Greek Mythological DivinitiesFrom TinWiki.org
In Greek mythology, not only were gods (deities) worshiped, but divinities were as well. A divinity refers to a god-like being. Most of the Greek divinities were lesser gods. Some divinities were not always worshiped, but all played a role in the daily lives of the ancient Greeks. Greek Mythology is a set of diverse traditional tales told by the ancient Greeks about the exploits and actions of gods and heroes and their relationships with ordinary mortals. Greek mythology served to explain the world, acted as a means of exploration, provided authority and legitimacy, and provided entertainment. The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods; their culture tolerated diversity. Origins and actions of Greek gods varied greatly, depending on whether the tale was told in a comedy, tragedy, or epic poem. Greek mythology has several specific characteristics, along with its multiple versions. The Greek gods were like human beings, their form, their emotions, their society. However, one crucial difference existed between gods and human beings; humans died, and gods were immortal. Most of the divinities, like the gods, were immortal.
[edit] Hecatoncheires (The Hundred Handed Ones)They were three gargantuan figures of archaic Greek mythology, the children of Gaia (the earth) and Uranus (the sky). They were giants of incredible strength and ferocity, superior to that of the Titans, whom they helped overthrow, and the Cyclopes. They each had a hundred hands and fifty heads, and they were:
Soon after their birth, Uranus threw them into the depths of Tartarus (hellish component of the underworld) because he saw them as hideous monsters. They remained there, guarded by the dragon Campe (a she-dragon with a woman's head and torso and a scorpion-like tail) until they were rescued by Zeus. During the War of the Titans, the Hecatoncheires threw rocks as big as mountains, a hundred at a time, at the Titans, overwhelming them. After helping to defeat the Titans, the Hecatoncheires became the guards of the gates of Tartarus. [edit] The CyclopsThe Cyclops were the primordial sons of Gaia (the earth) and Uranus (the sky), brothers of the Hecatoncheires. They were giants with a single eye in the middle of their forehead and a foul disposition, strong, stubborn, and abrupt of emotion. They were:
Uranus, fearing their strength, locked them in Tartarus, along with the Hecatoncheires; Cronus freed them, but them imprisoned them in Tartarus again, guarded by the dragon Campe. Zeus later freed them, and they fashioned thunderbolts for Zeus to use as weapons, helping him to overthrow Cronus and the other Titans. The thunderbolts, which became the main weapon of Zeus, were forged by all three Cyclopes, Arges adding brightness, Brontes adding thunder, and Steropes adding lightning. The Cyclopes also created Poseidon’s trident, Artemis’ bow and arrows of moonlight, Apollo’s bow and arrows of sunrays, and the helmet of darkness that Hades gave to Perseus in his quest to kill Medusa. Apollo killed the Cyclopes in retaliation for the murder of Asclepius at the hands of Zeus; Zeus later returned Asclepius and the Cyclopes from Hades. [edit] River GodsThere are over three thousand river gods in Greek mythology. There are, however, famous ones that play major roles in the myths of the ancient Greeks and most are sons of Oceanus (world ocean) and Tethys (aquatic sea goddess).
[edit] NymphsA nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form, typically associated with a particular location or landform. They live in mountains and groves, by springs and rivers, and in valleys and cool grottoes. They are frequently associated with superior deities like the huntress Artemis, Apollo, the god of wine, Dionysus, Pan, and Hermes. Nymphs were the frequent target of satyrs, and are classified as land, wood, water (sea), and other nymphs. [edit] SatyrSatyrs are a group of male companions of Dionysus in Greek mythology, who roamed the woods and mountains and are often associated with sex drive. Satyrs are depicted as having the upper half of a man and the lower half of a goat, with a horse tail, carrying the thyrsus (the rod of Dionysus tipped with a pine cone). They are described as roguish but faint hearted, subversive and dangerous, but shy and cowardly. They are lovers of wine and women, roaming to the music of pipes, cymbals, and castanets. They love to dance with the nymphs, with whom they are obsessed and often pursue. [edit] GiantsMythology and legend tells of monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. Giant is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.
[edit] AlkyonidesThe Alkyonides were the seven daughters of Alcyoneus: Alkippe, Anthe, Asteria, Drimo, Methone, Pallene, and Phthonia. They threw themselves into the sea when their father was killed by Heracles (Hercules) and were transformed into halcyons (kingfishers, birds) by Amphitrite. [edit] Dioscuri/DioskouroiCastor and Pollux were the twin sons of Leda (queen of Sparta) and Zeus/Tyndareus. Pollux’s father was Zeus, so he was immortal. Castor was the son of Tyndareus (the king of Sparta), so he was mortal. The twins were the brothers of Helen of Troy and came to be known as the Gemini. When Castor died, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together and they were transformed into the Gemini constellation, the patron gods of sailors. [edit] Erinyes/The FuriesThe Erinyes (Furies) were female chthonic deities (spirits of the underworld) of vengeance or personifications of the anger of the dead, representing regeneration and the potency of creation, which both consumes and empowers. When Cronus castrated his father Uranus and threw his genitalia into the sea, the Erinyes emerged from the drops of blood and Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty) was born from the seafoam. There were three Erinyes:
The heads of the Erinyes were wreathed with serpents and their eyes dripped with blood. They are sometimes depicted with the wings of a bat or bird and the body of a dog. [edit] GorgonsIn Greek Mythology, a gorgon was a vicious female with sharp fangs, a protective deity from early religious concepts. Her power was so strong that anyone looking upon her would turn to stone. The Gorgon image was put on items from temples to wine casks for protection. They wore belts of serpents that twined as a clasp. There were three, all immortal except Medusa. Gorgons are sometimes depicted as having golden wings, large claws, and tusks, but most classical interpretations show them with fangs and the skin of a serpent. Lionesses or sphinxes are associated with the Gorgon as well. The image of the Gorgon is also represented in the classic images and myths of Zeus and Athena, being worn as a continuation of more ancient imagery. In ancient Greece, the drawing of a Gorgon face was used as a protective symbol, placed on doors, walls, floors, coins, shields, and tombstones in the hopes of warding off evil. In Greek mythology, the blood taken from the right side of a Gorgon could bring the dead back to life, but the blood taken from the left side was a fatal poison. The Gorgons:
[edit] Horae (the Hours)The Horae were three goddesses controlling orderly life. They were the daughters of Zeus and Themis (Titan; embodiment of divine order), and half-sisters to the Moirae (the Fates). There were four generations of Horae.
[edit] The HoursA separate suite of Horae personified the twelve hours, as goddesses of times of the day. The hours run from just before sunrise to just after sunset.
[edit] Moirae/The FatesThe Moirae (the Fates) were the white robed personifications of destiny. They controlled the thread of life of every mortal from birth to death and beyond. The gods feared the Moirae, and they were the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Themis. The Moirae were supposed to appear three nights after a child’s birth to determine the course of its life. They were usually described as cold, remorseless, and unfeeling, depicted as old crones or hags. Some mythologies depict them as the traditional maiden, mother, and crone. The Moirae could be worshipped as goddesses; brides offered them locks of hair and women swore by them. They may have originated as birth-goddesses and only later gained the reputation as the agents of destiny. [edit] Muses
The Muses are a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits, their number set at nine, who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, music, and dance. They were water nymphs, Apollo being their leader. They are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (goddess of memory). The Muses judged the contest between Apollo and Marsyas. They also gathered the pieces of the dead body of Orpheus, son of Calliope, and buried them. They blinded Thamyris for his hubris in challenging them to a contest. The Muses:
[edit] GraeaThe Graeae, in Greek mythology, were old women, gray ones, or gray witches, a trio of sisters with one eye and one tooth shared among them, also sisters of the Gorgon, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They took the form of three grey-haired old women, their age so great that childhood for them was inconceivable. They had one eye and one tooth that they shared, and the sisters took turns using them. By stealing their eye while they were passing it between them, Perseus forced them to tell the whereabouts of their sisters, the Gorgon, ransoming the seeing eye for the information. [edit] KeresThe Keres were female death spirits, the daughters of Nyx (night), sisters of the Moirae. They were described as dark beings with gnashing teeth and claws with a thirst for human blood, hovering over the battlefield and searching for dying and wounded men. [edit] PleiadesThe Pleiades were the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas (the heavens) and the sea-nymph Pleione, born on Mount Cyllene. The sisters were nymphs, and all but one engaged consorted with gods.
After Atlas was forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders, Orion began to pursue all of the Pleiades, and Zeus transformed them first into doves, and then into stars to comfort their father. The constellation of Orion is said to still pursue them across the night sky. [edit] OneiroiThe Oneiroi were brothers or sons to the god of sleep, Hypnos. They were the personifications of dreams, said to live on the shores in a cavern near the border of Hades. They were black winged daemons, sending dreams to mortals from one of two gates located in their cavern. True dreams emerged from a gate made of horn. False dreams threaded their way from a gate fashioned from ivory. The Oneiroi:
[edit] Charites/The GracesThe Charites (the Three Graces) were goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, and fertility. They were the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome (daughter of the ocean, mermaid). The Charites:
[edit] SirensThe Sirens were three dangerous bird-women, Peisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepeia, portrayed as seductresses, living on an island called Sirenum scopuli. Mariners who sailed near were tricked by the Siren's enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast. Although they lured mariners, the sirens were not sea deities. Sirens were represented as birds with large women's heads, bird feathers, scaly feet, and sometimes the manes of lions. In later times, they were depicted as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing harps. [edit] HarpyA Harpy was any one of the mainly winged death spirits, known for constantly stealing all food from Phineas (King of Thrace). A harpy could also bring life. Harpies were depicted with bodies of birds, goggling eyes, a protruding tongue, and tusks. Harpies were the daughters of Thaumas (a sea god) and Electra (a sea goddess). They were agents of punishment who abducted people and tortured them on their way to Tartarus. They were cruel, vicious, and violent, seen as the personifications of the destructive nature of the wind. The Harpies:
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