GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Olympic Gods
Zeus (zus): Jupiter - the chief Olympian, ruler of
the sky.
Poseidon (po-sī'-don): Neptune - Zeus' brother, ruler of the
sea.
Hades (hā'-dēz): Pluto - Zeus' brother, ruler of the
underworld.
Hestia (hes'-ti-a): Vesta - goddess of hearth and
home.
Hera (hē'-ra): Juno - wife of Zeus, goddess of marriage
and women.
Hermes (hur'-mēz): Mercury - messenger of the gods, patron
of thieves.
Hephaestus (he-fes'-tus): Vulcan - god of fire and
forge.
Ares (a'-rēz): Mars - god of war.
Athena (a-thē'-na): Minerva - goddess of arts and
crafts.
Apollo (a-pol'-o): Apollo - god of light, music,
civilization.
Aphrodite (af-ro-dī'-tē): Venus - goddess of
love.
Artemis (ar'-te-mis): Diana - goddess of the hunt and
chastity.
Other Gods and
Demigods
Demeter (de-mē'-ter): Ceres - Goddess of the grain.
Persephone (per-sef'-o-ne): Proserpine - daughter of Demeter and
wife of Hades.
Dionysus (di-o-nī'-sus): Bacchus - god of
wine.
Leda (lē'-da): Wife of Tyndareus (tin-da'-rē-us), king
of
The Dioscuri (dī-os-ku'-rī): Gemini (jem'-i-nī)
Castor (kas'-ter): Son of Leda and Tyndareus, with
Klytemnestra (kli-tem-nes'-tra), the wife of
Agamemnon.
Pollux (pol'-uks): Son of Leda and Zeus, with
Helen.
Helios (hē'-li-ōs): The sun god.
Pan:
God of the woods (Whence “panic”) and inventor of the
flute.
Nymphs:
The word means “bride” and is applied to female
demigods.
Calliope (ka-lī'-o-pē): The muse of epic
poetry.
Places and
Things
Ambrosia the food of
the gods.
Nectar
the drink of
the gods.
Paeans (pē-anz): solemn songs, hymns of
praise or triumph to Apollo; taken from Paean, which means
healer, a name for Apollo.
Oraculum (ō-rak'-u-lum): the answers of the gods to
the questions of men.
Libation a liquid
poured on the ground in honor of a god.
Hekatomb (hek'-a-tom): the sacrifice to the gods
of a hundred oxen or cattle, or at least a large
number.
Oceanus (Ō-sē'-a-nus): the great stream of water
that encircled the earth.
The Underworld
Tartarus (tar'-ta-rus): the lowest region in
Hades.
Kharon (kā'-ron):
ferryboatman in Hades.
Kerberus (ser'-ber-us): three-headed dog guarding
the entrance to Hades.
Elysian Fields abode of the blessed dead in
Hades.
Rivers in Hades
Lethe (lē'-thē):
forgetfulness
Phlegethon (fleg'-e-thon):
fire
Akheron (ak'-e-ron): woe
Cocytus (kō-sē'-tus):
wailing