Mythology Characters

An ancient Greek poet who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey.

A Roman poet who describes many myths in his Metamorphoses, but sees them as entertaining tales rather than essential truths.

A Roman epic poet, the author of the Aeneid.

A Roman writer who describes many myths in a dull, straightforward manner.

A Greek tragedian who wrote about Agamemnon, Orestes, and Thebes.

A Greek tragedian who wrote about Oedipus and his family.

A Greek tragedian who wrote about many mythological figures.

Jupiter in Latin. The chief of the Greek gods, the God of Heaven and wielder of thunderbolts. Zeus is married to his sister Hera, but is famously unfaithful to her with a variety of mortal women.

Juno in Latin. Zeus’s sister and wife, a jealous, spiteful goddess.

Neptune in Latin. Zeus’s brother, the god of the sea and horses.

Zeus’s brother, the ruler of the land of the dead.

Minerva in Latin. Zeus’s daughter, a fierce, independent goddess associated with war, civilization, and craftsmanship.

The “most Greek” of the gods, the God of Light, Truth, and Music.

Venus in Latin. The goddess of Love and Beauty.

Diana to the Romans. The maiden goddess of hunting and the forests.

Mercury to the Romans. A clever god with winged shoes and a winged hat, a messenger for Zeus.

The only ugly Olympian, the beloved armorer of the gods. Vulcan in Latin.

Mars in Latin. The cruel, hated god of war and chaos.

One of the first entities in the universe, Mother Earth seems to create itself. She first gives birth to Heaven, then a race of monsters, and then the Titans.

The counterpart to Earth, though also her child, and the father of the monsters and Titans.

The ruler of the Titans, who gives birth to Zeus and is then overthrown by him.

A Titan who helps mankind by giving them fire, and is horribly punished by Zeus.

The God of Wine, one of the great gods of the earth who experiences a sacrificial death each winter. The first plays were written for Dionysus. He is called Bacchus by the Romans.

The Goddess of Corn, the other great god of the earth, and the mother of Persephone. She is called Ceres in Latin.

Aphrodite’s son, the God of Love, known as Cupid to the Romans.

Demeter’s daughter, a mortal who is kidnapped by Hades and made Queen of the Dead.

A famously clever hero of the Trojan War, who came up with the idea for the Trojan Horse. Odysseus’s long, arduous journey home is the subject of the Odyssey.

The hero of the Quest of the Golden Fleece. He is saved by Medea but later rejects her.

The favorite hero of the Athenians, Theseus kills the Minotaur and institutes democracy in Athens.

The greatest Greek hero, the strongest and bravest of mortals. He completes twelve famous tasks, kills many monsters, and is only defeated by magic or his own shame.

The hero who kills the Gorgon Medusa.

A Trojan hero, the only one to escape the fall of Troy. After journeying to Italy Aeneas becomes the father of the Roman people.

The greatest female hero, the killer of the Caledonian Boar. She only married the man who could outrun her in a race.

Moody hero of the Trojan War, who kills Hector and is then killed by Paris.

The greatest Trojan hero, a tragic figure killed by Achilles.

The son of King Priam of Troy, Paris’s judgment of Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera, followed by his abduction of Helen, leads to the Trojan War.

The most beautiful woman on earth, wife of Menelaus. The Trojan War begins when she falls in love with Paris and he carries her off.

The husband of Helen and King of Sparta.

The King of Mycenae, leader of the Greek army in the Trojan War. He is later killed by his wife as vengeance for sacrificing their daughter.

Agamemnon’s wife, who kills him to avenge their daughter.

The son of Agamemnon, who kills Clytemnestra to avenge his father. After being pursued by the Furies he eventually finds atonement.

Daughter of Agamemnon, sacrificed on the journey to Troy. In some stories she later becomes a priestess of the Taurians.

Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who longs to avenge her father.

King of Thebes who inadvertently kills his father and marries his mother, fulfilling a prophecy at his birth.

The father of Oedipus, who abandons him as a baby and is then killed by him years later.

Laius’s wife, who later marries Oedipus.

Daughter of Oedipus, who is executed for burying her brother.

Jocasta’s brother, who becomes regent of Thebes after Oedipus abdicates.

Oedipus’s other daughter.

Oedipus’s son, who fights for the throne and then lies unburied after being defeated by Creon.

Oedipus’s other son, who also dies fighting for the throne.

A powerful witch who does many terrible things out of love for Jason, but then is abandoned by him.

A Titan who is punished by having to ceaselessly hold up Heaven and Earth on his shoulders.

Odysseus’s wife, who is beset by suitors while he is away.

Odysseus’s son.

Nine goddesses associated with artistic and scientific inspiration.

The personification of divine vengeance.

A shape-shifting sea god.

Boatman of the underworld, who ferries souls across the river to Hades.

The three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hades.

Female goddesses who pursue and punish evildoers.

Twins who become semi-immortal, the brothers of Helen.

The keeper of the Four Winds.

The god of the North Wind.

The god of the West Wind.

Supernatural beings who lure sailors to death with their song.

One of the three Fates, who spins the thread of life.

The second Fate, who allots a person’s destiny.

The third Fate, who cuts the thread at the end of a person’s life.

A king who insults Dionysus and then is killed by his mother.

Zeus’s mother, who saves him as a baby from Cronus.

The scatterbrained brother of Prometheus.

The first woman, who introduces evil into the world by opening a forbidden box.

A woman who Zeus loves and then turns into a white cow.

A god with a thousand eyes.

A woman whom Zeus loves and kidnaps; the namesake of Europe.

A Cyclops who traps and then is outwitted by Odysseus. He loves a nymph.

A beautiful youth who falls in love with his own reflection.

A nymph who can only repeat what others say.

A youth Apollo accidentally kills and then memorializes with a flower.

A beautiful youth whom both Persephone and Aphrodite love.

A beautiful mortal, the wife of Cupid.

Two lovers who talk through a crack in the wall.

The greatest mortal musician, who tries to fetch his wife Eurydice from Hades.

Orpheus’s wife, who almost escapes Hades.

Husband and wife who are turned into birds together.

An artist who falls in love with his own sculpture.

A nymph whom Apollo pursues, she is then turned into a tree.

The King of Colchis, who sends Jason on the Quest of the Golden Fleece.

The Sun-god’s son, who fails to drive his father’s chariot.

The hero who tames Pegasus.

A horse with wings, born out of the beheading of Medusa.

A monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake.

Two Giant brothers who scorn the gods and are punished.

A famous inventor who built the Labyrinth and escapes by building wings.

The King of Crete, who feeds youths to the Minotaur.

Daughter of Minos, who loves Theseus and helps him through the Labyrinth.

Daedalus’s son, who flies too close to the sun with his father's man-made wings and drowns.

The mother of Perseus, Zeus impregnates her in the form of a golden rain.

A Gorgon, a monster with snakes for hair and a look that turns mortals to stone.

The father of Theseus and King of Athens.

A half-man, half-bull monster who lives in the Labyrinth.

Theseus’s son who is exiled over a misunderstanding.

Theseus’s ambitious but foolish friend.

Theseus’s second wife, who kills herself and frames Hippolytus.

The king who assigns Hercules his twelve labors.

The queen of the Amazons.

Hercules’s wife, who unintentionally causes his death.

A queen whom Hercules must serve as a slave.

A man who loves Atalanta and finishes off the Caledonian boar.

Atalanta’s husband, who beats her in a race by distracting her with golden apples.

The King of Troy, father of Paris and Hector.

A woman Zeus seduces as a swan, the mother of Helen.

A sea-nymph, Achilles’ mother.

One of the great Greek heroes of the Trojan War.

Another Greek hero of the Trojan War.

Hector’s wife, who later marries the prophet Helenus.

Achilles’ friend who fights in his armor and is killed by Hector.

A nymph who loves Paris, but then lets him die after he leaves her for Helen.

The daughter of King Priam, gifted with prophecy but cursed to never be believed.

An old, clever hero of Troy.

A nymph who loves Odysseus and holds him captive for ten years.

A witch who turns men into pigs.

A blind prophet of Thebes.

Odysseus’s faithful swineherd.

A prophet of Troy, who later marries Andromache.

The founder and queen of Carthage, she loves Aeneas but then is abandoned by him and commits suicide.

Aeneas’s father, whom Aeneas visits in the underworld.

Aeneas’s wife, the daughter of King Latinus.

The leader of the Rutulians, Aeneas’s main enemy.

Turnus’s ally, the cruel former ruler of the Etruscans.

A king of a small, poor town, but who is helpful to Aeneas.

A mortal who inexplicably serves his own son as food to the gods.

Tantalus’s son, who is resurrected by the gods.

Tantalus’s daughter, she compares herself to the gods and is punished.

A son of Pelops, who kills his brother’s children and serves them as food.

Atreus’s brother, who becomes an unwitting cannibal.

The son of Thyestes, Clytemnestra’s lover.

Orestes’ cousin and friend, who helps him in his endeavors.

Europa’s brother and the founder of Thebes.

Dionysus’s mother, who is killed by seeing Zeus’s full glory.

The mother of Pentheus, whom Dionysus drives to kill her son.

A daughter of Cadmus who later becomes a sea-goddess.

A hunter who accidentally sees Artemis naked and is killed.

A monster who is part woman, part lion, and kills people if they can’t solve her riddle.

Half dragon, half man, the Athenian king who chooses Athena as the city’s patron.

A famous early king of Athens.

A daughter of Erechtheus who kills her son and serves him to her cruel husband Tereus.

Procne’s sister. Tereus cuts her tongue out and imprisons her.

A cruel son of Ares, Procne’s husband.

Procne’s niece, who is unduly tested by her husband.

The husband of Procris, kidnapped by Aurora.

A woman kidnapped by the North Wind.

Procris’s sister, who is raped by Apollo.

A foolish king who wishes that everything he touches would turn to gold.

Drunken old man who accompanies Dionysus.

A Centaur who mentors many young heroes.

The greatest mortal healer, punished for raising a man from the dead.

The only one of fifty sisters to not kill her husband.

A sea-god who loves Scylla.

A nymph who is turned into a horrible rock-monster that threatens sailors.

A skilled weaver who challenges Athena and is turned into a spider.

The mother of Apollo and Artemis, a lover of Zeus.

A great hunter who becomes a constellation.

A man punished by being made to eternally push a rock uphill.

The greatest Norse hero, the son of Sigmund. Sigurd loves Brynhilde but is made to forget her, and he is later killed by Gunnar.

Sigmund’s sister, who bears him a child and helps kill her wicked husband.

Signy’s brother, who kills her husband and his children.

The son of Signy and Sigmund, conceived as a helper for their vengeance.

A Valkyrie loved by both Sigurd and Gunnar.

Sigurd’s friend, who marries Brynhilde and later has Sigurd killed.

Gunnar’s sister, who marries Sigurd.

The chief of the Norse gods, a sky-god who constantly seeks out wisdom and is doomed to die at Ragnarok.

Odin’s son, who is killed by Loki with a mistletoe twig.

A Norse trickster god and villain.

The mother of Balder and wife of Odin.

The Norse goddess of the dead.

The Norse goddess of love and beauty, who also takes half of those slain in battle.

The strongest Norse god, the god of thunder.

The giant whose body parts become the universe in the Norse creation story, Odin’s grandfather.