Let’s face it, mortals. When you read the Greek myths, you sometimes run into long, unpronounceable names like Eurytheus and Stymphalian—names so complicated 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.
Alcmene (alc-ME-nay)—princess of Thebes; briefly married to Zeus; mother of Hercules.
Alpheus (AL-fee-us)—a river god.
ambrosia (am-BRO-zha)—food that we gods must eat to stay young and good-looking for eternity.
Amphitryon (am-FIH-tree-on)—married Alcmene and became stepfather to Hercules.
Arcadia (are-KAY-dee-uh)—a large region in Greece.
Artemis (AR-tuh-miss)—goddess of the chase, the hunt, and the moon; Apollo’s twin sister. The Romans call her Diana.
Athena (uh-THEE-nuh)—goddess of wisdom, weaving, and war; wears a Gorgon mask on the breastplate of her armor. The Romans call her Minerva.
Athens (ATH-enz)—important city in ancient Greece, sacred to Athena.
Atlas (AT-liss)—the biggest of the giant Titans; known for holding the sky on his shoulders.
Centaur (SEN-tor)—one of the race of monsters having 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; for Labor XII, Hercules was to capture Cerberus and bring him up from the Underworld.
Ceryneian Hind (sir-EE-nee-an HINDE)— the doe with golden antlers and hooves of brass that Hercules was to capture for Labor III; otherwise known as Precious.
Charon (CARE-un)—river-taxi driver; ferries the living and the dead across the River Styx.
Cretan Bull (KREE-tin)—a bull Hercules had to capture for Labor VII.
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.
Eurymanthian Boar (your-ee-MAN-the-an)—the wild boar that Hercules was to slay for Labor IV.
Eurystheus (your-ISS-thee-us)—king of Mycenae; conniving with Hera, he gave Hercules the XII Labors to perform.
Furies (FYOOR-eez)—three winged immortals with red eyes and serpents for hair who pursue and punish wrongdoers.
Geryon (GAIR-yon)—self-proclaimed Strongest Man in the World, Geryon had two legs, one set of hips, three torsos, six arms, and three heads; Hercules was to fetch his herd of red cattle to complete Labor X.
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.
Helios (HEE-lee-ohss)—sun god; drives the chariot of the sun from east to west across the sky each day; son of Hyperion.
Hera (HERE-uh)—my sister; Queen of the Olympians; goddess of marriage; the Romans call her Juno. I call her “The Boss.”
Hercules (HER-kew-leez)—Roman name of the son of Zeus and Alcmene; a major, muscle-bound hero; won immortality by performing XII labors concocted by Hera; his name means “Glory of Hera.” The Greeks call him Heracles.
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.
Hesperides (hess-PAIR-uh-deez)—the daughters of the Titan Atlas; they tend a garden on the slope of Mount Atlas where a tree belonging to Hera that bears golden apples grows; for Labor XI, Hercules was to fetch these golden apples.
Hippolyta (hip-AW-lit-uh)—Queen of the Amazons; Hercules was to get her golden girdle, a gift from Ares, to complete Labor IX.
Hydra (HI-dra)—nine-headed monster; daughter of Typhon and Echidna. Hercules was to slay her as Labor II.
Hypnos (HIP-nos)—god of sleep; brother of Thanatos (the god of death); son of Nyx, or night; my first lieutenant in the Underworld.
immortal (i-MOR-tuhl)—a being, such as a god or possibly a monster, who will never die, like me.
Ladon (LAY-don)—a monstrous dragon: guard of Hera’s apple tree in the garden of the Hesperides; offspring of Echidna and Typhon.
Linus (LIE-nus)—one of Hercules’s teachers.
Lion of Cithaeron (SITH-air-on)—lion reputed to ravage cattle herds that Hercules supposedly offed. We know better. Also known as Cee.
Mares of Diomedes (MAIRZ OV die-o-MEE-deez)—horses fed on human flesh and made monstrous by King Diomedes; for Labor VIII, Hercules was to capture them.
mortal (MOR-tuhl)—a being who one day must die. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but you are a mortal.
Mount Olympus (oh-LIM-pess)—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.
Nemean Lion (neh-MEE-an)—an enormous lion whose pelt could not be pierced by any weapon of iron, bronze, or stone. Hercules was to kill it as Labor I.
oracle (OR-uh-kull)—a sacred place where a seer or sibyl is said to foretell the future; the sibyl and her prophecy are also called oracles.
Orthus (OR-thus)—II-headed dog belonging to Geryon; monstrous offspring of Typhon and Echidna.
Peirithous (peh-RITH-oh-us)—a mortal who went to the Underworld to woo Queen Persephone; ended up sitting in the Chair of Forgetfulness.
Peneius (peh-NAY-us)—a river god.
Persephone (per-SEF-uh-knee)—goddess of spring and my Queen of the Underworld. The Romans call her Proserpina.
Polyhymnia (poh-lee-HIM-nee-uh)—muse of music.
Poseidon (po-SIGH-den)—my bro Po; god of the seas, rivers, lakes, and earthquakes; one of the XII Power Olympians; actual father of Theseus by his short-term wife, Aethra; the Romans call him Neptune.
Roman numerals (ROH-muhn NOO-muruhlz)—what the ancients used instead of counting on their fingers.
| I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX |
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
XXX XL L LX LXX LXXX XC C D M |
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 500 1000 |
sibyl (SIB-ul)—a mortal woman said to be able to foretell the future; a prophetess.
Stables of Augeias (aw-GUY-us)— unbelievably flithy stables that Hercules had to muck out to complete Labor V.
Stymphalian birds (stim-FAIL-ee-un)—huge iron-clawed, iron-beaked, iron-winged, stinky birds that Hercules had to get rid of for Labor VI.
Thebes (THEEBZ)—city in ancient Greece, northwest of Athens.
Theseus (THEE-see-us)—a great hero of ancient Athens who is known for never taking the easy way out and, mistakenly, for slaying the Minotaur; accompanied his friend Pirithous to the Underworld; sat in the Chair of Forgetfulness until rescued by Hercules.
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.