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Greek Mythology - Dictionary
aegis |
a shield; Zeus had a goat-skin aegis, while Athena adorned the aegis with the head of Medusa
amazons |
a legendary race of warrior women; two important amazons were Hippolyta and Penthesilea
ambrosia |
food of the Greek gods and goddesses
aphros |
this word means "foam"; see Aphrodite for details
apotheosis |
astute observers will recognize theos - Greek for god - in this word, and indeed, apotheosis refers to the transformation from human to divine
arete |
this Greek word means "excellence"
Argonauts |
a team of adventurers who went on a quest for the Golden Fleece; led by the hero Jason
Argos | this city in Greece was sacred to the goddess Hera - see the map
Athens | this important ancient Greek city was sacred to the goddess Athena - see the map
autochthony |
born from the earth
bacchante |
a female follower of the god Dionysos
caduceus |
staff with two entwined serpents - one of the symbols of the god Hermes; the Greek word for this herald's staff is kerykeion
centauromachy |
a mythological battle between the Lapiths and Centaurs
chimera |
a mythical or imaginary creature; plural is chimerae
chthonian |
this word - which is derived from the Greek chthon - refers to the Earth or Underworld
cornucopia |
horn of plenty
Crete | this island was the ancient home of the Minoans (who were named after the legendary King Minos) - see the map of Greece
Cythera | according to myth, the goddess Aphrodite was born near this island - see the map of Greece
Delphi | this city in Greece was where one of Apollo's most important sanctuaries was located - see the map of Greece
Dodona |
a sanctuary of Zeus, where the god's oracle was located - see the map
Eleusis |
a city in ancient Greece where the Eleusinian Mysteries (see Demeter) were celebrated
Elysium |
a paradise where some Greek heroes were believed to go after death
festivals |
celebrations held in honor of a specific god and/or goddess
gigantomachy |
a mythological battle between the Greek gods and giants (or gigantes)
golden fleece |
attaining this sheep skin was the goal of the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts
Helicon |
Helicon is a mountain in Greece on which the Muses were thought to dwell
Hellenes |
a name of the ancient Greeks
herms |
not to be confused with the god Hermes, after whom they were originally named, herms are pillars topped with busts that represent various deities
hieros gamos |
Greek for a sacred wedding; an example is the marriage between Zeus and Hera
hubris |
excessive pride or arrogance
Ithaca | the home of the legendary adventurer and hero Odysseus
kerykeion | a herald or messenger's staff
labyrinth |
a maze created by Daedalus (for King Minos of Crete) to contain the Minotaur
Lapiths |
these mythical people were thought to reside in Thessaly
Lethe |
river of forgetfulness in the domain of Hades
Lotophagi |
in Homer's Odyssey, lotophagi, or Lotus Eaters, were mythical people who forgot their former lives when they consumed the lotus
Maenads |
female worshippers of the god Dionysos were often called Maenads
Mycenae | this ancient city was the center of the Mycenaean civilization; the mythological hero Agamemnon ruled from Mycenae
nymphs |
female nature spirits
Olympic Games |
in ancient Greece, these athletic events were held every four years
Olympus |
this mountain in Greece was believed to be the home of the Greek gods and goddesses - hence the term "Olympian" was used to describe the principal gods of ancient Greece - see the map
omphalos |
the word means "navel", and in myth, it was the stone that the Titan Kronos swallowed
palladium | the statue of Pallas Athene
Parnassus |
a mountain that was regarded by the Greeks as a sacred shrine to Apollo and the Muses, and Dionysos
polis | the Greek word for city-state; poleis is the plural
psyche | this word refers to the soul in Greek; Psyche is also the name of a famous figure from mythology
Sparta | according to legend, the mythological hero Menelaus ruled this Greek city - see the map
Styx |
this river flows to the Underworld, and it was Charon who transported the souls of the dead across it; also a goddess who personified this river
symposium | in essence, a symposium - or symposion - was a Greek party in which drinking, conversation, and music all played an important role
Tartarus |
the Titans were prisoners in this dismal part of the Underworld
theos |
Greek word for a (male) god; the feminine form is thea and the plural is theoi
thyrsos |
a stylized staff carried by Dionysos and his followers in mythology and art
Titans |
the Titans were the offspring of Ouranos and Gaia (two beings who personified the Sky or Heavens, and the Earth, respectively)
Trojan War |
a battle between the Greeks and Trojans that lasted for 10 years - it is the subject of the Iliad of Homer
Troy | site of the notorious Trojan War
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Related Information - More Greek Mythology Names
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