Greek gods and their
Roman Counterparts
By: Ethan Cattanach
The Twelve Olympian Gods
 Zeus/Jupiter
 Hera/Juno
 Poseidon/Neptune
 Dionysus/Bacchus
 Hermes/Mercury
 Hephaestus/Vulcan
 Aphrodite/Venus
 Ares/Mars
 Artemis/Diana
 Apollo
 Demeter/Ceres
 Athena/Minerva
Zeus/Jupiter
 Zeus
 Zeus was the Greek ruler of the Olympian gods
 He was married to Hera
 Zeus was the god of the sky, rain, thunder, lightning
 His symbol was the eagle and/or the lighting bolt
 Jupiter
 Jupiter was the Roman King of the Gods
 He was married to Juno (his sister)
 He was the god of the sky, thunder, light, lightning
 His symbols were storms, clouds and lightning
Hera/Juno
 Hera
 Hera was the Greek god of love and marriage
 She was the Queen of Heaven
 Her symbols were the cow and peacock
 She had a lot of children (Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe,
Eileithyia,)
 Juno
 Juno was the Roman god of marriage, hearth, family and
childbirth
 Her symbols were a peacock and a goat skin cloak
 She was the Queen of the Gods
Poseidon/Neptune
 Poseidon
 Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea, earthquakes, and sea
storms
 He was married to Amphitrite (goddess of the sea)
 Poseidon's sacred animal was the horse because he made it
out of sea foam
 Neptune
 Neptune was the Roman god of horses and the sea
 Neptune was married to Salacia (goddess of salt water and the
sea)
 Neptune's sacred animal was the horse
Dionysus/Bacchus
 Dionysus
 Dionysus was the Greek god of grape harvest, winemaking,
wine, ritual madness, drunkenness, vegetation, pleasure,
parties and big cats
 He was married to Ariadne
 His parents were Zeus and Semele
 Bacchus
 Bacchus was the Roman god of wine and inspired madness
 He hated owls, which were the symbol of his sister, Minerva
 His symbols were ivy, snakes, and grapes
 Leopards were his sacred animal
Hermes/Mercury
 Hermes
 Hermes was the Greek god of herds, travel, speed, trade,
heraldry, language, athletics and thievery
 He was married to Hera
 He was the son of Zeus and Maia, a daughter of the titan, Atlas
 Pan was the son of Hermes
 Mercury
 Mercury was the Roman god of trade, profit, merchants,
thievery and travelers
 He was not married
Hephaestus/Vulcan
 Hephaestus
 Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire, forges, volcanoes,
metal, crafts
 He was sometimes called Lord of the Fire, The Smith God, and
Master Craftsman
 He was married to Aphrodite
 Vulcan
 Vulcan was the Roman God of Fire and the blacksmith of the
gods
 He was the son of Jupiter and Juno
 His festival, the Vulcanalia, was celebrated on August 23 when
the summer heat put the crops and granaries at risk of burning
 He was the husband of Venus
Aphrodite/Venus
 Aphrodite
 Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, desire, beauty,
fertility, and vegetation
 She was married to the crippled god, Hephaestus
 Her children were Deimos, Adrestia, Harmonia, The
Erotes, Eros, Anteros, Himeros, Pothos, Rhode, Tyche,
Peitho, Eunomia
 Venus
 Venus was the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex,
fertility, prosperity, and military victory
 She was married to Vulcan
Ares/Mars
 Ares
 Ares was the Greek god of war, battle lust, war booty, city




defense, civil order, anger, violence, courage, fear, and manly
courage
Ares did not marry, but he did have an affair with Aphrodite
His chariot was driven by four fire-breathing dragons: Aithon
(Red-Fire), Phlogios (Flame), Konabos (Tumult), and Phobos
(Fear)
His sacred day was Tuesday
His bird was the vulture
 Mars
 Mars was the Roman god of war, civil order, bloodlust, and
brigands
 Ares was his Greek counterpart
Artemis/Diana
 Artemis
 Artemis was the Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals,
childbirth, disease, plague, sudden death, girls, dance, song,
the waxing crescent moon
 She was the protector of the vulnerable
 Her animals were dogs, guinea fowl, elephant, horses, bear,
dove, deer, and the bee
 Her gem was the Moonstone
 Diana
 Diana was the Roman goddess of the moon and hunting
 She was one of the three maiden goddesses, Diana, Minerva
and Vesta, who swore never to marry
Apollo
 Apollo
 Apollo was the Greek/Roman god of prophecy, music, light,







intellectual pursuits, healing, plague, the sun, poetry, colonists,
medicine, archery, dance, reason, and boys
He was the patron defender of herds and flocks
Apollo was not married
His parents were Zeus (Jupiter) and Leto (Latona)
Apollo’s children were Aristeaus, Trolius, Orpheus and
Asclepius
His animals were the swan, the raven and the wolf
His weapons were a golden bow and golden arrows
His name was the same in Greek and in Roman Mythology
Demeter/Ceres
 Demeter




Horn of Plenty
Demeter was the Greek goddess of agriculture (wheat and
barley), milling, bread, vegetables, pig-farming, motherhood,
and blessed afterlife
Her sacred plants were wheat, barley, mint, poppy
Her sacred bird was the Turtle-dove
Her parents were Rhea and Chronos
 Ceres
 Ceres was the Roman goddess of growing plants, motherly
love, agriculture, grain
Athena/Minerva
 Athena
 Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, crafts, weaving
 Athena invented the flute, the plough, the ox-yoke, the horse
bridle, and the chariot
 Athena was a virgin goddess
 She was born from Zeus's head
 Minerva
 Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and war
 Her symbol was the owl
 She was the daughter of Jupiter and Juno
Nature gods and goddesses
 River Gods & Water Nymphs/Naiads
 Rivers of the Underworld
 Other Nymphs/Dryads
 Pan/Faunus - Satyrs/Fauns
 Selene/Luna
 Zephyrus/Favonius - Eurus/Vulturnus
 Notus/Auster - Boreas/Aquilo
 Iris
 Helios/Sol - Eos/Aurora
 Persephone/Proserpina
 Amphitrite/Salacia
River gods
Water Nymphs/Naiads
 River gods
 River Gods were always male
 There was a river god in every stream, river, canal, etc.
 The best known river god was Achelous
 Water Nymphs/Naiads
 Naiads were fresh-water Nymphs who inhabited the rivers,





streams, lakes, marshes, fountains and springs of the earth
Pegaiai were the Naiad Nymphs of springs
Krenaiai were the Naiad Nymphs of fountains
Potameides were the Naiad Nymphs of rivers & streams
Limnades and Limnatides were the Naiad Nymphs of lakes
Heleionomai were the Naiad Nymphs of marshes and wetlands
Rivers of the Underworld
 Lethe
 Lethe was the river of forgetfulness
 Lethe flowed around the cave of Hypnos and through the
Underworld, where all those who drank from it
experienced complete forgetfulness
 Styx
 Styx was the river of hate
 It was a river which formed the boundary between Earth
and the Underworlds. It circled the underworld nine times.
 If you were to bathe in it, your skin would be like iron
except for a tiny spot
Rivers of the Underworld
 Cocytus
 Cocytus was the river of lamentation
 Those who died and were not properly buried were stuck
walking about the banks of this river for most of their afterlife
 Acheron
 Acheron was the river of woe
 The ferryman, Charon, ferried the dead across Acheron from
the land of the living to the realm of Hades
 Phlegethon
 Phlegethon was the river of fire
 It is said that while the fire burned, it did not consume anything
within its flames
Other Nymphs/Dryads
 Cloud Nymphs/Nephelai/Nephelae
 Nephelai were nymphs of clouds and rain who rose up from the
earth bearing water to the heavens in cloudy pitchers. With their
rain, they nourished the earth and fed the streams of their rivergod brothers.
 Wind Nymphs/Aurai/Aurae
 Aurai were the nymphs of the breezes. They were daughters of
the north-wind Boreas.
 Air Nymph
 Air Nymphs spent most of their time in the skies, and could
effect the weather through their manipulation of air currents.
Other Nymphs/Dryads
 Nereids
 Nereids were Nymphs of the sea and the ocean.
 Dryads
 Dryads were wood Nymphs or forest Nymphs.
 They were very shy.
 They lived in trees.
Pan/Faunus
and Satyrs/Fauns
Pan pipes
 Pan
 Pan was the Greek god of creativity, nature, animals, panic, and
music. He was often seen playing Pan pipes
 His parents were Hermes and the Nymph Dryope
 Pan was half man and half goat, with goat ears, horns and legs
 Faunus
 Faunus was the Roman rustic god of animals and forests
 His wife was Fauna
 Satyrs/Fauns
 Satyrs were Greek rustic spirits of the wilderness and
countryside. They were close companions of the Greek god Pan.
 They mated with the Nymphai nymphs
 Fauns were Roman rustic spirits of the Roman god Faunus
Selene/Luna
 Selene
 Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon
 Her parents were Theia and Hyperion
 Her siblings were Helios (God of the sun) and Eos (Goddess of
dawn)
 She was one of the Greek triple moon goddesses: Artemis Waxing Moon, Selene - the Full Moon, and Hecate - the Waning
Moon
 Luna
 She was the Roman goddess of the moon, animals, and
hunting
 Luna was one of the Roman triple moon goddesses: Luna,
Trivia, and Diana
Zephyrus/Favonius
Eurus/Vulturnus
Spring
 Zephyrus
Fall
 Zephyrus was the Greek god of the west wind, he was thought to
bring spring
 His parents were Eos and Astraeus
 His siblings were Boreas, Eurus and Notus
 Favonius
 Favonius was the Roman god of the west wind
 He was sometimes represented as mere gusts of wind, at other
times he was personified as a winged man
 Eurus/Vulturnus
 Eurus was the Greek god of the east wind, and bringer of fall
 His Roman counterpart was Vulturnus
Notus/Auster
Boreas/Aquilo
Summer
Winter
 Notus
 Notus was the Greek god of the South Wind
 He was the bringer of wet summer
 Auster
Rain
 Auster was the Roman god of the South Wind
 His brothers were Aquilo, Vulturnus, Favonius
 Boreas
 Boreas was the Greek of the north wind
 He was the bringer of winter
 Aquilo
 Aquilo was the Roman god of the north wind
 He had purple wings
Snow
Iris
 Iris
 Iris was the Greek/Roman goddess of the rainbow
 Her parents were Elektra, a cloud-nymph, and Thaumas, a sea






god
She was also a messenger goddess
She was the messenger for Hera
Her sisters were harpies
She was often pictured with wings
She was married to Zephyrus
She was the same goddess in Greek and in Roman mythology
Helios/Sol
Eos/Aurora
 Helios/Sol
 Helios was the Greek god of the sun
 Helios drove a chariot led by 4 fire-breathing horses across the sky
each day
 At night, he was carried back to his starting place in a great cup
 His parents were Hyperion and Theia
 Sol was his Roman counterpart
 Eos/Aurora





Eos was the Greek goddess of dawn
She used to open the gates for the sun (Helios)
She was the child of Hyperion and Theia
She was the sister of Helios (the sun) and of Selene (the moon)
She had been in love with Ares, but Aphrodite cursed her so she
would be in love constantly.
 Aurora was Eos’s Roman counterpart
Persephone/Proserpina
 Persephone
 Persephone was the Greek goddess of flowers and harvest
 She was the Queen of the Underworld
 Her animals were the bat, ram, parrots, all talking birds, and
monkeys
 Her parents were Zeus and Demeter
 Proserpina
 Proserpina was the Roman goddess of the harvest and of the
underworld
 Her parents were Jupiter and Ceres
 Cupid had instructions to hit Pluto with an arrow of love, so Pluto fell
in love with Proserpina and kidnapped her. Proserpina’s mother,
Ceres, went looking for her. Ceres created deserts with her
footprints. Then, she stopped all growth. Finally, Pluto let Proserpina
go (after she ate 6 pomegranate seeds). For eating the seeds,
Proserpina has to spend 6 months a year in the underworld, while
Ceres mourns and stops all growth (winter and fall). When
Proserpina leaves the underworld, Ceres rejoices and starts growth
again (spring and summer)
Amphitrite/Salacia
 Amphitrite
 Amphitrite was the Greek goddess of the sea
 She was the Queen of the Sea, and was the mother of fish,
seals and dolphins
 Her parents were Nereus and Doris
 Her son was Triton and her daughter was Rhode
 She was married to Poseidon
 Salacia
 Salacia was the Roman goddess of salt water
 She was married to Neptune
Gods of Living and Dying
 Hades/Pluto
 Thanatos/Mors
 Hypnos/Somnus
 Morpheus
 Plutus
 Morae/Parcae (Fates)
 Erinyes/Furies (Dirae)
Hades/Pluto
 Hades
 Hades was the Greek god of death
 He was the king of the underworld
 He was married to Persephone
 He was the ruler of the dead
 Pluto
 Pluto was the Roman god of riches and death
 Pluto was married to Proserpine
 He was NOT the lord of the dead
 His job was to run the underworld
Hades' Invisible
helmet
Thanatos/Mor
 Thanatos
 Thanatos was the Greek god of a non-violent death
 His brother was Hypnos
 Thanatos worked for Hades
 His parents were Nyx (night) and Erebus (darkness)
 His nephew was Morpheus
 Mor
 Mor was the Roman god of death
 He worked for Pluto
 Thanatos was his Greek counterpart
 His dad is Nox
Hypnos/Somnus
 Hypnos
 Hypnos was the Greek god of sleep
 His parents were Erebus (the god of darkness) and Nyx (the
god of night)
 He was married to Pasithea (the goddess of hallucinations)
 His children were Morpheus (god of dreams), Phobetor (god of
nightmares), Phantasus, and Ikelos.
 He lived in the underworld
 Somnus
 Somnus was the Roman god of sleep
 He was the brother of death and the son of night
 It was said that he had a thousand children (all gods/goddess of
dreams).
Morpheus
 Morpheus
 Morpheus was the Greek and Roman god of dreams, and in






later mythology he became a god of sleep
He was the son of Hypnos and Pasithea
He was the nephew of Thanatos
Morpheus sent human images into dreams, Phobetor sent
animal images into dreams, and Phantasos sent object images
into dreams
Together, they ruled dreams
Morpheus had black wings
Morpheus only had 1 name in Greek and Roman mythology
Plutus
 Plutus
 Plutus was the Greek and Roman god of wealth
 His mother was Demeter
 Plutus was blinded by Zeus, so that he could not tell good from
evil unless his sight was restored but it was not
 Plutus was sometimes confused with Pluto, god of the
underworld and wealth
 Plutus had the same name in Greek and Roman mythology
Fates
(Morae/Parcae)
 Fates
 The Fates determined how long a person would live
 There were 3 fates: Klotho, Lachesis, and Atropos
 Klotho spun the thread of life
 Lachesis determined the length of the thread
 Atropos cut the thread when the proper time came for death
 Their parents were Nyx and Erebus
 Morae was the Greek name for the Fates
 Parcae was the Roman name for the Fates
Erinyes/Furies
(Dirae)
 Erinyes/Furies (Dirae)
 The Erinyes were the goddesses of vengeance
 They pursued wrong-doers relentlessly, until death, often driving







them to suicide
There were three Erinyes/Furies (Dirae): Tisiphone, Megaera,
Alecto
Tisiphone – Goddess of murder
Megaera – Goddess of envious anger
Alecto – Goddess of unending anger
The Erinyes came from the blood of Uranus when he was cut
up
Their weapon was the whip
The Furies and Dirae were the Roman names for the Erinyes
Other Gods/Goddesses
 Hestia/Vesta
 Eris/Discordia
 Eros/Cupid (Amor)
 Nemesis/Invidia
 Nike/Victoria
 Muses
 Graces/Charities
Hestia/Vesta
 Hestia
 Hestia was the Greek goddess of the house, home, family
hearth, civic hearth, and sacramental flame
 Her parents were Chronos and Rhea
 She had no children and no husband
 Vesta
 Vesta was the Roman goddess of fire, bread, and the hearth
 Her sacred animal was the donkey
 Her festival days were Jan 15, Feb 13, March 1, April 28, May
15, June 7-15, June 24
 Her gem was the black diamond
Eris/Discordia
 Eris
 Eris was the Greek goddess of strife, discord, contention, war,
and rivalry
 Her parent was Nyx
 Her children were Ponus, Lethe, Limos (and a lot of others)
 Eris started the Trojan War by throwing the golden apple in front
of many goddesses
 Discordia
 Discordia was the Roman goddess of discord, strife, and war
 She is the Roman counterpart of Eris
Eros/Cupid
(Amor)
 Eros
 Eros was the Greek god of love
 His mother was Aphrodite
 His father was Ares
 He was married to Psyche
 His child was Volupta (Pleasure)
 He created birds
 Cupid/Amor
 Cupid was the Roman god of love
 He was shown as a winged baby holding a bow and arrow
 The arrows Cupid shot made people fall in love with the first
person they saw.
Nemesis/Invidia
 Nemesis
 Nemesis was the Greek goddess of revenge and justice
 Nemesis was a goddess of requirement; she had to correct evil
deeds done or undeserved good fortune
 Her mother was Nyx - she had no father
 Invidia
 Invidia was the Roman goddess of envy and jealously
 Nemesis was her Greek counterpart
Nike/Victoria
Palm branch (sign of victory)
 Nike
 Nike was the Greek goddess of victory
 She was shown with wings
 Her father was Pallas (who Athena killed), and her mother was
Styx (the Naiad)
 Her siblings were Kratos (strength), Bia (force), and Zelus
(rivalry)
 Victoria
 Victoria was the Roman
goddess of victory
 Her Greek counterpart was
Nike
Coins that show
Victoria
Muses
 Muses
 Clio: Goddess of history and poetry
 Urania: Goddess of astronomy
 Melpomene: Goddess of tragedy
 Thalia: Goddess of comedy
 Terpsichore: Goddess of dance
 Calliope: Goddess of epic or heroic poetry
 Erato: Goddess of love and poetry
 Polyhymnia: Goddess of songs/hymns to the gods
 Euterpe: Goddess of music and lyric poetry
 The Muses were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne
 The Muses were believed to inspire artists, poets, and musicians.
Graces/Charities
 Graces/Charities
 The Graces were minor goddesses who symbolized beauty,









charm, and goodness
Aglaia - Goddess of brightness or splendor
Thalia – Goddess of good cheer
Euphrosyne – Goddess of joyfulness
Cleta – Goddess of sound
Pasithea – Goddess of shining
Peitho – Goddess of persuasion
The Graces are the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome
The Graces are the Greek name
The Charities are the Roman counterpart
Titans/Primeval Forces
 Gaia/Terra (Primeval Force)
 Tartarus (Primeval Force) –
Uranus/Ouranos (Primeval Force)
 Cronus/ Saturn – Typhon
 Oceanus – Atlas
 Coeus & Phoebe – Hyperion & Theia –
Rhea/Cybele (Ops)
 Crius & Mnemosyne – Iapetus & Themis
– Tethys
 Prometheus
Gaia/Terra
 Gaia
 Gaia was the Greek primeval force of earth
 She was born from Chaos
 Her siblings were Eros, Tartarus and Nyx
 Her children were Uranus, Cronus, Pontus, The Ourea,
Hecatonchires, Cyclopes, titans, The Gigantes, Nereus,
Thaumus, Phorcys, Ceto, Eurybia, Aphrodite, and Typhon
 Terra was Gaia’s Roman counterpart
Tartarus – Uranus/Ouranos
 Tartarus
 Tartarus was the Greek/Roman primeval force of the
underworld and he was the bottomless pits of the world
 He lived under the earth and held together the bottomless pits
of the world, which is where monsters go when they are killed
 Uranus/Ouranos
 Uranus was the Greek primeval force of the sky
 He had children with Gaia. He put the some of his children in
Tartarus. Gaia wanted her titan children to kill Uranus for this
act. None of the titans wanted to do that, except for Chronos.
Gaia gave Chronos a scythe and he chopped Uranus up. Then,
Chronos ruled the titans.
 Ouranos was Uranus’s Roman counterpart
Cronus/Saturn - Typhon
 Cronus
 Cronus was the Greek titan of time
 His father was Uranus and his mother was Gaea
 His children were Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, Zeus,
and centaurs
 Saturn was his Roman counterpart
 Typhon
 Typhon was the Greek/Roman titan/monster of the wind and storms
 Gaia and Tartarus were his parents
 He was the father of all monsters and his wife (Echidna) was the
mother of all monsters
Oceanus – Atlas
 Oceanus
 Oceanus was the Greek/Roman titan of the sea
 He was the son of Gaia and Uranus
 He was marred to Tethys
 He was the father of nymphs, 3,000 Rivers, and Seas
 He did not fight in the war against the gods
 Atlas
 Atlas was the titan of the Heavens
 He was brother to Prometheus and Epimetheus, who did not
fight the Olympians
 He fought with the titans in the war against the gods, so Zeus
punished him and then he held the sky
Coeus & Phoebe – Hyperion &
Theia – Rhea/Cybele (Ops)
 Coeus & Phoebe
 Coeus and Phoebe were both Greek/Roman titans of the moon
 Coeus was the son of Gaia/Terra and Uranus/Ouranos
 Phoebe was the parent of Leto, who was the mother of Artemis
& Apollo
 Hyperion & Theia
 Hyperion and Theia were both Greek/Roman titans of the sun
 They were the parents of Helios (Sun), Selena (Moon), and Eos
(Dawn)
 Rhea/Cybele (Ops)
 Rhea was the Queen of the heavens
 Rhea was the mother of 6 Olympians
 Her Roman name was Cybele and/or Ops
Crius & Mnemosyne – Iapetus
& Themis – Tethys
 Crius & Mnemosyne
 Crius and Mnemosyne were both Greek/Roman titans of
memory
 Iapetus & Themis
 Iapetus and Themis were both Greek/Roman titans of justice
and planets
 Iapetus was the father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Atlas
 Tethys
 Tethys was the Greek/Roman titaness of the ocean
 She was the mother of all river gods and Oceanids (which were
sea nymphs or mermaids)
Prometheus
 Prometheus
 Prometheus was the Greek/Roman titan of forethought
 He created the first man
 He gave man fire
 He got chained to a cliff in the Caucasus mountains
 Zeus sent an eagle daily to pluck out his liver
Greek Gods/Titans Chart
Monsters and Weird Creatures
 Scylla and Charybdis – Sirens –
Minotaur - Cyclopes
 Cerberus – Argus – Hydra - Gorgons
 Centaurs – Pegasus – Chimera
 Sphinx - Hecatonchires (the hundred
handed ones) - Nemean Lion - Harpies
 Echidna - Stymphalian Birds - Kraken
 Graeae sisters - Geryon
 Hellhound
Monsters and Weird Creatures
1
 Scylla and Charybdis
 Scylla and Charybdis were a pair of monsters who lived at the Strait
of Messina. Scylla used to be a water nymph, but Amphitrite turned
her into a monster with 6 heads and 3 rows of sharp teeth.
Charybdis was a whirlpool. Together, they ate people.
 Sirens
 Sirens had the head of a female human and the body of a bird. They
lived on an island where they lured people to their death by singing.
 Minotaur
 The Minotaur was half bull and half man. Theseus killed it.
 Cyclopes
 Cyclopes were 1 eyed giants. They were the children of Uranus and
Gaia.
 Cyclopes is the plural term for Cyclops.
Monsters and Weird Creatures
2
 Cerberus
 Cerberus was a 3 headed dog that protected the gates of the
underworld. Mother: Echidna, Father: Typhon
 Hercules kidnapped Cerberus
 Argus
 Argus was a monster with 100 eyes. He was the protector of Hera.
 Hydra
 Hydra was a monster with 9 heads. If one head got cut off, 2 new
heads would grow back. It only could be killed with fire. Hercules
killed the Lernean Hydra.
 Gorgons
 There are 3 Gorgon monsters: Euryale, Sthenno, and Medusa.
Medusa is the only one of them who was mortal. If you looked into a
Gorgon’s eyes, you would be turned to stone. They had snakes for
hair. Perseus killed Medusa.
Monsters and Weird Creatures
3
 Centaurs
 Centaurs were part human and part horse. Centaurs are the
followers of the wine god, Dionysus. Chiron, who trained a lot of
the heroes, was a centaur.
 Pegasus
 Pegasus were horses with wings. The first Pegasus came from
Medusa’s head
 Chimera
 Chimera had the head of a lion, the body of a she-goat, and the
tail of a dragon. Chimera was a child of Typhon and Echidna.
Monsters and Weird Creatures
4
 Sphinx
 The Sphinx had the body of a lion, head of a human, and wings
 Hecatonchires
 The Hecatonchires were children of Gaia and Uranus. They had
100 arms and 50 heads each. Their names were Cottus,
Briareus, and Gyges. Uranus locked them up in Tartarus
 Nemean Lion
 The Nemean Lion was a huge lion with iron skin. No weapons
could hurt it. Hercules finally strangled it
 Harpies
 The Harpies were winged monsters with the face of an ugly old
woman and crooked, sharp talons
Monsters and Weird Creatures
5
 Echidna
 Echidna was half woman, half snake. She was known as
Mother of All Monsters because most of the monsters in Greek
mythology were her children.
 Stymphalian Birds
 Stymphalian birds were a flock of man-eating birds which
haunted Lake Stymphalus in Arkadia. Heracles destroyed them
as his sixth labor, using first a rattle to rouse them from the thick
vegetation of the lake, then shooting them down one by one
with bow and arrow or a sling
 Kraken
 The Kraken was similar to a giant octopus or squid, though
earliest stories describe it as a giant crab. It preyed on ships
and then ate them.
Monsters and Weird Creatures
6
 The Graeae Sisters
 The Graeae Sisters were sea-spirits. They were grey from birth,
and shared among themselves a single eye and tooth. Perseus
stole the eye and tooth, and made the Graeae Sisters reveal
the hidden location of their sisters, the Gorgons. There were
three Graeae Sisters.
 Deino – Which means the terrible
 Enyo – Which means the warlike
 Persis – Which means the destroyer
 Geryon
 Geryon was a 3-bodied, 4-winged giant who dwelt on the red
island of Erytheia
 He possessed a fabulous herd of cattle whose coats were
tinged red by the light of sunset. Heracles was sent to fetch the
cattle as one of his twelve labors.
Monsters and Weird Creatures
7
 Hellhounds
 Hellhounds were dogs from hell
 Cerberus, the three headed hound that guarded the gates of
Hades.
 Orthus: the two headed dog of Geryon.
 Laelaps: the dog that always caught his prey
 Chryseus: the “Golden Dog”, who was sent to guard Zeus as an
infant
Heroes/Warriors
Achilles – Theseus
Heracles/Hercules
Odysseus
Perseus – Jason
Bellerophon
Amazons
Achilles – Theseus
 Achilles
 Achilles was the son of the sea nymph, Thetis, and King Peleus. He
was trained by Chiron. He was almost immortal, since his mother
had dipped him into the river Styx as a baby. This made Achilles’
whole body (except for a small part on his ankle) like iron.
 Theseus
 Theseus was the prince who killed the Minotaur
 Every 7 years, 14 children (7 boys & 7 girls) were picked to go to
Crete to be killed in the labyrinth by the Minotaur as sacrifices. The
third time, Prince Theseus took the place of a man, so that he could
kill the Minotaur. Theseus’ father (the king) gave him a white flag, so
that when Theseus came back, the king would know that he was
alive. When Theseus got to Crete, the princess of Crete gave him a
sword and a ball of thread, to help him get out of the labyrinth. When
he got to the middle of the labyrinth, he killed the minotaur. Then he
left Crete with the princess. But when he was sailing back, he forgot
to put the white flag up on the mast, and so the king committed
suicide in grief.
Heracles/Hercules
 Heracles/Hercules
 Heracles got 12 labors to complete, so he could clear his name from















wrong doings:
1. Kill the Nemean Lion
2. Kill the Lernean Hydra
3. Capture the Cerynian Hind
4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar
5. Clean the Augean Stables
6. Kill the Stymphalian Birds
7. Capture the Cretan Bull
8. Capture the Horses of Diomedes
9. Take the Belt of the Amazon Queen
10.Capture the Cattle of Geryon
11. Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
12. Capture Cerberus
After his labors, he married. His wife gave him a cloak with what she
thought was love potion, but it was really covered in burn poison (by
Hera). Heracles would have burned himself alive (the pain), but then
Zeus gave him immortality.
Heracles is the Greek name
Hercules is the Roman counterpart
Odysseus
 Odysseus
 Odysseus was the King of Ithaca
 He helped the Greeks triumph in the Trojan War
 Afterward, he journeyed nearly ten years to return home to
Ithaca and to his wife, Penelope.
 He saved himself and his men from such monsters as the
Cyclops, the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis.
 When he got back to Ithaca, Odysseus proved his identity to
Penelope and once again ruled his homeland.
Perseus – Jason
 Perseus
 Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë
 He slew the Gorgon, Medusa, with a shiny shield from Athena
and winged sandals from Apollo
 Perseus killed Medusa by looking in the reflection of the shield
 After he killed Medusa, he saved the princess, Andromeda,
from being eaten by a sea monster (he turned it to stone).
 Jason
 Jason was the leader of the Argonauts (the 50 heroes). Jason's
uncle, Pelias, had stolen the kingdom that belonged to Jason
 Pelias promised to return the kingdom only if Jason would bring
home the Golden Fleece
 On their journey, Jason and the Argonauts faced down many
monsters
Bellerophon
 Bellerophon
 Bellerophon was the son of Poseidon
 King Iobates of Lycia sent Bellerophon on a suicide quest to
destroy the fire-breathing monster known as the chimera. With
the help of his winged horse, Pegasus, Bellerophon was able to
complete the task safely. He then conquered the Solymi and the
Amazons.
 Upon Bellerophon's return to Lycia, King Iobates gave him half
his kingdom and his daughter
 After a while, the gods did not like Bellerophon because he tried
to get up to Olympus on Pegasus.
Amazons
 Amazons
 Amazons were a large group of women that were warlike.
 These women were said to be brave, with strength and fortitude





like no other women
An Amazon woman was raised from childhood to fight, therefore
they truly knew what they were doing and could protect their
people at all costs
Not many people stood a chance against the Amazons
They did not like men
If the Amazons had boy children, they would either kill them or
give them to a neighboring men’s tribe
They worshiped Ares (because they were warlike) and Artemis
(because she was a maiden goddess).
Websites that I used a lot!
 http://gogreece.about.com
 http://www.theoi.com
 http://www.pantheon.org
 http://www.dl.ket.org
 http://www.greek-gods-and-goddesses.com
 http://mythagora.com
 http://ancienthistory.about.com