Ancient Greek Myths, Stories and Legends
This section of the site covers some of the most popular myths, legends and stories of ancient Greece.
Creatures
Arachne
The Arachne is a creature from Greek mythology, whose name was later used for words like “arachnid” and “arachnophobia.” There’s very little to fear about the story of Arachne, however. Hers is a cautionary tale about pride that we can all learn from. According to the myth, Arachne was a very famous and talented weaver. […]
Argus Panoptes
Who is the Greek mythological creature Argus Panoptes? In ancient Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes is a giant who had many eyes. Some stories described him as having 100 eyes and it even created a saying. The saying “the eyes of Argus” refers to being watched closely or followed by the eyes. Panoptes also refers to […]
Arion
Arion was an ancient Greek mythical creature that took the form of a giant, extremely swift horse. Arion was endowed with both eternal life and the ability to speak. By some accounts Arion was born from a union of the Sea god Poseidon in the form of a stallion and the Earth goddess Demeter in […]
Ash Tree Nymphs
Ash Tree Nymphs, also known as Meliae, were born from the blood of Uranus when he was castrated by his son, the Titan Cronus. The blood fell to the earth and impregnated Gaia (Earth), thus creating the Furies, the Giants, and the Meliae. The Meliae are nymphs that inhabit ash-trees. The ash tree nymphs are […]
Centaurs
In Greek mythology, Centaurs (or Kentauroi) are half-man, half horse creatures that inhabited the mountains and forests of Thessaly. Centaurs were said to be primal, existing in tribes and making their homes in caves, hunting wild animals and arming themselves with rocks and tree branches.
Cerberus
Cerberus: The three Headed Dog of Greek Mythology There are many unique creatures mentioned in Greek mythology. One of the most well known may be the three-headed dog known as Cerberus. It was the job of Cerberus to guard the entrance to Hades. In Greek mythology, this was the underworld where spirits of the dead […]
Cerberus
There are many unique creatures mentioned in Greek mythology. One of the most well known may be the three-headed dog known as Cerberus. It was the job of Cerberus to guard the entrance to Hades. In Greek mythology, this was the underworld where spirits of the dead were the only ones allowed to enter. No […]
Ceryneian Hind
In the Greek Mythology, the Ceryneian Hind was an enormous female deer that was believed to have lived in the region of Keryneia. Based on various Greek tales, the Ceryneian Hind was considered sacred and was associated with the hunt goddess Artemis. A careful review of the Ceryneian Hind reveals that although the mythical creature […]
Chimaera
Chimaera – A Fire-Breathing Monster Chimaera has become one of the most famous female monsters described in Greek mythology. An aura of mystery has always surrounded this creature. (Even today, the name “chimaera” sometimes refers to a genetic puzzle.) Greek sailors considered it a very bad omen to see Chimaera. She usually appeared right before a […]
Chiron
Of all the centaurs in Greek mythology, Chiron was the most important. Like other centaurs, Chiron had the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse. However, unlike the others, Chiron’s front legs were human. This unusual physical attribute made him easy to identify in art. It also gave him higher […]
Chrysaor
When one carefully scrutinizes the sheer volume of intricate cultural and mythological representations emerging from ancient cultures, the Greeks are of no exception. Known for their innumerable advancements in civilization, philosophy, art, literature, technology, and politics, the Greeks are still highly esteemed to this day. Perhaps most notable of the development of ancient Greek civilization […]
Cretan Bull
The island of Crete was the home of the legendary King Minos, who worshiped bulls. Poseidon, God of the Sea, gave King Minos a magical bull that rose from the sea. Poseidon gave Minos this bull on the condition that it was to be sacrificed in Poseidon’s honor, but Minos was so impressed with this […]
Cyclops
The Cyclops were giant; one-eyed monsters; a wild race of lawless creatures who possess neither social manners nor fear of the Gods. Cyclopes means ‘round eye.’ Considered the sons of Uranus and Gaea they were the workmen of the God Hephaestus whose workshop was in the heart of the volcanic mountain Etna. According to Homer’s […]
Delphyne
Delphyne is a female dragon born to Gaia, the Greek goddess of Earth. The name Delphyne means “womb” and related forms of the name, Delphyna (female) and Delphynes (male), were also used for the dragon of Delphi. There are different accounts of Delphyne in Greek mythology. Delphyne is sometimes called Python, a monster who lived […]
Echidna
Echidna the She-Viper – Mother of Monsters Echidna is a somewhat obscure, but nevertheless fearsome monster in Greek mythology. Homer’s The Iliad and Hesiod’s poem Theogony are some of the oldest writings to feature her, and have therefore been influential in shaping Echidna’s modern narrative. Other than what is established in The Iliad, Theogony and […]
Erymanthian Boar
The Erymanthian Boar was a giant, monstrous wild boar that ravaged the farms of Psophis. Capturing the boar alive was one of the Twelve Labors faced by demigod hero Heracles at the request of King Eurystheus. The boar got its name from the Erymanthus mountain where it lived in Arcadia. The mountain was said to […]
Giants – Ancient Greek Mythical Creature
Greek mythology refers to the teachings of the ancient culture of the southern European nation of Greece, one of the world’s earliest recognized civilizations. Credited with introducing democracy, literature, philosophy, the dramatic arts, fundamental mathematical and scientific principles, as well as dozens of other significant contributions to modern civilization, Greece’s historical footprint is felt in […]
Gorgons
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was first referred to by the poet Homer as a single monster who had risen from the underworld. Another Greek poet, Hesiod, would later add two more Gorgons, resulting in the trio of sister known as Stheno (the Mighty), Euryale (the Far Springer), and the most well-known of the three, […]
Harpies
The Harpies were mythical monsters in Greek mythology that had the form of a bird with a human female face; often agents of punishment they abducted people and tortured them on their way to Hades’ domain, employed by the God as instruments for the punishment of the guilty. They stole food from their victims and […]
Hecatoncheires
Who are the Hecatoncheires creatures in Greek mythology? In Greek mythology, the Hecatoncheires were a type of giant creature. Their name directly means “hundred-handed ones” because they each had a hundred hands. These hands also had great strength. The Hecatoncheires also had 50 heads each, giving them a very rare look as a creature. There […]
Laelaps
If you have an interest in Greek Mythology, you have probably read or heard about Laelaps, an ancient Greek mythical dog. Laelaps was a magical hunting dog that was destined to always catch its prey. There are no stories concerning Laelaps parentage, but there are some who suggest that it is the same dog that […]
Lamia – The Child-Devouring Queen – Ancient Greek Creature – Monster
Ancient writers described Lamia, the daughter of Poseidon, as a ” queen of surpassing beauty.” It was her attractive appearance that led to her unfortunate future. Her trouble began when her exquisite beauty drew the attention of Zeus. Lamia eventually became Zeus’ mistress much to the displeasure of his wife, Hera. The jealous wife cursed […]
Marsyas
The Story of Marsyas Marsyas was a Satyr, which in Greek mythology refers to a man with horse ears and a horsetail, who hailed from Phrygia. His role is deeply connected with music, which started the day he found an aulos, similar to a modern day flute. Athena had thrown that flute down to Earth. […]
Medusa
One of the most popular monsters of Greek Mythology, Medusa was a beautiful maiden with golden hair. She vowed to be celibate her entire life as a priestess of Athena until she fell in love with Poseidon. She went against her vow and married him. For this Athena punished her hideously. She turned Medusa into […]
Minotaur
The tale of the Minotaur is one of the classics of Greek mythology and contains an extraordinary number of important elements. Characters like the brilliant Daedalus, strong Theseus, evil King Minos and his beautiful daughter Ariadne all make an appearance in this story. The concept of the labyrinth, or the endless underground maze, also originates […]
Nessus
Who is the Greek creature Nessus? In the world of Greek mythology, Nessus was one of the centaurs. A centaur was a half-man, half-horse creature. While the lower half of the body was a horse, it had a man’s torso in place of its neck, giving the creature a rare look. Nessus was part of […]
Pegasus
Pegasus is a mythological creature described as a beautiful, pure white stallion with wings. He was born from the blood of Medusa, a frightful Gorgon whose gaze could turn men to stone, when the hero Perseus decapitated her.
Polyphemus
Cyclopes are the only beasts of the first creation that are not punished by Zeus when he overthrows his father, Cronus. This may have something to do with them being his nephews as sons of Poseidon, and no, there are no female cyclopes. They will eventually become favorites of the god, forgers of his thunderbolts, […]
Python – Ancient Greek Mythical Creature
What is the creature Python? Many people have heard of the Python snake. In Greek mythology, Python was also a tough serpent. It was also called a dragon by some people. Python was a child of Gaea who was “Mother Earth” in the mythology. The serpent was placed by Gaea as a guardian of Delphi. […]
Scylla
In Greek mythology, Scylla (pronounced “Sill-ah” or “Skee-lah”, depending on what country you live in) is a sea monster who lives on the rocks of a narrow water channel opposite of the whirlpool (and originally also a sea monster) Charybdis. Ships caught in between Scylla and Charybdis often end up being sunk by either Scylla […]
Silenus
Silenus was the creature who raised and tutored the god Dionysus, the god of Wine and Fertility. After Dionysus was born, Zeus entrusted the infant Dionysus to Silenus’ care to be raised and taught. Once Dionysus grew to adulthood, Silenus was his companion along with his group of satyrs. Depictions of Silenus Often, Silenus […]
Talos
Emerging from the resonances of the industrious cultural developments of the Bronze Age, the Greek mythological creature Talos is the embodiment of a metallic automaton in humanoid form. In other words, Talos can loosely be equated to the representation of a bronze robot in Greek mythology. Culturally, Talos came to symbolize the potential of human […]
Teumessian Fox
The Teumessian fox was a giant, man-eating fox that could not be caught by any captor. It was sent by the gods to punish the city of Thebes for a crime the people had committed. It preyed on their children, and eventually Amphitryon was tasked with finding a solution for the catching the impossible fox […]
The Phoenix – Mysterious Mythological Creature
The phoenix, or phenix, is a famous mythical bird. It is a sacred creature. A part of many cultures, different people know it by different names. Names of the phoenix The Greeks call it Phoenix; the Egyptians call it Bennu, and the Chinese call it Fêng-Huang. In Japan it’s named Ho-o, in Russia, it is […]
The Sirens
The Sirens were creatures that sang beautifully, luring those passing by to their deaths. Each Siren combined the appearance of a woman and a bird, with the exact appearance varying depending on the artist. Some artists drew Sirens that had bodies of birds with the heads of women, while others made them look like women […]
Element
Aegis – Element of Godly Protection
In Greek mythology, the aegis was an item of protection used mainly by Zeus, the god of gods. It was either the hide (or skin) of an animal or a shield made from the skin of a goat, and it sometimes had the head of a Gorgon, a monster along the lines of Medusa. It […]
Ambrosia – Ancient Greek Mythical Element
Ambrosia has several different meanings in today’s world. Not only is it a dessert salad made of fruits and marshmallows, but it’s also a word used to describe delicious food. Ambrosia’s origins, however, are rooted in Greek mythology. Ambrosia: A Nymph That Turned Into Food According to Greek legend, in the beginning, Ambrosia was […]
Ichor – Ancient Greek Element
While most ancient cultures were taught to fear their gods, the Greeks tried to make their gods relatable by giving them human-like qualities. People gave food and other items as offerings to a specific god for blessings, but the gods never ate the food given to them. The Greeks said the gods had their own […]
Necklace of Harmonia
The Necklace of Harmonia was an object that brought misfortune to most of its owners. It was originally a wedding gift from Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, to the goddess Harmonia for her wedding to the King of Thebes, Cadmus. Hephaestus had caught his wife Aphrodite having an affair with Ares, god of war. Hephaestus claimed […]
Nectar – Ancient Greek Element
In Ancient Greek Mythology, nectar is the drink of gods and goddesses who lived on Mount Olympus, the mythical home of many of the deities. The stories explain that Ancient Greek deities ate ambrosia and drank nectar with it, as their nourishment. The nectar of the gods was a drink with magical properties. Not only […]
Shield of Achilles
The Shield of Achilles is referenced in Homer’s Iliad and was used by Achilles when he fought the Trojan prince Hector. The shield is best known for its intricate designs. During the Trojan War, Troy had gained the upper hand over Greece, and had begun to threaten Greek shipping. Patroclus, a close fiend and mentor […]
The Golden Fleece
The Golden Fleece is the fleece of a golden winged ram. The fleece resided in Colchis and was the object that Jason wanted as an order of King Pelias. To obtain it, he organized an expedition with the Argonauts. Athamas, a founder of Halos and king of Orchomenus, married the goddess of hospitality, Nephele. The […]
The Shirt of Nessus – Ancient Greek Mythological Element
In Greek mythology, the Shirt of Nessus was a mythological element associated with the hero Heracles. It was a poisoned shirt that was used to kill Heracles. The shirt originally belonged to the centaur named Nessus. Heracles, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, is often considered to be the greatest of the Greek heroes. Known […]
Mortals
King Midas
Midas was a king who reigned in Macedonian Bromium in what is now modern day Turkey. The people he ruled over were called the Brigians or the Moschians. He was the son of the goddess Ida and an unnamed satyr and loved pleasure and wealth. When he was a baby, ants would climb up the […]
Medea
Medea is the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis. She is a sorceress who marries the hero Jason. She is the title character of the play written by Euripides. Medea is an enchantress, and is sometimes seen as a priestess of the goddess Hecate. Medea saw Jason after he arrived from Iolcus to Colchis. Looking […]
Sisyphus
Sisyphus was the creator and first king of the city Ephyra (later Corinth). He married the nymph Merope and had four children: Glaucus, Ornytion, Almus and Thersander. Sisyphus helped his city become a commercial hub. He is also rumored to have created the Isthmian Games, a competition featuring athletic and musical feats. It was held […]
Places
Aeaea – Ancient Greek Places
In ancient Greek mythology, Aeaea was an island that was home to the sorceress and goddess known as Circe. The island was also mentioned in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, when one of the characters says that he spent a year there, lured by Circe, on his voyage back to his home in Ithaca. Odysseus, […]
Ancient Sparta
Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece. Sparta was renowned for its military preeminence in the region. The entire city-state was organized to maximize its military capabilities. Given this reputation, Sparta led all of the combined Greek armies in the war against the Persians in the early 400s B.C. Sparta was unique for its militaristic […]
Arcadia – Ancient Greek Places
Arcadia is a place that is both a real geographical location, as well as a mythological place from Ancient Greek Mythology. The real Arcadia currently exists in the country of Greece, while the idea of the fictional, mythological Arcadia is coming from the time of history when Ancient Greek mythologies were born. It was and […]
Aulis – Ancient Greek Place
An ancient port-city in central Greece, Aulis held a strategically significant position in the region of Boeotia. Located directly opposite of the island of Euboea on the Euripus Strait, Aulis was never a fully independent polis, or city-state, but instead was under the sovereignty of the cities of Thebes and Tanagra. In Greek mythology, Aulis […]
Calydon – Ancient Greek Place
Calydon was ancient city located in Greece roughly seven miles west of the Evenus river and east of modern Mesolóngion. It is famous for hosting the Calydonian Boar, a beast from Greek mythology sent by Artemis to capture the land of Calydon because the king failed to honor the gods. The Calydonian Boar was quickly […]
Colchis – Ancient Greek Places
In ancient times, Colchis was a city in what is now the country of Georgia. It is located on the western side of the country. The city is also on the eastern border of the Black Sea. Colchis contained the fertile valleys along the Phasis River. Because of its fertile soils and mild climate that […]
Corinth
In ancient Greece, Corinth was a large city-state. It was located on a long stretch of land called an isthmus. The name of the isthmus that Corinth belonged to was also Corinth. Geographically, Corinth was located between Sparta and Athens, which were two important city-states in ancient Greece. They were also rival towns of Corinth. […]
Crete – Ancient Greek Places
Crete is the biggest island of Greece and the whole Mediterranean world. With a rich history of over 9000 years total, it is one of the most important places of Ancient Greece. Crete was already inhabited by 7,000 BCE, but for the first few thousands of years, Cretans were most likely early farmers, forming villages […]
Delphi – Home to the Oracles of Ancient Greece
An advanced settlement and independent city-state, Delphi was the primary and most distinguished sacred site in Ancient Greece. Located in central Greece, Delphi was built atop of Mount Parnassos. Believed to have been designated the “center of the world” by Zeus, it was a considerably important place for the citizens of ancient Greece. Delphi had […]
Iolcus – Ancient Greek Places
Iolcus is an ancient Grecian city that was located in Magnesia. In modern times, the place is a village that used to be a municipality. It’s in the middle of Magnesia, somewhat north of the gulf. The overall land area of the place is 1,981 kilometers squared. In modern times, the municipality has been divided […]
Ithaca – Ancient Greek Places
Ithaca, also written as Ithaka, is a name for one of the Greek islands that belonged to the Ionian Sea. Ithaca Island is the second smallest island after Paxi. The island forms part of the separate regional units among the Greek Ionian Islands as part of the Ionian Islands region and the region’s only municipality. […]
Lerna – Ancient Greek Place
In ancient Greece Lerna stood in the northern part of the Greek Peloponnese, just a short distance south of Argos. This region of mountains and rocky cliff faces included some difficult to traverse terrain. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia reports in that era a large portion of the land outside Lerna fell within a region of […]
Lycia – Ancient Greek Places
Lycia is a city in the present-day southwestern part of Turkey. At the time that it was founded, the area where Lycia is located was called Anatolia. The alternative name for Lycia, which appears in some Greek myths, is “Lukka Lands.” The people who lived in Lycia in ancient times were linked to the Sea […]
Mount Olympus – Ancient Greek Places
Mount Olympus was the home and meeting place of all the gods and is an actual place in Greece. A visit to Mount Olympus will give a magnificent view since it is the tallest mountain in Greece. Mount Olympus in Greek mythology is a much different place than the one visited today. The actual Mount […]
Nemea – Ancient Greek Places
Nemea lies in a valley in the far northeastern region of the Greek Peloponnese, near Argolis. This location held great importance for people in the ancient world. They believed a number of significant events had occurred here. The Nemean Lion Legends in Greek mythology described a ferocious lion which resided in the vicinity of the […]
Tauris
Tauris is located in modern Crimea. While the Greeks had a colony there, the native people of the peninsula were rumored to be brutal savages. We hear about them most in the play Iphigenia in Tauris. During the play, Iphigenia, the daughter of a leader of the Trojan war named Agamemnon, was going to be […]
The Underworld – Ancient Greek Places
The Underworld was a place hidden deep underground where the souls of the dead went for eternity. It was ruled by Hades, the Greek god of the dead. Hades was said to be a greedy god, and his sole purpose was to collect souls for his kingdom and prevent them from ever leaving. The Underworld […]
Thebes – An Ancient and Mythological City
Located in the Boeotia region of central Greece, Thebes is a city steeped in the ancient Greek myths and its gods. The city, located 31 miles north of Athens, is situated on a plain bordered by the Cithaeron Mountains and Lake Yliki and is still populated today. Thebes has been central to the myths of […]
Troy
Troy is an ancient Greek city that was located in a region known as Asia Minor at the time of existence. Now, if Troy still existed, it would be located in Turkey south of the Dardanelles Strait. Troy was founded in 3000 BC and abandoned in 500 AD. Troy was the battleground in which the […]
Stories
Adventures of Theseus
According to Greek mythology, Theseus was the son of Aethra, yet his father was unknown. At the time, Aethra supposedly had two suitors; King Aegeus of Athens, and Poseidon, God of the Sea. King Aegeus assumed the child was his own, and in the months preceding the birth of Theseus, he gave instructions to Aethra […]
Apollo and Daphne
In Greek Mythology, Apollo was the God of Light, and it was his job to pull the sun across the sky in his 4-horse chariot every day. He has also been referred to as the God of music, poetry, art, medicine, knowledge, plague and archery. Apollo was the son of Zeus (the God of Thunder) […]
Myths of the Constellations
Since the beginning of time man has looked up at the night sky and wondered about the stars. These points of light were once a mystery. Before man discovered all we know today about the stars and planets, they used the constellations to tell a story. Constellations are like a dot to dot puzzle. People […]
The Adventures of Perseus
Perseus' myths are full of gods, creatures, and monsters that you might see in a number of Hollywood movies and television shows. Even if Perseus' myth is a little on the simple side, it has still had a huge impact on Greek mythology.
The Amazons
According to Greek Mythology, the Amazons were a tribe of entirely female warriors. It was believed that the Amazons lived in Themiscyra near the Black Sea. This area is now Turkey, Eastern Europe. The Amazons were famous for being all women and for hating men. No men were allowed to live alongside the Amazons. They […]
The Argonauts
The Argonauts were a band of heroes united in the common cause of taking the Golden Fleece from Colchis. This was a group of some of the most legendary heroes of all of Greek mythology, one of the few times in the myths where a group of heroes team up to accomplish a goal. The […]
The Trojan War
Understanding a Mythical War of History: Everything You Need to Know About the Trojan War For thousands of years, the mythical Greek tale of the Trojan War has delighted and haunted readers with its epic characters and unbelievable twists and turns. The topic of Hollywood movies, such as the 1997 film Trojan War, the story […]
Theogony
Theogony literally means the “birth or genealogy of the gods.” It is the name of an epic poem by Hesiod, a Greek poet who is believed to have lived between 750 and 650 BC. He was thus a contemporary of Homer, the author of the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey.” Along with Homer’s works, the “Theogony” […]
Titanomachy
The Wars between the Titans and Olympians The Titanomachy is a series of wars in Greek mythology. These wars took place in Thessaly, and were also called the War of the Titans, the Battle of the Titans, the Battle of the Gods or just the Titan War. These wars were between the Titans, the older […]