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C to Celaeno Celeos to Chthonios Chthonios to Confusion Copais to Cymatolege Cyme to Cyzicos

Celeos to Chthonios

Celeos
Keleos

The king of the city of Eleusis who unwittingly took the goddess, Demeter, into his home to be a nurse for his son, Demophoon.

Keleos and his wife, Metaneira, did not recognize Demeter because she was disguised as an old woman; when Metaneira caught Demeter placing Demophoon into the fireplace to make him immortal, Demeter revealed her true identity and promised to make Eleusis the site of her most sacred temple.

Centaurs
Kentauroi

A race of beasts having the head, trunk and arms of a man but with the body of a horse.

Centaurs are noted for a variety of noble and depraved acts but when they provoked the Lapithae they more or less ended their habitation of the slopes of Mount Pelion and were forced to dwell on the Peloponnesian Peninsula; the “most noble” of the Centaurs was Kheiron (Chiron) who was the teacher of the heroes: Asklepios (Asclepius), Iason (Jason) and Akhilleus (Achilles).

Ceos
Keos

One of the islands of the Kyklades (Cyclades) group located near the coast of Attika (Attica) with an area of 60 square miles (155 square kilometers).

Approximate east longitude 24.33 and north latitude 37.62.

Cephallenia
Kephallenia

Largest of the Ionian Islands located in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece; with an area of 287 square miles (743 square kilometers); now known as Kefallinia.

Approximate east longitude 20.30 and north latitude 38.20.

Cepheus (1)
Kepheus

One of the sons of Aldus; brother of Amphidamas, Auge, and Lykurgos (Lycurgus); one of the Argonauts.

His name may also be rendered as Kepheos or Cepheos.

Cepheus (2)
Kepheus

The Ethiopian king; the husband of Kassiopeia (Cassiopeia) and father of Andromeda.

His homeland was nearly destroyed when his wife, Kassiopeia, offended the Nereids by saying that her daughter was more lovely than the Nereids; the Nereids were insulted by such immodest boasting and prevailed on Poseidon (lord of the Sea) to send one of his ketos, i.e. sea monsters, to lay waste to Ethiopia; when Kassiopeia and Kepheus consulted an oracle they were told that if Andromeda was sacrificed to the Immortals the devastation could be averted; with no other alternatives, Kassiopeia and Kepheus prepared to sacrifice Andromeda and save their land from certain destruction; at this opportune time, Perseus was returning from his battle with the Gorgons and had the severed head of Medusa in his kibisis; he confronted the ketos and, with the magical powers instilled in the head of Medusa, turned the beast to stone and saved Andromeda.

Cephisus
Kephisos

The god of the river Kephisos and the father of Narkissus (Narcissus).

Cera
Kera

One of the many children of Nyx (Night); her name means Fate, i.e. inevitable death; she is referred to as Black Fate which gives her dominion a more negative connotation, as in Doom.

In the poem, Shield of Herakles (Heracles), she is described as almost ghoulish in nature, i.e. she is dragging dead and wounded men across the battlefield and her clothing is stained with blood.

Her name may also be rendered as Ker or Cer.

Cerberus
Kerberos

An offspring of the monster Ekhidna (Echidna) and the snake-bodied Typhaon; he was the ferocious watchdog of the Underworld and was said to have fifty heads, a dragon tail and snakes writhing from his body; the artistic and written descriptions of Kerberos differ as to the number of heads but the common theme is constant in that he was a beast of untamed savagery who only obeyed the voice of Hades (lord of the Dead) or his bride, Persephone.

Kerberos stands at the gates of the House of Hades and fawns on the dead as they enter but will savagely eat anyone trying to pass back through the gates and return to the land of the living.

To complete his Twelfth Labor, Herakles (Heracles) was required to descend into the Underworld and bring Kerberos to the surface; Herakles descended into the Underworld and confronted his uncle, Hades. Either through consideration for Herakles or intimidation by Zeus’ wrath, Hades agreed to let Herakles temporarily take Kerberos into the sunlight on the condition that no weapons be used to subdue the beastly hound; when Herakles presented Kerberos to his cousin and taskmaster, Eurystheus, he hid in a giant urn in the ground.

His name may also be rendered as Kerberos or Cerberus.

Cerceis
Kerkeis

An Okeanid, i.e. one of the three thousand daughters of Okeanos (Ocean) and Tethys.

Zeus gave the Okeanids, Apollon and the Rivers the special obligation of having the young in their keeping.

Cercopes
Kerkopes

The Kerkopes were two Monkey-Men named Passalus and Akmon (Acmon).

As Herakles (Heracles) was sleeping under a tree, the two mischievous characters stole his bow; Herakles caught the barbaric looking brothers 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.

Herakles’ encounter with the Kerkopes was a popular artistic theme beginning in the early sixth century BCE and continuing well into the fourth century; the story was popular from mainland Greece to the island of Sicily.

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.

Cercyon
Kerkyon

The father of Alope; he could not protect his daughter, Alpoe, from the unwanted advances of Poseidon (lord of the Sea) and Alope became the consort of Poseidon and bore him a son named Hippothous.

Ceres
Keres

A child of Nyx (Night); the personification of Misery.

Cerigo
Kerigo

One of the Ionian Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula with an area of 108 square miles (280 square kilometers); site of an ancient Temple of Aphrodite (goddess of Love).

Ceryneian Hind
Keryneian_Hind

This magical beast was the subject of the third task known as the Labors of Herakles (Heracles).

The hind, i.e. female deer, was portrayed with golden horns which is indicative of a male deer; it was sacred to Artemis and was named after a Peloponnesian river; Herakles spent a year searching for the elusive deer before he was able to capture it.

While returning the hind to his cousin, Eurystheus, Herakles encountered Apollon and Artemis; they demanded the return of the sacred creature but Herakles successfully argued the justice of his quest and was allowed to complete his Labor.

Ceto
Keto

The daughter of Gaia (Earth) and Pontos (the Sea).

Keto was the consort of her brother, Phorkys, and the mother of the Graiae (the Gray Sisters), the Gorgons, the six-headed monster, Skylla (Scylla) and the serpent, Ladon, who guards the Golden Apples of the Hesperides; she is the sister of Thaumas and Eurybia.

Ceyx (1)
Keyx

The son of the Eophorus (the Morning Star) and the husband of Alkyone (Alcyone); they were both transformed into birds that bore their names; Alkyone was changed into a kingfisher and Keyx was changed into some sort of sea bird.

Ceyx (2)
Keyx

A king of Trakhis (Trachis) mentioned in the poem, Shield of Herakles (Heracles) on line 352.

Chaereloes
Khaereloes

One of the Thirty Tyrants elected to rule the city of Athens after the end of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE).

Having lost the war to the Spartans, the citizens of Athens elected thirty men to lead the new post-war government; these men became known as the Thirty Tyrants; the short lived government they comprised was an oligarchy.

The tyrants immediately began to prosecute Athenians who had been Spartan informers and collaborators during the long, hard war; the punishment of the guilty seemed appropriate to the common citizens and aristocrats alike but it soon became clear that the executions and banishments were going beyond the bounds of necessity or prudence; open hostilities soon developed between members of the Thirty and their authority and rule came to an end after one year.

Chaerephon
Khaerephon

An early and fanatical follower of Sokrates (Socrates) who was viciously ridiculed in the comedy Clouds by Aristophanes because of his presumed aversion to fresh air and sunlight; Aristophanes clearly did not like Sokrates and took every opportunity to denounce him, his school and his students.

Chaeronea
Khaeronea

An ancient city in eastern Greece, in Boeotia; the site where Philip of Makedon (Macedon) defeated the combined forces of the Athenians, the Thebans and their allies.

Chalcidice
Khalkidike

A district in northern Greece which forms a three-fingered peninsula and juts into the Aegean Sea; bounded on the east by the Gulf of Strimon and on the west by the Gulf of Salonika.

Chalciope
Khalkiope

The daughter of the king and queen of Kolkhis (Colchis), Aietes (Aeetes) and Eidyia; the sister of the sorceress, Medea, and half-sister of Apsyrto.

When the fugitive, Phrixus, came to Kolkhis on the flying ram with the Golden Fleece, Aietes gave him sanctuary and allowed him to marry Khalkiope “without gifts of wooing”; at the magical ram’s request, its body was sacrificed and its Golden Fleece was placed in the Garden of Ares at Kolkhis.

Years later, after Phrixus had died of old age, the four sons of Khalkiope and Phrixus (Argus, Kytissoros (Cytissoros), Phrontis, and Melas) set out on a quest to avenge their father’s unjust expulsion from his home in Orkhomenos (Orchomenos); they had not traveled far from Kolkhis when they became shipwrecked on the Island of Ares and were rescued by the Argonauts, who were on their way to Kolkhis to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

When king Aietes found out why the Argonauts had come to his remote kingdom, he became furious and blamed Khalkiope’s sons for bringing the strangers to his shores; Khalkiope begged her sister, Medea, to help the Argonauts and divert the king’s anger from her sons; Khalkiope swore a great oath to return from the Underworld as an avenging Fury if her father harmed her sons; Medea was distressed at her sister’s plight and, under the influence of Eros (god of Love), used her magical powers to assist Iason (Jason) and the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece and flee Kolkhis; after Medea fled Kolkhis in disgrace and her half-brother, Apsyrtos, was killed in pursuit of the Argonauts, Khalkiope was Aietes’ only child who stayed with him in Kolkhis.

Chalcis (1)
Khalkis

A bird that flies in its sleep and never wakes; its proximity induces sleep.

Chalcis (2)
Khalkis

A city located on the eastern-central side of the island of Euboea and the site of the fountain of Arethusa.

Approximate east longitude 23.36 and north latitude 38.28.

Chaos
Khaos

The original Immortal; all creation is derived from her.

Chares of Lindus
Khares_of_Lindus

Sculptor of the 100+ foot statue of Helios (the Sun) known as the Colossus of Rhodes which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World; the statue, which was erected in 290 BCE, stood in the harbor of the city of Rhodes on the island of Rhodes until it was toppled in an earthquake, sixty-six years later, in 224 BCE.

Charicles
Kharikles

One of the Thirty Tyrants elected to rule the city of Athens after the end of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE).

Having lost the war to the Spartans, the citizens of Athens elected thirty men to lead the new post-war government; these men became known as the Thirty Tyrants; the short lived government they comprised was an oligarchy.

The tyrants immediately began to prosecute Athenians who had been Spartan informers and collaborators during the long, hard war; the punishment of the guilty seemed appropriate to the common citizens and aristocrats alike but it soon became clear that the executions and banishments were going beyond the bounds of necessity or prudence; open hostilities soon developed between members of the Thirty and their authority and rule came to an end after one year.

Charillos
Kharillos

The fifth Eurypontidai king of the city of Sparta who ruled circa 775-750 BCE.

Sparta traditionally had two kings who ruled jointly; one king was required to be a descendant of king Eurypon and the other was required to be a descendant of king Agis I (respectively known as the Eurypontidai and the Agiadai).

Very little is known about Kharillos and the dates given for his rule are extrapolations and should be used only as approximations.

Charis
Kharis

One of the Charites, i.e. Graces; the wife of the lord of the Sea, Hephaistos (Hephaestus).

Charites
Graces

The daughters of Zeus and Eurynome; they are: Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thalia.

The Graces are the attendants of Aphrodite (goddess of Love) and, as their name implies, they are the incarnation of Grace and Charm; from their eyes, bewildering love issues; in addition to the original three, Phanenna was considered one of the Graces and was worshiped at Sparta.

Charon
Kharon

The Ferryman of the Underworld; he ferries the dead across the river Styx for the fee of one obol.

Charybdis
Kharybdis

A daughter of Gaia (Earth) and Poseidon (lord of the Sea); she is the monster mentioned in The Odyssey and later identified with the whirlpool in the Strait of Messina off the northeastern coast of the island of Sicily.

Kharybdis would alternately suck down the waters into her maw and then spew them out causing gigantic waves; passing ships were in double jeopardy as they passed Kharybdis because in order to avoid the surging waters, they had to sail dangerously close to the six headed monster, Skylla (Scylla), who occupied the other side of the Strait of Messina.

Chelonai
Khelonai

Silver coins of Aegina; first minted circa 665 BCE; commonly referred to as Tortoises because of their shape.

Chersonese
Khersonese

The narrow strip of land which comprised the long peninsula on the western side of the Hellespont.

The Khersonese was settled during the reign of Pisistratus (circa 500 BCE) and further developed by Perikles (Pericles) circa 465 BCE as an Athenian colony; the peninsula was important because of its strategic location and command of the narrow Hellespont; before the Athenians took control of the peninsula it was politically unstable because of the constant threats of invasion by Greek and Asian tribes; the name literally means Land-Island.

Chi
Khi

The twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet; represented as an X in the upper and lower case forms; when reciting the Greek alphabet, Khi is pronounced as “He” with a long E.

Children of Herakles
Children of Heracles

A tragedy by Euripides written circa 429 BCE; also called The Heracleidae.

The play revolves around Herakles’ nephew and companion, Iolaos, as he attempts to safeguard the children of the deceased Herakles; the despicable Eurystheus, who is better known as the man who thrust the Twelve Labors upon Herakles, has pursued the elderly Iolaos and the children from city to city in order to return them to Mykenai (Mycenae) and put them to death; he has found them at the temple of Zeus at Marathon.

The king of the city of Athens, Demophon, refuses to surrender the supplicants to Eurystheus’ herald and knows that by doing so he has guaranteed that Eurystheus will attack Athens and try to take the children by force; Demophon assembles the army, prepares the alters with sacrificial animals and consults the oracles, past and present, as to how best defend the city; the oracles give Demophon the sad news that if the city is to be victorious against the army of Eurystheus, the daughter of a noble family must be sacrificed to the goddess, Demeter; Demophon will not order one of his subjects to sacrifice one of their daughters and is at a loss as to what to do; if he turns Iolaos and the children away he will offend Zeus and if he fights Eurystheus without a sacrifice to Demeter he will lose the fight and the citizens of Athens will become slaves.

Iolaos bravely volunteers to surrender himself to Eurystheus but it’s obvious that Eurystheus does not want an old man, he wants the children of Herakles; Makaria (Macaria), Herakles’ daughter offers herself as the victim of the sacrifice; her speech is bold and noble and, while she’s speaking, you secretly hope that another solution can be found so that such a selfless and gallant young woman can escape death and simply live and be happy; in order to think that you have to ignore the fact that this play is a tragedy.

I won’t reveal the conclusion of the story in hopes that you will take the time to read this wonderful tale from a time and moral pinnacle long past.

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.

Chilon
Khilon

(fl. 556 BCE); A Greek sage and one of the ephors at Sparta; he was sometimes included as one of the Seven Sages by some historians which is an indication of his reputation throughout the ancient civilized world.

His name may also be rendered as Khilo or Chilo.

Chimera
Khimera

A fire breathing she-beast with three heads: a lion, a snake and a goat; the child of Hydra.

The Khimera was killed by Bellerophontes and the flying horse, Pegasos (Pegasus); Bellerophontes was sent to kill the Khimera as one of the suicidal tasks he performed for the lord of Lykia (Lycia).

Chione
Khione

The consort of Hermes and the mother of Autolykos (Autolycus).

Chios
Khios

A Greek island in the Aegean Sea near the central-western coast of Asia Minor; approximately 350 square miles (907 square kilometers) in size.

In regards to the island of Khios, the historian, Herodotus mentioned a curious event that might give us a glimpse into his way of perceiving the world; Herodotus claims that the terrible defeat the Khians suffered at the hands of the Persians after the Ionian Revolt should have been expected because two divinely directed catastrophes had befallen the islanders prior to the Persian invasion; the first was the death of 98 out of 100 Khian youths who had gone to Delphi and died of a mysterious disease; the second was the collapse of a school roof on Khios which killed 119 out of 120 of the school’s children; Herodotus said that these events were ’signs’ and that they ’somehow’ gave advance warning of the great evils that were to befall the Khians.

Approximate east longitude 26.00 and north latitude 38.22.

Chios (2)
Khios

The principal city of the island of Khios located on the eastern central side of the island.

Approximate east longitude 26.08 and north latitude 38.22.

Chiron
Kheiron

A wise and beneficent Centaur (half-horse/half-man); the son of Kronos (Cronos) and Philyra.

Rheia (Rhea) caught Kronos when he was with Philyra and, to escape detection, Kronos took the guise of a horse and thus Kheiron was conceived as a Centaur; he was the teacher of Akhilleus (Achilles), Asklepios (Asclepius) and Iason (Jason).

At the marriage between Thetis and Peleus, Kheiron presented the newlyweds with an ashen spear which he had fashioned from wood cut from Mount Pelion; the spear was polished by the goddess, Athene (Athena), and, as a finishing touch, Hephaistos (Hephaestus) fitted it with a head; eventually the spear was used by Akhilleus (Achilles) during the siege of the city of Troy.

Although he was immortal, when he was accidentally wounded by Herakles (Heracles), during his Forth Labor (Capturing the Boar of Mount Erymanthus), he surrendered his immortality and died.

His name may also be rendered as Kheiron or Cheiron.

Chiton
Khiton

A long woolen tunic worn by men and women in ancient Greece.

Chlamys
Khlamys

A short, fine woolen mantle worn by men in ancient Greece, usually clasped at the shoulder with a scarab, i.e. a broach in the shape of a scarab beetle.

Chloris
Khloris

The youngest daughter of Amphion and Niobe and the only one to survive the wrath of Apollon and Artemis when Niobe insulted Leto by bragging that she had many children and Leto had only two; she married Neleus and became the queen of Pylos; she and Neleus had three sons and one daughter: Nestor, Khromios (Chromios), Periklymenos and beautiful Pero.

Choenix
Khoenix

A unit of measure; approximately one quart.

Choephore
Khoephore

A tragedy by the Athenian playwright, Aeskhylus (Aeschylus); usually called The Libation Bearers; one of the seven surviving tragedies by Aeskhylus.

This play is the second in the Oresteia trilogy dealing with the murder of Agamemnon and the revenge meted out by his son, Orestes; the name of this play may also be rendered as Khoephori or Choephori.

This is a fine story and well worth reading; if you wish to read this play I suggest The Complete Greek Tragedies, Aeschylus I, edited by David Grene and Richmond Lattimore, ISBN 0226307786; you can find this book at your library in the 800 section or you can order it through the Book Shop on this site which is linked to Amazon.com.

Chremon
Khremon

One of the Thirty Tyrants elected to rule the city of Athens after the end of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE).

Having lost the war to the Spartans, the citizens of Athens elected thirty men to lead the new post-war government; these men became known as the Thirty Tyrants; the short lived government they comprised was an oligarchy.

The tyrants immediately began to prosecute Athenians who had been Spartan informers and collaborators during the long, hard war; the punishment of the guilty seemed appropriate to the common citizens and aristocrats alike but it soon became clear that the executions and banishments were going beyond the bounds of necessity or prudence; open hostilities soon developed between members of the Thirty and their authority and rule came to an end after one year.

Chromios
Khromios

One of the sons of Neleus and Khloris (Chloris); when Neleus refused to absolve Herakles (Heracles) for the murder of Iphitos, Herakles killed Khromios his brother, Periklymenos (Periclymenos), and his father, Neleus; his other siblings, Nestor and Pero, survived the wrath of Herakles.

His name may also be rendered as Khromius or Chromius.

Chrysaor
Khrysaor

One of the many creatures born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus cut off her head.

There is no actual physical description of Khrysaor but he is usually assumed to be monstrous because his children were the three-headed Geryon and the snake-like monster, Ekhidna (Echidna); his name was derived from his golden sword, (Khyseos = golden and aor = sword).

Chryseis
Khryseis

The daughter of the priest of Apollon, Khryses (Chryses); she and another girl, Briseis, were captured by the Greeks during the ninth year of the siege of Troy and were the basis for the bitter dispute between Agamemnon and Akhilleus (Achilles).

The girls were taken as slaves during raiding parties that the Greeks regularly conducted to supply their army with food and slaves; Khryseis was the “prize” of Agamemnon and Briseis was the “prize” of Akhilleus; when Khryseis’ father appealed to Agamemnon and offered a ransom for the return of his daughter, he was treated shamelessly, threatened and sent away; Khryses prayed to Apollon for revenge and his prayers were answered; Apollon rained arrows on the Greek army until Agamemnon relented and returned Khryseis to her father.

Now that Agamemnon was deprived of his prize he took the girl, Briseis, away from Akhilleus; Akhilleus was quick to anger and many harsh words were exchanged; the feud between Akhilleus and Agamemnon nearly cost the Greeks their victory over the Trojans.

Chryselephantine

An adjective used to describe statues that are made of gold and ivory; the most famous example of this type of construction is the Statue of Zeus in Olympia.

Chryses
Khryses

The priest of Apollon whose daughter, Khryseis (Chryseis), was taken captive by the Greek army during the ninth year of their siege of Troy.

The Greeks would regularly raid nearby cities and bring back provisions and slaves; the girl, Khryseis, was taken as a slave on one such raid and Agamemnon kept her as his “prize;” when Khryses went to Agamemnon and begged for the return of his daughter, he was treated shamelessly and sent away with reproach; Khryses prayed to Apollon and asked the god to punish the Greeks for their uncivilized behavior.

To be clear about this: it was NOT uncivilized to plunder and take slaves but it WAS uncivilized to refuse the supplications of a father for the return of his daughter.

Khryses’ prayers were answered; Apollon stood off-shore and rained arrows on the Greek army killing men and livestock; on the advice of the seer, Kalkhas (Calchas), young Khryseis was returned to her father and the Greeks humbled themselves before Apollon and begged forgiveness.

Chrysippus
Khrysippus

(280-209? BCE) A Greek stoic philosopher.

His name may also be rendered as Khrysippos or Chrysippos.

Chrysothemis
Khrysothemis

One of the three daughters of Agamemnon who was offered to Akhilleus (Achilles) if he would put away his anger and return to the war with the Trojans.

Agamemnon and Akhilleus began a bitter feud over the possession of a slave girl named Briseis; the feud was finally put aside at the death of Akhilleus’ dear friend Patroklos (Patroclus); Akhilleus accepted the gifts, which included Khrysothemis, but did not live to collect them.

Chthonios (1)
Khthonios

Of or pertaining to the inhabitants or gods on the Underworld.

Celeos to Chthonios

C to Celaeno Celeos to Chthonios Chthonios to Confusion Copais to Cymatolege Cyme to Cyzicos

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