Greek & Roman Mythology starting with 'A'

Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'
This section of the Greek and Roman Mythology provides short definitions of the gods, goddesses, people, places and events that feature in Roman and Greek myths and legends. Short definitions in the Greek and Roman Mythology Dictionary and glossary of terms starting with the letter 'A'.

Greek Gods

Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'
Absyrtus: Son of King Aeetes of Colchis; slain by Medea

Abydus: A city of Asia Minor; the home of Leander

Achaeus: Grandson of Hellen, and ancestor of the Achaians

Achaians: Inhabitants of the province of Achaia

Achates: Friend and inseparable companion of Aeneas,

Achelous: River in Greece, bearing the name of its god

Achemenides: Ulysses’ sailor, rescued from Polyphemus by Aeneas

Acheron: River in Hades across which the souls of the dead were carried by Charon
One of the Potamoi, river gods
 - Ulysses visits
 - Aeneas crosses
Father of Furies

Achilles
Achilles was a mythical Greek hero of Homer's Iliad; a great Greek warrior at the siege of Troy; when he was a baby his mother tried to make him immortal by bathing him in a magical river but the heel by which she held him remained vulnerable--his "Achilles' heel"
Son of Peleus and Thetis
 - surrenders Briseis,
 - the Greeks appeal to
 - slays Hector
 - death
 - father of Pyrrhus

Acis: Youth loved by Galatea, and slain by Polyphemus

Acrisius: King of Argos, and father of Danae
 
Acropolis: Hill in Athens, the site of the Parthenon and Theseus’ temple

Actaeon: Hunter changed to a stag by Diana,

Admete: Daughter of Eurystheus, covets Hippolyte’s girdle

Admetus: King of Thessaly, served by Apollo, and saved from death by Alcestis,
 - Hercules restores Alcestis to
 - one of the Argonauts
 - in Calydonian Hunt
Labors of Hercules

Adonis: A handsome Hunter loved by Venus and slain by a boar
  
Adrastus: King of Argos who died of grief when he heard that his son had been killed
his horse Arion
 - father of Hippodamia
 - sends expedition against Thebes
Aeacus: One of the three judges of the dead in Hades

Aeaea: Island inhabited by Circe and visited by Ulysses

Aeetes: King of Colchis, father of Medea and Absyrtus,
 - brother of Circe

Aegean Sea: Delos chained in
 - Arion borne by dolphins in,
 - named after Aegeus

Aegeus: The "goat-man" who gave his name to the Aegean Sea was, next to Poseidon, the father of Theseus, the founder of Athenian institutions and one of the kings of Athens
King of Athens; father of Theseus
 - drowns himself

Aegis: Shield or breastplate of Minerva and Jupiter (Zeus)
 - loaned to Perseus
 - bears Medusa’s head
A sacred shield made for Zeus by Hephæstus, which derived its name from being covered by the skin of the goat Amalthea, the word Aegis signifying goat's-skin:

Aegisthus: the seducer of Clytemnestra and murderer of Agamemnon who usurped the throne of Mycenae until Agamemnon's son Orestes returned home and killed him
Murderer of Agamemnon; slain by Orestes

Aegle: One of the Heliades; changed to a poplar tree

Aegyptus
Aegyptus is a descendant of the heifer maiden, Io, and the river-god Nilus, and was a king in Egypt. Aegyptos was the son of Belus and Achiroe, a naiad daughter
Brother of Danaus

Aeneadae: City which Aeneas proposed to found in Thrace

Aeneas
A Trojan leader and legendary ancestor of the Romans. When Troy fell to the Greeks he escaped and after wandering for many years eventually reached Italy. The story of his voyage is recounted in Virgil's Aeneid
Son of Venus and Anchises
 - Aeneas’ descendants
 - worship introduced into Italy by hero of Virgil’s Aeneid

Aeneas Silvia: Son of Aeneas; founder of Alba Longa

Aeneid: Virgil’s epic poem on the adventures of Aeneas that relates the travels and experiences of Aeneas after the fall of Troy

Aeolia: Same as Aeolian Islands: In Asia Minor, near Aegean Sea

Aeolian Islands: The home of Aeolus, god of the winds,
 - supposed to be Lipari Islands

Aeolian Race: Descendants of Aeolus, son of Hellen

Aeolus: God of the winds
 - Juno’s bargain with
 - gift to Ulysses
 - destruction of Aeneas’ fleet
Son of Hellen, founder of the Aeolian race

Aesculapius: Son of Apollo and Coronis, a hero and the Roman god of medicine and healing; his daughters were Hygeia and Panacea
 - Machaon, son of

Aeson: Father of Jason
 - rejuvenated by Medea

Aether: Primordial God of light
 - dethroned
Aether was the personification of the sky or upper air breathed by the Olympians; son of Erebus and Night or of Chaos and Darkness

Aethra: Princess of Troezene
 - mother of Theseus
 - Helen intrusted to

Aetna: Volcano in Sicily
 - the tomb of Enceladus
 - forge of Vulcan
 - Ceres’ visit to

Aetolia: Country between Epirus and Locris
Aeolus Greek god of winds, Roman counterpart Vulturnus
Afterthought: Name given to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus; despite Prometheus's warning against gifts from Zeus he accepted Pandora as his wife

Agamemnon: Chief of the expedition against Troy
King of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus. On his return home from Troy, he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus; his murder was avenged by his son Orestes and daughter Electra

Agave: Mother of Pentheus; infuriated by Bacchus, slays her son. She was the daughter of Cadmus, the king and founder of the city of Thebes, Greece, and of the goddess Harmonia. Her sisters were Autonoë, Ino and Semele.

Agenor: Father of Europa, Cadmus, Cilix, Phoenix
Trojan warrior, one of Antenor's sons. Saved from Achilles by Apollo

Aglaia: One of the Graces; an attendant of Venus

Aïdes: Same as Pluto or Hades

Aïdoneus: Same as Pluto, god of the Infernal Regions

Ajax: A mythical Greek hero of the Trojan War, son of Telamon; a warrior who fought against Troy in Homer's Iliad
 - Patroclus’ corpse recovered by
 - insanity of

Alba Longa: City in Italy founded by Aeneas Silvia

Alcestis: Wife of Admetus; dies to save his life
 - restored by Hercules

Alcides: Same as Hercules

Alcimede: Queen of Iolcus; mother of Jason

Alcinous: Phaeacian king, enables Ulysses to reach Ithaca

Alcippe: Daughter of Mars; carried off by Halirrhothius

Alcmene: Consort of Jupiter, and mother of Hercules
Alecto: One of the Furies
 - sent by Juno to kindle war between Aeneas and the Latins

Alectryon: Servant of Mars; Alectryon was a youth, charged to stand guard outside his door while the god indulged in illicit love with Venus. He fell asleep and changed into a cock,

Alpheus: River of Peloponnesus
dammed to clean Augean stable
The river god who pursued Arethusa

Althaea: Mother of Meleager,

Amalthea: Goat which nursed Jupiter

Amasenus: River over which Metabus flung Camilla

Amata: Wife of Latinus
 - driven mad by Alecto
 - suicide of

Amazons: Nation of warlike women; Hercules visits
 Theseus visits
 Bellerophon visits
 Queen of the
Ambrosia: Ambrosia was the food of the gods and Nectar was the drink

Continued Below...

Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'

Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'
This section of the Greek and Roman Mythology provides short definitions of the gods, goddesses, people, places and events that feature in Roman and Greek myths and legends. Short definitions in the Greek and Roman Mythology Dictionary and glossary of terms starting with the letter 'A'.

Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'
Ambrosia: Celestial food used by the gods

Ammon: Temple of Jupiter in Libya

Amor:  Same as Eros, Cupid, etc.;
 god of love
 - son of Venus and Mars

Amphion: Son of Jupiter and Antiope; musician; King of Thebes
He was the husband of Niobe. Amphion had great skill in music which he was taught by Hermes.

Amphitrite Greek goddess of war, Roman counterpart Salacia
Amphitrite was a sea-goddess and wife of Poseidon
Same as Salacia, queen of the sea, wife of Neptune,

Anchises
Trojan prince, father of the hero Aeneas by Aphrodite. After the fall of Troy, Anchises was carried from the city by his son, Aeneas. Anchises died and was buried in Sicily. Aeneas later visited Hades and saw his father again.
Husband of Venus
 - father of Aeneas
 - prophecy recalled by
 - death of
 - death anniversary of
 - Aeneas’ visit to

Ancile: Shield of Mars, guarded by the Salii in Rome

Andraemon: Husband of Dryope; saw her changed to a tree

Andromache: She became the slave of Neoptolemus (son of Achilles) after the fall of Troy
Wife of Hector
parting of Hector and
 - grief of
 - captivity of

Andromeda: An Ethiopian princess and daughter of Cassiopeia; she was fastened to a rock and exposed to a sea monster that was sent by Poseidon, but she was rescued by Perseus and became his wife
Daughter of Celeus and Cassiopeia; saved by Perseus

Antaeus: In Greek mythology was a giant, the son of Poseidon and Gaia, whose wife was Tinjis. He was defender of the Pygmies; slain by Hercules,

Anteia: Wife of Proetus; accuses Bellerophon falsely

Anteros: God of passion,
 - son of Venus and Mars

Antigone: Daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta she disobeyed her father and was condemned to death - buried alive

Antinous: One of Penelope’s suitors; slain by Ulysses

Antiope: Antiope was a daughter of Nycteus, King of Thebes. Jupiter was attracted by her beauty and came to her in the guise of a Satyr. Wife of Jupiter; mother of Amphion and Zethus; persecuted by Dirce

Aphareus: Father of Castor’s murderer
He was the son of Gorgophone and Perieres, was the husband of Arene and father of Lynceus and Idas

Aphrodite: The goddess of beauty, fertility, and sexual love. She is variously described as the daughter of Zeus and Dione, or as being born from the sea
 Same as Venus, Dione, etc.,
 significance

Apollo
A god, son of Zeus and Leto and brother of Artemis. He is associated with music, poetic inspiration, archery, prophecy, medicine, pastoral life, and in later poetry with the sun; the sanctuary at Delphi was dedicated to him
Same as Phoebus, Sol, and Helios
 - god of the sun, music, poetry, and medicine
 - Diana’s brother
 - Niobe’s sons slain by
 - Mars and Venus seen by,
 - Mercury steals cattle of
 - giants slain by
 - walls built by,
 - Marpessa claimed by
 - Vesta loved by
 - Janus, son of
 - oracles of,
 - steed of
 - Cassandra loved by
 - Chryses appeals to,
 - Ulysses incurs anger of

Aquilo: West wind, son of Aeolus and Aurora,

Arachne: A skillful weaver who challenged Athena to a contest. Athena destroyed Arachne's work and Arachne tried to hang herself, but Athena changed her into a spider
Minerva’s needlework contest with,

Arcadia: Province of Peloponnesus,
 - Mercury’s birthplace

Arcas: Son of Jupiter and Callisto; constellation of the Little Bear

Areopagitae: Judges of the criminal court of Athens

Areopagus: Hill near Athens; site of the Parthenon

Ares, the Greek god of war
Same as Mars

Arete: Goddess of virtue; takes charge of Hercules
Wife of Alcinous; mother of Nausicaa

Arethusa: Nymph of Diana; changed to a fountain

Arges (Sheetlightning): A Cyclop; son of Uranus and Gaia

Argo: Vessel in which Jason set sail in search of the golden fleece

Argonautic Expedition
 - in search of golden fleece
 - Zetes and Calais in
 - Hercules in
 - Meleager in

Argonauts: Name given to Jason and crew

Argos: City in Argolis, dedicated to Juno
 - Eurystheus, king of
 - Acrisius, king of,
 - Adrastus, king of,
 - Proetus, king of
 - Agamemnon’s return to
 
Argus: Name of myriad-eyed giant who watched Io
Name of Ulysses’ faithful hound

Ariadne: Daughter of Minos; Theseus aided by,
 - deserted by Theseus,
 - marries Bacchus

Arion: Winged steed; the offspring of Neptune and Ceres
Musician; thrown into the sea by pirates, saved by a dolphin,

Aristaeus: Youth who indirectly causes Eurydice’s death

Artemis: Same as Diana, goddess of the moon and the chase,

Ascalaphus: Spirit in Hades who saw Proserpina eat pomegranate seeds
Asclepius Greek god of medicine, Roman counterpart Aesculapius

Asia Minor: West of Asia; Bacchus’ visit to
 - Vesta’s shrine in
 - Thetis’ flight from

Asklepios: Same as Aesculapius; son of Apollo and Coronis

Astyanax: Infant son of Hector and Andromache

Atalanta: Maiden who takes part in Calydonian Hunt and races with Milanion or Hippomenes

Athamas: King of Thebes; father of Phryxus and Helle
 - Ino in madness slain by

Athena: Same as Minerva
 - tutelary goddess of Athens

Athenians: Inhabitants of Athens
 - tribute of,
 - ingratitude of

Athens: Minerva’s festivals at
 - tribunal at,
 - contest for
 - Aegeus, king of
 - Theseus’ arrival at,
 - Ariadne elopes to
 - Castor and Pollux’ visit to
 - Theseus, king of
 - Peleus, king of

Atlas Greek god of astronomy, Roman counterpart Atlas. One of Iapetus’ sons, a Titan who was forced by Zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders
 - daughters of
 - heavens supported by
 - Perseus petrifies

Atropos: One of the Fates; cuts the thread of life

Attica: Province of Greece; Cecrops founds city in
 - oppression of
 - shores of

Augeas: A legendary king whose vast stables had never been cleaned. Hercules cleaned them in a day by diverting the Alpheus River to flow through them
King of Elis; his stables were cleansed by Hercules

Aulis: Port in Boeotia, the meeting place of the Greek expedition against Troy,

Aurora: Same as Eos, goddess of dawn; attendant of Apollo,
 - jealousy of
 - Tithonus loved by
 - Aeolus’ wife

Auster: Southwest wind, same as Notus; a son of Aeolus and Aurora

Automedon: Achilles’ charioteer

Aventine: One of the seven hills on which Rome is built

Avernus: Lake near Naples; the entrance to Hades in Italy

Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'

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• Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'

Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'
Discover interesting information and facts about Roman and Greek mythology and legend in the Greek and Roman Mythology starting with 'A'. The Greek and Roman Mythology guide provides a short glossary of terms relating to the gods, goddesses, people, places and events that feature in Roman and Greek legends and myths that begin with 'A'. A fast, at-a-glance list of people and places in Greek & Roman Mythology starting with 'A' are provided in this section of the Dictionary of Mythology. A who's-who of the heroes, villains, gods, goddesses, monsters and mythical creatures in classical Roman and Greek mythology.