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paleolithic

the old Stone Age when humans were hunter‑gatherers using simple stone tools (40,000 - 12,500 BC)

Mesolithic

Middle stone age (12,500 - 8,500 BC)
the transitional period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic when people refined stone tools and began limited fishing, hunting, and early plant gathering.

Neolithic

New stone age (8,500 - 3000 BC)
the later Stone Age when societies adopted agriculture, domesticated animals, and settled in permanent villages.

animism

the belief that spirits inhabit objects, places, and living beings, attributing a spiritual essence to the natural world.

venus figurines

small prehistoric statues of women with exaggerated features, likely representing fertility or a mother goddess in Upper Paleolithic societies.

Great goddess

A Paleolithic deity figure symbolizing fertility and nature, central to early human spiritual beliefs.

anthropomorphic

Having human-like form or qualities.

gynomorphic

Having a female form or qualities, often used to describe representations of goddesses or fertility figures.

theriomorphic

Having the form or qualities of a wild animal, often used to describe gods with animal characteristics.

bucrania

Skulls of cows used in shrines or religious contexts, often symbolizing the importance of cattle.

(a)etiological myth

A story created to explain the cause or reason behind natural phenomena or cultural practices.

aspect

A particular function, role, or characteristic of a god.

polytheism

The belief in and worship of many gods.

monotheism

The belief in and worship of a single god.

parthenogenetic

A form of virgin birth, producing offspring without sexual reproduction.

variant

A different form or version of a deity, myth, or cultural practice.

syncretism

The blending or merging of different gods, beliefs, or religious traditions.

personification

The representation of abstract concepts, natural forces, or ideas as human-like figures.

millennium

A period of one thousand years.

eponymous ancestor = eponym

A person from whom a people, place, or thing takes its name.

storm god (?)

A deity associated with storms, thunder, or weather.

trickster (?)

A deity or figure known for causing mischief, breaking rules, or challenging norms.

patronymic

id, ids, ides (“child of...)
A name derived from a father or paternal ancestor.

cuneiform

A writing system developed by the Sumerians to keep records, made by impressing marks into soft clay.

linear A

A Minoan syllabary with about 500 examples that has not been deciphered.

linear B

A Mycenaean Greek syllabary used for writing administrative records.

Achaeans

The Egyptians’ term for the Greeks, called Achaeans by Homer, during the Trojan War.

mythopoeic

A term describing birth or creation mechanisms used to generate myths, like parthenogenesis or incest.

theogony

A work by Hesiod describing the birth and genealogy of the gods.

muses

Nine goddesses of memory who inspire the arts and allow humans to recreate music, dance, and stories.

graces

Three goddesses often depicted in nudity or semi-nudity, representing beauty, charm, and creative inspiration.

chaos

The unformed, primordial state of the universe before creation.

gaia (earth)

The earth personified as a goddess, representing both the physical world and a divine being.

tartarus

The “anti-earth” or underworld, representing a deep, hell-like realm beneath the earth.

eros (plural = erotes)

A god representing love who holds the universe together, with multiple manifestations called Erotes.

cupid

A winged figure (Eros) associated with love, often depicted as one of the Erotes.

aether (ether)

The upper air or bright, pure sky, considered a divine substance in Hesiod’s cosmos.

Ouranos/Uranus (Sky)

The sky personified as a god, father of the Titans and partner of Gaia.

Ocean(us)

Titan—A mythical, swiftly moving freshwater river that encircles the earth, son of Gaia and Uranus.

Tethys

Titan—A sea goddess, wife of Oceanus, and mother of 3,000 rivers and 3,000 Oceanids.

Mnemosyne

titan—The goddess of memory and mother of the nine Muses.

Kronos (= saturn)

A Titan who overthrows his father Uranos, father of the first Olympian gods with Rhea.

rhea

A Titaness, wife of Kronos, and mother of the first Olympian gods.

themis

A Titaness representing divine law, order, and justice.

cyclopes

One-eyed giants, children of Gaia and Uranus, who live in the earth and forge thunderbolts.

100-handeds (Hecatoncheires)

Gigantic beings with fifty arms on each side, children of Gaia and Ouranos.

Aphrodite

Goddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam created by Ouranos’ severed genitals.

erinyes (furies)

3 female deities of vengeance, born from the blood of Ouranos’ severed genitals.

Pontus (Sea)

The Mediterranean sea, personified as a god, born from Gaia.

Moirai

Three goddesses who control human destiny by spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life.

clotho

One of the three Moirai, she spins the thread of human life.

lachesis

One of the three Moirai, she measures the length of the thread of human life.

atropos

One of the three Moirai, she cuts the thread of human life, determining death.

Hesperides

Daughters of Night who live in a western Mediterranean garden, where the serpent Ladon wraps around a tree.

Ate (folly)

The kid of Eris representing folly, where a person thinks they’ve gotten away with something but ultimately faces punishment.

nemesis

The goddess of retribution, daughter of Nyx, who punishes hubris and excessive pride.

Nereids

Sea nymph daughters of Nereus, associated with various aspects of the sea.

Oceanids

Daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, representing rivers, springs, and other water bodies.

ceto

A sea monster, daughter of Pontus and Gaia.

iris

The rainbow goddess and messenger of the gods, daughter of Thaumas and Electra.

ladon

the serpent in the Garden of the Hesperides that guards a tree in the far west of the Mediterranean.

typhoeus

a monstrous figure born in Greek myth during the succession struggles of the gods, representing a chaotic force against Zeus.

typhoeus (typhaon)

A monstrous being born in Greek myth during the succession struggles, embodying chaos and challenging Zeus.

Helios (Sun)

The god who personifies the Sun, born from Theia and Hyperion.

Selene (moon)

The goddess who personifies the Moon, daughter of Theia and Hyperion.

Eos (dawn, aurora)

The goddess who personifies the Dawn, sibling of Helios and Selene.

Boreas

The god who personifies the North Wind, child of Eos and Astraios.

zephyr

The god who personifies the West Wind, child of Eos and Astraios.

zeus

The youngest child of Kronos and Rhea who survived being swallowed, later overthrew his father in the Titanomachy, and became king of the gods.

styx

The famous cold river that trickles down from a high, beetling rock, associated with the underworld and used in Hesiod’s myths.

power

A personified concept born from Pallas and Styx representing strength or force in Hesiod’s mythology.

force

A personified concept born from Pallas and Styx representing physical or divine strength in Hesiod’s mythology.

nike (victory)

A personified concept born from Pallas and Styx representing victory in Hesiod’s mythology.

mt. dikte

A cave in Crete where the infant Zeus was hidden and raised to protect him from Kronos.

titanomachy

The war between Zeus and the Titans in which Zeus overthrew Kronos to become king of the gods.

thunderbolts/lightning bolts

Weapons made by the Cyclopes in the earth to arm Zeus during the Titanomachy.

omphalos

A sacred stone given to Kronos to swallow in place of Zeus, symbolizing the navel or center of the world.

delphi

A sacred site in Greece associated with the omphalos stone and considered the center of the world.

parnassus

A mountain in Greece sacred to the Muses and associated with Apollo.

castalian spring

A spring at Mount Parnassus sacred to the Muses, used for inspiration in poetry and the arts.

ethnotheogonology

The study or account of the origins of gods within a specific culture or ethnic group.

ishtar

A Mesopotamian goddess of fertility, sex, love, and war, retaining aspects of the Great Goddess.

shamash

The Sumerian sun god who gave the Law Code to Hammurabi.

ba’al

The god of the Phoenicians and Ugarits, associated with storms, fertility, and worship spread through trade.

tiamat

A primordial sea goddess in Mesopotamian myth representing chaos and creation.

anu

The sky god in Mesopotamian mythology and father of the gods.

marduk

The chief god of Babylon who rises to power in Mesopotamian mythology.

teshub

The Hittite storm god, similar to Zeus, who wields thunderbolts.

genesis

A biblical account of creation and early human history, including the flood story predating the Old Testament.

enuma elish

A Mesopotamian creation myth describing the rise of Marduk and the ordering of the cosmos.

kumarbi myth

A Hittite myth describing the succession of gods, where Kumarbi overthrows Anu and fathers future deities.

marija gimbutas

An archaeologist who proposed the Great Goddess and Kurgan hypothesis for Indo-European migrations.

george smith

A scholar who discovered and translated Mesopotamian flood tablets from Nineveh and Sippar.

sir james g. frazer

An anthropologist who studied myths and rituals, emphasizing connections between religion, magic, and society.

iapetos

A Titan in Greek mythology, father of Atlas and Prometheus.

prometheus

A Titan who stole fire for humans and was punished by Zeus.

epimetheus

A Titan who accepted Pandora and helped populate the world with animals and humans.

atlas

A Titan condemned to hold up the sky for eternity.

atlantis

A legendary island described by Plato, thought to have been destroyed by a volcanic eruption.

pandora

The first woman in Greek myth, created by the gods, whose curiosity released evils into the world.