Costume Resources: Greek Mythological Figures

Olympian Dieties

• Aphrodite – As she was the Goddess of love and beauty, she is often depicted as a beautiful woman and is represented by the dove. Other symbols of Aphrodite include the rose, the scallop shell and the myrtle wreath. She was the mother of Eros.

• Apollo – Son of Zeus and Lero, Apollo was the God of archery, healing, music, plague, poetry and prophecies. He is said to carry a bow and quiver, a lyre and a laurel wreath. 

• Ares – Ares was famously the God of War, which includes bloodlust, civil order and violence. He has been depicted as both an older, bearded warrior and a youthful soldier with a helm and bronze-tipped spear. He is also often associated with the alligator, the dog, the snake and the vulture.

• Artemis – Another child of Zeus and Leto, Artemis was a young woman also equipped with bow and arrow. She was the Goddess of the hunt, wilderness and wild animals and she was also responsible for childbirth and, with her brother Apollo, plague. She is associated with bears, boars and deer.

• Athena – The Goddess of wisdom and reason as well as warfare and strategy. Her depiction is armed with a crystal helmet, spear, and a shield made of medusa’s head and she is often accompanied by an owl.

• Demeter – Depicted as a mature woman, Demeter was the Goddess of agriculture, horticulture and harvest. She is associated with pigs and snakes, but more so with the cornucopia of everlasting bounty.

• Dionysus – Donning a crown of ivy and holding a drinking cup, Dionysus was the God of civilization, drunkenness, madness, parties and pleasure. He is associated with dolphins, donkeys, panthers, serpents and tigers.

• Hades – King of the Underworld, he is often accompanied by his three-headed dog Cerberus. He is the older brother of Zeus.

• Hephaestus – He was the God of fire and volcanism as well as certain craftsmanship styles. It was said that as a baby he was considered exceptionally ugly and was thrown off of Mount Olympus by his mother Hera. He is depicted as an old man riding a donkey while holding a hammer and tongs. 

• Hera – She was the Queen of the Gods and represented empires, marriages, childbirth and women in general. She was depicted as a beautiful woman in a veil carrying a lotus-tipped staff. She is associated with the cow and the peacock.

• Hermes – He was the messenger of the Gods and led the souls of the dead to the underworld. As such, he was the God of travel and trade. He was also responsible for language, writing and diplomacy. He wears a cap and winged sandals and is frequently associated with the hawk, the ram and the tortoise.

• Hestia – The sister of Zeus, her appearance is masked by a veil. She is known as the Virgin Goddess and is in charge of home and cooking.

• Poseidon – God of the sea as well as floods, droughts and earthquakes. He is brother to both Zeus and Hades and is depicted as a strong-build man with a trident. He is associated with the horse and the dolphin.

• Zeus – As king of the Gods, Zeus is in charge of the sky and the weather as well as fate, law and order. He carried with him a lightning bolt and is associated with the bull and the eagle.

Protogenoi

• Aether – God of space and heaven as well as the elemental God of upper air, that which the Gods breathe.
• Ananke – The dictator of destiny and the mother of the three fates.
• Erebos – Son of Chaos and father of many, he was the God of darkness.
• Gaia – Mother of the Titans, Gods and all mortal creatures, Gaia represents the Earth.
• Hemera – Goddess of the daytime with a questionable lineage.
• Chaos – The void before the universe existed and the divider between heaven and earth.
• Chronos – The God of Time, often portrayed as a beast with three heads.
• The Nesoi – Each one was the personal Goddess of a particular island.
• Nyx – The Goddess of night: a shadowy woman of intense power and beauty.
• Uranus – Father of the Titans and God of the Sky.
• The Ourea – There were ten Ourea, each born of Gaia and representative of a specific mountain.
• Phanes – God of procreation. He is often depicted with golden wings emerging from a cosmic egg.
• Pontus – The father of all sea life.
• Tartarus – The deepest part of the underworld to which the souls deserving punishment were sent.
• Thalassa – She was the primordial sea Goddess, particularly of the Mediterranean.

Titans

• Hyperion – Titan of the East and the lord of light.
• Iapetus – Titan of the West and lord of life and mortality.
• Coeus – Titan of Intellect who represents the axis around which the universe revolves.
• Crius – Although he was as much a titan as the others, his specific role was never clarified.
• Cronus – Leader of the Titans, often portrayed with a scythe.
• Mnemosyne – Titan of memory. Her relationship with Zeus also made her mother to the Nine Muses.
• Oceanus – A horned titan who represented the ocean stream, particularly that of the Atlantic.
• Phoebe – The radiant Titan most associated with the moon.
• Rhea – Birthed the first six Gods of Mount Olympus and was therefore the Titan of fertility.
• Tethys – A sea Titan who had gray wings growing from her forehead.
• Theia – A divine Goddess whose shine was so far-reaching that she was the Titan of sight.
• Themis – A Titan of good counsel who organized human affairs. She was thus the Titan of law and order.
• Atlas – This titan is seen carrying the sky over his shoulder to show his support of heaven.
• Prometheus - Brother to Atlas famous for stealing fire from Zeus and giving it to mankind.
• Styx – The Titan of Hate who represented the river between the Earth and the Underworld.

Giants

• Antaeus – A wrestler who killed his victims and collected their skulls.
• Cyclopses – There were three cyclopses: Arges, Brontes, and Steropes. Together, they forged Zeus’s lightning bolts.
• Enceladus – He was injured by Athena during the war against the Gods and buried under Mt. Etna. It is said that when he rolls over it causes earthquakes.
• The Gegenees – Giants with six arms who famously battled the Argonauts.
• Geryon – A giant with three heads and later six bodies to go with them. He was often accompanied by a two-headed dog and a herd of red cows.
• The Laestrygonians – A tribe of cannibalistic giants who destroyed ships and ate their passengers.
• Orion – A hunter and hero who was placed among the stars by Zeus.
• Porphyrion – King of the Giants who once attempted to strangle and rape Hera, but was struck down by Zeus and Heracles.
• Talos – This giant was made entirely of bronze. He protected Greece (and all of Europe) from pirates.
• Typhon – Considered the deadliest monster in Greek mythology, his body was like a snake, but it was covered in wings and had a human head.

Personified Concepts

• Agon – The spirit of contest and athletics, particularly the Olympic Games.
• Alala – Attendant to Ares and spirit of the war cry. Her name is onomatopoeia for the traditional war cry in ancient Greece.
• Apate – Daughter of Nyx, she was the spirit of deception that was released from Pandora’s Box.
• Arete – A minor Goddess who represented virtue.
• Deimos – Son of Ares and Aphrodite, he represented terror and dread.
• Eunomia – A minor Goddess in control of law and conduct.
• Eupheme – A spirit of praise, acclaim and applause.
• Euthenia – Spirit of prosperity and sister to Eupheme.
• The Fates – Witches of sorts who wore white robes. They spun, measured and split the threads of life for every mortal.
• Harmonia – The Goddess of Harmony who famously wore a necklace that brought misfortune.
• Hebe – The Goddess of Youth who is usually depicted wearing a sleeveless dress.
• Hedone – Daughter of Eros and the spirit of pleasure.
• Hybris – The spirit of haughty behavior and acting out in arrogance. 
• Hypnos – God of Sleep who dwelled in a dark cave. He is traditionally seen with a beard and wings on his head.
• The Keres – Sisters with sharp teeth and claws who hovered over dying men on the battlefield. They were thus considered the spirits of death.
• Kratos – The spirit of power and strength who bound Prometheus.
• Limos – The spirit of starvation and famine.
• The Machai – The spirits of battle and combat who often accompanied by the Gods of war and death.
• Mania – The spirit of insanity. Mania is sometimes portrayed as more than one spirit.
• Nemesis – The spirit of retribution for those who succumb to hubris (Hybris).
• Penthus – The spirit of grief. He torments those in mourning.
• Philotes – A minor Goddess and spirit of affection and sexual intercourse.
• Phobos – The spirit of horror particularly that sparked from war. With Deimos, he accompanied Ares into battle.
• Techne – The spirit of craftsmanship.
• Zelos – The spirit of zeal, he, with his siblings Bia, Kratos and Nike, were part of Zeus’s royal retainers.

Chthonic Deities

• Cerberus – A three-headed dog that guards the gate to the Underworld.
• Charon – Charon accepted coins for a trip on his ferry across the river Styx to the Underworld.
• Cronus – Leader of the Titans, often portrayed with a scythe.
• Empusa – A demigoddess who seduced men and then drank their blood and ate their flesh. She is characterized by her flaming hair and prosthetic bronze leg.
• Erebos - Son of Chaos and father of many, he was the God of darkness.
• The Furies – Goddesses of vengeance. There was never a specific number listed, but three were explained: Alecto the unceasing, Megaera the grudging and Tisiphone of avenging murder.
• Hecate – Goddess of magic, curses and witchcraft. She has a separate face for each.
• Judges of the Dead – The judges were once mortal kings. Aiakos judged the sould from Europe, Rhadamanthys judged the souls from Asia, and Minos got the final say.
• Lamia – Once the queen of Libya, she became a demon who ate children.
• Lampades – Torch bearers who accompanied Hecate on her travels.
• Macaria – Daughter of Hades and embodiment of blessed death.
• Nyx - The Goddess of night: a shadowy woman of intense power and beauty.
• Persephone – Queen of the Underworld who is distinguished by her robe and sheaf of grain.
• Tartarus - The deepest part of the underworld to which the souls deserving punishment were sent.
• Thanatos – Embodiment of death, particularly those that are not attributed to Macaria.

Sea Deities

• Amphitrite – Wife of Poseidon who dons robes, hairnets and has crab pincers attached to her temples.
• Arethusa – A nymph with nets in her hair and dolphins swimming around her head. She was transformed into a fountain.
• Ceto – Goddess of the sea monsters and mother to the Gorgons and Ladon as well as Echidna and The Graeae.
• Glaucus – Once a mortal fisherman, he discovered a magical herb that made him immortal, but also fins and a fishtail.
• The Gorgons – Three dreadful creatures with hair of snakes and stares that could turn people to stone. The most famous was Medusa, the only one who was ever defeated.
• Harpies – Winged women who stole food and caused gusts of wind.
• Ichthyocentraurs – Mythology tells of two centaurs unlike the others. In addition to the body of a man and the legs of a horse, ichthyocentaurs have the tail of a fish and lobster-claw horns.
• Ladon – A hundred-headed serpent defeated by Heracles.
• Oceanus – A horned titan who represented the ocean stream, particularly that of the Atlantic.
• Poseidon - God of the sea as well as floods, droughts and earthquakes. He is brother to both Zeus and Hades and is depicted as a strong-build man with a trident. He is associated with the horse and the dolphin.
• Scylla – A four-eyed sea monster with tentacles and six dog heads growing from her waist.
• The Sirens – Sang enchanting music to lure in sailors and then pull them underwater to their death.
• Tethys - A sea Titan who had gray wings growing from her forehead.
• Thalassa - She was the primordial sea Goddess, particularly of the Mediterranean.
• Triton – Son of Poseidon who carried a trident and a conch shell which he blew into to control the waves.

Sky Deities

• Aether - God of space and heaven as well as the elemental God of upper air, that which the Gods breathe.
• Arke – Characterized by iridescent wings. Zeus later stole these wings and cast her to the Underworld. She is the second, faded rainbow.
• Boreas – One of the four chief Anemoi, or “wind gods.” God of winter and the frigid north wind.
• Chaos - The void before the universe existed and the divider between heaven and earth.
• Eos – Titan of the dawn who wore a saffron robe woven with flowers. She is said to have had rosy fingertips.
• Eurus – One of the four chief Anemoi, or “wind gods.” God of the east wind.
• Helios – Sometimes referred to simply as “Titan,” Helios was a handsome god who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky each day.
• Hera - She was the Queen of the Gods and represented empires, marriages, childbirth and women in general. She was depicted as a beautiful woman in a veil carrying a lotus-tipped staff. She is associated with the cow and the peacock.
• The Hyades – A nymph sisterhood responsible for the rain.
• Iris – A messenger. She is their link between the Gods and the humans. She is the rainbow.
• Notus – One of the four chief Anemoi, or “wind gods.” God of the summer and autumn storms as well as the south wind.
• The Pleiades – Seven sister nymphs who were turned to doves to comfort their father, Atlas, through his trials. They later became stars.
• Selene – The moon goddess depicted with long, black hair, a torch in hand, and a chariot pulled by dragons.
• Uranus - Father of the Titans and God of the Sky.
• Zeus - As king of the Gods, Zeus is in charge of the sky and the weather as well as fate, law and order. He carried with him a lightning bolt and is associated with the bull and the eagle.
• Zephyrus – One of the four chief Anemoi, or “wind gods.” God of spring light and the west wind.

Article written by Carolyn J Todd