Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Philemon and Baucis

(Encyclopedia)Philemon and Baucis, in Greek mythology, Phrygian husband and wife. When Zeus and Hermes visited earth as men, only Philemon and Baucis offered them hospitality. As a reward they were saved from a pun...

Phorcus

(Encyclopedia)Phorcus fôrˈkəs [key], in Greek mythology, sea god, son of Pontus and Gaea. He married his sister Ceto, who bore him a brood of monsters, including the Gorgons, the Graeae, Scylla, and the Sirens. ...

Charybdis

(Encyclopedia)Charybdis kərĭbˈdĭs [key], in Greek mythology, a female monster. Because she stole Hercules' cattle, Zeus hurled her into the sea. There she lay under rocks across from Scylla and sucked in and sp...

Alastor

(Encyclopedia)Alastor əlăsˈtər [key], in Greek mythology, spirit of vengeance. It is an epithet applied to Zeus or any other god in his aspect as avenger and is also sometimes applied to an evildoer who is subj...

Hebe

(Encyclopedia)Hebe hēˈbē [key], in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of youth; daughter of Zeus and Hera and wife of Hercules. She appears only occasionally in legend as a cupbearer and attendant of the gods...

Stymphalian birds

(Encyclopedia)Stymphalian birds stĭmfāˈlēən [key], in Greek mythology, dangerous man-eating birds that infested the woods around Lake Stymphalus in Arcadia. As his fifth labor, Hercules frightened the birds in...

Agenor

(Encyclopedia)Agenor əjēˈnôr [key], in Greek mythology. 1 King of Tyre, father of Cadmus and Europa. When Europa disappeared, Agenor sent Cadmus and his other sons in search of her. 2 Trojan hero, son of Anteno...

Mercury, in Roman religion

(Encyclopedia)Mercury, in Roman religion, god of commerce and messenger of the gods; identified with the Greek Hermes. He was honored at the Mercuralia, a festival held in May and attended primarily by traders and ...

Asteria

(Encyclopedia)Asteria ăstērˈēə [key], in Greek mythology, daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe, mother of Hecate by Perses. To escape Zeus' amorous advances, she turned into a quail, jumped into the sea, an...

Astyanax

(Encyclopedia)Astyanax əstīˈənăks [key], in Greek mythology, son of Hector and Andromache. When the Greeks captured Troy, they killed him out of fear that he would avenge his father and his city. He was also k...