Greek Goddesses - Lebanese Pantheon

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The Greek Goddesses
Every Greek Goddess You've Heard Of And A Bunch You Haven't
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Aceso
Aceso was a goddess personifying the healing process. She was
the daughter of Epione and Asclepius (the main healer dude)
and was worshipped with the rest of her family in Epidauros.
Achelois
Achelois means "she who drives away pain". She was a Moon
Goddess, which wasn't really that uncommon. The Dodonian
Oracle ordered sacrifice to her. But according to Tzetzes (this
old Roman dude), Achelois was one of the seven Muses said to
be the daughters of Pierus.
Achlys
She was the personification of Eternal Night, what was
believed to have presaged Chaos. There was another who
personified Misery, and Hesiod described her in the Shield of
Heracles: "And beside them [the Keres and the Moirai] was
standing Akhlys, dismal and dejected, green and pale, dirtydry, fallen in on herself with hunger, knee-swollen, and the
nails were grown long on her hands, and from her nostrils the
drip kept running, and off her cheeks the blood dribbled to the
ground, and she stood there, grinning forever, and the dust that
had gathered and lay in heaps on her
shoulders was muddy with tears." How
pleasant.
Adicia
Adicia was the female personification of
injustice. According to Pausanias there
was this picture of the beautiful Dike dragging the ugly Adikia
and beating her with a staff.
Adrastea
The name means something like, "unyielding," and is a
surname of Nemesis. Another chica named Adrastea was the
daughter of Amaltheia (a nymph) and King Melisseus of Crete,
and she took care of the infant Zeus with her sister, Ida, and the
Curetes (these guys - whom some say were her brothers - who
danced around and beat their weapons really loudly so that
Cronos wouldn't hear Zeus' cries). Adrastea was a good
babysitter and kept baby Zeus occupied with a pretty globe.
Aedos
She was the personification of Modesty or Shame. She is often
mentioned alongside Nemesis, who was goddess pretty big on
conscience. Penelope's dad, Icarius, built a statue of Aedos
about 6 miles outside of Sparta after his darling daughter left
him for Odysseus.
Aega
Aega was a lot of people. I will mention the more important
ones. In one version she and her sisters suckled the infant Zeus
and she was put in the sky later as the constellation Capella. In
another version, she was chosen to suckle Zeus but couldn't cut
it, so Amalthea came in to take her place. In another version
she was a daughter of Helios who was so bright that when the
Titans were attacking Olympus they had to ask Gaia to hide her
- then she was stuck in a cave, where she ended up suckling
Zeus. Zeus got the aegis from the goat version of Aega. Aega is
mostly translated as "goat," but can also be said to be "gale of
wind."
Aegle
One of the daughters of Aesclepius and Lampetia, or, more
commonly, Epione. Like her sisters she was a Goddess of
Healing. But she, like Iaso, is very rarely considered to be
above demi-goddess level. Human Aegle was a couple of
different people. There was also a nymph Aegle. Her name
means "Brightness" or "Splendor" and she personified the
"glowing health of the human body."
Aglaia
I'm not sure I should put her up here in her own
entry. Aglaia was, as you can probably figure
out from the entry above, the personification of
bright splendorous magnificence. She was the wife of
Hephaistos and the mother of some Graces, but the reason I
don't think she should get her own entry is because she WAS
one of the three Graces (Charites). The reason she ultimately
got her own entry is because despite her inclusion in that
number, she was also sometimes referred to as The Grace, the
one who embodied all three. Also, an important note,
apparently she had large breasts.
Aergia
Aergia is the
personification of
laziness. Her parents, as
if these details really
matter, were Gaia and
Aither (the Upper Air).
Aesa
Aesa was a (not the)
personification of
destiny. She is
described sometimes as
one of the Fates, but others say that she is from Argive only,
and others say that she should be viewed in tandem with Ate.
She had a sword. Yes.
Aetae
See the Litae.
Aetna
Aetna was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus. She was the
personification of Mt. Etna, you know, the one Zeus threw on
Typhon? What? You don't? Well, then you should keep looking
for the new myths page filled with creation stories! Anyway,
back to Aetna. She was a volcano (thanks to the fire-breathing
Typhon, who lives underneath her). When Demeter and
Hephaestus were arguing over Sicily (land of volcanoes and
corn) Aetna stepped in to arbitrate. She is regarded in Sicilian
myth as the mother of the Palici (twin Sicilian gods of geysers,
no not fogies, like water geysers).
Agdistis
Agdistis was a totally awesome figure in mythology, and I'll
probably move her to the goddess section soon, because she's
really not so monstrous. It all started when Zeus had a wet
dream and came on Gaia - that is, the ground. Gaia, fecund as
we all know, got pregnant, and Agdistis soon emerged. She was
born a hermaphrodite, but her bi-sexed body totally intimidated
the gods, who feared that her body made her so powerful that
she'd take over the world. So they cut off her penis. They
buried it in the ground and it grew into an almond tree (think
about THAT the next time you eat a handful of almonds) and
the daughter of the Sangarius river came along and, according
to Pausanias, put one of the almonds between her breasts
(whatever floats your boat ...). Although this may seem a little
unorthodox, the almond disappeared and - surprise surprise Nana (the nymph) found out that she was pregnant. She had a
child named Attis - who grew up to be a major hottie, and then
Agdistis fell in love with him. Agdistis, apparently, was still
pretty intimidating, and Attis' relatives weren't down with her,
so they sent him off to marry a princess, but Agdistis showed
up at the wedding in true romantic style. The only thing is,
when she stood up to say, "Wait! You can't marry that girl, I
love you!" (or whatever), instead of everything working out
happily ever after, Attis went completely nuts. He ran into the
wilderness and castrated himself and, as this story goes, bled to
death. His spirit entered a pine tree, but Agdistis was less
worried about the soul, and more worried about the body, and
she asked Zeus if he could preserve the body eternally for her.
It's a little kinky, if you ask me, but as we all know, Zeus is
down with kink, so he agreed and they put the body in a tomb
in the sanctuary of Cybele (Rhea). Eventually, Agdistis became
an epithet of Cybele's. There were ceremonies replaying the
whole Attis myth every year, and I hope to get the whole Attis
myth in
the Myth Pages one of these days.
Alala
The
cry.
Alcmene
female personification of the war-
In Greek mythology, Alcmene was the mother of Heracles
who, after she died, was worshipped as a Goddess in Thebes
and Athens. The story goes that after she died, Zeus got
Heracles to steal her body and put a stone in her coffin in her
place. Then Zeus brought her to the Isles of the Blessed where
she was revived and married Rhadamanthys (he was cool, trust
me).
Alcyone
Alcyone, also said
"Halcyone," is the Goddess
of the Sea, the Moon, Calm,
and Tranquility. There was
also a Pleiade named
Alcyone (check out the
Nymphs page for that). She
was the daughter of Aeolus
and wife of Ceyx. She and
Ceyx were a very happy
couple, but then Ceyx died in a shipwreck and Alcyone threw
herself into the sea (what can you do? She was a silly young
girl then). The gods took pity and turned the two into birds
(Alcyone became a halcyon, or a kingfisher, and Ceyx became
a ceyx, or a gannet). Alcyone made her nest on the beach, and
waves were big and scary, but the gods made the sea calm so
she could lay her eggs. Therefore, "halcyon days," when storms
never occur. Ahhhhhhh. It is she who brings life to death and
death to life.
Alectrona
Alectrona was an early Goddess of the Sun, who became a
daughter of Helios once classical myth, ie, patriarchal myth,
came along.
Alethia
Alethia was the Goddess of Truth. She was born of Zeus and
Apollo's nurse.
Algea
She was the personification of Sorrow and Grief. She was the
daughter of Eris.
Alphito
Alphito was the Arcadian White Grain Goddess as a Sow. But
by Classical timesshe was barely remembered. She was given
sole rights over the ability to inflict leprosy. Scary. But she was
kind of scary, so . . . Again, I have lost my source, so I can't
verify this at all. What I CAN say for sure is that "alphito" is
the Greek word for "barley."
Amphictyonis
Amphictyonis, now there's a mouthful, she was the Goddess of
Wine, and of Friendship Between Nations. I could see how she
could come in handy, but I don't see how anyone drunk on the
Wine that she's the Goddess of could say a toast in her name!
Actually, Amphictyonis was just a surname of Demeter, to
whom sacrifices were offered at the beginning of every meeting
(in Thermopylae).
Amphitrite
Amphitrite was a
Nereid (or possibly an
Oceanid, depending
on who like better)
and she married
Poseidon. She was the
Goddess of the
Mediterranean Sea.
Her symbol is the
dolphin. The stories
say that she was not a
jealous wife, and
didn't care if her husband slept with anyone else (except for
Scylla, who she poisoned and turned into a sea-monster, unless
of course that was Circe). Her children were Triton,
Benthesicyme, and Rhode. Her name means, "the third one
who encircles," how mysterious. She and her sister, Thetis,
shared the surname Halosydne, which means "sea-born." Okay,
this description blows. She sounds totally boring, and the thing
is that I don't think she was. In fact, I find her a lot closer to
how a "normal woman" would be than in fact many of the
human women listed here. She didn't immediately go for her
husband, but fell for him after he tried really hard. She
generally put up with his shenanigans, but got pissed every
once in a while (like when she turned Scylla into a monster).
She had a job, she did it, but didn't get that much worship for it
(Poseidon tended to get that), however people did like
recognizing her for her beauty and image. A virtual paradigm
of womanhood in a patriarchal world this goddess! You could
even claim to see the self-perpetuating cycle of women in
patriarchal power in her demand for a sacrifice of virgin girls
from the first settlers of Lesbos. Heh.
Anaitis
Anaitis was an Asiatic goddess who represented the creative
powers of nature. She had slaves from famous families - the
women she made temple prostitutes, the men she made were
made protectors of the land surrounding the temple. The
Greeks associated her with both Aphrodite (obviously) and
Artemis (not so obviously).
Ananke
Ananke was the Goddess of Fate and Necessity. Her nature was
extremely unalterable so she didn't have very many temples. I
guess people figured that they wouldn't change her mind. She
was also the mother of the Fates and Adrastea (though some
people say that their mother was Themis).
Anchiale
Anchiale was a Titaness and the mother of the Dactyls (Five
brothers who were masters of metallurgy and sorcery). Since
the Dactyls are also considered the children of Rhea, perhaps
Anchiale is just another name for that Goddess.
Antheia
Antheia was the Goddess of Vegetation, Lowlands,
Marshlands, Gardens, Blossoms, the Budding Earth, and
Human Love.
Apate
Apate was the Goddess of Deceit, she was one of the Spirits in
Pandora's box. Her parents were Nyx and Erebus.
*Aphrodite*
Aphrodite was the Goddess of
Love and Beauty. She's
definitely important enough to
have her own page. According
to The Odyssey she was the
daughter of Zeus and Dione,
other myths speak of her as
springing from the blood of
Uranus after Cronus castrated
him, and floating on the sea to
Greece, where she was met by the Three Graces (who will be
discussed later). The latter is the more accepted version.
Personally I dislike her because she is exceedingly vain and
thinks only of herself. I like to laugh at her eternal beauty and
loveliness because she was a great grandmother of another
God, Dionysus (who she also had a child by). She was married
to Hephaestus, the Smith God, but she lusted after Ares, the
much disliked God of War. She was also the patron Goddess of
Prostitutes. Read more about Aphrodite.
Arae
The personifications of curses. They were invoked during the
spells of witches.
Arce
The sister of Iris. Before the Olympian Gods took over, she was
the Messenger Goddess for the Titans. When Zeus took the
throne, he cast Arce into Tartarus.
Arete
Arete was Heracles' teacher and a Goddess of Justice.
*Artemis*
She's definitely my favorite goddess, and so, of course,
has her own page. Artemis was the Goddess of the Hunt. She
had 50 hounds and 50 Dreiads (wood nymphs) and a quiver full
of painless silver arrows. She was the daughter of Zeus and
Leto as well as being last of the Three Maiden Goddesses. She
was also a part of the Triple Goddess. The Triple Goddess was
the Moon in three forms. Artemis didn't carry the moon across
the sky, yet she was still known as the moon. Although she was
stunningly beautiful, she was very cold and she swore never to
marry. She had only one love, a hunter named Orion (and even
that's debatable). She was the Protector of Young Women. She
was incredibly cool (coming from a young woman). The
picture is copyrighted by Hrana Janto, who is the painter - with
whose kind permission I am using the painting. You can check
out some of her other Goddess (and other) paintings on her site.
Read more about Artemis.
Astarte
Astarte was the Fertility Goddess, she was helpful whether one
wanted to bear a child or plant a garden.
Asteria
Asteria was a daughter of Phoebe, a sister of Leto. She hurled
herself into the Sea after being abducted by Zeus. She became
the island of the same name.
Astraea
Astraea was a Goddess of
Justice, Innocence, and Purity.
It is generally accepted that she
was the daughter of Themis and
of Zeus. She was the last
immortal to withdraw from the
Earth after the Golden Age. It
was she that held aloft the
scales weighing the opposing
parties claims. When she joined
the rest of the Gods in the stars, she became the constellation
Virgo.
Ate
She was the Goddess of Evil and Misfortune and also the
personification of Infatuation - "the rash foolishness of blind
impulse, usually caused by guilt and leading to retribution. She
was, (surprise surprise) the daughter of Eris (see below) and
Zeus. She was a temptress, and lead humans toward evil. She
actually trapped Zeus once, but he would have none of that, and
threw her (literally) off Olympus. She has sisters, the Litai (or
Prayers), who follow her around and clean up her messes.
Auxesia
Auxesia was a Goddess of Growth.
*Athena*
I could talk about Athena forever, but I'll
attempt to be brief. She's definitely
important enough to have her own page.
Athena was the Patron Goddess of
Athens, the Goddess of Wisdom, and the
Goddess of Weaving. She was the
Goddess of lots of other things, too, but I'm being brief. She
was also a warrior and another of the Three Virgin Goddesses.
Her father was Zeus. Technically her mother was Metis
(Goddess of Prudence), but it is generally accepted that she had
no mother. Athena was Greece's favorite Goddess, and there
are many stories about her. Read more about Athena.
Bia
I had Bia in here before, but then I thought she was a guy. Now
I know she is a girl and she's back. She's the personification of
Force and Power, the daughter of Pallas and Styx. Yeah, I
gotta learn more about Pallas. Anyone who knows - please give
me a write, 'k? Anyway, she's the sister of Nike, Cratos and
Zelus. She bound Prometheus as punishment for his stealing
fire from the Gods for us insignificant humans.
Bolbe
A Lake Goddess.
Brimo
A Goddess of Death.
Britomartis
A Minoan (as in, from
Crete) Goddess of
Hunting Nets. She was
chased by Minos (that
was a title of the King
of Crete, not
necessarily his name),
but instead of letting
him have his way with
her, she committed
suicide by jumping off
a cliff. She is often
showed with a baby and a snake. Her mom was another
goddess from Crete - but an agricultural demi-goddess, not a
hunter like Britomartis. She was also apparently called
Dictynna (although I have also seen this as a name for Artemis
who had her own relationship with Britomartis), and that name
refers directly to her as the Lady of the Nets. She really didn't
dig the whole dude thing, either, which is another reason she
ran with Artemis.
Brizo
She was worshipped by the women of Delos (not the men, for
some odd reason) as the Protector of Mariners. Food offerings
were set out for her in little boats (no fish, of course). Brizo
was (or gave answers to) an oracle who gave answers in dreams
about navigation and fishing matters. Very interesting. Hmmm.
That's one I didn't know about before Encyclopedia Mythica.
Caligo
Called the mother of Chaos. With Chaos, she gave birth to
Nyx.
Callipygos
This is sometimes a surname for Aphrodite. It means "beautiful
buttocks".
Calypso
There's more on her in the nymph
section, but now she's here to, as
she should be. Daughter of the
Titan Atlas, she lived on the island
Ogygia. This was where Mr.
Odysseus (of the Odyssey, yes,
that's one you should know) was
washed ashore. Calypso fell in love
with this shipwrecked hunk o'
burnin' love, and offered him eternal life to stay with her
(which he refused, good for him - he had a wife, Penelope).
They were lovers, though against his will. After seven years,
Athena complained for Odysseus to Zeus, and Hermes was sent
to Calypso to order her to set him free. She did so reluctantly,
helping him make a small boat to get free of the island. Oooh,
and her name means Hidden or Hider. Very appropriate, no?
Carya
Carya was a pre-classical mythology goddess. She was the
Goddess of the Walnut Tree. That is a Cool Ass job. Wow.
Later she was added to the Artemis myth, as Caryatis.
Castalia
A fountain Goddess. She had a fountain on Mt. Parnassus that
was the sacred place of the Muses.
Celaeno
Now this is a chica with a lot of choices. Her name means the
Dark and she was also known as Podarge (Fleetfoot) as one of
the Harpies. Celaeno the Harpy was the mama of Xanthus and
Balius, the magic horses of Achilles (by Zephyrus, her lover).
Of course, another version of Celaeno says she is a Pleiade, and
the lover of Poseidon, mother of Lycus by him (and Deucalion
by Prometheus, besides). This is one busy lady.
Cer
The personification of Violent Death. She was a daughter of
Nyx.
Ceto
Ceto was one of the original Titans. She was one of the few
who had a true mate: Phorcys. In addition to being her husband,
Phorcys was her brother. As were Thaumas and Eurybia. Ceto
and Phorcys were the parents of the Gorgons. Ceto was the
personification of all the Horrors of the Sea.
The Charites
The Charites (or the Graces) were three happy Goddesses of
Beauty. They were named:



Aglaia, Splendor
Euphrosyne, Mirth
Thalia, Good Cheer
They were the first ones to welcome Aphrodite when she was
blown to shore by the East Wind. The three of them rode in a
chariot pulled by white geese. Their name in Greek would have
been the Charites. They were the daughters of Zeus and
Eurynome (see below). Originally (as in pre-classical
mythology), they were goddesses of fertility and nature and
were much more closely associated with the underworld and
the Eleusinian mysteries. If you haven't read Mary Renault's
The King Must Die read it now. It doesn't talk about the
Charites, but read it anyway.
Chloe
An epithet for Demeter. It means the Young Green. Muy
interesante, no?
Chloris
Chloris was the Goddess of Flowers. She is the spouse of
Zephyrus, the West Wind. He abducted her and gave her
dominion over flowers. That picture right next to this, that's
Chloris (not Flora). This was also the name of the only child of
Niobe spared by Apollo and Artemis. She was also known as
Flora, and that's the title of the picture on the left by Evelyn de
Morgan.
Circe
Circe was the daughter
of Hecate (or Perse) and Helios (the Sun-God). She was a
union of opposites. Just look at her parents: one is the Dark
Moon and the other is the Sun. The sorcery bit goes hand in
hand with the celestial powers, so that's alright, but just
mentioning that she was witchy does not begin to encompass
her. Her biggest part is played in the Odyssey (you don't
remember? I'm so ashamed ...), and she had her own island
(near her dad's, actually) off the coast of Italy where she liked
to catch sailors and other random men and turn them into things
(like pigs). Apparently, she was also pretty good in the sack,
because Odysseus delayed his "urgent" return to Penelope at
least a year and contributed his sperm towards at least two kids
(Telegonus and Cassiphone). Although she wasn't thrilled to
see him go (like her predecessor Calypso she gave him super
good advice that he actually followed (always listen to
witches!). There's some funky endings to that relationship
including that Penelope brought Odysseus' body to be buried on
Circe's island after he died (what?) and that Odysseus' son
killed Circe and then that Cassiphone killed him. Another story
that made it to the myth pages about Circe and Scylla (and
Glaucus) can be found here.
Cotys
A Goddess of Sexuality and Fertility.
Cotytto
A Thracian Goddess of Immodesty
and Debauchery.
Cybele
Cybele wasn't technically a Greek
goddess in that she came from
Phrygia, but she was worshipped in
Greece and Rome and a whole rack of
other places, too so I think she should
be here. It is interesting (at least to
me) that she was never appropriated as completely Greek, but
always seen as exotic (kinda like Dionysus that way). Well,
maybe that's not completely fair since she was super strongly
identified with Rhea. Anyway, she, like a bunch of the big
names, isn't just a personification. She's all up in fertility and
nature and had some crazy mysteries like Demeter, but
Demeter isn't known for orgies, sadomasochism, or gender
queer priests like Cybele is. Interested? Check out her most
important myth in the Myth Pages. You can see her in a very
typical representation in the photo at right.
Cynthia
The epithet of Artemis, because of her birth on Mt. Cynthus on
Delos. For the same reason Apollo is called Cyntheus.
Cytherea
This is an epithet of Aphrodite, referring to her birth rising
from the sea near the island of Cythera, where she was
worshipped mucho mucho more.
Damia
Possible epithet of Demeter. She was a Goddess of Growth in
Nature. I don't know very much about her though.
*Demeter*
Demeter was another daughter
of Rhea and Cronus and one of
the 12 recognized Olympian
Gods. She was the Goddess of
the Harvest or the Goddess of
the Fields and she's definitely
important enough to have her
own page. In her own time she
was revered as much as Zeus was himself because her temper
determined the lives of those on Earth. Centuries ago Greeks
used to break bread in the name of Demeter as well as drink
wine to Dionysus. Sound familiar? Demeter was also the
mother of Persephone (see below). The Eleusinian Mysteries
were dedicated to the worship of both she and her daughter and
I highly recommend that you Read More About Demeter.
Dendritus
Her name means "Tree Youth" and she was a Goddess of Trees.
Derceto
A fertility goddess.
Despina
Despina was (supposedly) the daughter of Poseidon and
Demeter. Her name means Mistress. "Despina" is also an
epithet for multiple goddesses, like Demeter, Aphrodite, and
Persephone.
Dike
I love this Goddess. I think she is too cool (except that Nemesis
is cooler, but that's okay). Yes. Anyway, Dike was probably the
daughter of Zeus and Themis (although parentage is always
debatable). She may have started her career on Earth, but
quickly moved up to sitting on the Right (Dike means Right) of
Zeus as his number one counselor (sitting right across from her
mom, Themis). She was the Goddess of Justice. (Don't you just
love how many Justice and Vengeance Goddesses there were?)
She was "the best of all the virgins" on Olympus, and I assume
that includes Artemis and Athena, so that's saying something.
Dike is also one of the Horae. We've had a bit of debate on this
point. She actually had a daughter, Hesychia, who was the
personification of tranquility, and an attendant of her very own:
Poena. If you did good, she helped you out but punished those
who were bad, for example, the goddess Adikia who she can be
seen dragging around and beating with a staff or hammer.
Dione
Okay, I went a-researchin' in my friend's book of Greek Myths.
It says that Dione was the daughter of Epimetheus, who was
the son of the Titan Japet. She was one possibility as the
mother of Aphrodite. She was believed by some to be an
ancient Earth Goddess, or the Goddess of the Oak. In other
cases it is said that she is the female version of Zeus. (I tend to
hang more with the latter explanation.)
Doris
Doris was best known for being the mother of all of the
Nereids. She was the daughter of Tethys and Oceanus, both
Titans.
Dysnomia
The personification of Lawlessness. She was a daughter of Eris
(see below).
Ececheira
She was really cool. She was the personification of Armistice
and Truce. She was at all the Olympics to keep the peace.
Efreisone
According to P J Criss, it is "the female personification of a
Greek ritual object: a branch of olive wood, twined with wool
and hung with fruits, which was carried in festivals by children
with two living parents."
Eileithia
See Ilythia.
Eireisone
See Efreisone.
Electryone
A moon goddess.
Eleos
A Goddess of Mercy and Pity and was worshipped only in
Athens. Anyone who wanted to be Athens' ally had to approach
her altar as a suppliant.
Elpis
Elpis was the personification of
Hope and gets her only
important role in the story of
Pandora. She is always
represented as fully clothed and
often carrying flowers, as seen
in this image by Edward BurneJones.
Enodia
A Goddess of Crossroads and Gates. Perhaps she was an
epithet of Hecate? Or perhaps the goddess was merely
assimilated into the Hecate's larger cult. Another perhaps:
perhaps she merely disappeared because her cult was so small.
Enyo
Enyo gets to be in The Iliad, the lucky hag. Enyo was the
Goddess of War, she led the Trojans with Ares. Her
companions were Pain, Famine, and Panic. Enyo is one of the
Graiae (the Three Gray Sisters) Enyo is also the mother of Eris
(see below).
Eos
I like Eos a lot because she has
good intentions but if you read
the Odyssey, every other phrase
begins with "The rosy fingered
dawn," she begins to get
annoying. Eos is the Morning
Star, otherwise known as
Dawn. She marries a cute guy
named Tithonus and gives him
eternal life, but forgets to keep
him forever young so eventually he shrivels up and becomes a
cricket. She also was the mother of the winds with Astraeus
and was, at one point, a lover of Ares. That had disasterous
results when Aphrodite got jealous of their fling, and made Eos
fall in love with lots of men who didn't love her back. She is the
sister of Selene and Helios (the Sun). At left is a painting called
"Dawn" by the awesome artist Boris Vallejo, whose site you
should visit and buy things from.
Epione
Epione was the goddess of soothing. In fact, that is just what
her name means. She was the wife of the main healer dude,
Asclepius, and the mother of Aceso, Aegle, Hygeia, Iaso, and
Panaceia. She was worshipped, with the rest of her family, in
Epidauros.
Erida
Erida is Hate. In the Iliad she was sent by Zeus to the Achaians
encampment. There she SCREAMS, when the men awoke
they had forgotten their wives and children and were filled with
Hate. She could only be appeased once blood was spilled. She
was a sister and companion of Ares.
The Erinnyes
The Erinnyes (in English, the Furies) were some seriously
fearsome creatures. They were conceived when Uranus' spilled
blood hit Gaia's body, and were therefore older than any of the
Olympian Gods. "These Erinnyes are crones with snakes for
hair, dogs' heads, coal-black bodies, bats' wings, and bloodshot
eyes. In their hands they carry brass-studded scourges and their
victims die in torment." It isn't a great idea to mention their
names in conversation, so instead you should call them the
Eumenides, or the Kindly Ones. There are three:



Tisiphone, the Avenger
Megara, the Jealous
Alecto, the Unresting
Their purpose was to torment sinners, which they did on Earth
as well is in Tartarus. The sight of one could cause insanity,
and they often drove offenders to suicide. Originally they
punished only offenders of patricide, matricide, or breakers of
oaths, but after a while they punished any sins. They lived in
Erebus (Darkness) but traveled the Earth constantly in search
of transgressors. The Furies get special press in the play the
Eumenides from the Oresteia of Aeschylus. Sadly, the thing
ends with the loss of a lot of their power. During their day they
received plenty of respect, and that included sacrifices of honey
and water. Narcissus flowers and doves seem randomly sacred
to them. If you like them, you should check out their buddies
like the Keres, Dike, Eris, the Harpies, the Fates, Nemesis, and
Poene.
Eris
Eris was the constant companion of Ares (the God of War).
Eris was the Spirit of Discord as well as the Goddess of Strife.
She was Night's daughter and the mother of Battle, Slaughter,
Dispute, Lawlessness - I think you get the point. She is most
known for throwing the Golden Apple of Discord, which, by
the way, began the Trojan War through Aphrodite. Eris was
also said to be the twin of Ares.
Ersa
Ersa was a daughter of Eos (see above), the Dawn, and Zeus.
She was the Goddess of Dew. Her so-called sisters were Pandia
and Nemea, who are really her cousins (their mother was
Selene, a sister of Eos. I don't really know that much about her
though. I'm open to information.
Eucleia
Described by Mr. Bell as an "invented divinity" she was
worshipped as the personification of glory in battle in a
sanctuary in Athens (after their victory over the Spartans at
Marathon). I think she's kind of bizarre given that she was
pretty human and lived a pretty standard life and died a virgin.
But she was certainly worshipped, as I said before, and even
received sacrifices before people got hitched. Eucleia was also
a surname of Artemis meaning, if you haven't figured it out yet,
something along the lines of good glory.
Eumenides
See the Erinnyes.
Eunomia
Her name meant Good Order. She was one of the Horae, so
you will have to check there to find out more.
Eunostos
A Goddess of Flour Mills. They
used to put little images of her
up to stand guard in the mills.
From what, I'm not sure.(1)
Eurynome
In Pelasgian myth, Eurynome
was the Goddess of All Things,
born from Chaos. To read this
story, check it out in the Myth
Pages. Eurynome's consort is
Ophion in both Pelasgian and Classical mythology, but in
Classical mythology, the Goddess is the daughter of Oceanus.
Things actually progressed naturally. In the Titan cult (after
Pelasgian, before Classical), in the beginning, Eurynome and
Ophion ruled everything together from Mt. Olympus, but were
supplanted by Cronus and Rhea. When the Hellenes came,
Eurynome was merely an Oceanid. That's an overview of her.
If you are interested in more, just write me and ask!
Euryphaessa
The Titaness mother of Helios (the Sun God).
Eutychia
The Greek personification and Goddess of Happiness. In
Roman mythology her equivalent was Felicitas.
A quick note: We transliterate the "phi" of ancient greek to "ph," not
"f" - so the only ones you'll find with "f" are translations.
The Fates
The Fates, also
called the Moerae
or the Parcae,
determined when
life begins, when it
ends, and what
happens in
between. They
were made up of
three women:



Clotho,
who
appeared as
a maiden and spun the thread of life. Her name meant
The Spinner
Lachesis, who appeared as a matron and measured the
thread of life. She was the Caster of lots
Atropos, who cut the thread of life, and appeared as a
crone. Her name meant, Unbending Though the
smallest of the three, she is the most terrible.
They were the daughters of Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (or of
Zeus and Themis). Some say that Zeus could intervene in their
decisions and that they could be manipulated, but in most
myths they were eternal and more powerful than any of the
Gods. Another story says they are the parthenogenic daughters
of Ananke. In Delphi, they only worshipped Clotho and
Atropos.
Furies
See the Erinnyes.
*Gaia*
Gaia is Mother Earth. She has her own page,
of course. She is from whom everything
comes, but she is not quite a divinity,
because she is Earth. She bore the Titans as
well as monsters like the hundred armed
men, and some of the Cyclopes - others were
sons of Poseidon. She was the daughter of
Chaos, and the mother of all creatures
(according to some). She was the first and the last, and wanted
all of her children, no matter what. She was primarily spoken of
as a Mother of other Gods, rather than having her own myths.
Read more about Gaia.
Galene
Galene, which I think is a gorgeous sounding name, was a
personification of a calm sea. She was a Nereid, but that did not
stop her from being a goddess, too.
Gamelia
Hera as the Goddess of Marriage.
Ganymeda
She was the original cupbearer to the Gods in Greek
Mythology. But as time went on her person was split into two:
Ganymede, who kept her duties as cupbearer; and Hebe (see
below).
Genetyllides
An entire GROUP of goddesses (there names seem irrelevant)
who dealt with genesis. That is to say, babies. They chilled
with Aphrodite. Genetyllis was the surname meaning
Protectress of Birth that was assigned to both Aphrodite and
Artemis. Women liked to sacrifice dogs to Artemis when they
called her that.
Geras
She was the personification of Old Age, and one of the icky
things that flew out of the jar at Pandora.
The Graiai
The Graiai, or the the three Gray
Sisters, were beautiful. They were
described as "fair-faced and swanlike" but they had gray hair from the
day they were born and they shared
one eye and one tooth, but they lost
even that when Perseus stole their eye
and later threw it in a lake. Despite
being so easily taken advantage of, they were very wise. Their
names were:



Deino or Dread (or Terrible)
Enyo or Horror (or War-like)
Pemphredo or Alarm (or Wasp)
They were probably goddesses worshipped by the swan cults
(swans were not just a symbol of beauty, but also of cunning
and other darker meanings).
The Graces
See above, they're listed as the Charites.
Halia
Halia was the personification of the saltiness of the Sea.
Halsodyne
Halsodyne is particularly Homerian and is a name used for both
Amphitrite and Thetis. Seems to me it's all about being
nourished by the sea.
Harmonia
Everyone knows Harmonia, but very few know much about
her. She was the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares (NOT Zeus
and Electra, no matter what those sources say), a love child if
you will. Perhaps it was for that reason that she was the
Goddess of Harmony and Concord, big surprise with a name
like Harmonia, huh? Anyway, she was married to Cadmus (you
definitely should know Cadmus, look for the story pages
coming soon), and received a VERY infamous necklace as a
gift (it caused the downfall of many a happy home and hero)
from Aphrodite. She was the mother of Semele and Ino. Her
daughters had tragic lives as well, you can read about them in
the Humans section.
Hebe
Hebe was the Goddess of Youth as well
as the Cupbearer to the Gods, her
mother was Hera and her father, Zeus.
According to one story, she resigned as
cupbearer to the gods upon her
marriage to the hero Heracles, who had
just been deified. That statue on the
right is Hebe, but there is another bust of her at the bottom of
the page. She was occasionally called Ganymeda or even Dia
and people seemed interested in her tendency/power to make
old people young again. Here's the thing about Hebe: she kinda
bores me. No dark side to speak of, just a typical young girl
goddess who did some time serving and did some time playing
until she got married off to Heracles.
Hecate
Hecate is the Third and final
one of the Triple Goddess. She
is the Goddess of the New
Moon. She was also the
Goddess of the Crossroads and
the Witch Goddess. She was
Thracian in origin, and she
dwelt in the Underworld with
Hades and Persephone. She was
the daughter of the Titans
Perses and Asteria(daughter of Phoebe and Coeus), both were
symbols of shining light. Later she was said to be of Zeus and
Hera. There were a couple other people thrown in there, too,
cuz everyone had a theory but no one agreed. She was the Dark
Link between the Underworld and Earth. Her children were
Medea, Apsyrtus (a ghost) (but more often they were said to
have other moms). Of course, this all sounds well and good, but
it doesn't get to the meat of her. Hecate was super. She was
very respected on Olympus and recognized by everyone as
having a lot of power. She tended towards beneficence (helping
the gods against the giants, helping Galinthias after she got
turned into a cat by Hera, helping out when Demeter was
looking for Persephone), but people were pretty afraid of that
power (which definitely included wealth, victory and wisdom,
not to mention sailing and hunting) and the fact that she could
choose to withhold her "luck". So much coolness! Forget about
her being the queen of witches and a boogieman for kids who
liked to sneak out, she was everything that fits those of us
enchanted by the idea of a fierce, if underground, women's
power. Scary, yes, but they used to set up statues of her to keep
away baddies, too. And the sacrifices of food to her were left at
the crossroads at the end of the month where they were eaten
by the poor. See? So perfect!
Hedone
Really more the Greek version of the Latin "Voluptas", Hedone
doesn't so much show up in strictly Greek mythology. She is,
however, the daughter of Psyche and Eros, and since I include
that excellent story here, I ought to include Hedone as well.
Hegemone
She was a Goddess of Plants and she was in charge of making
sure they bloomed and bore fruit as they were meant to. Her
name means "mastery".
Heimarmene
Fate. Yes, yes, I know you just read up there about the Fates
and I didn't say a thing about any darn Heimarmene, but
Heimarmene wasn't quite the same as Moira. Fate, yes, but a
very abstract sort of way. Maybe you should think about it as
the personification of inevitability without understanding that
relating to any particular life. Tyche and Ananke were
described with the word version of this goddess's name.
Helia
She was a Goddess of the Sun, probably because she was a
daughter of Helios. I know nothing else of her.
Hemera
Hemera was the Goddess of Day, or
rather she was its personification. She
was a daughter of Nyx (see below)
and Erebus. She and her mother
shared a house (some say it was
Tartarus), but they never saw each
other in it. Hemera left it each
morning, and returned only as her
mother (the Night) left. So sad. Oh well! She was also the
mother of Thalassa, the Sea with her brother,
Aether (the Upper Air, or Light). I really like her.
Hesperos
Hesperos was the Goddess of Evening and she was
the wife of Atlas.
*Hera*
Hera is most well known for being the wife of Zeus and the
Queen of the Gods. Surprise, surprise! She has her own page.
She was also the youngest daughter of Rhea and Cronus. Her
bird is the peacock, and in almost every myth she is portrayed
as being maliciously jealous. But it must also be remembered
that she was the Protector of Marriage. It is believed by some
scholars that she earned her bad reputation by being combined
with a similar Phoenecian goddess. Read more about Hera.
*Hestia*
Hestia was the eldest of the 12
Olympian Gods and the eldest
daughter of Rhea & Cronus. Guess
what? She has her own page. When
she began her role as a Goddess, she
had a throne of her own in Olympus,
but when Dionysus grew into
Godhood, she willingly gave up her
throne to him, choosing the hearth as an alternative. She is the
Goddess of Hearth and Home she is also one of the Three
Virgin Goddesses. Her symbol was kept in every house, and
whenever a child was born the parents had to carry the child
around the symbol before he or she could be accepted in the
family. Read more about Hestia.
Hesychia
The personification of tranquility and the daughter of Dike, she
was described by Pindar as the Goddess of Friendly Intent who
makes cities great
Hilaeira
She was a Goddess of Brightness, though that could also simply
be a common epithet for goddesses.
Himalia
She was a goddess
invoked to bless the
harvest. Thanks P J Criss.
The Horae
They were the goddesses
orderly things like
Seasons, and because of
their orderly aspect
eventually became
goddesses of justice.
They measured out the
weather as it seemed appropriate and guarded Olympus from
any overambitious mortals. They had a few cameos in the Big
Myths: the Hora of Spring went with Persephone when she
went down with Hades every year, and some of the Horae
helped dress Aphrodite as she emerged from the ocean. They
got different names (and numbers) from different authors, but I
like Hesiod's breakdown:



Eunomia, Good Custom
Dike, Justice
Eirene, Peace
Homer actually tended to keep them strictly with the seasons,
and they only worshipped two in Athens, but Hyginus lists at
least 21 Horae (including Horae of the Hours)! Generally they
were happy little goddesses. Lots of cavorting, much like the
Muses and the Graces (Charites) who they liked to hang out
with when they weren't doing their day job of keeping track of
orderly customs and justice.
Horme
The personification of energetic activity. Named by Pausanias
(and, of course, Mr. Robert Bell).
Hosia
Hosia is a word placed before the names of Goddesses. It
means something like "holy" and "praise" and other things
along the same lines.
Hygeia
She was the daughter of Aesculapius,
you know that dude who managed to
raise people from the dead, and got
struck down for it. She was the
Goddess of Healing and she focuses
on the healing power of cleanliness.
She introduced the idea of washing
patients with soap and water. She had lots of hospital shrines.
Iambe
I'm not sure that she counts as a goddess. She was the first
priestess of Demeter, the daughter of Echo and Pan. She was
the first to find the lamenting goddess after Persephone's rape
and abduction, and she managed to cheer her up. Iambe was
full of life and friendly nature.
Iaso
Iaso was a Goddess of Healing and the daughter of Asclepius.
He had lots of children. She was a sister of Hygia (see above).
Ilythia
Ilythia was the Goddess of Childbirth She is most known from
the birth story of Artemis and Apollo, for it was she who went
to Leto (see below) on the tiny island of Delos.
Invidia
A daughter of Pallas and Styx, Invidia was another
personification of envy.
Iris
Iris is the Messenger
Goddess.daughter of the Titan
Thaumas and Electra. Although she
was a sister of the winged monsters,
the Harpies, Iris was represented as a
beautiful maiden, with wings and
robes of bright colors and a halo of
light on her head, trailing across the sky with the rainbow she
traveled on in her wake. She was also called the Goddess of the
Rainbow.
Isis
Ooooh. So awesome. And yet, not Greek. Wait, what? I won't
even put Diana on this site and I'm dropping Egyptian names?
That's right, folks, because, unlike any of those Romans, Isis
was actually worshipped in Ancient Greece. She makes a few
cameos in the story of Iphis and Ianthe.
Another quick note: the "kappa" of ancient greek makes a hard
"k" sound, but was often Latinized to a "c" which is how I spell
it a lot. But not all the time. If they're not down here, check
above and vice versa.
Kale
She was, according to some random dead bishop (!) named
Eustathius who was writing about the Odyssey, one of the
Charites (I don't list her because no one else seems to come up
with her name). But this guy told a cool story, so why not keep
it for posterity's sake? Aphrodite and the Charites were all
having moments of extremely girly girl insecurity and arguing
about who was the hottest of the hotties. This super wise dude
named Teiresias (who really deserves to be on this site) was
brought in to make the decision. Now, he'd already had some
extensive experience (that involved him getting turned into a
chick, check it out)with the fickle nature of the deities, but it's
not like you can just say no thanks ... So he said Kale.
Interesting choice, since any good self-preservation instincts
would say pick the one with the most power, but maybe he'd
heard about what Aphrodite gives as a reward (check it out)
and didn't want Thebes going the way of Troy. Anyway,
Aphrodite turned him into an old woman, but Kale gave him
nice hair and a vacation to Crete. I'm with Mr. Bell (from
whom I got this info since I'm not actually intimately familiar
with the works of 12th century bishops) in that Kale's reward
doesn't quite make up for Aphrodite's pissed off punishment,
but I guess it's better than the destruction of one's country. Ahh
... the incredible destructive power of sexual women. Take
note, dear reader, the root of this negativity is no coincidence!
Kakia
Kakia was a seductress. She was a Goddess of Vice, and she
attempted to seduce Heracles with promises of wealth and ease.
Obviously, he didn't give in.
The Keres
The Keres are also called the Dogs of Hades. They are
associated with the Harpies and the Erinyes, and they are
terrifying creatures. They are sharp clawed creatures who dress
in red and drink the blood of their victims. They carry out the
Fates' commands, insofar as they are in many ways the
personification of the inevitability of death, and are often seen
hovering around battle fields. They were daughters of Nyx, just
like the Fates, and it can be a little unclear where their work
ended and the work of the Erinnyes (see above) began.
Klotes
A Goddess of Spinning.
Kolias
A Goddess of Foothills.
Komodia
A Goddess of Happiness and Amusement. More like the
personification of it.
Kore
An epithet of Persephone. Kore means the Maiden or
Daughter.
Krateis
Her name means "Mighty" and she was the mother of the
monster Scylla by Phorcys. She was more commonly called
Ceto, but sometimes she was called Hecate.
Kypris
An epithet of Aphrodite, referring to her rising out of the sea
from Cyprus. The whole Aphrodite cult CAME from Cyprus to
Greece. She was HUGE there.
Lactura
A Goddess of Corn.
Lampetia
Lampetia and her sister Phathusa were daughters of Helios.
They were shepherdesses for him, and guarded his sacred
cattle. Well, they did until Odysseus and his men came along
and stole them. But then, they all died except Odysseus, so I'd
say all's fair.
Leto
For someone in so many myths you'd think there'd be more
about her! She was the daughter of the Titans Phoebe and
Coeus, that makes her a sister of Asteria (the mother of Hecate
- see above). She was the mother of the twins Artemis and
Apollo. She was a Moon Goddess (not a big surprise,
considering her parents and sibs. You definitely should read her
story on the new stories page.
Leucothea
The woman Ino married a married man, Athamas. She tried to
make Athamas sacrifice his son Phrixes (it didn't happen, but
that was how Helle, Phrixes' sister ended up dying). Anyway,
Hera killed Ino, but Zeus made Ino into the Sea Goddess,
Leucothea, or White Goddess, because she had raised
Dionysus. There is another Leucothea too. But she was turned
into an incense plant after her father buried her alive for being
Helios' lover. Clytia, that nasty nymph, betrayed her.
Lina
A Goddess of Weaving who used flax.
The Litai
The Litai were the sisters of Ate. As you'll recall, Ate was evil.
The goddess of temptation and all those yucky things. The
Litai, who happened to be the personification of Prayers,
followed Ate around and cleaned up after her. They tried to
repair the damage she did to mortals.
Lyssa
A Goddess of the Underworld.
Maera
There were actually two Maeras. The first was the daughter of
Protus. This Maera was one of the cold Artemis' companions her bad luck, in this case. For Zeus fell in love, and decided to
pursue her. Artemis was NOT about that, and killed Maera (in
that god-like logic, that I will never understand). Anyway, in
the other version she is just a daughter of Atlas.
Maia
Maia was the oldest of the Pleiades, and
she was chillin' in this cave in Arcadia
when Zeus came and, skipping what
happened in between, she bore Hermes
(my favorite masculine God), and
raised him in that cave, far away from
Hera's jealous eyes. After Hermes' grows up, we don't hear
much more about her. That picture on the left is one of Kris
Waldherr's paintings.
Malophorus
An epithet of Persephone's as a Goddess of the Underworld. It
means "sheep-bearer", probably a reference to the sheep that
fell down with her when Hades opened the ground during his
rape.
Meiboia
A Goddess of the Bee Cult.
Meilichia
A Goddess of the Underworld.
Melinoe
A daughter of Zeus and Persephone. She was a Goddess of the
Underworld, like her mother.
Melobosis
A Goddess of Beneficence.
Melissa
Melissa is greek for "honey bee" and she was the name of
Artemis as the moon goddess and the goddess who took
suffering away from mothers giving birth. There were also a
bunch of priestesses and nymphs with the same name, but
you'll have to check on their own pages.
Metis
Metis was another Titaness. She was the Goddess of Prudence,
but there is a rather unprudent story about her that tells about
the birth of Athena. Metis ends up living inside Zeus' head and
giving him advice from there. Her name meant Wisdom and she
was the personification of it as well as its Goddess. She was
also the one who discovered (created) the potion that caused
Cronos to vomit up the six OGs, (to all y'all who understand the
joke, thank you for not being old).
Mida
A Goddess of Oaths.
Mnemosyne
Mnemosyne was a Titaness who was the Goddess of Memory.
Her mother was Gaia and her father Uranus (the Sky). She was
the mother of the Nine Muses (see below).
Molpadia
A Goddess of Childbirth.
The Muses
The Muses were nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. They
played and sang all of the time and entertained the Gods and
Goddesses on Mount Olympus. They also inspired creativity in
everyone. The Muses were:









Erato, the Muse of
Lyrics
Euterpe, the Muse of
Music
Thalia, the Muse of
Comedy
Melpomene, the Muse
of Tragedy
Terpsichore, the Muse
of Dance and Choral Song
Urania, the Muse of Astronomy
Clio, the Muse of Historical and Heroic Poetry, her
name meant "Proclaimer"
Polyhymnia, the Muse of Hymns
Calliope, the Muse of Epics
The last Muse, Calliope, had a child with the King of Thrace.
The child's name was Orpheus. There's a great story about him,
so watch for the new story pages. There's also cool stories
about each of the Muses, and some other Muses you probably
didn't know about. For example, Did you know Clio introduced
the Phoenician alphabet to Greece? Si, sono veritabile. Now the
Muses have their own page! Check it out! In contains LOTS
more information.
Neaera
Neaera means the New Moon. She was a couple of different
people. One was a nymph mother of Lampetia and Phathusa by
Helios. Another was the mother of Evadne. And another was
the mother of Aegle by Zeus.
Nemea
This chica is the sister of Pandia, and the
daughter of Selene and Zeus. She suckled
the Nemean Lion (this scary monster
type thing).
Nemesis
Nemesis she was the right hand of Zeus. She was the Goddess
of Righteous Anger and it was she who saw to it that all good
and evil were justly paid. She was also without a direct
personality. She is also called Adrasteia, which means the
Inevitable Parents. She was either another daughter of Oceanus,
or a daughter of Nyx and Erebus (making her a sister to Sleep
and Death). I named my lacrosse stick after her. The painting
on the right is by Rick Berry.
Nike
Nike was similar to Eris because she was the constant
companion to Athena. Nike was the Goddess of
Victory. She was the daughter of the Titan Pallas and
the River/Nymph Styx. She does not possess a
distinct personality in any myths I've seen. Further,
Nike was sort of an epithet of Athena. But Nike, as the
personification of Victory was also worshipped as her own
Goddess, and usually showed with
wings, except in Athens where she
was called "Apteros" ("wingless"),
with the idea that she would never
leave Athens.
Nyx
Nyx was a daughter of Chaos (and
so a SISTER of Gaia, and with her brother Erebus (Darkness)
she bore: Air, Hemera (see above), Aether (Light), Moros
(Destiny), Thanatos (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), Morpheus
(Dreams), The Fates, The Keres, Eris, Momus (Ridicule),
Oizys (Distress), Apate (Deceit), Care, and Nemesis (see
above). Her realm was in the far West beyond the land of Atlas.
Odyne
She was the personification and Goddess of Pain. How
pleasant.
Oizys
She was a daughter of Nyx and the personification of Woe.
Ophthalmitis
Patron Goddess of Eyesight. Now, who'd a thunk it? But she
wasn't really that specific - it was really just a surname of
Athena in Sparta. This guy named Lycurgus dedicated a temple
to Athena when one of his eyes was struck out by Alcander
(this dude who was bitter about Lycurgus' laws). But they
saved the eye and rededicated the temple to Athena
Ophthalmitis.
Oreilochia
Oreilochia was another name for Iphigenia - but wait, you are
thinking, Iphigenia was HUMAN! Heh. Maybe so . . . but
there's this story that say that Artemis didn't take her as a
sacrifice, but spirited her away to the island of Leauce. There,
these traditions say, she became immortal AND got eternal
youth (becoming rather goddess-like, wouldn't you say?) and
became Achilles' wife under the new name of Oreilochia.
Ossa
The Goddess of Rumor, more like the personification of it. Her
equivalent in Roman Mythology was Fama. She was also
called a messenger of Zeus, and she had an altar in Athens. She
was called the daughter of Elpis (or Hope).
Otrera
This chick was really mysterious. She is believed to be the
mother of the Amazons by many, and their mother by Ares . . .
but, it seems that she was probably Ares' daughter, as well - not
to mention that no one has any guess as to her mother was. She
was a real war-chick - not like Harmonia at all.
Pallas
Pallas was an epithet of Athena, meaning Maiden or youth. The
name has a story though. There was once another named Pallas,
accepted by most as the girl-companion of the young Athena.
When the two were little they decided to play a game of
friendly combat with sword and spear, and Athena accidentally
killed her. In her grief and remorse, Athena put Pallas' name
before her own. There is a more complete version of this in the
Nymphs section and more again in the story of Athena's birth.
Panaceia
She was one of the many daughters of Epione and Aesclepius.
She was sister to Hygeia, Aegle, and Iaso. Like the other
members of her family, she was a Goddess of Healing. Her
name, in fact, was the All Healing. She shared an altar with her
sisters and Aphrodite and Athena.
Panachaea
She was specifically, Goddess of all the Achaians, but WHO
she was is debatable. In Aegae she was Demeter, and in Patrae
she was Athena.
Panatis
A Goddess of
Weaving.
Pandia
Her name meant "All
Bright" and she was
the Goddess of the
Brightness, especially
the Sun. She may have
also been the Goddess
of the Full Moon, as
she was the mate of
Zeus in his epithet of Zeus Pandion (the Full Moon God). I got
my info straight from Encyclopedia Mythica on this one.
Another source says that she and her sisters were the daughters
of Zeus and Selene.
Pandrosos
She was worshipped as a Goddess of Agriculture and was
credited by some for the introduction of weaving. She was one
of the Agraulides. Basically, she was one of the daughters of
Cecrops and Agraulos who killed herself - yet started being
worshipped in a sort of heroine cult. If you want to know the
story behind her suicide, check out the story of Erichthonius in
the Myth pages. I'm not actually sure if it's there yet. It's a cool
story, though!
Paregoros
This daughter of Tethys and Oceanus was a Goddess of
Persuasion and Consolation. Despite her parentage, she was
NOT a water deity.
The Parnassides
Another name for The Muses because of their birth on Mt.
Parnassus.
Parthenos
Parthenos, as in Parthenon, was an epithet of Athena. It means
Virgin. The Parthenon is a temple to Athena in Athens, Greece
(what a shocker!).
Pasiphae
Not to be confused with the bull-lovin' Queen o' Crete (here),
this was a daughter of Atlas and she was an oracular Goddess.
There are different opinions of how her life went, including that
she was just a godly version of Cassandra, and that she was
Daphne. But a lot of people believed in her, and people would
sleep in her temple to dream of the future.
Peitho
Peitho was the personification of Persuasion. She was an
attendent of the Aphrodite, as well as one of the Gamelii (a
Protectress of Marriage).
Penia
I don't care how old I get, this name will always make me
giggle. Penia. Hee hee. Yeah, so anyway, Penia was the
personification and Goddess of Poverty. She was worshipped
among the poor. Legend has it that after a feast on Olympus she
married Porus, the personification of "Expediency." Some say
that she and Porus gave birth to
Eros. Heh. Penia.
Pepromene
Pepromene was the personification
of the idea that every human is tied
to a destiny. This is basically the
same as Moira (Fate).
Perse
Perse was one of the underworld moon Goddesses. She was the
consort of Helios and bore Circe, Aeetes, Perses, Aloeus, and
Pasiphae (and all her kids had some serious magical talent).
She was also called Neaera or the New One, the embodiment
of the New Moon. An interesting point here is that all her kids
were called "Perseides" rather than Heliades (like the rest of
Helios' kids). Unclear whether or not that was because her
influence was more important in terms of who these kids would
become, because she was super cool all on her own, or if
Heliades just applies to later kids. Anyway, I thought she
deserved an image.
Persephone
Persephone was special, which is part
of why she has her own page. She was
the daughter of Demeter, the Maiden of
Spring. Wherever she walked flowers
grew. Unfortunately, one day Hades,
the God of the Underworld, abducted
her, raped her, and made her Queen of
the Underworld. There was no
escaping the misery of her new realm
either because she had eaten seeds from
a pomegranate that grew there. So she was miserable for the
half of her life she spent with him. However, because of her
mother's advocacy, she was allowed to spend sometime in the
world with her. This obvious connection to the seasons is not
coincidental, and formed one of the most important Mysteries
of ancient Greece. Read more about Persephone.
Pheme
Pheme was the Goddess of Popular Rumour. She had a temple
in Athens. Pheme was always prying. She announced whatever
she heard, first to only a few, then louder until everyone had
known. Pheme was represented as a winged, gentle figure
holding a trumpet.
Phemonoe
She invented hexameter verse. She was the Goddess of Poetry
and the daughter of Apollo and his first priestess at Delphi.
Philia
She was mostly associated with Peitho (above), but she also
had a temple to her in Athens. She was the personification of
Friendship. Awwwww.
Philote
Philote was the Greek personification of Affection. She was one
of the MANY daughters of Nyx. Wow, I never knew about her
before the Encyclopedia Mythica. What a cool Goddess.
Philyra
Philyra was a Thessalian Goddess. She was a shape-shifter, and
the Goddess of Beauty, Perfume, Healing and Writing. She was
also given credit for the invention of paper. She was the mother
of Cheiron (the wise and oh-so-cool King of the Centaurs) by
Cronos (the father of Zeus). If you're wondering how Cheiron
ended up as in centaur form despite his different heritage, it is
because his mom and Cronos did the deed in horsey form.
Philyra was the daughter of Oceanus (but probably not Tethys).
Phoebe
Phoebe was a Titan, one of the
original (that is, pre-classical)
14. She and Atlas were given
dominion over the Moon,
whose planetary power is that
of Enchantment, and the
second day of the week was
their's. So, Phoebe is another
Moon Goddess, her name
means Bright Moon. She was the mother of Leto and Asteria
through her brother Coeus(Intelligence). There was another
Phoebe, a human priestess, who figures briefly in the story of
Castor and Pollux. Anyway, it's Phoebe who was the
grandmother of Artemis and Apollo, and her name became
surnames for both twins.
Physis
The personification of Nature.
Phytia
It means Creator, and it was the surname of Leto when saved a
girl baby's life by changing its sex to male when the child's
father would have otherwise killed the baby.
Pleiades
Check out the Pleiades on the Nymphs Page.
Poene
The Goddess of Retaliation. Interesting. . . not retribution, like
most of them, but retaliation. She was in the train of Dike and
was once sent in the form of a monster punish the people of
Argos for killing Psamathe (where she apparently got killed!).
Polias
Polias is an epithet of Athena as the protector of the Acropolis
and Athens. The word polis means city in Greek.
Potnia
Potnia is just the Greek word for "mistress" and is put in front
of a lot of things, especially if you're talking about Mothers, but
it was also used (I imagine, but am not sure) in conjunction
with various goddesses.
Praxidice
A Goddess of Oaths.
Prosymna
Prosymna was one of the names for the New Moon. She was
also a nurse of Hera with her sisters: Acraea and Euboea.
Protogenia
She was the Goddess of Success in Business. She was really an
earth goddess, but managed to become associated with the citylife. As society changes, so does theology.
Psyche
There's not a lot that I don't
know about this chick. She was
the Goddess of the Soul. She
was the wife of Eros (God of
Love, son of Aphrodite) and
their myth is about how Love
and the Soul came together. It is
a beautiful story, and now it is
HERE! In the Myth Pages. A
quick once over is she got
abandoned on a mountain, an invisible dude picked her up and
took her home with him. She went all Pandora and figured out
it was Eros (read the story to learn how she figured it out), and,
after many trials, she lived happily ever after. Or did she?
Ptocheia
The personification of Begging and the sister of Penia.
Pyrrha
Pyrrha was a later Titani, a daughter of Epimetheus. She
married Deucalion, a son of Prometheus. Prometheus warned
Deucalion that Zeus was pissed, and they made an ark and
survived Zeus' flood. As they were the only ones to survive,
they became the first of the new human race. For more on the
story, check out the detail version in the Myth Pages. The name
Pyrrha means Fiery Red.
Rhea
Rhea was far more powerful in
the days before classical (ie,
patriarchal) mythology came
around. In Orphic she was the
"inescapable mother Rhea" who
sat outside the house of Nyx
beating a bronze drum and
making sure all humans were
paying attention the oracle of
the goddess. In Pelasgian Myth (soon before classical myth
took hold) she was one of the 14 original Titans, paired, of
course, with Cronus. They held dominion over the last day of
the week, and the planet Saturn. In pre-Hellenic Greece the
planetary power of Saturn was peace. Rhea loses a lot of her
importance in the Olympian creation myth, but still holds some
power. She causes her husband Cronus to stop eating his
children, saves Zeus and (indirectly) brings the Olympian Gods
into power. That's a great story, check it out here. She is raped
by her son Zeus when she tells him he may not marry, despite
her change to a snake. She also had a big role in her grandson
Dionysus' life. She is also often called Cybele.
Rumor
See Ossa, above. She was a swift-footed and feathered demon
goddess who delivered messages - not always truthfully.
Salmaone
I don't really know anything about
her, but would like to, so if you can
find me a source, I'd love to see it!
Selene
Selene was the Goddess of the
Moon. She was the daughter of the
two Titans Hyperion and Theia
(see below). She married mortal
Endymion (a shepherd who she
caused to sleep forever so that he wouldn't get old and gross)
and had 50 daughters (I don't know what happened to them). If
you want to read the longer version of the story, read it here.
She is a part of the Triple Goddess (there will be a section on
the Myth pages explaining the phenomenon of Triple
Goddesses, so keep looking). She rode across heaven in a
chariot with milk-white horses. In Roman (puh-tooey)
mythology she was called Luna.
Semnai
Semnai is another name for the Erinyes. It means the
"Venerable Ones," it is a euphemism like the Eumenides.
Sophrosyne
A Goddess of Temperance and Moderation. This concept
seems to be pretty important to the Greeks, although I can no
longer find my source for this goddess, and she was clearly not
that crucial a deity.
Soteira
Just the Greek word for Saviour, and was applied to different
goddesses in different contexts.
Styx
Wrong page, sweetheart. Try here.
Tabliope
A Goddess of Gambling. I didn't make this one up, but I've lost
the source, so I wouldn't use it in any job applications without
checking your evidence. Or something.
Techne
Techne is Greek for skill, and thus would, as a goddess,
personify that skill, probably particularly useful for artisans.
Telete
The daughter of Nicaea and Dionysus. Her daddy drove her
mama to suicide, and Telete became the personification of
Consecration.
Tethys
Tethys was a Titan, both original and classical. She and
Oceanus ruled the planet Venus and the sixth day. From their
planet they received the power of love. Some say that the Gods
and everything populating Earth was born from Oceanus'
stream, and that Tethys was their mother. To Homer, Tethys
was very like what Eurynome was to the Pelasgians. In more
classical mythology the Titaness Tethys was the wife of her
brother Oceanus and by him the mother of the 3000 Oceanids
and of all the river gods. She was a Goddess of the Ocean, but
eventually ceded to Doris, who ceded to Amphitrite. Tethys
was the Godmother of Rhea (see above), and raised her during
the civil war between the Gods and the Titans. Her name means
Disposer and is very similar, in root, to Thetis.
Thalassa
She was the personification of the Mediterranean Sea, and the
daughter of Hemera (Day) and Aether (the Upper Air) - two of
the first beings created. Many sea deities seem very social in
their chaos, always creating new and changing life, but
Thalassa was much more isolated and more referred to in
metaphor; she was a goddess of lonely shores. She didn't totally
escape the life-giving aspect of her sea-nature, she was the
mother of all fish by Poseidon, but even there, she is a much
more primitive and inhuman power than others we are
accustomed to seeing (Amphitrite, Thetis, etc).
Thaleia
Thaleia was apparently (in addition to a different Thaleia being
one of the Charites) the daughter of Hephaestus and some
unknown mother. She had a fling with Zeus, and, no surprise,
got pregnant - but she knew about Hera's vengeance and asked
Zeus to let the Earth swallow her. He granted her request, and
her children, the twin Palici, were the protectors of solemn
oaths - and in the old days, some people say they were offered
human sacrifices. The mama stayed in the Earth, I guess - they
don't mention what happened to her.
Theia
One of the original seven Titanesses, Theia was the mate of
Hyperion. They were connected in the "planetary power" of the
Sun and the first day of the week. The Sun's power was,
surprise, Illumination. She was associated with light and the
sky, she was an early Goddess of Light. She was the mother of
Helios, Selene (see above), and
Eos. The name Theia means
Divine, and she was also
referred to as "the cow-eyed
Euryphaessa". Euryphaessa
means Wide Shining.
Themis
Themis was one of the origninal
Titans, and shared dominion of
Jupiter with Eurymedon (fifth
day). Their power was that of Law and her name means Order.
The Titaness Themis was the mother of the the Seasons (and
some say the three Fates) with Zeus. The Goddess of Divine
Justice and Law, Themis was the constant companion of the
god Zeus and sat beside him on Olympus. In ancient art she is
represented holding aloft a pair of scales on which she weighs
the claims of opposing parties. Before and during this,
however, she was also the Great Goddess who ordered the 13
month year, divided into two seasons. She was the prophet who
declared that Thetis's son would be greater than his father (ever
heard of Achilles?). It was Themis who appeared before
Deucalion and Pyrrha (see above) and told them how to keep
their race from dying out after the flood (click here for more).
There was a altar dedicated to her by Pittheus in Troezen. She
was very important and with Zeus plotted to create the Trojan
War. That's all about her for now.
Thetis
Thetis was the chief of the
Nereids. She was such a hot
number that Poseidon, while he
was looking for a wife, courted
her. Zeus too, courted her, but
she rejected him for the sake of
Hera, her foster-mother. Then
Themis prophesied that Thetis
was to bear a son stronger than
its father, so Zeus decreed that
she must marry a mortal. Hera,
remembering Thetis' rejection of Zeus, set her up with "the best
of mortals." Thetis married Peleus and bore Achilles. But there
was more to it than that. She saved her father once; when all
the other Gods got pissed and tied him up she went and got the
Hundred-Handed Briareus. She also played a large part in the
birth of Hephaestus. Like Tethys (see above) the name Thetis
means Disposer.
Thoosa
Thoosa was the personification of swiftness.
Thyone
Remember Semele, the mother of Dionysus? Well, after she got
all crispy and died, Dionysus went down and got her back from
Hades realm. What a nice son taking his mom up to Olympus
and making her immortal ... anyway, upon becoming immortal
she received a new name, and Thyone was it!
The Titanides
The Titanides were the six daughters of Gaia and Uranus, the
sisters to the Titans. There was one assigned to each of the
seven planetary powers and to each day of the week, they
shared each position with a brother. In order of their day of the
week they were: Theia and the Sun (illumination), Phoebe and
the Moon (enchantment), Dione and Mars (growth), Metis and
Mercury (wisdom), Themis (see above) and Jupiter (justice),
Tethys (see above) and Venus (love), and Rhea (see above) and
Jupiter (peace). They existed before the Olympian Gods (like
Zeus, Hera, Athena, etc.), and were co-opted into that culture as
mothers of minor deities with their Titan brothers and
husbands. The breakdown of power is as given by Robert
Graves, who is not necessarily worth believing
Tyche
Tyche was the Goddess of Fortune. It is widely
accepted that she was the daughter of Zeus,
though some reports give her to be the daughter
of Oceanus and Tethys (see above). It was in her temple that
the first dice was reportedly made. If however, she ends up
bestowing wealth upon someone, and they do not sacrifice
appropriately to the Gods, then Nemesis steps in and takes care
of business. Tyche was very widely worshipped, despite her
hard-to-guess nature.
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