|
A-Z OF GREEK MYTH
(Hasn't been updated since The Titan's Curse
was released.)
Centaurs
Description: Torso of a man attached to the body of a horse
Information: They are famous in the myths for their fight with the
Lapithae (a legendary group of people living in Thessaly). They are
obscene, indecent and usually drunk.
Cerberus
Description: Dog with three heads
Information: Cerberus serves as Hades' watchdog at the entrance to the
Underworld. Charon
Description: Man that usually appears aged, bearded and ragged
Information: The ferryman of the dead transports the souls across the
River Styx, his fee being a coin.
Charybdis
Description: Whirlpool demon
Information: When she inhaled a massive whirlpool formed, terrorising
sailors who had to sail over her. Wherever Charybdis is, Scylla is sure to
be near. Chimera
Description: The front end of a lion, the back end of a goat, and a
serpent for a tail (can have a goat's head rising out of its back)
Information: This fire-breathing monster is the daughter of Echidna. She
was originally killed by the hero, Bellerophron. The fangs of the serpent
are poisonous. Cyclops
(plural: Cyclopes)
Description: Gigantic being with a single eye in the centre of the
forehead
Information: Some Cyclopes are lazy, lawless shepherds that eat humans
(e.g. Polyphemus), whereas others make weapons for the gods in the forges
under the sea. Dryads
Description: Human-like females
Information: Nymphs who live in and are closely bound to trees. There are
several classes, each associated with different types of tree.
Echidna
Description: The top half of a woman, bottom half of a sea serpent
Information: She is the mother of many monsters, such as the chimera, the
dragon guarding the garden of the Hesperides, the sphinx, Scylla and
Cerberus. Fates (a.k.a. Moirae)
Description: Three women
Information: The goddesses of fate. Basically they assigned every person
their destiny. Their names are Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos.
Furies
Description: Hags with large bat wings, claws and talons
Information: Avenging spirits who punish society's offenders. They belong
in the court of Hades, where they punish those who offend the gods.
Gorgons
Description: Three hideous women with snakes for hair
Information: They had bronze claws and golden wings. Whomever looked into
their eyes - man or beast - would be turned into stone. Medusa is one of
the them. Grey Sisters (a.k.a.
Graiai or Graea)
Description: Three old, grey-haired sisters with one tooth and one eye to
share between them
Information: Perseus sought them out to find the location of Medusa. He
took their eye and would not give it back until they told him where she
was. Griffin
Description: The body of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle
Information: Not much to say about it really - you all know it well
enough. Harpies
Description: Ugly-faced women with bird's wings and claws
Information: These two sisters are spirits of the wind. On Zeus' orders
they carry off people and things. Their sister is the rainbow goddess,
Iris.
Hellhound
Description: Rhino-sized back dog with red eyes and sharp fangs
Information: Just like it says on the tin: dog from hell - well, the
underworld. They hail from the fields of punishment.
Hippocampus (plural: hippocampi)
Description: The front of a horse with the tail of a fish
Information: They pulled the chariot of Poseidon and acted as mounts for
the sea gods.
Hydra
Description: Serpent with nine heads
Information: The middle head is immortal. Each time one of the other heads
is severed, two more grow in its place.
Laestrygones
Description: Cannibalistic (man-eating) giants
Information: They were first encountered by Odysseus on his travels.
Medusa
Description: See Gorgons
Information: She was originally slain by Perseus. Pegasus sprang from her
blood as she died. Her gaze is just as deadly after death as it was when
she was alive. Minotaur
Description: Man with the head of a bull
Information: The son of Pasiphae, he was kept in the Labyrinth at Knossus
until he was killed by Theseus.
Naiads
Description: Human-like females
Information: Nymphs that live in fresh water, inhabiting rivers, lakes,
brooks and springs. Nereids
Description: Human-like females
Information: Like naiads, but nereids are nymphs of the sea.
Pegasus
Description: White horse with wings
Information: Born from they dying Medusa, he was the steed of Bellerophron
and Perseus. Procrustes
Description: Seven-foot tall man with grey leathery skin, which looks
reptilian
Information: A robber who tied his victims to a bed, stretching their
limbs if they were not long enough or cutting parts of them off if they
weren't long enough. He was originally killed by Theseus.
Satyrs
Description: Half man, half goat
Information: Spirits of the wilderness and the countryside, they are
usually half man-half goat, but they can also bear the tail of a horse or
the ears of an ass (donkey). They attend upon Dionysus and can be lazy,
obscene and indecent. Scylla
Description: Monstrous goddess-demon with the upper body of a woman, the
tail of a serpentine fish, and six long-necked heads around her waist
Information: She lives in a cliffside cave near Charybdis and preys on
passing sailors by snatching them off their boats with her long-necked
heads. Sirens
Description: Bird (usually a vulture) with a woman's head
Information: There are three sirens. Their enchanting song lead sailors to
their doom. Sphinx
Description: Body of a lion with a human head
Information: It speaks in riddles, and if one fails to answer, it devours
them. All Greek sphinxes are female.
Stymphalian Birds
Description: Birds with brazen claws, wings and beaks
Information: These eaters of human flesh don't like noise, and were
originally encountered and killed by Hercules.
Credits: The Reader's Digest Encyclopaedic
Dictionary, Volume 3 (1964) and Theoi Project. |
