Heroes of Olympus

by Philip Freeman

  Nessus (NES-sus): Centaur driven from Arcadia by Hercules. He tricked Hercules’s wife, Deianara, into giving her husband a cloak soaked in his poisonous blood.

  Nestor (NES-tor): Aged king of Pylos who advised Agamemnon during the Trojan War.

  Night (Greek Nyx): Born from primordial Chaos, she was the symbol of darkness and the mother of many children.

  Niobe (NI-o-be): Proud and foolish mother of many sons and daughters. All were slain by Apollo and Artemis when she insulted their mother, Leto.

  Numitor (NU-mi-tor): Grandfather of Romulus and Remus.

  Nymphs (NIMFS): Minor female divinities of various origins and types, such as Dryads (tree nymphs) and Oceanids (daughters of Ocean) Ocean: Son of Earth and Sky, he was the great river of boundless water that encircled the world.

  Odysseus (o-DIS-se-us) (Roman Ulysses): Clever Greek warrior from Ithaca, husband to Penelope, and father of Telemachus. He spent ten years fighting at Troy and an equal time trying to make his way home.

  Oedipus (ED-i-pus): Son of King Laius of Thebes and Jocasta. He unknowingly killed his father and married his own mother before discovering the truth and blinding himself.

  Olympia (o-LIM-pi-a): Town in western Peloponnesus where the Olympic games were founded by Hercules.

  Olympus (o-LIM-pus), Mount: Home of the gods, this series of peaks between Thessaly and Macedonia reaches almost ten thousand feet in height.

  Orestes (or-ES-teez): Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, he avenged his father’s death by killing his mother.

  Orion (o-RI-on): A giant hunter. Artemis killed Orion with a scorpion sting, then placed him in the heavens as a constellation.

  Orpheus (OR-fe-us): Son of the Muse Calliope, he was the greatest bard in ancient Greece.

  Orthus (OR-thus): Ferocious hound born from Typhon and Echidna.

  Pallas (PAL-las): (1) Brother of Aegeus and the father of fifty sons; (2) Son of King Evander who was killed by Turnus and avenged by Aeneas.

  Pan (PAN) (Roman Faunus): Shepherd god fathered by Hermes.

  Pandora (pan-DOR-a): The first mortal woman, created as a beautiful punishment for men by Zeus.

  Paris (PA-ris): Son of King Priam of Troy, he took Helen from her husband Menelaus and caused the Trojan War.

  Pasiphae (pa-SI-fa-e): Wife of Minos who mated with a bull to produce the Minotaur.

  Patroclus (pa-TRO-klus): Best friend of Achilles, he was killed by Hector at Troy.

  Pegasus (PE-ga-sus): Winged horse sprung from the body of Medusa.

  Peirithous (pe-RI-tho-us): King of the Lapiths, he was trapped in Hades forever when he attempted to take Penelope from the underworld.

  Peleus (PE-le-us): Father of Achilles by the goddess Thetis, he accompanied Jason on the Argo.

  Pelias (PE-li-as): Uncle of Jason who sent him on the search for the Golden Fleece.

  Pelops (PE-lops): Son of Tantalus and father of Atreus, he was restored to life after he was cut up by his father and served to the gods.

  Penelope (pe-NE-lo-pe): Wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus, she endured twenty years without her husband in Ithaca.

  Pentheus (PEN-the-us): Grandson of Cadmus and son of Agave, he was lured to his death by Dionysus when he refused to worship the new god.

  Persephone (per-SE-fo-ne): Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, she was kidnapped and taken to the underworld by Hades, but later released for part of each year

  Perseus (PER-se-us): Son of Zeus and Danae, he beheaded Medusa, turned Atlas into a mountain, and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster.

  Phaethon (FA-e-thon): Child of Helios and Clymene, he drove his father’s chariot recklessly through the heavens and was destroyed by Zeus.

  Philemon (fi-LE-mon): Elderly husband of Baucis who entertained Zeus and Hermes and was rewarded for his kindness.

  Philoctetes (fi-lok-TE-teez): Set fire to the pyre of Hercules at his request and was rewarded with the hero’s bow and arrows. He later joined the Greek expedition to Troy but was abandoned on the island of Lemnos because of his horrid stench.

  Philomela (fil-o-ME-la): Sister of Procne who had her tongue cut out by her brother-in-law, Tereus.

  Phineus (FIN-e-us): Thracian seer who was besieged by Harpies until rescued by the Argonauts.

  Phoebe (FE-be): Daughter of Earth and Sky, she became the mother of Leto and Asteria by her brother Coeus.

  Phoenix (FE-niks): Tutor of Achilles.

  Pleiades (PLI-a-deez): Seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione.

  Pluto (PLU-to) (see Hades [HA-deez])

  Pollux (POL-uks) or Polydeuces (pol-i-DU-seez): Brother of Castor and Helen, he sailed with Jason on the Argo.

  Polydectes (pol-i-DEK-teez): King of the island of Seriphus who sent Perseus to fetch Medusa’s head.

  Polyhymnia (pol-i-HIM-ni-a): Muse of hymns and pantomime.

  Polynices (pol-i-NI-seez): Son of Oedipus, he was killed by his brother, Eteocles, when he attacked Thebes.

  Polyphemus (pol-i-FE-mus): Cyclops blinded by Odysseus.

  Pomona (po-MO-na): Roman goddess of fruit and orchards, she resisted the love of Vertumnus.

  Poseidon (po-SI-don) (Roman Neptune): God of the seas, son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Zeus and Hades.

  Priam (PRI-am): Father of Paris and Hector, aged king of Troy during the war against the Greeks.

  Priapus (pri-A-pus): Son of Aphrodite, a god of fertility.

  Procne (PROK-ne): Sister of Philomela and wife of Tereus, she killed her son and served him to her husband when she discovered his treatment of her sister.

  Procris (PROK-ris): Wife of Cephalus who tricked her husband in a test of marital faithfulness, just as he had tricked her.

  Prometheus (pro-ME-the-us): Creator and patron of men, he stole fire from heaven for men, was chained to a distant mountain by Zeus as punishment, and had his liver eaten daily by an eagle.

  Proteus (PRO-te-us): Shape-changing god of the sea.

  Psyche (SI-ke): Bride of Cupid who could not resist the urge to see who her husband really was.

  Pygmalion (pig-MA-li-on): King of Cyprus who carved a perfect woman out of ivory. She was brought to life by Aphrodite.

  Pyramus (PI-ra-mus): Young man who loved the maiden Thisbe and killed himself when he believed her dead in a lion attack.

  Pyrrha (PIR-ra): Wife of Deucalion and only female survivor of the great flood sent by Zeus.

  Pythia (PI-thi-a): Name given to the priestess of Apollo at Delphi.

  Python (PI-thon): Enormous guardian serpent at Delphi killed by Apollo.

  Remus (RE-mus): Brother of Romulus and cofounder of Rome.

  Rhea (RE-a): Daughter of Earth and Sky, mother and wife of Cronus, mother of Zeus and other gods.

  Rhea Silvia (RE-a SIL-vi-a): Daughter of Numitor and a Vestal Virgin, she became pregnant by Mars and gave birth to the twins Romulus and Remus.

  Romulus (ROM-u-lus): Cofounder of Rome with his brother Remus.

  Sabine (SA-bin) women : Daughters of nearby Sabine villages kidnapped to be husbands for the single men of Rome.

  Salmoneus (sal-MON-e-us): Arrogant king who pretended he was Zeus and was destroyed by the god.

  Sarpedon (sar-PE-don): Poseidon’s son, killed by Hercules.

  Saturn (SA-turn) (see Cronus [KRO-nus])

  Satyr (SA-tir): A half-man, half-goat creature.

  Scaevola (SI-vo-la): Gaius Mucius Scaevola, a Roman warrior who proved his bravery to the Etruscan king, Lars Porsenna, by thrusting his hand into a fire.

  Scylla (SI-la): Once a beautiful maiden. Circe turned her into a sixheaded monster opposite the great whirlpool Charybdis.

  Sea (Greek Tethys): Child of Earth and Sky who married her brother Ocean.

  Selene (se-LE-ne) (Roman Luna): The moon. Daughter of Hyperion and sister to Helios and Eos.

  Semele (SEM-e-le): Daughter of Cadmus who asked to see Zeus in all his glory. She died, but Zeus rescued their son, Dionysus, from her womb.

  Sibyl (SI-bil): Beloved by Apollo, she tricked the god into
giving her long life but forgot to ask for eternal youth. She was the oracle who led Aeneas to the underworld at Cumae in Italy.

  Sinon (SI-non): Greek left behind on the Trojan beach to tell the Trojans the lie of the Trojan Horse.

  Sirens (SI-renz): Women with wings of birds who lured sailors to their death with their beautiful singing.

  Sisyphus (SI-si-fus): King of Corinth who was punished in Hades by forever rolling a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down once he reached the top.

  Sky (Greek Ouranos, Latin Uranus): Child and husband of Earth, father of many children, including Cronus.

  Solymi (SO-li-mi): A fierce people who were always at war with the Lycians on their borders.

  Sphinx (SFINKS): Daughter of Echidna, a monster with a human head, lion’s body, and eagle’s wings, she killed herself after Oedipus solved her riddle at Thebes.

  Sthenelus (STHEN-e-lus): Son of Perseus and father to Eurystheus, he took the throne of Argos when Amphitryon murdered Electryon.

  Strife (Greek Eris): Goddess of discord, a child of Night, created at the beginning of the world.

  Styx (STIKS): Chief river of Hades on which the gods swore unbreakable oaths.

  Syrinx (SI-rinks): A nymph transformed into a flower to avoid the amorous advances of Pan.

  Talus (TA-lus): Bronze giant who guarded Crete until disabled by Medea.

  Tantalus (TAN-ta-lus): Lydian king and father of Pelops who served his son as a dish in a banquet for the gods.

  Tarpeia (tar-PE-a): Vestal Virgin who betrayed Rome and was crushed to death by Sabine shields.

  Tartarus (TAR-tar-us): God and the dark region sprung from Chaos, located far beneath Hades. It was the prison of the defeated Titans.

  Telemachus (te-LE-ma-kus): Son of Odysseus and Penelope.

  Tereus (TER-e-us): Evil Thracian king who married Procne, then cut the tongue from her sister, Philomela.

  Terpsichore (terp-SIK-o-re): Muse of lyric poetry and dancing.

  Tethys (TE-this) (see Sea)

  Thalia (THA-li-a): Muse of Comedy.

  Theia (THE-a): Daughter of Earth and Sky, mother of Eos, Helios, and Selene.

  Themis (THE-mis): Daughter of Earth and Sky, onetime goddess at Delphi, she was associated with order and justice.

  Theophrane (the-o-FRA-ne): Maiden turned into a ewe by Poseidon, she gave birth to the ram with the Golden Fleece.

  Theseus (THE-se-us): Son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and the maiden Aethra of Troezen, he had many adventures and defeated the Minotaur in Crete.

  Thetis (THE-tis): Sea goddess who gave birth to Achilles by her mortal husband, Peleus.

  Thisbe (THIZ-be): Beloved by Pyramus, she killed herself after finding him dead.

  Thyestes (thi-ES-teez): Son of Pelops and brother of Atreus.

  Tiber (TI-ber): God and river that flows through Rome.

  Tiresias (ti-RE-si-as): A great seer of Thebes, sought out by Oedipus and Creon in life, then by Odysseus in the underworld.

  Titans (TI-tanz): Name given to the first generation of gods defeated by Zeus and his allies.

  Tithonus (ti-THO-nus): Handsome prince taken by Eos to her palace as a lover until she turned him into a cicada.

  Tityus (TI-ti-us): Giant who attempted to force himself on Leto. He was punished in Hades by being staked to the ground and having his liver eternally eaten by vultures.

  Triton (TRI-ton): Sea god and namesake of Lake Triton in north Africa.

  Turnus (TUR-nus): Italian foe of Aeneas and rival for the hand of Lavinia.

  Tyndareus (tin-DAR-e-us): King of Sparta and husband of Leda.

  Typhon (TI-fon): Powerful monster sprung from Earth and Tartarus, he challenged Zeus and was beaten after the war with the Titans.

  Ulysses (u-LIS-seez) (see Odysseus [o-DIS-se-us])

  Urania (u-RA-ni-a): Muse of astronomy.

  Venus (VE-nus) (see Aphrodite [af-ro-DI-te])

  Vertumnus (ver-TUM-nus): Roman fertility god who wooed and won the goddess Pomona.

  Vesta (VES-ta) (see Hestia [HE-sti-a])

  Vestal (VES-tal) Virgins : Roman maidens sworn to virginity who served the hearth goddess Vesta.

  Vulcan (VUL-kan) (see Hephaestus [he-FE-stus])

  Zephyrus (ZE-fir-us) or Zephyr (ZE-fir): God of the west wind, said to have caused the death of Hyacinth.

  Zetes (ZE-teez): Argonaut and winged son of the north wind.

  Zeus (ZUS) (Latin Jupiter or Jove): Son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Poseidon and Hades, and husband of Hera. He was the most powerful of the gods.

  Glossary

  ambrosia: The food of the gods.

  ancestor: A forefather. A person from whom a person is descended.

  aqueduct: A structure for carrying water.

  armada: A fleet of ships.

  bard: A poet and singer of ancient tales.

  citadel: A fort on high ground, often overlooking a city.

  comrade: Friend, ally.

  constellation: A group of stars.

  cult: Religious worship of one particular god or goddess. Each had his or her own cult.

  cupbearer: A person who serves wine to the gods.

  democratic: A government ruled by the people instead of a king or another ruler.

  descendant: A person who is the offspring of a certain ancestor.

  destiny: The unchanging events that will happen to a person in the future. Fate.

  divine: Sacred. Of or from the gods.

  eternity: Forever, to the end of days.

  fate: Destiny.

  forge: To make or shape a metal object by heating it in an oven.

  fortress: A heavily protected building or town. A fort.

  funeral pyre: A wooden tower used to burn dead bodies.

  heir: A person legally entitled to the property or rank of another person upon his or her death.

  herald: A messenger.

  hospitality: Friendly and generous entertaining of guests.

  immortal: Living forever, never dying.

  mortal: A human being, capable of death.

  nectar: The drink of the gods.

  oracle: A priest or priestess who gave advice from the gods.

  The place where such advice was given. Or a piece of advice from an oracle.

  Palladium: A small, sacred wooden statue of Athena.

  patron, patroness: A person, or god, who provides support.

  prophecy: A prediction about the future from a prophet or prophetess.

  prophet, prophetess: A person who was able to share the words of the gods.

  purify: To cleanse someone, especially after they committed a crime.

  rite: A religious act. Different gods and goddesses received different rites.

  sacrifice: An offering to the gods. These included food, animals, and sometimes humans.

  seer: A person who can see the future.

  shade: A ghost or spirit.

  sire: To father someone.

  soothsayer: A person who can see the future.

  suitor: A man who wants to marry a particular woman.

  trident: A three-pronged spear.

  typhoon: An ocean storm.

  virgin: A person who has never been with a member of the opposite sex.

  Genealogies

  THE FIRST GENERATIONS OF GODS

  THE CHILDREN OF CRONUS AND RHEA

  THE DESCENDANTS OF IO

  Index

  Abdera, town of, 152

  Abderus, 152

  Abydos, 183

  Achates, 275

  Achelous, 162

  Achilles, 107, 119, 181, 207–215, 218–227, 263, 276, 283, 309

  Acoetes, 55–56

  Acrisius, 84, 90, 309

  Acropolis, 30, 47, 78, 97, 100, 242, 309

  Actaeon, 71–72

  Admete, 152

  Admetus, King, 149–150

  Adonis, 75–76, 309

  Adrastus, King of Argos, 172–173, 175, 309

  Adriatic Sea, 156, 284

  Aeacus, 24–
25, 309

  Aeaea, island of, 195

  Aeetes, King of Colchis, 179, 190–197, 201, 309

  Aegean Sea, 51, 55, 102, 134, 152, 182, 183, 199, 209, 210, 233, 281

  Aegeus, King of Athens, 90–91, 93–94, 96, 97, 309

  Aegina, 24–25, 309

  Aegisthus, 236–240, 309

  Aeneas, 74, 216–217, 223, 229, 274–296, 305, 309

  Aeolus, 121, 256, 257, 274–275, 310

  Aerope, 234

  Aeson, 180, 199

  Aethalides, 182

  Aethra, 91, 98, 99, 310

  Aetolia, 26

  Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, 205, 206, 209, 210–211, 213–215, 218–221, 223, 227, 229, 236–239, 242, 246, 263, 310

  Agapenor, 209

  Agave, 58, 165, 310

  Agdistis, 82

  Agenor, 20

  Ajax, 181, 209, 215, 218, 226, 227, 263, 310

  Alba Longa, 296, 300–301

  Alcaeus, 137

  Alcestis, 150

  Alcinous, King, 197, 248–251, 266–267, 310

  Alcippe, 47

  Alcmene, 137–139, 310

  Alcyone, 119–121, 310

  Alecto, 292, 310

  Alpheus, 130–132, 310

  Alpheus River, 147–148, 310

  Alps, 154, 195, 290

  Althaea, 82

  Amata, Queen, 291–292

  Amazons, 97–98, 104, 152, 190, 226, 310

  Amphiaraus, 173

  Amphion, 23–24, 310

  Amphion of Thebes, 37

  Amphitrite, 30, 197, 310

  Amphitryon, 137–140, 310

  Amulius, 296–298, 310

  Amycus, King, 184

  Anaxarete, 133–134

  Ancaeus, 190

  Anchises, 73–74, 274, 278–282, 285–286, 288–290, 295, 310

  Ancus Marcius, 301

  Andromache, 217, 229, 283, 284, 310

  Andromeda, 88–90, 137, 310

  Anna, 286, 287

  Antaeus, 153, 310

  Anticlea, 262

  Antigone, 172–174, 176–177, 311

  Antinous, 244

  Antiope, 22–24, 98, 311

  Antiphates, King, 257

  Aphrodite (Venus), 5, 10, 46, 47, 51, 58–60, 62–64, 73–76, 96, 108, 124, 165, 188, 191, 204, 205, 216, 221, 250, 274–279, 311

  Apollo, 8, 15, 31, 32, 35–45, 48, 49, 71, 77, 91, 119, 135, 150, 155, 160–161, 173, 186, 189, 213, 217, 222, 226, 239, 240, 242, 281, 311