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Greek Mythology > People, Places, & Things > Akhaian to Alkman
A to Aegyptus Aello to Agesilaus I Agesilaus II to Akhaia Akhaian to Alkman Alkmene to Anaetius Anakeion to Apaturia Apeliotes to Argos Argus to Arkhidike Arkhilokhos to Astyanax Astydameia to Azov
Of or pertaining to the district of Akhaia (Achaea) on the northern Peloponnesian Peninsula.
An Akhaian is a native of Akhaia.
The term Akhaian or Achaeans are general terms for all Greeks; in The Iliad and The Odyssey, the terms Akhaian and Argive used interchangeably.
See Akhaian by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A member of one of the four main divisions of prehistoric Greeks believed to have occupied the Peloponnesian Peninsula and to have produced the Mykenaean (Mycenaean) culture.
The four divisions of prehistoric Greeks include: Dorian, Akhaian, Aeolian and Ionian.
The name Akhaians may also be rendered as Akhaians or Achaeans.
See Akhaians by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The god of the river Akhelous who was the lord of all rivers.
Akheloios was one of the sons of Okeanos (Ocean) and Tethys.
Akheloios and the Muse, Terpsikhore (Terpsichore), were the parents of the Sirens.
Zeus gave the Rivers, Apollon and the Okeanids the special obligation of having the young in their keeping.
The name, Akheloios, may also be rendered as Akhelous or Achelous.
See Akheloios (1) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A river in western Greece which runs north to south and divides Aetolia from Akarnania (Acarnania).
The name may also be rendered as Akhelous or Achelous Akheloios or Acheloios.
See Akheloios (2) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The River of Woe.
A river in the Underworld over which Kharon (Charon) ferries the souls of the dead.
Herodotus relates the story of the king of the city of Korinth (Corinth), Periander, sending an emissary to the Oracle of the Dead on the river Akheron; the king’s dead wife, Melissa, revealed, through the oracle, the hiding place of some treasure that she had hidden and Periander could not find without her help.
The Romans thought that the Akheron was a lake.
See Akheron by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The most beautiful and bravest warrior in the Greek army at the siege of the city of Troy; he was the son of king Peleus and the Nereid, Thetis.
After Akhilleus was born, Thetis tried to make him immortal by cleansing him with nektar (nectar) and bathing him in fire but Peleus caught her putting the infant Akhilleus in the fire and, in his ignorance of Immortal affairs, went into a rage; Thetis, in frustration, threw Akhilleus to the ground, deserted Peleus and returned to her home under the Aegean Sea.
Akhilleus was contentious and proud because of his obvious skill as a warrior and his semi-divine parentage; he acknowledged the authority of Agamemnon as the captain of the Greek army but refused to fight because he felt that he had been wronged in the division of the spoils of war.
When his lifelong companion, Patroklos (Patroclus), was killed by the Trojans, Akhilleus went into a rage that only the blood of countless Trojans would quell; he killed Hektor (Hector), the leader of the Trojan army, and defiled his corpse as revenge for Patroklos’ death but, at the command of Zeus, returned the dead body to Hektor’s father, king Priam.
Akhilleus was killed before the fall of Troy and the rivalry for his armor between Aias (Ajax) and Odysseus caused Aias to go insane and die in disgrace.
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The Spirit, Death-Mist or Darkness of Death.
Akhlys was depicted on the shield of Herakles (Heracles) as grim, pale and shriveled with long nails, blood stained cheeks and tear-damp dust on her shoulders.
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The lover of the Nereid, Galatea; he was killed by the cyclops, Polyphemos (Polyphemus), because of jealousy.
See Akis by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
Peak, summit, highest point.
See Akme by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
One of the Monkey-Men known as the Kerkopes (Cercopes).
Akmon and his brother, Passalus, were the only two beings to make Herakles (Heracles) laugh; as Herakles was sleeping under a tree, the two brothers stole his bow; Herakles caught them and tied them upside-down to a pole which he carried over his shoulder; the Kerkopes were not only unrepentant but highly amused by their plight and, as they dangled behind Herakles, they began making disparaging comments about Herakles’ hairy posterior.
Herakles, who was so accustomed to sorrow and brutality, couldn’t resist the infectious good humor of the Kerkopes and set them free.
This story is one of the fragmentary remains of the Epic Cycle; for the complete translations of the Epic Cycle I recommend the Loeb Classical Library volume 57, ISBN 0674990633; you can sometimes find this book at the library or you can order it from the Book Shop on this site which is linked to Amazon.com.
See Akmon by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
An alter attendant; from the Greek word, akoloothos, i.e. a follower or attendant.
See Akolyte by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A love smitten young man from the island of Keos (Ceos) who found a novel way to entwine the one he loved.
Akontius gave an apple to his true love, Kydippe (Cydippe), with an inscription saying, I swear by Artemis that I will marry no one but Akontius; when Kydippe read the message aloud it became a sacred oath; when her parents tried to marry her to other young men she became ill; finally, to fulfill her oath, she married Akontius.
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A city on the island of Sicily (modern Agrigento).
Akragas was located on the central-southern coast near the Belice River (ancient Hypsas River).
Approximate east longitude 13.35 and north latitude 37.19.
See Akragas by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The father of Danae and the grandfather of Perseus.
Akrisius was told by an oracle that his grandson would kill him and take his throne as the king of Argos; when Zeus impregnated Danae as a shower of gold, Akrisius put his daughter and her infant son into a coffin-like box and threw them into the sea.
Perseus and Danae survived and eventually Perseus returned to fulfill the oracle’s prophecy; Perseus was participating in an athletic competition and accidentally killed Akrisius with a mis-thrown discus.
Akrisius may also be rendered as Akrisios or Acrisios.
See Akrisius by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
Prefix meaning height or top most.
See Akro by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The citadel of ancient city of Korinth (Corinth); strategic in the control of the Isthmus of Korinth.
The traveler and historian, Pausanias (fl. 160 CE) described the Akrokorinth as mountain peak above the city which was assigned to Helios (the Sun); on the way to the summit there were two precincts dedicated to Isis: 1) Isis Pelagian, i.e. Isis of the Sea, and 2) the Egyptian Isis; another Egyptian deity represented on the Akrokorinth was Serapis.
On the summit of the Akrokorinth was the temple of Aphrodite (goddess of Love) with images of Aphrodite, Helios and Eros (the primal god of Love); the spring behind the temple was said to have been created by the river god, Asopos (Asopus) as a reward to king Sisyphus for informing the river god that Zeus had abducted his daughter, Aegina.
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The citadel of Athens and site of the Parthenon.
The Akropolis is a rocky plateau rising 200 feet (61 meters) above the city; it measures 300 feet (91 meters) by 150 feet (46 meters) forming the flat rectangular plateau which overlooks the city and the sea.
In prehistoric times the Akropolis served as the site of at least three distinct cultures known as:
The historic accounts of the Akropolis begin after the Persian army sacked Athens in 480 BCE; the ruins of the burned and demolished temples atop the Akropolis were used by Themistokles (Themistocles) and Kimon (Cimon) as the foundation for re-construction of the walls and temples of Athens; the Parthenon and the Propylaea were added by Perikles (Pericles) circa (469-429 BCE).
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A citadel or high fortified area of any ancient Greek city.
See Akropolis (2) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The twenty-fifth Agiadai king of the city of Sparta who ruled from 265-262 BCE.
Sparta traditionally had two kings who ruled jointly; one king was required to be a descendant of king Agis I and the other was required to be a descendant of king Eurypon (respectively known as the Agiadai and the Eurypontidai).
Beginning with Leonidas I (the sixteenth Agiadai king who ruled from 490-480 BCE) the names and dates for the Spartan kings became a part of the historical record and are generally accepted as factual; prior to Leonidas I the dates for the Spartan kings are extrapolated back from historical times to approximate the time periods in which each king ruled.
See Akrotatos by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
In the Doric Order of architecture, an ornament placed on a stele or pediment.
See Akroterion by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The name of an ancient Minoan city on the island of Thera in the Aegean Sea where abundant pottery and frescos of the second millennium BCE have been excavated.
See Akrotiri by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The grandson of the founder of the city of Thebes, Kadmus (Cadmus).
Aktaeon was turned into a stag and killed by his own hunting dogs as punishment for offending Artemis; he either saw her while she was bathing or was too boastful of his hunting skills.
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One of the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris collectively known as the Nereids, i.e. the daughters of the Nereus.
Aktaie may also be rendered as Aktaee or Actaea.
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An ancient name for Attika (Attica); the geographic region in southeastern Greece which surrounds the city of Athens.
Aktaios literally means Coast-Land.
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The son of Rhoda and Helius who, when banished from his home for fratricide, fled to Egypt where he taught astrology.
See Aktis by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A promontory in northwest Greece at the entrance of the Gulf of Amurakia to the Ionian Sea.
Antony and Cleopatra were defeated by Octavian and Agrippa in a naval battle near Aktium in 31 BCE.
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The brother of king Augeas and believed to be the father, by Molione, of Eurytus and Kteaus (Cteaus).
Aktor’s son, Sthenelus, accompanied Herakles (Heracles) on his Ninth Labor, i.e. to retrieve the Belt of the Amazon Queen, Hippolyte.
See Aktor (1) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The son of Azeus and the father of the maiden, Astyokhe (Astyoche).
Ares (god of War) secretly came to Astyokhe and fathered her two sons: Askalaphos (Ascalaphus) and Ialmenos.
See Aktor (2) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
Akusilaus of Argos (late sixth century BCE); the author of Genealogies which survives only in fragments.
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Fine-grained gypsum used for artistic and decorative figures.
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A jar for oils, ointments or perfumes with a flattened lip, a narrow neck and an elongated body rounded at the bottom.
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A name for Athene (Athena) as the Protectress.
See Alalkomeneis by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The first man.
Alalkomeneus reared Athene (Athena) and reconciled Zeus and Hera.
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An avenging Spirit; the herdsman’s plague.
See Alastor by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A king of Tegea and father of Amphidamas, Auge, Kepheus (Cepheus) and Lykurgos (Lycurgus).
See Aldus by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A son of Poseidon (lord of the Sea) who, with his brother Derkynus (Dercynus), was killed by Herakles (Heracles) while attempting to steal the cattle Herakles had taken from Geryon during his Tenth Labor.
See Alebion by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
One of the Erinys (Furies) who was born from the blood of Ouranos (the Heavens).
Her sisters are: Megaera and Tisiphone; also called: Eumenides (the kindly ones) and Semnai (the holy).
See Alekto by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A son of Klytemnestra (Clytemnestra) and her lover Aigisthos (Aegisthus); he became ruler of Mykenai (Mycenae) after the death of his parents.
See Aletes (1) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A descendant of Herakles (Heracles) who conquered Korinth (Corinth).
See Aletes (2) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The ancient Greek personification of Truth.
See Alethia by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
One of the primary characters in The Iliad where he is generally called Alexandros and occasionally Paris.
The Latin form of his name is Alexander; he was a descendant of the royal family of the city of Troy and one of the fifty sons of the last rulers of Troy, king Priam and queen Hekabe (Hecabe).
When Alexandros was visiting the city of Sparta he encountered the beautiful wife of king Menelaos (Menelaus) and the two of them, enflamed by a spell cast by the goddess of Love, Aphrodite, took her valuable possessions and fled to Troy; his refusal to surrender Helen was the cause of the Trojan War and the eventual destruction of Troy.
Prior to his infatuation with Helen, Paris was placed in the unfortunate position of being the judge in what is commonly called The Judgment of Paris; at the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis, the goddess Eris (Discord) threw down a golden apple which was inscribed “for the most beautiful one”; Athene (Athena), Hera and Aphrodite all assumed that the Apple of Discord was for them; as judge, Paris was forced to choose one of the three goddesses; he chose Aphrodite and thus earned her affection and likewise the wrath of Athene and Hera.
The name Alexandros literally means Defending Men.
See Alexander by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
(356-323 BCE) King of Makedon (Macedon) from 336-323 BCE; conqueror of the Greek city states and the Persian Empire, Asia Minor, Egypt and India.
Alexander was the son of king Philip II and Olympias; when Philip married his second wife, Kleopatra (Cleopatra), Alexander’s direct ascension to the throne was jeopardized; it is assumed that Alexander and Olympias were responsible for the deaths of Kleopatra, her son and her father.
Alexander was a student of Aristotle and fought in his first military campaign at the age of eighteen; after his father’s death, Alexander quickly subdued all opposition in Makedonia and then moved to bring all of Greece under his dominion.
Alexander next moved into Persia and, although the Persians had superior numbers, he out maneuvered the badly led Persian forces and, on the narrow plain of Issus, gave the Persian king, Darius III, his first humiliating defeat.
Alexander’s entry into Persia was tied to the legend of the Gordian Knot; the Gordian Knot was simply a piece of rope that had been tied in such a way that no man could untie it; the legend stated that whosoever could untie the complicated Gordian Knot would rule Persia; Alexander examined the knot and, instead of trying to untie it, drew his sword and simply cut it open; the story may be as much myth as fact but the implications were clear, i.e. whatever Alexander could not conquer by skill, would fall under his sword.
Although Persia was still not completely under his control, Alexander moved to conquer Egypt and Syria; the city of Tyre was the most difficult conquest in Syria but in 332 BCE, after a six month siege, the city fell; the Nile River delta was conquered in 331 BCE and Alexander laid the foundations for the Greek commercial city of Alexandria.
Alexander then turned his full attention to the complete subjugation of Persia; the king of Persia, Darius III, made a stand near the city of Gaugamela and, once again, fled in utter defeat.
After occupying and plundering Babylon, Alexander pursued Darius into eastern Persia and, in 331 BCE, found the dead body of Darius which had been left by the Persian generals as a symbol of complete surrender.
For the next two years (330-327) Alexander marched eastward towards India conquering and subduing each country he passed through; he finally arrived in India and proceeded to systematically defeat and subjugate each tribe and district; his intentions to march farther eastward were doused by the growing impatience of his troops to return home; Alexander relented and, in 325 BCE, turned his army westward towards Greece.
When Alexander arrived back in the city of Babylon, he tried to consolidate his power and actively tried to mix the Greeks with the Persians through marriage and shared authority; to demonstrate his intentions, he married Darius’ sister, Statira.
Alexander had many unfinished plans for the commercialization of Persia and India but, in 323 BCE, he died in Babylon of fever.
Dead at 32 years of age, Alexander had built the largest consolidated empire on the face of the earth.
When Alexander ventured into the East he was conquering territory that had a history of overlords and rulers; the people he subdued had grown accustomed to paying tribute (taxes) and submitting to foreign domination; they simply accepted the Greeks as their new masters; when the Romans, 500 years later, tried to impose their empire on the “uncivilized” tribes of Germany, they met constant resistance because the Germans (and other European tribes) had no history of foreign domination and could not accept the authority of Rome or anyone else; if Alexander had gone West instead of East he would have suffered a fate similar to what the Romans endured and probably would not have had “the Great” added to his name.
See Alexander the Great by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A city in northern Egypt on the western delta of the Nile River and a principal port on the Mediterranean Sea; founded in 332 BCE by Alexander the Great.
Now known as Al-Iskandariyah, Egypt.
Approximate east longitude 29.54 and north latitude 31.12.
See Alexandria by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
One of the primary characters in The Iliad where he is generally called Alexandros and occasionally Paris.
The Latin form of his name is Alexander; he was a descendant of the royal family of the city of Troy and one of the fifty sons of the last rulers of Troy, king Priam and queen Hekabe (Hecabe).
When Alexandros was visiting the city of Sparta he encountered the beautiful wife of king Menelaos (Menelaus) and the two of them, enflamed by a spell cast by the goddess of Love, Aphrodite, took her valuable possessions and fled to Troy; his refusal to surrender Helen was the cause of the Trojan War and the eventual destruction of Troy.
Prior to his infatuation with Helen, Paris was placed in the unfortunate position of being the judge in what is commonly called The Judgment of Paris; at the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis, the goddess Eris (Discord) threw down a golden apple which was inscribed “for the most beautiful one”; Athene (Athena), Hera and Aphrodite all assumed that the Apple of Discord was for them; as judge, Paris was forced to choose one of the three goddesses; he chose Aphrodite and thus earned her affection and likewise the wrath of Athene and Hera.
The name Alexandros literally means Defending Men.
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See Alexiares by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
An epithet of Apollon, meaning Averter of Evil, referring to his dispelling a plague that afflicted the Athenian forces during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE).
See Alexikakus by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
Pain and Suffering; the children of Eris (Discord).
See Algea by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The Arabian goddess of Love comparable to Aphrodite.
The name Alilat means The Goddess.
See Alilat by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
One of the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris collectively known as the Nereids, i.e. the daughters of the Nereus.
See Alimede by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A poet from the city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos circa 600 BCE; a contemporary of the poetess, Sappho; only fragments of his works survive.
See Alkaeus (1) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The son of Androgeus and a grandson of king Minos of the island of Crete.
See Alkaeus (2) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The son of Perseus and the father of Amphitryon and thus the step-grandfather of Herakles (Heracles) and grandfather of Iphikles (Iphicles).
See Alkaeus (3) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The eighth Agiadai king of the city of Sparta who ruled circa 740-700 BCE.
Sparta traditionally had two kings who ruled jointly; one king was required to be a descendant of king Agis I and the other was required to be a descendant of king Eurypon (respectively known as the Agiadai and the Eurypontidai).
Very little is known about Alkamenes and the dates given for his rule are extrapolations and should be used only as approximations.
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The wife of Polybos who gave Helen and Menelaos (Menelaus) many gifts when they stopped in the Egyptian city of Thebes, on their way home from the city of Troy.
See Alkandre by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
The wife of king Admetos of Pherae in Thessaly.
Apollon arranged the marriage between Admetos and Alkestis but when he found out that Admetos was destined to die immediately after the marriage, he wooed the Eumenides (Furies) with wine until they agreed to allow Admetos to live.
The Eumenides were not easily persuaded; they would only allow Admetos to live on the condition that someone else volunteer to die in his place; Alkestis loved her husband so much that she agreed to die for him.
Herakles (Heracles) was so moved by such an act of selflessness that he intercepted Thanatos (Death) as he was escorting Alkestis to the Underworld and returned her to the land of the living and reunited her with Admetos.
See Alkestis (1) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
(438 BCE) A tragedy by Euripides which tells the story of Alkestis and the noble sacrifice of her own life to save her husband, Admetos.
The story of Alkestis and Admetos is a very confusing moral commentary; when Thanatos (Death) came for Admetos, his wife, Alkestis, bravely stepped forward and offered to die in his place; it would seem that the proper moral thing to do would be for Admetos to prevent his wife from making the ultimate sacrifice and accept his own death but that is not the way the Immortals arranged things.
This play is tragic in that, after Alkestis’ death, her husband and young son lament her death and are gripped with woe and foreboding at her passing; with lines like: “Those who are about to die are dead, and the dead are nothing,” gives a convincing feel to the veil of grief that cloaks Admetos’ palace.
Immediately after Alkestis’ burial and in conjunction with his Eighth Labor (Capturing the Mares of Diomedes), Herakles (Hercules) came to Admetos’ door and was received as a guest even though the house was steeped in sorrow; when Herakles realized that Admetos had tried to make him welcome even though he was grieving, Herakles decided to use his strength to retrieve Alkestis from the House of Hades; the reunion of Admetos and Alkestis crowns the sadness of this play and leaves us with a feeling mitigated happiness.
I personally recommend the translations compiled by Richmond Lattimore and David Grene; you can find this and other plays by Euripides in the 882 section of your local library or you can order them from the Book Shop on this site which is linked to Amazon.com.
See Alkestis (2) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
(450?-404 BCE) An Athenian politician and general.
Alkibiades was admired and despised by the Athenians who alternatively trusted and denounced him during the course of his remarkable public career.
His military accomplishments against the Spartans at Potidaea and Delium led to his election to the post of strategos circa 420 BCE but his desecration of a monument to Hermes (the Hermae) earned him a death sentence.
Alkibiades fled Athens and lived in Sparta where he aided the Spartans in their continuing war against the Athenians; circa 407 BCE he was invited back to Athens as a military commander but he was never able to regain his former prestige and soon retired; he was assassinated by the Persians circa 404 BCE.
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The wife of Aeson and the mother of Iason (Jason); she was the daughter of Phylakos (Phylacus) and Kylmene (Clymene).
See Alkimede by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
See Alkimedes by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A hero from Arkadia (Arcadia) whose daughter, Philo, was seduced by Herakles (Heracles).
See Alkimedon (1) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A son of Laerkes (Laerces) who was a captain of the Myrmidons under the command of Patroklos (Patroclus) during the siege of the city of Troy.
See Alkimedon (2) by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
King of the Phaiakians (Phaeacians) and father of Nausikaa (Nausicaa) and Laodamas.
Alkinoos and his wife, Arete, welcomed Odysseus when Nausikaa brought him to their house as a stranger; Odysseus was slow to reveal his true identity but when Alkinoos and Arete found out who he really was they gave him many gifts and a ship to carry him home to Ithaka (Ithaca).
Alkinoos and Arete also gave sanctuary to the Argonauts when they were being chased by the soldiers of king Aietes (Aeetes) under the condition that Iason (Jason) marry Medea.
The name Alkinoos may also be rendered as Alkinous.
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A daughter of Minyas; she was driven mad for mocking Dionysus.
See Alkithoe by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A son of Amphiaraus and Eriphyle.
Alkmaeon commanded the second expedition against the city of Thebes as one of the Epigoni; his mother, Eriphyle, had accepted an irresistible bribe to encourage her husband, Amphiaraus, to join the doomed expedition to capture Thebes; before he left for his certain death, Amphiaraus made Alkmaeon swear that he would avenge his death not only against the Thebans but against Eriphyle as well.
Alkmaeon was true to his father’s wishes, he killed his mother for sending his father to a certain death and he was commander of one of the armies that eventually captured Thebes; for his misplaced loyalty and bravery, he was driven mad by the Erinys (Furies).
The name Alkmaeon may also be rendered as Alkmaion.
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A poet from the seventh century BCE; he was from Lydia and, unfortunately, very little remains of his work.
The few fragments we have are evocative and tantalizing; one such fragment is called, Hymns to Artemis of the Strict Observance; it was a hymn to be sung by young maidens, dressed as doves, at the Feast of the Plow; the imagery and subtle grace of this poem must have been breathtaking in its entirety.
For the complete collection of his extant poems I suggest the book “7 Greeks” by Guy Davenport (ISBN 0811212882); this book can be found at your library in section 881 or you can order this book through the Book Shop on this site which is linked to Amazon.com.
See Alkman by itself with citation tips (best for bookmarking).
A to Aegyptus Aello to Agesilaus I Agesilaus II to Akhaia Akhaian to Alkman Alkmene to Anaetius Anakeion to Apaturia Apeliotes to Argos Argus to Arkhidike Arkhilokhos to Astyanax Astydameia to Azov
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