Nine Muses Greek goddesses of literature, science, and the arts, who have inspired artists and writers for centuries
nymph a female nature deity who animates nature
Oceanus the eldest son of Ouranos and Gaea; the Titan god of the sea
Ogygia the island home—and prison—of the nymph Calypso
Oracle of Delphi a speaker of the prophecies of Apollo
Oracle of Trophonius a Greek who was transformed into an Oracle after his death; located at the Cave of Trophonius; known for terrifying those who seek him
Orion a giant huntsman who was the most loyal and valued of Artemis’s attendants until he was slain by a scorpion
Ouranos the Greek personification of the sky; husband of Gaea; father of the Titans
Pan the Greek god of the wild; the son of Hermes
Parthenos teenage daughter of King Staphylus of Naxos; sister of Hemithea; Apollo made her and her sister divine to save them when they jumped off a cliff to escape their father’s rage
Peloponnese a large peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece, separated from the northern part of the country by the Gulf of Corinth
Persephone the Greek queen of the Underworld; wife of Hades; daughter of Zeus and Demeter
podex Latin for anus
Poseidon the Greek god of the sea; son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and brother of Zeus and Hades
Potina a Roman goddess of children, who watches over what they are drinking
praetor an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army
Primordial Chaos the first thing ever to exist; the miasma from which the Fates wove the future; a void from which the first gods were produced
princeps prince of Rome; the early emperors used this title for themselves
Python a monstrous serpent that Gaea appointed to guard the Oracle at Delphi
River Styx the river that forms the boundary between earth and the Underworld
satyr a Greek forest god, part goat and part man
Sibyl a prophetess
Sibylline Books a collection of prophecies in rhyme written in Greek
Sparta a city-state in ancient Greece with military dominance
spatha a long sword used by Roman cavalry units
Staphylus king of Naxos, Greece; a demigod son of Dionysus; father of Hemithea and Parthenos
Styx a powerful water nymph; the eldest daughter of the sea Titan, Oceanus; goddess of the Underworld’s most important river; goddess of hatred; the River Styx is named after her
Suburra an area of the city of Rome that was crowded and lower-class
Tantalus a king who fed the gods a stew made of his own son; he was sent to the Underworld, where his curse was to be stuck in a pool of water under a fruit tree but never be able to drink or eat
Tartarus husband of Gaea; spirit of the abyss; father of the giants; the lowest part of the Underworld
Teumessian Fox a giant fox sent by the gods to ravage the city of Thebes in punishment for a crime; the beast was destined never to be caught
Three Fates Even before there were gods there were the Fates: Clotho, who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, the measurer, who determines how long a life will be; and Atropos, who cuts the thread of life with her shears
Three Mile Island a nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where, on March 28, 1979, there was a partial meltdown in reactor number 2, causing public concern
Throne of Memory Mnemosyne carved this chair, in which a petitioner would sit after visiting the Cave of Trophonius and receiving bits of verse from the Oracle; once seated in the chair, the petitioner would recount the verses, the priests would write them down, and they would become a prophecy
Tiber River the third-longest river in Italy; Rome was founded on its banks; in ancient Rome, executed criminals were thrown into the river
Titan War the epic ten-year battle between the Titans and the Olympians that resulted in the Olympians taking the throne
Titans a race of powerful Greek deities, descendants of Gaea and Ouranos, that ruled during the Golden Age and were overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians
Triptolemus son of King Celeus and brother of Demophon; a favorite of Demeter; he became the inventor of the plow and agriculture
trireme a Greek warship, having three tiers of oars on each side
triumvirate a political alliance formed by three parties
Trojan War According to legend, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband, Menelaus, king of Sparta
Trophonius demigod son of Apollo, designer of Apollo’s temple at Delphi, and spirit of the dark Oracle; he decapitated his half brother Agamethus to avoid discovery after their raid on King Hyrieus’s treasury
Troy a Roman city situated in modern-day Turkey; site of the Trojan War
Underworld the kingdom of the dead, where souls go for eternity; ruled by Hades
Via Appia the Appian Way, one of the first and most important roads of the ancient Roman republic; after the Roman army subdued the revolt led by Spartacus in 73 BC, they crucified more than six thousand slaves and lined the road for 130 miles with their bodies
yale (see also centicore) a fierce yak-like creature with large horns that can swivel in any direction
Yoruba one of the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, Africa; also a language and a religion of the Yoruba people
Zeus the Greek god of the sky and the king of the gods
Zoë Nightshade a daughter of Atlas who was exiled and later joined the Hunters of Artemis, becoming the loyal lieutenant of Artemis