http://world-mythos.com Mythology, Myths, Mythological Gods, Mythological Creatures Sun, 28 Sep 2008 16:53:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_71" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Styx, etching by Gustave Doré, representing Dante's Divine Comedy journey, 1861."][/caption] 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) ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/styx/ [caption id="attachment_67" align="alignright" width="163" caption="Hades and Kerberos - from Meyers Konversationslexikon - 1888"][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/hades/ [caption id="attachment_62" align="alignright" width="293" caption="Medusa, by Caravaggio (1592:1600)"][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/medusa/ [caption id="attachment_59" align="alignright" width="165" caption="Gilded bronze Roman "Hercules of the Theatre of Pompey", found near the Theatre of Pompey in 1864, (Vatican Museums, Rome)"][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/hercules/ [caption id="attachment_74" align="alignright" width="285" caption="The phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary."][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/phoenix/ [caption id="attachment_56" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hebe"][/caption] In Greek mythology, Hebe is the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Hera and a little less known than most of her other siblings due to a life practically devoid of scandalous escapades. She is the goddess of youth in its various forms—eternal youth, bridal youth, and ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/hebe/ [caption id="attachment_41" align="alignright" width="195" caption="The Diana of Versailles, a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture by Leochares. (Louvre Museum)"][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/artemis/ [caption id="attachment_33" align="alignright" width="209" caption=""A Mermaid" by John William Waterhouse."][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/mermaids/ [caption id="attachment_19" align="alignright" width="161" caption="2nd century AD Roman statue of Apollo depicting the god's attributes - the lyre and the Python snake "][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/apollo/ [caption id="attachment_11" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, 1485"][/caption] 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 ... http://world-mythos.com/2008/09/aphrodite/