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Ancient Greeks

Tales beyond belief

Who were the Ancient Greeks?
Who were the Ancient Greeks? This article provides a list of the names of the Ancient Greeks who played a prominent role in some of the most famous mythology and legends from Ancient Greece. The gods and goddesses, the heroes and villains, the demigods, the strong, the weak and those who performed great deeds and those who were famous for their bad deeds.

List of Famous Ancient Greeks
The following list contains the names of many famous Ancient Greeks who featured in the legends from classical mythology and include Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, Demigods, Nymphs, Mortals, Amazons and Monsters:

  • Aeacus was one of the demigods and the son of a son of Zeus and Aegina who was the daughter of a river god.

  • Aeneas was one of the demigods of the Ancient Greeks and the son of the goddess Aphrodite and Prince Anchises

  • Achilles was one of the demigods and the son of Thetis, a minor sea-goddess and Peleus, the king of Myrmidons

  • Adonis was a lover of Aphrodite

  • Alcmene was a lover of Zeus, the king of the gods

  • The Amazons were a nation of fierce women warriors who burned off the right breast in order to use a bow and arrow more effectively.

  • Amphion was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and Antiope

  • Andromeda was chained to a rock and exposed to a sea monster but was rescued by Perseus

  • Antigone was the daughter of King Oedipus who disobeyed her father and was condemned to death

  • Antiope was a lover of Zeus who seduced her in the guise of a satyr.

  • Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty and passion.

  • Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the god of the sun and music and the twin brother of Artemis

  • Arcas was one of the demigods of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Zeus and Callisto

  • Ariadne was the wife of the god Dionysus

  • Arion was a hero and musician of the Ancient Greeks

  • Ares was the son of Hera and Zeus and the god of war. His sister was Hebe and his brother was Hephaestus.

  • Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and the moon, she was also known as the Virgin goddess

  • Atalanta was the mortal who arranged a competition with her suitors and was won by Hippomenes

  • Athena was the goddess of wisdom, spinning and weaving

  • Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and Clymene one of Oceanides. His brothers were Epimetheus and Prometheus. He was the father of the Hesperides

  • Bellerophon and his adventures with the Chimera and Pegasus

  • Cadmus, the dragon slayer of the Ancient Greeks

  • Calypso was a Nymph who detained Ulysses on Ogygia seven years

  • Cassandra was the daughter of the Trojan King Priam, whose prophecies were disbelieved.

  • Chaos was the first of all divinities, who ruled over confusion the void of emptiness within the universe.

  • Charon, the ferry-man who took the dead over the rivers of the infernal region, was said to be the son of Erebus and Nyx.

  • Circe was the sorceress who changes Ulysses’ men into swine

  • Clymene was a female demigod and the daughter of the Titan gods Oceanus and Tethys and the mother of Atlas and Prometheus.

  • Clytemnestra was a sister of Helen of Troy and the wife of Agamemnon

  • Coeus was a son of Gaia and Uranus and one of the Titans. He was the husband of Phoebe, the father of Leto, and the grandfather of Apollo, Artemis and Asteria.

  • Cronus was the youngest son of Gaia and Uranus and one of the Titans. He married his sister Rhea. Their children were Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus.

  • Danae was a lover of Zeus and mother of Perseus

  • Daphne was a lover of Apollo who turned into a tree

  • Dardanus was a demigod of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Zeus and Electra

  • Demeter was the goddess of nature and a sister of Zeus

  • Dione was one of the Oceanides, a descendent of the Titans, and a lover of Zeus, they had a daughter, Aphrodite the goddess of love.

  • The Dryads were the nymphs of the wood

  • The maiden who talked too much

  • Electra was the daughter of Agamemnon who saved Orestes

  • Eileithyia was a daughter of Zeus and Hera

  • Endymion was a young shepherd who slept forever

  • Epaphus was one of the Demigods of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Zeus and Io

  • Epimetheus was the son of Iapetus and Clymene. His brothers were Atlas and Prometheus.

  • The Erinyes (aka Furies) were three sisters who inflicted tortures and punishments on behalf of Hades

  • Erebus was a primordial deity associated with darkness. Erebus was born with Nyx (Night) from Chaos and is associated with the Underworld.

  • Eros was a primordial deity responsible for the union between Gaia and Uranus. Another Eros was a god of love (Cupid)

  • Eris was the Goddess of discord

  • Europa was a fair maiden who fell in love with Cadmus

  • The Fates were three goddesses, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, who presided over the destiny of beings

  • The Furies (aka Erinyes) were three sisters who inflicted tortures and punishments on behalf of Hades

  • Gaia, or Gaea, was known as Earth or Mother Earth and was born from Chaos. The Titans and the Giants or Gigantes were born from her union with Uranus (the sky). The sea-gods were born from her union with Pontus (the sea).

  • Ganymede, cup bearer of Jupiter (Zeus)

  • The Gorgons were three sisters who had serpents instead of hair

  • The Graeae (Gray Witches) were three sisters who had to share just one eye and one tooth among them and featured in the myth of Perseus.

  • The three Graces were daughters of Aphrodite and goddesses who presided over the banquet, the dance, and all social enjoyments.

  • Hades was a son of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea. He was the god of the Underworld and the dead.

  • The Hamadryads were the nymphs of the wood

  • Harmonia was the daughter of Zeus and Electra and was the wife of Cadmus.

  • The Harpies were winged monsters with the bodies of birds and the heads and bodies of women

  • Hebe was the daughter of Hera and Zeus and the goddess of youth. Her brothers were Hephaestus and Ares. She married Heracles (Hercules) after he became a god.

  • Hecate was the name given to Persephone consort of Hades, goddess of the underworld and protector of witches

  • Helen of Troy was the daughter of the Greek god Zeus and Leda. She married Menelaus the, king of Sparta. Prince Paris of Troy abducted Helen and took her to Troy, which started the 9 year Trojan War.

  • Helios was the beautiful Sun god of the Ancient Greeks

  • Hephaestus was the the son of Hera and Zeus and he was the god of fire. His sister was Hebe and his brother was Ares.

  • Hera was a daughter of the Titans who married her brother Zeus and became Queen of the gods and was the goddess of the family.

  • Hercules (Heracles in Greek) was a famous demigod of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Zeus

  • Hermes was the son of Maia and Zeus and the the messenger of the gods.

  • Hestia was a daughter of the Titans and was the Virgin goddess of the hearth, home and cooking.

  • The Horae were the minor deities of the Ancient Greeks called 'the Seasons' or 'Horae', the goddesses of time who guarded the gates to the home of the gods

  • Hyacinthus, friend of the god Apollo

  • Hylas the page of Hercules

  • Iapetus was a son of Gaia and Uranus and one of the Titans. He married Clymene, one of the Oceanides. The names of their children were Atlas, Epimetheus and Prometheus.

  • Iasus was a Demigod and a son of Zeus and Electra

  • Icarus and his father Daedalus who made him wings so he could fly

  • Io was a lover of Zeus from the hundred-eyed giant Argos called Panoptes

  • Iris was the messenger of Halcyone

  • Jocasta was the Queen of Thebes

  • Leto was the daughter of the Titans Phoebe and Coeus and a lover of Zeus by whom she bore the twin gods Artemis and Apollo.

  • Maia was a 'Pleiades' one of the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Maia was a lover of Zeus and bore him a son, Hermes.

  • The Maenads were wild women, flushed with wine, their shoulders draped with a fawn skin, carrying rods tipped with pine cones (thyrsos).

  • Medea was an enchantress who helped Jason

  • Medusa was a Gorgon who had serpents instead of hair

  • Memnon was one of the Demigods of the Ancient Greeks and the son of Tithonus and Eos

  • King Midas - everything he touched turned to gold

  • The Muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. The Muses all had wonderful gifts that allowed them to entertain the gods

  • The Naiades were the nymphs of the rivers and streams

  • Narcissus the youth who loved his reflection

  • The Nereids were the nymphs of the ocean

  • Nike was the winged goddess of victory

  • Niobe was a lover of Zeus

  • Oceanus was the eldest son of Gaia and Uranus and one of the Titans. He married his sister Tethys. Their children were the Oceanides.

  • The Oceanides were the three thousand daughters of Gaia and Uranus

  • Orion was one of the demigods of the Ancient Greeks and a son of the sea god Poseidon and Euryale

  • Orpheus was one of the demigods of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Calliope and the god Apollo

  • Pandora was the young maiden who unleashed the 'Troubles'

  • Pasiphae was the wife of King Minos who fell in love with the bull and produced the Minotaur

  • Penelope was the wife of Odysseus

  • Persephone was the goddess of the underworld and the daughter of the gods Zeus and Demeter.

  • Perseus was one of the demigods of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Zeus and Danae

  • Phaedra was a Princess of Crete torn by love

  • Phoebe was a daughter of Gaia and Uranus and one of the Titanides. She was the wife of Coeus, the mother of Leto

  • Phaethon was a beautiful but vain mortal

  • Philomela who was turned a nightingale

  • The Pleiades were one of the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione.

  • Pollux was one of the demigods of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Zeus and the mortal Leda.

  • Poseidon was a son of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea. He was the god of the sea, rivers, and earthquakes.

  • Procris was a favorite of Diana, the goddess of hunting and the wife of Cephalus

  • Prometheus was the was the son of the Titan Iapetus and Clymene one of Oceanides. His brothers were Epimetheus and Atlas.

  • Proteus was the Old Man of the Sea

  • Psyche was the beautiful maiden forced to visit the Underworld by Aphrodite

  • Pyramus and Thisbe, the lovers who talked through a hole in the wall

  • Rhea was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus and one of the Titanides. She married her brother Cronus and their children were Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus.

  • Scylla was the favorite of all the water-nymphs

  • Semele was a lover of Zeus

  • The Sirens were sea nymphs who sing so sweetly that they lured to death every man who listened

  • Tartarus was a primordial deity who with Chaos, Earth, and Eros. Associated with the abyss used as a dungeon of torment that resides beneath the underworld.

  • Taygete was a lover of Zeus

  • The Greeks sphinx was a creature of the Ancient Greeks with the body of a lion and the head of a woman

  • Tethys was a daughter of Gaia and Uranus and one of the Titanides and the wife of Oceanus. Their children were the Oceanides (three thousand daughters).

  • Themis was a lover of Zeus

  • Theseus was one of the demigods of the Ancient Greeks and a son of Poseidon and Aethra

  • Thetis was a minor sea-goddess and mother of Achilles

  • Titanides were the female Titans

  • Tithonus was lover of Aurora who was turned into a grasshopper

  • Tityos was one of the demigods and a son of Zeus and Elara

  • Uranus was a primordial deity and the first son of Gaia, who he married. Their union produced the Titans.

  • Zethes was one of the demigods and a son of Boreas (the Greek god of the north wind and the bringer of winter) and Oreithyia,

  • Zeus was a son of Cronus and Rhea. He was the king of the gods and god of the heavens. He married his sister Hera and together they had three children: Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus.

Famous Ancient Greeks
The following links contain access to myths of famous Ancient Greeks who featured in the legends from classical mythology and include Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, Demigods, Nymphs, Mortals, Amazons and Monsters:

King Midas
Mount Olympus
The Muses and Comatas
Myth of Rhoecus
Myth of Narcissus
Myth of Rhoecus
Myth of Niobe
Demigods
Orpheus and Eurydice
Myth of Pandora's Box
Poseidon, god of the sea
Penelope and Odysseus
Perseus and the Medusa
Myth of Phaethon
Myth of Philomela
The Pleiades
Myth of Cephalus & Procris
Proteus, Old Man of the Sea
Myth of Psyche
Pyramus and Thisbe
Myth of Glaucus & Scylla
Odysseus and the Sirens
Mythical Creatures
Theseus and the Minotaur
Heroes of the Trojan War
Myth of Tithonus
Greek Gods
Greek Gods Mythology

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