When you have about three thousand daughters you are bound to run out of names for the younger ones. But to call the eldest Styx, which means Hateful, is inexplicable to say the least. Okeanos (Oceanus) and Tethys probably had a lot of explaining to do; however, Styx rose to great heights due to the [...]

In Greek mythology, Hades was probably the most feared of all gods compared to his brothers Zeus and Poseidon, and with good reason too. He was the god who presided over the netherworld and was also the custodian of the dead. He had a stern unrelenting demeanour to go with the job, and this precluded [...]

In Greek mythology, Medusa was an extremely beautiful mortal woman well known for her cascading golden locks. She was even compared to the goddess Athena who was inflamed with jealousy as well as annoyed at this audacity. Medusa had many suitors whom she turned away disappointed. Poseidon, the god of the sea however, took things [...]

Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek hero Herakles or Heracles; the Romans adopted the Greek stories about Heracles essentially unchanged, adding only a bit of anecdotal detail of their own.  Hercules is a god with a difference. He started out a mortal, and then joined the ranks of the gods in Olympus. What sets him apart [...]

This fabulous bird traverses both Egyptian and Greek mythologies, and its various versions are to be found in mythical literature around the world. It is said to be a huge bird with a magnificent plumage of red and gold that can live up to 500 years. It is believed to inhabit a place in Arabia [...]

Artemis is the daughter of Zeus, twin sister of Apollo, and a totally independent goddess who chose to remain an eternal virgin. While the behaviour of most nymphs and goddesses would give feminists a wedgie, Artemis is one who’s right up their alley. Her fearless actions, especially of tearing up young men into pieces before [...]

Mermaids hover between the zones of make believe and reality, often coming dangerously close to the latter. Historic sailors such as Christopher Columbus have asserted that they exist, though are not half as pretty as they are purported to be. Years spent at sea on a diet of rum and no female company can do [...]

When someone is said to resemble a Greek god , the god in question is Apollo, even though the speaker may not be aware of it. This alludes to his chiselled good looks, athletic body, and curly golden hair if not the amorous life-style that this would automatically entail. Apollo was born to Zeus and [...]

This is one goddess who needs no introduction. She is popular even today in the world of arts and literature as she was in Olympus long ago. Her birth was from the foam of the ocean and she emerged from the waves fully formed. Of stunning beauty and a passionate nature she was soon recognized [...]

Hathor was worshipped in ancient Egypt as the winged cow of creation who held up the whole universe on her four feet. She was depicted as having cow’s horns with the sun in the middle. These days she would have to be called the goddess of multi-tasking for there was nothing she couldn’t do. She [...]