CHAOS: THE ORACLE: GODS AND DEITIES

Gods, deities, demi-gods, heroes, and mythological characters and beasts

Including characters of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Aeacus One of the three judges at Tartarus.
Aeneas Trojan hero; son of Prince Anchises and Aphrodite; father was second cousin to King Priam.
Aeacus One of the three judges at Tartarus.
Aeneas Trojan hero; son of Prince Anchises and Aphrodite; father was second cousin to King Priam.
Aeos One of the fire-darting steeds that pull Helius’s chariot (the sun) across the sky.
Aether God of the upper atmosphere and light; personification of Heavenly Light.
Aethon One of the fire-darting steeds that pull Helius’s chariot (the sun) cross the sky.
Akademos Spared the city Attica by telling invaders where the abducted Helen was hidden; venerated by the city as a savior; buried on land adorned with olive plantation called Akademia dedicated to his memory, and where Plato gave his lectures.
Akheloios God of fresh waters; battled Heracles for the hand of Princess Deïaneira.
Alcaeus Son of Perseus; father to Amphitryon, whose wife gave birth to Heracles.
Alcmene Wife of King Amphitryon of Thebes; mother to Heracles who was fathered by Zeus.
Amalthea
(Adamanthea)
Nymph who raised Zeus.
Anius King of Delos; son of Apollo and Rhoeo; priest to Apollo; father to daughters: Oeno, Spermo, and Elais, known as the Oenotropae; Dionysus gave daughters power to change anything into wine, wheat, and oil; when Greeks landed on Delos, Anius prophesized the Trojan War would not be won until the tenth year.
Antenor Counselor to Priam during Trojan War; wisest of Trojan elders and counselors; husband of Theano, who bore him numerous sons, including Medon; advised fellow-townsmen to send Helen back to the Greeks; friendly to the Greeks and advocate of peace and in return his house and family were spared.
Antilochus One of Helen’s suitors; accompanied his father and his brother to Trojan War; commanded the Pylians; favorite of the gods; friend of Achilles, to whom he was commissioned to announce the death of Patroclus; sacrificed himself to save his father, Nestor; his death was avenged by Achilles.
Aphrodite Goddess of love, beauty, desire, sex and pleasure.
Apollo God of music, arts, knowledge, healing, plague, prophecy, poetry, manly beauty, archery, and the sun; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis; as brother and sister, they were identified with the sun and moon; both use a bow and arrow.
Apollonius Rhodius Apollonius of Rhodes; best known as author of the Argonautica, an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece.
Archemoros Name given to Prince Opheltes by the Seven Against Thebes; translated as Beginner of Doom.
Ares God of war, bloodshed, and violence; son of Zeus and Hera.
Argus Panoptes Giant with one hundred eyes tasked with guarding Io.
Artemis Virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, young girls, childbirth, plague, and the moon; daughter of Zeus and LetoApollo‘s twin sister.
Asclepius
(Asclepios)
God of medicine; Alexander razed the shrine built to honor him after the death of Hephaestion.
Astyanax Son of Hector; crown prince of Troy; Andromache hid the child in Hector’s tomb, but he was discovered and killed by Neoptolemus, who threw the infant from the walls of Troy to end the royal lineage.
Athena Goddess of intelligence, skill, peace, warfare, battle strategy, handicrafts, and wisdom; special patron of heroes such as Odysseus; patron of the city Athens.
Athena Alcidemus Epithet of Athena, the city-goddess of Pella, Macedonia.
Athena Ilias Ajax the Lesser raped Cassandra in the temple of Athena and this resulted in his death; angry, Poseidon wrecked his ship on the coast of Euboea, and Zeus killed Ajax with a lightning bolt; for his crime, Locrians had to send two unmarried maidens to the temple of Athena at Ilion of Athens for 1,000 years, where they should live until they died; Athena is referred to as Athena Ilias—a name not necessarily derived from Ilion, but maybe from the family deity Oileus, the father of Ajax—she could have protected the maidens during their period of initiation.
Atlas Titan forced to carry the heavens upon his shoulders by Zeus; son of Iapetus.
Augean stables The stables of King Augeas of Elis; housed single greatest number of cattle in the country; had never been cleaned—until Heracles did so as one of his twelve labors.
Aura Titaness of the breeze and the fresh, cool air of early morning.
Benthesicyma Poseidon’s daughter who raised and educated his son with Chione, Eumolpos.
Brisēís Queen in Asia Minor at time of the Trojan War; concubine to Achilles; Agamemnon stole her from Achilles.
Calchas Son of Thestor (a priest of Apollo); most-famous oracle among Greeks at time of Trojan War; played important role in quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon at beginning of Homer’s Iliad.
Campe Dragon that guards Tartarus.
Cassiopeia Mother to Andromeda.
Castor One of Helen’s twin brothers who invaded Attica to free her when she was kidnapped at the age of twelve.
Caucasus Mountains Where Zeus had Prometheus chained in retaliation; a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region.
Cepheus King of Ethiopia; father to Andromeda.
Cerberus Multi-headed dog, or hellhound, with a serpent’s tail, a mane of snakes, and a lion’s claws; guards the entrance of the Underworld to prevent the dead from escaping and the living from entering.
Ceryneian Hind Also called Cerynitis, or the Golden Hind; enormous hind (deer), who lived in Keryneia, Greece; sacred to Artemis; had golden antlers like a stag and hooves of bronze or brass; could outrun an arrow in flight.
Cetus Sea monster to whom Andromeda was being been sacrificed.
Chaos A primeval state of existence from whence all else came.
Charon
(Kharon)
Ferryman of Hades who carried souls of newly deceased across Styx and Acheron (rivers) dividing the world of the living from the world of the dead.
Chelone Nymph who refused to attend Zeus and Hera’s wedding.
Chimaera Monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature of Lycia in Asia Minor; usually depicted as a lion, with head of a goat arising from its back, and tail ending with a snake’s head; offspring of Typhon and Echidna and sibling to Cerberus and Lernaean Hydra.
Chione Mother to Eumolpos with Poseidon.
Chronos God of time; not to be confused with Cronus, father of ZeusPoseidon, and Hades.
Chrysaor Giant born from the neck of the beheaded Gorgon, Medusa.
Chryses Priest of Apollo at Chryse, near the city of Troy; during Trojan War, Agamemnon took Chryses’ daughter, Chryseis, as a war prize and Chryses attempted to pay ransom for her release, but Agamemnon refused to release her.
Cinyras King of Cyprus; father to Adonis; did not participate in the Trojan War as he had promised.
Cretan Bull The bull Pasiphaë fell in love with, giving birth to the Minotaur; captured by Heracles at the request of King Eurystheus as his seventh task.
Cronus Leader of the Titans; overthrew his father Uranus; was overthrown in turn by his son, Zeus; not to be confused with Chronos, god of time.
Cyclopes (Elder) Three one-eyed giants who forged the lightning-bolts of Zeus, trident of Poseidon, and helmet of Hades: Arges, Brontes, and Steropes.
Cyclopes (Younger) Tribe of one-eyed, man-eating giants who herded flocks of sheep on the island of Sicily.
Danae Wife of Zeus; mother to Perseus, who slayed Medusa.
Daphnis Shepherd who loved the water nymph Nomia who struck him blind when he was unfaithful.
Dardanians Same people as, or a people closely related to, the Trojans, an ancient people of the Troad; name derived from Dardanus; Homer makes distinction between Trojans and the Dardanoi.
Day Earthly Light.
Deïaneira Sister to Meleager; second wife of Heracles; unintentionally killed her husband when she dipped his tunic in the poisonous blood of the centaur, Nessus, thinking it to be a love charm.
Deidameia One of King Lycomedes’ seven daughters with whom Achilles hid out as children; the two became romantically involved; Achilles joined the Trojan War, leaving behind a pregnant, heart-broken Deidameia; their son, Neoptolemus, later joined his father, but was eventually killed by Orestes.
Deiphobus Son of Priam and Hecuba; greatest of Priam’s sons after Hector and Paris; after death of Paris, was given Helen as a bride for his deeds in the war; slayed by either Odysseus or Menelaus, and his body mutilated.
Demeter Goddess of grain, agriculture and the harvest, growth, and nourishment; daughter of Cronus and Rhea; sister of Zeus, by whom she bore Persephone.
Demophon Son of King Celeus and Queen Metanira; while Demeter was searching for her daughter Persephone (taken to the Underworld by Hades), she took the form of an old woman naned Doso, and received a hospitable welcome from Celeus, the King of Eleusis in Attica, and he asked her to nurse Demophon and Triptolemus, his sons by Metanira.
Dionysus God of wine, parties and festivals, madness, chaos, drunkenness, drugs, and ecstasy; often in the company of his thiasos, a posse of attendants including satyrsmaenads, and his old tutor Silenus; his consort was Ariadne.
Dioscuri Helen of Sparta’s (Troy’s) twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, fathered by Tyndareus and Zeus, respectively.
Diphilus
Echidna Wife to Typhon.
Echo Nymph who Zeus employed to distract Hera; fell in love with Narcissus.
Eileithyia Daughter of Zeus and Hera; goddess of childbirth.
Eleionomae Marsh water nymphs; daughters of Zeus; often misled travelers with illusions of a traveler’s loved ones; lured young, virgin boys and seduced them with their beauty.
Eleuther Son of Apollo and Aethusa; renowned for having excellent singing voice, which earned him a victory at Pythian Games; also for having been first to erect statue of Dionysus; also for having given his name to Eleutherae.
Elysian Fields Fields within one of the three areas of the Underworld along with Tartarus and Asphodel.
Elysium One of the three areas of the Underworld along with Tartarus and Asphodel.
Endymion Handsome Aeolian king loved by Selene, the Moon; goddess of the moon.
Eos Titaness of the dawn.
Eos Mother of Memnon, warrior at Troy killed by Achilles and made immortal by Zeus.
Epaphus Son of Zeus and Io; ancestor to Heracles.
Epeius Eldest son of Endymion; ascended the throne after his father’s death because he bested his two brothers in a race.
Epeius Greek soldier during Trojan War; built the Trojan Horse; chose twenty-nine soldiers to accompany him inside the horse; founded Pisa and Metapontum.
Ephialtes According to Apollodorus, blinded by arrows from Apollo and Heracles.
Ephialtes Malian Greek traitor at the Battle of Thermopylae.
Epimetheus Titan of afterthought; father of excuses; brother to Prometheus; creator of Earth’s creatures.
Erebus God of darkness and shadow; deep darkness.
Erinyes Children of Gaia and Uranus; the Avenging Furies.
Eris Daughter of Zeus and Hera; goddess of discord.
Eros God of love and attraction.
Erymanthian Boar Giant fear-inspiring creature of the wilds; lived on Mount Erymanthos, once sacred to the Mistress of the Animals; sent by Apollo to kill Adonis, a favorite of Aphrodite, as revenge for the goddess blinding Apollo’s son, Erymanthus, when he saw her bathing.
Eumaeus Odysseus’s swineherd and friend; his father, Ktesios, son of Ormenos, was king of Syria.
Eumolpus Eumolpus, mythical ancestor of the priestly clan of the Eumolpids at Eleusis, a town west of Athens, and the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the best known of the Greek mystery cults.
Eurymedon King of the Giants; father of Periboea.
Eurynome Titaness of water-meadows and pasturelands; with Zeus, mother of the three Charites.
Eurypylus Son of Telephus and Astyoche; at Priam’s request, Astyoche bribed him with golden vine to fight on side of Trojans; Priam sent him gifts and promised him Cassandra’s hand in marriage; one of most handsome men ever (next to Memnon); killed by Neoptolemus.
Eurystheus King to whom Heracles provided twelve labors; cousin to Heracles.
Fields of Asphodel Fields within Asphodel, one of the five regions of the Underworld.
Gaia Personification of Earth (Mother Earth); mother of the Titans.
Geryon Son of Chrysaor and Callirrhoe; grandson of Medusa; Three-bodied giant who dwelt on the sunset isle at the ends of the earth (the red island of Erytheia); monster with one body and three human heads, six hands, six feet, winged, and the appearance of a warrior; owns two-headed hound named Orthrus, brother of Cerberus, and a herd of magnificent red cattle; slain by Heracles when he arrived to fetch the giant’s cattle as one of his twelve labors.
Gigantes
(Giants)
Offspring of Gaia (Earth); born from the blood that fell when Uranus (Sky) was castrated by their Titan son, Cronus, who fought the Gigantomachy, a war with the Olympian gods for supremacy of the cosmos.
Girdle of Hippolyte Armor of the queen of the Amazons given to her by her father, Ares.
Graeae Three women who shared a single eye between them; told Perseus how to find Medusa.
Hades King of the Underworld and the dead; god of regret; his consort is Persephone; one of three sons of Cronus and Rhea; sovereign over the Underworld.
Harpalus Childhood friend of Alexander III; exiled by Philip for his role in testing the king’s loyalty to his son, Alexander.
Hebe Daughter of Zeus and Hera; goddess of youth.
Hector Acted as leader of Trojans and their allies in defense of Troy; fought Protesilaus in single combat at the start of the war and killed him—fulfilling prophecy that first Greek to land on Trojan soil would die.
Hekatonkheires Hundred-handed ones; giant gods of violent storms and hurricanes; three sons of Uranus and Gaia, each with their own distinct characters: Briareus (The Vigorous), Cottus (The Furious), and Gyges (The Big-Limbed).
Helen (Helen of Sparta; Helen of Troy) Young girl kidnapped by Theseus, king of Athens; most beautiful woman in Greece; eloped with Paris, prince of Troy setting off the Trojan War.
Helenus Son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy; twin brother of the oracle, Cassandra; part of the Trojan forces led by his brother, Hector; vied against his brother Deiphobus for hand of Helen after the death of their brother Paris; Helen was awarded to Deiphobus; retreated to Mount Ida; Odysseus intercepted him; told the Greek forces under what circumstances they could take Troy.
Helius Titan of the sun and guardian of oaths.
Hephaestus Crippled god of fire, metalworking, and crafts; son of Hera alone; blacksmith to the gods; husband of Aphrodite; created the armor of Achilles.
Hera Queen of the gods; goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings, and empires; wife and sister of Zeus; daughter of Cronus and Rhea.
Heracleidae The numerous descendants of Heracles—especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants of Hyllus, the eldest of his four sons by Deïaneira.
Hermes God of boundaries, travel, communication, trade, language, and writing; son of Zeus and Maia; messenger of the gods; Psychopomp who leads the souls of the dead into the afterlife.
Hesione Daughter of Laomedon, king of Troy; sister of Priam; abduction of Hesione by Heracles sometimes regarded as cause of the abduction of Helen by Paris, and start of Trojan War.
Hestia Virgin goddess of the hearth, home and chastity; daughter of Rhea and Cronus; sister of Zeus; in some accounts, she gave up her seat as one of the Twelve Olympians in favor of Dionysus.
Hippodameia Daughter of King Oenomaus, king of Pisa.
Hippolytus Killed by Hermes, who was wearing Hades’ helmet making him invisible.
Horai
(Horae)
Goddesses of the seasons and natural portions of time; originally personifications of nature in its different seasonal aspects, but later regarded as goddesses of order in general and natural justice.
Hyllus Heracles’ eldest son.
Hyperion Titan of light; with Theia is father to Helius (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn).
Hypnos Personification of sleep.
Iapetus Titan of mortality; father to PrometheusEpimetheus, Menoetius, and Atlas.
Idomeneus King of Crete; Cretan commander; father of Orsilochus, Cleisithyra, Leucus and Iphiclus; led Cretan armies to the Trojan War; one of Helen’s suitors; comrade of the Telamonian Ajax.
Io Maiden with whom Zeus falls in love.
Iolaus Nephew of Heracles; charioteer; assisted Heracles with cleaning the Augean stables.
Iphicles Twin brother to Heracles; son of Amphitryon and Alcmene.
Jocasta Queen of Thebes; mother to Oedipus.
Kouretes Armored male dancers who made noise to hide the cries of baby Zeus.
Laius King of Thebes; father to Oedipus.
Laocoön Trojan priest of Poseidon attacked, with his two sons, by giant serpents sent by the gods after attempting to expose the ruse of the Trojan Horse by striking it with a spear; was to have said, “Do not trust the Horse, Trojans / Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts;” source of the saying: “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”
Laomedon Trojan king; father to Priam.
Lapiths Legendary people of Greek mythology, whose home was in Thessaly, in the valley of the Peneus and on the mountain Pelion.
Lernaean Hydra Ancient serpent-like water monster with reptilian traits; possessed more heads than vase-painters could paint; for each head cut off it grew two more; poisonous breath and blood so virulent, even its scent was deadly.
Lethe River of forgetfulness in the Underworld.
Leto Titaness of motherhood; mother of the twin Olympians, Artemis and Apollo.
Lion Possibly one of the Gigantes; killed by Heracles.
Machaon With his brother, Podalirius, led an army from Thessaly in the Trojan War on the side of the Greeks; brothers were highly valued surgeons and medics; possessed herbs which were bestowed to his father Asclepius by Chiron, the centaur; killed by Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons.
Mares of Diomedes Also called Mares of Thrace; four man-eating horses—magnificent, wild, and uncontrollable—belonging to the giant, Diomedes, king of Thrace, son of Ares and Cyrene who lived on the shores of the Black Sea (not to be confused with Diomedes, son of Tydeus); Bucephalus, Alexander III’s horse, was said to be descended from these mares.
Medon In Trojan War, took control of Philoctetes’ ships after he went to Lemnos to heal; son of Oileus 1 and Rhene 1; brother of Ajax II; killed by Aeneas.
Medusa One of the Gorgons with hair of snake heads; slain by Perseus.
Megapenthes King of Tiryns; exchanged kingdoms with Perseus.
Megara First wife of Heracles.
Meleager Hero venerated in his temenos at Calydon in Aetolia; famed as the host of the Calydonian boar hunt in the epic tradition reworked by Homer.
Meliae Children of Gaia and Uranus; Ash Tree Nymphs.
Memnon Ethiopian king; son of Eos; considered to be almost Achilles’ equal as a warrior; during Trojan War, brought army to Troy’s defense; killed by Achilles; Zeus was so moved by Eos’s tears, he granted Memnon immortality.
Menelaus King of Sparta; husband of Helen (of Troy); central figure in Trojan War; son of Atreus and Aerope; brother of Agamemnon; leader of Spartan contingent of the Greek army during Trojan War.
Menoetius Titan of violent anger, rash action, and human mortality.
Mentor Friend to Odysseus and tutor to Telemachus; name is proverbial for a faithful and wise adviser.
Meroes Friend of King Porus who Alexander enlisted to deliver a message requesting submission.
Merope Queen of Corinth; adoptive mother of Oedipus.
Metis Titaness of good counsel, advice, planning, cunning, craftiness, and wisdom; mother to Athena.
Minos One of the three judges at Tartarus; son of Zeus and Europa.
Mnemosyne Titaness of memory and remembrance; mother to Nine Muses.
Moirai
(Moerae)
The Fates; white-robed incarnations of Destiny: Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (allotter), and Atropos (unturnable).
Morpheus God of human form in dreams.
Myrtilus Charioteer of King Oenomaus, king of Pisa.
Narcissus Hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia; known for his beauty; son of the river god Cephissus and nymph Liriope; drowned admiring his own reflection in the water.
Nauplius Ruled over Nauplia; went to Troy to demand justice for death of his son; ignored, he swore revenge against King Agamemnon and other Greek leaders; lit beacon fires along perilous coastline of Euboea, and many Greek ships returning home after the war were wrecked as a result.
Nemesis Goddess of retribution.
Neoptolemus (Pyrrhus) Son of Achilles and princess Deidameia; progenitor of the ruling dynasty of the Molossians of ancient Epirus.
Nereids Sea nymphs; female spirits of sea waters; fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris; sisters to Nerites; distinct from Sirens; often accompany Poseidon.
Nereus Eldest son of Pontus (the Sea) and Gaia (the Earth), who with Doris fathered the Nereids and Nerites, with whom Nereus lived in the Aegean Sea.
Nestor King of Pylos; became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor’s siblings.
Nomia Eleionomae who fell in love with Daphnis.
Nymphai
(Nymphs)
Female spirits of the natural world; minor goddesses of the forests, rivers, springs, meadows, mountains, and seas; responsible for the crafting of nature’s wild beauty, from the arrangement and growth of the plants, flowers, and trees, to the nurture of wild birds and animals, and the formation of rocky caverns, springs, wetlands, and brooks.
Nyx Night; goddess of night.
Oceanid Sea nymphs who were the three thousand daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys; each was the patroness of a particular spring, river, sea, lake, pond, pasture, flower, or cloud; some, such as Calypso, Clymene, Asia, Electra/Ozomene, were closely associated with the Titan gods or personified abstract concepts (Tyche, Peitho).
Oceanus Titan of the all-encircling river Oceans around the earth; fount of all Earth’s fresh water.
Odysseus Ulysses; legendary Greek king of Ithaca and a hero of Homer’s epic the Odyssey; plays a key role in Homer’s Iliad and other works in same epic cycle.
Oedipus Son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta, who killed his father and married his mother.
Olympians The second generation of gods: Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Hades, Poseidon, and others.
Olympus The place where the gods live; might be Mount Olympus.
Orion Giant huntsman Zeus placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion.
Orthus Two-headed dog that guarded Geryon’s cattle; killed by Heracles; offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon; brother to Cerberus, also a multi-headed guard dog.
Paion Second son of Endymion; settled Paionia after losing a race against his brothers in competition for the throne.
Palamedes Joined the Greeks in expedition against Troy; was sent by Agamemnon to retrieve Odysseus, who had promised to defend the marriage of Helen and Menelaus.
Pallas According to Apollodorus, flayed by Athena, who used his skin as a shield.
Pan God of shepherds and flocks; son of Hermes and a nymph; born with legs and horns of a goat, which caused his mother to spurn him.
Pandarus Trojan aristocrat; fought on the side of Troy in Trojan War; wounded Menelaus with an arrow, sabotaging a truce that could have led to peaceful return of Helen; goaded by gods into breaking truce; wounded Diomedes with arrow and acts as Aeneas’ charioteer; killed by Diomedes.
Pandora The first woman; created by Hephaestus and Athena; given to Epimetheus as a gift.
Paris Handsome, young prince who eloped with Helen of Troy, triggering the Trojan War; son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, who dreamed of his birth as a flaming torch that destroyed Troy; Priam consulted an oracle, who warned the dream foretold disaster for the city; advised Priam to have the baby killed.
Pasithea Youngest of the Charites (Graces); personification of relaxation and meditation; sometimes said to be the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, but Pasithea’s parentage has also been identified as Hera and Dionysus; married to Hypnos, god of sleep
Patroclus Closest and childhood friend of Achilles; fought at his side in the Trojan War; speculated also to be his lover.
Pegasus Horse-son of Poseidon and Medusa; brother of Chysaor; born after Perseus chopped off Medusa’s head.
Peleiades The Doves; sacred women of Zeus and goddess of mothers, Dione, at the Oracle at Dodona.
Pelops Husband of Hippodameia, the daughter of Oenomaus.
Peneleos Achaean soldier in the Trojan War; sailed with the Argonauts; suitor of Helen; came from Boeotia and commanded twelve ships; chosen to command the Boeotian troops; killed Ilioneus and Lycon; wounded by Polydamas; killed by Eurypylus, son of Telephus.
Penelope Wife to Eumaeus.
Penthesilea Amazonian queen; daughter of Ares and Otrera; sister of Hippolyta, Antiope, and Melanippe; accidentally killed Hippolyta.
Persephone Daughter of Zeus and his sister, Demeter; wife to Hades.
Perseus Son of Zeus; slayer of Medusa.
Philoctetes Son of King Poeas of Meliboea in Thessaly; Greek hero; famed archer; participant in the Trojan War.
Phlegethon River of fire in the Underworld.
Phlegon One of the fire-darting steeds that pull Helius’s chariot (the sun) cross the sky.
Phobetor God of nightmares.
Phoebe Titaness of the bright intellect and prophecy; consort of Koios.
Phoenix Son of Amyntor and Cleobule; one of the Myrmidons led by Achilles in the Trojan War.
Pollux One of Helen’s twin brothers who invaded Attica to free her when she was kidnapped at the age of twelve.
Polybus King of Corinth; adoptive father of Oedipus.
Polydectes King of Seriphos where Danae and Perseus—slayer of Medusa—washed ashore.
Polymele Wife of Menoetius; daughter of Peleus, king of Phthia; older half-sister to Achilles; mother of Patroclus, Achilles’ dearest friend.
Pontus God of the sea; father of the fish and other sea creatures.
Poseidon God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, and earthquakes; son of Cronus and Rhea; brother of Zeus and Hades; rules sea and waters.
Priam King of Troy during the Trojan War; youngest son of Laomedon.
Prometheus Titan of forethought and crafty counsel; creator of mankind.
Protesilaus Hero in the Iliad who was venerated at cult sites in Thessaly and Thrace; son of Iphicles; leader of the Phylaceans; first to leap ashore at Troy, and thus the first to die in the war.
Pylius A respected local citizen who adopted Heracles so he could enter the Eleusinian Mysteries cult.
Pyrois One of the fire-darting steeds that pull Helius’s chariot (the sun) cross the sky.
Rhadamanthus One of the three judges at Tartarus; son of Zeus and Europa.
Rhea Titaness of fertility, motherhood, and the mountain wilds; sister and consort of Cronus; mother of ZeusHadesPoseidonHera, Demeter, and Hestia.
Sarpedon King of Lycia, descendant of Zeus and Laodamia, daughter of Bellerophon; became king when his uncles withdrew claim to Lycia; fought on the side of the Trojans with his cousin Glaucus during the Trojan War; became one of Troy’s greatest allies and heroes.
Scamander River god, son of Oceanus and Tethys; fought on the side of the Trojans during Trojan War; attempted to kill Achilles three times, was only saved due to the intervention of Hera, Athena, and Hephaestus.
Selene Titaness of the moon.
Sinon Greek warrior during the Trojan War; Achaean spy who gave signal to the fleet stationed at Tenedos to return to invade Troy.
Sisyphus King of Ephyra; punished for chronic deceitfulness by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, repeating this action forever.
Stymphalian Birds Man-eating birds with beaks of bronze, sharp metallic feathers they could launch at victims, and poisonous dung; pets of Ares; migrated to a marsh in Arcadia to escape pack of wolves; there they bred quickly and swarmed countryside, destroying crops, fruit trees, and townspeople.
Styx Titaness of the Underworld river Styx; personification of hatred; river of hate in the Underworld; home to the ferryman, Charon.
Tartarus God of the deepest, darkest part of the Underworld, the Tartarean pit (which is also referred to as Tartarus itself); Gaia’s womb; prison in the Underworld; father of Typhon.
Telamonian Ajax Greek hero; plays important role in Homer’s Iliad.
Telephus Son of Heracles and Auge (daughter of King Aleus of Tegea); intended to be king of Tegea, but became the king of Mysia in Asia Minor; wounded by the Achaeans in Trojan War.
Tenes Eponymous hero of island of Tenedos; son of Apollo; killed by Achilles, despite his mother’s warning that doing so would result Achilles’ own death at the hands of the god Apollo.
Tethys Titaness of fresh water; mother of rivers, springs, streams, fountains, and clouds.
Thanatos God of Death; brother to Hypnos (Sleep) and in some references to Moros (Doom).
Muses Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne: Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Euterpe, Erato, Terpsichore, Urania, Thalia, and Polymnia.
Theia Titaness of sight; shining light of the clear blue sky; consort of Hyperion; mother of Helius, Selene, and Eos.
Themis Titaness of divine law and order.
Thersander One of the Epigoni, who attacked Thebes in retaliation for deaths of their fathers, the Seven Against Thebes, who had attempted the same thing; son of Polynices and Argea.
Thersites Soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War; killed by Achilles for having torn out the eyes of the Amazon queen, Penthesilea.
Thespius King who purified Heracles for murdering his wife and children after he had been driven mad by Hera.
Thoas (Thoon) Son of Andraemon and Gorge; one of the heroes who fought with the Greeks in the Trojan War; former suitor of Helen; led a group of forty ships for the Aetolians; killed by Moirai.
Tithonus Lover of Titaness, Eos; a Trojan by birth, son of King Laomedon of Troy by a water nymph named Strymo.
Triton Merman; demigod of the sea; son of Poseidon and Amphitrite.
Tyndareus King of Sparta; father of Castor, Clytemnestra, Timandra, Princess Phoebe and Philonoe; stepfather to Helen of Troy and Pollux.
Typhon Monstrous immortal storm-giant who attempted to launch an attack on Mount Olympus but was defeated by the Olympians and imprisoned in the pits of Tartarus.
Uranus God of the heavens (Father Sky); father of the Titans.
Zeus King and father of the gods; ruler of Mount Olympus; god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice; youngest son of Cronus and Rhea; overthrew Cronus and gained the sovereignty of heaven for himself.
Zeus Ammon A combined deity represented by a bull and a ram; this version of Zeus was said to be the father of Alexander III.
Zeus Apobaterius A name of Zeus used by mariners; translates from he who presides over landing; called so due to his enabling them to quit their ships and recover the land.