希腊神话人物及其故事Greek gods & goddesses

希腊神话人物及其故事Greek gods & goddesses Part I. Greco-Roman Mythology I-1. Creation Myths Genealogy of Greek Gods (one of many versions) Chaos + Night (Nyx) ? Light + Day ? Gaea (Earth) + Uranus (Heaven) ? 3 Cyclopss, 3 Hecatonchires, 12Titans:{ Cronus (Saturn) + Rhea } , Hyperion (Sun), Phoebe(Moon), ? Hestia , Demeter, Poseidon , Hades , { Hera + Zeus } Aphrodite ? Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Ares, Heracles(Hercules), I-2. Olympian Gods The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Cronus (Kronus) and Titans. All the Olympians are related in some way. They are named after their dwelling place, Mount Olympus. Note that the Roman names for the Olympian Gods are in brackets. Greek Name Zeus Hera Hades Poseidon Hestia Ares Athena Roman Name Jupiter Juno Pluto Neptune Vesta Mars Minerva Greek Name HephaestuDionysus Hermes Apollo Artemis AphroditDemeter s e Roman Name Vulcan Bacchus Mercury Apollo Diana Venus Ceres Greek Name Erinyes Eros Fates Pan Eris Graces Cronus Roman Name Furies Cupid Morae Faunus DiscordiCharitieSaturn a s Zeus Zeus (Jupiter) overthrew his Father Cronus to become the supreme ruler of the gods. He was the lord of the sky, the rain god and the cloud gatherer. His weapon was a thunderbolt which he hurled at those who displeased him. He was married to Hera but, was famous for his many affairs. An eagle attended him as a minister of his will and for page and cup-bearer he had Ganymede, a boy so beautiful that Zeus had him stolen from Mount Ida to make him immortal in heaven. He was also known to punish those that lie or break oaths. His tree was the oak. Poseidon Poseidon (Neptune) was the brother of Zeus. He was the lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen. He married Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus. His weapon was a trident, which could shake the earth, and shatter any object. He was second only to Zeus in power amongst the gods. Under the ocean, he had a marvelous golden palace, its grottos decorated with corals and the sea-flowers, and lit with a phosphorescent glow. He raised forth in a chariot drawn by dolphins, sea-horses other marine creatures. The dolphin was his animal. Hades Hades (Pluto) was the brother of Zeus. He was made the lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. He was a greedy god who was greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those calling increase the number of dead were seen favored by him. The Furies were welcomed guests of him. He was exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave. He was also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He had a helmet that made him invisible. He rarely left the underworld. He was unsympathetic and terrible, but steady in character. His wife was Persephone whom Hades kidnapped. He was the King of the dead but, death itself is another god, Thanatos. Hestia Hestia (Vesta) was Zeus' sister. She was a virgin goddess. She was the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the house. Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed to go out. Hera Hera (Juno) was Zeus' wife and sister. She was raised by the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. She was the protector of marriage and takes special care of married women. Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus' lovers. Her sacred animals were the cow and the peacock. Her favorite city was Argos. Demeter Demeter(Ceres) was the goddess of the earth, and harvest. She was the nourishing mother, bringing forth fruits. She was a daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and became the Queen of the underworld. Ares Ares (Mars) was the god of war, the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked by both parents. He was considered murderous and bloodstained but, also a coward. He was the most famous lover of the Goddess of beauty and love. They had a love child—Eros. His bird was the vulture. His animal was the dog. Athena Athena (Minerva) was the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armor from his forehead, thus had no mother. She was fierce and brave in battle but, only fought to protect the state and home from outside enemies. She was the goddess of the wisdom, city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She was the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city was Athens. Her tree was the olive. The owl was her bird. She was a virgin goddess. Apollo Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister was Artemis. He was the god of sun, or light, also the god of medicine, literature and music, playing a golden lyre. He was also the god of the archer, far shooting with a silver bow. One of Apollo's most important daily tasks was to harness his chariot with four He was famous for his oracle at Delphi. In horses and drive the Sun across the sky. ancient time, people traveled to it from all over Greece to ask about their future. His tree was the laurel. The swan was his bird. Aphrodite Aphrodite (Venus) was the goddess of love, desire and beauty. She was the wife of Hephaestus. The myrtle was her tree. The dove, the swan, and the sparrow were her birds. In addition to her natural gifts, she had a magical girdle that made anyone she wished to love her. There were two accounts of her birth. One says she was born from the bubbles in the ocean. The other went back to the time when Cronus castrated Uranus and three drops of his blood dropped into the sea. The first two drops of blood turned into Furies. Aphrodite then arose from the last drop and walked to shore in Cyprus. Hermes Hermes (Mercury) was the son of Zeus and Maia. He was Zeus' messenger. He was the fastest of the gods. He wore winged sandals, a winged hat, and carried a magic wand. He was also the god of thieves and god of trade. He was the guide for the dead to go to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy, as well as the sports like boxing and gymnastics. Artemis Artemis (Diana) was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother was Apollo. She was the lady of the wild things. She was the huntsman of the gods. She was the protector of the young. Like Apollo, she hunted with silver arrows. She became associated with the moon. She was a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presided over childbirth, which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to causing Leto no pain when she was born. The cypress was her tree. All wild animals were scared to her, especially the deer. Hephaestus Hephaestus (Vulcan or Mulciber) was the god of fire and smiths, the son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes, it was said that Hera alone produced him and that he had no father. He was the only god to be physically ugly. He was also lame. He was the smith and armor-maker of the gods. He used a volcano as his forge. He was the patron god of both smiths and weavers. He was kind and peace loving. His wife was Aphrodite. Dionysus: Dionysus (Bacchus) was a Greek god of wine and happiness. He was also the god of agriculture, and fertility of nature. In ancient Greece, he was also the patron god of the stage. According to one myth, Dionysus is the son of the god Zeus and the mortal woman, Semele (daughter of Cadmus of Thebes). Semele is killed by Zeus' lightning bolts while Dionysus is still in her womb. Dionysus is rescued and undergoes a second birth from Zeus after developing in his thigh. Zeus then gives the infant to some nymphs to be raised. In another version, one with more explicit religious overtones, Dionysus, also referred to as Zagreus in this account, is the son Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Hera gets the Titans to lure the of Zeus and infant with toys, and then they rip him to shreds eating everything but Zagreus' Athena, Rhea, or Demeter. Zeus remakes his son from heart, which is saved by either the heart and implants him in Semele who bears a new Dionysus Zagreus. Hence, as in versions, Dionysus is called "twice born." the both I-3 Heroes Prometheus Prometheus was one of the Titans. He created mortals and tricked Zeus into getting bare bones instead of good meat in a sacrifice. Zeus was offended and refused to give mortals the sacred fire. But Prometheus stole the fire from Apollo. As punishment, Zeus sent Pandora to open the box of disasters, and also commanded that Prometheus be chained for eternity in the Mount Caucasus. There, an eagle (or, according to other sources, a vulture) would eat his liver every day, and each night the liver would be renewed. Prometheus could be released if he revealed the prophecy that who would overthrow Zeus in the future, but he refused. Therefore the punishment was endless, until Heracles finally killed the bird, and Chiron voluntarily replaced him. Prometheus is known to be one of the most interesting characters in Greek Mythology. Achilles: Achilles was the best fighter of the Greeks in the Trojan War. When he was an infant, his mother, the sea-goddess Thetis, attempting to protect her infant by dipping him in the river Styx. The Styx water indeed made Achilles' skin immune to all the mortal weapons, but Thetis forgot that she was holding him by the heel, so that part was unprotected. In the Trojan War, Achilles killed the Trojan hero Hector and had himself been brought down by Paris, with the help of Apollo. The god guided the arrow of Hector's brother Paris to the only vulnerable spot on Achilles' body - his heel. When the hero Odysseus journeyed to the Underworld to seek the advice of the dead prophet Teiresias, he encountered the shade of Achilles. Hector: Greek mythology, Hectōr, or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter In for Troy in the Trojan War. As the son of the old Trojan King Priam, he was a prince of the royal house. He was married to Andromache, with whom he had an infant son, Astyanax. He acts as leader of the Trojans and their allies in the defence of Troy, killing 31 Greeks in all. In the European Middle Ages, Hector was known not only for his courage but also for his noble and courtly nature. Indeed Homer places Hector as the very noblest of all the heroes in the Iliad: he is peace-loving and brave, thoughtful as well as bold, and also a good son, husband and father, and without darker motives. According to the Iliad, Hector did not approve of war between the Greeks and the Trojans, but he still commanded the Trojan army, with a number of subordinates including Polydamas, and his brothers Deiphobus, Helenus and Paris. By all accounts Hector was the best warrior of the Trojans and all their allies, and his fighting skill was admired by both his own people alike and Greeks. He was finally Achilles. killed by Odysseus: He was the legendary king of Ithaca, one who came up with the idea of the wooden horse in the Trojan War. After the war, he offended Poseidon, who punished him to be wandering for 10 years before he finally went home. Perseus: He was the son of Danaë and Zeus and husband of Andromeda. He killed the Gorgon Medusa. Once there was a king named Acrisius, he had a beautiful daughter named Danae. The oracle of Apollo told Acrisius that Danae's son would one day kill him. Acrisius could not let that happen, so he locked Danae in a bronze tower so that she would never marry nor have children. The tower had no doors, but one very small window. Danae was very sad, however one day a bright shower of gold came through the small window. A man appeared, he had a thunderbolt in his hand and Danae knew he was a god, but she didn't know which. The man said, "Yes, I am a god and I wish to make you my wife. I can make this dark prison a wonderful sunny land with many flowers ". All happened as he said, the horrible prison became fields almost as wonderful as the Elysian Fields themselves. Unfortunately one day her father Acrisius saw light coming out of the small window. He told his men to tear down one of the walls. He walked into the tower and saw Danae with a baby on her lap, smiling. She said, "I have named him Perseus." Acrisius was furious, and he shut Danae and baby Perseus up in a large chest and cast them out to sea. Somehow they got safely to the island of Seriphos where Polydectes was king. The king’s brother was a fisherman. His name was Dictys. He caught them in his net and pulled them to shore. The kind old fisherman looked after Perseus and his mother as the grandfather. Twenty years later, Perseus grew up to become a strong young man. Polydectes heard about Danae and wanted to marry her, but she rejected him. Polydectes would have married Danae by force if Perseus wasn't there to protect her. Polydectes decided on a plan to get rid of Perseus. Polydectes pretended to be marrying a daughter of a friend of his. Everybody had to bring a present, including Perseus. Polydectes pretended to be furious when Perseus arrived empty-handed, for he was not only very strong and brave but very poor. "What, no wedding present?" shouted Polydectes. "I don't have any money." exclaimed Perseus. "That's what you get for a lazy good-for-nothing." said Polydectes. Perseus was furious. "I can bring you any present in the world, anything." he said. "Then bring me the head of the gorgon Medusa!" replied Polydectes. "Fine!" said Perseus. So he went off on his perilous voyage. For days he wandered, searching for the Gorgon. One night in an unknown country he heard about the story of Gorgon and realized how hopeless things were. The gorgons were horrible, instead of hair they had black serpents on their head, they had brazen hands that could have squashed poor Perseus, if you looked a gorgon you were instantly turned into stone. but worst of all was Then suddenly a tall woman and a young man with winged sandals appeared. The man said, "I am Hermes and this is our sister Athena. Yes, you are a son of Zeus. We have ing Medusa. Here are my winged sandals and the some things that may help you in kill sickle which Cronos used to overpower Uranus and Zeus used against mighty Typhoeus." "And here is a gift from me." said Athena, "Use this shield to reflect the image of Medusa so you won't be turned into stone." "You must find the Graeae and get them to tell you how to get to the Nymphs of the North, they will give you the Invisible Helmet and a magic bag and tell you how to get to the Gorgons' home." Hermes said. So Perseus went to the cave of the Graeae. The Graeae were strange women, there were three of them having only one eye and one tooth for all three of them which they constantly fought over. Perseus hid behind some bushes and watched them. When one took out the eye to give it to another, Perseus sprang from his hiding place and snatched the eye from them. Then he said, "I have your eye and if you don't tell me how to find the Nymphs of the North you shall never have it back!" So they reluctantly told him how to find the Nymphs of the North. He gave them back their eye and flew off on his winged sandals. The kindly Nymphs of the North gave him the Invisible Helmet which had the power to make its wearer invisible and the magic bag. They told him how to reach the gorgons' home. Perseus went farther north until he found an island surrounded by rocks and statues which used to be men. Perseus raised his shield and saw Medusa and her sisters were asleep, he put on the invisible helmet and flew down. He swung the sickle and felt it tearing through Medusa’s flesh and bone. Still looking into the shield, he put Medusa's head in the magic wallet. Medusa's sisters woke up and attacked Perseus. He put on the Invisible Helmet and flew quickly away on his winged sandals and was not hurt. On his way back to Seriphus he had many adventures, one was that when he saw the Atlas holding up the sky. Perseus was sorry for Atlas and turned him to stone by showing him the head of Medusa so he could no longer feel the weight of his burden. Later he saw what looked like a statue chained to a rock, he flew down. He saw that it was not a statue, but a woman. He asked why she was chained to the rock. "My name is Andromeda and I have been punished because of my vain mother. She boasted that I was more beautiful than Nereids, the sea godess. Poseidon was angered and said that I must be sacrificed to a sea monster," she said. Even as she spoke a monster rose from the sea. Perseus pulled Medusa's head out of the bag and the sea monster turned to stone and crumbled to pieces. Perseus cut Andromada's chains and took her to her father, King Cepheus of Phoenicia (others say Ethiopia). When Perseus asked Andromeda's hand in marriage Cepheus gladly agreed. So Perseus - with Andromeda in his arms set off for Seriphus. On the way they stopped at Larisa so Perseus could compete in some games, but when he threw a discus it hit an old man in the stands who was Acrisius. So the prophecy came true and after mourning for a while Perseus and Andromeda left. When they arrived at Seriphus, the first person they met was Dictys the fisherman who brought Danae and Perseus to shore after they sailed in the trunk. Dictys told Perseus and Andromeda how Polydectes had never really married, but since Danae wouldn't marry Polydectes, he forced her to be his handmaiden. Perseus was furious. He told Dictys to take care of Andromeda. Perseus stormed to the palace, walked in and said, "Let all who are my friends shield their eyes!" So saying he raised Medusa's head and Polydectes and his courtiers were changed to statues. Perseus and Andromeda lived happily for many years and their descendants became great kings, but the greatest of these was Heracles, the strongest man in the world. Later Perseus was killed by his cousin. He and Andromeda were put up in the sky as constellations. Golden Fleece The Golden Fleece was the treasure sought by Jason and the Argonauts. It originated in the following story. Phrixus and Helle were the children of Athamus and the goddess Nephele. When Athamas remarried, the children's stepmother, Ino, became jealous of them and planned to get rid of them. She arranged to give people cooked corn seeds to plant, which caused famine. Then messengers were sent to consult the oracle at god's temple, and Ino persuaded the messengers to say that that the oracle required the sacrifice of Phrixus to restore fertility to the fields. Before Phrixus could be sacrificed, however, Nephele sent a golden ram which carried both children off through the air. Helle fell into the Hellespont (which was named after her), but Phrixus arrived safely at Colchis, where he married the daughter of King Aeetes. Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Zeus, and gave its pelt (the Golden Fleece) to Aeetes. Aeetes placed the fleece in an oak tree, where it remained until Jason arrived to claim it. Jason: He was the heroic leader of the Argonauts, a team of heroes who journeyed from Greece to distant Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason was the son of the lawful king of Iolcus, but his uncle Pelias had stolen the throne. Pelias lived in constant fear of losing what he had taken so unjustly. He kept Jason's father a prisoner and would certainly have murdered Jason at birth. But Jason's mother deceived Pelias by mourning as if Jason had died. Meanwhile the infant was sent to the wilderness cave of Chiron the Centaur. Chiron taught Jason everything he should know as a hero and a future King. When Jason came of age he set out like a proper hero to claim his rightful throne. On his way back to his native city he met a weak old lady waiting to be helped across a river. Without thinking twice, kind and courteous Jason carried her on his back and crossed the raging river. And halfway across he began to stagger under her unexpected weight. For the old woman was none other than Hera in disguise. Some say that she revealed herself to Jason on the far shore and promised her aid in his quest. Others claim that Jason never learned of the divine service he had performed. Jason lost a sandal in the swift-moving stream. This would prove significant in Hera's revenge. For an oracle had warned King Pelias, "Beware a stranger who wears but a single sandal." When Jason arrived in Iolcus, he asserted his claim to the throne. His uncle Pelias had no intention of giving it up, particularly to a one-shoed stranger. Under the mask of hospitality, he invited Jason to a banquet, and during the course of the meal, he engaged him in conversation. "You say you've got what it takes to rule a kingdom," said Pelias. "May I take it that you're fit to deal with the thorny problems that arise? For example, how would you go about getting rid of someone who was giving you difficulties?" Jason considered for a moment, eager to show a kingly knack for problem solving. "Send him after the Golden Fleece?" he suggested. "Not a bad idea," responded Pelias. "It's just the sort of quest that any hero worth his salt would leap at. Why, if he succeeded he'd be remembered down through the ages. Tell you what, why don't you go?" He felt quite certain that his nephew would never come back alive from the hopeless mission. For the quest, Jason assembled a crew of 50 heroes from all over Greece; with the help from Hera and Athena, the Argo -- the largest and quickest ship ever -- was constructed. On the voyage to Colchis, in addition to other adventures, Jason and his crew of Argonauts became the first humans to pass through the Symplegades (the Clashing Rocks); they also freed Phineus from the curse of the Harpies. When they arrived at Colchis, King Aeetes demanded that Jason accomplish a series of tasks to get the Golden Fleece: he must yoke a team of fierce, fire-breathing oxen and plow a field with them; then he must sow the teeth of a dragon in the field, and deal with the warlike armored men who sprouted from these "seeds"; finally, he must brave the sleepless dragon who guarded the Fleece. Jason accomplished all these tasks with the help of Medea, Aeetes' daughter, who had fallen in love with him. After obtaining the Golden Fleece, Jason and Medea fled from Colchis, pursued by King Aeetes' men. On their voyage back to Iolcos, they encountered the perils of Scylla and Charybdis, and the isle of the Sirens as well as Talos the bronze guardian of Crete. In Iolcos, surprisingly, they found Jason's father was killed by King Pelias, when they were away for the Golden Fleece. As revenge, Medea killed the King Pelias in a cruel way, after which she and Jason fled to Corinth. In Corinth, after many years of happy marriage, Jason finally abandoned Medea to marry King Creon's daughter; heart-broken Medea revenged mercilessly again -- killing the bride and Creon, and even murdering her own children. She then escaped, leaving Jason to mourn his losses. Jason was killed years later when he was struck on the head by a rotting beam from the Argo. Heracles: Heracles (Latin: Hercules) was the son of the god Zeus and Alcmene. His gift was fabulous strength; he strangled two serpents in his cradle, and killed a lion before manhood. Heracles was hated by Hera. She eventually drove him mad, during which time he killed his own children and his brother's. He was so grieved upon recovery that he exiled himself and consulted the oracle of Apollo. The oracle told him to perform twelve labors. Twelve Labors were: These * Kill the lion of Nemea. He strangled it without further ado. * Kill the nine-headed Hydra. Two new heads would grow on the Hydra from each fresh wound, and one was immortal. Heracles burned the eight and put the immortal one under a rock. * Capture the Ceryneian Hind. After running after it for many months, he finally trapped it. * Kill the wild boar of Erymanthus. A wild battle, but pretty straightforward: Heracles won. * Clean the Augean Stables of King Augeas. He succeeded only by diverting a nearby river to wash the muck away. * Kill the carnivorous birds of Stymphalis. * Capture the wild bull of Crete. * Capture the man-eating mares of Diomedes. * Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons (not all that easy, actually). * Capture the oxen of Geryon. * Take the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, which was always guarded by the dragon Ladon. Heracles tricked Atlas into getting he apples by offering to hold the Earth for Atlas. When he returned with the apples, Heracles asked him to take the Earth for a moment so he could go get a pillow for his aching shoulders. Atlas did so, and Heracles left with his apples. * Bring Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades, to the surface world. After he finished the 12 tasks, Heracles was free to return to Thebes and later married Deianira. One day when they were crossing a river, the centaur Nessus tried to abduct Deianira; Heracles shot him with a poisoned arrow. The dying Nessus told Deianira to keep his blood, as it would always preserve Heracles' love. When Deianira later feared she was being replaced by another younger Princess, Deianira sent Heracles a robe soaked in Nessus' blood. It poisoned Heracles, who was then taken to Olympus and transferred into a god. Oedipus: The son of Laius and Jocasta. His father was told by the oracle that his son would kill him. So Oedipus was abandoned at birth. Many years later, he came back and unwittingly killed his father and then married his mother. He worked out the famous riddle given by Sphinx. Theseus: He was a hero and the king of Athens who slew the Minotaur in the Crete labyrinth and united Attica.Theseus was the king of Athens who was famous for many exploits, and appears in works by many authors and on countless vases. Theseus' father was Aegeus, the King of Athens. He married Aethra, Theseus' mother, in Troizen. Before Aethra gave birth to Theseus, his father decided to leave Troizen for his home city in Athens. As he left, he left sandals and a sword under a large rock; and told Aethra that if she had a male child, she was to send him to Athens to claim his birthright as soon as he was old enough to lift the rock and retrieve the items. Aethra gave birth to Theseus, who came of age and set off for Athens with the sword and sandals, encountering and defeating six murderous adversaries along the way. When Theseus reached Athens, Medea, the new wife of Aegeus, persuaded Aegeus to kill the young visitor who the old King hadn't recognized yet. The old king then gave him the fatal task to capture the savage Marathonian Bull. Theseus fulfilled the task unexpectedly, so Medea told Aegeus to give him poisoned wine. Aegeus recognized Theseus' sword as the young man was about to drink the wine and the father knocked the goblet from his lips at the last second. Theseus and his father then reunited. At that time the city of Athens was distressed by the tribute(贡品) it had promised to pay to King Minos of Crete. The Cretans had once defeated Athens in a war, and the gods had ordered that the Athenians would have to obey with the demand of the king of Crete that seven boys and seven girls be sent to Crete every year to feed the half-man, half-bull monster -- Minotaur. Determined to kill the Minotaur and save his people from further grief, Theseus decided to go as one of the fourteen chosen victims. Before he set off, he promised to Aegeus that his ship's black flag would be replaced with a white flag if he was victorious. In Crete, with the help of princess Ariadne, he killed the Minotaur and came back with the princess. In returning to Athens Theseus forgot to switch the black sail with the white one. His father Aegeus, consequently, watching from afar believed his son was dead and threw himself into the sea. That part of the sea was named the 'Aegean' after him. After Aegeus' death, Theseus became the king of Athens by defeating other rivals. Theseus did other two noteworthy patriotic acts to Thebes: accepting Oedipus at Kolonus, and helping Adrastus bury the Seven, fallen in the struggle for the throne of Thebes. Late in his life Theseus lost popularity in Athens and was exiled. He wandered to Scyrus where he was pushed off a cliff by Lycodemes. In another story, Theseus won a bet with his good friend Pirithous and got Helen as his wife, but he must accompany Pirithous to Hades to steal Persephone for him. However, they did not succeed and were trapped in the chair of forgetfulness. Heracles rescued Theseus when he went to the underworld for his task, but failed to take Pirithous out of the Hades' kingdom. Atlanta: Atlanta was a heroine in Greco-Roman mythology. Her parentage is uncertain. One possibility is King Iasus with Clymene. She came into the world in the undesirable state of being female. As a result her Father had her carried into the woods and left exposed to die. Instead, she was raised during her childhood by a bear. As she grew older she began to spend time with hunters and was soon the best amongst them. She loved hunting and the outdoors and had no use for a man in her life. She also received an oracle that her marriage would end in disaster. She had no compunction in centaurs Rhoecus and Hylaeus attempted to rape defending her virginity. When the her she quickly killed them with her arrows. She wished to join the Argonauts but, Jason thought it inadvisable to have a women among the crew, fearing problems like those that would occur during the boar hunt. Her shooting skills allowed her to draw first blood during the Calydonian Boar Hunt. Her contribution to the hunt was ruined when a quarrel over whether to give her a trophy of the hunt resulted in the death of Meleager and his uncles. At the funeral games honoring Pelias, Atlanta entered the wrestling contests. Here she gained more fame by scoring a victory over Peleus. She achieved enough that her Father forgave her for not being a son and allowed her to return home. Later he attempted to find her a husband. Atlanta had no desire for marriage, but if she refused her pursuers directly, this probably would course trouble. Therefore, she proposed a running race as a test. She would marry to anyone who could beat her in the foot race, but losers would be killed by her. As Atlanta was one of the fastest mortals this appeared to insure her maidenhood. For quite some time this worked. Some say that she even won the match by wearing armor while she ran. Others say that she gave the pursuers a head start of half the distance. In any case she was always the winner and all her pursuers' heads were chopped off by her. Melanion fell in love with her. He knew that he was not fast enough to win the race. So he did what many frustrated lovers have done. He prayed to Aphrodite for help. Aphrodite has a weakness for lovers and a concern about those that reject romance to the degree that Atlanta did. Aphrodite presented Melanion with three golden apples and a plan. In return Melanion was to sacrifice to Aphrodite if could win the hand of Atlanta. Melanion then ran his race with Atlanta carrying the apples with him. When Atlanta caught up to him he tossed the first apple at her feet. The sight of the magic golden apple was irresistible to Atlanta. She stopped to pick it up, thinking that she could make up the time. Soon enough she was once again passing Melanion. Then he threw the second apple, this time further to the side. Again, she lost time by retrieving the apple. As she again caught up, the finish line was near and chasing the third thrown apple cost her the race. Despite her resistance once won marriage seemed to suit Atlanta. Melanion's happiness and joy was so great he completely forgot his obligations to sacrifice to Aphrodite. As usual when messing up with the gods payback was severe. Aphrodite waited until Melanion and Atlanta were passing a shrine to a god, possibly Zeus. She then hit them with overwhelming desire. Melanion took Atlanta into the shrine and lay with her. At this point the infuriated god turned them both into lions. This was regarded by the Greeks as particularly poetic as they believed that lions could mate only with leopards. There is one other mystery of Atlanta. Somehow despite her vaunted virginity she had a son - Parthenopaeus. The father is uncertain. Melanion and Meleager have both been suggested but, both of them were with Atlanta only briefly. Aris has also been put forward as the father. Out of embarrassment she left the child exposed on a mountain. He was found and raised, eventually becoming a hero in his own right. I-4. Quick Facts about Some of the Other Gods and Heroes: Persephone: Persephone was a Greek goddess. She was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Hades obtained sanction from Zeus to carry her off by force and marry her. She became the Queen of the underworld. But every year, she stayed there only for three months. The rest of the time, she went back to the upper-world to company her mother. Eros: Eros (Cupid) was the Greek god of love. He was the son of Aphrodite and Ares. Pan: The god of woods, fields, and flocks, having a human body and head, but with a goat's legs, horns, and ears. He was kind and peace-loving. He had a flute named Syrinx (Panpipe), and always played with the fairies in the woods. Muses: Any of the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science. The Fates: The Fates were the three goddesses, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, sometimes called the Destinies, or Parcae; who were supposed to determine the course of human life. They are represented, one as holding the distaff, a second as spinning, and the third as cutting off the thread. Flora: The Goddess of the flower. Iris: Iris was the goddess of the rainbow. She was the daughter of Thaumas and Electra. She was a sister of the harpies. She was a messenger who conveyed divine commands from Zeus and Hera to mankind. Leto: In Greek mythology Leto was the daughter of the Titan Coeus and Phoebe and the mother of Apollo and Artemis. She was an early lover of Zeus and Hera was jealous of her. The Romans called her Latona. Psyche: Psyche was the goddess of soul. She was the youngest of three Princesses. She was of such extraordinary beauty that Aphrodite herself became jealous of her. The goddess then sent her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly man. However, the god himself fell in love with the girl and visited her every night, but forbade her to see his face, so she did not know who her lover was. On her sisters' instigation she tried to discover the true identity of her beloved. When he lay asleep in her bed, she lit an oil lamp but when she bent over to see Eros' face, a drop of oil from her lamp fell on him and he awakened. When he noticed her intent, he left her. Psyche wandered the earth in search of her lover, until she was finally reunited with him. On ancient Greek vases, Psyche is portrayed in the shape of a bird with a human head, sometimes with a beard. Later she is shown in the shape of a cock, butterfly, or a small human figure. As the beloved of Eros she is a fair maiden, often with butterfly wings. Charon: Charon was the ferryman who transported the dead across the river Styx to Hades. s the goddess of youth, and the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe: Hebe i She poured the wine of the gods on the Olympus until Ganymede replaced her. Hebe also prepared Ares' bath, and helped Hera to her chariot. After Heracles became a Juventas ("youth"). god, he married her. The Romans called her She was portrayed as a young woman, wearing a sleeveless dress. On various vases she is shown as cup bearer of the gods, or as bride of Heracles. Nike: Nike is the Greek personification of victory. She can run and fly at great speed. She is a constant companion of Athena. Nike is the daughter of Pallas and Styx and the sister of Cratos, Bia, and Zelus. She was represented as a woman with wings, dressed in a billowing robe with a wreath or staff. Tartarus: Tartarus is the lowest region of the world, as far below earth as earth is from heaven. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, a bronze anvil falling from heaven would take nine days and nights to reach earth, and an object would take the same amount of time to fall from earth into Tartarus. Tartarus is described as a damp, cold , and gloomy pit, surrounded by a wall of bronze, and beyond that a three-fold layer of night. Along with Chaos, Earth, and Eros, it is one of the first entities to exist in the universe. While Hades is the main realm of the dead in Greek mythology, Tartarus also contains a number of characters. In early stories, it is primarily the prison for defeated gods; the Titans were condemned to Tartarus after losing their battle against the Olympian gods, and the hecatoncheires stood over them as guards at the bronze gates. When Zeus overcomes the monster Typhus, born from Tartarus and Gaia, he hurls it too into the same abyss. However, in later myths Tartarus becomes a place of punishment for sinners. It resembles Hell and is the opposite of Elysium, the afterlife for the blessed. When the hero Aeneas visits the underworld, he looks into Tartarus and sees the torments inflicted on characters such as the Titans, Tityos, Otus and Ephialtes, and the Lapiths. Rhadymanthus (and, in some versions, his brother Minos) judges the dead and assigns punishment. Thanantos: The Greek personification of death who dwells in the lower world. In the Iliad he appears as the twin brother of Hypnos ("sleep"). Thanatos was portrayed as a youngster with a torch in one hand and a wreath or butterfly in the other. He appears, with Hypnos, several times on Attican funerary vases, so-called . On lekythen a sculpted column in the Temple of Artemis at Ephese (4th century BCE) Thanatos is shown with two large wings and a sword attached to his girdle. Uranus: Uranus, also known as Ouranos, was the embodiment of the sky or heavens, and known as the god of the sky. He was the first son of Gaia (the earth) and he also became her husband. According to Hesiod, their children included the Titans: six sons (Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus and Cronus) and six daughters (Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe and Tethys). There were other offspring: the Cyclopes( one eyed giants), and also the three monsters known as the Hecatonchires, who each had one hundred hands and fifty heads. Their names were Briareus, Cottus and Gyes. Other offspring of Uranus and Gaia were the Erinyes, who were spirits of punishment and goddesses of vengeance. The Erinyes punished wrongs which were done to family, especially murder within a family. Uranus was overthrown by his son Cronus. After Uranus had been killed, his blood fell to earth (Gaia) and conceived the Giants. These were of monstrous appearance and had great strength. Similiarly, in some versions Aphrodite is believed to have risen from the foam created by the sex organs of Uranus after they were thrown into the sea by his son Cronus. Uranus disliked his offsprings, especially the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires. (In a differing version Uranus was frightened of their great strength and the fact that they could easily defeat him). He hid them away in Tartarus (the bowels of the earth) inside Gaia, causing her intense pain. The discomfort became so great that she finally asked her youngest son, Cronus, to rebell his father, as this would cease his fertility and put an end to more monstrous offspring. To accomplish this deed Gaia made a special sickle, which she gave to Cronus. That night Uranus came to lay with Gaia. And as the sky god drew close, Cronus struck with the sickle and cut off Uranus's head. From the blood that fell from the open wound were born nymphs and giants, and when Cronus threw the severed parts into the sea a white foam appeared. From this foam Aphrodite the goddess of love and desire was born. After Uranus (the sky) had been killed, the sky separated from Gaia (the earth) and Cronus became king of the gods. Later, Zeus (the son of Cronus) deposed his father and became the supreme god of the Greek Pantheon. Atlas: Atlas is one of the Titans, the Greek race of giants, and the son of Iapetus and the nymph Clymene. He is the father of the Hesperides, the Hyades and the Pleiades. He was also thought to be the king of legendary Atlantis ("Land of Atlas"). In the rebellion of the Titans against the gods of the Olympic, Atlas stormed the heavens and Zeus punished him for this deed by condemning him to forever bear the heavens upon his shoulders. Hence his name, which means "bearer" or "endurer". To complete the eleventh of his twelve labors, Heracles had to obtain the golden apples of the Hesperides, and he asked Atlas for help. Heracles offered to bear Atlas's burden in his absence, when he went to get the apples. But when Atlas returned with the apples, he did not want to go back to his old position. Heracles requested him to assume the load for a moment, saying he needed to adjust the pad to ease the pressure on his shoulders. After Atlas bore the heavens again, Heracles walked off with the golden apples. When Perseus came back form his task of getting Medusa' head, he saw Atlas. In order to help the giant, Perseus showed him the head of Medusa and changed Atlas into a stone statue which could no longer feel the heavy burden upon his shoulders. Cerberus: In Greek mythology, the three-headed watchdog who guards the entrance to the lower world, the Hades. It is a child of the giant Typhon and Echidna, a monstrous creature herself, being half woman and half snake. Cerberus permitted new spirits to enter the realm of dead, but allowed none of them to leave. Only a few ever managed to sneak past the creature, among which Orpheus, who lulled it to sleep by playing his lyre, and Heracles, who brought it to the land of Twelve Labors). the living for a while (being the last of his In another story, the wife of Eros, Psyche made peace with it by giving it the honey Garm.) cake. (See also: Chaos: Chaos is from the Greek word Khaos, meaning "gaping void". There are many explanations as to who or what Chaos is, but most theories state that it was the void from which all things developed into a distinctive entity, or in which they existed in a confused and amorphous shape before they were separated into genera. In other words, Chaos is or was "nothingness." Though some ancient writers thought it was the primary source of all things, other writers tell of Gaia (Earth) being born from Chaos without a mate, along with Eros and Tartarus. Then from Gaia came Uranus (Heaven or Sky) which gave us Heaven and Earth. Chaos has been described as the great void of emptiness within the universe from which Eros came and it was he who gave divine order and also perfected all things. In later times it was written that Chaos was a confused shapeless mass from which the universe was developed into a cosmos, or harmonious order. For instance, Hesiod's Theogony says that Erebus and Black Night (Nyx) were born of Chaos, and Ovid the Roman writer described Chaos as an unordered and formless primordial mass. The first Metomorphoses reads, "rather a crude and indigested mass, a lifeless lump, unfashioned and unframed, of jarring seeds and justly Chaos named." The Roman writer Ovid gave Chaos its modern meaning; that of an unordered and formless primordial mass. The Charites: The Charites, or Graces, are the personifications of charm and beauty in nature and in human life. They love all things beautiful and bestow talent upon mortals. Together with the Muses they serve as sources of inspiration in poetry and the arts. Originally, they were goddesses of fertility and nature, closely associated with the underworld and the Eleusinian mysteries. Aglaea ("Splendor") is the youngest of the Graces and is sometimes represented as the wife of Hephaestus. The other Graces are Euphrosyne ("Mirth") and Thalia ("Good Cheer"). They are usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, or Dionysus and Aphrodite. According to Homer the Graces belonged to the retinue of Aphrodite. Cronus: Cronus, the son of Uranus and Gaia and the youngest of the twelve Titans. His wife was also one of the Titans, since he married his sister Rhea. Their offspring were Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. It is written that Uranus, who in one version, hid his children away in the bowels of Tartarus) as he was aghast at the sight of them, in reality he was fearful the earth ( of their great strength and power. Gaia found her offspring uncomfortable and also painful and when she found the discomfort too much to bear she hatched a plan, which was to end the passions of Uranus, so no more offspring could be produced and that would be the ending of her hurt. But to achieve this she required the help from one of her children. She asked them all, but only her youngest child Cronus would like to listen to her. To help Cronus accomplish his task Gaia gave him a sickle to serve as his weapon. Cronus lay in wait hidden from view, and when Uranus came to lay with Gaia Cronus struck. With one mighty blow from the sickle Cronus severed the genitals from Erinyes Uranus' body. From the blood which fell to the earth (Gaia) where born the (Furies), the Giants and also the Meliae (Nymphs of the manna ash trees). In other versions Aphrodite was born from the foam created from the sex organs of Uranus, after they had been thrown into the sea by Cronus. Once Cronus had castrated Uranus, he and his wife Rhea took the throne. Under their power a time of harmony and prosperity began, which became known as the "Golden Age"; a time when it was said that people lived without greed or violence, and without toil or the need for laws. But not all was well for Cronus, as it was fated that he would be overthrown by one of his own children. To prevent this from happening he began to swallow his newborn, taking them at birth then swallowing them whole, retaining them inside his own body where they could do him no harm. Rhea did not like the thoughts of losing all her children, and with the help of Gaia she saved Zeus from this fate. Rhea wrapped a stone in Zeus' swaddling clothes which Cronus took and immediately swallowed thinking it was the child. Gaia and Rhea's plan worked well and the baby Zeus was taken to Crete, and there, in a cave on Mount Dicte, the divine goat Amaltheia suckled and raised the infant Zeus. When Zeus had grown into a young man he returned to his fathers domain, and with the help of Gaia, compelled Cronus to regurgitate the five children he had previously swallowed. (In some versions Zeus received help from Metis who gave Cronus an emetic potion, which made him vomit up Zeus' brothers and sisters). Zeus led the revolt against his father and the dynasty of the Titans, defeated and then banished them. The Romans compared Cronus with their Saturn, who was to the Romans a corn god. This is from the association of the "Golden Age". In Athens on the 12th day of the month Hekatombaion a festival was held in honour of Cronus, which was known as the "Kronia". It was a celebration of the harvest. In art, Cronus was depicted carrying a sickle used to gather the harvest, but this was also the weapon he used to castrate his father. The name may derive from the verb kreno, which means 'to exercise sway', 'to reign over', 'to govern'. Daphne: Apollo was a great archer, but sometimes he was a little full of himself. One day he caught sight of Eros, the son of Aphrodite. Eros was also an archer, and his arrows were responsible for instilling the twists and turns of love and lust in a person's heart. Apollo teased young Eros, putting down his abilities as an archer, claiming that one so small could make no difference with his arrows. Angry at this insult, Eros shot two arrows, one tipped in gold, one blunted and tipped with lead. The arrow dipped in gold had the power to create insatiable lust in a person, while the other created absolute abhorrence towards all things romantic and passionate. The unfortunate soul who was struck with that arrow would have no desire to love anyone. The arrow dipped in gold struck Apollo, but the arrow dipped in lead struck fair Daphne. Daphne was the daughter of the river god Peneus. Apollo chased down the maiden, desperate for her love, but she wanted nothing to do with him, and she ran from him endlessly. Soon, she grew weary in her running and that Apollo would ultimately catch her. Fearful, she called out to her father for help. As all gods of water posses the ability of transformation, Peneus transformed his daughter into a laurel tree. Suddenly her legs took root, and her arms grew into long and slender branches. Apollo reached the laurel tree, and, still enamored with Daphne, held the tree in a special place in his heart. He claimed the tree the as his special tree, and adorned himself with some of it's leaves. And that is why the laurel was, and still is, a symbol of the god Apollo. Doris: Doris was a sea goddess in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys (who were also sea gods/goddesses). Doris had many, many sisters. She was the wife of the sea god Nereus, her half-brother. She had fifty daughters, called the Nereids. Doris was not one of the goddesses who lived on Mt. Olympus. Echo: The chief god Zeus had many affairs with both mortals and gods, much to his wife's dislike. While he pursued his amours, it was Echo's duty to beguile Hera's attention by incessantly talking to her. Hera discovered the ruse and as punishment, she made Echo always repeat the voice of another. Echo fell in love with a vain youth named Narcissus, who ignored her. Narcissus found a pool of water and stared at his lovely reflection until he died. Echo watched him until she pined away, now her voice remains, repeating the last few things people say. The Greek version of the story of Echo (the above is of Roman origin [Ovid]) is as follows: Echo was a very beautiful and musical nymph. She could sing and play many instruments. She lived deep in the woods and denied the love of any man or immortal. She therefore attracted the hatred and anger of many, including the god Pan whose love she turned down. Pan caused his followers the shepherds to kill Echo and tear her to pieces that were subsequently scattered far and wide. Gaia, the Earth goddess, received the pieces in her bosom and thus Echo, scattered now all over the earth, retained her voice and talents answering or imitating every sound or voice. Eris: Eris is the Greek goddess of discord and strife. She is Ares' constant companion and follows him everywhere. Eris is sinister and mean, and her greatest joy is to make trouble. She has a golden apple that is so bright and shiny everybody wants to have it. When she throws it among friends, their friendship come to a rapid end. When she throws it among enemies, war breaks out, for the golden Peleus apple of Eris is the Apple of Discord. She did this once during the wedding of and Thetis, and this act brought about the Trojan War. Narcissus: Narcissus is another example among several of a beautiful young man who spurned sex and died as a result. As such, his myth has much in common with those of Adonis and Hippolytus. In the Roman poet Ovid's retelling of the myth, Narcissus is the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. Tiresias, the seer, told his parents that the child "would live to an old age if it did not look at itself." Many nymphs and girls fell in love with him but he rejected them. One of these nymphs, Echo, was so distraught over this rejection that she withdrew into a lonely spot and faded until all that was left was a plaintive whisper. The goddess Nemesis heard the rejected girls prayers for vengeance and arranged for Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection. He stayed watching his reflection and let himself die. It is quite possible, however, that the connection between Echo and Narcissus was entirely Ovid's own invention, for there is no earlier witness to it. An important and earlier variation of this tale originates in the region in Greek known as Boeotia (to the north and west of Athens). Narcissus lived in the city of Thespiae. A young man, Ameinias, was in love with Narcissus, but he rejected Ameinias' love. He grew tired of Ameinias' affections and sent him a present of a sword. Ameinias killed himself with the sword in front of Narcissus' door and as he died, he called curses upon Narcissus. One day Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a spring and, in desperation, killed himself.