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Groups of gods
Ἄλγεα (Ἄλγος)
Personifications of pain and sorrow, and distress, both the physical and mental/emotional. The sons and daughters of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of pains of the body and the mind.
- Odd Job Gods: These guys are one set of Eris's many sets of children that represent different causes/results of strife.
Ἀμφιλλογίαι (Ἀμφιλογία)
The gods and goddesses of Disputes, children of Eris, and no doubt the patrons of Flame War.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of disputes/disagreement.
- Odd Job Gods: The Amphilogiai were some of Eris's children that took on "sub-categories" of her domain, in their case, disagreement.
Ἀνδροκτασίαι (Ἀνδροκτασία)
The female personifications of man-slaughter, which is to say, slaughter during battle, and daughters of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of manslaughter.
- Odd Job Gods: Not goddesses of death, or murder in general; just killing of enemies on the battlefield.
Ἄνεμοι | Venti
These beings were Greek wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from where their particular special winds came, and each of them is 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.There are four main gods, each representing a cardinal direction, and four secondary gods representing the other directions. They were: Boreas, Greek god of the cold north wind, who brought Winter and is known in Roman religion as Aquilo or Septentrio; Notus, Greek god of the South wind, who brought the storms of late summer and autumn, known to the Romans as Auster, embodiment of the sirocco wind; Zephyrus (Zephyr), who was the Greek god of the West wind, the gentlest wind that brought light spring and early summer breezes, known in Rome as Favonius, who held domain over plants and flowers; and then there was Eurus, god of the unlucky east wind who was not associated with a season and was known in Rome as Vulturnus, a tribal river god who became god of the river Tiber.
The four minor gods were: Kaikias, Greek god of the northeast wind, represented as a bearded man with a shield of hailstones, known as the "dark wind," whose Roman equal was Caecius; Apeliotes (Latin spelling, Apeliotus) was the Greek god of the southeast wind, who brought good rain that helped farmers, and thus, is usually depicted in farmers' attire carrying fruit, clean shaven, and with curly hair and a pleasant disposition, with his Roman equivalent being Subsolanus, who was sometimes considered the east wind by the Romans; Skiron (Skeiron), Greek god of the Northwest wind, depicted as bearded man tipping over a cauldron, representing the coming of winter, with his Roman equal being Caurus (Corus), the oldest Roman wind deities; Lips was the Greek god of the Southwest wind, usually depicted holding a ship's stern, whose Roman counterpart was Afer ventus (African wind), also called Africus, because Africa is southwest of Italy, natch.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the winds.
- Winged Humanoid: The Anemoi/Venti were depicted as humanoids with a set of wings.
- Yandere: Zephyr's most famous myth involved him being in love with Apollo's lover Hyacinth. The story ends when Hyacinth is accidentally killed by a blow to the head during a game of discus. Is some tellings, however, Zephyr is the one responsible, having sent a gentle wind that would blow the discus off course.
Χάριτες (Χάρις) | Gratiae
Also known 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. They are also sometimes mentioned with other members, such as Pasithea, but the first three are always included. They have many possible parents, most notably Zeus and Eurynome, but also Dionysus and Aphrodite, or Helios and a naiad named Aegle. Typically, the three Charities are sisters, with Thalia being the oldest, Euphrosyne being the middle sister, and Aglaea being the youngest. All the Charities, these three and others, were listed as attendants/messengers of Aphrodite, and Aglaea was sometimes thought to be the same as Aphrodite, since Aglaea was mentioned as the wife of Hephaestus (and the mother of four daughters by him). However, Homer says that Aglaea was Hephaestus's second wife, Hephaestus having gotten a divorce after catching Aphrodite with Ares in the net.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of splendor (Aglaea), mirth (Euphrosyne), festivities (Thalia) and rest and relaxation (Pasithea).
- God of Good: They all represent good and happy things, like parties, beauty, and relaxation.
- I Have Many Names: Aglaea was also called Kharis, meaning grace, and Kale, meaning beauty.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Aglaea and Thalia's father was Zeus, but her mother could be Eunomia or Eurynome, while Euphrosyne either had matching parentage or was the daughter of Erebos and Nyx. Pasithea was either the daughter of Hera or Dionysos.
Ἐρινύς | Furies
Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, the goddesses 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.- And I Must Scream: They whipped and chased the damned for all eternity.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of vengeance.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: They hunt down Orestes for his Matricide. However, when it's pointed out to them that Orestes did it to avenge his father, whom Orestes's mother Clytemnestra had murdered, they brush it off, stating that Clytemnestra didn't kill her own blood.
- Born as an Adult: In most versions, they sprang fully formed from the Earth after Ouranos's blood spilled onto Gaia's body, along with the Gigantes and the Meliae ash tree nymphs.
- Dark Is Not Evil: They're creepy and nasty, but their role is to enforce the laws.
- Divergent Character Evolution: Early on, they were treated as mostly interchangeable, usually only being brought up when the Gods decided to sic them on some poor sucker. Later myths would specify that there were three: Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto.
- The Dreaded: Due to what they represented, people treated them with fear.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The early writings about them never gave them names and often didn't even clarify how many of them there were, only that there was more than one. Later stories would name them Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone and specify their number as three.
- Heel–Face Turn: In the play The Eumenides Athena persuades them to become a proactive force for justice and vigilance instead of vengeance, and they take on the name "The Kindly Ones."
- Hoist by His Own Petard: In The Eumenides, they brush off Orestes' claim that they should've gone after Clytemnestra for killing her husband Agamemnon by saying that it wasn't their problem since Agamemnon and Clytemnestra weren't blood related. They then lose their case when Apollo makes the argument that Orestes and Clytemnestra weren't blood related (because women don't contribute genetic material to the fetus so mothers aren't blood related to their children) so that crime shouldn't count either.
- Humanoid Abomination: They were humanoid creatures with snakes for hair, had bat-like wings, could cry blood, and in general came off as bizarre and terrifying even compared to other gods. It's not helped by the fact that in some versions, they're said to have been born from another Eldritch Abomination's blood.
- Implacable Man: One of their defining traits was to never stop hounding someone until their debt was settled.
- Knight Templar: Their name translates as "avengers".
- Meaningful Rename: Athena changed their names from "The Erinyes" to "The Eumenides" (The Kindly Ones) when she establishes the rule of law and had them become its enforcers.
- Multiple-Choice Past: The most common one, based on Hesiod's Theogony, is that they sprung forth from Ouranos's spilled blood. Aeschyluls, Lycophron, Vergil, and Ovid, however, claim that they were daughters of Nyx, and the Orphic Hymns even claim they were the daughters of Hades and Persephone!
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "The Furies" is an obvious one. Tisiphone means "Vengeful Destruction," Alecto "Unceasing Anger," and Megaera "the Jealous One."
- Sadly Mythtaken: Modern depictions of the Furies will give them the Adaptational Wimp treatment, depicting them as generic monsters similar to the Gorgons and the Harpies; this disregards the fact that they were full on goddesses in the original mythos and very scary ones at that.
- Snake Whip: The Thebaid describes Tishiphone as wielding a live water-snake as a lash.
- Speak of the Devil: Some myths say that if you curse someone in their names, they'll fly to that person and hound them constantly and relentlessly.
- Spontaneous Generation: The three were born fully formed from Ouranos's blood.
- A Taste of the Lash: Their primary means of punishing the wicked living and the wicked dead is with strikes of their long scourges.
- Terrible Trio: Though early myths never clarified how many of them there were, later versions depict three particular ones—Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone — and all three were frightful beings who tortured the souls of the wicked.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Inverted in the Orphic Hymns where they're Hades and Persephone's daughters — they're a trio of monstrous-looking goddesses born to a beautiful mother and an at least average-looking-to-attractive father.
- Whip of Dominance: They serve as the strict and merciless wardens and jailers of the Underworld, being in charge of keeping the sinner's souls subjugated, as well as overseeing their eternal punishments. They're frequently described as carrying whips with which to beat their victims (though, uniquely, the whips are for torturing their minds, instead of their bodies) and their whips are coated with brass studs to make the whipping hurt more. As Anthropomorphic Personification of vengeance, they take sadistic joy in performing these whippings.
- Woman Scorned: Unsurprisingly, this happens when Tisiphone falls in love with a mortal, who then spurns her. She ends up turning a lock of her hair into a viper and prompting it to bite him.
Ἔρωτες
A group of little love gods that resembled young men, and in later depictions 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. noteAnteros was the god of requited love (i.e. returned love or "counter-love') as opposed to just love in general (or unrequited love, or lust) and was a punisher of those who scorn love or other's advances and the avenger of love unrequited. He was given to his brother Eros as a playmate, with the idea that love must be answered if it is to be proper. He physically resembles Eros, except with longer hair, and beautiful plumed butterfly wings. Unlike his brother, he said to be armed either with a Golden Club or arrows of lead.
Himeros was the god of sexual desire and unrequited love. Pothos was the god of longing and yearning.
- Adaptational Curves: Hit Eros pretty hard. While usually represented as a svelt and thin young man, as time went by his Roman form Cupid became more and more known and represented as a chubby little boy.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of different aspects of love and attraction.
- The Charmer: Hedylogos, god of sweet-talk and flattery.
- Cupid's Arrow: While Eros obviously had his golden tipped arrows which caused Love at First Sight and his lead arrows to bring about Hate at First Sight, Anteros had a golden club and lead arrows to avenge unrequited love via Belated Love Epiphany.
- Heart Beat-Down: Eros and Anteros especially with their above described weapons.
- Hermaphrodite: Trope namer Hermaphroditus was a handsome winged young man in appearance like his fellow Erotes before Salmacis clung to him and prayed fervently to never be parted from him. The gods granted her prayer by merging the two of them into a single being, half male and half female. Except in the older versions where Hermaphroditus was born that way.
- Homosexual Reproduction: Anteros in the myths where he's the son of Poseidon and Nerites. They're gods. Don't question it.
- Love Deity: Of various aspects and traditions of romance, attraction and relationships.
- Mr. Fanservice: Despite many modern depictions portraying them as kids, the Erotes were classically depicted as impossibly beautiful young men who usually went around naked.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Eros and Himeros were either Protogenoi that greeted Aphrodite when she was born from the sea or her sons. Anteros was depicted as being the son of Poseidon and Nerites or Aphrodite and Ares. Hymenaeus was the son of a muse (Clio, Urania or Terpsichore) and Apollo or Aphrodite and Dionysus or the muse Calliope and Magnes, the grandson of Phrixus. Hermaphroditus is always the child of Hermes and Aphrodite (hence their name), but due to Ovid's usual revisionism, many are divided as to whether they were born intersex or ended up that way due to the gods' machinations.
- Theme Twin Naming: Eros with Himeros, and sometimes Eros and Anteros.
- Too Important to Walk: Aphrodite's chariot is depicted as being drawn by a pair of the Erotes in art.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: None of the Erotes were particularly fond of clothing in general, though Himeros usually carried a taenia which was a ribbon-like headband worn by athletes.
- Winged Humanoid: All the Erotes are depicted with feathered wings, and Anteros is sometimes described and depicted with plumed butterfly wings.
Γραῖαι
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.- Affably Evil: Often depicted as such.
- Blackmail: Perseus persuaded them into telling him where Medusa was by stealing their eye. Some versions say that he threw their eye into a river afterward.
- Body Horror: They share an eye and a tooth. One eye, and one tooth.
- Born as an Adult: An extreme example; they were born old women (although some say that they were pretty).
- Eyeless Face: Whenever one is wearing the eye, two of them are eyeless.
- Eye Scream: Downplayed, they regularly have to pluck out their own unique eye and hand it over to another sister, but it doesn't seem to pain them so much.
- Humanoid Abomination: They're inhumanely old, have magical powers, and have one eye and one tooth that they must share. In some versions they're actually half-swan, half-human.
- LEGO Body Parts: Swap the Eye and Tooth around quickly and easily.
- Meaningful Name: "Deino" means "Dread", "Pamphredo" means "Alarm" and "Enyo" means "Horror". Fits with the fact that all three of them are viscerally terrifying.
- Mystical White Hair: The stories that depict them as beautiful say that they were only called "old" because they had white hair.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Let's repeat it, their names mean Dread, Alarm and Horror'.
- Sadly Mythtaken: The Disney Hercules film gave their defining trait, sharing one eye, to the Moirai (Fates), causing confusion.
- Threw My Bike on the Roof: In some versions of the myth, Perseus (who is otherwise a fairly Nice Guy) throws their eye in the river or in a lake.
- The Weird Sisters: A trio of wicked old witches with detachable body parts.
- Wicked Witch: Generally depicted as such and likely the Trope Makers.
Ὧραι
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, 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.Argos had its own duo of Horae, Damia and Auxesia. Hyginus, a Latin author identified yet a third set made up of Pherousa (goddess of substance and farm estates), Euporie or Euporia (goddess of abundance), and Orthosie (goddess of prosperity). Nonnus, a Greek epic poet, mentions yet another set of four Horae, Eiar, Theros, Cheimon and Phthinoporon, whose names were the Greek words for spring, summer, winter and autumn.
And then, finally, there was a completely different group of Hours, who personified the twelve hours, (originally ten) of the day.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the twelve hours.
- Odd Job Gods: One goddess per hour of the day/night.
Ὑσμῖναι (Ὑσμίνη)
Spirits of fighting and combat, and children of the goddess Eris. While some sources mix them together with their siblings the Mahkai and have the Hysminai present on battlefields, their focus was on forms of non-martial combat, including things like singular duels, fist fights, and street fights. Apparently depicted on the shield of Achilles as described in an account of the Trojan War.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of war and combat.
- Odd Job Gods: One of many gods/daemons that represented highly specific aspects of combat; in their case, fighting that is not part of a war, such as duels or street fights.
Κῆρες | Tenebrae / Letum
The Keres (singular Ker), were daemons and sisters, the daughters of Nyx and Erebus (just how many kids did these two have?) Their Latin counterpart was the Tenebrae (The Darkness) or Letum (Death). They were dark, bat winged, beings with gnashing teeth and claws, and a thirst for (human) blood. They favored death from bleeding out (as opposed to Thanatos, who presided over all forms of death) and hovered over battlefields looking for wounded and dying men to devour and send to Hades.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of violent death.
- Odd Job Gods: Specialized psychopomps who only go after those who've died of blood loss.
- Our Vampires Are Different: They have several features in common with more monstrous takes on vampires. In particular bat wings and their manic thirst for blood.
- Psychopomp: One of the scariest out there. Rather than guiding a soul away they pounced on a dying person, sucked them dry, and cast their soul aside.
Μάχαι (Μάχη)
The gods or spirits (daemons) of battles and children of Eris. They're sometimes confused with their siblings, the Hysminai (gods of fighting not during battle).- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of battle.
- War God: One of the many Greek spiritual figures associated with war. Their particular specialization was in actual battles.
Μοῖραι | Parcae / Fāta
A trio of goddesses: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They are the daughters of Nyx and Erebus, or of Zeus and Themis. They determine fate and controlled 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. This is where we get words like 'Morality'.- Action Girl: They fought in the war between the Gods and Giants and killed Agrios and Thoon with bronze maces.
- Above the Gods: They have dominion over the destinies of everyone, including the gods themselves, giving them a higher cosmic authority than even Zeus.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: More than just deities that control fate, they are fate.
- Cool Old Lady: They were feared, yes, but they would also help out gods and mortals, like warning Meleager's mother about his life being tied to a stick and aiding the Olympians in the Gigantomachy and the fight against Typhon. Women would swear by them, and brides would offer them locks of hair.
- Dark Is Not Evil: They sided with Zeus in his battle against Typhon and even tried to hinder Typhon by feeding him a poisonous fruit and telling him that it was a Power-Up Food.
- Death's Hourglass: The Thread of Life is a measurement of how long someone had to live. When it came for them to die, Atropos would cut the thread.
- Decomposite Character: They may have been one goddess named Moira (sources are unclear) at one point but were later separated out into the famous trio.
- The Dreaded: All three of them were feared by mortals and deities, especially Atropos.
- Ethereal White Dress: Commonly remembered as women in black, but the original myths say that they wore white, and are heavily associated with death and moving between worlds.
- Master of Threads: The Fates are a trio of goddesses who control destiny through the thread they spin.
- Meaningful Names: Clotho, the name of she who spins the thread of life, means "the weaver". Lachesis, the name of the one who measures the thread, means "the distributor of lots". Atropos, the name of she who cuts the thread of life, means "the inevitable".
- The Old Gods: They pre-date the Olympians, and in most stories even the Titans. They are conceptually why even immortals must adhere to the cause and effect that is fate.
- The Omnipotent: As they are embodiments of fate, they can create any factor, or shape any event. Mortals and gods alike are subject to such events, being a god, at best, makes you aware of them.
- The Omniscient: They know everything. This of course, comes with the territory of being the Goddesses of Fate.
- The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: Basically their role in any story they appear in. Their main purpose seems to be to just sit there, weaving the Tapestry of Fate and discussing the exploits of the Gods and heroes, as well as knowing everything.
- Powers That Be: Referring to them as three woman is metaphorical at best. They are some of the only deities which don't just have the powers of something (In this case fate) but are the pure embodiment of it.
- Seers: As the Goddesses of Fate, they are capable of seeing the future.
- Shear Menace: Atropos and her life thread-cutting shears of destiny are the Trope Maker.
- The Three Faces of Eve: When not portrayed as a trio of old women, they are portrayed as maiden (Clotho), mother (Lachesis), and crone (Atropos).
- You Can't Fight Fate: It's in Atropos' name. This was a big deal in Ancient Greece.
Μοῦσαι
Completely unlike the gospel singing, American-inspired 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.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Each Muse represents something different:
- Καλλιόπη / Calliope: Epic Poetry - The Münchausen
- Κλειώ / Clio: History - Bookworm
- Ἐρατώ / Erato: Love Poetry - It's Not Porn, It's Art
- Eὐτέρπη / Euterpe: Music - Elegant Classical Musician
- Μελπομένη / Melpomene: Tragedy - The Eeyore
- Πολυύμνια / Polyhymnia: Hymns - God-Is-Love Songs
- Τερψιχόρη / Terpsichore: Dance - Dancing with Myself
- Θάλεια / Thalia: Comedy - Plucky Comic Relief
- Οὐρανία / Urania: Astronomy - Astrologer
- Fourth-Wall Observer: Before plays they come out and make introductions and set-up, then they merge into the plays themselves as background extras - flitting between narrator minor characters as needed.
- Greek Chorus: Ur-Example, Trope Namers, and Trope Codifier: they are literally and figuratively The Greek Chorus in plays and the reason the role is named as such.
- Groupie Brigade: For the other gods, but especially for Apollo.
- Lemony Narrator: Depending on the acting troop playing them, they may exude various levels of snark and/commentary about a specific play unfolding.
- The Muse: Ur-Example, Trope Namers, and Trope Codifier. The Muses were the goddesses of the arts and were said to inspire all creative works. Many poems begin with an invocation to the Muses to grant the poet the ability to give their subject the epic telling it deserves.
- The Music Meister: Orpheus is said to have picked up this ability from them.
- Parental Substitute: Calliope is Orpheus's mother, but all nine raised him. They also were this to Pegasus in-between his birth and bridling.
- Slave to PR: They essentially act as the Olympian version of a P.R. team. Myths are what the Muses pass onto the mortal world, and they try to portray it in the most palatable way possible (more for their audience than those at the center of the story).
Νείκεα (Νεῖκος)
The spirits of Arguments and children of Eris. They are probably the patrons of Insane Troll Logic and logical fallacies. Not to be confused with the Amphilogiai, fellow children of Eris who represent disagreements.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of arguments.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Their collective name means "quarrels".
- Odd Job Gods: They are Daemons of argument. Not just disagreement (that's another set of Eris kids), but arguments.
- Depending on the Writer: Many writers portray Poseidon's wife Amphitrite as a Nereid, but it's also common for her to be an Oceanid, and still other times, she's presented as both.
- Like Parent, Like Child: The wisest among them, Nemertes, is said to be their father Nereus's equal in intelligence. Another, Apseudes, is implied to have inherited her father's honesty, given her name means "truthful."
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Not to the Oceanid or Potamoi's extent, but there's fifty daughters and a son (not always officially considered a Nereid himself), resulting in fifty-one siblings overall.
- Single Sex Offspring: They greatly outnumber their only brother Nerites.
Ὄνειροι
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 god 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.Other sources place Morpheus, at least, as Pasithea's son by Hypnos (sleep + illusions/hallucinations = dreams).
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of dreams and nightmares.
- Dreaming the Truth: It is told that when they descend upon the world they pass through two gates, one made of horn and one made of ivory. The ones that pass through the gate made of horn will bring dreams of true things, or possibly even things that will come true, while those that pass through the ivory gate will only bring false dreams.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: In the myths where there is more than the most prominent three, all dreams are stated to be siblings.
Φονοι (Φονος)
The sons of Eris who presided over murder, killing, and slaughter out of battles. The patron gods of those who think Murder Is the Best Solution.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of murder.
- Odd Job Gods: Eris had a lot of kids that represented different sub-divisions of her domains. The Phonoi presided specifically over murder, while other sets of her children personified battles, killing as part of battle, and fights not part of battles.
Φευδολόγοι (Φευδολόγος)
The Gods of Lies and sons of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of lies and falsehoods.
Ψυχαι
Female personifications of pleasure and pluralizations of the goddess Psyche, making them something of an in-universe A Kind of One. They were portrayed as beautiful young women with butterfly wings and were in most respects the female counterparts to the Erotes. They even pulled Aphrodite's chariot from time to time.- Anthropomorphic Personifications: Of sensual pleasures.
- Hot God: As to be expected of not just Olympians, but love goddesses, they are all very beautiful and proudly show it off.
- Pretty Butterflies: They sport a pair of butterfly wings on their backs.
- Winged Humanoid: They were winged, just like the Erotes. However, the Psychai had butterfly wings, whereas the Erotes had feathered wings like a bird's (except for Anteros, who also had butterfly wings).
Individuals
Ἀκεσώ
The daughter of Asclepius and Epione, and goddess of the healing process.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the healing process.
- Flat Character: Even less is said about Aceso than Iaso.
- Odd Job God: His divine domain is a derivative of a derivative; Apollo was the original god with healing amongst his domains, which he passed on to his son Aesclepius (the god of the medical field), who in turn had a lot of kids who all represented different aspects of healing. Aceso in particular was the goddess of the process of healing.
Ἀχλύς
One of the goddesses suffering from a Multiple-Choice Past due to Continuity Snarl, Achlys is either a primordial god 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.- Anthropomorphic Personification: In some tellings, she's the embodiment of sorrow.
- Odd Job Gods: In some of her versions, she's the goddess of the cloudy eyes corpses have.
Ἀδράστεια
Another goddess of revenge, she was also a goddess of balance and appears to have been tied with war, like her father Ares. Perhaps because of her role, she was often equated with Nemesis, who also had an epithet of "Adrasteia" (which, confusingly enough, is also the name of a nymph who nurtured Zeus).- Anthropomorphic Personification: Possibly of Revenge. She tends to get confused with Nemesis, which might be one of the reasons she isn't very well known.
Ἀγών
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.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Interestingly, he was one of Competitive games, not some abstract concept.
Ἀλαλά
Goddess of the war cry and daughter of Polemos, she was an attendant of Ares who used her name as his war cry, and Greek soldiers used this battle cry before battle. Greek soldiers used a similar cry in World War II. Listed as a member of the Makhai.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the war cry.
- Battle Cry: She was the goddess of these! Heck, her name was Ares's battle cry!
- War Goddess: Probably the most fun, if there is such a thing.
- Odd Job Gods: A war goddess specifically devoted to war cries.
Ἄλγος
A lesser-known god or goddess who personifies grief and sorrow. Child of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of grief and sorrow.
Ἁλκή
The goddess of battle-strength, prowess, and courage. She was listed as another member of the Makhai. Presumably a daughter of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of strength in battle.
- War Goddess: A more positive take, as she is specifically the goddess of strength and courage demonstrated in battle.
Αμηχανια
Sister of Penia and Greek goddess of helplessness. Often traveled around with her sisters.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of helplessness.
- Odd Job Gods: Yes, the Greeks had a goddess for helplessness.
Ἀμφιτρίτη | Salācia
A major sea goddess and Poseidon's wife. In Rome, she was conflated with Salacia, goddess of saltwater and Neptune's wife.- Good Stepmother: Theseus, a demigod son of Poseidon, meets her when he dove into the sea to retrieve Minos's ring, during which she gives him a golden crown.
- Holy Water: Greek tradesmen, both on sea and land, held a ceremony to her before they left; said ceremony involved boiling water, where the water was at that point considered blessed by Amphitrite and safer to drink. It is ambiguous if they knew the boiling itself purified water or thought the prayer prior to the boiling is what did it.
- Hot Consort: She is always displayed as very conventionally attractive, even when her husband isn't.
- Marriage of Convenience: Crossed with Altar Diplomacy. Poseidon married her to get lordship of the oceans from her father without a fight. She accepted the marriage to be the Queen of the Oceans instead of just one of hundreds of ocean princesses.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Some call her a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, thus making Amphitrite an Oceanid and possibly a Titaness, while other tales identify her as the daughter of Nereus and Doris, making Amphitrite a Nereid, while another group say she is a personification of the sea itself.
- Ocean Awe: She is basically assigned as the goddess of this concept—serene waterscapes.
- Out-of-Character Moment: She was sometimes said to be responsible for turning Scylla into a monster following her affair with Poseidon, but she otherwise isn't a jealous wife.
- Top Wife: While there are no surviving credible writings of the two having any sort of romance, we do have reference that Amphitrite is Poseidon's only official wife and she was never threatened by any of his affairs (besides one version where she, rather than Circe, is responsible for turning Scylla into a monster). Outside his affairs, Poseidon had a very traditional nuclear family with her, their son Triton, and two daughters, Rhode and Benthesikyme.
- Water Is Womanly: Originally one of many female embodiments of seas; after marriage, she becomes the queen of all bodies of water.
Απάτη | Fraus
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: Of deceit.
- Evil Twin: Looks identical to Alethia, the goddess of truth (despite not being sisters). The only way to tell them apart is that Apate does not have real feet, either having fake ones or none whatsoever.
- God of Evil: She is a goddess of deception and one of the evils held in Pandora's Box.
- Magical Accessory: Had a magical, multicolored belt that made the wearer a better liar by making people more likely to believe whatever you tell them.
- Red Right Hand: Apate does not have (real) feet below her ankles. It's the one way to tell her apart from Alethia.
Ἀρετή | Virtūs
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." Thus, it's 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 (goddess of vice) offer Heracles a Secret Test of Character, which he of course passed.- Anthropomorphic Personification: "Arete" was both an ideal and the goddess of said ideal. While the concept of arete doesn't have a direct English translation, "moral excellence" and "one's best possible self" are decent descriptions.
- God of Good: She personified virtue, excellence, and the ideal of what you could become. All Greeks aspired to her concept.
- Good Counterpart: To Kakia, the goddess of temptation and vice.
Aristaeus
A minor god primarily known for rustic arts like beekeeping and cheesemaking. In some versions of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, he attempted to assault Eurydice on her wedding day, inadvertently causing her unfortunate death.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In myths that have him being involved with Eurydice's death, all his bees died, and he was prevented from practicing apiculture until he made a sacrifice to her soul.
- Odd Job God: Literally the god of odd jobs: bee-keeping, cheesemaking, fruit farming, and assorted other pastoral past times.
Ἄρκη
Daughter of Thaumas and Electra and sister of the Olympians' messenger and goddess of rainbows Iris. During the Titanomachy, Arke betrayed the Olympians and became a messenger for the Titans, and when the battle ended, Zeus punished her by tearing off her wings and casting her into Tartarus. Eventually, her wings were given to Thetis as a wedding gift.- Broken Angel: Her punishment for siding with the Titans was to have her wings ripped off.
- Cain and Abel: Possibly with Iris, though no mention is made of how Iris felt about her sister's betrayal.
- Evil Counterpart: For Iris.
- Face–Heel Turn: She turned against the Olympians in favor of the Titans.
- Odd Job Gods: It's sometimes thought that she was the god of double rainbows; more specifically, she personified the second, fainter rainbow you can occasionally see under the main one. Her nature as a Broken Angel is why second rainbows are so faint.
Ἀσκληπιός | Vēdiovis
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 been derived from the circumstances of his own birth: Coronis, a lake nymph or a princess, was impregnated by Apollo yet dared to take in secret a human being as a second lover. The god was so furious on discovering the infidelity that he shot her dead himself or sent his sister Artemis to slay Coronis, which she did with a pestilence. When the fire was already blazing around Coronis 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 that men might contrive to escape death altogether, killed Asclepius with lightning; at Apollo's request, he was revived, according to some authors. He was associated with the Roman god Vejovis and his staff, The Rod of Asclepius, remains a symbol of medicine to this day note .- Back from the Dead: He was so good at healing he could bring the dead back to life, and when he was killed for this, Apollo had him raised as a deity in his own right.
- Born from a Dead Woman: Apollo killed Coronis (or had her killed) while still pregnant; while her body was being consumed by the funerary flames, he cut her belly open and took the still living Asclepius from inside her.
- Enemies with Death: Hades was so pissed when Asclepius started resurrecting the dead Zeus had strike him dead just to keep Hades from showing everyone what a death-god can do when the laws of life and death don’t need to be followed.
- Happily Married: To Epione. All of his children were born to her.
- Healer God: As the god of medicine. He also had a family of minor gods that took various subordinate roles, like remedies, healing process, and recovery.
- Healing Serpent: The Trope Codifier. Asclepiusnote , who was a demigod and later god, was affiliated with, healing, medicine, rejuvenation, and physicians. The second part of this trope is found in the snakesnote that he had help him in healing pilgrims at his temples. Some myths stated that he learned healing from a snake. His symbol, the Rod/Staff of Asclepius or the asklepian, which is a snake coiled around a staff, is still a prominent symbol for medicine and health care around the world.
- The Medic: As a mortal.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Restored life to Hippolytus, who was killed as a result of a misunderstanding with his father Theseus. Zeus then killed him for robbing Hades of a subject and upsetting the balance of nature. Granted, it might not have been a good deed, since Depending on the Writer, Asclepius may have received payment for it.
- Physical God
- Sitcom Archnemesis: With Hades, who would like the dead to remain dead.
- Super Doc: Even in his mortal days, he was so good at healing that he could bring people back to life.
- Bargain with Heaven: Sisyphus agreed to tell Asopus the identity of the latter's daughter's kidnapper in exchange for Asopus providing a fountain for Corinth, Sisyphus's city.
- Designated Victim: In one version, nine of his daughters were kidnapped by three separate Olympian gods.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Despite going after Zeus for kidnapping his daughter Aegina, Asopus had to retreated after the Olympian started hurling his thunderbolt at him.
- Physical God
- Papa Wolf: Pursued Zeus after learning the king of the gods had kidnapped his daughter. He eventually backed off after Zeus brought out his thunderbolt, but still.
Ἀστραῖα | Iūstitia
A Greek goddess of justice (similar to the Horae, Dike, who she is sometimes equated with) and also of innocence and purity. She is not to be confused with the goddess Asteria. Called the Celestial Virgin, she is said to be one of the last goddesses to come to Earth during man's Golden Age, and, according to Ovid, abandoned Earth during the Iron Age. Fleeing humanity's wickedness, she fled to heaven and became the constellation Virgo, her scales of justice becoming the constellation Libra. Like Dike, she is associated with the Roman goddess Justitia (also known as Lady Justice). One day, it is said that she will return to Earth, bringing with her the return to the utopic Golden Age.- All-Loving Hero: Possibly the closest equivalent Greece has.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of justice.
- God of Good: Possibly the nicest god in the whole pantheon.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Why she left.
Ἄτη
Perhaps a daughter of Zeus or Eris (or both), she was the goddess of mischief, delusion, folly, and reckless impulsiveness that leads to ruin. In Homer's Iliad, she is said to be Zeus's oldest child, 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 Atë, who runs too fast.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of ruin caused by reckless actions and delusion.
- The Corrupter: Her whole schtick.
- God of Evil: She's the god of folly and ruin, and nothing good ever comes from meeting her.
- Walking the Earth: Her punishment, though it is said she walks on the heads of men rather than the ground.
- Satanic Archetype: Perhaps the Ur-Example. Cast out from heaven, walking the Earth and tempting mortals into sin... who does that sound like?
Αὔρα
A breeze nymph from Asia Minor, Aura was one of Artemis's attendants and had thus sworn to remain a virgin. One day, she questioned Artemis's status as a virgin on account of her sensual body. Artemis went to Nemesis, who figured out that the appropriate punishment would be to get Aura raped. Nemesis then contacted Eros, who shot Dionysus with a love arrow. Dionysus then got Aura drunk and raped her. Aura woke up violated and pregnant, leading to her Sanity Slippage.- Abhorrent Admirer: Dionysus is this for her.
- Blasphemous Boast: She says to Artemis's face that she is better than her because her lithe silhouette is what's expected of a maiden, and that Artemis's voluptuous and womanly figure means she is lying about being a virgin.
- But Liquor Is Quicker: Dionysus's way of raping her, since as a sworm virgin, she would never have him willingly.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: Defied. Aura thinks her slim and boyish figure makes her better than Artemis, as in her view virgins are not supposed to have sensuous bodies like Aphrodite's. She shames Artemis for her large breasts and lush body.
- Chained to a Bed: Not a bed, but Dionysus did tie her up while she was unconscious.
- Child by Rape: Her twins by Dionysus, Iacchus and the unnamed twin. She tried to kill them both and was successful in eating one.
- Defiled Forever: Aura's view on her situation. Her virginity was her most prized asset, and losing it pushed her over the edge.
- Despair Event Horizon: Her rape at the hands of Dionysus.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Sure, Aura should have held her tongue, but Artemis arranging her rape is a bit too much.
- Driven to Suicide: After being raped and forced to give birth to her rapist's children, Aura decided she did not want to live anymore and drowned herself in the river Sangarius.
- Dude, She's Like in a Coma: Due to being struck with Eros's love arrow, Dionysus drugged her with wine and raped her while she was asleep.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Aura might have thought her teasing innocent, but since being a virgin goddess was a major part of Artemis's divine identity, claiming that Artemis couldn't be a virgin while talking up her own virginity was essentially Aura saying that she should be goddess of maidenhood instead of Artemis... something that Artemis, naturally, didn't find all that funny.
- Forced Transformation: In the end, after she drowned herself in the river Sangarius, Zeus turned her into a spring.
- Gratuitous Rape: Her rape scene can come off as that, courtesy of Nonnus's prose.
- I Am a Humanitarian: After several attempts to kill her rape babies, she decides to straight up eat one. Artemis saves the other, Iacchus.
- Karmic Rape: How her story was meant to come off. Aura's Blasphemous Boast was about her own virginity, so Nemesis determined that the proper punishment would be for her to lose her virginity so she could no longer boast about it- which meant having her raped. Artemis even mocked Aura when she saw her in her deranged state after being raped.
- Kick the Dog: Aura's story.
- Meaningful Name: Her name means "breeze" in both Greek and Latin and according to some myths, she was a daughter of Boreas.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Artemis realizes she might have gone a bit too far when Aura cannibalizes her newborn son, so she saves the other one, Iacchus.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Her father is a minor god name Lelantos, but Nonnus apparently could not decide whether her mother was Cybele or the nymph Periboea.
- Also applies to her surviving son, Iacchus, who was usually connected to Demeter in other traditions.
- Offing the Offspring: As soon as they were born, too! First, she tried to feed them to a lioness, and when that failed, she ate one of them.
- Petite Pride: Her Blasphemous Boast talking up her small bust (and generally boyish figure) as more befitting of a virgin while shaming Artemis for having large breasts and insinuating that she wasn't actually a virgin.
- Rape as Drama: Dionysus replaces the water from a spring with wine, intoxicating Aura, and then rapes her while she's passed out.
- Rape Leads to Insanity: Aura ended up eating one of her newborn twins. See SanitySlippage below.
- Real Women Have Curves: According to Aura, Artemis has a very voluptuous and curvaceous body, which Aura uses as evidence to argue that Artemis cannot be a virgin.
- Sanity Slippage: What happened to her after she discovered she was raped and got pregnant on top of that. She tried to kill herself, then tried to cut her belly open, then tried to feed her newborn twins to a lioness, then ate one of the twins, and in the end killed herself.
- Sins of the Father: Why she tried to kill her innocent infants—she never meant to have them, and they only came to exist because their father raped her.
- Slipping a Mickey: Dionysus replaced her water with wine.
- Slut-Shaming: To Artemis, of all people, insinuating that her famed virginity was a lie because Artemis had curves, as the idea that big breasts meant promiscuity is Older Than Feudalism. Why she thought that was a good idea is a Riddle for the Ages.
- Too Dumb to Live: No matter your opinion on Artemis's reaction, Aura doubting the virginity of the goddess famous for being a virgin was not the brightest move.
- Virgin Power: She was sworn to celibacy as a companion of Artemis, at least until she got on Artemis' bad side, with unfortunate results.
Βία
The goddess and personification of force, Bia, daughter of Pallas and Styx and sister of Nike, Kratos, and Zelus. 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.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of force.
- Winged Humanoid: Same as her siblings.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Said to be Zeus's youngest child (of his divine children, at least).
- Full-Frontal Assault: Runs completely naked.
- Super-Speed: Why opportunities are so fleeting.
- Odd Job God: He's the god of opportunities, and mostly seen as an explanation why they come and go.
Κητώ / Κράταιις / Τρίενος
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.- Monster Progenitor: She's the mother of a whole lot of sea monsters.
- Physical God
- Abduction Is Love: Definitely on her end, how "in love" Odysseus was is debatable but most likely he was just buying time till he could escape.
- Domain Holder: Has absolute power over her island, stopping people from leaving and effectively stopping time there so Odysseus would not age.
- Double Standard: Rape, Divine on Mortal: Calypso is an immortal goddess who keeps Odysseus as her lover against his will; he is very clearly unwilling to be with her, but has no other choice as he is stranded on her island.
- Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Homer makes it very clear that Odysseus has no choice in sleeping with Calypso, depicting him often crying by the seashore.
- Driven to Suicide: One account states she killed herself after Odysseus left her.
- Hospital Hottie: Heals Odysseus after his shipwreck and seduces him at the same time.
- Immortality Inducer: Wanted to be this for Odysseus, but he rejected her gift, wanting only to return to his mortal family.
- Lima Syndrome: Despite holding him against his will, her feelings for Odysseus were genuine and she was not doing it out of cruelty or mistreating him in anyway OTHER than not allowing him to leave.
- Mind-Control Music: She used this power to help keep Odysseus from leaving by singing. Furthermore the Odyssey describes her voice as enchanting wild animals and even Hermes has trouble resisting her song.
- Multiple-Choice Past: She is usually the daughter of Atlas, but some accounts make her an Oceanid (thus a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys) while a rare one has Helios and Perse (Circe's parents) as her parents.
- Physical God: She is a daughter of either Atlas or Oceanus.
Κίρκη
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 known 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 Hermes as an aid. Following Hermes' advice, Odysseus succeeded in freeing his men and gaining Circe's trust, and she helped him on his journey.- Back from the Dead: In one version of the Telegony, she brings Odysseus back to life after their son Telegonus kills him without knowing him. In another, he stays dead.
- Compelling Voice: Her beautiful songs lure men to her island, where she turns them into animals.
- Defeat Means Friendship: She's a Graceful Loser after Odysseus outwits her, to the point where they become lovers and she aids him in his journey.
- The Exile: Sent to Aeaea by her father Helios for killing her husband, the prince of Colchis.
- Forced Transformation:
- In The Odyssey, she turns some of Odysseus' crew into pigs.
- Jealous of the sea god Glaucus's love for the nymph Scylla, she turned the poor girl into a monster.
- She also turned King Picus into a woodpecker when he spurned her to remain faithful to his wife.
- For the Evulz: There's really no motive given for why she turns men into animals. It's not that she Does Not Like Men, because she hooks up with Odysseus (and Telemachus) and falls/fell for Glaucus at some point.
- Hot Witch: "The loveliest of all immortals."
- I Gave My Word: Even she won't go back on an oath taken in the name of all the gods.
- Immortality Inducer: At the end of The Telegony, she makes Telegonus, Telemachus, and Penelope immortal like herself. If Odysseus isn't dead anymore, she does the same for him, too.
- Love Father, Love Son: According to The Telegony, she shacks up with Telemachus. In one version, this turns into a weird double example with Penelope, who ends up with Telegonus, Circe's son with Odysseus.
- Mayfly–December Romance: Any relationship she has with a mortal counts, technically. Perhaps notable is that she shacked up with Odysseus, and later his son (by Penelope) Telemachus in the Telegony.
- Physical God: She's got immortality, powerful mystic abilities, and direct divine ancestry.
- The Power of the Sun: Her powers are said to come from her father, the sun god Helios. Light Is Not Good ensues.
- Solitary Sorceress: Lived all alone on her island, Aeaea.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Like all descendants of Helios, she has fiery eyes.
- The Transmogrifier: Renowned for transforming people she didn't like into animals - or worse: she turned the nymph Scylla into a monster out of jealousy, transformed Picus into a woodpecker for refusing her advances, and famously reduced several members of Odysseus's crew to pigs. In some versions of the story, her island is infested with various beasts - all of them former explorers who found themselves on the receiving end of her bad mood.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Gave her son Telegonus a magical spear tipped with a ray's poisonous sting in order to protect him on his journeys. When he washed up on Ithaca, Telegonus tried to make a meal out of some cattle that belonged to Odysseus, who tried to stop him, and so Telegonus Crocodile-Huntered his own father. It's okay in some versions 'cause she brings him back.
- Yandere: She's got a nasty habit of transforming the love interests of men she loves into animals.
Κλυτίη
An Oceanid nymph (a minor water goddess) who was very deeply in love with Helios, the sun god. Unfortunately for her, Aphrodite, who hated his guts, cursed him with uncontrollable lust for a mortal princess named Leucothoe, so Helios left her. In bitterness, Clytie informed Leucothoe's father Orchamus of the affair, leading to Orchamus burying Leucothoe alive. This only made Helios dislike Clytie even more, and refused to even look at her. So she stripped herself naked, sat on a rock, not eating or drinking, just looking at him cross the skies. She was eventually transformed into a sun-gazing flower, the heliotropium.- Abhorrent Admirer: She eventually became this for Helios; he is said to have hated her by the end.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Causes an innocent woman's death, but it's still hard not to feel sorry for her. Especially since Helios leaving her in the first place was due to Aphrodite's interference, not even him naturally falling out of love with her.
- Broken Bird: After Helios left her.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Essentially, her plan was that if she could not have Helios, no one would have him either.
- Did Not Get the Boy: For all her scheming and wishing, she and Helios did not end up together.
- Despair Event Horizon: When Helios left her for good, she lost all will to live.
- Didn't Think This Through: Somehow decided that ratting his secret out to the king thus causing Leucothoe's death would make Helios love her again. Needless to say it didn't work.
- Driven to Suicide: In a way. After Helios refused to even look at her, she sat on a rock naked looking at him, refusing food and drink. She turned into a heliotropium before she could die.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Completely averted. Clytie did everything she could to have Helios back, and it only resulted in him liking her even less.
- Forced Transformation: Ended up transforming into a heliotropium.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Her actions are entirely motivated by her feelings of jealousy toward the god she loves and the woman his eyes wandered to.
- Hopeless Suitor: After Aphrodite cursed Helios to fall in love with Leucothoe, she stood no chance.
- Kissing Cousins: She as this with Helios at first, since she's an Oceanid (a daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys).
- Love Hurts: She was in love with Helios, but was unable to win his affections due to Aphrodite's meddling.
- Love Makes You Crazy: It sure made Clytie crazy and desperate.
- Love Makes You Evil: Well, maybe not necessarily evil, but surely bitter and terribly misguided.
- Mad Love: For Helios, big time.
- Making a Splash: An Oceanid nymph.
- The Missus and the Ex: It's even the myth's title, Leucothoe and Clytie. It ended up terribly for poor Leucothoe.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Her plan in a nutshell. Though it's not specified that she wanted Leucothoe dead, perhaps she thought that her father the king would just lock her away or something.
- The One That Got Away: Helios is this for her.
- Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: "Psycho" is perhaps too extreme to describe her, but she did ruin it for everyone because she couldn't move on.
- Sadly Mythtaken: Many modern retellings have her transform into a sunflower due to it being more sun-like and known than the heliotrope. Sunflowers, however, are native to North America, and the ancient Greeks could not have made myths about them.
- Single-Target Sexuality: She was romantically interested only in Helios, to the point of withering away when she couldn't have him.
- Unrequited Love Lasts Forever: "Although a root now holds her fast to earth, the Heliotrope turns ever to the Sun, as if to prove that all may change and love through all remain."
- Woman Scorned: What she became when Helios' affections shifted elsewhere.
- Yandere: Causing the other woman's death sure qualifies her as one.
Κυβέλη | Magna Mater
A Phrygian Mother Goddess, Cybele was a wildly popular goddess throughout Anatolia, her cult eventually filtered its way back to Greece and the Hellenistic World, eventually coming to Rome in the form of Magna Mater ("the Great Mother"). The only known Phrygian Goddess, her only major myth concerns her relationship with the mortal Attis. She's often depicted wearing a mural crown and seated in a chariot pulled by lions.- Canon Immigrant: Originally a Phrygian Goddess, she would make her way to Greece via the Greek colonies in Anatolia.
- Chariot Pulled by Cats: Well, by lions, so close enough.
- Crippling Castration: Seems to play a major role in her myths:
- Originally, Cybele was born as the intersex deity Agdistis, but the Olympians fearing their power, cut off their male organ and created the female Cybele. The discarded member eventually grew into an almond tree.
- Later, Attis, who was conceived when a princess laid an almond from the same tree on her bosom, was about to be married, Cybele interrupted the wedding and the sight of her drove Attis to go mad and castrate himself, which also inspired his would-be father-in-law to do the same and pledge himself to the service of Cybele. Which is why Cybele's priests are all eunuchs.
- Composite Character: When she first arrived in Greece a lot of her attributes were initially given over to other goddesses, Gaea, Rhea, and Demeter in particular.
- Foreign Fanservice: Even when she developed a distinct Greek cult, she was always acknowledged as having come from Phrygia in Anatolia and thus was seen as exotic and mysterious.
- Mother Goddess: She was known as "The Mother of the Gods", and the "Mother of Mountains". Eventually, under the Romans, she took on a role as a protectress of cities, and of the Empire as a whole.
- Parental Incest: Her lover Attis was also her son by almond (don't ask).
- The Prophecy: Was the subject of one, after several inauspiscous signs during the Second Punic War (the one with Hannibal) including a failed harvest and famine, the Romans consulted the Sybilline Books and discovered that Rome would triumph if they brought the cult of Cybele to the city. After confirming the prophecy with the Oracle of Delphi, they brought the cult image of Cybele to the city, just in time for Hannibal to be defeated.
Δεῖμος | Formīdō / Metūs
Brother of Phobos (and, like him, had a moon of Mars named after him), and the son of Ares, Deimos is the god of terror 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. He's also the namesake of the smaller of Mars' two moons.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of terror.
Δίκη
Goddess of mortal justice and fair judgment. She is sometimes counted among the Horae. As a daughter of Zeus and Themis, she was sent to Earth to help maintain order among mankind. She would reward virtue and punish the guilty. Eventually, she grew tired and disgusted with humanity's wickedness. She fled back to Olympus where she reports to Zeus the evil deeds of man and the perverted judgments of justice so he can punish them accordingly.- God of Good: She's the god of fairness and moral judgement.
- Golden Age: Said to have enjoyed the company of Golden Age humans and been much kinder. As each subsequent race of men was increasingly wicked she became less caring and merciful.
- Physical God
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: She fled Earth because as the goddess of justice, the injustice of humanity was too much for her.
Δόλος | Mendacius
God of trickery and guile, the master of masters at cunning deception, craftiness, and treachery. A patron to would-be chessmasters everywhere. Was an apprentice to Prometheus. Possibly a child of Nyx or Gaia.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of lies and treachery.
- Consummate Liar: The god OF it.
- The Trickster: A primordial example, predating many of the other more famous tricksters in the Greco-Roman pantheon but often outshined by them.
Δυσνομία
Daughter of Eris, and goddess of Lawlessness (though some call her a daemon), and was considered similar to Ate. Didn't figure much in Greek myth. Eris the dwarf planet has a moon named after her.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of lawlessness.
- Anarchy Is Chaos: In a sense. She can be considered a personification of anarchy and her mother is Eris, goddess of strife.
- Odd Job Gods: The god of Anarchy, and one of Eris's many divine children.
Εἰλείθυια
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 it's agreed upon generally that her mother is Hera, her father's identity is disputed.- Butt-Monkey: Her most common role in mythology is to get kidnapped by Hera so one of Zeus's illegitimate kids won't be born until she gets released.
- Canon Immigrant: More than likely did not originate from Greece but with the Minoans of Crete.
- Designated Victim: Most famously for Hera.
- Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Is on the receiving end of this. Galanthis tricks her into thinking that Alcmene has already given birth despite Eileithyia's attempts to prevent it.
- Flat Character: Was well known among Greeks, but has few stories, and little is developed of her character, other than "chronic victim of Hera".
- Physical God
- Satellite Character: She only appears alongside Hera in the myths. Theologically speaking her domain is an extension of Hera's.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Hera instructed her to delay Heracles's birth, which Eileithyia managed to achieve by focusing on prolonging Alcmene's labor. Alcmene's maid Galanthis eventually realized what was going on and told Eileithyia that the baby had already been born, which shocked the goddess enough to break her concentration and allow Alcmene to finally give birth.
Ἔλεος | Clēmentia
One of the many children of Nyx. The goddess and personification of pity, mercy, clemency, and compassion. Because she is entity or force, rather than a person, she lacks a defined appearance in Greek mythology, with the only consistency in her appearances being that she is a young woman with a blue veil or dress. A very hard god to deal with even by her worshippers, she is is shy, weak, sad, constantly depressed, filled with grief and mentally vulnerable all the damn time, even when there is no good reason to be so. In Rome, her counterpart is Clementia.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of pity, mercy, clemency and compassion.
Endovelicus
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 Portuguese.- Canon Immigrant: As stated, he originated from Lusitanian Mythology.
- Healer God
- Hijacked by Jesus: Being a god of light was apparently enough for the Christians to identify him as Lucifer after pagan religions were replaced by Christianity.
- Inexplicably Awesome: As the result of being an addition from a different religion, he never quite fit into the scheme of the pantheon. and we don't really know what his deal was.
- Light 'em Up
- Light Is Good
- Physical God
- Spell My Name With An S: Aendovelicus and, in Portuguese, Endovaelico are alternative spellings/pronounciations of the name.
Ἐνυώ | Bellōna / Duellōna
A war goddess alongside Ares, she was his companion and counterpart and occasionally his wife. 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' 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.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of destruction.
- Blood Knight: Possibly the biggest one in the Greek Pantheon, even beating out Ares! Notably, when Zeus went up against Typhon, a creature that all the Greek gods feared, she refused to take sides, instead she delighted in watching the conflict from afar!
- Breakout Character: By comparing it to her Greek conflation, Bellona was far more prominent than Enyo, with her arguably taking the title of the pantheon's predominant War Goddess from Minerva/Athena. Bellona remained depicted in art long after the Roman Empire's fall as a symbol of war as well (for example, Shakespeare references her in Macbeth) — indeed, ancient Roman visual depictions of her haven't seemed to have survived. From the constant Roman perspective over the years though, Bellona's name just only changed as she was a popularly-worshiped goddess among the Romans long before their religion merged with the Greeks. Funnily enough, while various Roman worship practices of her remain pretty known by historians even before she was merged with Enyo, actual myths involving her are scant.
- Brother–Sister Incest: With Ares, but you should be used to this by now.
- God of Evil: She was essentially the goddess of War Is Hell.
- Physical God: She's a divine companion of Ares.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Also part of her MO.
- War Goddess: A companion of Ares who oversaw the conflict between Zeus and Typhon, though she refused to take a side.
- War Is Hell: She makes it like this and would have it no other way.
Ἠπιόνη
The Greek goddess of the soothing of pain, the wife of Asklepios, and the mother of some of his children.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of soothing pain.
- Odd Job Gods: A minor medical god associated with the more prominent Asclepius, specifically providing over painkillers.
Ἔρις | Discordia
The goddess of Strife and Discord, she is known 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, resulting in her being also thought of as the daughter of Zeus and Hera, 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. A dwarf planet is named after her... rather appropriately, it's the one that sparked the creation of "dwarf planet" as a category and led to Pluto's demotion. Eris would absolutely be proud.- Affably Evil: A common interpretation of her.
- Always Chaotic Evil: Her whole character, however, Discordianism makes her much nicer.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of discord.
- Apple of Discord: Her symbol is the Trope Namer, best known for when she used it to start the Trojan War.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Possibly the case. She leads Typhon into battle in his fight against Zeus but doesn't seem to personally confront Ares, who is her close companion and friend.
- Chaos Is Evil: Generally seen as one of the more malevolent goddesses.
- Competition Freak: Sometimes combined with Friendly Rivalry; just like some philosophers did with Aphrodite, Hesiod declared that there were two goddesses named Eris. The "common" Eris is the one who represents her usual characterization as a dark goddess of strife and hatred... and a "heavenly" Eris, who represents the "healthy" competition between athletes, businesses, and artisans and causes them to "strive" to better themselves and their trade/art.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Started the Trojan War over not being invited to a wedding.
- Evil Is Petty: It's hard to top starting a gigantic war for not being invited to a wedding.
- For the Evulz: About 90% of her actions, to be expected from the personification of discord.
- God of Evil: Exists to cause chaos through inciting conflict and discord, and was thought to be behind most bad things that plauged Earth, either directly or through her many kids. She's also the Greater-Scope Villain of the Trojan war, having incited it by causing an argument between Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Of the Trojan War. She instigated the whole conflict, but the war was mainly fought between the Greeks and Trojans; the Big Bad, in this case, was Paris. As per other legends about Greek deities, she was not punished for it.
- Mother of a Thousand Young: Eris has had MANY children, all of them terrible. The children she gave birth to probably did about as much damage to the Earth and all the people on it as the things released from Pandora's Box. See individual entries above and below.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Most legends described her as one of Nyx's numerous terrible children, but in the story that she is most associated with, the Trojan Cycle, she was equated with Enyo, a daughter of Zeus and Hera. It's clear, however, that the two aren't the same, since during the battle with Typhon, they were mentioned separately: Eris seemed to take Typhon's side, while Enyo became a sort of the battle's ring girl.
- Nightmare Fetishist: She adores Ares for the same reason most hate him, namely his wake of violence and blood.
- No Love for the Wicked: Possibly — despite having many, many, many kids, Eris was never depicted as having any lovers, having conceived all of her children on her own, without the help of a father. Unlike explicit virgin goddesses like Athena, Hestia and Artemis or the Furies, Eris was depicted in a far more negative light.
- RevengeSVP: The Ur-Example. You know Maleficent's curse to Aurora? It's based on Eris's tale. Unlike Maleficent, though, Eris didn't get punished for doing that.
- Sadly Mythtaken: Was not the goddess of chaos. The role of god of chaos went to Chaos themself. Eris was the goddess of discord, as in infighting, arguing, and conflict.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Eris was not invited to Peleus and Thetis's wedding because she's a big troublemaker. And made a lot of trouble did she ever...
- Token Evil Teammate: The only god who took Typhon's side during his battle with Zeus, besides Gaia herself (who was behind the war in the first place). And like Gaia, she managed to get away for it! (But poor Typhon...)
- The Trickster: A malevolent example.
- Troll: She provokes other gods just to get a reaction out of them or see what their BerserkButtons are.
- Truly Single Parent: None of her children have a father and unlike her mother Nyx, who is sometimes depicted as conceiving her children with her husband's help, Eris is never depicted as having a lover to conceive her kids with.
- Winged Humanoid: One of the most famous depictions of her◊ shows her with large feathered wings.
Ἔρως | Cupīdō
See Classical Mythology Protogenoi.Εὐκλεία
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: Of glory.
- Odd Job Gods: Essentially the goddess of good publicity.
Εὔφημος
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: Of praise and triumph.
Εὐρυνόμη
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.- Parental Substitute: She and Thetis served as this to Hephaestus after he was thrown from Mount Olympus as a baby, raising him as he gradually honed his talents as a craftsman.
- Physical God: A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys.
Εὐθηνία
Greek goddess of prosperity, who had three sisters: Eucleia, Philophrosyne, and Eupheme. Sometimes regarded as a younger Charity, along with her sisters. She and her sisters' parents were Hephaestus and Aglaea.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of prosperity.
Χλωρίς | Flōra
Flora was one of several Roman goddesses associated with spring, grain and flowers, first worshipped by other Italic tribes. Her feast, the Floralia ran from April 28 to May 3 and was a bit raucous. Chloris, whom the Romans identified with Flora, was a nymph and minor godess of flowers who was married to the god of spring and the west wind, Zephyrus.- Ascended Extra: Flora was one of the older Roman gods who lost importance in the myths as the Romans syncretised their gods with the Greek Pantheon, and her Greek 'counterpart', Chloris, is specifically named as a nymph. However over a thousand years later Flora achieved widespread popularity in Renaissance and Baroque art.
- Ethical Slut: One of her cognomina was meretrix, "whore", and she was generally seen as a kind goddess responsible for spring.
- Fertile Feet: A variation; in poetry Flora's breath is said to turn into petals and blossoms as she speaks.
- Green Thumb: It comes with her domain.
- Heaven: Chloris is sometimes said to reside in the Elysian Fields.
- Mystical Pregnancy: Not Flora or Chloris herself, but in Roman myth she was said to have possessed a magical flower that could induce one of these in women. In one myth she loaned that flower to Juno, who used it to become pregnant with Vulcan.
- Physical God: As with the other gods.
- Transflormation: In some versions of the myths, Flora is behind the various person-to-flower transformations in Classical Mythology.
Γῆρας | Senectus
The god of old age, and the counterpart to Hebe (Youth). It was said that 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: Of old age.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Vase art implies that, much like Thanatos, Heracles defeated Geras and died in his prime.
- Odd Job Gods: He's the god of old age, contrasting with Hebe the goddess of youth.
- Super-Persistent Predator: A symbolic variant, as old age will always catch up to us at some point.
Γλαῦκος
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, and 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. note- Amazing Technicolor Population: Had blue skin and copper-green hair.
- Chick Magnet: Scylla aside, a number of women (and men) find him attractive. The ladies: Circe, Ariadne (over whom he briefly tussled with Dionysus), Syme, and Hydne. The guys: Nereus and Melicertes. Not bad for a guy with fish parts.
- Curiosity Is a Crapshoot: Accidentally dropped one of his fish on an herb that brought it back to life, then decided give it a shot for himself. Now he's a god, albeit one whose body was fundamentally changed.
- Famous Ancestor: He's one to Glaucus of Carystus (a renowned boxer) and the Cumaean Sibyl. By whom, exactly, isn't clear.
- God Of Human Origin: One of the few mortals to achieve divinity.
- Physical God: One of many sea-gods.
- Power-Up Food: One writer explained that the magical herb was specific to an island holy to Helios and was used to refresh his horses. Another said it was dogs-tooth grass, sown by Cronus.
- Seers: Learned the art of prophecy. During the search for the Golden Fleece, he showed up and gave advice to the adventurers, particularly Heracles, Castor, and Pollux to whom he related tales of their future adventures and eventual deification.
Ἁρμονία | Concordia
A slightly complicated instance of Greco-Roman syncretism. Concordia was an old Roman personification of concord and symbolized the opposite of Discordia/Eris. Because of the similar meanings of their names, she was commonly associated with a strangely mortal daughter of Ares and Aphrodite (or a daughter of Zeus and the Pleiad Electra), Harmonia. In her own myth, Harmonia married the Phoenician prince Cadmus, with whom she conceived six children, one of whom, Semele, became the mother of Dionysus, making Harmonia also Dionysus's grandmother. She is most well-known for her necklace, the Necklace of Harmonia, which ironically brought misfortune to all who came in possession of it.- Adaptational Badass: In Greek mythology, Harmonia is a mortal who eventually gets turned into a snake. Her 'counterpart' in Roman mythology, Concordia, is a full-fledged goddess of concord and harmony who is said to nourish all of creation and inhabit a palace that is four times the size of the entire universe.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Concordia is this of harmony.
- Artifact of Doom: Her namesake necklace, which was highly coveted despite being cursed due to its ability allow the wearer to retain her youth and beauty. Its most famous victims include Semele, who died after demanding to see Zeus's true form, and Jocasta, the mother and wife of Oedipus.
- Divine Parentage: Harmonia, who was the only mortal child of Ares and Aphrodite.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: She was given to Cadmus as a reward for serving her father Ares for eight years after killing a dragon sacred to Ares. Nevertheless, she clearly loved him dearly, as when she saw he had been turned into a snake, she begged the gods to let her share his fate.
- Revenge by Proxy: Is on the receiving end of this from Hephaestus, whom Harmonia's mother Aphrodite had cuckolded with Ares, Harmonia's father. For her wedding present, he gives her an intricately crafted necklace, henceforth known as the Necklace of Harmonia, that allows any woman who wears it to remain eternally young and beautiful but will also bring misfortune to anyone who comes into contact with it, thus making it partially responsible for the various tragedies that befall Harmonia's descendants. Her daughter Semele wore it when approached by Hera in disguise and was subsequently tricked by the goddess into demanding Zeus reveal his true form to Semele, leading to her being instantly incinerated into ashes. The necklace was later passed on to Jocasta, whose lasting youth and beauty from the necklace resulted in her marrying her own son Oedipus.
- Standard Hero Reward: Harmonia was presented to Cadmus as a reward for becoming the king of Thebes. To be fair, she did love him genuinely, to the point of choosing to be Together in Death rather than live without him.
- Together in Death: When Cadmus was turned into a serpent, Harmonia decided to indulge herself in solitary with the serpent in a pool of wine, grieving every day. The gods decided to turn her also into a serpent as well.
Ἥβη | Iūventās
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. The Illiad, however, seems to imply that Hebe was a cupbearer at the same time as 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. In Roman mythology, she is known as Juventas.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the youth/prime of life.
- Eternal Love: In most traditions, she had this with Herakles after he Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence.
- Gratuitous Princess: One of her epithets was "Ganymeda", which can be translated to "gladdening princess". She also appears to be referred to as "Basilia" occasionally, which translates to "princess".
- Princess Classic: Her role as a cupbearer and assistant to her mother/brother appear to be typical tasks assigned to unmarried girls in high ranking households, appropriate for the daughter of the King and Queen of Olympus.
- The Ageless: While eternal youth is a characteristic of most of the Olympian gods, Hebe is of special mention since some classical authors outright state that she is the reason for the other gods remaining young.
- Winged Humanoid: Occasionally presented in art with wings, which has led to her being confused with Iris and Nike.
Ἑρμαφροδιτος
The child of Hermes and Aphrodite (hence their name), Hermaphroditus had the very niche godly domain of intersex individuals and effeminacy. In the older myths, they were named because their features were a perfect mix of their parents—having their mother's breasts and their father's genitalia. Later myths (started by Ovid) depict them as having originally been a boy who was almost raped by a nymph, but the nymph wished to never be parted from him... which led to the two being merged into one, a being with the features of both a man and a woman. Obviously, we get the word "hermaphrodite" from them.- Ambiguous Gender: Hermaphroditus is usually referred to in ancient texts with male pronouns and as Hermes' "son", but this is more likely to be due to Values Dissonance.
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: They inheretited Hermes' equipment.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: They inherited Aphrodite's breasts, which made them even more attractive.
- Everybody Wants the Hermaphrodite: Often portrayed as extremely beautiful. Hardly a surprise, seeing as they're the progeny of Aphrodite and Hermes.
- Exact Words: The gods granted Salmacis's wish to never be parted from Hermaphroditus by merging their bodies together into a being with physical traits from both a man and a woman.
- Hermaphrodite: They're likely the Ur-Example in storytelling, though they're a variant—they only appear to have male reproductive organs, but their body also has the features of a woman, most notably their breasts.
- Meaningful Name: Their name is a portmanteau of "Hermes" and "Aphrodite" and their body is described as a perfect mix of both their parents.
- Odd Job Gods: They were the deity of effeminacy and intersex individuals.
- Romantic Fusion: Ovid's Metamorphoses sort of deconstructs this trope by portraying Hermaphroditus as having been born a boy and nearly raped by a Naiad, who then wished for him to never leave her. The gods responded by merging them into a single being that can't be called male or female.
- Trope Namer: For "hermaphrodite," of course.
- Winged Humanoid: Ancient artwork depicts them as having wings. They are sometimes depicted as a member of the Erotes.
Όμαδος
God of the noise of battle and all the blood-curdling screaming that implies. Similar to Kydoimos. Was also listed as a member of the Makhai, and therefore presumably a son of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of battle- specifically, noise caused by battle.
- War God: Of a kind.
- Odd Job Gods: He is the god of the noise of battle. Not anything that actually happens in battle, just how it sounds.
Ὁμόνοια
A minor goddess of concord, unanimity, and oneness of mind. Was so similar to Harmonia as to sometimes be equated with her.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of wholeness of mind.
- Odd Job Gods: Her domain was so minor and so close to Harmonia's that they were often equated with each other.
Ὅρκος | Orcus
A rather obscure character. The god or daemon of oaths who inflicted punishment upon perjurers. A son of Eris. Most people are more familiar with his Roman counterpart: Orcus- or at least, the Demon Prince who bears his name. Some later authors conflated him with Thanatos.- Ascended Extra: Compared to his Greek version (who is basically a footnote and all but forgotten by modern audiences) Orcus was far more popular, often rivalling Pluto for the position of chief God of the Underworld. Monuments to Orcus still survive into the modern day.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: In a sense. He is the spirit of oaths, or more specifically, false oaths, and the one that deals out punishment for making false oaths.
- Handicapped Badass: In one Aesop fable, he appears as a lame man.
- Humanoid Abomination: Is said to have a son with no name that serves as his personal attack dog. This son lacks hands or feet yet can move with incredible speed to hunt down a target and destroy them.
- Knight Templar: The aforementioned Aesop fable describes how he drags an oath-breaker off a cliff!
- In another story an oracle mentions that even considering going back on an oath can be enough to encur his wrath.
- Orcus on His Throne: Averted, despite being (Sort of) the Trope Namer. He was actually quite active and wandered the earth searching for evil-doers.
- Physical God
Ὑγιεία | Valetudo / Salūs
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 with 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: Of health.
- Healing Serpent: She is the goddess of good health, cleanliness, and sanitation. She is also affiliated with snakes as the trope requires, often being accompanied by one.
- Odd Job Gods: A minor medicine god of health and good hygiene.
Ὕπνος | Somnus
The personification of Sleep, son of Nyx and Erebos and twin brother of Thanatos. Generally not shunned like his twin brother, who is always 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 angry Nyx. Apparently, Hypnos disturbed Zeus a few more times but always ran behind his mom for protection afterward. His Roman counterpart is Somnus.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of sleep.
- Birds of a Feather: Hypnos, the personification of sleep, married Pasithea, the personification of rest and relaxation.
- Happily Married: Believed to be this with Pasithea, the youngest of the Graces.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and his twin brother Thanatos were often seen together in art.
- Homoerotic Subtext: Selene (Moon) once asked Hypnos to put her mortal lover, Endymion, to eternal sleep as an alternative method of immortality. One text said Hypnos was stunned by Endymion's beauty and causes him to sleep with his eyes open, so he could admire Endymion's full face.
- Karma Houdini: While most gods are, he deserves special mention for avoiding Zeus' Bolt of Divine Retribution.
- Momma's Boy: Whenever he angered Zeus, he always found a way to escape his wrath by hiding behind his mother.
- Physical God
- Sibling Team: With his twin brother Thanatos.
- Sleep Cute: With his brother, Thanatos sometimes. Awwwww!◊
- Sleepyhead: Unsurprisingly, he was often depicted asleep.
Ἰασώ / Ἰησώ
Daughter of Asclepius and the goddess of recuperation from illness.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of recuperation.
- Flat Character: Very little is known about Iaso in the grand scheme of things.
- Odd Job Gods: One of a number of minor medical gods associated with Asclepius. In her case, she is the goddess of recuperation after healing/illness.
Ἰωκή
The goddess of onslaught. She was another member of the Makhai. Sometimes considered to be the same as Proioxis. Presumably a daughter of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of onslaught.
- Physical God
- War Goddess
Ἶρις
The goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods, as well as a goddess of the sea and sky. She links the gods to humanity and travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other, and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the rainbow.
- Attempted Rape: She once interfered with Dionysus' cult, and the satyrs almost raped her for that.
- Everything's Better with Rainbows: Uses rainbows to connect Earth, Hades, and all other realms together.
- Meaningful Name: "Iris" is Greek for rainbow.
- Physical God: As the personification of a rainbow.
- Distaff Counterpart: Hermes, the Olympian messenger god.
- Winged Humanoid: Iris has golden wings.
- Deity of Human Origin: Sometimes considered to be this, having been an early king of Latium in his (mortal) life.
- Two-Faced: Quite literally.
Κακίαν
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 wears revealing clothing. Her job was to try to lead others to fall into evil.- Big Beautiful Woman: As part of her embodying every vice she is depicted as both overweight (gluttony) and provocatively dressed (lust).
- The Corrupter: Her job is to tempt humans away from Arete and into embracing the vice she embodies.
- Evil Counterpart: Kakia is the opposite of Arete, representing degredation of character via embracing sin.
- God of Evil: The god of vice and sin.
- Makeup Is Evil: Is depicted as wearing heavy makeup to demonstrate the sins of Lust and/or Pride.
- Satanic Archetype: Though predating contact between the cultures, she obviously comes off as the Greek version of Satan as an archetype of The Tempter.
Χάρων
The Ferryman of the River Styx, where he helps the souls of the dead to cross, for a small price. Coins were placed in the mouths of the dead to pay the ferryman's toll.- The Ferry Man
- Fire Ball Eyeballs: Charon is sometimes described as having burning balls of fire for eyes.
- Invisible Parents: A rather unique case among Greek gods as his parentage is never mentioned in any ancient source.
- Meaningful Name: One interpretation of his name is "fierce-" or "flashing eyes", and as mentioned above this may indicate actual fire.
- Odd Job Gods: If you were to say what he was actually the god of, you'd be forced to admit he was the god of his boat. This is especially notable when compared to other chthonic gods, who were often The Dreaded: Nemesis is perhaps the ultimate The Dreaded for the whole mythos, Eris was singled out as this over fellow war god Ares and fellow trickster Hermes for exclusion from Thetis's wedding, and Thanatos is a far greater and more feared example of a psychopomp. Other Underworld gods include the embodiments of Doom, Sleep, and Hemera, goddess of Day, who was equal to the Protogenoi. Charon, meanwhile... drove a boat.
- Only in It for the Money: Seems to be the reason why he makes you pay him. Getting a free ride for him is a noteworthy feat.
- Psychopomp: Escorts the shades of the deceased across the river Styx.
Κράτος
No, not that Kratos. This Kratos, or Cratus (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 bound Prometheus.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of strength and power
- Meaningful Name: His name is literally the Ancient Greek word meaning strength or power, which he is also the God of.
- Our Angels Are Different: Same as his two preceding siblings
- Irony: Kratos, acting as an agent of Zeus, instructs Hephaestus to chain Prometheus to a rock. Kratos says "I do not have the nerve myself to bind with force a kindred god upon this rocky cleft assailed by cruel winter. Yet, come what may, I am constrained to summon courage to this deed" which is ironic if you met Prometheus in God of War II, where the character with his namesake doesn't hesitate to kill him.
Κυδοιμός
Another god of battle, though he also represents confusion, uproar, and ruckus in general. Listed as a member of the Makhai, and presumably a son of Eris. Similar to Homados.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of confusion, uproar and ruckus.
- War God
Λήθη
Not the river in the Underworld, though the river has power over memory and is associated with her, she is the Greek Goddess of forgetfulness and oblivion. Usually seen as a child of Eris, some identify the river with her. It was said those who went to Hades had to drink from the river before reincarnation so that they wouldn't remember past lives.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of oblivion.
- Forgettable Character: In a sense. One reference to the goddess Lethe described her as "dull", which could be taken to mean her appearance was unremarkable, or, well, forgettable. And it is possible that anyone that drank the water of the river Lethe would also forget meeting the goddess.
Λιμός | Famēs
Daughter of Eris, Goddess of Starvation. Was opposed by Demeter and Plutus, who was also the god of plentiful harvest. Ovid states that she finds her home in the frozen wastes near Scythia where nothing grows in the barren soil. Demeter once asked her to take revenge on someone, as Greek gods and goddesses are wont to do, and it turned out horribly for the target.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of starvation.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Was tasked by Demeter with giving someone eternal hunger in revenge for cutting down a sacred tree (which, to be fair, was also a dryad, so the guy had committed murder). She did, and the poor sod ate himself.
- Nightmare Face: Her description is...rather unpleasant.
- Odd Job Gods: God of starvation.
Λύσσα | Ira / Fūror / Rabiēs
Lyssa, yet another daughter of Nyx, was the Greek spirit/goddess of mad rage, frenzy and rabies in animals. Whether or not that makes her the goddess of the Hate Plague or the Crossed is up for debate. Her Roman equivalent had multiple names, including Ira, Furor, or Rabies. She sprung from the blood of Ouranos after he was castrated by Cronos and is the one who inflicted the insanity on Hercules, at Hera's behest, that caused him to murder his own family. She's also used her mad skills on several other occasions. Connected to her are the Maniae (singular Mania) who are spirits that personify Insanity, madness and crazed frenzy and are presumed to be children of Nyx as well.- Always Chaotic Evil: Subverted, in that despite what she represents, Lyssa is maybe one of the nicest of Nyx's children, in sharp contrast to Eris, and never uses her powers on friends. To whit, she only ever uses her powers at the behest of other gods and goddesses, usually to right some perceived wrong, or, in Hera's case, because they are the assholes.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of rage.
- Blessed with Suck: She doesn't like the way her powers affect people, and usually only uses them because deities more powerful than her, outnumbering he, or both in the case of Hera and Iris pressuring Lyssa to curse Heracles, coerce Lyssa into using them against targets of their wratch In such situations Lyssa's powers don't really work well as a deterrent or form of self defense.
- Noble Demon: Not exactly a demon, but unlike most of the other less than likable beings on this page, Lyssa takes no pleasure in what she does and even tried to talk Hera down from her original plan before relenting.
Μαῖα
Eldest of the Pleiad Nymphs, Maia was the daughter of the Titan Atlas and his lover Pleione and is most well-known for being the mother of Hermes. She was a loving, nurturing parent, but known to be rather shy and thus didn't concern herself with the Olympians, preferring to live her life in a cave in Arcadia, though Hermes did make sure she got the recognition she deserved by becoming an Olympian himself. In some stories, she was also the adoptive mother of Arcas, the son of Zeus and Callisto.- Good Parents: Was a kind and loving mother to Hermes and Arcas, which is even reflected in her name.
- Mama Bear: In some tellings, part of the reason she lived in a cave was to keep Hermes safe from Hera's wrath, though Hermes had other ideas...
- Mama Didn't Raise No Criminal: Refused to believe Apollo when he tells her Hermes stole a herd of cattle from him. Granted, her son was barely even a day old.
- Meaningful Name: Maia is Greek for "nurturing mother" and Maia was a mother who cared not only for Hermes but also Arcas.
- Non-Human Humanoid Hybrid: Daughter of a Titan and an Oceanid Nymph.
- Parental Obliviousness: Depending on the Writer, she is either utterly oblivious of the mischief her son gets into on the day he's born or sees right through his innocence act and scolds him.
- Shrinking Violet: Along with being Hermes' mother, she's most well-known for being one of these; the reason she hid away in a cave was partly due to the fact that Hera would mess her up if she found out about Hermes and partly because she was shy and preferred to live on her own.
Μακαρία
A daughter of Hades and goddess of "blessed death."- Canon Foreigner: The only mention of her is from the Suda, a post-Christian Byzantine encyclopedia that was written long after the Ancient Greek traditions fell out of practice.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Is called Hades' daughter but no mother is mentioned. Persephone would be the obvious choice but nothing is confirmed.
- Psychopomp: Possibly. It would make sense if Makaria was a psychopomp for the souls that go to Elysium/The Isles of the Blessed, but this is not confirmed.
Μηλινόη
An obscure chthonic goddess associated with nightmares, ghosts, madness, the Moon, and witchcraft.- Born of Heaven and Hell: Downplayed as "Heaven" and "Hell" are not quite the right words to use, but Melinoe's dual nature comes from being the offspring of both Olympus and the Underworld.
- Child of Two Worlds: Regardless of her father's identity, she was seen as a child of both Olympus and the Underworld.
- Cool Big Sis: She is the dark, moody big sister of Plutus. (Even when the two have different parents)
- Dark Is Not Evil: The hymn asks Melinoë to show her initiates "a kind and holy face."
- Decomposite Character: Is occasionally seen as an aspect of Hecate. Her Orphic backstory also shares similarities to that of her brother Zagreus.
- Driven to Madness: She inflicts this upon mortals by showing them hallucinations and nightmares.
- Duality Motif: The nightmares that she creates are "sometimes dark and sometimes bright," and she may be a Child of Two Worlds. Her mother, Persephone, is also described as "two-bodied" when she was conceived.
- Extra Parent Conception: One interpretation of the Orphic Hymn to Melinoë is that she is the daughter of both Zeus and Hades.
- Lunacy: A goddess of madness who is occasionally also considered a moon goddess.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Her mother is definitely Persephone, but the father could be either Zeus or Hades (or sometimes both)
- Nightmare Fetishist: A given, seeing as she's the goddess of nightmares or ghosts.
Μίνθη
A Naiad nymph, who became Hades' mistress either before or during his marriage to Persephone. She was killed and turned into a mint plant by either Persephone herself or Demeter.- Blasphemous Boast: In one version, after Hades left her for Persephone, she boasted that she was better than her and that Hades would soon make her the Queen of the Underworld. Demeter was not amused.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: She was trampled to death. What little was left of her became the mint plant.
- Forced Transformation: She was trampled to death and turned into a mint plant either by Persephone for sleeping with Hades, or by Demeter for saying that she is better than Persephone and that Hades would soon return to her arms.
- "Just So" Story: The myth explains the origins of mint, and why it was associated with the cults of Demeter, Persephone and Hades.
- Kick the Dog: Literally - she was kicked to death.
- Meaningful Name: Her name means, of course, mint.
- The Lost Lenore: She is this for Hades; in one version, when Persephone killed her after she found them together, he turned the remains of his dead lover into the mint plant.
- The Missus and the Ex: Persephone killed her once she discovered her with Hades.
- The Mistress: She was this for Hades. Versions vary on whether this was before his marriage to Persephone or after.
- The One That Got Away: Hades is this for her.
- Big Eater: One of the most common depictions of Mithras is him sharing a large feast with Sol (usually consisting of the bull he killed), and his worship involved a whole lot of communal feasting.
- Born as an Adult: Various art in mithraeums shows Mithras being born from a rock as an adult.
- Mystery Cult: The Mithraic Mysteries was a very popular mystery cult in the Roman empire. Membership was restricted to men only (though some branches might have allowed female initiates), there were 7 levels of initiation, and they worshipped in temples that were called 'mithraeums' and made to look like caves (because the bull-killing took place in a cave). Little is known about their actual rites or theology, but they seemed to include feasting, animal sacrifice, re-enactments of scenes from Mithras's life, and question-and-answer recitals. Initiates were also put in a pit to undergo ordeals to rise in rank.
- The Power of the Sun: One of the few holdovers from Mithra is that Mithras is friends with Sol Invictus.
Μῶμος
Yet, another child of Nyx, Momus was the god of satire, mockery, censure, writers, and poets. 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 mankind 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 he 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 to 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.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of mockery.
- Deadpan Snarker: Snarked about The Trojan War. Among other things.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Many later writers identified more with the 'satire and criticism' part and not the 'unfair blame and slander' part and emphasized his nature as the former. It doesn't hurt that Values Dissonance means that people are more likely to agree with his critiques of the pantheon.
- Lampshade Hanging: Did this beautifully with Zeus, and the other gods, calling out all their faults in a truly epic fashion
- Odd Job Gods: The god of mockery and criticism.
- Take That!: Was probably a take that to people like him, but really ended being a take that to the Greek gods themselves.
Μόρος
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: Of doom.
- Doomy Dooms of Doom: He's the god of doom.
- God of Evil: God of Doom, and makes sure that mortals suffer horrible fates.
Νέμεσις | Invidia
This goddess with a hell of a name was the personification of revenge, in particular, that of divine judgment for hubris before the gods, and was the daughter of Nyx. Her Roman equal was Invidia.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of revenge.
- The Determinator
- Disproportionate Retribution: Averted. By her nature, all her judgments are absolutely correct.
- The Dreaded: Notably one of the few deities that nobody dared cross intentionally, since interfering in divine judgment of hubris is itself hubris. Even Zeus avoided angering her.
- Humanoid Abomination: Has virtually no personality outside of fulfillment of her duties. Unlike other mythical figures who are simply undetailed, Nemesis just doesn't care. Her judgments are her own, and nobody second-guesses them.
- Sadly Mythtaken: She is the distributor of fortune, both good and bad. Mind, winning the lottery isn't as impressive as inescapable, inexorable revenge.
- The Stoic: Absolutely uncaring of anyone and anything that does not fall within her judgment, and even then, is an impassive, implacable force of nature — something like an ancient, Greek Judge Dredd.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite the frequency of mortals defying gods in myth, Nemesis doesn't always show up to pronounce judgment. This is particularly true if other gods themselves take a direct hand in avenging hubris. In the long run, the mortals might be better off if she doesn't show.
- Winged Humanoid: Often portrayed as a woman with wings.
- Hermit Guru: Similar to Proteus, who is also known as the "Old Man of the Sea," Nereus was very wise and possessed prophetic powers but is extremely reluctant to share his knowledge with heroes unless they quite literally wrestle it out of him.
- One-Steve Limit: Known as "The Old Man of the Sea," but this title has also been applied to Proteus, Triton, and even Pontus.
- Physical God
- Sapping the Shapeshifter: Though he was commonly depicted as more honorable and honest than Proteus, he would only grant his knowledge to those who could best him in combat. As such, heroes hoping to learn from him - like Heracles, for example - would have to win a wrestling match with him, during which he would attempt to shapeshift out of their grip until they could finally exhaust and best him.
- Single Sex Offspring: Has fifty-one children with his wife Doris, only the youngest of whom is male.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: While never depicted as ugly per se, he was usually depicted as an old man with a big bushy beard, while his daughters and especially his son Nerites are considered beautiful.
- Will Not Tell a Lie: Famous for his honesty and willingness to give heroes straightforward answers, unlike the oracles. As long as you can best him at wrestling, that is.
Νηρίτης
God of Shellfish and in some versions, the charioteer of the sea. He was the son of Nereus and Doris and the only brother among the Nereids. Some versions say that he was Aphrodite's lover and that he offended her by declining an offer to go to Olympus. Others say that he was a lover of Poseidon, only to offend Helios for unknown reasons (some say Helios wanted him for himself, others say that Nerites boasted about his chariot skills). Either way, every version of Nerites got turned into a shellfish or snail.- Butt-Monkey: In both myths about him, he's turned into a snail for petty reasons.
- The Dutiful Son: Seems to have been this. He refused to leave his family to live with Aphrodite on Mount Olympus, even when given a pair of wings.
- Differing Priorities Breakup: His relationship with Aphrodite ended after the latter became an Olympian. She wanted Nerites to join her on Mount Olympus, while he refused to leave his sisters and parents behind in the ocean, even after Aphrodite gave him a pair of wings. This being Aphrodite, she responded by turning him into a shellfish, taking back the wings, and giving them to Eros.
- Forced Transformation: Into a shellfish or sea snail.
- Happily Married: They weren't officially married, but his relationship with Poseidon was considered such a beautiful spectacle that it could easily be considered this.And so, as I am told, of the rest the favourite spent his time with his lover, and moreover when Poseidon drove his chariot over the waves, all together great fishes as well as dolphins and Tritones too, sprang up from their deep haunts and gambolled and danced around the chariot, only to be left utterly and far behind by the speed of his horses; only the boy favourite was his escort close at hand, and before them the waves sank to rest and the sea parted out of reverence to Poseidon, for the god willed that his beautiful favourite should not only be highly esteemed for other reasons but should also be pre-eminent at swimming.
- Homosexual Reproduction: His union with Poseidon spawned Anteros, God of Mutual Love.
- Lover and Beloved: With Poseidon.
- Odd Job Gods: God of Shellfish.
- The One Guy: The only male Nereid.
- The Power of Love: His and Poseidon's union was one of mutual love. Mind you, that alone is huge by Greek Mythology standards.
- Pretty Boy: Famous for his beauty.
- Settle for Sibling: Possibly the case. Poseidon married Nerites's sister Amphitrite, but it's not confirmed whether this was after his and Nerites's relationship.
- Stuck in Their Shadow: Unlike the rest of his family, Nerites was never mentioned by epic poets despite being popular among mariners' folklore.
- Winged Humanoid: In the Aphrodite version of the myth. His wings were given to Eros after his transformation.
Νίκη | Victōria
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 (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 hernote , she does have a brand of shoe! Her Roman counterpart was Victoria.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of victory.
- Physical God
- War Goddess: Specifically of the victorious aspect of war.
- Winged Humanoid: She's often portrayed as this, with one of her more iconic statues of her literally being call "Winged Victory".
Ὀϊζύς | Miseria
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: Of misery.
Παλίωξις | Προΐωξις
The goddesses of the backrush and onrush of battle respectively. The two were sisters, and were listed as members of the Makhai, and presumably daughters of Eris.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the back rush and onrush of battle.
- War Goddess: One ushered battle in, one saw it peter out.
- Odd Job Gods: Two of Classical Mythology's variety of highly specific war gods.
Πάν | Faunus
Son of Hermes. God of nature, mountains, shepherds and sexuality (especially males). A satyr-like trickster 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 his uncle 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 the root of the word "Panic".- Beast Man: He's often depicted as half-man, half-goat.
- Bestiality Is Depraved: At least one statue depicts him enjoying the company of a goat. Technically, it's only halfway depraved considering what's going on below his waist.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Inverted, see Hephaestus' entry. Pan actually has an even worse reputation.
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: According to the many nymphs he chased.
- Notably, this is one of the few cases in Greek mythology, as the Greeks felt smaller was better.
- Carpet of Virility: Always represented as shaggy.
- Decomposite Character / Demoted to Extra: Pan seems to be very old, and so predates Hermes, even possibly going as far as being traced to a deity from the proto-Indo-European civilization, that also gave us the similar Vedic deity Pushan. Hermes was likely an ephitet for Pan before becoming a separate deity that took Pan's dominions over journeys and being the messenger of the gods, while Pan himself got significantly reduced and was rewritten to be Hermes' son.
- Depraved Bisexual: Went for both nymphs and shepherds.
- Fauns and Satyrs: Shares the appearance associated with them, partially responsible for the trope name and their association with that shape, though regular satyrs are separate entities from him in classical mythology.
- Friend to All Living Things: As the protector of livestock, especially supernatural ones or those belonging to gods. Generally friendly, if mischievous and lecherous, with women.
- God Is Dead: He is supposedly the only god of the Greco-Roman pantheon who actually died. According to Plutarch, the sailor Thamus heard a voice coming from the island Paxi ordering him to "Tell everyone that the great god Pan is dead".note
- Magical Flutist: He could induce fear and panic with his pipes.
- Missing Mom: His nymph mother ran away after his birth. Fortunately, his dad Hermes thinks he's awesome and really loves him.
- Musical Assassin: His primary weapon is his flute.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: In a rather literal sense, as he is the one that spreads Panic. Greek warriors never knew why thousands of men would stand bravely for a long time and then suddenly stampede with no warning. All they knew was it was a great mystery, so they attributed it to Pan.
- Physical God
- Really Gets Around: At least as much as Zeus himself.
- Speaks Fluent Animal
- Stealth Pun: His affair with Selene. Pan ("all") x Selene ("moon") = full moon (panselenos).
- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Or rather satyr; this is how he seduced Selene the moon goddess, by wrapping himsel in sheep skin to approach her.
Πανάκεια
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: Of remedies.
- Healer God: One of several minor gods associated with various aspects of healing.
- Odd Job Gods: The minor deity of a universal cure.
- Panacea: The Trope Namer and Trope Codifier.
Πασιφάη
Like her sister, Circe, Pasiphaë is a minor goddess of magic, herbs, and the sun, being one of Helios and Perse's four children. She was given in marriage to King Minos of Crete upon his ascension as monarch and gave birth to eight children with him. She was most famous as the biological mother of Minotaur: when her husband refused to kill Poseidon's white bull as sacrifice, Poseidon cursed Pasiphaë into mating with the bull and in turn giving birth to the Minotaur, who was then used by Minos to devour the Athenian teenagers whom he demanded as peace treaty with Athens, until Theseus was able to save the day.- Adaptational Wimp: Some sources have implied she was once a great Sun Goddess and her white bull symbolized the Moon, their tale an allegory of the transition from day to night.
- Bestiality Is Depraved: Her punishment for something her husband did!
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Because her husband Minos would often cheat on her, she cursed him so that he ejaculated centipedes, scorpions and snakes, which killed his mistresses from the inside.
- Hidden Depths: She seems to have good (or at least amicable) relationship with her monstrous child the Minotaur. He was named after Minos's stepfather, which, considering Minos's attitude towards the Minotaur, makes it likely the name was her idea. The Minotaur also seemed to enjoy some normalcy during his infant years (even being breastfed by Pasiphaë), and some painting and vases made by cultures less antagonistic toward Minoan Crete depicts her and her son in a loving context.
- The High Queen: Of Crete.
- Hot Witch: She was a sorceress like her sister and pretty like all goddesses are.
- Lunacy: As a possible lunar figure.
- Moon God: She was equated by some authors to Selene, the moon goddess, and there's theories she might have been a celestial deity at some point.
- Out of Focus: Much less well known than Circe. Most people know the Minotaur but not where he came from, and even most tellings of his myth leave out Pasiphaë's personal history.
- Physical God
- The Power of the Sun: Same with Circe, she inherited their father, Helios' power, her sorcery is said to have come from being Helios' daughter, witchcraft and the Sun being inexplicably linked in much of Greek myth.
- Revenge by Proxy: She was cursed with lustful desires for the Cretan Bull in an effort to humiliate her husband for breaking his promise to sacrifice it.
- Sadly Mythtaken: Has the same problem as her sister, Circe, but slightly worse because people hardly even know that Pasiphaë existed. She was a goddess, not just a mere princess-turned-queen. Giving minor goddesses as a reward to kings weren't uncommon in Classical myths (see Harmonia for example).
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Inherited Helios's "Evil Eye".
Πειθώ | Suādēla
Greek goddess of persuasion and seduction. Was known in Roman mythology as Suadela. She was an attendant and/or companion of Aphrodite and thus was 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 is perhaps the daughter of the Titans Tethys and Oceanus. It should be noted that persuasion is not limited to romance/seduction, but also to political persuasion and debate.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of seduction and persuasion.
- Odd Job Gods: Goddess of persuasion.
Πενία | Pēnae
Called Penae in Latin, Penia was the Greek goddess of poverty and need, sometimes considered the mother of Eros.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of poverty.
- Odd Job Gods: Yes, much like the Japanese, the Greeks had a God(ess) of Poverty.
Φῐλοφροσῠ́νη
The Greek goddess of welcome, friendliness, and kindness.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of kindness.
- Flat Character: Not much really to set her apart from the other goddesses, or even her own sisters.
Φόβος | Timorus
The son of Ares and Aphrodite, his name means "fear". 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 rode 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", as well as the name of the larger of Mars' two moons.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of Fear.
Φόρκυς
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-tailed merman, with crab claws for fore-legs and red-spiked skin.- Eldritch Ocean Abyss: Essentially the god of this trope.
- Monster Progenitor: He and Ceto were responsible for a lot of sea monsters.
- Multiple-Choice Past: He has two options for his parentage: Gaia and Pontus, or Tethys and Oceanus.
- Physical God
Φωσφόρος | Lucifer
One of the Astra Planeta, though more specifically the personification of the planet Venus as it appeared as the Morning Star, he is associated with the goddess Aphrodite/Venus. Depending on the myth, he is either the son of Astraeus and Eos, Cephalus and Eos, or of Atlas. In Roman folklore, his parents were named to be Aurora and Cephalus.- Ambiguous Situation: Whether he and Hesperus are the same entity. At some point in time, the Greeks recognized that Venus as the morning and evening star are the same celestial body, but still treated the two gods as separate entities that look identical. On some accounts, they share the same parentage and are brothers rather than being the same entity.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of Venus as the "Morning Star". He may also be one as the "Evening Star" as well, if he and Hesperus are indeed the same god.
- Identical Stranger: According to the Latin Poet Ovid, he and Hesperus are identical as gods of the morning and evening star. On some accounts, this is explained away as them being brothers.
- I Have Many Names: In Greek, his name is both "Phosphorus" and "Heosphoros". He may also be the same god as Hesperus, making that another one of his names as well.
- Meaningful Name: In both Greek and Latin, his name means "light-bringer" and he is the personification of Venus as it rises in the morning, aka the "Morning Star". His alternate Greek name, "Heosphoros", translates to "dawn bringer".
- Winged Humanoid: He is depicted with wings in his paintings.
- World's Most Beautiful Man: According to Ovid, he surpassed many in beauty to the point where he competed with the goddess of love and beauty herself.
Πλοῦτος | Plūtus
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: Of wealth.
- Bad Powers, Good People: He is portrayed as a largely innocent child-god, but the longer he hangs around mortals the greedier they tend to get, hence why Zeus crippled and blinded him, so he'd have to keep on the move.
- Continuity Snarl: Even when he is not Hades or Persephone's kid he is still considered Zagreus and Melinoë's brother.
- Depending on the Writer: We have writings that refer to him as both Demeter and Iasion’s son, and Persephone and Hades’ son. To make things more confusing he is often paired with Demeter, but also with Hades, but is considered the sibling of Melinoë and Zagreus even when he doesn't have the same parents.
- Gold Fever: He often inadvertently causes unchecked obsessive gold lust, which is why he needs to be on the move.
- Good Capitalism, Evil Capitalism: He is in essence the spirit of both, he tries to simply give people a break but if he showers too much fortune on one person he tends to create economic imbalance and run-away-greed.
- Legacy Character: He is the second god to take up the title of God-of-Wealth after Hades, who is sometime qualified as his father.
- Disabled Deity: Plutus is blind, and that's why the rich are usually unworthy, because Plutus can't see whom he bestows his gifts upon.
- Meaningful Name: Ploutos is Greek for wealth.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Usually the son of Demeter and Iasion, but one fable makes him the son of Tyche, the goddess of fortune and luck.
- Obliviously Evil: He tends to induce greed merely by being in the presence of a mortal too long however he is near-sighted/blind and usually doesn't figure out he's been there too long until he overhears a mortal's abject greed kicking in.
- Symbolic Mutilation: God of wealth, who passively induces greed if he stays in one place too long, Zeus blinds and cripples him so he can't see who he's blessing and he limps on his way there, but he still has his wings and can quickly take flight - a symbol of financial wind-falls and how unreliable they are. The god of wealth also having blood-tipped wings is also a cynical symbol of capitalism even in ancient times.
- Physical God
- Power Incontinence: He can't control his blessing of wealth, merely by being near a mortal he makes them more financially lucky. This also tends to create unchecked greed in mortals though if he stays in one place too long.
- Token Mini-Moe: Plutus is usually depicted in art as a toddler or a young child.
- Winged Humanoid: He has a set of blood-stained wings he uses to quickly take flight before he induces too much greed in a mortal.
Πόλεμος
Whereas Ares is the god of war, Polemos is best described as its personification. Unlike Ares, he has no known cults or myths because of this. Opposes Dionysus, a god of life, and was the brother of Enyo.- Anthropomorphic Personification: of war.
- War God: Not exactly. Gods like Ares and Athena presided over war, but Polemos was its embodiment.
Πόνος
God of hard labor and toil. Son of Eris, he is that which we all do and hate.- A Kind of One: Though sometimes treated as a single god, sometimes Ponos was portrayed as a host of ponoi spirits that plagued mankind.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of hard labor.
- Odd Job Gods: God of work and toil.
Πόρος
The Greek god of plenty and a son of Metis, making him the half-brother of Athena. He was seduced by Penia at Aphrodite's birthday celebration while drunk, and from that sexual escapade, it's possible that Eros was born. Porus is also a god in the Roman pantheon, the personification of abundance.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of plenty.
Πραξιδίκη
The goddess of judicial punishment and the exactor of vengeance, she is closely related to Nemesis in that regard, and also related to the Horae Dike, also a goddess of order and justice. Her daughters Homonoia and (especially) Arete, are more well known.Πριαπος
A minor fertility god of varying origins—sometimes a son of Dionysus, others a son of Hermes, still others a son of Aphrodite, etc.; wherever he came from, Priapus is usually portrayed as a short, ugly man with very disproportionately large... equipment. Besides this, his main claim to fame is nearly getting killed by every single Olympian for attempting to assault Hestia in her sleep.- Achievements in Ignorance: Let’s all take a moment to marvel at the achievement of uniting the entire Greek Pantheon to set aside their pronounced differences and work together… to form a divine lynch mob for the only god short sighted enough to try to do the one thing they all agree is horrible, to the one goddess they all universally loved.
- Animal Nemesis: All donkeys became this for him after one thwarted his attempts to rape Hestia.
- Attempted Rape: In one myth, he tries to rape Hestia in her sleep at a party. Fortunately, she's woken up by a braying donkey before he can do so, and her scream alerts the rest of the Olympians, who all immediately come to kick Priapus's ass.
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: Played for squick rather than fanservice.
- Fan Disservice: His genitalia was disproportionately huge compared to the rest of his body and it was almost constantly erect.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: The Olympians refused to let him live with them.
- Gonk: As opposed to the other Greek Gods being The Beautiful Elite, barring some exceptions, Priapus is usually depicted as really gross and ugly.
- Hated by All: After he tries to rape Hestia his entire family rally together to try to find and repeatedly murder him; And that includes Priapus’s own, until then, loving mother.
- Like Father, Like Son: In the versions where his father is either Pan or Hermes, Priapus takes after them in his... well, endowment.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the myth of him and Hestia, Priapus (smartly) opts to run away rather than face the wrath of the other gods for trying to assault their Cool Big Sis.
- Trope Namer: For the condition of "priapism" (overly long-lasting erection).
Πρωτεύς
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's generally portrayed as a herdsman of Poseidon's seals, and in some versions of the story, is actually one of Poseidon's sons - his firstborn according to the translation. He has the ability to predict the future, but he 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.- Antagonistic Offspring: Two of his sons, Telegonus and Polygonus, were known for being so violent that Proteus himself begged Poseidon to send him away from the pair until Heracles finally killed them in battle.
- Butt-Monkey: Mostly known for getting wrestled into submission and forced to tell heroes things.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He's on the receiving end of this, courtesy of the mortal heroes who know how to subdue him and have the fortitude to wrestle a constantly-shapeshifting ocean god into submission. Proteus doesn't appear to have any desire to take revenge on any of them, fortunately.
- Half-Human Hybrid: In one iteration of his backstory, he's the son of Poseidon and the mortal princess Phoenice.
- Hermit Guru: He's possessed of incredible prophetic abilities, but he prefers to live a solitary island life as a shepherd rather than share his knowledge with others. For good measure, people hoping to take advantage of his wisdom will have to capture him first.
- Inconspicuous Immortal: He's one of the few Greco-Roman deities who hasn't had any adventures of his own, doesn't involve himself in any of the innumerable conflicts, and doesn't appear interested in living it up like his father Poseidon. Instead, he prefers the life of a hermit, spending his days shepherding seals and his afternoons dozing alone on a beach; even his famous shapeshifting powers are used mainly at work or in emergencies, while his prophetic abilities are only used by heroes who are out to wrestle him for information... and even then, Proteus is so deliberately obscure that, in the The Odyssey, Menelaus had to be told about him by the sea god's own daughter before he could even try to capture Proteus.
- Jerkass Gods: Surprisingly averted; Proteus is comparatively benign by the standards of Classical mythology, having no desire to use his powers for wrongdoing and doesn't seek any kind of revenge on the heroes for bothering him. The worst thing that can be said about him is that he's reclusive and secretive, preferring to be left alone more than anything else.
- Loser Deity: He's not exactly well-respected by gods or mortals, and it's rare to find a story featuring him that doesn't result in him getting his ass handed to him.
- One-Steve Limit: He's known as "The Old Man of the Sea," but this title has also been applied to several other water gods, including Nereus, Triton, and even Pontus.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Sometimes he's portrayed with the lower body of a sea creature, much like his younger brother Triton; this can be a fishtail, the lower half of a sea serpent, two long tentacles, or even the lower body of a hippocamp.
- Perpetually Protean: Some works of art, such as "Der höllische Proteus◊", depict him as constantly shapeshifting, portrayed in the act of shifting from man to sea-creature to force of nature simultaneously.
- Physical God
- Primal Polymorphs: Eschewed the luxurious life of more prominent gods in favour of deliberate obscurity. He dwelled alone on the shores of a remote island, where he shepherded seals and lay down to sleep in the sunlight... or at least, he preferred to do that, but human heroes were always trying to capture him in order to use his prophetic wisdom to answer their every question, and no amount of Voluntary Shapeshifting he used could put them off.
- Sapping the Shapeshifter: Anyone wanting to learn from Proteus would have to ambush him during his afternoon nap and wrestle him into submission while he cycled through multiple forms - no easy task, considering Proteus could transform into just about anything including fire and water. However, if a hero could maintain their grip until Proteus finally tired, the sea god would be forced to answer any of the victor's questions.
- Seers: Proteus can predict the future, but only uses this ability if he's forced into doing so.
- Shapeshifter Longevity: The truest example of this trope in the Greek pantheon, known almost exclusively for his shapeshifting powers, to the point that his name gave rise to the word "protean," meaning ever-changing or mutable.
- Unscaled Merfolk: Though he sometimes has a fishtail in place of legs, his depictions in art often feature him with everything from snake tails to tentacles.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: One of the more notable examples in Greek Mythology, he can turn into just about anything, including inanimate objects and even fire.
Ψαμάθη
Minor goddess of sand and one of the Nereids. She was the mother of Phocus by King Aeacus of Aegina and Theoclymenus and Theonoe by Proteus (either the sea god or a king of Egypt).- Bestiality Is Depraved: When Aeacus snuck up on her and began raping her, she tried to shapeshift into a seal to escape. It didn't work, nor did it deter him.
- Child by Rape: In some versions, she attempted to escape being raped by Aeacus by shapeshifting into a seal. She was unsuccessful, and Phocus was the result, though she loved him dearly nonetheless.
- Meaningful Name:
- Her name literally means "sand goddess."
- Her son Phocus's name also applies. It means "seal," as he was conceived while his mother was in the form of one and later born by the sea.
- You Killed My Father: Sent a wolf to attack Peleus's herds after he and his brother Telamon murdered her son.
Ψυχή | Anima
Former mortal princess of Miletus, and now wife of the God of Love and personification of the Soul. Very beautiful and insatiably curious, both traits tend to get her into (and occasionally out of) trouble. Gained her immortality through completing several tasks on behalf of her mother-in-law after giving into her curiosity and betraying her husband’s trust. Longer synopsis here.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the Soul.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence
- Attractiveness Isolation: Thought she was the victim of this. Her lack of luck was actually because of a spiteful Goddess of Love.
- Babies Ever After: Hers and Eros' daughter Hedone / Volupta (means either Delight or Pleasure).
- Badass Normal: A mortal with the beauty and guts to challenge Aphrodite herself.
- Beast and Beauty: This tale fits most of the same elements, but acts as a subversion: in a Prophecy Twist, the "winged monster” she was to marry ended up being the God of Love.
- Beautiful Dreamer: Why Eros/Cupid falls in love with her and cannot go through with his mother's plan.
- Beware the Nice Ones:[Psyche] tells her [jealous sister] what had happened, then tricks her sister into believing that Cupid has chosen [the sister] as [his] wife on the mountaintop. Psyche later meets her other sister and deceives her likewise. Each sister goes to the top of the peak and jumps down eagerly, but Zephyrus [the West Wind] does not bear them and they fall to their deaths at the base of the mountain.
- Chained to a Rock: A variation. She wasn't chained but Left for Dead on a mountain top.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Trust her husband or trust her sisters; either way it came down to the protection of her unborn child.
- Curious as a Monkey: Grownup version.
- Curiosity Is a Crapshoot: She’s another example from Classical Mythology.
- Deity of Human Origin: After quite AWHILE as a beleaguered human she is eventually transformed into a true goddess, long after it probably would have been more useful (not to mention life saving) to her.
- Determinator
- Didn't Think This Through: Even after all that has happened, she still takes a peek into the Box of Beauty.
- Disproportionate Retribution / Misplaced Retribution: Frequent victim of this.
- Divine Date: She was still mortal when she married Eros. After her Redemption Quest she was turned into a goddess and they became God Couple instead.
- Driven to Suicide: She tries to kill herself a couple of times whilst trying to complete Aphrodite's tasks, either because of the impossibility of the tasks or the tragic thought of never seeing Eros again. Thankfully, a deity, like the river god or Zephyr the wind god, will come to stop her and help her out. The Personification of the Soul/Mind keeps trying to kill herself. Huh.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: On one hand, she went through a Redemption Quest to get him back. On the other, her curiosity had her fall into eternal sleep when she opened the box of beauty. On a third hand, technically they both needed to earn their happy endings so even if Psyche had finally gained Aphrodite’s forgiveness and approval it would not change a thing if Eros had not forgiven her (he too had to earn his by coming to terms that his wife is fallible and standing up to his mother).
- Eternal Love: With Eros.
- Faux Death: After opening the Box of Beauty.
- Forbidden Fruit / Shmuck Bait: She nearly averted this. When her husband Cupid told her never to look upon his true form, she was perfectly fine with it until her sisters convinced her that he might be a horrible monster (despite that she had previously felt his body and had plenty chance to feel his face). At least she only had to deal with a Mama Bear that was already mad at her instead of the Deader than Dead fate that usually befalls those who look upon undisguised gods.
- And then, when she was sent to bring back the beauty of Persephone in a box and despite being counselled against it, she peeked.
- God Couple: With Eros by the end.
- Happily Ever After
- Happily Married: With Eros.
- Horrible Judge of Character: At least when it comes to her sisters (at first).
- Human Sacrifice / Virgin Sacrifice: She and her family thought she was going to be this.
- Impossible Task: Given these to earn back her husband. The tasks are: 1) Sorting huge piles of grains and lentils in a single night, 2) Retrieving some golden wool from vicious sheep, 3) Retrieving water flowing from an elevated cleft that is impossible to achieve on foot and is also guarded by great serpents, and 4) Retrieving a Box of Beauty from the Queen of the Underworld. She succeeds (with some help); Aphrodite/Venus is not pleased.
- I Will Find You: Even if she has to petition every god in the pantheon to do so (Fortunately, it only took three. Unfortunately, number three was Aphrodite).
- Love Before First Sight: She was forbidden to look upon her husband and still managed to fall for him.
- Love Hurts
- Love Will Lead You Back: And it does. Eventually.
- Mayfly–December Romance: Pre-Immortality.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She's pretty broken up when she betrays Eros's trust.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: With Aphrodite.
- Plucky Girl: Believing that her husband is quite possibly a winged serpent, what does she do? Collects a lamp with which to see him and a dagger that appears to be◊ no larger than [9”] to cut off his head if this is indeed true. Let me repeat that: Psyche fully intends to decapitate a freaking dragon with basically a steak knife.
- Pregnant Badass: During her Redemption Quest, she was in the family way. Not to mention that much of her reasoning to look upon her husband was to protect her unborn child:The two jealous sisters tell Psyche, then pregnant with Cupid's child, that rumour is that she had married a great and terrible serpent who would devour her and her unborn child when the time came for it to be fed.
- Princess Protagonist: She started out the third daughter of a king of Miletus.
- Proper Lady
- Prophecy Twist: Psyche is destined to "marry a winged monster that neither god nor mortal can resist". Sound familiar?
- Redemption Quest: She had to go through one to get her husband Eros back.
- Silk Hiding Steel
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Especially after the Goddess of Love and Beauty takes it personally.
- Tears of Remorse: As Eros flew off, Psyche was “prostrate on the ground, filling the place with mournful lamentations.”
- To Hell and Back: One of only six to succeed, as well as being the only woman and completely mortal (no Divine Ancestry whatsoever) to do so.
- True Love's Kiss: How she is awakened after her Faux Death.
- Winged Humanoid: Shown with butterfly wings (because "psyche" means "butterfly" as well as "soul).
- World's Most Beautiful Woman: So much so that people started worshiping her instead of Aphrodite. Even the God of Love himself fell for her.
- Youngest Child Wins
Πτωχεία
Greek goddess of beggary, who was a sister of Amechania and Ptocheia. She often traveled around with her sisters- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of beggary, and distinct from the above goddess of Poverty.
- Captain Patriotic: He is literally the god of Rome as a culture/city.
- Deity of Human Origin: By the end of the first century AD Quirinus had become identified as a deified Romulus.
- Demoted to Extra: As imperial state worship declined and more personal gods/beliefs sprung up Quirinus lost popularity and was no longer depicted in art.
Ῥόδη
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.- Egopolis: The island of Rhodes bore her name. Justified, as it was Helios himself who named the island after his wife.
- Happily Married: To Helios. Though this being Greek mythology, other traditions give different women as his wife/official consort.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: While not as extreme as other examples found in mythology, she and Helios had eight children together, seven sons and one daughter.
- Meaningful Name: Her name means "rose."
- Multiple-Choice Past: She is either a daughter of Poseidon and Aphrodite, or Poseidon and Amphitrite, or Poseidon and Halia, or Oceanus and Tethys.
- Odd Job Gods: She was the goddess and protector of one island- Rhodes.
- Opposites Attract: She is a sea nymph and he is the sun god.
- Physical God
- Spell My Name With An S: Also called Rhodos.
Θάνατος | Mors / Lētum
A personification of Death (considering how his being in chains stopped people from dying in wars he embodies both peaceful and violent 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, although some later authors conflated him with Orcus.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of death.
- Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Sisyphus once managed to cheat death by putting Thanatos in shackles. Eventually, Ares rescued him, and Sisyphus died (though not before managing to cheat death a second time) and was compelled to roll a huge rock up a steep hill. The rock would roll back down, forcing him to begin again...for eternity.
- Death Takes a Holiday: With Thanatos in chains, death was impossible and war became entirely pointless, which is why Ares rescued him.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Got beaten by Heracles in a wrestling match over Alcestis's life once. He wasn't too bothered by his loss, as it's only postponing Alcestis's inevitable death.
- The Grim Reaper: Although some texts give his role as Psychopomp to Hermes. He also lets his sisters, Keres, take those who died by blood loss.
- Hates Everyone Equally: In the original depictions, he is despised by mortals for being and bringing death and he hates them back, plus he hates the gods because they're immortal and outside his power (and it doesn't help that most of them are Jerkasses).
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and his twin brother Hypnos were often seen together in art.
- Physical God
- Pretty Boy: Despite the modern depiction of Death, Thanatos was generally shown as a handsome, winged, bearded man, or as a handsome, winged, beardless youth, depending on the artist and period.
- Sibling Team: With his twin brother Hypnos.
- Sleep Cute: With his brother, Hypnos sometimes. Awwwww!◊
- Winged Humanoid: How he's generally depicted.
Θέτις
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.- Abusive Parents: Zigzagged. In certain versions, she tried to perform a ritual to make her son Achilles immortal despite the ritual having killed all six previous children she had with Peleus. It's also said she threw her son to the floor in anger when her husband panicked at seeing the ritual (which involved putting Achilles in a burning fireplace while anointed with ambrosia) and thus prevented her from completing it. In addition, it's generally agreed she walked out on her husband and son when the latter was only an infant (though this is slightly more understandable given her Questionable Consent to her marriage in the first place). Nevertheless, she does seem to love her son dearly and goes out of her way to try and ensure he lives a long life. When he eventually makes up his mind to go fight at Troy even if he won't return, she still tries her best to support him, including by using her boon from Zeus to turn the war in the Trojans' favor when Achilles has a quarrel with Agamemnon.
- Arranged Marriage: With Peleus. The gods decided she would marry him without any input from her. When she tried to refuse, they instructed Peleus to sneak up on her and wrestle her until she agreed.
- Awful Wedded Life: She was not happy with Peleus and left him to rejoin her parents and siblings in the sea when Achilles was only a baby.
- Divorce Is Temporary: In Euripides's Andromache, she reconciles with Peleus decades after she left him and makes him immortal so they may live together forever in her father Nereus's halls. Other versions, however, maintain that she never returned after leaving her husband in a rage and that Peleus eventually died and went to the Isles of the Blessed in Elysium.
- Never My Fault: Gets really mad that her husband didn't trust her and interrupted her as she was performing a ritual to make Achilles immortal, even though said ritual involved putting their son in a burning fireplace and she never told Peleus about it. It's even worse in versions in which she had already accidentally killed six of their sons using the same ritual.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: In one version, she spurned Zeus's advances out of loyalty to his wife Hera, who had raised her. Zeus then spitefully declared that Thetis would marry a mere mortal (which would normally be beneath a goddess like her), leading to her unwilling marriage to Peleus.
- Physical God
- Questionable Consent: She initially refused to marry Peleus and only agreed after he snuck up on her, seized hold of her, and refused to release her despite her Voluntary Shapeshifting.
- Rage Breaking Point: After reluctantly agreeing to marry Peleus, him interrupting her as she was performing a ritual that would've made their son Achilles immortal proves to be this. Infuriated by her husband's lack of faith in her, she leaves him and their son, never to return.
- Sapping the Shapeshifter: Thetis naturally refused the Arranged Marriage with Peleus, but Peleus was able to force her into complying by ambushing her while she was asleep and wrestling her into submission, as was the custom with her father Nereus. Thetis attempted to escape by transforming into fire, water, a lioness, and a serpent, but ultimately had no choice but to revert and accept the "hero's" hand in marriage. For good measure, in Ovid's account of these events, Peleus received instructions on how to do this from Proteus, normally the recipient of such tactics.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Reaches the end of her patience with Peleus when he interrupts her just as she's about to make their son immortal, finally leaving him to rejoin her family in the sea.
- Two-Timing with the Bestie: Defied. She refused Zeus's advances out of loyalty to Hera, who was her good friend and had even raised her.
- Unwanted Spouse: Did not wish to marry Peleus and basically had to be forced into agreeing to it.
Τρίτων
No, not that Triton. Especially not that one. 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.He also had a daughter named Pallas (not the same Pallas mentioned farther up) and in some versions of the story, 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.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Triton, and by extension his children, are sometimes portrayed with two fish tails instead of one. Triton is also said to have blue or green skin, which is also true of his children.
- Parental Substitute: Served as this to Athena, having raised her as his own daughter alongside Pallas, at least in some versions of the story. In other versions, no such relationship exists between the two and Athena's epithet "Triton-born" is just a reference to the fact that she was born at the River Triton or Tritonis Lake.
- Physical God
Τύχη
This goddess is a unique one within the pantheon. While every god was usually heavily worshiped only in specific places, such as Athena being the patron god of Athens, Tyche had a unique role, in that she 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 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: Of the prosperity of the city states.
- Lady Luck: She's the Trope Codifier.
Ζαγρευς
A very, very enigmatic god known from fragmentary myths, Zagreus was an important figure to the Orphic Mysteries as the "first-born Dionysus," but there's evidence that he's older than that, with some sources suggesting he was once on par with Gaia in terms of sheer importance. The most common telling is that he's the son of Persephone, either by Zeus, Hades, or both, and that when Hera discovered this, she had him torn apart by the Titans (either out of jealousy or because he was set to inherit Zeus's position as king). His heart was recovered by Athena, who gave it to Zeus, who then either stitched it into his body or gave it to his lover Semele to swallow so that she could give birth to him again, and in the process, Dionysus was born. He has achieved new prominence in the modern day thanks to a certain video game.- Ambiguous Situation: Did he get reborn as Dionysus, or I was he just pushed into the background with the lose of the Mycenaean Greek era? Even the later Greek writers can’t seem to tell.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: The Titans exploit this, distracting Zagreus with simple toys like a top, a ball, and a mirror so that he will drop the thunderbolts, allowing them to kill him.
- Bloody Murder: We don't have many writings on him, but what there is strongly associates him with blood-shed - either outright god of slaughter, or possibly more benignly, butchery.
- Cool Big Bro: He is/was the ultra edgy older brother of Plutus. (Even when the two don’t have the same parents)
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: It's clear that he had some importance in early Greek mythology, but for some reason he lost it and is nowhere to be found in the later myths.
- Classical Hunter: The version that is the son of Hades and Persephone and an Underworld god appears to be a nocturnal hunter of some kind. And apparently doesn't always cook the meat of his kills before he eats it.
- Composite Character:
- Possibly. It's unclear if Zagreus was always the first-born Dionysus or if he was syncretized with him later on.
- When not portrayed as father and son, Hades and Zagreus are sometimes at least implied to be the same entity.
- The Sinai Palimpsest fragments identify Zagreus with both Dionysus and Adonis.
- Death by Adaptation: In contrast to the "Orphean Dionysus" version of him, the older the "son of Hades and Persephone" version does not appear to have been subject to the same violent end as his counterpart.
- God-Eating: Zagreus is eaten by Titans.
- Multiple-Choice Past: While most versions remembered nowadays claim he was the son of Zeus and Persephone, a few fragmentary earlier myths claim he was the son of Hades and Persephone. There's a theory that the Orphics believed he was both as there's evidence that they frequently syncretized Zeus and Hades into the same god. Still others suggest he was born alongside Gaia, while others even suggest he and Hades were one and the same.
- Not Enough to Bury: The Titans tore him to pieces and ate him. Apollo gathered up whatever was left and buried it at Delphi.
- Real Men Eat Meat: A noteworthy trait of his Classical Hunter characterization is his fondness for eating raw meat.
- Reincarnation: In some versions of the birth of Dionysus, this is essentially what happens; Zagreus is whittled down to a beating heart, and Athena decides to help him out by placing it/him in the womb of Semele to have him reborn whole again as Dionysus - who is considered a whole new identity from Zagreus.
Ζῆλος
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.- Anthropomorphic Personification: Of zeal, dedication, emulation, eager rivalry, envy, and jealousy.
- Our Angels Are Different: While he and his siblings are not identified as angels, their job description is not so different from the Old Testament angels.