Modern Greek Gods

Zeus (male) – Zeus (the bright), the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, he was
the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided
there. Being the supreme ruler he upheld law, justice and morals, and this made
him the spiritual leader of both gods and men. He has always been associated as
being a weather god, as his main attribute is the thunderbolt; he controlled
thunder, lightning and rain. The name Zeus is related to the Greek word dios,
meaning "bright". His other attributes as well as lightning were the sceptre, the
eagle and his aegis (this was the goat-skin of Amaltheia).

According to legend, Metis, the goddess of wisdom, was the first love of Zeus. At
first she tried in vain to escape his advances, but in the end succumbed to his
endeavour, and from their union Athena was conceived. Gaia warned Zeus that
Metis would bear a daughter, whose son would overthrow him. On hearing this
Zeus swallowed Metis, the reason for this was to continue to carry the child
through to the birth himself.

Hera (his wife and sister) was outraged and very jealous of her husband's affair,
also of his ability to give birth without female participation. To spite Zeus she
gave birth to Hephaestus parthenogenetically (without being fertilized) and it
was Hephaestus who, when the time came, split open the head of Zeus, from
which Athena emerged fully armed.

Zeus had many offspring; his wife Hera bore him Ares, Hebe and Eileithyia, but
Zeus had numerous liaisons with both goddesses and mortals. He either raped
them, or used devious means to seduce the unsuspecting maidens. His union
with Leto (meaning the hidden one) brought forth the twins Apollo and Artemis.
Once again Hera showed her jealousy by forcing Leto to roam the earth in search
of a place to give birth, as Hera had stopped her from gaining shelter on terra-
firma or at sea. The only place she could go was to the isle of Delos in the middle
of the Aegean, the reason being that Delos was, as legend states, a floating
island.

Metis (female) - The Greek personification of wisdom and its goddess. Metis is
regarded as the first wife of Zeus, whom he swallowed when he discovered that
she was pregnant, fearing she might give birth to a son mightier than he.
Subsequently, the goddess Athena sprang fully armed from his head.

Athena (female) - Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry,
justice and skill. She was the favourite child of Zeus. She had sprung fully grown
out of her father's head. Her mother was Metis, goddess of wisdom and Zeus'
first wife. Athena is also the virgin mother of Erichthnonius, a hero king of
Athens.

Athena's companion was the goddess of victory, Nike, and her usual attribute is
the owl. Athena possessed the Aegis.

Hera (female) - The queen of the Olympian deities. She is a daughter of Cronus
and Rhea, and wife and sister of Zeus. Hera was mainly worshipped as a goddess
of marriage and birth. It is said that each year Hera's virginity returns by bathing
in the well Canathus.
Writers represented Hera as constantly being jealous of Zeus's various amorous
affairs. She punished her rivals and their children, among both goddesses and
mortals, with implacable fury. She placed two serpents in the cradle of Heracles;
she had Io guarded by a hundred-eyed giant; she drove the foster-parents of
Dionysus mad, and tried to prevent the birth of Apollo and Artemis. Even Zeus
usually could not stand up to her. Sometimes when he got angry, he chained her
to the mountain of Olympus by fastening anvils to her feet. However, most of the
time Zeus resorted to stratagems: he either hid his illegitimate children, or he
changed them into animals.

Hera's main sanctuary was at Argos in the Peloponnesus, where she was
worshipped as the town goddess. Also, in this town the Heraia, public festivities,
were celebrated. Other temples stood in Olympia, Mycene, Sparta, Paestum,
Corinth, Tiryns, Perachora, and on the islands of Samos and Delos.
The peacock (the symbol of pride; her wagon was pulled by peacocks) and the
cow (she was also known as Bopis, meaning "cow-eyed", which was later
translated as "with big eyes") are her sacred animals. The crow and the
pomegranate (symbol of marriage) are also dedicated to her. Other attributes
include a diadem and a veil. Hera is portrayed as a majestic, solemn woman.

Hephaestus (male) - Hephaestus, the god of fire and volcanoes, especially the
blacksmith's fire, was the patron of all craftsmen, principally those working with
metals. He was worshiped predominantly in Athens, but also in other
manufacturing centres. Known as the lame god, Hephaestus was born weak and
crippled. Displeased by the sight of her son, Hera threw Hephaestus from Mount
Olympus, and he fell for a whole day before landing in the sea. Nymphs rescued
him and took him to Lemnos, where the people of the island cared for him. But
other versions say Zeus threw him from Mount Olympus after Hephaestus had
sided with his mother in a quarrel. This legend says that Hephaestus fell for nine
days and nine nights, and he landed on the island of Lemnos. It was on Lemnos
where he built his palace and his forges under a volcano.

To gain revenge for his rejection by Hera, Hephaestus fashioned a magic throne,
which was presented to her on Mount Olympus. When Hera sat on the throne, it
entrapped her, making her a prisoner. The gods on Mount Olympus pleaded with
Hephaestus to return to their heavenly domain, as to release Hera, but he
refused. Dionysus gave the smith god wine, and when Hephaestus was
intoxicated, Dionysus took him back to Mount Olympus slumped over the back of
a mule. This scene was a favourite in Greek art. Hephaestus released Hera after
being given the beautiful Aphrodite as his bride. Dionysus was rewarded by
being made one of the Olympian Pantheon.

Being a great craftsman Hephaestus manufactured wonderful articles from

various materials, primarily from metal. With help from the Cyclopes, who were
his workmen and assistants, he fashioned the thunderbolts for Zeus and his
sceptre. He made weapons and armour for the other gods and heroes. For
Athena, he made her shield or aegis and for the god of love, Eros, he made the
arrows. The wonderful chariot which the sun god Helios rode across the sky was
made by Hephaestus and in some versions it was a golden cup or goblet. He also
fashioned the invincible armour of Achilles. Hephaestus helped to create the first
woman, with the assistance of other gods, after Zeus had ordered that there be a
new kind of human. Zeus plotted against Prometheus because he and his race of
mortals had only included one gender, which was male, and so Hephaestus
formed the first woman from clay. Her name was Pandora (all gifts) and from a
supernatural jar, she released the evils of the world on mankind.

Hebe (female) - Hebes is the goddess of youth, and the daughter of Zeus and
Hera. She poured the nectar of the gods on the Olympus until Ganymede
replaced her. Hebe also prepared Ares' bath, and helped Hera to her chariot.
After Heracles became a god, he married her.
Ares (male) - The Greek god of war and battle and the instigator of violence, a
son of Zeus and Hera. Because of his cruel and war-like nature he was despised
by all the gods, even his own father disliked him. Ares could be bloody,
merciless, fearful and cowardly and possessed no moral attributes. He was,
however, unable to withstand the loveliness of Aphrodite, who subsequently
became his consort. Ares was of giant stature and had a loud voice, and
surpassed the other gods in speed.
On the battlefield Ares was accompanied by Phobos ("Fear") and Deimos
("Terror"), two lesser divinities who are sometimes given as his sons. He was
furthermore attended by the goddesses Eris ("Strife") and Enyo ("Horror"). Ares
is also the father of the Harmonia, the goddess of harmony, and of the Amazons
Penthesilea and Hippolyte.

Ares' cult was never very popular in Hellas and there were only a few temples
dedicated to him. His cult was probably introduced from Thrace, the region
where he was held in high regard. Etymologically his name may mean
"destroyer" or "avenger".

Harmonia (female) - In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the goddess of harmony

and concord. She is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. She was married to the
Theban ruler Cadmus, and as such was beloved by the Thebans. Upon her
wedding she received a necklace and a garment, which proved fatal to who
wished to possess them. Harmonia is the mother of many mortal rulers.

Phobos (male) - Phobos ("fright") is the Greek personification of fear and terror.
He is usually considered to be a son of Ares, and accompanying him in battle,
instilling fear in all he saw. He is the brother of Deimos.

Deimos (male) - The personification of dread. Deimos ("fear") is considered as a

son of Ares, and brother of Phobos. He accompanied Ares on the battlefields.

Eileithyia (female) - Eileithyia was the Cretan goddess whom Greek mythology
adapted as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery. Eileithyia as the divine
helper of women in labour has an obvious origin in the human midwife.

Aphrodite (female) - In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love,

beauty and sexual rapture. According to Hesiod, she was born when Uranus (the
father of the gods) was castrated by his son Cronus. Cronus threw the severed
genitals into the ocean which began to churn and foam about them. From the
aphros ("sea foam") arose Aphrodite, and the sea carried her to either Cyprus or
Cythera. Hence she is often referred to as Kypris and Cytherea.

She is accompanied by the Graces. Her festival is the Aphrodisiac which was
celebrated in various centres of Greece and especially in Athens and Corinth. Her
priestesses were not prostitutes but women who represented the goddess and
sexual intercourse with them was considered just one of the methods of worship.
Aphrodite was originally an old-Asian goddess, similar to the Mesopotamian
Ishtar and the Syro-Palestinian goddess Ashtart. Her attributes are the dolphin,
the dove, the swan, the pomegranate and the lime tree.

Apollo (male) - The son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis.
Apollo was the god of music (principally the lyre, and he directed the choir of the
Muses) and also of prophecy, colonization, medicine, archery (but not for war or
hunting), poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry and the carer of herds and flocks.
He was also the god of plague and was worshiped as Smintheus (from sminthos,
rat) and as Parnopius (from parnops, grasshopper) and was known as the
destroyer of rats and locusts.

Sacred to Apollo are the swan (one legend says that Apollo flew on the back of a
swan to the land of the Hyperboreans, he would spend the winter months among
them), the wolf and the dolphin. His attributes are the bow and arrows, on his
head a laurel crown, and the cithara (or lyre) and plectrum. But his most famous
attribute is the tripod, the symbol of his prophetic powers.

Apollo's first achievement was to rid Pytho (Delphi) of the serpent (or dragon)
Python. This monstrous beast protected the sanctuary of Pytho from its lair
beside the Castalian Spring. There it stood guard while the "Sibyl" gave out her
prophecies as she inhaled the trance inducing vapours from an open chasm.
Apollo killed Python with his bow and arrows (Homer wrote "he killed the
fearsome dragon Python, piercing it with his darts"). Apollo not only took charge
of the oracle but rid the neighbouring countryside of widespread destruction, as
Python had destroyed crops, sacked villages and polluted streams and springs.

Artemis - The daughter of Leto and Zeus, and the twin of Apollo. Artemis is the
goddess of the wilderness, the hunt and wild animals, and fertility (she became a
goddess of fertility and childbirth mainly in cities). She was often depicted with
the crescent of the moon above her forehead and was sometimes identified with
Selene (goddess of the moon). Artemis was one of the Olympians and a virgin
goddess. Her main vocation was to roam mountain forests and uncultivated land
with her nymphs in attendance hunting for lions, panthers, hinds and stags.
Contradictory to the later, she helped in protecting and seeing to their well-
being, also their safety and reproduction. She was armed with a bow and arrows
which were made by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes.

Being a goddess of contradictions, she was the protector of women in labour, but
it was said that the arrows of Artemis brought them sudden death while giving
birth. As was her brother, Apollo, Artemis was a divinity of healing, but also
brought and spread diseases such as leprosy, rabies and even gout.

There were festivals in honour of Artemis, such as the Brauronia, which was held
in Brauron; and the festival of Artemis Orthia, held at Sparta, when young
Spartan boys would try to steal cheeses from the altar. As they tried they would
be whipped, the meaning of Orthia and the nature of the ritual whipping has
been lost and there is no logical explanation or translation. Among the epithets
given to Artemis are: Potnia Theron (mistress of wild animals) this title was
mentioned by the great poet Homer; Kourotrophos (nurse of youth's); Locheia
(helper in childbirth); Agrotera (huntress); and Cynthia (taken from her birthplace
on Mount Cynthus on Delos). When young girls reached puberty they were
initiated into her cult, but when they decided to marry, which Artemis was not
against, they were asked to lay in front of the altar all the paraphernalia of their
virginity, toys, dolls and locks of their hair, they then left the domain of the virgin
goddess.

Cyrene (female) – nymph, lover of Apollo and mother of Aristaeus.

Aristaeus (male) – follower of the flocks. An ancient Greek pastoral deity, the
son of Apollo and the nymph Cyrene. Aristaeus was made immortal by Gaia. He
is the patron of the hunt, agriculture, cattle, and especially bee-culture.
Aristaeus also taught mankind how to cultivate olives.

Astraea (female) - Astraea ("the star-maiden") is the daughter of Zeus and

Themis. She was, as was her mother, a goddess of justice. During the Golden
Age, when the gods dwelled among mankind, she lived on the earth. When evil
and wickedness increased its grip on humanity, the gods abandoned the
habitations of mankind. Astraea was the last to leave and took up her abode
among the stars where she was transformed into the constellation Virgo.

Hestia (female) - Hestia is the Greek goddess of the hearth fire, hence presiding
over domestic life. She is the eldest sister of Zeus and the oldest daughter of
Rhea and Cronus. She had no throne, but tended the sacred fire in the hall on
the Olympus and every hearth on Earth was her altar. She is the gentlest of all
the Olympians.

Hestia also symbolized the alliance of the Metropolis ("mother-city") with the
smaller settlements which were founded in the colonies. The colonists took fire
from the hearth in the prytaneion and kept it burning in their new towns.

Hades (male) – literally “the unseen”, Hades is the lord of the dead and ruler of
the nether world, which is referred to as the domain of Hades or, by
transference, as Hades alone. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea. When the three
sons of Cronus divided the world among each other, Hades was given the
underworld, while his brothers Zeus and Poseidon took the upperworld and the
sea respectively.

For a while Hades ruled the underworld together with Persephone, whom he had
abducted from the upperworld, but Zeus ordered him to release Persephone
back into the care of her mother Demeter. However, before she left he gave her
a pomegranate and when she ate of it, it bound her to the underworld forever.
Hades sits on a throne made of ebony, and carries a sceptre. He also has a
helmet, given to him by the Cyclopes, which can make him invisible. Hades rules
the dead, assisted by various (demonic) helpers, such as Thanatos and Hypnos,
the ferryman Charon, and the hound Cerberus.

Of all the gods, Hades is the one who is liked the least and even the gods
themselves have an aversion of him. People avoided speaking his name lest they
attracted his unwanted attention. With their faces averted they sacrificed black
sheep, whose blood they let drip into pits, and when they prayed to him, they
would bang their hands on the ground so that he would hear them. The narcissus
and the cypress are sacred to him. Other names include Clymenus ('notorious'),
Eubuleus ('well-guessing') and Polydegmon ('who receives many').

Demeter (female)- The Greek earth goddess par excellence, who brings forth
the fruits of the earth, particularly the various grains. She taught mankind the art
of sowing and ploughing so they could end their nomadic existence. As such,
Demeter was also the goddess of planned society. She was very popular with the
rural population. As a fertility goddess she is sometimes identified with Rhea and
Gaia.

In systematized theology, Demeter is a daughter of Cronus and Rhea and sister

of Zeus by whom she became the mother of Persephone.

In ancient art, Demeter was often portrayed (sitting) as a solemn woman, often
wearing a wreath of braided ears of corn. Well-known is the statue made by
Knidos (mid forth century BCE). Her usual symbolic attributes are the fruits of the
earth and the torch, the latter presumably referring to her search for
Persephone. Her sacred animals were the snake (an earth-creature) and the pig
(another symbol of fertility). Some of her epithets include Auxesia, Deo, Chloe,
and Sito.

Persephone (female) - Persephone is the goddess of the underworld in Greek

mythology. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of the harvest.
Persephone was such a beautiful young woman that everyone loved her, even
Hades wanted her for himself. One day, when she was collecting flowers on the
plain of Enna, the earth suddenly opened and Hades rose up from the gap and
abducted her. None but Zeus, and the all-seeing sun, Helios, had noticed it.

Broken-hearted, Demeter wandered the earth, looking for her daughter until
Helios revealed what had happened. Demeter was so angry that she withdrew
herself in loneliness, and the earth ceased to be fertile. Knowing this could not
continue much longer, Zeus sent Hermes down to Hades to make him release
Persephone. Hades grudgingly agreed, but before she went back he gave
Persephone a pomegranate (or the seeds of a pomegranate, according to some
sources). When she later ate of it, it bound her to underworld forever and she
had to stay there one-third of the year. The other months she stayed with her
mother. When Persephone was in Hades, Demeter refused to let anything grow
and winter began. This myth is a symbol of the budding and dying of nature. In
the Eleusinian mysteries, this happening was celebrated in honour of Demeter
and Persephone,who was known in this cult as Kore.

Poseidon (male)- Poseidon is a god of many names. He is most famous as the

god of the sea. The son of Cronus and Rhea, Poseidon is one of six siblings who
eventually "divided the power of the world." His brothers and sisters include:
Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. The division of the universe involved
him and his brothers, Zeus and Hades. Poseidon became ruler of the sea, Zeus
ruled the sky, and Hades got the underworld. The other divinities attributed to
Poseidon involve the god of earthquakes and the god of horses. The symbols
associated with Poseidon include: dolphins, tridents, and three-pronged fish
spears.

One of the most notorious love affairs of Poseidon involves his sister, Demeter.
Poseidon pursued Demeter and to avoid him she turned herself into a mare. In
his lust for her, Poseidon transformed himself into a stallion and captured her.
Their procreation resulted in a horse, Arion. Poseidon is Greek for "Husband"
(possibly of wheat), and therefore it is thought that he and Demeter (goddess of
wheat) are a good match because they reign as the god and goddess of fertility.

Despoina (female) – “the mistress”, very little is known about this daughter of
Demeter and Poseidon. She was conceived when Poseidon mounted Demeter in
the guise of horses.

Eris (female) - Eris is the Greek goddess of discord and strife. She is Ares'
constant companion and follows him everywhere. Eris is sinister and mean, and
her greatest joy is to make trouble. She has a golden apple that is so bright and
shiny everybody wants to have it. When she throws it among friends, their
friendship comes to a rapid end. When she throws it among enemies, war breaks
out, for the golden apple of Eris is the Apple of Discord. She did this once during
the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, and this act brought about the Trojan War.

Ate (female) - The Greek personification of infatuation, the rash foolishness of

blind impulse, usually caused by guilt and leading to retribution. The goddess of
discord and mischief, she tempted man to do evil, and then lead him to ruin. She
once even managed to entrap Zeus, but he hurled her down from the Olympus.
Now she wanders the earth, as a kind of avenging spirit, but still working her
mischief among mankind. Her sisters, the Litai, follow her and repair the damage
she has wrought to mortals. Ate is regarded as the daughter of Zeus and Eris,
the goddess of strife.

Dike (female) - Dike was the Greek goddess of justice for humanity. Her mother,
Themis, was the goddess of divine justice. Dike was born a human and put on
earth to keep justice. When Zeus, her father, saw that was impossible, he
brought her up to the gods and goddesses to sit on the opposite side of her
mother, next to him. Among the gods and goddesses she was the best of all the
virgins. She then, with all the other gods and goddesses, watched down on the
humans from Mt. Olympus.

Dionysus (male) - According to one myth, Dionysus is the son of the god Zeus
and the mortal woman, Semele (daughter of Cadmus of Thebes). Semele is killed
by Zeus' lightning bolts while Dionysus is still in her womb. Dionysus is rescued
and undergoes a second birth from Zeus after developing in his thigh. Zeus then
gives the infant to some nymphs to be raised.

Ersa (female) - Ersa was the Greek goddess of the dew, daughter of Zeus and
Eos.

Priapus (male) - The Greek protector of gardens and domestic animals and
fruits. He is a son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, and a strong phallic fertility deity.
Carved images of Priapus, with large ithyphallic genitals, were placed in the
fields and gardens to ensure fruitfulness and protection.
Hymen (male) - Hymen or Hymenaeus was the god of marriage and the
marriage feast or song. He is often depicted with a marriage feast torch in his
hand. This god was the son of Aphrodite by Dionysus and therefore the full
brother of Priapus.

Hermes (male) - Hermes, the herald of the Olympian gods, is the son of Zeus
and the nymph Maia, daughter of Atlas. Hermes is the god of shepherds, land
travel, merchants, weights and measures, oratory, literature, athletics and
thieves, and known for his cunning and shrewdness. Most importantly, he is the
messenger of the gods. Besides that he was also a minor patron of poetry. He
was worshiped throughout Greece, especially in Arcadia and festivals in his
honour were called Hermoea.

Being the herald (messenger of the gods), it was his duty to guide the souls of
the dead down to the underworld, which is known as a psychopomp. He was also
closely connected with bringing dreams to mortals. Hermes is usually depicted
with a broad-brimmed hat or a winged cap, winged sandals and the herald’s staff
(kerykeion in Greek, or Caduceus in Latin). It was often shown as a shaft with two
white ribbons, although later they were represented by serpents intertwined in a
figure of eight shape, and the shaft often had wings attached. The clothes he
donned were usually that of a traveller, or that of a workman or shepherd. Other
symbols of Hermes are the cock, tortoise and purse or pouch.

The offspring of Hermes are believed to be Pan, Abderus and Hermaphroditus.

Hermes as with the other gods had numerous affairs with goddesses, nymphs
and mortals. In some legends even sheep and goats.

Pan, the half man half goat, is believed to be the son of Hermes and Dryope, the
daughter of king Dryops. Pan terrified his mother when he was born, so much so
that she fled in horror at the sight of her new born son. Hermes took Pan to
Mount Olympus were the gods revelled in his laughter and his appearance and
became the patron of fields, woods, shepherds and flocks.

Abderus, a companion of the hero Heracles, is also thought to be a son of

Hermes, he was devoured by the Mares of Diomedes, after Heracles had left him
in charge of the ferocious beasts.

Hermaphroditus (also known as Aphroditus) was conceived after the union of

Hermes and Aphrodite. He was born on Mount Ida but he was raised by the
Naiads (nymphs of freshwater). He was a androgynous (having the
characteristics of both sexes) deity, depicted as either a handsome young man
but with female breasts, or as Aphrodite with male genitals.

Pan (male) - The Greek god of shepherds and flocks, who was especially popular
in Arcadia. He is a son of the god Hermes. He was depicted as a satyr with a reed
pipe, a shepherd's crook and a branch of pine or crown of pine needles. He had a
wrinkled face with a very prominent chin. On his forehead were two horns and
his body was hairy. He was a swift runner and climbed rocks with ease. Pan
belonged to the retinue of Dionysus.

Pan was also a god of fertility, unbridled male sexuality and carnal desire. He
chased nymphs through the forests and mountains in the shape of a goat. Pan
was not very liked by the other Greek gods.

Hermaphroditus (both) - Born a remarkably handsome boy, he was

transformed into an androgynous being by union with the nymph Salmacis. His
name is the basis for the word hermaphrodite.

Pandia (female)- ("all-bright") was the daughter of Zeus and Selene. She was a
(minor) goddess of brightness.

Peitho (female) - Peitho ("persuasion") is the personification of persuasion and

seduction. She is the daughter of Hermes and Aphrodite, and is usually
mentioned as part of the retinue of Aphrodite.

Charities (female) - The Charities, or Graces, are the personifications of charm

and beauty in nature and in human life. They love all things beautiful and bestow
talent upon mortals. Together with the Muses they serve as sources of
inspiration in poetry and the arts. Originally, they were goddesses of fertility and
nature, closely associated with the underworld and the Eleusinian mysteries.
They are Euphrosyne (mirth), Thalia (good cheer), and Aglaea (splendour).

Muses (female) - The Greek goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences.
They were believed to inspire all artists, especially poets, philosophers, and
musicians. The Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess
of memory.
The Muses sat near the throne of Zeus, king of the gods, and sang of his
greatness and of the origin of the world and its inhabitants and the glorious
deeds of the great heroes. From their name words such as music, museum, and
mosaic are derived.

• Calliope - The eldest and most distinguished of the nine Muses. She is the
Muse of eloquence and epic or heroic poetry. Calliope ("beautiful voice") is
the mother of Orpheus and Linus with Apollo. She was the arbitress in the
argument over Adonis between Persephone and Aphrodite. Her emblems
are a stylus and wax tablets.

• Clio - The Muse of historical and heroic poetry. With Pierus, the king of
Macedonia, she is the mother of Hyacinth. She was credited for
introducing the Phoenician alphabet into Greece. Her attribute is usually a
parchment scroll or a set of tablets.

• Erato - The Muse of lyric poetry, particularly love and erotic poetry, and
mimicry. She is usually depicted with a lyre.

• Euterpe - Her name means "rejoicing well" or "delight". Euterpe is the

Muse of music and lyric poetry. She is also the Muse of joy and pleasure
and of flute playing and was thought to have invented the double flute,
which is her attribute.

• Melpomene - The Muse of tragedy. She is usually represented with a tragic

mask and wearing the cothurnus (the boots traditionally worn by tragic
actors). Sometimes she holds a knife or a club in one hand, and the mask
in the other.

• Polyhymnia - Polyhymnia is the Greek Muse of the sacred hymn,

eloquence and dance. She is usually represented in a pensive or
meditating position. She is a serious looking woman, dressed in a long
cloak and resting with an elbow on a pillar. Sometimes she holds a finger
to her mouth.

• Terpsichore - Terpsichore is the Muse of dancing and the dramatic chorus,

and later of lyric poetry (and in even later versions, of flute playing).
Hence the word terpsichorean, pertaining to dance. She is usually
represented seated, and holding a lyre. According to some traditions, she
is the mother of the Sirens with the river-god Achelous.

• Thalia - The Muse who presided over comedy and pastoral poetry. She
also favoured rural pursuits and is represented holding a comic mask and
a shepherd's crook (her attributes). Thalia is also the name of one of the
Graces (Charites).
 • Urania - The Greek Muse of astronomy and astrology. She is represented
with a globe in her left hand and a peg in her right hand. Urania is dressed
in a cloak embroidered with stars and she keeps her eyes towards the sky.

Dysnomia (female) - In Greek mythology, a daughter of the goddess of strife

Eris. Dysnomia is the willful spirit of lawlessness.

Eunomia (female) - "Good order". Eunomia was the goddess of order and
legislation in Greek mythology.

Proteus (male) - Proteus, the so-called Old Man of the Sea, is a prophetic sea
divinity, son of Poseidon. He usually stays on the Island of Pharos, near Egypt,
where he herds the seals of Poseidon. He will foretell the future to those who can
seize him, but when caught he rapidly assumes all possible varying forms to
avoid prophesying. When held fast despite his struggles, he will assume his usual
form of an old man and tell the future.

Plutus (male) - The Greek god and personification of wealth, regarded as the
son Demeter. He is said to have been blinded by Zeus, that he might dispense
his gifts blindly and without regard to merit. His attributes are a cornucopia and
a basket filled with ears of corn.