Let’s face it, mortals. When you read the Greek myths, you sometimes run into long, unpronounceable names like Hephaestus and Prometheus—names so long that just looking at them can give you a great big headache. Not only that, but sometimes you mortals call us by our Greek names and other times by our Roman names. It can get pretty confusing. But never fear! I’m here to set you straight with my quick- and-easy guide to who’s who and what’s what in the myths.
Althea (AL-thee-uh)—queen of Calydonia; mother of the hero Meleager.
ambrosia (am-BRO-zha)—food that we gods must eat to stay young and good-looking for eternity.
Aphrodite (af-ruh-DIE-tee)—goddess of love and beauty. The Romans call her Venus.
Apollo (uh-POL-oh)—god of light, music, and poetry; Artemis’s twin brother. The Romans call him Apollo, too.
Argonauts (AR-guh-nots)—heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece; among them were Ancaeus, Castor, Hercules, Jason, Lynceus, Meleager, Nestor, Peleus, Polydeuces, Telamon, and Theseus.
Artemis (AR-tuh-miss)—goddess of the chase, the hunt, and the moon; Apollo’s twin sister. The Romans call her Diana.
Atalanta (at-uh-LAN-tuh)—daughter of King Iasus and Queen Clymene of Arcadia; gained fame as a princess hero of Greece.
Athens (ATH-enz)—important city in ancient Greece, sacred to Athena.
Atropos (AT-ruh-pos)—one of the three Fates; responsible for snipping each mortal’s thread when it’s time for that mortal’s life to end.
Calydon (KAL-uh-don)—ancient city in western Greece; capitol of Calydonia, which is home to the Calydonian Boar.
Calydonian Boar (kal-uh-DOHN-ee-un)—a monstrous, fire-breathing, wild boar sent by Artemis to Calydonia, in northwestern Greece; also said to run a fine wrestling academy.
centaur (SEN-tor)—one of the race of monsters with the head, arms, and torso of a man, and the body and legs of a horse.
Cerberus (SIR-buh-rus)—my fine, III-headed pooch, guard dog of the Underworld.
Clotho (KLO-tho)—one of the three Fates; spinner of each mortal’s thread of life.
Cupid (KYOO-pid)—the name the Romans gave to the god of love; we Greeks prefer Eros.
Cyclops (SIGH-klops)—one of the race of one-eyed giants; among them are Lightninger, Shiner, and Thunderer, children of Gaia and Uranus, and uncles to us gods.
Delphi (DELL-fie)—an oracle in Greece on the southern slope of Mount Parnassus where a sibyl is said to predict the future.
Demeter (duh-MEE-ter)—my sister, goddess of agriculture and total gardening nut. The Romans call her Ceres.
drosis (DRO-sis)—short for theoexidrosis (thee- oh-exih-DRO-sis), old Greek speak for “violent god sweat.”
Gaia (GUY-uh)—Mother Earth, the beginning of all life; married to Uranus, Father Sky; gave birth to the Titans, Cyclopes, and the Hundred- Handed Ones; she’s my Granny Gaia. Don’t upset her, unless you’re up for an earthquake.
Hades (HEY-deez)—Ruler of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead, King Hades, that’s me. I’m also God of Wealth, owner of all the gold, silver, and precious jewels in the earth. The Romans call me Pluto.
Hera (HERE-uh)—my sister, Queen of the Olympians, goddess of marriage. The Romans call her Juno. I call her “The Boss.”
Hermes (HER-meez)—messenger of the gods; also god of business executives, inventors, and thieves; escorts dead mortals down to the Underworld. The Romans call him Mercury.
Hestia (HESS-tea-uh)—my sister, goddess of the hearth; likes to hang around at home. The Romans call her Vesta.
Iasus (eye-AH-sus)—evil king of Arcadia; banished his daughter, Atalanta, because he wanted a son.
immortal (i-MOR-tuhl)—a being, such as a god or possibly a monster, who will never die, like me.
Lachesis (lack-AY-sis)—one of the three Fates; determines the fate of each mortal.
Melanion (mel-LAN-ee-un)—raced Atalanta; threw golden apples in her path to slow her down so he might win the race.
Meleager (mel-ee-AY-jer)—hero and prince of Calydonia; led the hunt for the Calydonian Boar; the Fates decreed he would live as long as a certain holly log lasted.
mortal (MOR-tuhl)—a being who one day must die. I hate to break this to you, but you are a mortal.
Mount Olympus (oh-LIM-puss)—the highest mountain in Greece; home to all the major gods, except for my brother Po and me.
nectar (NECK-ter)—what we gods like to drink; has properties that invigorate us and make us look good and feel godly.
Oeneus (EE-nee-uhs)—king of Calydonia, husband of Althea, father of Meleager; called on heroes from all over Greece to go on the Calydonian Boar hunt.
oracle (OR-uh-kull)—a sacred place where a seer or a sibyl foretells the future; a sibyl and her prophecy are also called oracles.
Pan (pan)—son of Hermes; god of woods, fields, and flocks; has a human torso with a goat’s legs, hooves, and ears.
Persephone (per-SEF-uh-knee)—goddess of spring and my Queen of the Underworld. The Romans call her Proserpina.
Plexippus (PLECK-sih-pus)—brother of Queen Althea of Calydonia; fought with Meleager on the Calydonian Boar Hunt.
Psyche (SIGH-key)—a mortal princess who became immortal; loved by Cupid; her name means “soul.”
Python (PYE-thon)—a huge serpent who guarded the oracle of Delphi; also known as “Squeeze” Python and as “Sneaky Snake” Python; a champion wrestler.
Roman numerals (ROH-muhn NOO-mur- uhlz)—what the ancients used instead of counting on their fingers.
I | 1 | XI | 11 | XXX | 30 |
II | 2 | XII | 12 | XL | 40 |
III | 3 | XIII | 13 | L | 50 |
IV | 4 | XIV | 14 | LX | 60 |
V | 5 | XV | 15 | LXX | 70 |
VI | 6 | XVI | 16 | LXXX | 80 |
VII | 7 | XVII | 17 | XC | 90 |
VIII | 8 | XVIII | 18 | C | 100 |
IX | 9 | XIX | 19 | D | 500 |
X | 10 | XX | 20 | M | 1000 |
satyr (SAY-ter)—a type of woodland god with pointed ears, goat’s horns, and goat’s legs.
sibyl (SIB-ul)—a mortal woman said to be able to foretell the future; a prophetess.
Thalia (THA-lee-uh)—daughter of Zeus and muse of comedy.
Titan (TIGHT-un)—any of the twelve giant children of Gaia and Uranus.
Underworld (UHN-dur-wurld)—my very own kingdom, where the ghosts of dead mortals come to spend eternity.
Zeus (ZOOSE)—rhymes with goose, which pretty much says it all; my little brother, a major myth-o-maniac and a cheater, who managed to set himself up as Ruler of the Universe. The Romans call him Jupiter.