Hades - Mythopedia
Dec 7, 2022 · The story of Persephone’s abduction became the central element of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the annual rites performed by followers of the cult of Demeter and Persephone. Hades and the Heroes. While Hades was seldom a main character in mythological tales, he did appear in stories of heroes who journeyed to the Underworld. Heracles
Persephone – Mythopedia
Mar 9, 2023 · Persephone, often known simply as Kore (“Maiden”), was a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Her mythology tells of how she was abducted by her uncle Hades one day while picking flowers. Demeter, distraught, wandered the entire world in search of her daughter. When Demeter at last located Persephone in the Underworld, she demanded that her ...
Cerberus - Mythopedia
Mar 8, 2023 · Cerberus was the offspring of Typhoeus and Echidna and the guard dog of the Underworld. A servant of Hades (the Greek god of the dead), Cerberus prevented the inhabitants of the Underworld from returning to the land of the living. He was well suited to this task: in most traditions, Cerberus was a gigantic hound with three heads and a mane of ...
Pluto – Mythopedia
Dec 9, 2022 · The name “Pluto,” rendered as Plūtō in the Latin, was derived from the Greek name Plouton, meaning “the wealthy one.”. This name was an aspect of the deity Hades, one that highlighted his control over subterranean sources of mineral wealth. The name was also rooted in the ancient Greek noun ploutos, meaning “wealth” or “riches.”.
Theseus – Mythopedia
May 16, 2023 · Theseus was the product of an affair between Aegeus, the king of Athens, and Aethra, a princess of Troezen. But in some traditions, the sea god Poseidon slept with Aethra the same night as Aegeus, making Theseus his son instead. Theseus was raised by his mother Aethra in Troezen. The identity of his father was kept secret until Theseus had ...
Zeus - Mythopedia
Sep 20, 2023 · Zeus was the supreme god of the Greeks, a mighty deity who meted out justice from atop Mount Olympus. Hailed as the father of both mortals and immortals, Zeus was the god of the sky and weather, but was also connected with law and order, the city, and the household. The numerous other gods of the Greek pantheon were all subordinate to Zeus, and ...
Heracles - Mythopedia
Jul 14, 2023 · Heracles, the son of Zeus and Alcmene (a mortal woman), was a Greek hero and demigod. Because he was the product of one of Zeus’ many affairs, Heracles was hated and hounded by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera. Hera ensured that Heracles’ life was filled with hardship and tragedy. Of all Heracles’ heroic deeds, the most important were the Twelve ...
Demeter – Mythopedia
Apr 24, 2023 · Demeter was one of the Twelve Olympians and the goddess of fertility and agriculture. She was also a goddess of women, family, law, and the Mysteries (secret religious rites). One of the children of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, Demeter was the sister of Zeus, Hestia, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Her most famous daughter was Persephone —the bride ...
Orpheus – Mythopedia
Jun 30, 2023 · Orpheus, the “father of songs,” was a musician and hero of Greek mythology. He was the son of the Thracian mortal Oeagrus (or of the god Apollo) and one of the nine Muses. Orpheus was a larger-than-life musician: his songs had the ability to move animals, rocks, and trees, and Orpheus himself was regarded not only as a musical innovator but ...
Erinyes (Furies) – Mythopedia
Mar 9, 2023 · Avi Kapach is a writer, scholar, and educator who received his PhD in Classics from Brown University. The Erinyes (“Furies”) were terrifying sisters who acted as goddesses of vengeance and retribution. From their grim home in the Underworld, the Erinyes punished crimes that violated the natural order—especially offenses against family ...