Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera, was the goddess of youth and acted as a cupbearer to the gods.
As a youth, Ganymede was abducted by Zeus in the form of an eagle that carried the boy to Olympus. There Zeus gave him immortality, made him his lover, and established him as a cupbearer.
Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and sometimes a messenger of the gods.
The Three Graces presided over banquets and festivities. They represented splendor, mirth, and good cheer.
The Nine Muses were part of Apollo's retinue and were the daughters of Mnemosyne, or memory. These were goddesses of inspiration: Clio of history, Melpomene of tragedy, Urania of astronomy, Thalia of comedy, Terpsichore of dance, Calliope of epic poetry, Erato of love verse, Euterpe of lyric poems, and Polyhymnia of sacred songs.
Persephone was the lovely daughter of Zeus and Demeter, a goddess of springtime. After Hades abducted her she became the queen of the underworld. Proserpina was her Latin name.
Dionysus, a fertility god and a god of the vine, was the son of Zeus and Semele. He served to liberate the emotions and to inspire men with joy. Like the grape vine, he suffered death butwas resurrected. His female worshipers were the frenziedMaenads. Yet out of his celebration grew the tragic theater. Hewas also known as Bacchus, Latin Liber, a god of drunkenness.
Pan, the son of Hermes, was the god of flocks. He had the torso and head of a man, but the hindquarters and horns of a goat. A marvelous musician, he played the pipes and pursued various nymphs, all of whom rejected him for his ugliness.
The Satyrs were originally men with horses' haunches and tails, two-legged as opposed to the four-legged Centaurs. But in Roman times they were confused with Fauns, or goat-men who roamed the woods.
The Centaurs were principally savage beasts, half-horse and half-man. Chiron was the exception, a Centaur famous for his virtue and wisdom.
The Dryads were tree-nymphs and had beautiful female shapes. There were also mountain nymphs, wood nymphs, stream nymphs, and sea nymphs, all in female form.
The Gorgons were three hideous dragonish sisters that could change men to stone at a glance. Medusa was the most famous one.
The Sirens were sisters who sat on rocks by the sea and lured sailors to their doom by singing to them.
Helios was the sun god, but he did not play a large part in Greek mythology.
Aeolus was the custodian of the four winds.
Castor and Polydeuces (or Pollux) were famous twins who protected sailors. Polydeuces' brotherly devotion when Castor died made their names a by-word for fraternal affection.
Proteus, the son or attendant of Poseidon, had the ability to prophesy and to change his shape at will.
Triton was the trumpeter of the sea and was depicted blowing a large conch shell.
The Fates were three powerful goddesses who determined the lives of men. Clotho wove the thread of life; Lachesis measured it out; and Atropos cut it off with her scissors of death.
