Greek Mythology 101: Greek Myth Figures

Hyperion

He was the titan of light and the East (The Lord of Light). He had glowing armor. He married Theia and they had three children named Helios (sun), Selene (moon), and Eos (dawn). He helped his brother, Kronos kill Ouranos. His parents were Gaea and Ouranos.

Theia

One of the oldest titan girls. She was the titan of clear sight. She loved shiny things. She married Hyperion and they had three children named Helios (sun), Selene (moon), and Eos (dawn). Her parents were Gaea and Oranos.

Tethys

One of the oldest titan girls. She was the titan of water. She married Oceanus and they had a daughter named Klymene. Her parents were Gaea and Oranos.

Oceanus

The oldest of the titans. He was the titan of the oceans. He married Tethys and they had a daughter named Klymene His parents were Gaea and Ouranos.

Helios

The titan of the sun. He drove the sun chariot before Apollo did. He married Clymene. They had seven daughters and one son (Phaethon). He had two sisters named Selene and Eos.

Calais

Was a Boread, a son of Boreas Oreithyia. He joined the Argonauts along with his brother Zethes. They defeated the Harpies and saved the group of heroes.

Zethes

Was a Boread, a son of Boreas and Oreithyia. He joined the Agronauts and saved the heroes by helping his brother, Calais, defeat the Harpies that attacked.

Perseus

Was a Greek hero. He saved and married Andromeda. He killed Medusa. He witnessed the birth of Pegasus. He was assisted in his quest by Athena and Hermes. He tricked the Grey Sisters. His parents were Zeus and a mortal princess named Danae.

Polyphemus

Was a cyclops and son of Poseidon. He trapped, killed, and ate some of King Odysseus' men. Odysseus alone escaped.

Cassandra

Was a daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was the twin sister of Helenus. She had the power of prophecy. She was cursed by the gods so that no one would believe the prophecies or anything that she said, even though it was true. Agamemnon took her as a captive and wife. She was killed by Agamemnon's wife, Clyemnestra.

Eileithyia

Was a daughter of Zeus and Hera. She was the goddess of childbirth.

Medusa

Was a monster. At first she was a pretty mortal girl who was dating Poseidon. She and Poseidon made out in Athena's temple. Athena turned her into a gorgan. She could petrify anyone who looked at her. She was also the mother of Pegasus and another creature that was unspecified.

Clymene

Was a nymph who married Helios. She was the mother of seven daughters and Phaethon.

Cyrene

Was a nymph who protected her cattle. She dated Apollo and Ares. She would wrestle lions that got anywhere near her flock.

Psyche

Was a princess who was considered more beautiful than Aphrodite. She jumped of a cliff and Zephyrus took her to Eros. She married Eros. After disobeying Eros, he abandoned her. She did many dangerous tasks for Aphrodite. She was very insecure. Her worst enemy was Aphrodite.

Python

Was a serpent/snake that took over the oracle of Delphi from Phoebe. After attacking Leto, Apollo killed him and reclaimed the oracle. Gaea appointed him to guard the oracle of Delphi.

Phobos

Was a son of Ares. He caused people to have fear/panic. He was the brother of Deimos.

Deimos

Was a son of Ares. He caused people to have fear/panic. He was the twin brother of Phobos.

Deiphobus

Was a son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. He received Helen after Paris died.

Paris

Was a son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. He was one of the youngest sons. His older brother was Hector. He started the Trojan War by taking Helen of Sparta to Troy with him. He fell in love with Helen. He was a coward. He had a dual against Menelaus.

Helenus

Was a son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. He was the twin brother of Cassandra. He had the power of prophecy. Unlike Cassandra, people believed him.

Bellerophon

Was a son of Poseidon. He found Pegasus and attempted to ride him (Pegasus) to Mount Olympus. His worst enemy was Queen Anteia of Argos. He performed many dangerous tasks for King Iobates of Lycia. He was quite the klutz.

Circe

Was a sorceress. She was the aunt of Medea. She trained Medea in witchcraft.

Typhon

Was a very ugly and terrible monster who set out to destroy the gods and goddesses. His parents were Gaea and Tartarus.

Daedalus

Was an inventor. He threw his nephew off of the Acropolis. He worked for King Minos. He had a son named Icarus. He built the Labyrinth to contain the Minotaur. He helped Pasaphae impress a golden bull. He made wings for himself and his son to escape from Minos' palace. His son drowned in the sea after falling from the sky. The sea his son drowned in was called the Icarian sea. He was a descendant of Athena and Hephaestus.

Gaea

Was created by Chaos. She was the earth itself, but she could take physical form. She created and married Ouranos (sky). She was the mother of the twelve titans, the Elder Cyclopses, and the Hundred Handed ones. She told Kronos to kill Ouranos. She made the first scythe. She was a giant.

Ouranos

Was created by Gaea. He married Gaea. He was the father of the twelve titans, the Elder Cyclopses, and the Hundred Handed ones. He was killed by his son, Kronos. He tied the Hundred Handed Ones and the Elder Cyclopses in chains of darkness. He threw the six into Tartarus. His blood (golden inchor) and the pieces of him combined to create many creatures... Including Aphrodite.

Patroclus

Was like Achilles' cousin. He wanted to fight in the Trojan War, but Achilles restrained him. He was killed by Hector on accident. He dressed up as Achilles to scare the Trojans. Achilles avenged him. Son of Menoetius.

Rhea

Was the Great Mother. She married Kronos. She was the mother of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus (they are listed in birth order). She hated Kronos after he ate their first five kids. She hid Zeus from Kronos so that he could save the others. She gave birth to the first six Olympians.

Medea

Was the daughter of King Aeetes. She helped Jason get the Golden Fleece. In doing so, she made Jason promise to marry her. Jason married her, but only received trouble. She did many terrible things and ruined Jason's life. She even killed her and Jason's own sons.

Atalanta

Was the daughter of King Iasus of Arcadia. When she was born, her father left her in the woods. She was found by a she-bear. She was raised by Artemis. She learned how to hunt. She swore to never marry. A hero named Meleager fell in love with her. She promised her Iasus that she would marry the man who beat her in a running race. Her cousin, Hippomenes asked for Aphrodite's help. Hippomenes cheated her and she lost to him. They married.

Klymene

Was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She was the goddess of fame. She married her uncle, Iapetus.

Tartarus

Was the deep abyss that was used as a dungeon of torment and suffering. He could also take physical form. He had married Gaea and was the father of Typhon.

Acrisius

Was the father of Danae and grandfather of Perseus. He went to the Oracle of Delphi for a prophecy about wether his daughter would ever marry or have a son. The Oracle told him that his daughter, Danae's, son would kill him. He locked Danae in a bronze prison. A little more than nine months later, he found out that his daughter had a son because of Zeus. He locked his Danae and the little baby in a wooden box and sent them to the ocean. There he left them. Years later, Perseus killed him.

King Aeetes

Was the father of Medea. He watched Medea cut her brother up into pieces. He stopped by the ocean to get the pieces of his son's body. He had a dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece.

King Minos

Was the father of the Minotaur. He was married to Pasaphaë.

Dictys

Was the fisherman who saved Danae and Perseus when they crashed on the island where he was fishing. He became a good friend of Perseus and Danae. His brother was Polydectes, an evil king.

Hephaestus

Was the god of fire and craftsman. He was a son of Hera. He was thrown off of Mount Olympus because he was ugly. He was married to Aphrodite. He hated Aphrodite and Ares' kids. He kicked Aphrodite out of his life. He trapped Aphrodite and Ares in a golden net.

Hypnos

Was the god of sleep.

Hades

Was the god of the Underworld. He was the oldest of the three brothers. He had terrible luck. He didn't really force Persephone to marry him. He loved her but she didn't love him. His parents were Rhea and Kronos.

Boreas

Was the god of the north wind. He was the father Khione, Calais, and Zethes.

Poseidon

Was the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. He was the middle of the boys. He had dated Medusa before she was a monster. He fell in love with many women. He lost a contest between himself and Athena. His parents were Rhea and Kronos.

Apollo

Was the god of the sun, prophecy, poetry, music, oracles, archery, and medicine. He had a twin sister named Artemis. His mother's name was Leto and his father was Zeus. He was the father of Asclepius. He had married Coronis. He dated Cyrene. He took back the oracle from Python.

Aeolus

Was the god of the winds.

Hermes

Was the god of thieves, travelers, and he was the messenger of the gods. He made the first lyre from a turtle shell and parts of a cow hide. He made a trade with Apollo in exchange for his being set free. He killed some of Apollo's cattle. His parents were Maia and Zeus.

Ares

Was the god of war. He was the son of Hera and Zeus. He was born raging and shaking his fists. When he was born, he snapped Zeus' finger. His parents wanted to love him. He had a crush on Aphrodite. He and Aphrodite had many affairs. He was eventually trapped in a golden net with Aphrodite by Hephaestus. He was trapped in a giant jar by two giants named Ephiliates and Otis. He has a fear of jars.

Demeter

Was the goddess of crops. The Greeks believed that they shouldn't make her angry for fear of a terrible winter. She was the mother of Persephone. She disliked her children marrying gods based on her own experiences. She was the middle of the girls. Her parents were Kronos and Rhea.

Aphrodite

Was the goddess of love and beauty. She was the mother of Eros and Aeneas. She was married to Hephaestus, but didn't like him. She chose to marry Ares instead. She was kicked out of Hephaestus' life. She was the worst enemy of Psyche. She would send Eros out to make people fall in love with whoever she chose. She judged people by their appearances. She was made of sea foam and Ouranos' blood/pieces of his body.

Tyche

Was the goddess of luck.

Hecate

Was the goddess of magic/sorcery. Her symbol is two crossed torches.

Iris

Was the goddess of rainbows.

Nemesis

Was the goddess of revenge.

Khione

Was the goddess of snow. She was the daughter of Boreas.

Artemis

Was the goddess of the hunt, moon, maidenhood, and was the protector of children. She had a group of hunters that followed her. She vowed to never marry. She was worshipped by many people. She turned this one man into a girl because he was really young and saw her naked. She and her hunters were off limits to men. She was the daughter of Leto and Zeus; the twin sister of Apollo.

Nike

Was the goddess of victory and Zeus' charioteer.

Athena

Was the goddess of wisdom and warfare. She was the daughter of Metis and Zeus. Zeus swallowed Metis and she was born in his gut. She turned herself into pure thought and went up to Zeus' head. There, she turned back into a goddess and banged/moved around inside his head. Later, Hephaestus split open Zeus' head. She came out. She made fun of Ares' type of war.

Hebe

Was the goddess of youth. She was a daughter of Zeus and Hera. She married Hercules/Heracles after he became immortal.

Otrera

Was the heroine who started the Amazon tribe. She was the queen of the Amazons. She married Ares after they wrestled. She built a temple to Artemis. One of her daughters accidentally killed the other. She shouldn't have led the Amazons in a war against Dionysus.

Odysseus

Was the king of Ithaca. He was the husband of Penelope and the father of Telemachus. When he left for the Trojan War, he didn't return home until 20 years later. One hundred men (suitors) tried to marry his wife, thinking that he'd never come back. When he did return, he and Telemachus slaughtered all one hundred of the suitors. He escaped the cyclops Polyphemus.

Menelaus

Was the king of Sparta. He was married to Helen. Paris took his wife to Troy. He battled Paris. He was the brother of Agamemnon.

Priam

Was the king of Troy. His original name was Podarces. He was the husband of Hecuba and the father of fifty sons along with twelve daughters.

Polydectes

Was the king of the island Perseus and Danae crashed on. He told Perseus to behead Medusa. He tried to force Danae to marry him. Perseus used Medusa's head to turn him into to stone.

Kronos

Was the king of the universe before Zeus took his place. He married his sister, Rhea. He was the father of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus (they are listed in birth order). He ate the first five. He ate a rock, thinking that it was Zeus. He threw up the five kids that he ate. His parents were Gaea and Ouranos.

Jason

Was the leader of the Argonauts. He led the quest to go find the Golden Fleece. He married Medea and was blamed for many of the horrible things that she had done. After returning with the Golden Fleece, he wondered off on his own. Eventually, he stopped and rested next to the rotting ship the Argo. The front of the ship rotted and fell on his head. This killed him.

Leto

Was the mother of Apollo and Artemis. She married Zeus. She was a titan. Hera cursed her to never give birth. Her parents were Phoebe and Koios.

Metis

Was the mother of Athena. She married Zeus. She was eaten by Zeus while pregnant with Athena. She eventually dissolved into pure thought and became the voice in Zeus' head. Her parents were possibly Oceanus and Tethys.

Alcmene

Was the mother of Heracles/Hercules and Iphicles. She married Amphitryon.

Maia

Was the mother of Hermes. She was a titan. She married Zeus.

Danae

Was the mother of Perseus and the daughter of King Acrisius. It was said that her son would kill Acrisius. She was thrown into a bronze prison and left there. Zeus visited her in a shower of light. Nine months later, she had her baby-- A boy. She named her son Perseus. When Acrisius found out about Perseus, Acrisius threw her and the baby into a wooden box. A fisherman named Dictys found the two. Polydectes tried to force Danae to marry him, but Perseus saved her.

Hestia

Was the oldest of Kronos and Rhea's six kids. She was the goddess of the hearth and home. She didn't get married. She was very kind and generous. Her siblings thought of her as being the youngest.

Hector

Was the oldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. He was married to Andromache and was the father of Astyanax. He killed Patroclus, thinking he was Achilles. He was the brother of Paris. Achilles killed him to avenge Patroclus. He led the Trojan army.

Hecuba

Was the queen of Troy. She was the wife of Priam. She was the mother of Hector, Paris, Helenus, Deiphobus, Troilus, Pammon, Antiphus and Cassandra.

Persephone

Was the queen of the Underworld. She was forced by her own father to marry Hades. She disliked Hades at first, but then, she learned that he wasn't all that bad. She was said to spend 2/3 of each year with her mother and then 1/3 of it with Hades. Her parents were Zeus and Demeter.

Theseus

Was the son of Aethra and possibly Poseidon. His mortal father was Aegeus. He rid Greece of many monsters and villains. His father, Aegeus, had almost killed him. He killed the minotaur. He attempted to kidnap Persephone. Aegeus left a sword and sandals underneath a rock. If he could lift it, the things underneath it were his.

Heracles/Hercules

Was the son of Alcmene and Zeus. When he was an infant, he killed two serpents with his bare hands. He married many women. He murdered his wife Megara and their sons. His nephew Iolaus didn't leave his side. He is most known for doing 12 labors and killing a dragon.

Meleager

Was the son of Althaea. When he was a baby, the Fates said that if a piece of firewood was completely burnt, he would die. Althaea ran to the hearth, took the firewood out of the hearth and hid it in a trunk. Later, he killed his uncles. After that Althaea threw the piece of wood in a fire. He died. Althaea came out of her rage and realized that she had killed her son. Althaea hanged herself for her son's death.

Eros

Was the son of Aphrodite and Ares. He was the god of love. He married Psyche. He created a mansion and gardens for Psyche. He told Psyche that she couldn't see him, ask his name, or see any of her family members. After Psyche disobeyed him, he got a burn from hot oil that accidentally spilled on him. He has wings. He was the handsomest god.

Orpheus

Was the son of Calliope (the oldest Muse). He was married to Eurydice. He tried to bring his wife back from the Underworld. He disobeyed Hades and ended up having to leave his wife in the Underworld.

Icarus

Was the son of Daedalus. He was very ambitious and handsome. His father made the two of them wings so that they could escape from Minos' palace. He flew too high and fell from the sky. There is a sea named after him. He drowned.

Astyanax

Was the son of Hector and Andromache.

Phaethon

Was the son of Helios. He got his father to allow him to drive the sun chariot for the day. This resulted in him almost destroying the world. His mother was Clymene.

Minotaur

Was the son of King Minos and Queen Pasaphaë. His original name was Asterion. He was placed the middle of the labyrinth as a punishment for those that went against Minos.

Telemachus

Was the son of Odysseus. When he was old enough, he went around Greece, looking for whereabouts of his father. He helped his father slaughter the one hundred suitors. When he was growing up, his room was in a high tower.

Achilles

Was the son of Peleus and Thetis. He was the best Greek warrior. He led the Myrmidons and was the cousin of Patroclus. He disliked Agamemnon and Menelaus. He was a friend of Odysseus. He killed Hector to avenge Patroclus. The place he could be killed was his heel. Apollo guided the arrow that killed him. He fell in love with Briseis after he took her as a captive. Agamemnon took Briseis from him.

Dionysus

Was the son of Zeus and Princess Semele. He was a demigod before he was a god. His friend was a satyr. He was the god of wine, parties, and gender-confused people. His aunt and uncle acted like he was a girl in public, but called him a boy when he was at home. His mother got vaporized because of Hera.

Eos

Was the titan of dawn. She had two siblings named Helios and Selene.

Themis

Was the titan of good law. She was obviously smart enough to NOT marry any of her siblings. Her parents were Gaea and Oranos.

Mnemosyne

Was the titan of memory. None of her siblings liked her. She was one of the few titans that didn't marry her siblings. Her parents were Gaea and Ouranos.

Phoebe

Was the titan of prophecy. She married her brother, Koios. She was the mother of Leto. She was in charge of the oracle until Python took over.

Koios

Was the titan of the North. He had the power of prophecy. He married his sister Phoebe. He was the father of Leto. He helped his brother, Kronos kill Ouranos. His parents were Gaea and Ouranos.

Krios

Was the titan of the South. He was quiet and never married. He was a very shady person. He helped his brother, Kronos, kill Ouranos. His parents were Gaea and Ouranos.

Iapetus

Was the titan of the West. His name meant the piercer. He helped his brother, Kronos, kill Ouranos. He married his niece, Klymene. His parents were Gaea and Ouranos.

Selene

Was the titan of the moon. She drove the moon chariot. She had two siblings named Helios and Eos.

Andromache

Was the wife of Hector and the mother of Astyanax. She was a princess of Troy. She was the sister-in-law of Paris. She was the daughter-in-law of Priam and Hecuba. She didn't want Hector to go to war.

Pasaphaë

Was the wife of King Minos. She was the mother of the Minotaur. She was technically married to a bull as well.

Hera

Was the youngest daughter of Kronos and Rhea. She married Zeus after losing a bet that they had. She was the mother of Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus, and Eileithyia. She was the goddess of marriage and motherhood.

Zeus

Was the youngest of the first six gods. He was the god of the skies and the father of many heroes. He also married many women. This included his sisters Hera and Demeter. He helped Hades get Persephone to marry him (Hades). His parents were Kronos and Rhea.

Grey Sisters

Were also known as the fates. Their names were: Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (allotter), and Atropos (unturnable)

Elder Cyclopses

Were the first three cyclopses. Their parents were Gaea and Ouranos. Ouranos tied them up in chains of darkness and threw them into Tartarus. They built Kronos' palace. They helped Zeus defeat Kronos and the titans.

Hundred Handed Ones

Were three children of Gaea and Ouranos. They were thrown into Tartarus after being wrapped in chains by Ouranos. They built Kronos' palace. They helped Zeus defeat Kronos and the titans.