Furies the three terrible female spirits with snaky hair who punish the doers of unavenged crimes.
Colonus a village to the north of Athens. Here, the setting for the tragedy.
Thebes chief city of ancient Boeotia, in eastern central Greece. Here, the kingdom that Oedipus once ruled.
Terrible Goddesses another name for the Furies.
Eumenides, the Kindly Ones other names for the Furies.
Poseidon god of the sea and of horses.
Prometheus a Titan who steals fires from heaven for the benefit of mankind; in punishment, Zeus chains him to a rock where a vulture (or eagle) comes each day to eat his liver, which grows back each night.
Theseus the principal hero of Attica, son of Aegeus and king of Athens, famed especially for his killing of the Minotaur. Here, Oedipus’ chief ally.
Aegeus a king of Athens who drowns himself when he thinks his son Theseus is dead.
Apollo the god of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine in Greek and Roman mythology. Here, Apollo is most important as the source of the prophecies of the oracle.
Athena the goddess of wisdom, skills, and warfare.
