who guarded golden apples with the dragon, ladon

Harpies

'snatchers' Spirits of the wind who carried people to their deaths, later winged monsters

Bacchae

Bassaris          

Gorgones

daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, sisters of the Gracae

Medusa Stheno Euryale      

Gracae

Three old women living on Mt Atlas who shared one eye and one tooth

Erinnyes

Three daughters of Mother Earth by the blood of Uranus who personified conscience and punished sacrilege. Called Eumenides - 'Kindly Ones' to ward them off?

Alecto Magaera/Megaeia Tisiphone

Pleiades

daughters of Atlas + Pleione

Electra Halcyone Maia (eldest) Merope    

Empusae

daughters of Hecate

Lamia d Belus

Epigoni

Descendants of the Seven Against Thebes

Centaurs

offspring of Ixion and a cloud, half men, half horses

Ch(e)iron (Philyrides)    

Arion - horse son of Zeus

Lapithae

Half brothers of the Centaurs led by Pirithoos, son of Ixion and Dia who married Hippodamia.

Elatus Phlegyas        

Giants

Gigantes : 24 sons of Ge and Uranus

Alcyoneus Enceladus Ephialtes Minas Pallas Polybotes
Porphyrion          

Enceladus Periphetes Tityus      

Laestrygones

giant cannibals led by Lamus

Hecatoncheires

100 handed giants, sons of Ge + Uranus

Gyes/Gyges Cottus Briareus/Acgaeon

Cyclopes

one-eyed giants

Arges Brontes Polyphemus Steropes    

Winds

Direction Name Parents Children
North Boreas   Calais, Zetes
South-East Eurus Astraeus and Eos  
South-West Notus/Auster Astraeus and Eos  
West Zephyrus    
       

Animals

Cerberus - dog who guarded Hades
Ceryneian Hind - had brass feet and gold antlers Caught by Heracles
Crommyum Sow - wild sow killed by Theseus
Laelaps - hound
Orthrus - two headed dog, son Ech +T
Pegasus - winged horse
Erymanthian Boar - captured by Herakles

Monsters

Name Appearance Parents  
Minotaur ½ man, ½ bull Pasiphae and Cretan Bull killed by Theseus
Echidne ½ woman, ½ serpent    
Typhon   Ge and Tartarus  
Chimeira lion head, goat body, serpent tail, firy breath Echidne and Typhon killed by Bellerophon
Hydra of Lerna   Echidne and Typhon  
Charybdis sea swallower    
Scylla turned into 6 headed monster by Ampitrite Zeus  
Geryon      
       

People

Hellen ancestor of Hellenes son of Phrrya and Deucalion  
Ion ancestor of Ionians    
Pelops   sons: Chrysippus, Atreus wife: Hippodameia

Priam

legendary king of Troy, son of Laomedon (originally called Podarces). Father of 50 sons and 50 daughters, 19 by Hecuba. Sons

Deiphobus Hector Helenus Paris Polites Polydorus yg
Troilus          

Daughters

Polyxena Laodice Cassandra twin of Helenus

Spartii

'sown men' : sprang from dragon's teeth sown by Cadmus. Five survived their fight.

Cthonius Echion Hyperenor Pelorus Udaeus  

Argonauts

sailed with Jason

Acastus Caeneus Calais Cepheus Echion Iphicles
Oileus Periclymenus Zetes      

Heroes

Achilles - son of Peleus and Thetis, father of Neoptolemus by Deidameia, d of Lycomedes
Ajax - fought Hector at Troy
Theseus
Aegeus - (T's father)
Acamas, Demophon, Hippolytos
Heracles ( Amphitroniades, Alcides)

Labrys (f) Twoheaded axe

Crete

Potnia mother goddess    

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This collection of names compiled by Kate Monk. Copyright January 1997, Kate Monk. Last updated July, 98. Copies may be made for personal use only.