Greek & Roman Mythology
Sources:
Homer, Iliad & Odyssey (c. 1000 BC);
Hesiod, the Theogony [an account of the creation of the universe and the generations of
the gods] (c. 9/800 BC);
Homeric Hymns [poems written in honor of various gods] (800-400 BC);
Pindar, the Odes (518-438 BC);
Aeschylus (525-455 BC);
Sophocles (496-406 BC);
Euripides (484-406 BC);
Aristophanes (450-388 BC);
Herodotus (484-420 BC);
Plato (428-348 BC);
The Alexandrian Poets: Apollonius of Rhodes (The Argonautica/Quest of the Golden
Fleece, c. 295 BC), Theocritus, Bion, & Moschus;
Apuleius [Cupid & Psyche] (c. 124-c. 170 AD);
Lucian (120-c. 180 AD);
Apollodorus (c. 100 BC/900 AD);
Pausanias (200 AD);
Virgil (70-19 BC);
Ovid (43 BC-17 AD)
*Below, the Greek name appears first, and the Roman second (eg. Cronus/Saturn). The
influence of Greek art and literature were so powerful in Rome that ancient Roman
deities were changed to resemble the corresponding Greek gods. Before assuming Greek
form, Roman gods were vague and abstract, known as the Numina.
The Titans (vanquished by the Olympians):
Cronus/Saturn
Rhea
Ocean—the river that was supposed to encircle the earth
Tethys—wife to Ocean
Hyperion—Father of the sun, moon, and dawn
Mnemosyne (Memory)
Themis (Justice)
Iapetus—father of Atlas & Prometheus
Atlas—bore the world on his shoulders
Prometheus—the savior of mankind
The Olympians:
Zeus/Jupiter—the supreme ruler; lord of the sky, the rain-god, the cloud-gatherer, who
wielded the thunderbolt; his breastplate was the aegis, awful to behold; his bird was the
eagle; his tree the oak; his oracle was Dodona in the land of oak trees (the god’s will was
revealed by the rustling of oak leaves which the priests interpreted)
Poseidon/Neptune—Zeus’ brother; second only to Zeus in eminence; ruler of the sea;
gave the first horse to man; called “Earth-shaker”; always shown carrying his trident
Amphitrite—Poseidon’s wife; granddaughter of the Titan, Ocean
Hades/Pluto—Zeus’ brother; god of the underworld; the god of wealth, of the precious
metals hidden in the earth; king of the dead; had a helmet which made whoever wore it
invincible.
Persephone/Proserpine—Hades’ wife
Hestia/Vesta—Zeus’ sister; goddess of the hearth; symbol of the home.
Hera/Juno—Zeus’ wife and sister; brought up by the Titans Ocean and Tethys; the
protector of marriage; the cow and peacock were sacred to her; Argos was her favorite
city
Ares/Mars—the son of Zeus and Hera; god of war; the vulture was his bird, and the dog
his animal.
Pallas Athena/Minerva—Zeus’ daughter; sprang from Zeus’ head full-grown and in full
armor; the goddess of the city, the protector of civilized life, of handicrafts and
agriculture; the inventor of the bridle, who first tamed horses for men’s use; Athens was
her special city; the Parthenon was her temple; the olive created by her was her tree; the
owl her bird.
Phoebus Apollo—the son of Zeus and Leto/Latona; born on the island of Delos; the
master musician; the archer-god; the healer who first taught men the healing arts; god of
light; god of truth; his oracle was in Delphi; his tree was the laurel.
Aphrodite/Venus—Daughter of Zeus and Dione (although also said to have risen from
sea foam); the goddess of love and beauty; called Cytherea or Cyprian after her
birthplace(s); wife of Hephaestus; the myrtle was her tree; the dove her bird.
Hermes/Mercury—son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas); wore winged sandals, a
winged helmet, and carried a staff (the Caduceus); swift in motion; Zeus’ messenger; the
shrewdest and most cunning of the gods; the Master Thief; the god of commerce and the
market; the guide of the dead.
Artemis/Diana—daughter of Zeus and Leto; born on Mount Cynthus in Delos; Apollo’s
twin sister; the Lady of Wild Things; Huntsman-in-chief; the protectress of youth; she
was the moon (called Phoebe and Selene/Luna); she has three forms: Selene in the sky,
Artemis on earth, Hecate in the lower world and in the world above when in darkness;
her sacred tree was the cypress; all wild animals, but especially the deer, were sacred to
her.
Hephaestus/Vulcan—either the son of both Zeus and Hera, or Hera’s son alone; the god
of fire; ugly and lame; the metal smith of the gods; married either to one of the three
Graces, or Aphrodite; patron of handicrafts, the arts, and agriculture; patron of smiths.
Lesser Gods:
Eros/Cupid—Aphrodites’ son; god of love; often represented blindfolded, because love is
often blind; attended by Anteros (avenger of lighted love), Himeros (longing), and
Hymen (god of the wedding feast).
Demeter/Ceres—daughter of Cronus and Rhea; goddess of the corn
Dionysus/Bacchus—god of the vine
Hebe—daughter of Zeus and Hera; goddess of youth
Iris—goddess of the rainbow; messenger of the gods
The Graces (3): (Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good Cheer)—
daughters of Zeus and Eurynome (daughter of the Titan, Ocean); a triple incarnation of
grace and beauty.
The Muses/Camenae (9): Clio (muse of history), Urania (muse of astronomy),
Melpomene (muse of tragedy), Thalia (muse of comedy), Terpsichore (muse of the
dance), Calliope (muse of epic poetry), Erato (muse of love poetry), Polyhymnia (muse
of songs), Euterpe (muse of lyric poetry)—daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory);
inspired men.
Themis—the Right, or Divine Justice
Dike—Human Justice
Nemesis—Righteous Anger
Aidos—Reverence and Compunction
Pontus—the Deep Sea; the son of Mother Earth and Nereus
Nereus—the Old Man of the Sea; married to Doris (daughter of Ocean); father of the fifty
Nereids (sea nymphs)
Triton—son of Poseidon and Amphitrite; the trumpeter of the sea
Proteus—Poseidon’s son or attendant; had the power to foretell the future and of
changing shape at will.
The Naiads—water nymphs that dwelled in brooks, springs, and fountains.
Pan—Hermes’ son; part man, part goat (with goat horns and hooves); god of the goatherd
and shepherd; great musician (playing on his reed pipe)
Silenus—Pan’s son or brother; jovial, usually drunken, fat old man who rode an ass; both
teacher and devoted follower of Dionysus
The Sileni—part man, part horse (walking on two legs, with horses hooves, ears and, tails
The Satyrs/Fauns—goat-men living in the wild places of the earth
Oreads—nymphs of the mountains
Dryads—nymphs of trees
Aeolus—King of the winds: Boreas/Aquilo (north wind), Zephyr/Favonius (west wind),
Notus/Auster (south wind), & Eurus (east wind)
Charon—ferries the souls of the dead across the waters to Tartarus
Cerberus—the three-headed dragon-tailed dog that guards the gates to the underworld
The Erinyes/Furies (3)—Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto; punished the wicked in the
underworld
The Rivers of the Underworld: Acheron (the river of woe), Cocytus (the river of
lamentation), Phlegethon (the river of fire), Styx (the river of the unbreakable oath by
which the gods swear), and Lethe (the river of forgetfulness)
Judges of the Underworld: Rhadamanthus, Minos, & Aeacus; pass sentence on the dead,
sending the wicked to everlasting torment, and the good to the Elysian Fields
Centaurs—half man, half horse
Gorgons (3)—Dragon-like creatures with wings whose looks turned men to stone
The Graiae (3)—sisters to the gorgons; grey women who shared one eye between them
The Sirens—lived on an island in the sea; lured men to the deaths with their enchanting
voices
The Fates (Moirae/Parcae): Clotho (the spinner, who spun the thread of life), Lachesis
(the disposer of lots, who assigned each man his destiny); Atropos (she who could not be
turned, cut the thread at death)
Lares—Roman; spirit of an ancestor
Penates—Roman; gods of the hearth and guardians of the storehouse
Janus—Roman; two-faced god; the god of good beginnings