Achilles

Greatest Greek warrior of the Trojan War; killed Hector and other Trojans, and was killed by an arrow shot by Paris and guided by Apollo

Acrisius

Grandfather of Perseus; accidentally killed by Perseus in fulfillment of a prophecy

Actaeon

Grandson of Apollo; great hunter; killed after he saw Artemis bathing naked

Admetus

King of Pheres; neglected to sacrifice to Artemis and found his bedchamber filled with snakes on his wedding night

Adonis

A beautiful young boy loved by Aphrodite and killed by Ares out of jealousy

Aeacus

Son of Aegina and Zeus; fair ruler of the island Aegina; became a Judge of the Dead

Aeetes

Father of Medea

Aegeus

King of Athens; foster father of Theseus

Aegina

Daughter of the river-god Asopus; mother of Aeacus by Zeus; namesake of the island Aegina

Aeneas

Trojan warrior; founder of the Roman race

Aerope

A lover of Ares; died giving birth to Ares' son

Aether

Air; son of Nyx and Erebus

Aethra

Daughter of the king of Troezen; wife of Aegeus

Agamemnon

Commander-in-chief of the Greeks during the Trojan War; killed by his wife Clytemnestra upon his return from the war

Aglaia

A Charite; the personification of beauty and radiance or splendor

Aglaurus

Daughter of Cecrops; mother of Alcippe by Ares

Agrius

A Giant; killed by the Fates and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Alcmene

Mother of Heracles by Zeus

Alcyoneus

A Giant; one of the leaders of the Giants during the war with the Olympians; killed by Athena and Heracles

Alirrothius

Son of Poseidon and Euryte; was killed by Ares for raping his daughter

Amalthea

A goat-nymph who suckled Zeus; she was turned into the constellation Capricorn

Amata

Wife of Latinus

Amazons

A race of warrior women; said to be descendants of Ares

Amphitrite

Daughter of Nereus; wife of Poseidon; mother of Benthesicyme, Rhode, and Triton

Amphitryon

Heracles' foster father

Amymone

One of the fifty daughters of King Danaus; mother of Nauplius by Poseidon

Anchises

King of Dardania; father of Aeneas by Aphrodite

Ancus Marcius

Fourth king of Rome

Andromeda

Daughter of the king of Joppa; wife of Perseus

Anteros

God of passion; son of Aphrodite and Ares

Antiope

Daughter of the king of Thebes; mother of Amphion and Zethus by Zeus

Apemosyne

A daughter of the king of Crete; loved and impregnated by Hermes; killed by her brother when he learned of her pregnancy

Aphrodite

Goddess of love; one of the twelve great Olympians

Apollo

God of archery, music, and poetry; brother of Artemis; son of Leto and Zeus; one of the twelve great Olympians

Apsyrtus

Brother of Medea; killed when Medea fled with Jason

Arachne

A young woman who challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was turned into a spider

Ares

God of war; son of Zeus and Hera; one of the twelve great Olympians

Arges

One of the three Cyclopes; known as the Shiner or Thunderbolt

Argus

A monster with a hundred eyes; placed as guardian of Io by Hera; killed by Hermes to rescue Io

Ariadne

Daughter of King Minos; helped Theseus to escape the labyrinth; wife of Dionysus

Artemis

Virgin goddess of the hunt; sister of Apollo; daughter of Leto and Zeus; one of the twelve great Olympians

Asclepius

Son of Apollo; god of healing

Asteria

Sister of Leto; gave Leto refuge from Hera

Atalanta

A famous hunter who would marry only if a man could beat her in a foot race; wife of Milanion

Athamas

King of Orchomenus; husband of Ino; driven mad by Hera for having sheltered Dionysus, causing him to kill his own children

Athena

Goddess of wisdom, war, crafts, and skill; born from the head of Zeus; one of the twelve great Olympians

Atlas

A Titan; condemned to support the heavens on his shoulders

Atropos

One of the Fates; responsible for cutting the thread of life; daughter of Zeus and Themis

Augeas

King of Elis whose filthy stables were cleaned by Heracles in a single day as his fifth labor

Aurora

Roman goddess of the dawn; counterpart of Eos

Autolycus

Son of Hermes and Chione; one of the most famous thieves of ancient Greece

Bacchus

Roman god of wine; counterpart of Dionysus

Battus

A shepherd who witnessed Hermes stealing Apollo's cattle; was turned to stone when he betrayed Hermes

Bellerophon

Mortal man who tamed Pegasus

Boreas

The North Wind

Brontes

One of the three Cyclopes; known as Thunder or Thunderer

Butes

An Argonaut; a priest of one of Athena's temples; fell victim to the Sirens and was saved by Aphrodite

Cacus

Son of Hephaestus and Medusa; a fire-breathing, three-headed monster

Cadmus

Founder of the city of Thebes; became Ares' slave for eight years; husband of Harmonia

Calliope

The Muse of epic poetry

Callisto

An attendant of Artemis; raped by Zeus; bore him a son, Arcas

Camenae

Roman counterpart of the Muses

Campe

A monster appointed by Cronus to guard the Hecatoncheires and the Cyclopes in Tartarus

Cassandra

Daughter of King Priam and Hecuba; tricked Apollo into granting her the gift of prophecy

Cecrops

Half-man, half-serpent; son of Gaia; first king of Attica

Centaurs

A savage race of beings with the head and torso of a man and the body and legs of a horse

Cerberus

The many-headed dog of Hades; guarded the Underworld to prevent the living from entering and the dead from leaving; was captured by Heracles as his twelfth labor

Cercyon

A monster killed by Theseus

Ceres

Roman goddess of agriculture; counterpart of Demeter

Cerynitian Hind

Deer with golden antlers sacred to Artemis; captured by Heracles as his third labor

Ceto

Daughter of Gaia and Pontus; a sea monster

Charites

Known as the Graces; minor goddesses of beauty, grace, and friendship; three daughters of Zeus and Eurynome

Charon

The ferryman who took the dead across the River Styx

Charybdis

A monster that swallowed ships by creating a whirlpool

Chimaera

Daughter of Typhon and Echidna; fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake

Chione

Lover of Hermes and Apollo; mother of Philammon by Apollo; mother of Autolycus by Hermes

Chiron

A wise Centaur; tutor of several heroes

Chryse

Mother of Phlegyas by Ares

Circe

Daughter of Helios; powerful witch who usually used her powers for evil; hosted Odysseus on his journey home

Clio

The Muse of history

Clito

An orphan girl who became a lover of Poseidon and bore him five pairs of twin sons; mother of Atlas

Clotho

One of the Fates; responsible for spinning the thread of life; daughter of Zeus and Themis

Clytemnestra

Wife of Agamemnon; killed her husband

Clytius

A Giant; killed by Hecate and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Coeus

A Titan; husband of Phoebe; father of Leto

Coronis

A mortal lover of Apollo; was unfaithful to Apollo and was killed by Artemis

Cretan Bull

Sacrificial bull given to King Minos by Poseidon; father of the Minotaur; was captured by Heracles as his seventh labor

Crius

A Titan; husband of Eurybia; father of Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses

Crinaeae

Fountain nymphs

Cronus

A Titan; ruler of the universe following Uranus; husband of Rhea; father of the first Olympians

Cupid

Roman god of love; counterpart of Eros

Cybele

An earth goddess; taught Dionysus religious rites and practices

Cyclopes

Three sons of Gaia and Uranus (Brontes, Arges, Steropes); Giants with only one eye centered in the forehead

Cyparissus

Grandson of Heracles; loved by Apollo; changed into a cypress tree when his best friend was killed

Cyrene

A nymph; mother of Diomedes by Ares

Daedalus

A great architect; built the labyrinth that imprisoned the Minotaur

Danae

Daughter of the king of Argos; mother of Perseus by Zeus

Danaides

The fifty daughters of Danaus; forty-nine killed their husbands on their wedding night

Daphne

A mountain nymph who, running from Apollo's advances, was turned into a laurel tree

Deimos

Personification of fear; son of Aphrodite and Ares

Demeter

Goddess of fertility and agriculture; one of the twelve great Olympians; daughter of Cronus and Rhea

Diana

Roman moon goddess; counterpart of Artemis

Dido

Queen of Carthage; fell in love with Aeneas; committed suicide when he abandoned her

Dike

Personification of justice; daughter of Zeus and Themis

Diomedes

Greek warrior during the Trojan War; king of Aetolia

Diomedes of Thrace

King of Thrace; owner of savage, carnivorous mares rounded up by Heracles as his eighth labor; killed by Heracles and fed to his own horses

Dionysus

God of the vine, wine, and revelry; one of the twelve great Olympians

Discordia

Roman goddess of discord; counterpart of Eris

Dryads

Tree nymphs

Echidna

Monster with the body of a woman and a serpent's tail instead of legs; mother of many monstrous offspring

Echion

Son of Hermes; the herald for the Argo

Egeria

A nymph who was a lover of and counseled Numa Pompilius

Eileithyia

A goddess of childbirth; daughter of Zeus and Hera

Eirene

Personification of peace; daughter of Zeus and Themis

Elais

Daughter of King Anius; could turn anything into oil with a touch

Electra

Daughter of Atlas; mother of Dardanus by Zeus

Enceladus

A Giant; killed by Athena and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Endymion

King of Elis; lover of Selene; wished for eternal youth and was granted immortal sleep

Enyo

Goddess of the battle; often seen in the company of Ares

Eos

The Dawn; sister of Helios and Selene; mother of the Winds

Eosphorus

The Morning Star

Ephialtes

A Giant; killed by Apollo and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Epimetheus

A Titan; the brother of Prometheus; the husband of Pandora

Erato

The Muse of love poetry, lyric poetry, and marriage songs

Erebus

Darkness; one of the first five elements born of Chaos

Eriecthonius

Son of Gaia and Hephaestus; half-man, half-serpent; raised by Athena as her own son

Erigone

Daughter of Icarius; loved by Dionysus; committed suicide when she discovered her father's corpse

Eris

Goddess of discord, her name means “strife”; daughter of Nyx; indirectly caused the Trojan War by causing Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera to strive for a golden apple inscribed “for the fairest”

Eros

Love; one of the first five elements born of Chaos; alternatively described as a son of Ares and Aphrodite

Erymanthian Boar

Vicious boar captured by Heracles as his fourth labor

Erysichthon

Son of the king of Dotion; disrespected Demeter's sacred trees and was punished with insatiable hunger

Eunomia

Personification of law and order; daughter of Zeus and Themis

Euphrosyne

A Charite; the personification of joy or mirth

Europa

Daughter of the king of Phoenicia; lover of Zeus

Eurus

The East Wind

Eurybia

Daughter of Gaia and Pontus; wife of Crius; mother of three Titan sons: Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses

Eurydice

The wife of Orpheus; died from a snakebite and was almost retrieved from the Underworld by her husband

Eurynome

Daughter of Oceanus; wife of Ophion; lover of Zeus; mother of the Graces

Eurystheus

The king of Tiryns; ordained the twelve labors of Heracles

Eurytus

A Giant; killed by Dionysus and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Euterpe

The Muse of music and lyric poetry

Fates

Three goddesses in charge of determining a person's destiny; called the Moirai by the Greeks and the Parcae by the Romans

Faunus

Roman counterpart of Pan

Faustulus

King Amulius's chief shepherd; foster father of Romulus and Remus

Gaia

Mother Earth; one of the first five elements born of Chaos

Ganymede

Son of the Trojan royal family; kidnapped by Zeus and became the gods' cupbearer

Geras

Old Age; son of Nyx

Geryon

A three-headed monster killed by Heracles as his tenth labor

Giants

A race of monsters; challenged the Olympians for control of the universe and lost

Glaucus

A sea deity; loved Scylla and inadvertently caused her transformation into a monster

Gorgons

Three monstrous sisters who had serpents for hair, sharp claws and teeth, and the ability to turn any who looked on them to stone

Gration

A Giant; killed by Artemis and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Griffins

Monsters with the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and the wings of a predatory bird; guardians of treasure

Hades

Ruler of the Underworld; son of Cronus and Rhea

Hamadryads

Nymphs who lived in only one specific tree and died when it died

Harmonia

Daughter of Aphrodite and Ares; wife of Cadmus, king of Thebes

Harpies

Monstrous birds with the faces of women; sent by deities to punish criminals

Harpinna

Daughter of the river god Asopus; mother of Oenomaus by Ares

Hebe

Personification of youth; cupbearer to the gods; daughter of Zeus and Hera

Hecate

A Titaness; a triple goddess presiding over magic and spells; an attendant of Persephone

Hecatoncheires

The hundred-handed, fifty-headed sons of Gaia and Uranus (Cottus, Briareus, and Gyges)

Hector

Greatest Trojan warrior of the Trojan War; killed Protesilaus

Hecuba

Wife of King Priam; mother of Troilus by Apollo

Helen

Daughter of Zeus and Leda; wife of Menelaus and the most beautiful woman in the world; kidnapped by Paris

Helenus

Son of Priam; chief prophet of Troy

Helios

The Sun; brother of Eos and Selene

Hemera

Day; daughter of Nyx and Erebus

Hephaestus

God of fire, smithing, craftsmanship, and metalworking; one of the twelve great Olympians

Hera

Queen of the heavens and the gods; goddess of marriage and childbirth; sister and wife of Zeus; one of the twelve great Olympians

Heracles

Son of Zeus and Alcmene; one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology; undertook the Twelve Labors

Hercules

Roman counterpart of Heracles

Hermes

Messenger of the gods; the god of commerce and travelers; son of Zeus and Maia; one of the twelve great Olympians

Herse

A daughter of Cecrops; mother of Cephalus by Hermes

Hesperides

Three nymphs — Aegle, Erythia, and Hesperarethusa — who lived in the Garden of the Hesperides and protected the golden apples; Heracles obtained some of these apples as his eleventh labor

Hestia

Goddess of the hearth and home; one of the three virgin goddesses; daughter of Cronus and Rhea

Hippolyte

Queen of the Amazons; daughter of Ares; her girdle was the object of Heracles' ninth labor

Hippolytus

A Giant; killed by Hermes and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Hyacinthus

A beautiful young man loved by Apollo; killed during a game of discus-throwing

Hydra of Lerna

A giant serpent with numerous heads; had a giant crab as its sidekick; was killed by Heracles as his second labor

Hymen

God of marriage

Hyperion

A Titan; husband of Theia; father of Helios, Selene, and Eos

Hypnos

Sleep; son of Nyx

Iacchus

Son of Demeter and Zeus; a minor deity associated with the Eleusinian Mysteries

Iambe

Daughter of Pan; servant in the house of Celeus who made the grieving Demeter smile

Iapetus

A Titan; husband of Themis; father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius, and Atlas

Iasion

Son of Zeus and Electra; lover of Demeter; killed by a thunderbolt thrown by Zeus

Icarius

Taught by Dionysus how to cultivate vines and make wine; killed when his neighbors thought he was trying to poison them

Idas

Son of Poseidon; chosen by Marpessa over Apollo

Idomeneus

A Greek warrior during the Trojan War

Ino

Semele's sister; driven mad by Hera for sheltering Dionysus, causing her to kill her own children

Io

Virgin priestess of Hera; lover of Zeus; turned into a white heifer; persecuted by Hera

Iphigenia

Daughter of Agamemnon; sacrificed by her father to Artemis

Iphimedia

Wife of Aloeus; seduced Poseidon and bore him two Giant sons, Ephialtes and Otus

Iris

Goddess of the rainbow; one of the Olympians' messengers

Iulus

Son of Aeneas; founder of the city Alba Longa

Ixion

King of Thessaly; condemned to Tartarus for trying to seduce Zeus's wife

Jason

A great hero; led the Argonauts on the quest for the Golden Fleece; husband of Medea

Juno

Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth; counterpart of Hera

Jupiter

Roman god of the heavens; counterpart of Zeus

Keres

Female spirits of death, sometimes said to be the same as the Furies; daughters of Nyx

Lachesis

One of the Fates; responsible for measuring the thread of life; daughter of Zeus and Themis

Ladon

A hundred-headed dragon; guarded the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides

Laocoon

A prophet; warned the Trojans about the wooden horse; was devoured by a sea monster

Laomedon

King of Troy; father of Priam and Hesione

Latinus

King of Latium; son of Faunus

Lavinia

Daughter of Latinus; wife of Aeneas

Leda

Daughter of the king of Aetolia; mother of Polydeuces and Helen by Zeus

Leimakids

Meadow nymphs

Leto

Daughter of Coeus and Phoebe; mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus

Leucothoe

Loved by Helios; buried alive by her father when he found out about the affair

Lucius Tarquinius Priscus

Fifth king of Rome

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

Seventh and final king of Rome; father of Sextus

Lycurgus

King of Thrace; punished by Dionysus for refusing his religious teachings; killed by his own people

Macris

The nymph who nursed the baby Dionysus

Maenads

Wild female followers of Dionysus

Maia

The eldest daughter of Atlas; mother of Hermes by Zeus

Marpessa

Daughter of the river-god Evenus; chose a mortal man over Apollo

Mars

Roman god of war; counterpart of Ares

Marsyas

A satyr; challenged Apollo to a musical contest and lost his life

Medea

A powerful witch; aided Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece

Medusa

A Gorgon (a monster with snakes for hair whose appearance could turn any being into stone); a lover of Poseidon

Megara

Daughter of the king of Thebes; first wife of Heracles

Melampus

A great seer; cured the women of Argos from madness inflicted upon them by Dionysus

Meliae

Nymphs who lived in ash trees

Melpomene

The Muse of tragedy

Menelaus

King of Sparta; husband of Helen

Mercury

Roman counterpart of Hermes

Metis

An Oceanid known for her wisdom; Zeus's cousin and first wife

Midas

King of Phrygia; granted by Dionysus a touch that could turn anything to gold

Milanion

Young man who beat Atalanta in a foot race, winning her hand in marriage

Mimas

A Giant; killed by Hephaestus and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Minerva

Roman goddess of wisdom and warfare; counterpart of Athena

Minos

Son of Zeus and Europa; King of Crete; became a Judge of the Dead

Minotaur

A monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull; trapped in the labyrinth and fed sacrifices of young children

Mnemosyne

A Titaness, her name means Memory; mother of the Muses

Moirai

Greek name for the Fates

Momus

God of satire and mockery; son of Nyx

Moros

Doom; son of Nyx

Muses

The daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; goddesses of music, art, poetry, dance, and the arts in general

Myrrha

Daughter of the king of Cyprus; Aphrodite caused her to seduce her father; changed into a myrrh tree to escape his wrath

Myrtilus

Son of Hermes; a famous charioteer, known for his swiftness

Naiads

Freshwater nymphs

Napaeae

Valley nymphs

Narcissus

A beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection and was turned into the narcissus flower

Nauplius

An Argonaut; founder of the town of Nauplia; famous for his knowledge of the seas and astronomy

Nausicaa

Daughter of the Phaeacian king Alcinous; helped Odysseus after his raft was wrecked at sea

Nemean Lion

Monstrous lion strangled by Heracles as his first labor

Nemesis

Goddess of vengeance; daughter of Nyx

Nemesis

Retribution

Neptune

Roman god of the sea; counterpart of Poseidon

Nereids

Sea nymphs

Nereus

A marine god known as the “Old Man of the Sea”; father of the Nereids; son of Gaia and Pontus

Nike

Goddess of victory

Niobe

The first of Zeus's mortal lovers; daughter of Phoroneus (the first mortal man); mother of Argus by Zeus; the wife of Amphion, her children were killed by Artemis and Apollo because she bragged that her children were greater than Leto's

Notus

The South Wind

Numa Pompilius

Second king of Rome

Nymphs

Nature goddesses; personifications of the fertility and grace of nature; often daughters of Zeus

Nyx

Night; one of the first five elements born of Chaos

Oceanus

A Titan; husband of Tethys; god of the rivers

Odysseus

A great hero; warrior during the Trojan War; famous for his ten-year journey home following the war

Oedipus

King of Thebes; unknowingly fulfilled a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother

Oino

Daughter of King Anius; could turn anything into wine with a touch

Oizys

Pain; daughter of Nyx

Oneiroi

Dreams; sons or grandsons of Nyx; sometimes said to be sons of Gaia

Ops

Roman counterpart of Rhea

Oreads

Mountain nymphs

Orestes

Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; killed his mother to avenge his father's murder

Orion

A great hunter; placed in the sky as a constellation after his death

Orpheus

Son of Apollo; talented musician; visited the Underworld to retrieve his dead wife

Otrere

A queen of the Amazons; mother of Penthesilea by Ares

Otus

A Giant; son of Poseidon and Iphimedia

Pallas

Daughter of Triton; a childhood friend of Athena; accidentally killed by Athena

Pallas

A Giant; killed by Athena and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Pan

Son of Hermes; a minor god of shepherds and flocks

Pandia

Daughter of Selene and Zeus

Pandora

The first mortal woman; wife of Epimetheus; her curiosity drove her to open a box that released all the plagues and ills on the world

Parcae

Roman name for the Fates

Paris

Prince of Troy; judged the beauty contest between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite; kidnapped Helen

Pasiphae

Wife of King Minos; fell in love with a sacrificial bull and gave birth to the Minotaur

Patroclus

Achilles' best friend; killed by Hector during the Trojan War

Pegaeae

Nymphs who lived in springs

Pegasus

A winged horse, born from the blood of Medusa's severed head

Peina

Personification of hunger

Pelias

King of Iolcus; killed by Medea to place Jason on the throne

Pentheus

King of Thebes; punished by Dionysus for refusing his religious teachings; killed by women taking part in a Dionysian festival

Periphetes

Son of Hephaestus; killed by Theseus

Persephone

Queen of the Underworld; daughter of Demeter and Zeus; abducted by Hades

Perseus

Great Greek hero; son of Zeus and Danae; killed Medusa

Phlegyas

Son of Ares and Chryse; shot and killed by Apollo; condemned to spend eternity in Tartarus

Phobos

Personification of terror; son of Aphrodite and Ares

Phoebe

A Titaness; wife of Coeus; mother of Leto; first goddess of the moon

Phorcys

A sea deity; father of the Sirens; son of Gaia and Pontus

Pierides

The daughters of Pierus, a Macedonian king; challenged the Muses to a contest, lost, and were turned into jackdaws

Pluto

Roman god of hell; counterpart of Hades

Polybotes

A Giant; killed by Poseidon and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Polydectes

King of Seriphus; loved and persecuted Danae; turned to stone by Perseus

Polyhymnia

The Muse of mime and songs

Polyphemus

A man-eating Cyclops; son of Poseidon; blinded by Odysseus; because of this blinding, Poseidon persecuted Odysseus

Pontus

Sea; born to Gaia during creation

Porphyrion

A Giant; one of the leaders of the Giants during the war with the Olympians; killed by Zeus and Heracles

Poseidon

God of the sea; one of the twelve great Olympians; son of Cronus and Rhea

Priam

King of Troy; father of Paris

Priapus

God of fertility; son of Aphrodite and Dionysus; other sources name Zeus, Hermes, or Pan as his father

Procrustes

A bandit who mutilated passersby to fit his bed; killed by Theseus

Prometheus

A Titan; the champion of mankind; said to be the creator of man; stole fire from the heavens to give to humanity

Proserpine

Roman counterpart of Persephone

Protesilaus

The first Greek to step ashore in Troy; the first Greek to fall during the Trojan War

Python

A great serpent sent by Hera to persecute Leto; strangled to death by Apollo

Remus

Son of Rhea Silvia and Mars; brother of Romulus; killed while fighting his brother over Rome

Rhadamanthys

Son of Zeus and brother of Minos; became a Judge of the Dead

Rhea

A Titaness; a mother deity and earth goddess; wife of Cronus; mother of the original Olympians

Rhea Silvia

Mother of Romulus and Remus by Mars

Rhode

Daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite; wife of Helios

Romulus

Son of Rhea Silvia and Mars; brother of Remus; founder of Rome

Saturn

Roman counterpart of Cronus

Satyrs

Nature spirits; the personification of fertility and sexual desire; half man, half goat

Sciron

Highwayman killed by Theseus

Scylla

Sea nymph who was transformed into a monster that snatched sailors from their ships

Selene

The Moon; sister of Helios and Eos

Semele

Mortal lover of Zeus; mother of Dionysus by Zeus; died when Zeus, at her request, revealed his true form

Servius Tullius

Sixth king of Rome

Sextus

Son of Superbus; raped Lucretia and brought about the downfall of the Roman monarchy

Sibyl

An aged prophetess who helped Aeneas in his journey to the Underworld

Silenus

A satyr; tutor and companion of Dionysus; possessed the gift of prophecy and was known for his drunkenness

Silvius

Son of Aeneas and Lavinia; first to be born of the Roman race

Sinis

Highwayman killed by Theseus

Sinon

Greek soldier of the Trojan War; convinced the Trojans to accept the wooden horse

Sinope

A nymph; pursued by both Zeus and Apollo; tricked the gods into granting her eternal virginity

Sisyphus

Considered the cleverest of mortal men; outwitted Death; committed several crimes against the gods; sent to Tartarus

Sol

Roman Sun god; counterpart of Apollo

Spermo

Daughter of King Anius; could turn anything into corn with a touch

Sphinx

Daughter of Typhon and Echidna; monster with the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird of prey; asked a riddle of passersby and was defeated by Oedipus

Steropes

One of the three Cyclopes; known as Lightning or the Maker of Lightning

Stymphalian Birds

Monstrous birds with long legs, steel-tipped feathers, and razor-sharp claws; preyed on men; driven away by Heracles as his sixth labor

Syrinx

A nymph loved by Pan; transformed into a bed of reeds to escape Pan's advances

Taygete

Daughter of Atlas; mother of Lacedaemon by Zeus

Terpsichore

The Muse of dance

Tethys

A Titaness; first goddess of the sea; wife of Oceanus; mother of the Oceanids and all the rivers

Teucer

Greek warrior during the Trojan War

Thalia

The Muse of comedy

Thalia

A Charite; the personification of blossoming or good cheer

Thamyris

Son of Philammon; fell in love with Hyacinthus and was said to be the first man to love another man; a musician who boasted he could out-sing the Muses and was punished with blindness and loss of the ability to make music

Thanatos

Death; son of Nyx

Thaumas

A sea deity; father of the Harpies; son of Gaia and Pontus

Theia

A Titaness; wife of Hyperion; mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos

Themis

A Titaness; a mother deity or earth goddess; wife of Iapetus; mother of Prometheus, the Hours, and the Fates

Theopane

Mother of the ram with the Golden Fleece by Poseidon

Theseus

The greatest Athenian hero; son of Poseidon and Aethra; defeated the Minotaur

Thoas

A Giant; killed by the Fates and Heracles during the war with the Olympians

Thoosa

Daughter of Phorcys; lover of Poseidon; mother of the Cyclops Polyphemus

Tiresias

A mortal who had lived as both a man and a woman; one of the greatest prophets of classical mythology; blinded by Hera for taking Zeus's side during an argument

Titus Tatius

King of the Sabines; ruled jointly with Romulus

Tityus

A Giant who tried to rape Leto; killed by Artemis and Apollo

Triton

Poseidon's herald and son; half man, half fish; a sea deity

Tullus Hostilius

Third king of Rome

Turnus

King of the Rutulians; battled Aeneas for the hand of Lavinia

Tyche

Goddess of fortune and the personification of luck

Typhon

A monster with a hundred serpentine heads, wings, and a body encircled by snakes

Ulysses

Roman counterpart of Odysseus

Urania

The Muse of astronomy

Uranus

Sky; born to Gaia during creation

Venus

Roman goddess of love; counterpart of Aphrodite

Vesta

Roman goddess of the hearth; counterpart of Hestia

Vestal Virgins

The priestesses of the Temple of Vesta

Vulcan

Roman god of fire; counterpart of Hephaestus

Zagreus

The original name of the infant Dionysus; a child with a crown of snakes and horns

Zephyrus

The West Wind

Zeus

Ruler of the heavens, gods, and men; one of the twelve great Olympians; son of Cronus and Rhea