Classical Mythology/Characters: Difference between revisions

Here is a list of the [[Loads and Loads of Characters]] in [[Classical Mythology]]. These are the gods that the Hellenes (which is what the Ancient Greeks called themselves) and Romans worshiped.

 

 

== Olympians ==

Zeus was the father-god of the pantheon; his domain was the sky and thunder, associated with leadership and law . His Roman equivalent is '''Jupiter''', with whom he was identified.<ref>(or more accurately, ''Iuppiter'', a contraction of older ''Iou pater'' (literally "sky father"). The alternative English name '''Jove''' is derived from the oblique stem of Jupiter, ''Iov-''.</ref>

 

* [[Your Cheating Heart]]: Not a model of conjugal fidelity... at all!

 

 

Zeus' older sister and wife. She was the goddess of marriage and women. Perpetually ticked off at anyone who wronged her, such as insulting her, allowing themselves to be seduced by her husband, or being the love-child of such an assignation. The Romans identified her with their goddess '''Juno'''.

* [[What Beautiful Eyes!]]: Much is made of her having large, dark eyes. Common epithets are "sloe-eyed" and "cow-eyed".

* [[Woman Scorned]]: Most myths about her focused on this aspect.

 

 

God of the ocean, earthquakes and (to a lesser extent) horses. The Romans equated him with their god '''Neptune''', related to the Etruscan god "Nethuns".

 

* [[Casanova]]: Overshadowed by Zeus' philandering, but he too got around. Though it's not like anyone really remembers him at all anymore for this. Did you know he had a wife named Amphitrite?

* [[Father Neptune]]: Certainly the [[Trope Namer]], maybe the [[Trope Codifier]].

* [[Victim Falls For Rapist]]: Averted with Medusa and subverted with Amphitrite. Played straight, however with the occasional male lover.

 

 

 

* [[Badass]]: He doesn't see a lot of action, but he's the measuring stick the Greeks use for how terrifying something is.

* [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: At least, the way he was portrayed by the Hellenes: he was one of a very few gods who was never a [[Jerkass]] to mortals. ''Modern'' audiences [[Sadly Mythtaken|think of him very differently]].

* [[The Dreaded]]: The Greeks were terrified of Death, and by default, of Hades as well.

* [[God Couple]]: With Persephone.

* [[Happily Married]]: Honestly seems to love Persephone.

* [[The Stoic]]: He and his wife both have the emotional range of a statue. The one time he is driven to [[Tender Tears]], they are tears of ''iron''.

 

 

Goddess of the hearth, meaning that she was the goddess of home, house and family. An important goddess, but one whose domains did not lend to participation in many stories, which is why most people forget she exists. This, in addition to her modest and discreet nature, would keep her out of trouble. Her Roman equivalent was '''Vesta''' (as in "Vestal virgins").

* [[The Chick]]: In a way. She doesn't especially contribute to the cohesion of her brethren - she mostly stays out of any argument - but she has all the classical traits otherwise.

* [[Fire of Comfort]]: Hestia's domain.

* [[Heart Is an Awesome Power|Hearth Is An Awesome Power]]: Although today, Hestia's domains are considered rather insignificant, she was one of the most important gods in the entire Greek Pantheon (though this isn't reflected in the myths).

* [[Maiden Aunt]]

* [[Static Character]]

 

 

Goddess of grain, fertility, the "life" parts of the life-and-death cycle, and marriage laws. Her name literally means "Earth Mother" (de + meter). The Romans equated her with their agricultural goddess '''Ceres''', from whom English gets the word cereal.

 

* [[Fertile Feet]]

* [[Gaia's Vengeance]]: Not very smart to anger her...

* [[Green Thumb]]: Obviously.

* [[My Beloved Smother]]: To Persephone.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

The goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality, who was also associated with looking after children. As Aphrodite Ourania, this was extended to include what literally translates to [[The Four Loves|"heavenly" or "divine love."]] In Rome, she was called '''Venus'''.

* [[Unkempt Beauty]]: Often said to be one of her characteristics.

 

 

Goddess of wisdom, which is a blanket term for things like weaving, strategy, industry, defensive war, justice, and skill. The Romans identified her with their goddess '''Minerva'''.

* [[War Is Glorious]]: Athena represents the elements of war coming together beautifully.

 

 

God of "beardless youth", light, archery, the arts, etc. Associated with the Roman gods, Phoebus and Helios. Later, he also became a solar deity with the assimilation of Helios with Apollo. Romans also associated Phoebus with Helios and the sun itself. However, they also used the name legaced by the Greeks, Apollo.

** He also cursed King Midas to have donkey ears for being the only guy who voted Marsyas the winner.

** He cursed [[The Cassandra|Cassandra]] into having everyone believe whatever she said to be a lie just because she wouldn't sleep with him.

** See [[Momma's Boy]] below.

* [[Half Identical Twin]]: His sister Artemis.

* [[Light'Em Up]]

* [[Light Is Not Good]]: Like most of the other Olympians, he has a bad side.

* [[The Medic]]: Not just Apollo, but some of his children, specifically Asklepios and Hygeia.<ref>as in "hygeine" she taught humans about bathing</ref> Even today, physicians swear by them.

* [[My Sister Is Off-Limits]]: Apollo disapproved of Orion's relationship with Artemis, so he created a [[Scary Scorpions|giant scorpion]] to kill him. Orion went looking for Artemis, who was practising her archery on an island, but Apollo beat him to her and [[Schmuck Bait|bet she couldn't snipe the distant object bobbing towards the island.]] She did, and was so furious with Apollo that she killed his scorpion and immortalized Orion as a constellation. Apollo turned the scorpion into stars as well so it could keep chasing Orion across the skies.

* [[The Smart Guy]]: As reason was in his domain, he was the one who figured out the weakness of [[Made of Indestructium|Otos and Ephiantes]]: They could be killed by each other.

 

 

Goddess of young women, of virginity, childbirth (yes, both at the same time), [[Women's Mysteries]], forests and hills, hunting, and, later, the moon (along with Selene). Essentially a liminal goddess who protected women throughout their lives. The Romans equated her with their goddess '''Diana'''.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Another god of war. While Athena ruled over strategy and wisdom, Ares ruled brute force and courage. His nearest Roman equivalent was '''Mars''', who however was also a god of agriculture. The more martial Romans put Mars in a much higher place in their religion than the Greeks put Ares, and in fact the Romans believed themselves to be Mars's descendants.

* [[The Worf Effect]]: Despite being the god of war, the Greeks handed the victory aspect to Athena, and in the myths he doesn't win as many battles as one would expect.

 

 

 

* [[Beast and Beauty]]: With his wife, Aphrodite.

* [[Ultimate Blacksmith]]

 

 

The messenger god and a [[Trickster Archetype]], Hermes is a good friend and a bad enemy. He is also the god of travelers, shepherds, cowherds, thieves, wit, literature, commerce, cunning and luck. The Roman god '''Mercurius''' (Mercury) was identified with him.

* [[The Trickster]]

 

 

The god of wine, drunken debauchery, agriculture, theatre, and the freeing of self from normal behavior. He is always treated as a late arrival to Olympus, partially because Hestia was voted off the island to make room for him. The Romans called him '''Bacchus''', from one of his many Greek titles, but also identified him with the Roman god '''Liber'''.

* [[Mister Seahorse]]: His mother died before he was born, so Zeus put him under his thigh.

* [[Mugging the Monster]]: At one point some sailors who saw him sitting by the shore believed him to be a prince, and could thus be either sold into slavery or held ransom at a great profit. After repeated requests to let him go or drop him off at Naxos, he either turned into a lion (and summoned a bear) and killed them, or turned them into dolphins. Either way, the only survivor was [[Only Sane Man|Acoetes, who recognized him as a god and tried to stop the others]]. Oddly enough, he ended up as his priest.

* [[Pet the Dog]]: One of the kinder deities to humans, despite his party animal nature. This is partially due to the amount of time he spent [[Walking the Earth]] (see below).

* [[Physical God]]

* [[Walking the Earth]]: For a bit, after Hera curses him with insanity. He gets better eventually, but keeps wandering around learning things, accumulating followers, and punishing people who piss him off.

 

 

 

* [[A Match Made in Stockholm]]: An interpretation of her marriage to Hades.

 

== Titans (first generation) ==

 

The previous king of the gods, he was the leader of the Titans, the generation of gods prior to the Olympians. Typically associated with time (mostly due to the similarity of his name with the Greek word for "time"), he was actually a god associated with agriculture and fertility. In fact, his modern view as a [[God of Evil]] is debatable; he ate his offspring ''sans'' Zeus, true, but he was sometimes also stated to have brought a golden age to Man, which ended once Zeus was in domain. Unfortunately, here we again see the effects of [[Continuity Snarl]]: sometimes, mankind didn't even exist until after the Olympians took over.

* [[Sinister Scythe]]: His token item, and a very rare example of it being tied to agriculutre then death.

 

 

 

* [[Cast Speciation]]

* [[We Hardly Knew Ye]]

 

 

Another mysterious titan. The god of the mortal lifespan and Lord of the West. One of the titans who helped subdue Ouranos so Kronos could castrate him.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Titan god of heavenly oracles, and Lord of the North. Another accomplice of Kronos. His alternate name was '''Polos''' (Of the North Pole).

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

The Titan lord of the South, who helped Kronos to depose Ouranos. Associated with the constellation ''Aries'' (The Ram).

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

 

* [[Heroic Neutral]]: Oceanus never involved himself in things like the overthrowing of Urnaus or the Titanomachy

* [[Snake People]]: He has the lower body of a serpent.

 

 

No, not that [[Mnemosyne]]. The Titan goddess of memory, and the daughter of Gaia and Uranus. She and Zeus had sex for nine consecutive nights, and each copulation led to the birth of one of the nine Muses. It was said that kings and poets receive their great oratorical ability from Mnemosyne and her daughters, the Muses.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Zeus's second wife (after Metis and before Hera) and daughter of Uranus and Gaia, Themis was the goddess of divine law, order, and custom. Themis in many ways represented tradition, mores, customs, and such, especially those said to have been handed down by the gods. Prophetess, with the ability to see into the future, and thus received the Oracle at Delphi, which she passed on to Phoebe. It is sometimes said that she became a goddess of divine justice, but this role is also taken up by Nemesis. She was so respected, even Hera, her successor as Zeus's wife, referred to her as "Lady Themis". With Zeus she gave birth to Astraea, the Moirai (possibly), and both generations of the Hours.

 

 

One of the original Titans (children of Gaia and Uranus, she is traditionally seen as a moon goddess, possibly the one that predates Selene. her husband was Coeus, with whom she had Leto and Asteria. She later received control of the oracle of Delphi from Themis.

* [[Flat Character]]: not much is know about Phoebe besides who she birthed and her having the Oracle of Delphi

 

 

 

* [[Brother-Sister Incest]]

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Theia was a Titan goddess and wife of Hyperion. Her name simply means ''goddess'', which should tell you that there is not very much to her character. She, however, may have been a Titan glory.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Titan goddess and "Mother of the Gods", Rhea was the wife of Cronus, identified in Rome with the goddess '''Ops'''. She would give birth to all the original Olympic gods. However, Cronos learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overthrown by one of his children. Thus, Cronus swallowed all of his children as soon as they were born, with the exception of Zeus, because Rhea gave him a rock to eat instead. She hid Zeus in a cave where [[Continuity Snarl|someone else raised him]].

 

== Titans (second generation) ==

 

The Titan goddess of the moon, known as '''Luna''' in the Roman pantheon. Specifically, she is the goddess who drives the chariot of the moon across the sky. Sister of Helios and Eos (all offspring of Hyperion) and the most well-known of the three, if only because her name makes for an elegant allusion and looks very French (the "e" at the end is not silent).

 

* [[Different As Night and Day]]: Compare Selene's [[Single-Target Sexuality|obsession with a single man]] to Eos' [[Really Gets Around|many husbands and children]]. Bonus points for actually ''being'' Night and Day.

* [[Mayfly-December Romance]]: Attempted to avert this with Endymion.

* [[Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette]]: Often depicted as such.

* [[Winged Humanoid]]: Sometimes depicted with wings.

 

 

The Titan god of the sun, known as '''Sol''' in the Roman pantheon. Sometimes equated with Apollo, he is usually the one driving a chariot of fiery steeds across the sky.

* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: His son, Phaeton, asks to drive the chariot of the sun as proof that he is actually Helios' son. No version of the story ends well.

 

 

The Titan goddess of the dawn, known as '''Aurora''' in the Roman pantheon. She either opens the gates for her brother Helios to ride out, or harnesses his horses to the chariot.

* [[Winged Humanoid]]: Also depicted as having wings.

 

 

 

* [[And I Must Scream]]: Probably the [[Ur Example]]; his punishment was not only being [[Chained to a Rock]]; he had an eagle eating out his liver every day and, every night, his liver would regenerate and the process would repeat.

* [[Satan Is Good]]: Obviously pre-dates Satan, but the positive interpretation of Satan comes from him - a rebel against a Selfish God/gods who brings knowledge to humanity.

 

 

The titan goddess of nocturnal oracles and falling stars, she was the daughter of the titans Phoebe and Coeus, the sister of Leto, and the mother of Hekate. She flung herself into the Aegean Sea to escape the womanizing Zeus (while transformed as a quail) and thus became the "quail island", Ortygia, which became later identified with island of Delos. It was the only piece of Earth that would give refuge to Leto when she was pursued by the always vengeful Hera while pregnant with Zeus's children.

 

 

 

 

No, not the river in the Underworld; the Titan goddess, mother of Zelus, Nike, Kratos ([[God of War|not that Kratos]]), and Bia, husband of Pallas, and daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. During the Titanomachy, she sided with and came to Zeus's aide, being one of the first to do so. For this, her name became a binding oath for the gods.

* [[Jumped At the Call]]: She was the first Titan to switch sides and help overthrow the Titanomachy

 

 

A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, making her a Oceanid. Was actually Zeus's first spouse, and was a goddess of Wisdom and deep thought, though her name actually implies a combination of wisdom and cunning. It was Metis who gave Zeus the poison that forced Cronos to vomit out his children. However, Zeus feared Metis, because she was was prophesied to have extremely powerful children, the second of which would be more powerful than Zeus himself. Zeus promptly tricked Metis into turning herself into a fly, after which he promptly swallowed her. Metis, however, was already pregnant with a powerful child (Athena), and went to work building armor for her inside Zeus, causing him great pain. Eventually, one way or another, Zeus got his head cracked open, and out popped Athena. What became of Metis after that is unknown.

* [[Irony]]: Two sets of it. Firstly, Metis was swallowed by Zeus the same way that Zeus's siblings (whom she helped rescue) were swallowed by Cronos. Secondly, she is technically a goddess of wisdom, but Zeus didn't have to work to hard to trick into turning into a fly.

 

 

The Titan daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, and sister to Asteria, Leto is quite honestly famous for only one thing: Giving birth to Apollo and Artemis, the children of Zeus. When she got pregnant, she was forced to run for her life from the jealous Queen Hera, who made all the lands of the world shun her. Once her twins are born, she goes back to Olympus and recedes from being prominent. Her Roman equivalent is '''Latona'''.

* [[Flat Character]]: Quite literally, for the Greeks, the only thing of importance she did was birth her children

 

 

The sons of Oceanus and Tethys, and the fathers of Naiads, these groups of gods were the river gods of Greek Mythology, depicted in three forms: a man-headed bull, a bull-headed man with the body of a serpent-like fish from the waist down, and an arm resting on an amphora jug pouring water.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

The Titan god of the dusk, and son of Crius and Eurybia (however, Hyginas identifies him as a Gigantes and son of Tartarus and Gaia). Was the husband of Eos (goddess of the dawn), and together, they were daybreak and nightfall. They are the parents of the Anemoi and Astra Planeta (Wandering Planets).

** [[Multiple Choice Past]]

 

 

Son of the Titans Kreios and Eurybia, and the titan god of destruction. Was wed to Asteria and had the their child Hecate together.

 

 

 

Brother to Prometheus and Atlas, and son of Iapetus. His one claim to fame is that Zeus kicked his butt during the war with the Titans and banished him down to Tartarus.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Brother to Prometheus and Atlas, and son of Iapetus. Epimetheus was the direct brother to Prometheus, and together, they "acted as representatives to mankind". While Prometheus was smart and krafty, Epimetheus was foolish and unwise. Epimetheus was initially tasked with giving positive traits to every animal, but when he got to man, he found he had nothing left to give, lacking his brother's foresight. His brother then decided to give man fire and civilization. Later married Pandora (yes, the one who opened the box).

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Probably one of the more well known Titans, his task, as punishment for fighting against Zeus during his war against the Titans, is to hold up Uranus (the sky) away from Gaia (the Earth) to prevent the two from "embracing". Generally considered the son of Iapetus and Asia. Later Hercules came to Atlas to ask him to retrieve the Golden Apples for him, one of his Twelve Labors. When Atlas returned, he attempted to trick Hercules into holding up the permanently, as anyone who wants to take Atlas away from his task had to do it voluntarily. Hercules, however, tricked Atlas into retaking his load. Depending on the myth, Hercules either ran away with the apples, or built the two Pillars of Hercules to hold up the sky, thus freeing Atlas from his task forever and liberating him, much like how Hercules also liberated Prometheus.

* [[Sadly Mythtaken]]: Today, many people mistakenly believe that Atlas's task was to hold up the Earth, not the Heavens.

 

 

Asia is interesting: she is the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, making her a second generation Titan (and Oceanid), but is the wife of Iapetus, a first generation and her uncle. Together, she and her husband had Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius. It is from her that we get ''Asia'', as in the continent.

 

 

Eldest son of Pontus and Gaia, Nereus, (called the "Old Man of the Sea") is the father of the sea nymphs, the Nereids, with his lover Doris and a Titan god of the sea. He is a shapeshifter, with the power of prophecy, and is very similar to the god, Proteus. Well known for being truthful and virtuous, he commonly helped heroes like Hercules on their quests.

 

== Prôtogenoi ==

 

 

* [[Ambiguous Gender]]: It’s quite possible Khaos has none at all.

* [[Truly Single Parent]]

 

 

Serpent who rule Mt. Olympus before the titans and Incubated the [[Cosmic Egg|Orphic Egg]] from which all the other Protogenoi were born.

* [[The Older Immortal]]: Khaos may be older, but not by any amount of time that matters for a being so old.

 

 

 

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

* [[Hermaphrodite]]

* [[I Have Many Names]]

 

 

The Primordial Goddess and personification of Creation, female creation that is, counterpart to Phanes. Born at the same time as Hydros. Not to be confused with Thetis, a Nymph who is the mother of Achilles by Peleus.

* [[Non-Identical Twins]]

 

 

God and personification of Primordial Waters, born at the same time as Thesis.

* [[Non-Identical Twins]]

 

 

Nyx is the personification of Night and one of the protogenoi (female singular: protogeneia), deities that have existed since the beginning of the universe. Thus somewhat [[Eldritch Abomination|less comprehensible for us]]. She is the daughter of Khaos, yet a few texts claim she is actually the first protogeneia. Nyx is mother to many deities with her brother Erebus, including fearsome beings like Thanatos (Death), Moros (Doom), and Geras (Old Age), but also Philotes (friendship), Hemera (Day), and Hypnos (Sleep). She's often portrayed as a figure of exceptional power and beauty. Even Zeus fears her, and allowed Hypnos to escape after causing misfortune to Heracles.

* [[Mother of a Thousand Young]]

 

 

The personification of darkness, son of Khaos, brother and mate of Nyx.

 

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

* [[Eldritch Abomination]]: Of Darkness.

 

 

 

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

* [[Light'Em Up]]: Reasonable power assumption

 

 

Personification of Day, daughter of Erebus and Nyx, mated to her brother Aether.

* [[The Power of the Sun]]: Another possible power.

 

 

The underworld, or that special part of it where the dead suffer, and the personification there of. This makes him different from other gods of the under world in classical mythology in that while they rule, it is named after them only in the form of {ruler's} land(s)/domain/kingdom/what-have-you, [[Sadly Mythtaken|a common mistake]] made all the more difficult to correct by [[Speak of the Devil|the fear of speaking the name of such deities]]. He is located below the younger protogenoi; Gaea, Pontus and Ouranus. He is sometimes depicted as the father of Typhon, having had an affair with Gaia.

* [[The Underworld]]

 

 

 

Her Roman name is '''Terra Mater/Tellus''' (the first literally means "Mother Earth"). While she was widely acknowledged by the Greeks and Romans alike, she was very inconsistently distinguished from other fertility goddesses such as Rhea or Demeter, much like Apollo and Helios were often considered the same. Confusion ensued when the Romans equated other fertility mother goddesses worshipped by conquered peoples, but the cult of the Mother Earth was more important than petty differenciation between deities. Nowadays, as you might have guessed, Gaia is very much worshipped by Neo-Pagans, being thus perhaps the most well known and loved of all pagan goddesses, being the mother of gods, humanity and the universe alike.

* [[Sadly Mythtaken]]: She would like to have a word with [[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]].

 

 

 

* [[Abusive Parents|Abusive Father]]

* [[Taking You with Me]]: Unwilling to go down without leaving his son paranoid about suffering the same fate.

 

 

Goddess and personification of the Primordial Sea. Daughter of Aether and Hemera. Mate of Pontus

* [[Elemental Embodiment]]: Of the Seas.

 

 

 

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

* [[Eldritch Abomination]]

 

 

Three brothers: Briareus (sometimes known as Aegaion), Kottos (Cottus) and Gyges. They are sons of Ouranos and Gaia. Embodiments of natural forces, they each have a hundred arms and fifty heads, which Ouranos thought so ugly that he sealed them away in Tartaros shortly after they were born with their other brothers, the Cyclopes. In some versions, Kronos either freed them and put them back in some time later, or just kept them inside Tartaros, guarded by the Dragon Kampe. In the final year of the Titanomachy, Zeus freed them and they proved a pivotal point in the Olympians' victory. Afterwords, they served as jailers to the Titans in the same way Kampe was to them. They had the same names in Roman myths, but their collective name was '''Centimani'''.

* [[The Lancer]]: Briareus/Aegaion has been described as Zeus' champion, and has come to his aid before when some of the Olympians rebelled.

* [[Multi-Armed and Dangerous]]

* [[Person of Mass Destruction]]

* [[Sealed Good in a Can]]

 

 

== Minor deities ==

 

The god of love, he was dainty and non-threatening, [[The Power of Love|but still managed to best even the greatest of gods]] (usually by [[Combat Pragmatist|taking potshots from far away]] with his bow, which had arrows that could inspire both love and hate). Early sources thought of him as a protogenos who emerged [[Spontaneous Generation|self formed]] from an egg at the beginning of creation, but later ones saw him as the [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|young]] son and/or servant of Aphrodite. His more famous Roman name is '''Cupidus''' (Cupid).

* [[Winged Humanoid]]

 

 

Former [[Every Thing Is Better With Princesses|mortal princess]] of Sicily, and now [[Happily Married|wife]] of the God of Love and personification of the Soul. Very [[World's Most Beautiful Woman|beautiful]] and [[Curious as a Monkey|insatiably curious]], both traits tend to get her into (and occasionally out of) trouble. [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence|Gained her immortality]] through [[Redemption Quest|completing]] several [[Impossible Task|tasks]] on behalf of her [[Obnoxious In-Laws|mother-in-law]] after giving into her [[Curiosity Is a Crapshoot|curiosity]] and betraying her husband’s trust. [http://www.shmoop.com/cupid-psyche/summary.html Longer synopsis here.]

* [[Youngest Child Wins]]

 

 

Son of Hermes. God of nature, mountains, shepherds and sexuality (especially males). A satyr-like [[Trickster Archetype]] who is mainly concerned with the preservation of Nature and the enjoyment of earthly pleasures such as music and sex. The panflute is named after him. An overall "free-spirit" who often pals with Dionysus but generally doesn't interact with other gods simply because he doesn't care about political schemes unless it concerns him directly. His name is root of the word "Panic".

 

 

 

A personification of (peaceful) Death, son of Nyx and Erebos and twin brother of Hypnos. Because he is Death, he was hated by mortals and even the deathless gods - rather moot since he hated them as well. His Roman counterpart is '''Mors'''.

* [[Pretty Boy]]: Despite the [[Grim Reaper|modern depiction]] of Death, Thanatos was generally shown as a winged, bearded man, or as a handsome, winged youth, depending on the artist and period.

 

 

The ferryman of the River Acheron, where he helps the souls of the dead to cross, for a small price. Less powerful than Thanatos, it is he however who inspires the modern image of the [[Grim Reaper]] as a cloaked figure. Coins were placed in the mouths of the dead to pay the ferrymans toll. Modern interpretations have changed it to the River Styx instead of Acheron that he ferries souls accross, or perhaps both. The River Acheron is also known as the river of pain and Styx as the river of hate, so you don't want to fall into or try wading through either.

* [[Psychopomp]]

 

 

Goddess of magic, crossroads and ghosts. Had three appearances, or sometimes just three heads. Lived in the Underworld with Hades and Persephone and was a close friend to the latter. Feared and revered by night travelers, but worshiped by about-to-deliver mothers. She was identified with the Roman goddess '''Trivia'''.

* [[Sadly Mythtaken]]: Despite the modern depictions, she was actually never depicted as "maiden, mother, and crone." When she's manifested in three bodies, they're all the same age.

 

 

Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone, the godesses of vengeance. Born from the blood of the castrated Ouranos. They were depicted as ugly, winged women with hair, arms and waists entwined with poisonous serpents. They wielded whips and were clothed either in the long black robes of mourners, or the short-length skirts and boots of huntress- maidens.

* [[Winged Humanoid]]: Greek Mythology is big on this.

 

 

 

* [[Handicapped Badass]]: In one Aesop fable, he appears as a lame man.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

The personification of Sleep, son of Nyx and Erebos and twin brother of Thanatos. Generally not shunned like his twin brother, who is alway at his side in visual art. In [[Homer]] he allowed Hera to harass Heracles by putting Zeus to sleep. Zeus was understandably angry when he woke up but found Hypnos already hidden in Nyx's place, so he held the [[Bolt of Divine Retribution]] back since it risked an [[Mama Bear|angry Nyx]]. Apparently, Hypnos disturbed Zeus a few more times, but always ran behind his mom for protection afterward. His Roman counterpart is '''Somnus'''.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

A less known deity worshipped by the Romans, he actually came from the [[Lusitanian Mythology]], but after the Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula he became quite a popular deity, until of course the arrival of Christianity. He was a god of healing and light, and was often referred to as ''Deus'', a title now used when referring to the Christian God in Portugese.

* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: Aendovelicus and, in Portuguese, Endovaelico are alternative spellings/pronounciations of the name.

 

 

Roman goddess of spring, grain and flowers with no Greek equivalent, first worshipped by other Italic tribes. Her feast, the ''Floralia'' ran from April 28 to May 3 and was a bit raucous.

* [[Victim Falls For Rapist]]: Ovid depicts her as completely fine with the way the West Wind abducted her, raped her, and forced her to marry him.

 

 

A trio of godesses: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They are the daughters of Nyx and Erebus, or of Zeus and Themis. They determine fate and control the life cycle. Clotho would determine when someone is born by spinning a length of thread on a spinning wheel, Lachesis would allot the length of time a person had to live by measuring the thread, and Atropos would sever the thread with a pair of shears when it was time for them to die. By the Romans, they were known as '''Nona''', '''Decima''' and '''Morta''' respectively, and collectively called the '''Parcae'''.

* [[Sadly Mythtaken]]: Often they're portrayed as the goddesses of past, present, and future, like Kronos, or as a maiden, mother, crone trio. Neither is true to the original depictions.

 

 

In Greek mythology, the patron of medicine and son of Apollo. He not only cured the sick, but recalled the dead to life. This rare authority over Hades may have derived from the circumstances of his own birth. Koronis, a lake nymph, was impregnated by Apollo, yet dared to take in secret a human being as a second lover. So furious was the god on discovering the infidelity that he sent his sister Artemis to slay Koronis. This she did with a pestilence. When the fire was already blazing round the lake nymph on the funeral pyre, Apollo felt compassion for his unborn son, and removed him from the corpse. In this manner Asclepius came into the world and was taught the art of healing by Chiron, the wisest of the Centaurs, beast-like monsters who dwelt in the woodlands. The success of this instruction was so great that Zeus, fearing lest men might contrive to escape death altogether, killed Asclepius with lightning; but at Apollo's request he was revived, according to some authors. Was associated with the Roman god '''Vejovis''' and his staff, The Rod of Asclepius, remains a symbol of medicine to this day.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Goddess of youth and the original cupbearer for Olympus. She was a daughter of Zeus and Hera, and later married Heracles, after which she gave up her job as cupbearer; she was succeeded in that role by the Trojan prince Ganymede. Her name comes from a Greek word that means "youth" or "prime of life". She was also worshiped as a goddess of forgiveness and pardons

 

 

Also know as the '''The Graces''' in Roman mythology, these goddesses (Aglaea ("Splendor"), Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer")) were the patrons of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. While Charis is technically the single form of their name and what they could be referred to as individually, in some stories, Charis is the name of a fourth member of their group and not the singular form. There are also sometimes mentioned other members, such as Pasithea, but the first three are always included. Have many possible parents, most notably Zeus and Eurynome, but also Dionysus and Aphrodite, or Helios and a naid named Aegle.

 

 

Completely unlike the gospel singing, [[Ambiguously Brown]] character of the Disney Hercules film, the Muses were the Greek goddesses of the inspiration of literature, science and the arts. One of the largest groups in Olympus, their members were: Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. Each goddess represented a different domain (for example, Calliope represented Epic Poetry) and the goddesses were said to be the source of knowledge passed through the oral legends and myths.

* [[The Muse]]: [[Ur Example]], [[Trope Namer]], and [[Trope Codifier]]

 

 

The goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time. Started out as general personifications of nature itself in its different seasonal aspects, but later evolved into being the goddesses of order in general and natural justice in particular. Were noted to guard the gates of Olympus, promote the Earth's fertility, and rally stars and constellations. If all of this sounds a little confusing [[Continuity Snarl|it is]]. Lack of unity among the myths has lead to disagreement on some things about these goddesses, including their exact number and even ''who they are''. The most agreed upon number is that there are three of them at any given time, and there are two generations: Thallo, Auxo and Carpo, who were goddesses of the order of nature, and Eunomia, Diké, and Eirene, who were law and order goddesses.

And then, finally, there was a completely different group of Hours, who personified the twelve hours, (originally ten) of the day.

 

 

Greek goddess of persuasion and seduction. Was know in Roman mythology as '''Suadela'''. Was an attendant and/or companion of Aphrodite and thus is very connected to her. The two were so intertwined, that sometimes they were combined into one character, a reflection of how closely connected the Greeks saw persuasion and love (or lust). Her ancestry is disputed but she maybe the daughter of the titans Tethys and Oceanus.

 

 

As her overly weird name might attest to, this goddess is not a native Greek one, but a transplant from Crete, who became the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwifery. She was the divine helper of women in labor, and, though its agreed upon generally that here mother is Hera, her father's identity is disputed.

* [[Canon Immigrant]]: More than likely did not originate from Greece but with the Minoans of Crete.

 

 

The son of Ares and Aphrodite, his name means "fear" or "terror". [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|That should tell you all you need to know about him]]. For those who are a little slower than most, he is a personification of fear for the Greeks, in particular, the fear brought about through war. He notably road into war with his father Ares, the Goddesses Enyo and Eris, and his brother Deimos. His association seems to have made him unpopular with the Greeks, as he doesn't appear in any major Greek myths as a character. His Roman equivalent is '''Timor'''. It is from his name that we get the word "phobia".

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

A war goddess alongside Ares, she was his companion and counterpart. May have had a son by him named Enyalius in earlier legends, but that name was later conflated with Ares himself (helps that Enyalius was also a war god). Enyo, a daughter of Hera and Zeus, was responsible for orchestrating the destruction of cites, much to her enjoyment, and often accompanied Ares directly into battle. Alongside Eris, Deimos, and Phobos, she instigated the horrors of war. Tied to the Roman goddess '''Bellona''' whose name is related to the Latin word for war, ''bellum''. The older form of Bellona's name was "Duellona" and she was sometimes identified as Mars's wife, sometimes as his sister. When Rome declared war on someone, the Fetial priests had to throw a spear from a column in front of her temple. Bellona was later identified with the Cappadocian Earth and Mother goddess Ma.

* [[War Is Hell]]: She makes it like this and would have it no other way.

 

 

The goddess of Strife and Discord, she is found in Roman mythology as '''Discordia''' and has a dwarf planet named after her. Is widely considered a less than pleasant goddess with even more than unpleasant children. She is the daughter of Nyx, which may explain how she got her job. Homer equated her with Enyo, though they are clearly not the same god. Actually escorted the monster Typhon into his battle with Zeus and had a hand in causing the war between Greece and Troy. Has become a deity in the modern religion of Discordianism.

* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: started the Trojan War over not being invited to a wedding

 

 

Brother of Phobos (and, like him, had a moon of mars named after him), and the son of Ares, Phobos is the god of fear who commonly accompanied his father, brother, Aunt Enyo, and Eris into war, along with his father's attendants, Trembling, Fear, Dread, and Panic. More of an abstract personification of sheer terror, especially that which is brought on by war, he doesn't really appear in any tales. His Roman equivalent is '''Formido''' or '''Metus'''.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

The opposite of Eris, she is the goddess of Harmony and Concord, and, fittingly, her Roman counterpart is named, '''Concordia'''. Generally thought to be another child of Ares and Aphrodite (or a daughter of Zeus and the Pleiad Electra), she married the Phoenician prince, Cadmus. Most well known for necklace, the Necklace of Harmonia, which, ironically, brought misfortune to all who came in possession of it.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

A minor goddess of concord, unanimity, and oneness of mind. Was so similar to Harmonia as to sometimes be equated with her.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Probably one of the most well known of the minor goddesses, she was the goddess of victory (and strength and speed) and was the daughter of Styx and Pallas. Her siblings were Kratos ([[God of War|not that Kratos]]), Bia, and Zelus. She and her companions were close to Zeus, and she herself was Zeus's divine charioteer who led him into battle with the Titans. Is noted for having wings, even into classical times and being a friend of Athena. While she doesn't have a planet, moon, or other celestial body named after her, she does have a brand of shoe! Her Roman counterpart was '''Victoria'''.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

A group of little love gods that resembled little boys with wings, they were part of Aphrodite's retinue. Four of them (Eros, Anteros, Himeros, and Pothos) were the sons of Aphrodite and Ares.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

This goddess with a hell of a name was the personification of revenge, in particular, that of divine judgement for hubris before the gods, and was the daughter of Nyx. Her Roman equal was '''Invidia'''.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Another goddess of revenge, she was also a goddess of balance and appears to have been tied with war, like her father Ares.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

This goddess is a unique one within the pantheon. While every god was usually heavily worshiped only in specific places, like Athena was the patron god of Athens, Tyche had a unique role, in that was the deity that governed the prosperity and fortune of a city state (aka, its destiny or fate). As such, she was a tutelary goddess: a protector of a specific locations, but every city had their own iconic version of her and considered her their protector. She is believed to have controlled the fortunes of humanity.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

 

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

* [[God of Good]]: possibly the nicest god in the whole pantheon

* [[Too Good for This Sinful Earth]]: why she left

* [[The Messiah]]: Possibly the closest equivalent Greece has

 

 

The goddess of judicial punishment and the exactor of vengeance, she is closely related to Nemesis in that regard, and also related the the Horae Dike, also a goddess of order and justice. Her daughters Homonoia and (especially) Arete, are more well known.

 

 

At its basic level, Arete was a concept that was extremely important to the Greeks, commonly thought of as meaning "virtue", its meaning is closer to something like, "being the best you can be," or "reaching your highest human potential." So its natural that there was a goddess that represented the concept. Arete, as a goddess, was the personification of this idea, and was the daughter of Praxidike and the sister of Homonoia. Her contested Roman equivalent is '''Virtus'''. The only know tale of her has her and her counterpart Kakia, offering Herakles a [[Secret Test of Character]], which he of course passed.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

The counterpart to Arete, Kakia was the goddess of vice and, literally, "moral badness" (as in sin or crime). She's generally depicted as a vain, plump, and heavily made up woman who where's revealing clothing. Her job was to try to lead others to fall into evil.

* [[Satan]]: Though predating the man in red himself, she is obviously meant to be the Greek version of him as an archetype of The Tempter.

 

 

The daughter of Nyx and Erebos, Apate was the Greek personification of deceit and was one of the evil spirits released from Pandora's box. Her Roman equivalent is '''Fraus''', from which we get the word ''fraud''. She had many siblings, including Nemesis and Keres. Her counterpart is '''Dolos''', the god of trickery, who was also a spirit released from pandora's box.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

The god of old age, and the counterpart to Hebe. It was said that the the more geras a man had, the more kleos(fame) and arete (excellence and courage) he had. Generally considered a son of Nyx and Erebus, he was usually portrayed as a shriveled up old man. His Roman equivalent was '''Senectus'''. In vases, he's usually portrayed alongside Hercules, but the story that inspired these illustrations has been completely lost.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Goddess of Misery, daughter of Nyx, and twin of the god Momos. Her Latin Counterpart is '''Miseria''', from which the word ''misery''is derived.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Brother of the Moirai (Fates) and son of Nyx, whom she conceived without any male help. He is the god of impending doom, and actively drives mortals to horrible, deadly fates.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Yet, another child of Nyx, Momus was the god of satire, mockery, censure, writers, and poets. [[Insane Troll Logic|Which basically means he was evil!]] He was, however, a twisted god of evil-spirited blame and unfair criticism, because apparently the Greeks didn't appreciate satire, or overly critical views. He notably mocked Hephaestus for not having made man with a doorway in his heart so that his thoughts may be seen. He also mocked Aphrodite for being talkative and having creaky sandals, and even mocked Zeus for being a violent bastard and unrepentant womanizer, and for having children as violent as he was. For his constant stream of critiques, he was booted out of Olympus (According the a fable by Aesop, he was actually booted out because he was jealous of the creations of three gods, and criticized them for it). For his wily ways, Momus has become quite popular (unsurprisingly) with writers.

* [[Take That]]: was probably a take that to people like him, but really ended being a take that to the Greek gods themselves

 

 

The Keres (singular Ker), were goddesses and sisters, the daughters of Nyx and Erebus (how many kids do these two have?) Their Latin counterpart was the '''Tenebrae''' (The Darkness) or '''Letum''' (Death). They were dark beings with gnashing teeth and claws, and a thirst for (human) blood. They favored violent death (as opposed to Thanatos who watched over peaceful death) and hovered over battlefields looking for wounded and dying men to devour and send to Hades.

* [[Psychopomp]]: One of the scariest out there

 

 

One of the goddesses suffering from a [[Multiple Choice Past]] due to [[Continuity Snarl]], Achlys is either a primordial god that predates possibly even Khaos, or a daughter of Nyx, in which case she is sometimes portrayed as one of the Keres. Achlys is the goddess of the eternal night, aka the Mist of Death, which clouds the eyes of the dying. She is depicted as a pale, emaciated, and weeping woman, with chattering teeth, swollen knees, long nails on her fingers, bloody cheeks, and her shoulders thickly covered with dust.

* [[Nightmare Face]]: Just read the description!

 

 

The daughter of Zeus and Hera, she was the goddess of mischief, delusion, and folly. In Homer's Iliad, she is said to be Zeus's oldest daughter, and her mother is not mentioned. Hera used Ate to make Zeus swear that, on that very day, a mortal son of his would be born who would be a great ruler. Afterward, Hera sought to delay Hercules's birth and to birth prematurely Eurystheus, Hera's hero and direct counterpoint to Hercules. In anger, Zeus punished Ate by throwing her down to Earth and forbidding her from ever returning to Heaven or Mt. Olympus. Ate wanders the Earth now, making hell for everybody who meets her. Supposedly followed by the ''Litae'' (Prayers), who act as her healers, but cannot keep up with Ate, who runs too fast.

* [[Walking the Earth]]: Her punishment, though it is said she walks on the heads of men rather than the ground.

 

 

Son of Pallas and Styx, brother to Nike, Kratos, and Bia. Had wings like his siblings and was an enforcer for Zeus that stood about his throne. He is the personification of dedication, emulation, eager rivalry, envy, jealousy, and zeal, and the word Zeal is derived from his name.

* [[Our Angels Are Different]]: While he and his siblings are not identified as angels, their description parallels that of angels as described in the [[The Bible|Old Testament]].

 

 

The goddess and personification of force, Bia, had four other siblings (already mentioned dozens of times now, just see Zelus above) and was the daughter of Pallas and Styx. She and her siblings were Zeus's constant companions, as they, along with their mother, help Zeus fight the Titans. In Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, she along with Hephaestus and Kratos bound the Titan Prometheus.

* [[Our Angels Are Different]]: Same as Zelus above

 

 

[[God of War|No, not that Kratos]]. This Kratos (the final child of Pallas and Styx's children) was the god and personification of strength and power, and, along with his siblings, was a winged enforcer of Zeus. Helped to bound Prometheus.

* [[Our Angels Are Different]]: Same as his two preceding siblings

 

 

Greek god of competition and competitive games, in particular, the Olympic Games. Among the words we get from his name are agony, antagonism, protagonist, etc.

* [[Satellite Character]]: Even more so than most Greek gods.

 

 

More than likely children of Nyx (though [[Multiple Choice Past]] strikes again here) these gods were the gods of dreams, and were close siblings to Hypnos. There were three (or just three prominent ones depending on the myth), and they were '''Morpheus''' ( a god who appeared in dreams as human figures), '''Phobetor''', also called Icelus, (a goddess who appeared in dreams as various animals and monsters, being the personification of nightmares), and Phantasos (a god who appeared in dreams as inanimate objects). Together, the siblings lived together in the Dream World, a realm located somewhere in the Underworld.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Called '''Penae''' in Latin, Penia was the Greek goddess of poverty and need, sometimes considered the mother of Eros.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

The Greek god of plenty and son of Metis, making him the brother of Athena. He was seduced by Penia at Aphrodite's birthday celebration while drunk, and from that sexual escapade, its possible that Eros was born. Porus is also a god in the Roman pantheon, the personification of abundance.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Sister of Penia and Greek goddess of helplessness. Often traveled around with her sisters.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Greek goddess of beggary, who was a sister of Amechania and Ptocheia. She ofter traveled around with her sisters

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Probably more well known by his Roman name '''Plutus'''. Ploutos was the ancient Greek god of wealth and was the son of Demeter and the Demigod Iasion. Has a complex relationship in the Roman pantheon with the god of the underworld, Plouton (Pluto), who is also a god of riches, leading to conflation. Was blinded by Zeus so that he could dispense of his riches without prejudice. He is also lame, but has wings, so he arrives slowly, but leaves quickly (sounds like there's significance to that). In the play ''Plutus'', his sight is restored, thus raising hell as he is now able to determine who is most deserving of wealth. From the root of his (and Plouton's) name, we get the words like plutocracy, plutonomics, plutolatry, and plutomania.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Greek goddess of prosperity, who had three sisters: Eucleia, Philophrosyne, and Eupheme. Sometimes regarded as a younger Charity, along with her sisters. her and here sisters' parents were Hephaestus and Aglaea

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

The Greek goddess of glory and good repute, sister to Euthenia. Often shown alongside Aphrodite as an attendant, where she represents the good repute of a young bride.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

The Greek goddess of welcome, friendliness, and kindness.

* [[Flat Character]]: not much really to set her apart from the other goddesses, or even her own sisters

 

 

Greek goddess of words of good omen, praise, acclaims, shouts of triumph, and applause. Her opposite was Momus. Was the nurse of the Muses and the mother of Krotos with Pan, who became the constellation Sagittarius.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

These beings were Greek wind gods who were each ascribed a Cardinal direction from their particular special winds came, and each of them as ascribed to certain seasons and weather patterns. They were variously represented as gusts of wind, winged men, and as horses kept in the stables of the storm god Aeolus. Astraeus and Eos were their parents. Their Roman equivalent was the '''Venti'''.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

The Greek goddess of the soothing of pain, the wife of Asklepios, and the mother of some of his children.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

As her name more than amply implies, Hygieia is the goddess and personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation, the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Of course, her name is obviously the root for hygiene and its associated words. While Asclepius was associated in healing illness and injury, Hygieia was associated with prevention of disease. in Rome, she was initially identified with the goddess of personal health '''Valetudo''', but she was eventually identified with the goddess of social welfare, '''Salus'''.

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

Daughter of Asclepius and the goddess of recuperation from illness.

* [[Flat Character]]: Very little is know about Iaso in the grand scheme of things.

 

 

The daughter of Asclepius and Epione, and goddess of the healing process.

* [[Flat Character]]: Even less is said about Aceso than Iaso.

 

 

Greek goddess of the Universal Remedy, daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Always carried a potion around with her that could heal the sick, and this idea was the beginning of the idea of the panacea in medicine (i.e. a substance that could cure all disease)

* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]

 

 

An ancient sea goddess within the Greek pantheon, she is most well known for being the mother of the Greek hero, Achilles, whom she had with a mortal, Peleus. Is generally thought to have been a powerful goddess at one time, and it is even mentioned that she helped stop a rebellion against Zeus on Olympus, but is not mentioned much in Classical Greek works.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

An early Greek sea god, sometimes called the god of "elusive sea change", reflecting the sea's constant changes. Like many gods and goddesses, he suffers from [[Multiple Choice Past]], but he is a herdsman of Poseidon's seals. He has the ability to predict the future, but constantly changes his shape, so that only those who can catch him will get the prediction. From this we get the word protean. He lives on the island of Pharos off the coast of the Nile River Delta and his primary purpose was to be caught by other heroes and used to help them solve their problems.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Sea goddess most well known for being Poseidon's wife, in Rome she was conflated with Neptune's wife, '''Salacia''', goddess of saltwater. [[Multiple Choice Past]] strikes again: Some call her a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, thus making her an Oceanid and possibly a Titan, while other tales identify her as the daughter of Nereus and Doris, making her a Nereid, and still others say she is a personification of the sea itself. She and Poseidon had a son, named Triton, and at least one daughter, named Rhode and possibly another, named Benthesikyme. Though originally a very powerful, important goddess, she lost her importance to the Olympic pantheon.

** [[Physical God]]: what she is if an Oceanid

 

 

Sometimes considered a sea nymph, Rhode was the goddess of the island of Rhodes and daughter of Poseidon. Consort of Helios, she considered the little island under her own protection.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

[[Running Gag|No, not]] [[The Little Mermaid|that Triton]]. This Triton is the most famous son of Poseidon. A Greek god, he was a messenger of the sea, similar to how Hermes was a messenger of Olympus. One thing the Disney film got right is that Triton is usually represented as a merman, having a human's upper body and the tail-end of a fish, and he, like his father, carried a trident. He also carried a conch shell, which he blew like a horn to control the waves. had a daughter named Pallas (not the same Pallas mentioned farther up) and raised Athena as his own daughter. Athena would later accidentally kill Pallas. Triton would be the progenitor of an entire race similar to himself, called Tritons.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

An early, powerful sea goddess, sometimes conflated with Hecate. Mother of a race of monsters with Phorcys, called the Phorcydes, which include Echidna, and (sometimes) The Gorgons (including Medusa), Ladon, Scylla, and The Graeae.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Also called the Grey Witches, the Graeae were three sisters who shared one eye and one tooth amongst themselves. Though usually depicted as old, grey haired women, sometimes, storytellers would portray them as beautiful, and in some legends they were portrayed as being half-swan. They were apparently so old that they couldn't grasp the concept of human childhood. Their names were '''Deino''' (dread), '''Enyo''' (horror, not the same Enyo as the goddess of war), and '''Pemphredo''' (alarm). There is sometimes also a fourth named '''Persis''' (destroyer, slayer) or '''Perso'''. Perseus was able to get the women to tell him how to kill Medusa by stealing their one eye.

* [[Sadly Mythtaken]]: The Disney Hercules film gave their defining trait, sharing one eye, to the Moirai (Fates), causing confusion.

 

 

God of the mysterious dangers of the deep, identified as a son of Gaia and Pontus or a son of Tethys and Oceanus. Married Ceto and had many "nice" children. Is depicted as a fish-taled merman, with crab claws for fore-legs and red-spiked skin.

* [[Multiple Choice Past]]

 

 

A minor goddess of magic, sometimes called a witch, sorceress, enchantress, or nymph. [[Multiple Choice Past]] again, however, she is usually seen as a daughter of Helios and Perse, though some see her as the daughter of Hecate. Called "The loveliest of all immortals", she was known for turning people she didn't like into animals and having a truly massive knowledge of drugs and herbs. She lives in a large mansion, which she surrounded with feral predators she culled with her magic. She is most well know for her run in with Odysseus: She turned some of his crew into pigs and Odysseus set out to rescue them from her, using advice given by Athena as an aid. Following Athena's advice, Odysseus succeeded in freeing his men and gaining Circe's trust, and she helped him on his journey.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

A god of the sea, Glaucus was one of the very few mortals who attained immortality and godhood. It is believed that he comes to the rescue of fishermen and sailors caught in storms; this is because he was one himself. One day, when Glaucus was still mortal, he came across a weird herb that could resurrect dead fish, an tried eating it himself. The herb made him immortal, but at a steep cost: in place of his arms, he had fins, and his legs were replaced with a fish's tail (though there are versions of the story that say he just became a merman), forcing him to live in the sea forever. Though initially saddened by these turn of events, Oceanus and Tethys took Glaucus in as one of their own, teaching him the gift of prophecy and making him a god of the sea. Glaucus later fell in love with Scylla (who was a beautiful sea nymph at the time), and tried to marry her, but Scylla was repulsed by his physical appearance and ran away from him. Glaucus went to Circe for help in getting Scylla to fall for him, but Circe fell in love with ''him'' instead. Though Circe tried her best to win his heart, Glaucus was too in love with Scylla to go with her. Circe, in rage, poisoned the water where Scylla bathed, and turned her into the horrible monster we all know.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

Ancient Greek sea goddess, worshiped in the form of a mermaid, she was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and was the third wife of Zeus, with whom she had her daughters, the Charities. When Hephaestus was cast from Olympus by Hera, it was Eurynome and Thetis who caught him and nursed him back to health. This Eurynome is closely associated with the Titan Eurynome, wife of Ophion, the first ruler of Olympus.

* [[Physical God]]

 

 

== Mortals and Demigods ==

Rustic fertility spirits, companions of Dionysus/Pan, originally quite different from the goat-like fauns (Or Panes), they were depicted as short, hairy men with assinine ears, snub-noses, horse-like ears and erect members.

 

* [[Magical Flutist]]: With panpipes, like Pan himself.

 

Beautiful female nature spirits, considered desirable mades by mortals and gods alike. Frequently appearing in the company of gods as loyal followers as well. There were many subgroupings of nymphs, but the most famous were the Hesperides (who tend the garden with the golden apples), [[Plant Person|Dryades]] (tree spirits), [[Our Mermaids Are Different|Naiads, Nereids, Oceanids]] (different kinds of water nymphs), Maenids (or Bacchai/Bacchantes, the one who hang out with Bacchus/Dionysus so they can party all the time), and the Muses.

 

 

 

Son of Zeus and mortal Queen Alcmene and the most famous classical hero, known as '''Hercules''' in Latin. His name means ''glory of Hera'' (explanations for this name are varied), but she hated him and tried her best to kill him since his infancy. His real name is Aclides (Aclaeus) but after seeing the priestess at Delphi, he changed his name. Most famous for his Twelve Labors (essentially one [[Fetch Quest]] after another), [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover|turning up in other people's stories]] whenever a strongman is needed, and eventually became a full god upon his death.

 

* [[Accidental Pornomancer]]: Hercules got a lot of action thrown his way. In particular, there was the matter of the fifty princesses...

* [[All Amazons Want Hercules]]: [[Trope Namer]]. [[Hot Amazon]] Queen Hippolyta was so impressed by his muscular frame that she gave up her belt freely.

* [[Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence]]: After his death, it's said he became a full god himself.

* [[Arch Enemy]]: Hera.

* [[World's Strongest Man]]: [[Trope Namer|Well]], [[Captain Obvious|duh.]]

 

Perseus was the Greek hero who killed the Gorgon Medusa in order to fulfill the evil king Polydectes's demands and save his mother from the guy. Along the way he married Andromeda, having rescued her from a sea monster sent by Poseidon in retribution for Andromeda's Queen Cassiopeia declaring herself more beautiful than the sea nymphs.

 

* [[Taken for Granite]]: With Medusa’s head, he does this to both the sea monster (saving Andromeda) and Polydectes (saving his mother).

 

A powerful demi-goddess, sorceress, and princess of a distant kingdom, who ends up betraying her own father and brother for Jason. Jason proceeds to [[Idiot Ball|royally piss her off]]: see the tragedy named after her for the results.

 

* [[Psycho Ex-Girlfriend]]: Jason should have known what he was getting into; the woman ''killed and dismembered her own brother'' to slow down her father's pursuit.

* [[Woman Scorned]]: [[Trope Namer|The phrase comes from Euripides' play]] entitled, well, ''[[Medea]]'', making her the [[Trope Namer]].

 

Son of Muse Calliope and learned musical skill from Apollo. Even the famous Sirens couldn't beat Orpheus when it come to singing. After his wife Eurydice died, Orpheus travelled to the underworld and got past all obtacles by his music, even softening the hearts of Hades and Persephone. Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. Orpheus failed, either because he wass careless or just unable to trust Hades wholeheartly. Heartbroken, Orpheus disdained the worship of all gods save for Apollo. One morning, he went to salute Apollo, but was rent to pieces by Maenads for not honoring Dionysus.

 

 

 

King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and son of Laërtes and Anticlea, Odysseus is renowned for his guile and resourcefulness, and is hence known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning (mētis, or "cunning intelligence"). He is most famous for the twenty eventful years he took to return home after the ten-year Trojan War and his famous Trojan Horse trick. The Romans called him '''Ulysses'''.

 

* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: Odysseus was fated to die a death from the sea...Telegonus sails in and unknowingly kills him with a sting ray spear.

 

* [[Achilles' Heel]]: [[Trope Namer]]

* [[Achilles in His Tent]]: Once again, the [[Trope Namer]].

* [[Your Days Are Numbered]]: He was fully aware of it, but preferred a glorious death to an obscure old age.

 

Perhaps the most famous son of Poseidon—unless the mortal Aigeus was his real father after all. He is most well known for slaying the Minotaur and ruling the city of Athens. Among his other deeds are killing serial killers, with Heracles inventing the mixed martial art of pankration, and his interactions with other famous mythological people like Heracles, Oedipus, and Medea.

 

* [[The Unchosen One]]: Compared to Perseus he had to do everything all on his own.

 

 

* [[Abdicate the Throne]]: In [[Sophocles]]'s play ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' he exiled himself from Thebes, although [[Homer]] had him continue ruling until his death.

* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: Despite his best intentions to avoid it, Oedipus ends up fulfilling the prophecy.

 

One of the worst of Tartarus' residents, Sisyphus was damned to eternally roll a rock up a hill. The rock would inevitably turn and roll back down just as he was achieving anything. This was ''not'' [[Disproportionate Retribution]] for his crimes.

 

 

== Monsters ==

An offspring of Echidna and Typhon. [[Hell Hound|A three-headed hound with a tail and mane made of live serpents]], [[Artistic License|although most artists stopped reading after the word "hound"]]. Unlike his siblings, Hades took him as a guard dog of his realm. He prevents mortals from entering the underworld and keeps the dead inside. Although there is no tale where Hades actually [[Pet the Dog|pets him]], the king of the underworld cared about his pet dog enough, and only allowed Heracles to take him for the twelfth labor if the hero didn't injure him.

 

* [[Sweet Tooth]]: The Roman tale of Psyche had a girl get past him using cake. She was advised to use it because others had succeeded before with the same ploy.

 

One of the oldest monsters in [[Classical Mythology]], Ladon was an offsping of Typhon and Echidna or of some of the Titans or Protogenoi depending on which version you listen to. His form was that of a dragon, but one unlike either traditional European or Asian dragons, and indeed his own form is not even consistant in the different versions of the story. His job was to guard the golden apples of the Garden of Hesperides. Though tasked with retreiving them in his eleventh labour, Ladon was so fearsome an opponent that Hercules had to enlist the help of Atlas who was a relative of the Hesperide Nymphs to complete the task. Ladon was later seen by the passing Argonauts as well.

 

* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]: Very diffent, and different in different ways. He could have as many as one hundred heads, or just the one.

 

Medusa's grandson Geryon was a giant who lived on the island Erytheia. He had either three heads on one body or three bodies, either way he also had six hands, six feet and wings. Orthus was the two headed herd dog of Geryon and the brother of Cerberus. The guarded red cattle which Hercules was instructed to steal as his tenth labour.

 

* [[Our Giants Are Bigger]]

 

Wild horses trained to eat human flesh by the giant Diomedes, King of Thrace, Son of Ares and Cyrene. Some versions of the story tell that they breathed fire as well. Hercules' eighth labour was to steal them.

 

* [[Incendiary Exponent]]: If that is the version being told.

 

Father of the Minotaur by the king of Cete's, King Minos, wife who had angered Aphrodrite and was thus [[Heart Is an Awesome Power|cursed with love]] for the king's prized but uncontolably angry bull. The bull was a gift from Poseidon, and its anger was the result of Poseidon later becoming displeased with King Minos. Captured by Hercules as his seventh labour, when released in became known as the Marathon Bull after its new home until it was captured by Theseus and sacrificed to the Gods.

 

* [[Sacrificial Lion|Sacrificial Bull]]

 

Man eating birds with metal feather, bronze beaks and toxic poo that were driven to the Lake Stymphyalia by a pack of Arab wolves where they thrived in great numbers, much to the dismay of the local inhabitants. Hercules' sixth labour was to defeat them.

 

* [[Zerg Rush]]

 

A boar of immense size and ferocity that lived on Mount Ermanthos and was often sent by various gods in vengeance against villages. It may well have killed Adonis, unless that was Ares in the shape of a boar. Capturing it was Hercules' fourth labour.

 

 

 

A hind is doe (female deer) of a one of the larger species, of which the male would be a hart, buck or stag. This one had antlers like the male, only golden in color and matching fur as well as being sacred to the Goddess Artemis and fast enough to outrun an arrow. Hercules' third labour was to catch it, alive.

 

* [[Badass]]

 

Another child of Typhon and Echidna: A many headed serpent of the swamps of Lerna. For every head you cut off, two more grow in it's place. Oh, and one head is immortal. Killing it was the challenge set forth in Hercules' second labour.

 

* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]

 

Lived in Nemea. Its fur was impervious to attack by all mortal weapons and its claws could cut through any armour without difficulty. Sometimes counted amoung the children of Typhon and Echidna Killing it was Hercules' first labour.

 

* [[Nigh Invulnerability]]

 

The Crommyonian Sow was a wild pig named Phaea or Phaia, daughter of Echidna and Typhon and mother of the Calydonian Boar. It was killed by Theseus. The Calydonian Boar was hunted by a great gathering of heroes, which hurt alot of their pride when the woman Atalanta was the one to kill it.

 

* [[Full Boar Action]]

 

A magical dog that would catch anything that it chased, and a giant fox destined never to be caught. The fox was also one of Echidna and Typhon's children. Zeus turned them into a constellation when Laelaps was set to chase the Cadmian Vixen.

 

* [[Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object]]

 

Another of Typhon and Echidna's offspring, this one is one of the less famous. A gigantic eagle, it roamed the Earth until Zeus found use for it and made it the tormenter of Prometheus, flying every day to eat his liver and killing whoever tried to free him, until Hercules/Heracles killed it. Occasionally refered to as '''Ethon''', '''''Aethonem Aquilam''''' or the ''Griffin-Vulture'' (also the name of a real life bird of prey). Is the basis for the constellation Aquila.

 

* [[Giant Flyer]]

 

Half-man half-bull, this beast the offspring of the Cretan Bull and King Minos' wife in an odd combination of punishments from different gods. Fearing that it would anger the gods further to kill the beast, King Mino sealed it away in a Labyrinth beneith the city and fed its man-eating appitite with the flesh of slaves taken as tribute from Athens. That is, until an Athenian prince named Theseus took the place of one of the slaves, seduced the kings daughter into helping him find his way out of the labyrinth and killed it with his bare hands.

 

* [[The Maze]]: It's home, the Labrinth; possible [[Ur Example]].

 

A set of three sisters: Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. Most people only know the story of Medusa, who is most well known for having snakes for hair and a visage that turned mortals to stone. To some authors she and her sisters were born hideous, but another version has it that all three were born beautiful and Medusa, raped by Poseidon in Athena's temple, was [[Values Dissonance|turned into a monster as punishment]].

 

* [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]: So very much.

 

One of the daughters of Typhon and Echidna, the Sphinx had the head of a woman and the body of a winged lioness. She was born in Ethiopia, and tasked by Hera to block the path to Thebes, where she asked travellers a [[Riddle of the Sphinx|tricky riddle]], and when they failed to answer she strangled and ate them. [[Oedipus Rex|Oedipus]] managed to figure out the answer, and she was so enraged she threw herself off a cliff.

 

* [[Smug Snake]]: Absolutely confident that no-one could guess the answer to her riddle.

 

This monster had the body of a winged lion, with a scorpion's tail and the head of a man, though this didn't mean it lacked the sharp teeth of any other man-eating predator. It could also shoot poisonous spines from its tail.

 

* [[Spike Shooter]]

 

One of Typhon and Echidna's children, the chimera was part lion, part goat and part snake, or dragon. Its body was that of a lioness, the snake or dragon head was its tail, and a goat head just popped out of its spine in the middle of its back. It breathed fire too. It lived in Lycia in Asia minor.

 

* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]

 

This Dragon was a child of Typhon and Echidna and the guardian of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts.

 

* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]

 

Scylla was drakaina with six heads on long necks, attatched to a body with 4-6 more dogs heads around its waist, twelve tenacle like legs, and a cats tail. It lives on one side of a narrow straight with Charybdis on the other. Charybdis was a whirlpool, or in the earlier myths a whirlpool caused by a Nymph transformed into a sea monster that was essentially a giant bladder covered in mouths and flipper that sucked a great deal of water into its many mouths three times a day, and belching it forth the rest of the time. One or both of them may have been offspring of Typhon and Echidna

 

* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: Charybdis is also spelt Kharybdis.

 

Perseus found a princess being sacrificed to this beast to appease Poseidon. So he turned it to stone with the severed head of Medusa and married the princess. Hercules is also credited with killing a creature called cetus. The word has a very loose meaning and includes whales and big fish as well as more traditional sea monsters.

 

* [[Sea Monster]]

 

A drakaina set to guard the Hecatonchires by Cronus. She is described as having the head and torso of a woman, a scorpionlike tail, and snaky legs.

 

* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]

 

Three brothers: Steropes, Brontes and Arges. They are sons of Ouranos and Gaia. Embodiments of brute strength and power, they each have one single eye in the middle of the foreheads. Ouranos feared them for their power and violent tempers, and then sealed them away in Tartaros shortly after they were born with their other brothers, the Hekatonkheires. In some versions, Kronos either freed them and put them back in some time later of just kept them inside Tartaros, guarded by the Dragon, Kampe. In the final year of the Titanomachy, Zeus freed them and they forged the Olympians' weapons for them (if Hephaestus didn't do so already). Afterwords, they served as assistants to Hephaestus in his forge. They had the same names in Roman myths, both individually and collectively.

 

* [[With Friends Like These...]]: When Zeus killed Apollo's son Asclepius Apollo wanted revenge but could not directly injure Zeus. Some writers have him kill the cyclopes who forged the lightning bolt while others, noting that the sons of Gaia are immortal, have him kill the four sons instead. In some versions, the three had helped to make Apollo's bow beforehand.

 

The last children of Ouranus, born from his blood fertilizing Gaea when Kronos castrated him, possibly as Aphrodite was born from the sea. The didn't get involved much in the Titans affairs, including when the Olympians took power in the Titanomachy. However, they latter fought the Olympians in the Gigantomachy, which they would have won if not for Hercules' aiding the Olympians. Many individuals are named, though again their are multiple different accounts of just what occured with each of the Gigantes.

 

* [[War Arc]]: The Gigantomachy.

 

The biggest, nastiest, deadliest and most terrifying monster in Greek mythology, with arms that reached east and west - with a hundred dragon/serpent heads on each - huge wings that blackened the sky, fire blazing from his eyes and mouth, [[Depending on the Writer|sometimes]] [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|a head like a donkey]], sometimes with the head of a man, and sometimes with [[Multiple Head Case|a hundred dragon heads]].... yeah, Zeus had a pretty hard time defeating this guy. He also had numerous monster babies with Echidna. Zeus eventually trapped him under Mount Aetna, where he causes volcanic eruptions.

 

* [[Unholy Matrimony]]: With Echidna

 

The "Mother of All Monsters" (no, not ''that'' "[[Lady Gaga|mother monster]]"), usually depicted as half [[Our Fairies Are Different|nymph]] and half serpent. She was the mate of Typhon, mother to nearly all the notable monsters in Greek mythology.

 

* [[Unholy Matrimony]]: With Typhon

 

Half-bird, half-human monstrosities. Jason encountered them on his quest and they were being used to punish a man who spoke out against Zeus.

 

* [[Nausea Fuel]]: Literally. They were starving the man by vomiting on his food.

 

[[Category:Character Sheets/Mythology]]