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Pegasus, in Greek mythology

(Encyclopedia)Pegasus, in Greek mythology, winged horse that carries the thunderbolt of Zeus. He sprang full-grown from the neck of the dying Gorgon Medusa. With a slash of his hoof, he created the Hippocrene, a sa...

Aphrodite

(Encyclopedia)Aphrodite ăfrədīˈtē [key], in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. Homer designated her the child of Zeus and Dione. Hesiod's account of her birth is more popular...

Nike

(Encyclopedia)Nike nīˈkē [key], in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of victory, daughter of Pallas and Styx. Often an attendant of Zeus or Athena, she also presided over all contests, athletic as well as mi...

Nemea

(Encyclopedia)Nemea nēˈmēə, nĭmēˈə [key], city of ancient Greece, in N Argolis. At the temple of Zeus were held the Nemean games, which from 573 b.c. were one of the four Panhellenic festivals; the games we...

Maia

(Encyclopedia)Maia māˈə, mīˈə [key]. 1 In Greek mythology, oldest of the Pleiades. She was the mother of Hermes by Zeus. 2 In Roman mythology, goddess of fertility; also called Maiesta. She was often identifi...

Pluto, in Greek religion and mythology

(Encyclopedia)Pluto, in Greek religion and mythology, god of the underworld, son of Kronos and Rhea; also called Hades. After the fall of the Titans, Pluto and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon divided the universe, a...

Danaë

(Encyclopedia)Danaë dănˈāē [key], in Greek legend, daughter of Acrisius. When it was prophesied that Danaë's son would kill Acrisius, her father imprisoned her in a bronze tower. However, Zeus came to her in ...

atlantes

(Encyclopedia)atlantes ătlănˈtēz [key] [Latin plural of Atlas], sculptured male figures serving as supports of entablatures, in place of a column or pier. The earliest (c.480–460 b.c.) and most important exam...

Memnon

(Encyclopedia)Memnon mĕmˈnŏn [key], in Greek mythology, king of Ethiopia, son of Tithonus and Eos. In the Trojan War he fought against the Greeks, and after he had killed Antilochus, he himself was killed by Ach...

Wolpe, Stefan

(Encyclopedia)Wolpe, Stefan shtĕfˈän vôlˈpə [key], 1902–72, German–American composer. Of Jewish ancestry, he went to live in Palestine in 1933, but settled in the United States in 1938. Wolpe wrote severa...