Mythological Glossary
This glossary gathers the most common terms of Greek mythology. It offers short and precise definitions to facilitate the reading of narratives, studies and genealogies.
A
- Ambrosia
- Divine food that grants immortality and vigor to the gods.
- Apotheosis
- Transformation of a mortal into a god.
- Apotropaic
- Having the function of warding off evil, danger, or harmful influences. Refers to rites, objects, symbols, or representations intended to protect through the dissuasion or neutralization of evil.
C
- Caduceus
- The staff attribute of Hermes, wrapped with two intertwined serpents. It symbolizes mediation, passage between worlds, and the authority of the divine messenger.
- Catabasis
- Voluntary descent of a god or hero into the underworld. The catabasis is a major motif in initiatory and rebirth myths.
- Chaos
- A state of disorder, indetermination, or absence of structure. The term refers to a disruption of established order or a world given over to uncontrolled forces, without direct reference to the Greek primordial entity.
- chthonic
- Related to the underworld. Refers to deities connected with the earth, the dead, and the deep primordial forces.
- Cithaeron
- A mountain range in Boeotia and Attica, associated with Dionysiac cults and orgiastic rites. Cithaeron is a wild and liminal space, a theater of transgressions, punishments, and ruptures of civic order.
- Cosmic
- Relating to the order of the world and its fundamental structure. Qualifies what concerns the balance, organization, and forces governing the universe in its totality.
- Cosmogony
- A narrative describing the birth of the world. In Greece, Hesiod's Theogony is the prime example.
- Cosmos
- The ordered totality of the world, conceived as a structured and coherent whole. In Greek thought, the cosmos stands in opposition to chaos and designates a universe governed by laws and balances.
- Creature
- A non-divine mythical being, often hybrid or monstrous, endowed with extraordinary abilities. Creatures embody natural forces, trials, or transgressions, and occupy an intermediate position between the human, the animal, and the divine.
- Cyclops
- A mythical being with a single eye. In Greek tradition, the term refers either to divine blacksmiths associated with Zeus and the crafting of lightning, or to savage and violent giants living on the margins of civilized order.
D
- Daemon
- An intermediary being between gods and mortals. Often a bearer of messages or fate.
- Deity
- A supernatural being endowed with power and authority over one or more domains of the world. In Greek thought, a deity participates in the cosmic order and intervenes in the fate of mortals.
- Demigod
- A being born of a union between a deity and a mortal, or a mortal elevated to an intermediate status by divine favor. The demigod occupies a liminal position between humanity and divinity, marked by exceptional power and a singular destiny.
- Divine Group
- A structured assembly of deities linked by a common origin, a shared function, or a collective role in the mythological order. It designates a category or divine configuration recognized as such in the narratives.
- Dryad
- Nymph of trees and forests in Greek mythology. Dryads are minor divinities associated with vegetal vitality and sacred groves. Some, known as hamadryads, have their lives directly bound to a specific tree: if the tree dies, they perish with it.
E
- Ecstasy
- A state of self-transcendence characterized by a partial suspension of ordinary consciousness and a feeling of union with a higher or divine reality.
- Eleusis
- A city in Attica famous for its sanctuary and religious mysteries dedicated to Demeter and Persephone. Eleusis is associated with initiatory rites linked to the cycle of death, rebirth, and fertility.
- Epiclesis
- A name or qualifier associated with a deity according to a place, function, or particular aspect. Example: Zeus Keraunos means Zeus of the thunderbolt.
G
- Giants
- Beings born from the blood of Ouranos that fell upon Gaia, embodying violent and archaic forces opposed to the Olympian order. They are primarily associated with the Gigantomachy, a clash against the gods of Olympus.
- Gorgon
- A monstrous female being endowed with a petrifying gaze. The Gorgons embody terror, radical otherness, and an apotropaic force linked to the transgression of human limits.
- Gorgoneion
- A representation of the Gorgon's head, used as an apotropaic symbol. It is intended to repel evil and protect through the terror inspired by its petrifying gaze.
H
- Hero
- An exceptional mortal, sometimes a demigod, who accomplishes feats or quests.
- Hieros Gamos
- Sacred union between two deities symbolizing cosmic cohesion.
- Hubris
- Arrogant excess that drives a mortal to overstep their condition and defy divine order. Hubris almost always calls for an exemplary punishment inflicted by the gods.
- Hyad
- A nymph associated with rain and fertility, linked to the Taurus constellation. The Hyades are sometimes presented as the nurses of Dionysus and embody the fertilizing moisture and the vital cycle.
I
- Iliad
- An epic poem attributed to Homer, centered on an episode of the Trojan War and the wrath of Achilles. It portrays Greek and Trojan heroes, divine interventions, and the warrior values of the Greek heroic aristocracy.
L
- Liminal
- Relating to a threshold or an intermediate state. Qualifies what is situated between two worlds, two statuses, or two phases, notably between life and death, human and divine, order and chaos.
M
- Maenads
- Women consecrated to Dionysus, seized by ritual trance and sacred frenzy. They embody the abandonment of social norms and the irruption of Dionysiac power into the human world.
- Metamorphosis
- Transformation of one being into another. A frequent theme in myths.
- Moirai
- The three Fates who preside over destiny: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.
- Monster
- An abnormal or hybrid being, characterized by a break with natural or social order. In Greek mythology, the monster often embodies chaos, excess, or a threat that divine or heroic order must contain or eliminate.
- Mystery
- Relating to religious mysteries, particularly initiatory cults reserved for adepts and based on secrecy, ritual experience, and the progressive revelation of sacred knowledge.
- Myth
- A traditional narrative featuring gods, heroes, or primordial forces, intended to explain the origin of the world, human practices, or cosmic order, without historical pretension.
N
- Naiad
- A freshwater nymph associated with springs, rivers, fountains, or lakes. She embodies the vitality, purity, and fertility of natural water.
- Nereid
- A marine nymph, daughter of Nereus and Doris. The Nereids personify the benevolent and fertile aspects of the sea, particularly its calm and its protection.
- Nymph
- A feminine spirit linked to a natural place. There are several types: naiads, dryads, oreads, nereids...
- Nysa
- A mythical place, often described as a mountain or remote region, associated with the childhood and education of Dionysus. Nysa is a liminal space, both wild and sacred, kept apart from the ordinary world.
O
- Oceanid
- An aquatic nymph, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. The Oceanids embody the freshwaters of the world: springs, rivers, underground sources, and nurturing aspects of nature.
- Odyssey
- An epic poem attributed to Homer, recounting the long return of Odysseus after the Trojan War. The narrative explores wandering, cunning, the test of time, and the hero's confrontation with the world of gods and mortals.
- Olympian
- Belonging to the group of gods residing on Olympus and participating in the divine order established under the authority of Zeus. The term designates both a status, a generation, and a sphere of power.
- Olympus
- A mythical mountain considered the dwelling of the Olympian gods. Olympus refers both to a sacred place and a symbolic space of divine power, distinct from the mortal world.
- Oracle
- A divine revelation given by a sanctuary or prophet. Delphi is the most famous.
- Oread
- A nymph of the mountains and rugged terrain. She personifies the wild, elevated, and sometimes hostile nature of the heights.
P
- Pantheon
- The assembly of gods of a civilization. The Greek pantheon includes primordials, titans, olympians, and minor deities.
- Personification
- A process by which an abstraction, a natural force, or a principle is represented in divine or human form. In Greek mythology, personification makes intelligible notions such as Night, Discord, or Victory.
- Petasos
- A wide-brimmed hat, often depicted with wings, the characteristic attribute of Hermes. It symbolizes travel, mobility, and the function of divine messenger.
- Pleiad
- A nymph associated with a constellation, daughter of Atlas and Pleione. The Pleiades are linked to seasonal cycles, navigation, and agricultural rhythms, marking temporal reference points in the Greek world.
- Poliad
- Said of a deity that serves as protector of a city.
- Primordial
- Belonging to the origins of the world. Qualifies the deities or primordial forces that emerged from the initial chaos, prior to the cosmic order and the Olympian gods.
- Prophecy
- The announcement of a future event of divine origin, revealing an inevitable or conditional destiny. It expresses the will of the gods and structures the relationship of mortals to fate.
- Psychopomp
- Quality of a deity tasked with guiding the souls of the dead. Hermes often fulfills this function.
S
- Sacred Frenzy
- A state of exaltation or trance considered a manifestation of divine inspiration. In the Greek context, it designates a loss of rational control perceived not as pathological madness, but as privileged access to the divine.
- Sparagmos
- The ritual dismemberment of a victim, human or animal, carried out in a context of Dionysiac exaltation. It symbolizes the dissolution of individual order and the return to a primitive vital force.
T
- Theogony
- A narrative of the origins of the gods and their succession.
- Theology
- Discourse and reflection on the nature of the gods, their attributes, their relationships, and their place in the world order. In the Greek context, theology is implicit and unfolds primarily through myths and narratives.
- Titan
- A deity belonging to a generation prior to the Olympians, primarily descended from Gaia and Ouranos. The Titans embody fundamental cosmic powers, linked to the great structures of the world, before the establishment of the Olympian order.
- Titanomachy
- The battle between the Titans and the Olympians that led to the establishment of Zeus's sovereignty.
- Trance
- An altered state of consciousness marked by a disruption of perception, self-control, and the relationship to reality, often associated with ritual, musical, or religious practices.
U
- Underworld
- Domain governed by Hades. It includes several regions, including the Elysian Fields and Tartarus.