Glossary

The symbol ... indicates where some material from the original work has been omitted in the current presentation.

having the characteristics (physical, mental, and/or emotional) of humans

a vaguely defined mountainous region of Ancient Greece, associated with pastoral life and the rustic god of nature, Pan.

a feature or accessory that is particular to a specific god / hero

BCE = Before Common Era (essentially equivalent to BC)

CE = Common Era (essentially equivalent to AD)
* see The Myth of the BC/AD Dating System for more information

a dowry (an amount of money paid by the bride's family to the groom's family for the bride's upkeep)

a daughter of King Celeus of Eleusis and Queen Metaneira, and a sister of baby prince Demophoon

mortal king of Eleusis, husband of Queen Metaneira, father of baby prince Demophoon

Hilary Clinton

the physical process and act of sexual activity

a story that explains the origin of the world / universe

a particular religious practice

Mount Cyllene is a mountain in Arcadia (see glossary) in Greece, and the legendary birthplace of Hermes. References to Cyllene frequently appear in epithets for Hermes.

one of Aphrodite's epithets (i.e. formal or traditional nicknames), derived from the words for Cyprus

the (poorly defined) divine equivalent of blood

Queen Elizabeth the First of England

the goddess of the dawn

The Moirai (Fates) were conceived of as three sisters: one spun the thread of a mortal's life, one measured it out, and one cut it, resulting in death.

"and following" (typically lines of a poem)

Greek female clothing (and some male clothing) consisted primary of large pieces of fabric, draped in various patterns and styles around the body, and then held in place with pins and straps (girdles). The richer you were, the more and fancier the metal fastenings and adornments would be.

vaguely defined minor goddesses having to do with making people attractive

the fire at the center of an ancient home

The god of the sun, Helios literally drove a chariot of flaming horses across the domes of the heavens, which mortals observed as the sun moving in the sky. His father was Hyperion, the (vague) Titan of "things that shine in the heavens."

mythical being with the front of a horse and the rear of a fish or serpent

ancient Greek word for excessive pride, particularly the sort that offends the gods

standard way of representing something

cannot die

the rainbow, messenger goddess of Hera, Zeus' sister-wife

Apollo

Maenads were crazed female followers of Dionysus, the god of madness; they (allegedly) would run around the woods breaking and killing things.

mother of Hermes

Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 and the first woman to hold that office

mortal queen of Eleusis, wife of King Celeus, mother of baby prince Demophoon

squarish sculpted panels that decorate a building

Mount Ida is a mountain right outside of the city of Troy, where the gods often sit and watch various comings and goings of mortals.

The Muses were a set of 9 minor goddesses associated with the arts.

food and drink of the gods. The gods enjoy consuming food but, as immortals, do not actually need to eat or drink anything to survive.

The nereids were sea-nymphs. Their father is sometimes Oceanus and sometimes Poseidon.

having absolute power over all

present in all places at all times

possessed of universal or complete knowledge

a town northwest of Thebes in Ancient Greece

i.e. over the front of his charior

i.e. "doe-eyed" / "Bambi-eyed" / "Disney-princess-eyed"

virgin birth (note the similarities to the word Parthenon)

the triangle space above the front of a building

an area in eastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey)

a small tool, much like a guitar pick, used to pick the strings of an instrument

King of Troy

The River Styx marked the boundary of the Realm of the Dead and needed to be crossed for mortals to pass into that realm. For reasons unknown, gods swore by the River Styx when they wanted to make unbreakable promises.

forbidden to be harmed or even touched, under penalty of capital punishment for the offender

The goddess of the moon, Selene literally drove a chariot of flaming horses across the domes of the heavens, which mortals observed as the moon moving in the sky.

male wood spirits obsessed with drunken orgies

referring here to Hades, one of three sons of Cronos

the practice of equating or merging new gods with old gods

an arcane word for dancing, related to the Muses

i.e. Athena

one of many names for the god Hades

sea goddess, eventually married against her will to the mortal Peleus; mother of Achilles

a story that explains the origin of the gods

another prince of Troy captured by the gods, specifically Eos / Aurora, goddess of the dawn

elements of a elite household, basically a combination of a crockpot, a chaffing dish, and a trophy (i.e. symbols of being rich enough to host feasts).

Ganymede's father and namesake of Troy

an absurdly great sum of money

United Kingdom Members of Parliament (elected representatives)

a particular presentation or rendition of a myth

6 priestess of Vesta that guard the hearth fire of Rome

proper behavior between host, guest