Mythology

Furies

The three Furies—Tisiphone, Megaera and Alecto—were deities of vengeance. The Iliad depicts them as residing below Earth in the underworld where they punish evildoers. When the Titan Cronus wounded his father Uranus, the Erinyes sprung from his blood. Their office was to…
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Ganemedes

This handsome youth was the prince of Troy, son of Tros (or Laomedon). Because of his unusual beauty, Zeus transformed himself into an eagle and kidnapped Ganymede to serve as a cupbearer to the gods. Some sources say Zeus gave…
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Glaucus

Several deities in Greek mythology possessed the name Glaucus. He was a minor god of the sea endowed with the gift of prophecy. In the story of Jason and the Argonauts, Glaucus bids Jason and his crew to leave Heracles…
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Gorgons

The Gorgons, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, were the three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, and were the personification of those benumbing, and, as it were, petrifying sensations, which result from sudden and extreme fear. They were frightful winged monsters, whose…
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Graeae

The Grææ, who acted as servants to their sisters the Gorgons, were also three in number; their names were Pephredo, Enyo, and Dino. In their original conception they were merely personifications of kindly and venerable old age, possessing all its…
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Hades (Pluto)

Ruler of the Underworld Table of Contents Aïdes, Aïdoneus, or Hades, was the son of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He was the ruler of that subterranean region called Erebus, which was inhabited by…
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Harpies

The Harpies, who, like the Furies, were employed by the gods as instruments for the punishment of the guilty, were three female divinities, daughters of Thaumas and Electra, called Aello, Ocypete, and Celæno. They were represented with the head of…
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Hebe

Hebe was the personification of eternal youth under its most attractive and joyous aspect. She was the daughter of Zeus and Hera, and though of such distinguished rank, is nevertheless represented as cup-bearer to the gods; a forcible exemplification of…
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Hecate

Hecate would appear to have been originally a moon-goddess worshipped by the Thracians. She became confounded, and eventually identified with Selene and Persephone, and is one of those divinities of whom the ancients had various conflicting accounts. Hecate was the…
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Hesperides

The Hesperides, the daughters of Atlas, dwelt in an island in the far west, whence they derived their name. They were appointed by Hera to act as guardians to a tree bearing golden apples, which had been presented to her…
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