Page '3' of Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses

.MIDAS- To whom fell the unenviable task of judging between Apollo and Pan , as to which instrument was better:the flute, which Pan played, or the lyre, Apollo's instrument. Midas found for Pan, and in consequence was punished by Apollo by having his ears grow long like those of a donkey. More well-known though is the story concerning his 'golden touch'. Midas, having aided Dionysos , was asked by the god to name his desire, and Midas requested that everything he touch turn to gold. This was granted, but Midas soon found that the god had taken him literally, and when he embraced his daughter, she turned to a gold statue, and any food he tried to eat also turned to gold. Eventually, Midas returned to Dionysos and asked him to take back the gift, which he did.

MINERVA- See Athene . -

MINOS- A son of Zeus , Minos ruled over Crete with exemplary justice, but ran afoul of Poseidon when, asking for a sacrifice, he was presented with a shimmering white bull that rose out of the sea. Instead of sacrificing the bull though, Minos set it to graze with his own herds, which were close by the pasture of the herd owned by Helios . Enraged at this deceit, Poseidon made the bull wild, and awoke within Queen Pasiphae an unnatural desire for it, she pursuing it until she finally caught it, and gave birth to the Minotaur . Having set the Greek inventor Daedalus to construct a vast labyrinth in which to incarcerate the Minotaur, Minos sealed the architect of the maze in it, with his son, Icarus , but both escaped the labyrinth, later leaving Crete by flying with wings fashioned by Daedalus. Icarus died, but Daedalus survived, to cause the death of Minos by superheating the bathwater in his tub, and so scalding him to death. Following this, Minos was made one of the assistants on judicial matters to the king and queen of the Underworld, Hades and Persephone .

MINOTAUR, THE- The bastard child of King Minos of Crete, conceived by his wife with the white bull Poseidon had sent to the king as sacrifice. The Minotaur had the body of a man, with the head of a bull. It fed on human flesh, and lived in a vast labyrinth which King Minos had had built. It was killed by the Greek hero, Theseus .

MNEME- One of the nine Muses .

MNEMOSYNE- One of the twelve Titans , and mother of the Muses .

MNEVIS- See Apis .

MOERA- She whose province was the management of the world in regard to social matters involving right and reason. Moera was answerable to no deity---not even Zeus himself.

MOERAE, THE - Also known as the Parcae , these were three goddesses---more like witches really---who controlled, shaped and defined the destinies of men. Unlike Moera herself though, these three were subject to the will and command of Zeus , whom they called Moeragetes. They were supposed to have been present at both Zeus' marriage to Themis , and to Hera . The Moerae symbolised the three stages of life---birth, years and death, and to this end they were each of a different age and appearance, the youngest being Klotho , she who placed the golden and silver thread of life onto the spindle of the loom on which all three sisters worked, while Lachesis spun it, and Atropos , the oldest and ugliest, cut the thread, thus bringing to a close the life of a person on Earth. The Moerae were also known as the Norns in Norse legend, and also the Fates.

MOERAGETES- Another name for Zeus .

MOMOS- Perhaps one of the most spiteful deities in Greek mythology, Momos' function was to laugh and jeer bitterly at the actions of gods and men, even unto complaining of the creation by Prometheus of a man, that there was no window in the man's breast, through which to see his thoughts. Momos died of terminal annoyance, unable to find anything to jeer or mock Aphrodite about.

MORPHEUS- Morpheus was one of the two Greek gods of dreams, it being his function to shape and mould the visions which men saw as they slept, and in the manner in which the gods wished them to be sent to mortals. In this he was assisted by Ikelos , who made his dreams seem real, Phobetor , the maker of alarming dreams, and Phantasos , who troubled sleepers with many strange phenomena. Morpheus was also seen as the guardian or watchman of dreams.

MORS See Thanatos .

MUNYCHIA- Another name for Artemis .

MUSAGETES- Another name for Apollo .

MUSES, THE- The personification of the fine arts by the Greeks, the nine Muses were said to be nymphs of the springs that splashed down the slopes of Mount Parnassos. Their mother was the Titan nymph Mnemosyne , and their father Zeus . The Muses generally lived around the summit of Mount Helikon, Parnassos and Pindos, but they often visited Olympus , entertaining the gods and goddesses. They sometimes performed at weddings of auspicious note, such as that of Kadmos and Harmonia ;and appeared once in a while at events of tragic sorrow, such as the death of Achilles . Their leader was Apollo , though they also accompanied Dionysos. Although nine in number in popular myth, three more are known to exist, these being Mneme , Melete and Aoedte . The true nine, however, are listed as follows:
KLIO:- The Muse of History, was depicted as seated, wearing a laurel wreath and holding a half-open inscribed roll of parchment. Beside her stood a cylindrical box, full of more scrolls.
MELPOMENE:- The Muse of Tragedy, was shown as a serious, dignified figure, standing with her foot raised on a rock, and holding in her right hand an actor's mask, while in her left she gripped a small scroll, part in a play. She wore a long robe girt under her breast, and hanging in loose folds, and from this a mantle fell carelessly.
THALIA:- The Muse of Comedy and Burlesque, she stood clad in a robe or tunic, over which was a fringed mantle, thrown over her left shoulder, and wrapped around her legs, leaving her right arm free. In the hand of this right arm she carried a shepherd's crook, and in the other an actor's mask.
KALIOPE:- The Muse of Heroic Poems, she was represented as seated, holding a writing tablet and a stylus. She was looked on as the chief of the Muses.
URANIA:- The Muse of Astronomy, she was always seated beside a globe, holding a compass in one hand and pointing with the other, upwards towards the heavens.
EUTERPE:- The Muse of Music, depicted standing, playing on a double flute.
POLYHYMNIA:- The Muse of Song and Oratory, she was also considered as the inventor of myths, and for this reason was usually represented in an attitude of contemplation, with one finger raised to her lips.
ERATO:- The Muse of Love and Marriage Songs, usually depicted wearing a wreath, and playing on a large, many-stringed lyre.rotect him
TERPSICHORE:- The Muse of Dancing, was similarly represented to Erato, playing a lyre and dancing, wearing a wreath.

MYRRHA- Whom Aphrodite changed into a myrtle tree.

NAIADS - Nymphs of the liquid element, these were daughters of Zeus , and known as 'fostering nymphs'. They were generally found in the company of Poseidon , Dionysos , Persephone and Aphrodite , as well as Zeus himself. They were also looked on as goddesses of marriage and sacred rites.

NAPAEAE - Nymphs of the mountain vales in which herds grazed, these were usually found in the company of Pan , and were also known as Auloniads. The most famous of these Napaeae was the nymph Eurydice , with whom Orpheus fell in love.

NARCISSUS- Son of the river god Kephissos , Narcissus was a vain youth, who spent most of his time languishing by the waters, staring at his own reflection in abject self-adoration. At length, dismayed that he could never love himself enough, he pined away, and for his arrogance the gods changed him into a flower, which still bears his name. This was poetic justice, as the nymph Echo had herself all but pined away for the unrequited love of the vain Narcissus.

NAUPLIOS- The son borne by Amymone to Poseidon , he became the wrecker of ships, by leading them by means of false lights and signals astray.

NAUSIMEDON- One of the three sons of Nauplios .

NEMEAN LION, THE- The offspring of Typhon and Echidna , the Nemean Lion was proof against all weapons---even Hercules ' poisoned arrows---but to the Greek hero fell the task of slaying it, as one of his Twelve Labours . After he had killed the beast, Hercules wore the skin of the lion, which made him almost impervious to harm.

NEMESIS- She was the Greek goddess of vengeance, and her province was especially in the area of crimes that had gone unpunished. She was seen as the goddess of punishment, the tracker down of the wrongdoer, the giver of luck to the fortunate, and the taker of fortune from the unworthy. Also called Adrasteia and Rhamnusia, she was represented as a thoughtful, beautiful figure of queenly aspect, with a winged crown on her head, and driving a carriage pulled by griffins. She is said to have been the daughter of either Okeanos or Erebos , with Zeus as her lover, and Helen as their daughter. To help her execute her justice, she had three attendants, Dike (Justice), Poena (Punishment) and Erinys (Vengeance).

NEPHELE- First wife of Athamas , after her death she feared for the safety of her children, at risk from her husband's second wife, Ino , and she appeared as a shade to them, presenting them with the Golden Fleece which secured their escape.

NEPTUNE- See Poseidon

. NEREIDES- The daughters of Nereus , the ancient sea god, the Nereides---or Dorides, as they were also called---numbered, according to one account, fifty;to another, a hundred. They dwelt in a splendid cave at the bottom of the sea, and rode on dolphins or other creatures of the deep. Like all nymphs , the Nereides were playful, given to splashing about in the water, swimming, or sitting on rocks at the sea's edge, drying their wonderful tresses. It may be from them that the legend of mermaids sprung. The most famous of the Nereides were Amphitrite , Thetis , Panope and Galates . Amphitrite married Poseidon , while Zeus was strongly attracted to Thetis, but on learning that the marriage would bring forth a son who would surpass his father in might, Zeus relinquished his wish, and gave Thetis in marriage to Peleus , to whom she bore Achilles , and thereafter returned to her sisters of the sea. Of the other Nereides, it was seen that each represented a function or faculty of the sea. Galene and Glauke , for example, represented the peaceful shimmering light upon its gently moving bosom, while Thoe and Halie stood for the play of fantastic waves. The impetuous rush of billows on island shores were the province of Nesaie and Aktaee , while Pasithea , Erato and Euneike were linked with the fascination of the gaily rising tide. The swell and rush of mighty waves were seen to be under the control of Phersusa and Dynamene .

NEREUS- Father of the Nereides , he was the ancient sea god, who ruled before Poseidon . Represented as an old man with a look of dignity, Nereus lost his dominion over the sea when the Earth was divided among Zeus , Hades and Poseidon, and the latter was alotted the kingdom of the deep, but Nereus obtained a position under Poseidon, and also the power of prophecy.

NESAIE- One of the Nereides , under whose control was the impetuous rush of billows on island shores, together with her sister, Aktaee .

NESSOS- A Centaur , who gave to Deianeira , wife of Hercules , a potion which he told her was a love draught, and in which the woman steeped her husband's sacrifical robe, hoping to win back his love. But the concoction was in fact deadly poison, and Hercules, donning the robe, died soon after.

NESTOR- One of the wisest men in Greece who, when asked by Menalaus how he should retrieve his abducted wife, Helen , told the king that nothing less than a mighty armed force moving against Troy would restore the honour of the city, the king himself, and his errant wife.

NIKE- Also known as Victoria, she was the goddess of victory, and a daughter of the giant Pallas and the Okeanid nymph Styx. She was always represented as winged, holding a palm branch, a wreath and sometimes a trophy of armour.

NIOBE- Who had such pride in her daughter Leto's children, that she compared them to Apollo and Artemis , who, enraged, slew all of the children. Apollo killed all the sons, while Artemis slew the daughters. When it came to the turn of the last, and youngest, daughter, Niobe begged the deities to spare the child, but they were relentless. As the final arrow entered her heart, Niobe refused to utter a sound, and was transformed into a rock, down which tears trickled silently.

NOMIOS- Another name for Apollo .

NOTOS- In Greek mythology, Notos was the god of the south wind.

NOX- See Nyx .

NYMPHS- Personifications of the more pleasant aspects of nature, nymphs were a kind of middle being between gods and men, communicating with both, loved and respected by both. They were gifted with the power to make themselves visible or invisible at will, they could perform many feats normally only possible to the gods, and they were always young, beautiful and happy, carefree and loving, but yet when they were entrusted with the care of a thing or person, as in the case of Ida and Althaea , who were charged with looking after the infant Zeus , they took this responsibility very seriously, showing the practical, able side of female nature. There were many different classes of nymphs---different ones for rivers, others for mountains, other for trees, and so on---but they were universally female and beautiful. They lived, like the gods, on ambrosia, but seldom visited Olympus , preferring instead to remain in their secluded grottoes and forests, mountains and rivers, trees and lakes. They accompanied many of the gods when the deities walked the Earth, in particular Apollo , Hermes , Artemis and Dionysos , but they were always hostile to the wanton Satyrs . The twelve main classes of nymphs were Dryads or Hamadryads (nymphs of woods and trees), Oreads (nymphs of mountains), Limoniads (nymphs of meadows and flowers), Napaeae or Auloniads (nymphs of mountain vales), Okeanids (nymphs of fountains and streams), Nereides (nymphs of the sea), Naiads (nymphs of the liquid element), Potamids (nymphs of rivers), Limnads (nymphs of lakes, marshes and swamps---these were the only evil nymphs), Pleiads (seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione ), Atlantids (daughters of Atlas) and Hyads (daughters of Atlas and Aethra ).

NYX- Also known as Nox, was a daughter of Chaos, who became the wife of Erebos and bore to him two children, Aether and Hemera . Nyx was looked on as the goddess of night, and to her was attributed power over illness, suffering, dreams, misfortunes, quarrels, war, murder, sleep and death. In fact, anything inexplicable or frightening that befell men was attributed to her. She was supposed to occupy a place in the lower world of the Greeks, together with Day. When this latter entered the palace, Nyx would ride out in a black chariot drawn by two dark steeds, and accompanied by many stars, she would traverse the heavens until daybreak, when she would return to the palace. She was depicted as a serious figure clad in long heavy drapery, on her head a black star-spangled veil. She sported black wings, and carried two children in her arms. One was black (Death), the other white (Sleep).

ODYSSEUS- Another of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology, Odysseus has his Roman counterpart in Ulysses, and is most famous for his long voyage back from the sacking of Troy , called the Odyssey , and the adventures he had on his way home. But in fact, the story of his joining in the Trojan War is less than complimentary:visited by Agamemnon and Menalaus on their search to engage the best fighters and most heroic men for the assault against Troy, Odysseus pretended insanity, as he did not wish to go, having a good life with his faithful wife Penelope and his young son Telemachos , where he lived on the island of Ithaca. He put on a fisherman's hat, yoked a horse and an ox together, and commenced to plough, but when his son was placed in the path of the plough, Odysseus had to swerve aside, thus proving he was indeed sane, and ensuring his place in the expedition against Troy. Born a son of Laertes, king of Ithaca, Odysseus was fated to distinguish himself in the ensuing war, and become a hero of folkore. In the Trojan War he fought well, leading the Greek forces with Achilles , and indeed it was to he that the latter's famed armour was awarded, on the death of Achilles. He also it was who made the prophet Helenos, brother of Priam, disclose to the enemy the means by which the city might be taken. These were the assistance of Achilles' son, Neoptolemos , the bow and arrows of Hercules and the possession of the Palladium , an image of Pallas-Athene. The first condition was easy to fulfill, as Neoptolemos, languishing in Skyros, was eager for battle, and Odysseus journey there to bring the boy back to Troy. The second part of the bargain, however, was a little more difficult. The bow and arrows of Hercules were in the possession of Philoktetes , whom the Greeks had abandoned on the island of Lemnos, not caring to endure the screams of the injured man, who had hurt his foot. Philoktetes was not kindly disposed towards the Greeks, but Odysseus travelled to Lemnos anyway, and succeeded in tricking Philoktetes into coming to Troy, where his wound was healed, and the grateful Philoktetes handed over the famous weapon. The first victim it claimed was the instigator of the war, Paris .
After his fall, the Trojans shut themselves up in their city, afraid to come out. The capture of the Palladium was a somewhat different matter. This was held within the walls of the besieged city, and again it was the brave Odysseus who ventured inside, disguised as a beggar at first, to find out where the idol was kept. Then, returning with Diomedes , and with the help of Helen , he captured the statue, brought it back to the Greek camp, thus fulfilling the third and final condition for victory. Next came the celebrated strategy of Odysseus who, on the advice of Athene, had a huge horse of wood constructed, and within concealed soldiers of Greece, himself included. The rest of the Greek fleet then set sail, giving the impression that they had abandoned the city. Joyously, the Trojans, suspicious, asked the freed Sinon , a friend of Odysseus whom the hero had left bound on the shore, as in a sacrifice, and whom King Priam had taken pity on, what the idea of the horse was. Sinon replied that it was a sacred object, and that if the Trojans took the horse into their city, they would be under the divine protection of the gods. Delighted, the Trojans followed Sinon's advice, taking the wooden horse in through the gates of the city, and revelled and partied all night, celebrating their deliverance from enemy, until they all fell asleep, drunk. Now Sinon approached the horse, opening a secret flap in its side, and the Greeks emerged from the hollow horse, signalling to the fleet, which lay at anchor not far away. Returning silently and entering the city, the Greeks fell upon the surprised Trojans, and slew most of them, putting the city to the torch, and carrying off their women.
Returning from the now-conquered city, Odysseus had his most famous adventures, being blown off-course from his homeward track. The first place he came to was the country of the Cyclops , where in a cave he met one of them, Polyphemos by name, a son of Poseidon . Odysseus and his men had taken shelter in the cave, the Cyclops being absent at the time. As evening fell, the giant returned, driving his sheep, and closed up the entrance to the cave with a huge stone. Discovering the strangers, he ate two of them, then fell asleep. When he left the following morning, taking his sheep to pasture, he closed over the entrance to the cave again, reluctant to let more suppers escape. After some nights of this---and the loss of several men---Odysseus hit upon a plan for their salvation. When the Cyclops had eaten his usual meal, the hero offered him some wine. Never having tasted the drink before, Polyphemos shouted for more, which he got, until, intoxicated, he fell asleep. Then Odysseus and some of his men heated a long pole, and with it burned out the single eye of the Cyclops. Waking in a fury, blinded, Polyphemos groped around for the men, but unable to find them in the darkness, he removed the stone at the mouth of the cave, and sat there, while his sheep ambled out. He meant to grab the humans as they ran out, but Odysseus and his men had fastened each themselves to the belly of a sheep, and as the Cyclops counted and felt the fleece of his herd as they emerged, he never thought to check further, and Odysseus and his men passed out safely.Once out, and safely on the way back to the ship, Odysseus cried back jeeringly at the giant his name, which he gave as 'Nobody'. Polyphemos, imploring the aid of his brothers, cried out that he had been sorely wounded, but when they asked by who, and he told them, they laughed shortly, saying that if nobody had hurt him, what was he howling for? Enraged and frustrated, the Cyclops called upon his father, Poseidon, to punish those who had maimed him. The sea god did just this, blowing Odysseus' ships even further off-course, until he arrived at the island of Aeolos , king of the winds. Aeolos received him courteously, presenting him at his departure with a bag containing all of the unfavourable winds, that Odysseus not be torubled any further. However, as the captain slept, his men, curious as to the contents of the bag, emulated Pandora and opened the sack, thus releasing the wild winds which blew them again way off-course. This time the ships of Odysseus were blown towards the island of the sorceress Circe , whose first act was to transform Odysseus' men into swine. Softened by the hero's manner, the witch relented, changing his men back, and entertained the party there for a year, after which she advised Odysseus to journey to the Underworld, there to enquire of the shade of the seer Teiresias as to the fate in store for him. Taking her advice, the Greek hero travelled to Hades , meeting many former friends of his, and returned to Circe.
Next of his adventures was to be the first mortal to successfully pass the infamous Sirens , whose singing drove men mad, and caused them to land on the shores of Sicily, where the Sirens devoured them. Ordering himself bound to the mast, Odysseus gave strict instructions that, no matter what he said during the passage through the country of the Sirens, he was not to be released until they were safely through. His men followed his orders, and though the hero strained at his bonds and frothed at the mouth, they would not untie him until they were safely past. Thus Odysseus became the first man to hear the song of the Sirens, and live, and as a result of this, the ancient enchantment of the Sirens was broken, and their power was destroyed.The expedition successfully passed the monsters Scylla and Charybdis , landed on the island of Trinakia, where grazed the sacred flocks of the sun god.
Despite the warnings of both Circe and Teriesias, they plundered the herd, and as a punishment were struck at sea by a terrible storm, in which all of Odysseus' men died. He, clinging to a piece of driftwood for nine days, finally washed up on the shores of the island where lived the nymph Calypso . Despite the entreaties of the nymph to remain with her, Odysseus scorned her offer, pining for seven years on the shores of that island, till finally Calypso was prevailed upon by the gods to release him, and Odysseus left the island on a raft fashioned by the nymph, but blown about again by Poseidon, he would have perished, had it not been for the timely intervention of the sea nymph, Leukothea . Swimming to land, Odysseus was found by the daughter of the king of the Phaeakians, and after spending some time there, relating his stories to the king, the hero was sent home in a great ship. Returning to his own land, Odysseus found that his wife had remained faithful to him through all those years, despite the many suitors who had vied, and were still vying for her hand. Together with his son Telemachos , now grown to manhood, he came among the suitors, raised a quarrel and slew them all. After putting down an insurrection masterminded by the friends of the dead suitors, Odysseus spent the rest of his life reigning peacefully over Ithaca, his travels and adventures at last at an end.

ODYSSEY, THE- See Odysseus.

OEDIPUS- Son of Laios , king of Thebes, Oedipus was another victim of an oracle, which foretold that the child would slay his father and marry his mother. Fearing this, Laios sent the child to the slopes of Mount Kithaeron, where he exposed it, hoping it would die. But some herdsmen found it, and brought it to Corinth, where the king, Polybos , took to the child readily, his wife being childless. Arriving at manhood, Oedipus enquired of an oracle as to his parentage, and was told to avoid the lands of his ancestors, or he would kill his father and marry his mother. Puzzled at this, Oedipus left Corinth and took to wandering. It was in the course of his travels that he met his father, neither recognising the other, and a heated quarrel arose, during which Oedipus slew his father, thus fulfilling half of the prophecy.
Oedipus finally arrived back at Thebes, the place of his birth, without actually knowing it was such. There he found the inhabitants most distressed, due to the rule of a mighty beast called the Sphinx , which lived on a high rock and guarded the entrance to the city, refusing passage to anyone who could not answer the riddle she put them, and moreover eating the luckless ones who failed to solve the problem. The riddle was this:What is it that goes on four legs in the morning, two legs at evening and three at night? The answer being, of course, Man, who crawls as a baby on four legs in the morning, or beginning of his life, walks on two legs most of his life, but needs the assistance of a walking stick, or third leg, as he approaches old age. The Sphinx, enraged, threw herself off the high cliff, and the curse was lifted from Thebes.Jokaste , the widow of Laios, had been promised to any who could free the land from the plague of the Sphinx, and also the throne of the city. Oedipus received both, thus fulfilling the second part of the prophecy uttered at his birth, marrying his own mother. He had four children by her, two sons, Eteokles and Polyneikes , and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene .
When the shameful truth of their birth came to light, Jokaste killed herself, and Oedipus, accompanied only by Antigone, left Thebes, and took to wandering.Father and daughter finally arrived in Attica, and settled down, left in peace until his sons, warring over the throne of Thebes, were told by an oracle that victory would go to the one who brought their father back to the city. Neither able to persuade him to return, Eteokles sent Kreon , his uncle, to bring Oedipus back, by force if necessary. Theseus interposed though, and Oedipus, cursing both his sons, that they might die by each other's hand, died peacefully in the sacred grove of the Eumenides in Kolonos.

OIAX- One of the three sons of Nauplios .

OILEUS- See Ajax .

OKEANIDS- One of the twelve classes of Nymphs , the Okeanids were daughters of Okeanos , and were nymphs of fountains and streams. Their names reflected the different aspects of streams---Prymno , whose name meant 'like a cascade that falls over an abrupt height', Hippo , 'like a swift current', Plexaure , 'like a dashing brook', Galaxaure , 'like the refreshing coolness of a shady stream, Calypso , 'like the hidden tide', Rhodeia , 'flowing among rose trees', Kallirrhoe , 'like a beautiful stream', Melolois , 'like a river that waters the meadows', and Telesto , 'nymph of the cool springs'.

OKEANOS- A son of Uranos and Gaea , Okeanos was a god of the sea, like Nereus , whom he resembled, except for the addition of two short horns, and a sceptre in his hand to indicate his power. He was usually depicted as riding on a sea monster, or seated beside his wife, Tethys , in a carriage drawn by creatures of the deep. A Titan himself, he is said to have been the only one who did not take part in the war against the gods, and is generally considered the most friendly of the giants. His refusal to join in the revolt against Uranos led to his being allowed to keep his station, while his brothers were consigned to Tartaros for their treachery.Okeanos and Tethys watched over the flowering to womanhood of Hera , and it was to the two friendly Titans that the future mother of the gods turned for shelter, during the war against Uranos. Okeanos had so many children that it was said his sons alone numbered three thousand, but it was his daughters that he was proudest of, they being the Okeanids , nymphs of the streams. One of his important sons, however, was Proteus , who only left his dwelling deep in the sea for one purpose, that of taking the sea-calves of Poseidon to graze. Endowed with the power of prophecy, Proteus detested using his gift, and would go to any lengths to avoid it.

OKYPETE- One of the three Harpies.

OLYMPUS- Abode of the Greek gods, Mount Olympus was where Zeus and the other deities sat and watched, judged and controlled the world of men.

ONEIROPOMPOS- Another name for Hermes .

ONEIROS- One of the two Greek gods of dreams, Oneiros was the personification of dreams, whether idle or prophetic. The former were said to issue from the ivory gate of the Palace of Dreams, the latter from the horn gate.

OPHELTES- See Archemoros .

OPS- Wife of Saturn .

OREADS- Nymphs of mountains.

ORESTES- Son of Agamemnon , he avenged his father's murder by slaying Klytaemnestra , his mother, who had perpetrated the deed. For this, however, he was pursued by the tireless Erinys , who permitted him no rest. Orestes had, however, been acting under the instructions of Apollo , and begging the god for assistance, he was told that if he were to bring an image of Artemis from Taurus to Delphi , he would be saved. Travelling to the temple at Taurus, Orestes would have been sacrificed by the priestess of the temple, for the temerity of his having tried to remove the idol, had not it come to light that the same priestess was his own sister, Iphigeneia , who had been carried off by Artemis, on the point of being sacrificed to the goddess. Iphigeneia helped Orestes, and the youth returned to Delphi with the statue.However, his persecution at the hands of the demonic Erinys did not desist, and Apollo advised Orestes to take the image of Artemis to Athens, to the Areopagus , where he called for a fair trial. Apollo defended him, Athene appealing for justice on his behalf. The Erinys appeared as plaintiffs. When the voting had been cast, the decision was half-and-half, but Athene, with the casting vote, brought about Orestes' acquittal. Thereafter, he ascended his father's throne, and married Hermione .

ORION- A hunter whom Artemis killed, annoyed at his advances towards Eos.

ORPHEUS- The son of the Muse Kalliope and Apollo , Orpheus inherited from his mother the power to enchant every living thing with the sweetness of his music, which he played on the lyre, and with his beautiful, melodic voice, as he sang. His music won the heart of the nymph Eurydice , but tragically she died, bitten by a snake as she tried to avoid the satyr Aristaeos . Unwilling to go on living without her, Orpheus descended to the very kingdom of death, the Underworld ruled by Hades and Persephone , there to beg the return of his loved one.The power of his music gained Orpheus safe passage through the Underworld, charming and enthralling everything as he made his way towards the court of Hades. Reaching his goal at last, the bard played and sang for Hades and Persephone, and implored them to release Eurydice. Their hearts finally softened by the unearthly music (especially Persephone, to whom the music brought bittersweet memories of the world she called home, the world above from which she had been abducted), the monarchs of the realm of the dead relented, and Hades granted that Eurydice be allowed return to the world above.But there was one condition that the pale king laid down:all through the journey upwards to the living world, Orpheus must never once look back to see if the nymph was following. If he so much as turned once to check, she would be dragged back down to Hades, there to remain forever. Orpheus began the long climb to the world of light above, but the further he went, the more the silence at his back whispered to him that his loved one was not following, and eventually, just as they reached the entrance to the real world, Orpheus' frustration and fear got the better of him, and he turned.On the instant, Eurydice was pulled back down into Hades, lost forever to Orpheus. The bard dazedly returned to the world he had left, his life shattered. For seven months he sat, disconsolate by the banks of the river Strymon, his heart breaking, refusing food or drink. He broke his lyre, and would sing no more, for he had nothing to sing for now. Eventually, he retired to the higher slopes of Mount Rhodope and Haemos, but there he was discovered by a band of Maenads , who tore him limb from limb.The Muses gathered up his limbs and conveyed them to Mount Olympus , where they buried them. His head and lyre floated down the Hebros, where they arrived at the island of Lesbos, later famed for its musicians. There the head of Orpheus was buried, and nightingales sang sweeter there than anywhere in Greece.

OTOS- One of the two sons of Aloeus the giant, whose greatest fame was that the two brothers managed to imprison Ares in a bronze vase for thirteen months. With his brother, Ephialtes , the giant tried to ascend Mount Olympus , and both were killed by Apollo's arrows.

PALAEMON - Son of Leukothea , goddess of the sea, Paleamon was thrown in the sea with his mother, and being rescued by the Nereides , became the god of harbours.

PALAMEDES- One of the three sons of Nauplios .

PALES- Pales was the god of cattle-rearing, and it is unsure as to whether the god should be referred to as male or female, but usually depicted as an aged woman leaning on a leafless branch of a tree, or holding a shepherd's crook in her hand.

PALLADIUM, THE- A small wooden figure of Pallas-Athene, which was supposed to have fallen from heaven to land on the citadel of Troy , and was carried thereafter to Greece, and then to Rome. The possession of the Palladium was supposed to ensure the safety and prosperity of the city that held it, and for this reason there was outcry and horror when Diomedes and Odysseus stole the figure from the city of Troy, and indeed shortly afterwards the city fell to the Greek forces.

PALLANTIDES, THE- A family of fifty giants that Theseus slew single-handed, after they had tried to remove him from Athens, in order to take over the government of that city.

PALLAS-ATHENE- See Athene .

PALLAS - One of the giants who revolted against Uranos , and who was defeated by Athene.

PAN- Greek god of the pasture-fields, herds and herdsmen, Pan was also identified with Dionysos , god of gaiety and merriment. Woods and plains, hunting and fishing were under his immediate care and patronage, and he was also associated with music, playing the reed pipes that became known as the pipes of Pan, the story being that the god had fallen in love with a beautiful nymph called Syrinx , but she was transformed into a reed. Pan then cut and shaped the reed, and fashioned from it pipes that gave forth such haunting and wonderful music that he was once moved to challenge Apollo to a musicians' contest, over which Midas presided, judging the god of fields to be the better player. Like the herdsmen and nomads who were under his patronage, Pan travelled extensively, wandering from place to place, never settling down in one area, forever on the move. Indeed, the feeling of solitude and loneliness felt by travellers in mountains, when the weather is stormy and no sound can be heard gave rise to the word panic, the uneasiness being attributed to knowledge that Pan was near. Normally Pan associated with Oreads and nymphs, who danced to the strains of his pipes, and who he sometimes chased with violence. During the war between the gods and the Titans , Pan fashioned a kind of trumpet from a sea shell, and with it raised such a commotion that the Titans took flight, believing some monster was pursuing them. Again, when Dionysos had been set upon by many men, and was in dire straits, Pan used the trick again to set his enemies to flight. This is another instance of the origin of the word panic.
Usually represented as a bearded man with a large hooked nose, Pan was also called Hylaeos, and had the ears and horns and legs of a goat. His body was covered with thick hair, and usually held either the pipes of Syrinx, or a shepherd's crook in his hand. Pan also taught men the art of breeding cattle, and how to use dogs to protect their herds against wolves and other dangers.

PANDORA- The daughter of no-one, Pandora was in fact fashioned by Hephaestos from clay, at the direction of Zeus , and infused by him with incredible beauty, but with also all of the weaknesses and failings of humans. Athene instructed her in the industrial occupation of women, Aphrodite gave her grace of manners, and taught her the arts of beauty, while Hermes tutored her in flattering and soothing, and the Horae and Charites helped to make her irresistable to men.Then Pandora was given to Epimetheus , who, though warned by his brother Prometheus to accept no gift from Zeus, yielded to the girl's beauty, and married her. Pandora brought with her a vase, whose lid was to remain forever closed, but her husband could not contain his curiosity, and opened it, thus setting free the evils that have beset mankind ever since. All that remained was hope.

PANDROSOS- One of the three daughters of Kekrops , who became the first priestess of Athene .

PANOPE- One of the Nereides , who became the wife of Poseidon .

PARCAE, THE- See Moerae .

PARIS- Born a son of King Priam of Troy, and his wife Hekabe , it was prophesied by Cassandra that the boy would grow to be the death of his city. In order to try to avoid this, Priam had the child taken to Mount Ida, where he hoped it would die of exposure. The baby Paris was however found by shepherds, who brought him up. It was while under their care that the three goddesses, Aphrodite , Athene and Hera approached the young Trojan, commanding him to decide who was most beautiful. This was in reaction to the gauntlet thrown down (almost literally) by Eris , when she cast a golden apple among the three goddesses, advising them that the most beautiful of them could claim the prize. Each thinking herself worthy of the prize, the three were referred by Zeus to Paris.Each promised him something wonderful:Athene vowed that he should have immortal fame as a hero, Hera promised him the throne of Asia, while Aphrodite said that she would obtain for him the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife. At length, and after much deliberation, Paris found for Aphrodite, and in so doing drew down upon himself and his country the bitter enmity of the two losers.
At that time, it transpired that oxen were required for a sacrifice being offered in Troy, and to Mount Ida came two sons of King Priam, Hector and Helenos , who took one of the herd watched over by Paris. Unwilling to give in, the shepherd followed the princes back to Troy, intending to demand restoration of his cattle. A quarrel ensued on the way, and it looked like Paris was fated to fall at the hands of his brothers, unbeknownst to any. But then Cassandra appeared and revealed the story of Paris' birth, and with great rejoicing the three returned to Troy, where Paris took his place as a son of King Priam, and a prince of the city.Commanded by Aphrodite to set sail for Sparta, Paris there met the woman whom the goddess had promised would be his wife, the most beautiful woman on earth, almost like unto a goddess herself, Helen , wife of Menalaus . The two developed a friendship that turned into something more serious and intimate, and when the opportunity to elope presented itself, Paris and Helen fled Sparta and returned to Troy, where they were married.Menalaus, however, did not take this lying down, and commanded those who had sworn an oath to aid him to now take up arms against Troy and sail to the city to rescue Helen. Thus began the nine-year Trojan War , in which so many were to die. During this war Paris distinguished himself by killing the Greek hero Achilles , but was in the end himself slain by Odysseus , with the arrows of Hercules .

PARTHENIA- Another name for Hera.

PARTHENOS- Another name for Athene .

PARTHENOPE- One of the three Sirens

.PASIPHAE- The wife of King Minos of Crete, who became so inflamed with desire for the White Bull of Crete that she pursued it, caught it and had by it the monster Minotaur .

PASITHEA- One of the Nereides , who symbolised the fascination of the gaily rising tide, together with her sisters Erato and Euneike . She was also one of the Charites .

PAX- See Eirene .

PEGASUS- The offspring of Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa , Pegasus was a wonderful horse, fleet as the wind and with wings that could carry it through the air. After Perseus slew the Gorgon and cut off her head, Pegasus sprang from the trunk, and Perseus mounted the fabulous horse. Bellerophon also rode the horse, until he was destroyed trying to scale Olympus on its back. Zeus then presented Pegasus to Eos .

PEITHO- The daughter of Aphrodite , Peitho, also called Suadela, was the goddess of persuasion and soft speech.

PELEUS- The father of Achilles , at whose wedding the goddess of discord, Eris , threw down the challenge to the three goddesses as to who was the most beautiful. Peleus took part in both the first and second wars against Troy , the hunting of the Caledonian Boar, and the quest for the Golden Fleece .

PELIAS- The stepbrother of Aeson , who drove the latter from the throne of Thebes, and when challenged by Jason for the throne, set the hero the task of recovering the famed Golden Fleece from Kolchis. When Jason returned with the fleece, Pelias refused to step down, and was killed by Jason.

PELOPS- Son of King Tantalos , it was Pelops' flesh that was set before the gods by his father, Tantalos having invited them to a feast in order to test their omniscience. The gods, however, perceived the trick, and restored Pelops to life, replacing the shoulder they had already eaten with one of ivory, and despatched Tantalos to Tartaros for his crime.Pelops grew to manhood under the guidance of the gods, especially Poseidon , from whom he learned the art of managing horses, and fell in love with Hippodameia , daughter of the king of Elis. The king had been warned that his daughter's husband would kill him, so he had had an edict issued that any who could outrace him in a chariot race would have his daughter's hand, but all who failed would perish at his hand. Pelops, riding a golden chariot and winged horses, won, and Hippodameia became his wife.

PENATES, THE-See Lares .

PENEIS- One of the Greek river gods.

PENELOPE- The wife of Odysseus , who remained true to him, even through all his travels, so that when he returned from his Odyssey and found her under siege by many suitors, he slew them all.

PENTHESILEA- Leader of the Amazons, who came against the Greeks during the Trojan War . Achilles fought her in single combat, and killed her, though he lamented the necessity of slaying such a beautiful woman, and treated her body gently and reverently after death, handing it over for a ceremonial and honourable burial.

PENTHEUS- A king of Thebes, whom Dionysos had torn to pieces by his own wife and her followers, because he had dared to spy on their orgiastic rites.

PEPHREDO- One of the three Graeae . Her name meant 'dread'.

PERIKLYMENOS- A strange being who had the power of assuming any form he desired. He was defeated by Hercules .

PERIPHATES- An oppoent who fell to Theseus , Periphates' practice was to crush with one blow of his iron club all travellers that ventured through his territory, which lay between Troezene and Epidauros.

PERSEPHONE- A daughter of Zeus and Demeter , Persephone was carried off to the Underworld by Hades , who, having received the sanction of his brother---and Persephone's father---Zeus, suddenly rose up from a hole in the earth while the girl was gathering narcissus, seized her and dragged her, in his black chariot, down to the kingdom of the dead. Persephone, frightened, implored the gods to help her, but Zeus' word having been given to his brother, he made no move to help, nor would he suffer any of the other gods to render assistance to the stricken girl. Demeter searched the Earth in vain, looking for a sign of her abducted daughter, until she finally found out where Persephone had been taken. On learning this, she entreated the gods to return her daughter to her, and they agreed, with one proviso:if Persephone had eaten of nothing of the Underworld, they said, she would be released. But if she had tasted a morsel, she must remain. Unfortunately Persephone had already eaten half of a pomegranate that Hades had offered her as proof of his love, and thus she was destined to remain with the shadowy king. However, a compromise was reached, in which Persephone was allowed to spend half of the year with her mother and the gods on Olympus , with the other half being passed in the Underworld, as the consort of Hades. As queen of the shades she had control over the various dreaded beings whose occupation was to beguile men to their deaths, like the Sirens , or to avenge murder and other heinous crimes, as did the Erinys .

PERSEUS- Born to the imprisoned Danae when a shower of gold sent by Zeus found its way to her, Perseus was to become one of the greatest Greek heroes of all time. Shortly after his birth, Perseus was sealed, with his mother, inside a closed box which was then set on the sea, and drifted far. This was due to the fear of Danae's father, Akrisios , that the boy would grow up and slay him, taking his throne. The box was eventually rescued by a kindly fisherman named Diktys as it drifted off the coast of the island of Seiphos. Brought to the court of the king there, Polydektes , Perseus grew up under the care of his people, but when Polydektes began to woo Perseus' mother, he found the presence of the youth a problem. So he set him a task:to fetch for the king the head of the foul Gorgon , Medusa . Eager to prove himself, Perseus set off, aided by Hermes and Athene , who led him to the lair of the Graeae , three ancient hags with only one eye and one tooth between them, which they shared. Seizing the eye and the tooth, Perseus forced the drabs to tell him where he might find the nymphs who guarded the helmet of Hades , the winged shoes and the pouch which he had been advised by the gods he would need. On arriving at the place designated, Perseus obtained from the nymphs the three items, to which Hermes added Harpe , his knife with which he had cut off the head of Argos .
Buckling on the winged shoes, Perseus proceeded to the lair of the Gorgon with blinding speed.The helmet of Hades made him invisible to the Gorgon---and everyone else's---sight, and using the polished brass shield which Athene had given him to see the Gorgon without actually looking into her deadly eyes, the stare from which turned men to stone, he sneaked up unseen and chopped off her head. Instantly from the severed trunk sprang Chrysaor , father of Geryoneus , and the winged horse Pegasus . Perseus put the head of Medusa into the special pouch, as directed by the gods, and left on Pegasus, pursued by the two sisters of the Gorgon.
On his way back to Seriphos, Perseus met the giant Atlas , whom he turned to stone for Atlas' refusal to treat him courteously, and also released Andromeda , daughter of Kepheus and Kasseipeia , who had been chained to a rock as a sacrifice for the fearsome Kraken . Struck by the girl's beauty, Perseus vowed to save her if she would marry him. And thus the Kraken was slain, and Perseus carried off Andromeda.Returning to Seriphos, the hero found his mother under the unwanted attention of Polydektes, and presented himself to the king, showing the head of the Gorgon to him and all his nobles, who were all turned to stone.Perseus then also turned the island into a great rock, sparing only Diktys and his people.
His quest over, Perseus handed back the winged shoes, the pouch and the helmet to Hermes, for return to the nymphs from whom he had borrowed them. He presented the head of Medusa to Athene, who ever after wore it on her shield, and then he took his mother and his wife in search of his grandfather, finding him at last in Larisa in Thessaly. There Perseus took part, alongside Akrisios, in games to comemmorate the death of the father of the king of Thessaly. In the course of throwing the discus, however, Perseus dropped it on Akrisio's foot, thus killing him and fulfilling the prophecy uttered before his birth. Perseus returned to Argos, but chose to rule instead over Tiryns, later founding Mykenae. He had two sons by Andromeda, Elektryon and Alkaeos .

PHAENNA- One of the Charites .

PHAETON- Son of the sun god, Helios , Phaeton got into an argument with Epaphos concerning his parentage, and begged his father to prove that he was indeed his son, by allowing him to drive his sun chariot across the sky for one day. Resisting the idea at first, Helios finally gave in, and Phaeton rode the chariot of day across the sky. But the boy could not control the horses, and the chariot went out of control, causing terrible carnage on the Earth below. Zeus , alarmed at the further damage that the son of Helios could cause, struck him dead.

PHAETHUSA- One of the sisters of Phaeton , who wept so for his death that they all three were transformed into larch trees, whose tears, constantly flowing, were changed to amber.

PHANTASOS- One of the helpers of Morpheus , Phantasos tricked dreamers with innumerable and strange phenomena.

PHEME- The goddess of fame and report, whether good or bad, she was sleepless, always prying, swift of foot, announcing whatever she saw or heard, at first only to a few people, and in a whisper, then to larger groups and people, and louder, until finally she had traversed heaven and earth communicating it. She was a daughter of Gaea , and represented as a gentle, tender figure, winged and holding a trumpet.

PHERUSA- One of the Nereides , her province was the swell and impulse of mighty waves, with her sister Dynamene .

PHILOKTETES- One of the many heroes who sailed against Troy , Philoktetes had inherited the bow and arrows of Hercules , and on the way to Troy was bitten by a snake, his cries of pain so offputting to the Greeks that they determined to leave him on the island of Lemnos, where he had suffered his injury. He had later to be returned for though, as the oracle advised that the famous bow and arrows of Hercules would have to be used in the war, if the Greeks were to achieve victory. Odysseus sailed to Lemnos, got around Philoktetes to come to Troy with him, where his snakebite injury was cured, and Philoktetes reconciled to the Greeks. There the bow and arrows were used to slay first Paris , then ensure the defeat of Troy.

PHILOMENA- One of the two daughters of Pandion , Philomena and her sister Prokne exacted a terrible revenge on Tereus of Thrace, who obtained Proken as his wife, but then wanted Philomena also, and pretending the former was dead, tore out her tongue to prevent her from revealing the truth. Prokne, however, embroidered the details of her mutilation on a piece of tapestry, and sent it to her sister. The two then killed the king's son, Itys , and placed his flesh before Tereus as a dish. Pursuing the two sisters, Tereus was turned into a lapwing, while Prokne was transformed into a swallow, Philomena becoming a nightingale.

PHINEUS- A king of Thrace, whom the gods had punished for the crime of cruelty to his own son and---more importantly- --contempt of they themselves, by setting on him the Harpies , who allowed him no rest, fouling or carrying off his food. Having shown the Argonauts the way to Kolchis, however, he was freed of the dread sisters by the two sons of Boreas the wind god, Kalais and Zetes .

PHOBETOR- An assistant to Morpheus , Phobetor was the author of alarming dreams.

PHOBOS- Whose name means 'alarm'. Phobos was one of the two hunting hounds of Ares .

PHOEBE- One of the twelve Titans .

PHOEBOS- See Apollo

. PHOENIX- One of the three sons of Agenor , and brother to Europa .

PHOLOS - A Centaur , Pholos was a good friend of Hercules , and prior to his capture of the Erymanthian Boar , the Greek hero called on him in the cave in which he dwelt, on Mount Pholoe. There the Centaur offered Hercules food, and also wine given the Centaurs by Dionysos , and which was the communal property of all the Centaurs. His people, however, aroused by the smell of the wine, surrounded the cave and a great fight ensued between they and Hercules, during which the hero slew most of them.However, after the fight Pholos was examining one of the poisoned arrows of Hercules, when it fell into his foot and he died.

PHORKYS- Mother of the Sirens , and the Gorgons .

PHRIXOS- One of the two children of Nephele and Athamas , Phrixos escaped with Helle on the golden ram sent by his mother, and whereas Helle perished in the sea, Phrixos safely reached Kolchis, where he sacrificed the ram to Zeus , and hung up the fleece, which was the selfsame Golden Fleece that Jason and the Argonauts later sought.

PICUS- A prophet and forest god of the Romans, , Picus was a son of Saturnus , and spurning the affections of Circe the witch, was turned into a woodpecker by the sorceress.

PICUMNUS- With his brother Pilumnus , Picumnus was one of the Roman gods who watched over married life.

PIERIDES, THE- See Muses , the.

PIEROS- A Thracian who had nine daughters, and so proud of their musical skills was he that he had them challenge the Muses to a contest of music, which the mortal women naturally lost, and were as a consequence changed into singing-birds.

PILLAN- In Auca mythology, the god to whom was attributed sudden storms, floods and volcanic eruptions.

PILUMNUS- See Picumnus .

PIMPLA- One of the streams of which were the Muses .

PINGA- In Eskimo belief, the goddess who acts as the guardian of game, the controller of the hunt, the protectress of the living and the helper of the Angakut , the Eskimo medicine men.

PLEIADS- Seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione , sisters of the Hyads .

PLEIONE- Mother of the Pleiads , and wife of Atlas .

PLEXAURE- One of the Okeanids , whose name meant 'like a dashing brook'.

PLUTO- See Hades .

PLUTOS- Son ofJasion and Demeter .

PODARGE- One of the three Harpies .

POENA- One of the three personal attendants of Nemesis , Poena was concerned with the punishment of wrongdoers.

POLIAS- Another name for Pallas-Athene .

POLLUX- See Dioscuri , the.

POLYBOTES- One of the giants who warred against the gods, and fled when the cause was lost. He was slain by Poseidon , who flung a rock at him, which buried the giant.

POLYDEKTES- King of Seriphos, and a brother to the fisherman Diktys , who had rescued the castaway Danae and her infant Perseus . Polydektes, amorous of Danae, set Perseus the task of retrieving the head of the Gorgon Medusa , and returning it to the king. While the youth was away on this quest, Polydektes wooed his mother, but she held firm, and when Perseus returned with his prize he used the head of the Gorgon to turn Polydektes and all his retinue to stone.

POLYDOROS- The only son born to Kadmos and Harmonia .

POLYHYMNIA- The Muse of Song and Oratory. (See also Muses, the)

POLYIDOS- The seer who gave to Bellerophon the advice he needed to catch the winged horse Pegasus .

POLYNEIKES- One of the two sons of Oedipus , Polyneikes and his brother Eteokles had taken over the rule of Thebes after the abdication of their father, and had agreed among themselves that each should reign a year about. But when it came to time for Polyneikes to ascend to the throne for his year, Eteokles refused to give rule of the city over to him, even exiling his brother from Thebes. Polyneikes went to Sikyon, where he became friends with Tydeus, another pretender to the throne. Here he hatched a plot to take the throne of Thebes from his brother by force, and to this end he enlisted the aid of six other heroes, among them his friend Tydeus and the king of Sikyon, Adrastos . Also in the company were Kapaneus , Eteoklos and Parthenopaeos , and the princely seer Amphiaraos . These seven, then, marched against Thebes, where, instead of regaining his throne, Polyneikes died at the hands of his brother, killing Eteokles with his last breath. POLYPHEMOS A son of Poseidon , Polyphemos was a Cyclops , whom Odysseus met while on the way back to his native land. (See also Odysseus)

POLYPHONTE- Whom Aphrodite changed into an owl.

POMONA- The goddess of garden fruits, she was represented wearing a wreath of these objects, or holding in her hand a cornucopia of them, with a dog by her side. She is normally depicted as a virgin in rustic garments. She was supposed to have been originally a Hamadryad , but yielded her affection to Vertumnus . She was specifically a Roman goddess.

PONTOS- The unfruitful sea, whose child, with Gaea , was the sea god Nereus .

PORPHYRION- The king of the giants that warred against the gods.

POSEIDON- One of the three sons of Kronos , Poseidon (also known as Neptune) was allotted the dominion over the sea when the world was divided between the three brothers, Zeus , Hades and himself. Poseidon was given total control and domination over the water element, and thus became the god of the sea. He vied with Athene for the sovereignty of the soil of Attica, the gods agreeing that whoever could perform the greatest wonder, while at the same time conferring the most useful gift on the land, should have dominion over Attica.With a stroke of his trident Poseidon caused a brackish spring to well up on the Acropolis of Athens, a rock 400 feet high, which had previously been totally arid and without water. But Athene went one better, causing the first olive tree to grow on the same barren rock, and thereby won the contest, gaining sovereignty over Attica.
Hardly graceful in defeat, Poseidon was known to strike back at those who had beaten him, by using his powers as god of the sea. In the instance related above, he afterwards flooded the land of Attica, and in another dispute, this time with Hera , over the district of Argos, he did the opposite, causing a perpetual drought to assail the land. Again, he had quarrels with Helios , over the possession of Corinth, Zeus over Aegina, Dionysos , concerning Naxos, and Apollo for Delphi . These, however, were but mild expressions of Poseidon's anger and wrath;the more obvious and damaging aspect of the sea god's revenge was shown in the monsters he sent to plague towns and coasts, like the Kraken , which he sent to devour Andromeda . He also it was who caused the White Cretan Bull , which he had given to King Minos as a sacrifice, to turn wild, and he too who placed within Minos' wife, Pasiphae , an unnatural desire for the beast.
He was not always an angry god, though. In Lerna in Argos, he pierced the earth with his trident, bringing forth water for the love of Amymone , who was in distress as she could not find the water that her father had sent her to fetch. In Thessaly another stroke of his mighty trident broke through the high mountain, freeing the land from the constant floods that had beset it. Poseidon fathered the fabulous flying horse Arion , with Demeter , and Pegasus , with Medusa , the Gorgon . He also sired the golden ram that Nephele sent to her children, to save them from the murderous attentions of their new mother, and whose Golden Fleece the hero Jason later sought. Also offspring of his were Antaeos the giant, Polyphemos the Cyclops , Pelias and Nestor . The horse was one of his strongest symbols, both at sea and on land. In this capacity he was closely identified with Demeter, with whom he had sired Arion, and his capacity for work reflected in the fact that, after having argued with Zeus after the conclusion of the war with the Titans , both he and Apollo were sentenced to a year in the employ of Laomedon , the king of Troy, in the building of the walls of that city.
Poseidon's rule over the sea had been suspended for that year, and the two gods worked hard, but at the end of their service Laomedon refused to pay them as agreed. Furious, the sea god devastated the land with a flood, and sent one of his sea monsters to plague the coast. He wanted Laomedon to sacrifice his daughter Hesione to the beast, but Hercules slew the monster and carried the girl off.

POTAMIA- Another name for Artemis .

POTAMIDS- Nymphs of the rivers.

POTHOS- Greek god of the anxieties of love.

PRIAM- Son of Laomedon , whom Hercules slew after the king refused to grant, as agreed, his daughter Hesione's hand to the hero, Priam (who had previously been named Podarkes, and the only one spared by Hercules, at the entreaties of his sister, Hesione) became ruler of Troy in Laomedon's stead, and had by his wife Hekabe a most famous son, Paris . When the time came for Paris to be born Priam, warned by Cassandra that the boy would grow up to be the ruin of his country, abandoned Paris on the slopes of Mount Ida. Paris, however, was found by shepherds who raised him, and thus the boy brought terrible misfortune on his country.It was Priam who believed the story of Sinon who, having been left behind when the Greek pretended to retreat, leaving only the Wooden Horse and Sinon behind. Priam, too, it was who ordered the horse taken into the city, thus sealing the fate of Troy . Priam fell by the hand of Neoptolemos.

PRIAPOS- Also called Lutinus by the Romans, Priapos was the son of Dionysos and Aphrodite , and was the god of the fertility of nature. He was seen as the guardian of vineyards, gardens and cultivated fields. His sigils were a drinking cup and a spear.

PROETOS- Brother of Akrisios , and son of Abas , Proetos and his brother hated each other from infancy, and Proetos, growing to manhood and finding himself constantly defeated in the fraternal encounters, left for Lycia, where he was welcomed by the king there. With the aid of a Lycian army he marched against his brother, gaining dominion over Argos and Corinth, fortifying himself in the citadel of Tiryns, while his brother held out at Larsia. Proetos had three daughters, whose haughty manner and scorn of the gods resulted in their being driven insane by Hera , wandering aimlessly through the woods of Argos and Arcadia, lowing like cows, which they believed they were. Proetos called upon his prophet, Melampos , to try to cure them, but the man demanded a third of the kingdom for the service, and Proetos sent him away. The evil worsened, however, and Proetos had to call Melampos back again, this time the prophet demanding a further third of the kingdom, for his brother, Bias. Now the king agreed, and Melampos, gathering to him a body of able youths, pursued the daughters of the king across the mountains, on to Sikyon, where the eldest died, and the other two, being cured, were married to Melampos and Bias. Proetos also figured in the legend of Bellerophon , where the hero, residing at his court, was accused by the king's wife, Stheneboea , of trying to ravish her, and as a result of this, Proetos sent Bellerophon to Lycia, with a letter that asked the king to have the bearer killed.

PROKNE- See Philomena .

PROKRIS- The wife of Kephalos , for whose love the Greek withstood the advances of Aura . Prokris was slain by her, by accident, but as part of Aura's revenge on Kephalos.

PROKRUSTES- See Damastes .

PROMETHEUS- Son of the Titan Japetos , Prometheus saw the deplorable condition of man, who was without the fire that Zeus so jealously guarded, and his heart was wrung with pity for them. Prometheus had already incurred the wrath of the father of the gods when he had officiated in a test to see exactly how much of an animal should be sacrificed by men to the gods. Prometheus slaughtered an ox, wrapped up all the edible parts in the skin of the animal as one portion, and disguised the bones and other worthless parts with fat as the other portion. Then he offered the two portions to Zeus, who chose the worthless one. Prometheus snatched fire from the forge of Hephaestos and brought it to man, and for this audacity he was chained living by the crippled god to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains, where a vulture came every day to gnaw on his liver. The Titan endured this punishment for a long time, until finally Zeus allowed Hercules to release him from his torment, as Prometheus possessed secret knowledge of the end of Zeus himself.

PROSERPINA- See Persephone .

PROTEUS- The son of Okeanos and Tethys , Proteus lived in a deep cave under the sea, leaving there only to lead the sea- calves of Poseidon to graze. He had the power of prophecy, but hated using it, and would go to great lengths to avoid having to employ his power. In order to accomplish this, he had the power to transform himself into any shape he desired.

PRYMNO- One of the Okeanids , whose name meant 'like a cascade which falls over an abrupt height'.

PSYCHE- A beautiful king's daughter, of whom Aphrodite became jealous, and charged Eros to visit her and inspire her with love for some common man. The god of love, however, on seeing Psyche was himself struck with her pretenatural beauty, and carried her off. They spent much happy time together, but Psyche was not allowed to look upon Eros with her mortal eyes. However, being only mortal, her curiosity got the better of her, and she stole into his bedchamber one night, holding a lamp the better to see the face of her mysterious lover. But in alarm at her discovery, she dropped a globule of hot oil on the god's shoulder, which caused him to awake, and, furious at her having disobeyed him, flew off.Psyche searched everywhere for Eros, finally arriving at the temple of---unbeknownst to her--her rival, Aphrodite. The goddess charged her to descend to the Underworld, there to fetch her a box of Persephone's beauty ointment, which she brought back. The scent, however, overpowered her and she sank dead. But Eros, wrung with remorse, brought her back to life and obtained for her immortality, the two being married thereafter.

PSYCHOPOMPOS- Another name for Hermes .

PYGMALION- The Adonis of Cyprus, into whose statue Aphrodite breathed life.

PYRRHA- Wife of Deukalion , who were both saved by Zeus from the great flood, and thereafter repopulated the world.

PYTHIOS- Another name for Apollo .

PYTHON- The great snake which barred Apollo's way to his oracle at Delphi , and which he slew, ever afterward establishing his seat at Delphi.

QUIRINUS- A Roman war god associated with Jupiter and Mars.

REMUS- With his brother, Romulus , Remus was the offspring of Mars and a vestal virgin. They were both abandoned at birth, but found and suckled by a she- wolf, and brought up by herdsmen. Returning to the land of their birth, the twins founded the city of Rome, but Remus was killed by Romulus, in a quarrel. Romulus found that his city, Rome, suffered from a lack of women, and righted this situation by carrying off the Sabine maidens at a festival. Romulus reigned for forty years in Rome, after which he vanished.

RHADAMANTHYS-One of the three sons of Europa , he taught the young Hercules , and at his death was selected as one of the three judges who helped Hades and Perspephone decide the fates of the dead.

RHAMNUSIA- Another name for Nemesis .

RHEA- Wife of Kronos , and mother to such gods as Poseidon , Hera , Demeter , Zeus , Hades and Hestia , Rhea represented the fertilising force in nature. It was she who saved her son Zeus from being swallowed by his father, when Kronos had determined that, in order to prevent an oracle coming true, he would devour every one of his sons. Rhea offered the god a rock shaped roughly like a baby, and Kronos, unsuspecting, swallowed it. Thus Zeus lived, to return and challenge---and in the end, oust---his father. Drawn to the irresistable beauty of the shepherd Attis , who was due to marry the daughter of the king of Pessinus, Rhea appeared suddenly amongst the wedding-guests, causing great fright and consternation, and spurring Attis to terrified flight. The shepherd maimed himself, and died beside a pine tree, into which his soul transmigrated, and his blood turned into violets that ringed the tree. Grieved by the incident, Rhea implored Zeus to restore her lover. But as this could not be, Zeus reached a compromise with her:he declared that Attis' body should never decay, that his hair should always grow, and that his little finger should always move.

RHODEIA- One of the Okeanids , whose name meant 'flowing among rose trees'.

RHOETOS- One of the giants who rebelled against the gods, Rhoetos was slain by Dionysos .

ROMULUS- See Remus .

SARPEDON- One of the three sons of Europa , and brother to Minos and Rhadamanthys .

SATURN- Saturn was in fact a king of the fertile region that stretches along the banks of the Tiber, in Rome, on each side. He presented himself to Janus , and received kindly by him, proceeded to teach his subjects the arts of gardening and agriculture, as well as how to nurse the vine, and how to tend and cultivate fruit trees. Having performed such wonderful work for his king, he was invited by Janus to share the reign of the region with him, and the two ruled jointly. During Saturn's rule the land thrived and the people were happy, with innocence, freedom and love all through the land, so much so that the period of his reign was known as a golden age. His wife was Ops.

SATYRISKI- One of the three classes of Satyrs , the youngest and most juvenile of them.

SATYRS- Forest deities, the Satyrs represented the genial, luxuriant life in nature, which spreads over fields, woods and meadows. Companions of Dionysos , they exhibited typically some small sign of their bestial nature, as in tiny horns on the head, a small goat's tail, or suchlike. They were divided into three classes, the first and highest were those who nearly resembled their god, Dionysos, and whose occupation was either to play the flute for his amusement, or pour out his wine. The second class were older, and called Sileni , and the third, very young and juvenile, were known as Satyriski . The lives of Satyrs were spent in woods and hills, in a constant round of amusement and drinking, hunting, dancing, music and gathering and pressing grapes. They were often found in the company of Dionysos, whirling in wild, frenetic dances with the Maenads . Their musical instruments were the syrinx, flute and cymbals.

SCYLLA- A fierce sea-monster which barred the passage of Jason , but he defeated it, with the loss of six of his men.

SELENE- Also known as Luna, Selene was the sister-goddess of the moon to Artemis , she representing the orb of the moon, rather than the actual character and influence of it, which was taken under the aegis of Artemis. Selene, representing evening and night, was depicted clad in long heavy robes, with a veil covering the back of her head. She carried a torch, and wore a half-moon on her brow, leaning forward as if moving with speed, riding in a chariot drawn by two horses.sent by The story is told of her love for Endymion , whom she found asleep on a hillside and descended to him.

SEMELE- The mother of Dionysos , she incurred the wrath of Hera , who, on discovering that her husband Zeus was the father of the baby, visited Semele in disguise, and after winning her trust, advised her to get Zeus to swear to appear to her in all his majesty as thunder god. When Semele did this, Zeus had no choice but to agree to her request, as he had sworn 'by the black waters of the Styx '---one of the most solemn oaths man or god could swear---to grant her wish, before hearing what it was. Therefore he appeared to her as a thunderstorm, resplendent with lightning and loud crashing, which unfortunately was the death of Semele.

SEMNAE- See Erinys .

SILENI- One of the three classes of Satyrs , these were the older figures.

SILVANUS - A purely Roman god, Silvanus' function was to watch over the interests of herdsmen living in woods and fields, and taking care to preserve boundary lines and banks of rivers. He was said to have been the first to mark a boundary with stones, and thus was looked on as the founder of a regular system of landowning. He is represented as a human figure, a cheerful aged man holding a shepherd's pipe, being given to music, like most forest and wood deities, and carrying a branch of a tree to mark him specifically as a forest god. This branch is supposed to have been Cyparissus , whom he changed into a cypress tree, having fallen in love with her.

SINIS- The feared robber, whom Theseus met and defeated on the isthmus of Corinth.

SINON - A friend of Odysseus , who was left behind bound in the attitude of a sacrifice when the Greek fleet made its pretence of sailing away from Troy defeated. When King Priam freed him and invited him into the city, it was Sinon who unfastened the secret door in the Wooden Horse which allowed egress for the Greek soldiers therein, and spelled the doom of Troy.

SIRENS, THE - The daughters of Phorkys and Acheloos , the Sirens had been nymphs and playmates of Persephone ., and as punishment for their not trying to prevent the carrying off of her daughter by Hades , Demeter transformed them into beings half woman and half bird, then changed her mind later and gave them the lower half of fish. There were three whose names are known, and they are Parthenope , Ligeia and Leukosia . During the time when they were half bird in form, the Sirens challenged the Muses to a competition in singing, but they lost, and the Muses plucked their feathers from the Sirens, bedecking themselves with them. When they had been further transformed into marine beings, the Sirens inhabited the cliffs of the islands between Sicily and Italy, the sweetness of their singing luring unwary travellers on the seas to their deaths. The song of the Sirens would compel them to land on the islands, where they would be torn apart and eaten by the daughters of Phorkys.The first to successfully pass by the Sirens was Orpheus , who, in company with the Argonauts, kept the attention of the crew fixed on his own beautiful and haunting music, and then came Odysseus , who had his crew stop their ears, while he himself, bound to the mast but having given strict instructions that he was not to be released for any reason until they were safely by, heard their ghostly music and survived.This feat was sufficient to break the power of the Sirens forever, and they hurled themselves into the sea, where they became cliffs.

SISYPHOS- One of the Greek heroes who sought to better himself by informing the river god Asopos of what he had seen, Zeus carrying of the god's daughter Aegina . Sisyphos put this condition on the release of his knowledge to the river god:that Asopos would create a spring of water on the parched citadel of Corinth. Asopos did so, and Sisyphos told him what he knew. Zeus, however, was not pleased, and sent the daemon of death to claim the informer, but Sisyphos caught him, bound him with strong chains, and held him, so that no-one could die until Ares arrived and broke the chains. Sisyphos was thereafter handed over to the daemon of death, but before leaving for Hades he charged his wife, Merope , not to offer the customary sacrifice to Hades and Persephone . Arriving in the underworld, he moaned so at his wife's 'neglect' that he was eventually returned to the upper world.However, after his death he was sentenced to Tartaros , where he had to continually roll a huge stone up a hill, where, reaching the summit, it always rolled back down upon him, so that he must commence pushing it up again.

SOL- See Helios .

SOMNUS- See Hypnos .

SOTEIRA- Another name for Pallas- Athene

SPHINX- A terrible beast that held the city of Thebes in thrall, during the time before Oedipus arrived. The Sphinx would ask a riddle of any travellers, and if they could not answer it, thrown them from the cliffs. Oedipus, however, solved its riddle, and the Sphinx threw itself into the sea.

STEROPES- One of the three Cyclops , whose power was his lightning.

STHEINO- One of the three Gorgons .

STHENEBOEA- The wife of King Proetos who, finding Bellerophon proof against her wiles, devised the story that the hero had tried to assault her, which resulted in Proetos' sending Bellerophon to his intended death at the hands of the king of Lycia.

STYMPHALIAN BIRDS, THE- One of the Twelve Labours of Hercules .

STYX- The river of the dead, which led into Hades , and across which Charon the boatman ferried the souls of the dead into the kingdom of shadow.

SUADA- See Peitho .

SYMPLEGADES, THE- Two cliffs which moved on their bases, coming together and smashing all in their grip.

SYRINX- A nymph whom Pan loved, followed and transformed into a reed, from which he fashioned pipes, which he ever afterwards played

TALOS- A man of bronze, who had been placed in Crete by Zeus , to watch over Europa . To this end he was commanded to run around the island three times a day, to see who landed there. It was his practice to catch strangers, press them to his brazen bosom, and leap into a fire, laughing. From this practice comes the phrase 'sardonic laughter'. When the Argonauts landed on Crete, Talos stood against them, but they knew his secret, that although made entirely of bronze, Talos had one vein running from neck to heel, which contained all of his lifeblood. Poeas , the father of Philoktetes , hit this vein using the arrows of Hercules , and Talos fell and died.

TANTALOS- Despatched to Tartaros by Zeus for his cruelty to his own son, Tantalos had to suffer the unceasing dread of being crushed by a huge rock which hung suspended above his head, he standing up to the throat in water, possessed of a terrible thirst that he could never quench, and a gnawing hunger that he tried to assuage with the tempting fruits that hung above his head, but withdrew as soon as he reached for them.

TARTAROS- The region in Hades to which the punishment of any who had offended the gods while on Earth was seen to. Here were held Tantalos , Ixion , Sisyphos , Tityos and the Danaides .

.TELEMACHOS- The son of Odysseus , who was put in front of the plough the hero was driving, pretending to be insane, in order that he not have to accompany the army that sailed on Troy in pursuit of Helen , and thus had to swerve to avoid, proving his lucidity of mind. When his father returned from the Trojan War, Telemachos helped him rid his mother of her unwanted suitors, killing them all.

TELEPHASSA- Wife to Agenor , and mother of Europa , Phoenix , Kilix and Kadmos .

TELEPHOS- A Son of Hercules , Telephos stoutly opposed the invasion of his country of Mysia, where the Greeks had landed by mistake, on their way to Troy . In the fighting, Telephos received a wound from the spear of Achilles , a wound that would not heal, and consulting an oracle was told that the injury could only be cured by he that had caused it. Consequently, Telephos proceeded to Aulis, where the Greek fleet lay at anchor, and presenting himself in disguise to Agamemnon , abducted his son, Orestes , and demanded to be healed. Odysseus , however, stepped in and scraped some of the rust from the spear of Achilles to the wound, which then healed. In gratitude, Telephos offered to lead the Greeks to Troy.

TELESPHOROS- He was looked on as a genius of that secret and mysterious vitality which sustains the convalescent. He was normally represented by the side of Asklepios , as a small barefoot boy, wrapped closely in a mantle, and with a hood on his head.

TELESTO- One of the Okeanids , whose name meant 'nymph of the cool springs'.

TEREUS- The monarch of Thrace who, having received the hand of Prokne , desired also her sister Philomena , and married her, declaring Prokne dead, and having her tongue torn out to prevent her from revealing the secret.

TERMINUS- God of boundaries, both to the Romans and the Greeks.

TERPSICHORE- The Muse of Dancing.

TERRA- See Gaea .

TETHYS- Wife of Nereus .

THALASSIOS- Another name for Hymen .

THALIA- The Muse of Comedy and Burlesque.

THALLO- One of the Horae .

THAMYRISA- Son of the king Philammon and the nymph Argiope , Thamyris was famed for his beauty and the power of his music, so much so that he boasted himself equal even to the Muses . For this indignity the Muses met him on the road and put out his eyes, taking away both his beauty and his power of music.

THANATOS- The god of death, a son of Night and twin brother of Sleep, it was the task of Thanatos to introduce the whole of humanity to Tartaros . This function led to his being frequently associated with pain, and represented as a powerful figure, with shaggy beard and fierce visage, with great wings flapping at his shoulders, resembling Boreas the wind god. In the case of death coming timely, or welcome, Thanatos was depicted as a quiet pensive youth, winged and standing with his legs crossed, often beside an urn with a wreath on it, and holding an extinguished torch reversed.

THARGELIOS- Another name for Apollo .

THAUMAS- A giant, father of the Harpies .

THEBAIS, THE- The epic poem that told the story of the seven heroes who went against Thebes.

THEIA- One of the twelve Titans

THEMIS- A daughter of Uranos and Gaea , she was the personification of that divine law of right which ought to control all human affairs, of that highest and noblest sense of right which is subject to no human influences. She was also viewed as the goddess of the rights of hospitality. She gave the power of prophecy to Apollo , having held the post at Delphi before him. Zeus wooed her for a long time before she consented to become his wife, and to him she bore the Horae , Moerae and Astraea , the goddess of justice. Because of her great integrity and sense of justice, all the gods consulted Themis when seeking advice. Even Zeus sought her counsel, being warned by her that he should not marry Thetis , as the son who would spring from the marriage would grow up to overthrow his father. Taking her advice, Zeus gave Thetis to the mortal Peleus as his wife. Themis was represented as a woman of mature age, with large, open eyes, holding a sword and chain in one hand, with a balance in the other, to indicate the severity and the accuracy with which justice is to be meted out and administered.

THERSITES- One of the Greeks who attacked Troy , a mean and deformed man who, when Achilles had struck down the beautiful Amazon Penthisilea , stuck his spear in the dead woman's eye. For this indignity to a valiant fallen foe, Achilles killed him on the spot.

THESEUS- One of the greatest Greek heroes of all time, Theseus was born the son of Aegeus , king of Attica, and Aethra , a daughter of the king of Troezene. His father had left Aethra early in Theseus' life, and had hidden his sword and sandals under a great rock at Troezene, telling her that when the boy was able to move the rock, he would be ready to come to Athens, and that he should bring the sword and sandals as a token with him. Theseus accomplished this feat when only sixteen, and set out for the court of his father.Reaching Athens, he fell foul of Medea , who was then the consort of Aegeus, the witch giving him a poisoned drink. But Aegeus, recognising the sword and sandals, cried out, knocked the goblet from Theseus' startled fingers, and thus the life of his son was saved. Medea fled, cursing both father and son, predicting that they should bring each other only sorrow and grief.
On the way to Athens Theseus had many adventures, among them the slaying of Periphates , whose practice had been to crush with a single blow of his iron club all who travelled through his territory, the defeat of the feared robber Sinis , and the slaying of the wild bull of Krommyon. He encountered another fearful robber, Skiron , who had been in the habit of throwing his victims off the high cliffs into the sea, and Theseus performed the same service for the thief. He also slew the powerful Kerkyon , and Damastes , whose manner of killing his victims involved his tying them down on a bed which was always too short or too long. The victim being too short, was stretched till he fit, or if too tall, Damastes chopped off the bits of the victim that stuck out from the bed.
Arriving at Athens, Theseus was scoffed at because of the long Ionain dress he wore, and his long hair, but he soon put paid to any ideas that he was effeminate by unyoking a laden wagon that was standing by and throwing it up into the air. Next he slew the fifty sons of Pallas , the giants called Pallantides , who were trying to overthrow him. But his greatest adventure was without doubt the slaying of the beast, the Minotaur , offspring of the wife of King Minos of Crete, Pasiphae , and the White Cretan Bull , which Minos had had imprisoned in a vast underground labyrinth designed by the craftsman Daedalus . To this monster was brought the annual sacrifice of seven youths and seven maidens, which had to be sent as tribute to Crete in recompense for the murder of Minos' son. The Minotaur, a fearsome flesh- eater, devoured these, but was never satisfied, and roamed its labyrinthine prison, seeking a way out.Here came Theseus, disguising himself as one of the sacrificial youths, and arriving at the court of King Minos, won the favour of his daughter, Ariadne . She gave him a spool of thread, which she said he must pay out behind him as he progressed into the maze, otherwise though he slay the monster, he might never find his way out. Theseus met and slew the Minotaur, and returned to Athens, taking with him Ariadne, who had fallen in love with him. However, fearing to take home as his wife the daughter of the very king who had exacted such cruel tribute from his homeland, Theseus abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos. She was found, swathed in sorrow, by Dionysos , and her sorrow lifted. Before leaving for Crete, Theseus' father had made his son promise to ensure to fly a white sail on his return home, signalling a successful enterprise. The hero, however, had forgotten his promise, and as they sailed into Attica the ship flew a black sail, as it had when Theseus had departed from Attica. Aegeus, watching from the high promontory where he had kept vigil since his son had left for his encounter with the Minotaur, believed his son dead, and flung himself into the Aegean Sea.Theseus had also taken part in the expedition to recover the Golden Fleece , mounted by Jason , and had in fact carried off Hippolyte , whose girdle his friend Hercules had been commanded by Eurystheus to obtain, as part of his Twelve Labours . In reprisal for this act, a large body of Amazons invaded Attica, but were repulsed by Theseus. The Greek hero also had a longstanding friendship with the Thessalian prince Peirithoos , showing this friendship in driving off the Centaurs that tried to carry off his friend's bride at his wedding, and secondly when Peirithoos conceived a passion for Persephone , and resolved to carry her off from Hades . In this enterprise he was aided by Theseus, but the attempt failed, and the two were kept in chains in Hades, until Hercules rescued them.
After the death of Aegeus, Theseus ascended to the throne of Attica, ruled prudently, and introduced institutions of a liberal kind among his people.He united the previously splintered states of Attica into one kingdom, with Athens at its head. He eventually died at the hands of Lykomedes , where he had sought sanctuary after a tumult in Athens.

THETIS- One of the Nereides , and perhaps the most famous, Thetis was to be married to Zeus , but at the warning of Themis that their son would rise to overthrow his father, Zeus relinquished his wish, giving instead the nymph in marriage to Peleus , and from their union sprang the famous Greek hero Achilles .

THOE- One of the Nereides, whose province was the play of fantastic waves, together with her sister Halie .

THYENE- One of the Hyads .

TISIPHONE- One of the three Erinys , Tisiphone was the avenger of murder.

TITAEA- A goddess of the Earth, who attended the marriage ceremony of Zeus and Hera , and planted there the tree which gave forth the golden apples of the Hesperides .

TITANS, THE- The result of the union between Gaea and Uranos , the Titans were giants, and twelve in number. Their names were Okeanos , Tethys , Hyperion , Theia , Kreios , Eurybia or Mnemosyne , Koios , Phoebe , Kronos , Rhea , Japetos and Thenis . Of these, Kronos and Rhea became the parents of the race of Greek gods, being in turn deposed by their children. The others rose against Uranos, and later Zeus , who defeated them.

TITHONOS- One of the mortals who found favour with Eos , who carried him off and obtained for him, as she did for all her mortal lovers, immortality. However, in the case of Tithonos, she had omitted to ask Zeus in addition for eternal youth for her latest beau. As a result of this oversight, Tithonos grew old as time passed, and although Eos tried to love him as she had when he had been young and beautiful, she eventually had him shut up in a chamber, from which only his voice issued, like the chirp of a grasshopper;and indeed, it is said that he was transformed into that very creature.

TITYOS- A giant who had misused his strength to outrage Leto , and was as punishment condemned to Tartaros , where two enormous vultures gnawed continually at his liver, which always grew back again.

TRIFORMIS- Another name for Hecate .

TRIPTOLEMOS- The son of Keleos , to whom Demeter presented the seed of the barley, and her chariot, that he might travel the world, teaching mankind how to sow and reap grain, a task which he performed admirably.

TRITOGENEIA- Another name for Pallas-Athene .

TRITON- The son of Poseidon and Amphitrite , Triton was a minor marine god, and the herald of his father, Poseidon. When the sea was tossed by storms he was supposed to be blowing on a long twisted shell which he used as a horn, and when the storm had passed he would sound a gentle note. When Poseidon travelled on the waves, it was Triton who announced his approach, and gathered the rest of the marine deities. His own servants were the Tritons, who looked like him, and performed similar duties.In the war against the giants he rendered considerable service to Zeus by raising such a din with his shrill trumpet that the giants, fearing the approach of some great sea monster, fled in fright.Triton and his Tritons were depicted as of human form as far as the waist, covered with small scales, holding in hand a sea shell, their lower half that of a dolphin. Triton himself sailed across the sea in a chariot drawn by horses.

TRIVIA- Another name for Hecate .

TROJAN WAR, THE- It was the abduction of Helen , the wife of King Menalaus of Sparta, by Paris , prince of Troy, that began the war that lasted ten years, and took so many lives, resulting in the total destruction of the city of Troy, and the surrounding countryside, and the end of its dynasty.Paris, promised by Aphrodite the most beautiful woman on Earth as his wife, was told by the goddess to go to Sparta, where he met Helen, with whom he soon formed a strong bond of friendship, and then something more intimate, culminating in the eloping of Helen and Paris. The fugitive couple fled to Troy, where Helen married Paris.
Meanwhile, Menalaus sought the advice of the wise Nestor , who told him that the only way to regain his and Helen's honour was to mount a war-party to attack Troy, and endeavour to take his wife from them by force. Acting on this advice, Menalaus set about forcing the other suitors for Helen's hand before him to make good on the oath they had sworn, that they would all rise to Menalaus' aid, should he need it, and mounting a great warfleet, sailed for Troy.Agamemnon , Menalaus' brother, was elected to command the fleet, and they assembled at Aulis, over one thousand ships in all, the largest fleet ever mounted. While at anchor in Aulis, they observed a strange phenomenon:a serpent coiled itself around a plane tree, on which was a sparrow's nest with nine young birds therein. The snake devoured the young birds, but on attacking the mother, was instantly turned to stone. Kalchas, the high priest, divined this omen as proof that they must fight nine years around Ilium--or Troy--and on the tenth take the city.
The Greek fleet then set sail, but landed by mistake in Mysia, where the king, Telephos , resisted the invaders fiercely. There he received a wound from Achilles , which would not heal. The Greeks returned to Aulis, and Telephos, following them and being cured of the wound by Achilles, offered to lead the fleet to Troy, an offer the invaders gratefully accepted.Finally reaching Troy, the Greeks met the defending forces, led by Priam's eldest son, Hector . They beat back the Trojans, but suffered considerable losses, and Agamemnon, seeing that the Trojans would not willingly hand over Helen, prepared to lay siege to the town. During the many raids that the Greeks mounted on the surrounding territories, they captured in particular Chryseis, a daughter of Chryses, a priestess of Apollo , who appealed to the god for assistance. Apollo sent a plague to ravage the Greek forces, and Agamemnon, enquiring of Kalchas how the god could be appeased, was told that the beautiful Chryseis must be released. The Greek commander, however, accused Kalchas of being in league with Achilles, to which the Greek hero responded by withdrawing all of his forces from the Greek camp.Thetis , the mother of Achilles, begged Zeus to decree that as long as her son remained at odds with his allies, the Greeks would be defeated in every encounter, and so it came to be.
The Trojans, emboldened by the retreat of Achilles and their repeated successes, sallied forth from their city walls, and succeeded in driving the invaders back to their ships, where the Greeks took refuge. Agamemnon, realising that he needed Achilles, sent emissaries to the hero's pavilion, imploring him to reconsider and rejoin the siege, promising that Achilles should have his own daughter's hand, and seven towns as a dowry. But Achilles would not relent, and the tide of battle continued to turn against Greece.The end seemed in sight when the Trojans, under Hector, had stormed the Greek camp and set some of their ships on fire, but Patroklos begged Achilles to loan him his famous armour, and thus clad he went against the Trojans, pushing them back from the camp, back to the walls of Troy.

Page '3' of Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses

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