Myth

Zeus (Jupiter)

King of the gods; rules the sky, thunder, and lightning; enforces law and order
Married to Hera; his affairs cause many conflicts in myths

Hades (Pluto)

God of the underworld; rules the realm of the dead and oversees the afterlife
Married to Persephone

Aphrodite (Venus)

Goddess of love, beauty, and desire; causes attraction and romantic conflict
Married to Hephaestus; lover of Ares

Demeter (Ceres)

Goddess of agriculture and harvest; controls crops and fertility of the land
Mother of Persephone; her grief causes winter

Dionysus

God of wine, madness, theater, and celebration; represents loss of control

Eros (Cupid)

God of love and desire; causes people to fall in love
Often shown as a winged child with arrows

Nemesis

Goddess of revenge and justice; punishes arrogance and excessive pride

The Fates

Three goddesses who control destiny; spin, measure, and cut the thread of life

The Furies

Goddesses of vengeance; punish moral crimes like murder and betrayal

Achilles

Great Greek warrior in the Trojan War; nearly invincible except for his heel

Hercules

Hero known for superhuman strength; completes the Twelve Labors

Odysseus

Hero of The Odyssey; known for intelligence and cleverness

Helen

Most beautiful woman in the world; her abduction causes the Trojan War

Oedipus

Tragic hero who fulfills a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother

Orpheus

Gifted musician; travels to the underworld to rescue his wife Eurydice

Eurydice

Wife of Orpheus; dies and is lost when Orpheus looks back too soon

Medea

Sorceress and wife of Jason; takes revenge after he betrays her

Midas

King cursed so everything he touches turns to gold

Icarus

Flies too close to the sun with wax wings and falls to his death

Narcissus

Falls in love with his own reflection; represents vanity

Sisyphus

Punished to roll a stone uphill forever; represents endless suffering

Tantalus

Punished with eternal hunger and thirst; represents temptation without reward

Cyclops

One-eyed giants; represent brute force and savagery

Hydra

Multi-headed serpent; grows two heads when one is cut off

Gorgons

Three monster sisters with snake hair; Medusa is the most famous

The Sirens

Creatures who lure sailors to death with beautiful singing

Sphinx

Creature that asks riddles; kills those who answer incorrectly

Harpies

Winged creatures who steal food and punish the guilty

Elysian Fields

Peaceful afterlife reserved for heroes and the virtuous

Styx

River of the underworld; gods swear unbreakable oaths by it

Trojan War

Ten-year war between Greece and Troy, caused by Helen

Trojan Horse

Giant wooden horse used to sneak Greek soldiers into Troy

Titans

Older generation of gods who ruled before the Olympians

Prometheus

Titan who gave fire to humans; punished by Zeus

Pheonix

Immortal bird that burns and is reborn from ashes; symbolizes rebirth

Homer

Epic poet who wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey

Plato

Greek philosopher; student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle

Nana

Mother of Zeus in some myths; helps with his birth and early survival before he overthrows the Titans

Psyche

Mortal woman who undergoes trials to earn immortality; wife of Eros

Phaethon

Son of the sun god; loses control of the sun chariot, causing destruction

Argo

Ship used by Jason and the Argonauts on their quest

Asia

Region or mythological figure, wife of titan; sometimes personified in myths