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A List of Greek Gods and Goddesses

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Possible Cultural sources of Greek Gods and Goddesses with the possible meaning of their names.

A List of Greek Gods and Goddesses

The Greek deities were the deities worshipped by the ancient Greeks before 338 BCE. Unlike today where different groups of people in the same community can have different religious beliefs, in ancient Greece all the persons in one community had the same beliefs and were part of one religion. Though there was variety from community to community, we just speak of this as the Greek Religion. During the classical period the Greeks were polytheistic. This meant that they worshipped many deities, both gods and goddesses. Each of the deities had separate realms of responsibility. The divine family included:

In addition to these there were many lesser deities including:

Children of Pontus and Gaea:

  1. Muses: (Presided over the arts and sciences and inspired those who excelled in these pursuits). A picture of the Muses is at: Athens, National Museum 1241
  2. Charities: (Personifications of Grace and Beauty)
  3. Daughters of Zeus and
  4. Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, Χαρίτων -- Graces(charities):
  5. Nymphs:
  6. Hesperides, guarders of the golden apples of Hera:
  7. Monsters,
  8. Circe,
  9. Ino,
  10. Ate, goddess of error
  11. Demeter -- Δήμητρα(Δήμητρος in Hesiod) -- 'people mother' From Indo-European 'da-', 'To divide' and 'mater-',
  12. Dione -- 'goddess unique' From Indo-European 'deiw', 'To shine' and 'oino-', 'One, unique'
  13. Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth
  14. Ἥβην -- Hebe, goddess of youth. 'youthful strenghth' from Indo-European 'yegwa', 'Power, youthful strength' (But notice this is often 'iphi-'. Perhaps the name began as yegwa+bha-1 where 'bha-1' means 'to shine'. The next change might have been to 'Iphibe' and then Hebe'
  15. Persephone,
  16. Nemesis, personification of divine vengeance.
  17. daughters of Strife(Eris)
  18. Tyche - goddess of chance

Hecate was a goddess of the underworld.

Ἰριν -- Iris -- from Indo-European 'wei', 'to turn, twist and 'rei-2', 'striped, in various colors'; a personification of the rainbow and a messenger of the gods.

The Furies -- Three ladies who pursued evil doers and sinners. They were persistent but just. (Eumenides, Erynies)

Nereides are marine nymphs of the Mediterranean Sea, daughters of Doris (Doto, gifts of the sea were offered generously) and Nereus.

Available pictures:

  1. Thetis
  2. Glauce or Glauke
  3. Cymothoe or Kymathoe
  4. Melite

Nereids (Νηρηί̈δες) in Homer Book 18 Iliad.

  1. Θέτις -- Thetis -- 'Soul of the wave' from Indo-European 'dheu-', 'To rise in a cloud' and 'teue', 'To swell'.
  2. Γλαύκη -- Glauce 'glaring fiercely' from Indo-European 'glogh' 'thorn, point' and 'kei-3', 'To set in motion'
  3. Θάλειά -- Thalia -- Exciting valley from Indo-European 'dhel-', 'A hollow' and 'ya', 'to be aroused'.
  4. Κυμοδόκη -- Cymodoce -- 'wave receiver' from Indo-European 'keu-3', 'To swell', 'mo-', 'to exert onself', 'dek-', 'To take, accept', 'e', 'off, away'
  5. Νησαίη -- Nesaea or Nesea 'journey' from Indo-European 'nes-', 'To return home safely' and 'ei-1', 'To go' (ησ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  6. Σπειώ -- Speio or Speo -- 'announce prosperity' from Indo-European 'spei-', 'To thrive, prosper' and 'o-', 'to announce'.
  7. Θόη -- Thoe -- 'cloud', from Indo-European 'dheu', 'to rise as a cloud'.
  8. Ἁλίη τε βοῶπις -- ox eyed Halie -- 'Go to bloom' from Indo-European 'dhal-', 'To Bloom' and 'ei-1', 'To go'.
  9. Κυμοθόη -- Cymothoe or Kymathoe -- 'wave cloud' from Indo-European 'keu-3', 'To swell', 'mo-', 'to exert onself','dheu', 'to rise as a cloud'.
  10. Ἀκταίη -- Actaee -- 'Shore dweller' from Indo-European 'ak-', 'Sharp' and 'treb-', 'Dwelling'
  11. Λιμνώρεια -- Limnoreia -- 'lake shore dweller' from Indo-European 'laku-', 'Lake', 'rei', 'scratch, tear, cut', and 'ya', 'to be aroused' (This ia a good candidate for a loan word from the Minoan culture)
  12. Μελίτη -- Melite 'Like honey' from Indo European 'melit-', 'honey' and 'ei-', 'to go'.(ελ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  13. Ἴαιρα -- Iaera 'joy day' from Indo-European 'ya-', 'To be aroused' and 'ayer-', 'Day, Morning' (αιρ indicates loan word not IE)
  14. Ἀμφιθόη -- Amphithoe --'Dew all around' from Indo-European 'ambhi', 'around' and 'dheu', 'to rise as a cloud'.
  15. Ἀγαυὴ -- Agaue 'Illustrious' from Indo-European 'ag-', 'to drive' and 'ei-', To go'.
  16. Δωτώ -- Doto -- 'attention to giving' from Indo-European 'do-, 'to give' and 'teu', 'To pay attention to'.
  17. Πρωτώ -- Proto -- 'attention to love from Indo-European 'pri-', 'To love' and 'teu', 'To pay attention to'.
  18. Φέρουσά -- Pherusa -- 'torch carrier' from Indo-European 'bher-', 'carru' and 'eus-', 'to burn'
  19. Δυναμένη -- Dynamene -- 'Enduring' from Indo-European 'deu-'. 'To do', 'me-', 'to measure' and 'ne-' 'Not'.(αμ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  20. Δεξαμένη -- Dexamene 'Decent' from Indo-European 'de-'. 'To take, accept', 'me-', 'to measure' and 'ne-' 'Not'.((αμ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  21. Ἀμφινόμη -- Amphinome -- 'giver and receiver' from Greek 'ἀμφί', 'on both sides, and 'νομή', 'distribution' from Indo-European 'ambhi', 'around' and 'nem-2'. 'To assign, allot.
  22. Καλλιάνειρα -- Callineira -- 'strongly beautiful' from Greek 'καλλῐ', 'beautiful' and 'νειρός', 'strong, vehement' from Indo-European 'kal-2', 'beautiful', 'nei-', 'to be excited, to shine', and 'rabh-', 'violent impetuous'. (αλλ, ειρ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  23. Δωρὶς -- Doris -- 'gifter' from Indo-European 'do-', 'to give' and 'rei-3', 'possession, thing'
  24. Πανόπη -- Panope -- 'Fabric producer' from Indo-European 'pan', 'fabric' and 'op-', ' To work, produce in abundance'(αν makes this a pre IE loan word)
  25. Γαλάτεια -- Galatea -- 'Power to change' from 'gal-', 'power to change', 'at','To go', and 'ie', 'To go'(αλ,άτ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  26. Νημερτής -- Nemertes -- 'alloter of earth' from Indo-European 'nem-', 'To assign, allot' and 'er-3', 'earth' (ερ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  27. Ἀψευδὴς -- Apseudes -- 'grow into an aspen (goddess)' from Indo-European 'aspu-', 'Aspen', 'ud-', 'up, out', and 'es-', 'To be'
  28. Καλλιάνασσα -- Callianassa -- 'Beauty queen' from Indo-European 'kal-2', 'beautiful', 'ane-', 'To breathe', and 'as-', 'To burn, glow' (ἄνασσα means queen in Greek so it would seem that this derived from breathes fire in Indo-European(αλλ, ασσ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  29. Κλυμένη -- Klymene -- 'famous for ability' from Greek 'κλειυός','famous' and 'μένος', 'might, force' from Indo-European 'kleu' to hear and 'magh-1', 'To be able, have power'
  30. Ἰάνειρά -- Ianeira -- Exciting to man from Indo-European 'ya-', 'to be aroused' and 'ner-2' man(ειρ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  31. Ἰάνασσα -- Ianassa -- 'ya-', 'to be aroused' and 'ane-', 'To breathe', and 'as-', 'To burn, glow' (ἄνασσα means queen in Greek so it would seem that this derived from breathes fire in Indo-European) (ασσ makes this a pre IE loan word)
  32. Μαῖρα -- Maera -- 'the dog star, the sparkler' (There may be no Indo-European Translation of this name.
  33. Ὠρείθυια -- Oreithuia -- 'Say prayers to Heaven ' from Indo-European 'or-', 'Pray', 'ei-', 'To go' and 'dheu-1', 'to rise in a cloud'
  34. Ἀμάθεια -- Amatheia -- 'beloved relation' from Indo-European 'amma-', 'mother', 'dhe-', 'to set, put', and 'ai', 'to give, allot'
  35. Νηρηίδες -- 'sea nymph' plainly 'ner-' relates to Nereus the father of the Nereids. But to be Indo-European some other meaning must apply. 'ner-1' means under,; also left, with an eastward orientation, north'. Under the sea makes sense but one would expect a water reference. 'eus-' means to burn. This relates to the easetn idea, the direction of the sunrise. Is it possible that the nymphs were called this because of the direction of the water to the east? This fits the Greek mainland. It is hard to understand why there are two types of sea nymphs, Nereids and Oceanides in Greek mythology. One possibility is that the names are actually Minoan and the distinction relates to Crete, Nereides to the north and Oceanides to the south. But the only loan word among the Nereides seems to be 'Maera'. This is not a compelling argument for a Minoan source for the Nereides.
  36. NaoNot in Homer
  37. KymatolegeNot in Homer
  38. Psamathe Not in Homer
  39. Glauconome is a Nereid in Apolod. 1.2.6

The underlined ones have links to pictures. The directory gives other links.

Oceanides were daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Here is a list from Hesiod(Theogony. 346-370):

Note that every Oceanide seems to have an Indo-European name. Though the translation is not perfect, still the chance that the name came from Crete is slight. These goddesses are plainly Indo-European. It should also be noted that some of the goddesses have names that can be translated into Greek. But often the Indo-European translation makes more sense. The suggestion is that the name was formed before Greek was fully developed. The names may have been given 1400-1200 BCE while the names were written down around 700 BCE. So the changes may reflect the changes in the Greek language during the interval. The only loan word identified is Hebrew 'haruz'.

Note: Phaedra pasiphae share "phae" while pasithoe thoe share "thoe".

A Nymph is a nature spirit according to the ancient Greeks. She is a minor goddess with a more restricted realm such as a tree or a spring. It is interesting to note that the word nymph has an Indo-European derivation related to the root sneubh-. The meanings related to this root involve marriage suggesting that Nymphs are rlated to marriagable women. In that Indo-European culture somehow marriageable women were connected to natural resources as their dowery. The different types of Nymphs also relate to the Indo-European Culture. There are two types of nymphs already mentioned, but others as well:

In the beginning there was only Heaven (Uranus) and Earth (Gaea). These two bore the Titans:

Uranus and Gaea also bore the Hecatoncheires, monsters with 100 hands and 50 heads

  1. Briarus
  2. Cottus
  3. Gyes

Sirens

Wind gods:

Lyssa - Lyssa's name means "canine madness," and she is the Greek underworld goddess who drove her dogs through the world proding the divine intoxication of the Maenads to destructive fury. She is the daughter of Nyx.

Eos- goddess of the dawn. Click here

Harmonia - goddess of harmony Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite

Graiae - goddesses of old age

The family of Styx(oath)

Εὐρῠφάεσσα -- 'Far-shining', wife of Hyperion and mother of Helios from Indo-European 'wer-8', wide, broad' and 'bheigw', 'to shine'

The Pleiads: Their parents were Atlas and Pleione -- Πληιονη -- 'wealth coming' from Indo-European 'pleu-', 'to flow' and 'ei-', 'to go'. These are as listed in Hesiod's Catalog of Women

Personifications:

Place Names

Selected Unicode Greek Alphabet: Α Ἄ α ὰ ά ἄ Β β Ί γ Δ δ Ε ε έ ἐ ἔ Ζ ζ Ή η ὴ ή ἣ ἡ ῆ ἦ ἥ Θ θ Ἱ Ἰ ι ί ῖ Κ κ Λ λ Μ μ Ν ν Ξ ξ Ο ο ὸ ό Π π Ρ ρ Σ ς σ Τ τ Ξ ξ υ ὐ ύ ϋ ὗ ὕ ῦ Φ φ Χ χ Ψ ψ Ω Ὠ ω ῶ ώ (not complete)

Questions and Answers

To ask a question about this topic note the topic (Lists) and Click here

Question and Answers

Question: Did Lyssa and Oizys from Nyx have children? How do you pronounce Lyssa and Oizys?

Answer: Lyssa is the goddess of madness and Oizys is the goddess of Distress. I have little infomation on their pronunciation except to say that 'oi' is often pronounced 'wa'. Both of these are literal personifications with the names of the godesses the same as words of Greek. Lyssa is the madness of Bacchae. I could not find any offspring.

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