A Profusion of Allusions

River Styx

A deity and a river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld. Oaths are sworn on it

Phoenix

A long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the Sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. According to some sources, the phoenix dies in a show of flames and combustion, although there are other sources that claim that the legendary bird dies and simply decomposes before being born again.

Medusa and the Gorgons

A monster, a Gorgon, generally described as a winged human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Gazers upon her hideous face would turn to stone. Gorgons were any of three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes, as well as a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld her to stone. Traditionally, while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale, their sister Medusa was not, and she was slain by the demigod and hero Perseus.

Nemesis

AKA Invidia. Goddess who enacted retribution against those who succumb to hubris (arrogance before the gods).

Ares

AKA Mars. Greek god of war. Represents the physical or violent and untamed aspect of war, in contrast to his sister the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and generalship. Lover of Aphrodite, who was married to Hephaestus, god of craftsmanship.

Athena

AKA Minerva. Goddess of wisdom, craft, and war. Portrayed as the astute companion of heroes and as the patron goddess of heroic endeavour. Athena probably takes her name from the city of Athens, of which she was the patron. The Athenians constructed the Parthenon atop their Acropolis as a temple to Athena. Born from Zeus's forehead.

Abraham

Abraham is called by God to leave the house of his father Terah and settle in the land originally given to Canaan, but which God now promises to Abraham and his progeny. Various candidates are put forward who might inherit the land after Abraham, but all are dismissed except for Isaac, his son by his half-sister Sarah. Abraham purchases a tomb (the Cave of the Patriarchs) at Hebron to be Sarah's grave, thus establishing his right to the land, and in the second generation his heir Isaac is married to a woman from his own kin, thus ruling the Canaanites out of any inheritance.

Moses: 40 Years (Include Burning Bush)

After the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land on Mount Nebo. The burning bush was at Mount Horeb and on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name. In the biblical narrative, the burning bush is the location at which Moses was appointed by Adonai (God) to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan.

Dionysus

Aka Bacchus. Dionysus= wine and religious ecstasy. His festivals were the driving force behind the development of Greek theatre.

Artemis

Aka Diana. Daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. The deer and the cypress were sacred to her.

Furies

Aka Dirae. Female deities of vengeance; they were sometimes referred to as "infernal goddesses". Also "an embodiment of the act of self-cursing contained in the oath". When the Titan Cronus castrated his father, Uranus, and threw his genitalia into the sea, the Erinyes/Furies emerged from the drops of blood which fell on the earths

Hermes

Aka Mercury. Hermes was the emissary and messenger of the gods. "The divine trickster" and "the god of boundaries and the transgression of boundaries, ... the patron of herdsmen, thieves, graves, and heralds." Moves freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine, and was the conductor of souls into the afterlife. Main symbol is caduceus, which appears in a form of two snakes wrapped around a winged staff with carvings of the other gods.

Apollo

Aka Phoebus. God of music, truth and prophecy, healing, the sun and light, plague, poetry, and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis.

Hephaestus

Aka Vulcan. Greek god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire, and volcanoes. Son of Zeus and Hera. As a smithing god, Hephaestus made all the weapons of the gods in Olympus. He served as the blacksmith of the gods, and was worshipped in the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece, particularly Athens. Hephaestus' symbols are a smith's hammer, anvil, and a pair of tongs.

Aphrodite

Aka venus. Goddess of beauty and sex

Demeter

Also Ceres. Goddess of the harvest and agriculture, who presided over grains and the fertility of the earth. Daughter is Persephone

Hera

Also Juno. Goddess of women and marriage, daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Married to her brother Zeus and is titled as the Queen of Heaven. One of her characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus's other lovers and offspring and against the mortals who cross her. Hera is commonly seen with the animals she considers sacred including the cow, lion and the peacock.

Zeus

Also Jupiter. Sky and thunder god who ruled as king of the gods of Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea and married to Hera, by whom he is usually said to have fathered Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus. He was respected as an allfather who was chief of the gods. Zeus' symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak.

Poseidon

Also Neptune. God of the Sea and other waters; of earthquakes; and of horses. Poseidon supports the Greeks against the Trojans during the Trojan War. In the Odyssey, during the sea-voyage from Troy back home to Ithaca, the Greek hero Odysseus provokes Poseidon's fury by blinding his son the Cyclops Polyphemus, resulting in Poseidon punishing him with storms, the complete loss of his ship and companions, and a ten-year delay.

Hades

Also Pluto. God of the Underworld (also called Hades) He and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon defeated their father's generation of gods, the Titans, and claimed rulership over the cosmos. Often portrayed with his three-headed guard dog Cerberus.

Adonis

Archetype of handsome youths. Dies by a boar after Venus warns him not to hunt dangerous creatures. Both Venus and Persephone wanted to be with him

Tiresias

Blind prophet who understands Oedipus's crimes before Oedipus himself did.

Niobe

Boasted of her fourteen children, seven male and seven female (the Niobids), to Leto who only had two children, the twins Apollo and Artemis. Using arrows, Artemis killed Niobe's daughters and Apollo killed Niobe's sons. Zeus turned Niobe into an unfeeling rock to try to end her grief. Story warning of hubris

Centaurs

Centaurs are half-human, half-horse creatures. They have the body of a horse and the torso, head and arms of a man. One of the best known centaurs is Chiron. Although most centaurs were depicted as lustful and wild, Chiron was a notable exception; modest and civilised, he was known for his medicinal skills and teaching abilities. He was the tutor of a number of Greek mythical characters such as Achilles and Aesculapius. Portrayed as mentor types

Cain and Abel

Children of Adam and Eve. Cain offers part of his harvest to God, and Abel offers the first born livestock. Both offerings are very choice, but the Lord likes the livestock better. Out of jealousy, Cain kills Abel. As punishment, Abel's blood prevents Cain from being able to farm on the land. Also, Cain will wander restlessly all over the earth. Cain complains that he just can't take this punishment. He'll have to hide from God's presence, and whoever finds him will kill him. God heeds Cain's worries and declares that whoever kills him will be sorry. The deity places a mark on Cain, which is supposed to protect him.

Sisyphus

Condemned to roll a rock up to the top of a mountain, only to have the rock roll back down to the bottom every time he reaches the top. The gods were wise, Camus suggests, in perceiving that an eternity of futile labor is a hideous punishment.

Cronus and Rhea

Cronus sired six children by Rhea: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Apart from Zeus, he swallowed all as soon as they were born, because he had learned from Gaia and Uranus that, as he had overthrown his own father, he was destined to be overcome by his own child. Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Crete, and saved him by handing Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed. Rhea hid Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete.

Daedalus and Icarus

Daedalus is a brilliant inventor who angers King Minos, the ruler of the island Crete. Desperate to flee the island, Daedalus uses wax to build some wings for himself and his son Icarus. Daedalus warns his son to fly at a middle height: the seawater will dampen the wings and the sun will melt them. Icarus heeds his father's advice for a bit, but then he gets cocky. He's having so much fun flying that he forgets the warning and flies too close to the sun. Sure enough, his wings melt, and Icarus plummets into the sea and drowns. Daedalus is devastated by his son's death, but the show must go on. He flies on to Sicily, where he mourns Icarus and builds a temple in honor of the god Apollo.

Cassandra

Daughter of King Priam and of Queen Hecuba of Troy. In an effort to seduce her, Apollo gave her the power of prophecy: when she refused him, he spat into her mouth to inflict a curse that nobody would ever believe her prophecies. In an alternative version, she fell asleep in a temple, and snakes licked (or whispered in) her ears so that she could hear the future.

King Midas

Dionysus was trying to find his teacher, the satyr Silenus, who had gone missing after drinking too much wine and wandered off. Silenus was found by the men of Midas, who brought him to the king; Midas recognised him and offered his hospitality for ten days, before taking him back to the region of Lydia, where Dionysus was. The god was so happy that he told Midas he would fulfill one wish for him. Midas asked that everything he touched would become gold, and Dionysus kindly granted the wish. Midas was particularly excited with his new power and started turning trees and rocks into gold, on his way back home. When he reached his palace, he asked his servants to prepare a grand feast, but to his despair, he soon realised that the food he touched also turned into gold and would soon die of starvation. Even his daughter turned into gold when she greeted her father. Midas, realising that his wish was actually foolish, prayed to Dionysus, who told him to wash in the river Pactolus; everything he would place in the river after that would also turn back to normal. Midas went straight to the river and felt his powers leave him and flow into the waters. In fact, the sands of the river turned gold, explaining the rich minerals that were found in the river by the ancient inhabitants of the area.

Heracles

Divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene. Hera hated Heracles and sends snakes to his cradle, but Heracles killed them. Hera gives Heracles a potion to make him crazy and kill his entire family. Heracles's punishment for murder is death, but he pleads to the gods who decide to give him 12 impossible tasks. His success made him a demigod.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Divine judgment by God was passed upon these cities, which were completely consumed by fire and brimstone. Sodom and Gomorrah have become synonymous with impenitent sin, and their fall with a proverbial manifestation of divine retribution. They have been used as metaphors for vice and homosexuality which is viewed as a deviation.

Proteus

Early sea-god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea". He can foretell the future but will change his shape to avoid having to; he will answer only to someone who is capable of capturing the beast.

Prometheus and Epimetheus

Epimetheus appeared as a foolish character, while Prometheus was the clever one. Prometheus and Epimetheus were told to distribute characteristics to the newly created animals. Epimetheus started giving a positive trait to every animal, but lacking foresight, he realised that he had distributed all traits without having any left to give to man. So, Prometheus gave mankind the civilizing arts and fire.

Paris and the Golden Apple

Eris, goddess of discord, threw a golden apple "for the fairest" at a party with goddesses. Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera fought over the apple and Zeus decided to let Paris decide who got it. Aphrodite promised Paris that Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman, would fall in love with him in exchange for the apple. When Paris raided the house of King Menelaus and stole Helen away to Troy, he received Aphrodite's gift of Helen's love.

Helen of Sparta

Fell in love with Paris after he abducted her. The most beautiful woman on earth. After her abduction, the Trojan War began.

Maenads

Female followers of Dionysus. Often the maenads were portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy through a combination of dancing and intoxication. Group of maenads also kill Orpheus. They tear people apart

Pandora

First human woman created by Hephaestus and Athena on the instructions of Zeus. Each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold her out of earth as part of the punishment of humanity for Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire, and all the gods joined in offering her "seductive gifts". Pandora opened a jar (pithos), releasing all the evils of humanity, leaving only Hope inside once she had closed it again.

Adam and Eve and the Fall (Eden)

God created a garden (Eden) to put man in. He created Adam and made Eve from Adam's rib bone. Every luscious and beautiful tree grows in the garden at God's command, including "the tree of life" and "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Adam's not allowed to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If he does, he'll have to become a being who dies. Later, Eve is the temptress who causes them to eat the forbidden fruit

Noah and the Flood

God make a covenant, or deal, with Noah. Noah creates an ark and fills it with animals. God floods the earth to refresh it. When Noah sends out a dove for the third time, it returns with a leaf, meaning that the waters are receding. God promises to never do that again with a rainbow. He's on the boat for a year before the land dries out

Aaron

God sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. Moses said that he could not speak with assurance or eloquence so God allowed Aaron, his brother, to become his spokesperson.

Sacrifice of Isaac

God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. An angel flew in to stop him, saying that Abraham proved that he has feared God so it's all good now

Hecate

Goddess associated with crossroads, entrance-ways, light, magic, witchcraft, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, ghosts, necromancy, and sorcery. Accompanied by dogs

Hestia

Goddess of Hearth and Family, aka Vesta

Persephone

Goddess of springtime, stolen by Hades

Circe

Goddess who turned men into wild animals. Notably, Odysseus's crew was turned into pigs. Reflects a temptation to bestiality and an emasculatory threat

Agamemnon

Head of the Greek Army, brother of King Menelaus called upon to fight.

Hector

Hector commanded the Trojan army, with a number of subordinates including Paris. By all accounts, Hector was the best warrior the Trojans and all their allies could field, and his fighting prowess was admired by Greeks and his own people alike. Diomedes and Odysseus, when faced with his attack, described him as 'incredible dynamite', and a 'maniac'. His body was disrespected after Achilles killed him and dragged his body around on a chariot.

Hero and Leander

Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in Sestos and Leander was a young man from Abydos on the opposite side of the strait. Leander fell in love with Hero and would swim every night across the Hellespont to spend time with her. Hero would light a lamp at the top of her tower to guide his way. Succumbing to Leander's soft words and to his argument that Aphrodite, as the goddess of love, would scorn the worship of a virgin, Hero allowed him to make love to her. Their trysts lasted through a warm summer. But one stormy winter night, the waves tossed Leander in the sea and the breezes blew out Hero's light; Leander lost his way and drowned. When Hero saw his dead body, she threw herself over the edge of the tower to her death to be with him.

Gaia and Uranus

His name in Roman mythology was Caelus. In Ancient Greek literature, he was the son and husband of Gaia, Mother Earth. He personifies the sky and she the earth. Parents of the first generation of titans

Creon

In Antigone, Creon is the ruler of Thebes. Oedipus's sons, Eteocles and Polynices, had shared the rule jointly until they quarreled, and Eteocles expelled his brother. In Sophocles' account, the two brothers agreed to alternate rule each year, but Eteocles decided not to share power with his brother after his tenure expired. Polynices left the kingdom, gathered an army and attacked the city of Thebes in a conflict called the Seven Against Thebes. The Thebans won the war, but both sons of Oedipus were killed, leaving Creon as ruler once more, serving as regent for Laodamas, the son of Eteocles. Creon gives Eteocles a full and honorable burial, but orders (under penalty of death) that Polynices' corpse be left to rot on the battlefield as punishment for his treason. Such state of non-burial was considered a frightening and terrible prospect in the culture of ancient Greece. Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who is betrothed to Creon's son Haemon, defies him by burying her brother, and is condemned to be entombed alive as punishment. Antigone tells Creon that it is the duty of the living to bury the dead and that if a body is not buried then the one who died will wander around in nowhere aimlessly for all eternity. Creon finally relents after advice from the chorus leader (choragos), after Tiresias tells him to bury the body. However, when Creon arrives at the tomb where she was to be interred, Antigone has already hanged herself rather than be buried alive. His son, Haemon, threatens him and tries to kill him but ends up taking his own life.[

Joseph and Family Reunion

In the second year of famine, Joseph's half brothers were sent to Egypt to buy goods. When they came to Egypt, they stood before the Vizier but did not recognize him as their brother Joseph; but Joseph did recognize them and did not speak at all to them in his native tongue of Hebrew. Vizier (Joseph) demanded that he be brought to Egypt as a demonstration of their veracity. This was Joseph's full brother, Benjamin. Later they return and bring Benjamin. Joseph planted a silver cup with Benjamin and accused the "thief" of stealing his possessions, making Benjamin now his slave. Judah, a brother, took his place instead. Joseph reveals himself and sends his family money and forgiveness. He finally sees his father and is reunited

Elysian Fields

Initially separate from the realm of Hades, admission was reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes. Later, it expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic, where they would remain after death, to live a blessed and happy life, and indulging in whatever employment they had enjoyed in life

Muses

Inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. Considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures.

David and Goliath

Israel warred against the Philistines. One of the Philistines was a giant. His name was Goliath. He was very big and strong. The Israelites were afraid of him. David used a slingshot and stoned Goliath, then cut off his head "with God's help."

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob experienced a vision of a ladder, or staircase, reaching into heaven with angels going up and down it, commonly referred to as "Jacob's ladder". He heard the voice of God, who repeated many of the blessings upon him, coming from the top of the ladder. Symbolizes connection between the earth and heaven that Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau. The significance of the dream has been somewhat debated, but most interpretations agree that it identified Jacob with the obligations and inheritance of the ethnic people chosen by God, as understood in Abrahamic religions. It has since been used as a symbolic reference in various other contexts.

Jacob's Wives and Sons

Jacob saw a well where shepherds were gathering their flocks to water them and met Laban's younger daughter, Rachel. He loved her immediately, and asked for her hand in marriage in return for working seven years for Laban the Aramean. Laban agreed to the arrangement. These seven years seemed to Jacob "but a few days, for the love he had for her", but when they were complete and he asked for his wife, Laban deceived Jacob by switching Rachel for her older sister, Leah, as the veiled bride. In the morning, when the truth became known, Laban justified his action, saying that in his country it was unheard of to give a younger daughter before the older. However, he agreed to give Rachel in marriage as well if Jacob would work another seven years. After the week of wedding celebrations with Leah, Jacob married Rachel, and he continued to work for Laban for another seven years. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and Leah felt hated. God opened Leah's womb and she gave birth to four sons rapidly: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Rachel, however, remained barren. Following the example of Sarah, who gave her handmaid to Abraham after years of infertility, Rachel gave Jacob her handmaid, Bilhah, in marriage so that Rachel could raise children through her. Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali. Seeing that she had left off childbearing temporarily, Leah then gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob in marriage so that Leah could raise more children through her. Zilpah gave birth to Gad and Asher. 12 kids total

Wrestling with an angel

Jacob spent the night alone on a riverside. There an angel or God himself—wrestled with Jacob, even striking him painfully in the hollow of his thigh. Jacob asks the "man" his name, and receives no answer. He names the place where they wrestled Peniel or Penuel.

Joseph and Pharaoh

Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, and advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grain. His accuracy ensured Egypt's prosperity and made him Vizier.

Oedipus

Killed his father and married his mother. Homer related that Oedipus's wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death.

Menelaus

King of Sparta, the husband of Helen of Sparta. When his wife, Helen, is abducted by Paris, Menelaus goes to war against Troy

Laius

King of Thebes. Warned by an oracle that his son Oedipus would slay him, so he decided to kill him first through exposure. Later in a quarrel, Oedipus kills Laius

Graces

Minor goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, and fertility. They all were patrons of various pleasures in life, such as play, amusement, rest, happiness and relaxation. In classical art, the Charites were often represented as three naked women dancing in a circle.

Sphinx

Monster which had the head of a human and the body of a lion. Apart from the human head and the body of the lion, she also had the wings of an eagle and the tail of a serpent. According to the myth, she dwelt outside the city of Thebes, and asked a riddle to all travelers, in order to let them pass. The riddle she asked is a famous one; which is the creature that has one voice, but has four feet in the morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three feet at night? Anyone who struggled to answer was eaten by the monster. However, Oedipus managed to answer correctly; he replied "the man", who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two as an adult, and needs a walking cane when old.

Methuselah

Oldest man in bible, lived the longest at the age of 969

Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus and Eurydice get married, but later that night, Eurydice is bit by a snake and dies. Overcome with grief, Orpheus travels to the Underworld to bring her back to life. He convinces Hades and Persephone to let Eurydice go, but her release comes with a catch: Eurydice must walk behind him as they ascend to the upper world, and Orpheus is forbidden from looking at her. Unfortunately, Orpheus is overcome with passion just as they reach the exit. He turns to look at Eurydice and she is immediately sent back to the Underworld - forever. Orpheus is devastated (again) and roams around Greece playing sad songs. Eventually, he is ripped to shreds by a group of drunken mad women.

Tower of Babel

People wanted to build a tower to stay together. It is tall enough to reach the heavens, which scares God because these people need limits or they'll usurp the very deity that created them. He scatters them and prevents them from working in unity through the creation of several languages

Priam and Hecuba

Priam is chopped to bits in front of Hecuba. Priam: King of Troy during the Trojan War Hecuba: Queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War, with whom she had 19 children. These children included several major characters of Homer's Iliad such as the warriors Hector and Paris and the prophetess Cassandra.

Minotaur and Labyrinth

Queen Pasiphae slept with a bull, and gave birth to Minotaur, a creature half man - half bull. King Minos was embarrassed, but did not want to kill the Minotaur, so he hid the monster in the Labyrinth constructed by Daedalus. The labyrinth was such a complicated construction that no one could ever find the way out alive. Theseus, son of Aegeus decided to be one of the seven young men that would go to Crete, in order to kill the Minotaur and end the human sacrifices to the monster. Pincess Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, who fell madly in love with him and decided to help Theseus. She gave him a thread and told him to unravel it as he would penetrate deeper and deeper into the Labyrinth, so that he knows the way out when he kills the monster.

Jocasta

Queen of Thebes. After Oedipus solves the Sphinx's riddle, he is rewarded with the queen's hand in marriage. He ends up marrying his mother, Jocasta.

Romulus and Remus

Romulus and Remus were twin brothers and sons of the war god Mars (Ares). They were raised by a she-wolf when they were babies. Known for founding rome. When he and Remus were trying to decide where to build their new city, they got into a major fight, and Romulus decided to end the debate by stabbing his brother with a sword.

Pygmalion

Sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. He made offerings at the altar of Aphrodite. There, too scared to admit his desire, he quietly wished for a bride who would be "the living likeness of my ivory girl." When he returned home, he kissed his ivory statue, and found that its lips felt warm. He kissed it again, and found that the ivory had lost its hardness. Aphrodite had granted Pygmalion's wish.

Lot/Lot's wife

Shows how God saves those who obey him, but those who do not obey him will lose their lives. When God was about to destroy Sod'om, he warned Lot and his family to flee without looking back. When Lot's wife looked back, she turned into a pillar of salt.

Joseph

Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, he rose to become vizier, the second most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh, where his presence and office caused Israel (Jacob) to leave Canaan and settle in Egypt. Son of Jacob and Rachel

Isaac

Son of Abraham and Sarah. After Isaac had been weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking, and urged her husband to cast out Hagar the bondservant and her son, so that Isaac would be Abraham's sole heir. Abraham was hesitant, but at God's order he listened to his wife's request. Was almost sacrificed by Abraham

Pyrrhus / Neoptolemus

Son of Achilles. In the last year of the Trojan War the Greek hero Odysseus brought him to Troy after the Trojan seer Helenus had declared that the city could not be captured without the aid of a descendant of Aeacus, who had helped to build its walls; Neoptolemus was Aeacus' great-grandson. He fought bravely and took part in the capture of Troy but committed the sacrilege of slaying the aged king Priam at an altar. He married Helen's daughter Hermione, but he carried off as a concubine Hector's widow, Andromache, by whom he was the father of Molossus, ancestor of the Molossian kings. He kills Priam, it's about getting revenge for your father.

Ishmael

Son of Hagar and Abraham. Sarah wasn't thought to be able to have a child, so they used Hagar instead. Ishmael caused Sarah to be jealous of her handmaiden because Abraham is happy with his son. An angel finally tells Sarah she's going to have a baby when she's 99- Isaac

Telemachus

Son of Odysseus and Penelope. When Telemachus reached manhood, he searched for his wandering father. On his return, he found that Odysseus had reached home before him. Then father and son slew the suitors who had gathered around Penelope. According to later tradition, Telemachus married Circe (or Calypso) after Odysseus' death.

Tantalus

Tantalus is a super rich king who gets in some deep, deep trouble with the gods. Folks disagree on what exactly he does that's so bad. Some say he shares the divine secrets given to him by Zeus, while others say he helps steal Zeus's favorite golden dog. Still others will tell you that he chops up his son Pelops, boils him in a pot, and tries to feed him to the gods at a dinner party. As punishment for his crime, Tantalus is imprisoned in Tartarus. There, in the deepest pit of the Underworld, he stands for all eternity in a pool of water with low-hanging fruit just above his head. Every time he tries to drink the water, it drains away, and every time he tries to have a fruity snack the branch raises just out of his reach.

Damon and Pythias

They were best friends and their story symbolizes loyalty and friendship. When Pythias was sentenced to death, Damon took his place for a month in prison to allow Pythias time to say his goodbyes to family back home. If Pythias didn't return in a month, Damon would die instead. Pythias's loyalty to his friend convinced the sentencing King to pardon him

Fates

Three sister deities, incarnations of destiny and life. Deal with the thread of life for both mortals and gods.

Jacob and Esau

Twin sons of Rebecca and Isaac who struggled in the womb. Jacob tricked Esau into giving up his birthright as the older son for a bowl of stew. Later when the dying Isaac was supposed to grant Esau a blessing, Isaac disguised himself as Esau and received the blessing instead.

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

Ultimately, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. Later, Joseph became Potiphar's personal servant, and subsequently his household's superintendent. Here, Potiphar's wife Zuleika tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. Angered by his running away from her, she made a false accusation of rape, and thus assured his imprisonment.

Antigone

Uncle Creon is in power and her two brothers fought and killed each other. Creon only buried the brother he liked though Antigone insisted that both should be buried. She buries them anyway and Creon puts her in a cave to die. Creon's son sneaks into a cave and dies with her, too. Tiresias warns Creon to not kill them, but it's too late

Achilles

When Achilles was born Thetis (mother) tried to make him immortal, by dipping him in the river Styx. However, he was left vulnerable at the part of the body by which she held him: his left heel. The death of Achilles was brought about by Paris with an arrow

Creation

When God creates the heavens and the earth in six days, starting with light on the first day and ending with mankind on the sixth (creating man and woman independently and at the same time), then rests on, blesses and sanctifies the seventh

Moses: Battles with Pharaoh

When Moses and his brother Aaron got to Egypt the Lord told them what to do. He said, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelites go. He will be very stubborn and it will take many signs and miracles before he will let you go; but everyone will know that I am God when he finally frees the Israelites." They plague Egypt with deaths, toads, blood for water, and more. Finally, the Pharaoh lets them go but changed his mind. When the Israelites reached the Red Sea they were trapped with the Sea in front of them and Pharaoh behind them. But God told Moses to reach out his staff into the water, and when he did an amazing thing happened. The water split into two! The water lifted itself and made huge walls of water- he parted the sea and they escaped

Moses Childhood

When his mother had hidden him in the reeds of the Nile in order to save his life, because he was threatened by Pharaoh's decree that every Hebrew male be put to death, Pharaoh's daughter took pity on the infant and adopted him as her son. When Moses grew to manhood he went out of the royal palace, where he had been brought up as an Egyptian prince, to see the afflictions of his Hebrew brethren toiling under the lash of the Egyptian taskmasters.

Sarah

Wife and half-sister of Abraham. Her name was originally Sarai but God changed her name to Sarah as part of a covenant after Hagar bore Abraham his first son, Ishmael.

Rebecca

Wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. She was chosen by a servant to be Isaac's wife when she drew water for the servant and his camels, revealing her kindness

Penelope

Wife of Odysseus who awaits his return. During her husband's long absence after the Trojan War, many chieftains of Ithaca and nearby islands become her suitors. To spare herself their importunities she insists that they wait until she has woven a shroud for Laertes, father of Odysseus. Every night for three years, until one of her maids reveals the secret, she unravels the piece that she has woven by day so that she will not have to give up hope for the return of her beloved husband and remarry. When at length Odysseus does return, she makes him prove his identity and finally accepts him.

Jacob

Younger of Rebecca's and Isaac's twins. God changed Jacob's name to Israel, and he became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel

Perseus

Zeus impregnates Perseus's mother with a golden shower. When her father finds out his grandson was born, he throws her in a chest and sends her out to sea to let nature kill her. She gets to an island and the king of the island pursues her though she doesn't reciprocate the feelings. The king demands a wedding gift from Perseus for marrying someone else: Medusa's head. Hermes gives Perseus his sandals and a sickle. Athena gives him a polished shield and invisible cloak. Perseus uses the shield to not look at the Gorgon Medusa and kills her. He returns and saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus along the way. When he returned, he sees the king trying to marry his mother and uses Medusa's head to turn the king to stone.

Atlas

a Titan condemned to hold up the sky for eternity after the Titanomachy. Atlas sided with the Titans in their war against the Olympians, the Titanomachy. Zeus condemned Atlas to stand at the western edge of Gaia (the Earth) and hold up the sky on his shoulders. He tried to trick Heracles into holding the burden instead when Heracles needed to retrieve golden apples, but Heracles was smarter.

Odysseus

a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, and son of Laërtes and Anticlea, Odysseus is renowned for his intellectual brilliance, guile, and versatility (polytropos. He is most famous for his nostos or "homecoming", which took him ten eventful years after the decade-long Trojan War. He took a long time returning because he didn't thank the gods after the war.

Cerberus

aka "hound of Hades", is the monstrous multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. Primarily known for his capture by Heracles, one of Heracles' twelve labours.

Sirens

dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.

Moses

former Egyptian prince who later in life became religious leader of Hebrews and lawgiver, to whom the authorship of the Torah, or acquisition of the Torah from Heaven is traditionally attributed.

Scylla and Charybdis

monsters in the narrow waters traversed by the hero Odysseus. Scylla was a supernatural female creature, with 12 feet and 6 heads on long, snaky necks, each head having a triple row of sharklike teeth. Charybdis drank down and belched forth the waters thrice a day and was fatal to shipping. Her character was most likely the personification of a whirlpool.

Satyrs/Fauns

one of a class of lustful, drunken woodland gods. In Greek art they were represented as a man with a horse's ears and tail, but in Roman representations as a man with a goat's ears, tail, legs, and horns.