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Goddesses of Ancient Greece - C
Cabari
Greek fertility deities. Their origin can be traced back to Asia Minor,
and they were proberbly imported in Greece in the Hellenistic and Roman
era. There is some mysterious cult connected to them and the god of fire
Hephaestus. There were sanctuaries on the islands of Lemnos, Imbros and
especially Samothrace, where traces of those mysteries can still be fount.
Some sources mention that originally there were only two of them, but
that the number varied over the sebsequent centuries. The male deities
were Axiocersus, Cadmilus (his son), and the female deities Axierus and
Axiocersa.
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Caenis
A beautiful Greek maiden, daughter of Elatus, who was brutally raped by
Poseidon. Afterwards he promised to grant her anything she wished; she
wished to become a man, so that nothing like this could ever happen to
her again. Transformed into an invulnerable and fearsome warrior she exacted
revenge against the sex that had harmed her, killing many men in battle.
In some legends she is killed as a man (in the battle against the centaurs
at the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia), and transformed back to a
female and buried. In other legends she is immortal as well as invulnerable
and is buried alive under the weight of the rocks and tree trunks which
were hurled upon him by the centaurs in that battle. (See: Caeneus.)
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Calliope
The eldest and most distinguished of the nine Muses. She is the Muse of
eloquence and epic or heroic poetry. Calliope ("beautiful voice")
is the mother of Orpheus and Linus with Apollo. She was the arbitress
in the argument over Adonis between Persephone and Aphrodite. Her emblems
are a stylus and wax tablets.
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Callirhoe
The daughter of Oceanus and mother of Echidna. or The daughter of Achelous.
or She married Alcmaeon. A girl from Calydon who scorned the love of a
priest of Dionysus. The god then threatened to inflict all the women of
Calydon with madness. An oracle ordered the priest to sacrifice Callirhoë,
but in desperation the man killed himself. The girl threw herself in a
well, which from that moment on carried her name.
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Callisto
Callisto was a nymph (or, according to some sources, the daughter of Lycaon)
who was associated with the goddess of the hunt, Artemis. Young women
who were devoted to the goddess hunted with her regularly, and remained
virgins, like Artemis herself. Callisto had upheld these ideals faithfully,
and she quickly became Artemis' favorite. While Callisto spent her days
and nights with Artemis' other followers, she caught the eye of Zeus.
Knowing that the maiden had taken a vow of chastity, Zeus resorted to
deception to get at Callisto. He came to her disguised as Artemis, and
the young huntress let down her guard. Seizing the opportunity Zeus raped
her. Callisto became pregnant, and tried desperately to conceal her condition
form the goddess. After all, she had, in a way, broken her vow to the
goddess and she feared her anger. Callisto had been successful for a time,
but then a day came when all of the young women who followed Artemis disrobed
to bathe together in a spring. By now Callisto was beginning to show,
and once she was naked her secret was revealed. Artemis was furious and
she banished the young woman from her fold.
Callisto wandered off to have her child alone and Hera decided that this
was the time to exact her revenge. She gripped Callisto's hair and threw
her to the ground where the new mother was transformed into a bear. The
hunter became the hunted. The child that Callisto had by Zeus was spirited
away by Hermes to be raised by his mother, Maia. He was named Arcas, meaning
"bear," and he grew up to be a fine hunter himself. Some sources
have the bear captured and taken to Callisto's own father, Lycaon. According
to some sources Artemis herself killed the bear that was once Callisto,
but it is usually accepted that when Arcas was out hunting as a young
man he encountered the bear. Callisto recognized the handsome youth as
the son she could not raise herself. Forgetting her present form, she
tried to come near him, but her loving mother's arms were now strong,
furry paws, and her once soothing voice was now a rumbling growl. The
bear scared Arcas, and he took aim at her with his spear. Zeus took pity
on his former victim and intervened. He placed Callisto in the sky as
the constellation Ursa Major, or "great bear," and then took
Arcas and placed him in the sky near his mother as Ursa Minor, the "little
bear." Hera was not pleased with this arrangement, especially since
Callisto was another of her husband's infidelities. She went to her nurse,
Tethys, the wife of Oceanus, and beseeched her to punish Callisto and
Arcas. Tethys decided to deprive the pair of water, and so the great bear
and the little bear are cursed to circle in the skies, never to dip below
the horizon for a refreshing bath or a cool drink. Here the peoples of
ancient Greece explained why the two constellations are circumpolar, visible
all year round.
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Calypso
One of the Oceanids, She is a death Goddess, and divine protector of Alder
trees. She guards a fountain of immortality upon Her island of Ogygia.
She induced the shipwrecked Odysseus to bide with Her for seven years,
and offered him a draught of immortality, but was instructed by Zeus to
release him.
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Campe
A female monster sent by Cronus to guard the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires
in the underworld. Zeus killed it because he believed that he would be
able to defeat Cronus with the help of the Cyclopes.
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Canace
The daughter of Aeolus and Enarete, and beloved of Poseidon. She was killed
by her father because she fell in love with her own brother Macar (or
Macareus).
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Carya
In pre-classical mythology, Carya was a Greek goddess of the walnut tree.
She was later assimilated into the Artemis myth, as Caryatis in this form.
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Cassandra
Cassandra was the most beautiful of the daughters of Priam and Hecuba,
the king and queen of Troy. She was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo,
who wished to seduce her; when she accepted his gift but refused his sexual
advances, he deprived her prophecies of the power to persuade.
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Cassiopeia
In Greek myth, Cassiopeia is the wife of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and
mother of Andromeda. She boasted of being more beautiful than the Nereids,
and in retaliation Poseidon first sent a flood and then a sea-monster
to ravage the country. Andromeda was chained to a rock to serve as sacrifice
for the sea-monster, but was rescued by Perseus.
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Cassotis
A Greek wood-nymph of the sacred temple spring at Delphi.
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Castalia
A Greek nymph loved by Apollo. She fled from him and jumped in the spring
at Delphi, at the base of mount Parnassos, which was then named after
her. The water of this spring was sacred and served for the cleansing
of the Delphian temple and inspired poets.
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Celaeno
("the dark"), also Podarge ("fleet foot"), is one
of the Harpies. She was the lover of Zephyrus and mother of Xanthus and
Balius, the supernatural horses of Achilles.
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Celaeno
One of the Pleiades. She was the lover of Poseidon and had Lycus with
him. According to some sources she was the mother of Deucalion with Prometheus.
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Ceto
Ceto is the daughter of Gaia and Pontus. She is the sister of Phorcys,
who was also her husband, Thaumas and Eurybia. She is the personification
of the dangers and horrors of the sea. Her name eventually became a name
for any generic sea monster. Ceto is regarded as the mother of the Gorgons
and many other monsters.
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Charites
The Charites, or Graces, are the personifications of charm and beauty
in nature and in human life. They love all things beautiful and bestow
talent upon mortals. Together with the Muses they serve as sources of
inspiration in poetry and the arts. Originally, they were goddesses of
fertility and nature, closely associated with the underworld and the Eleusinian
mysteries. Aglaea ("Splendor") is the youngest of the Graces
and is sometimes represented as the wife of Hephaestus. The other Graces
are Euphrosyne ("Mirth") and Thalia ("Good Cheer").
They are usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, or Dionysus
and Aphrodite. According to Homer the Graces belonged to the retinue of
Aphrodite. The Romans knew them under the collective name of the Gratiae
(qv).
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Charybdis
("sucker down") Charybdis was once a nymph-daughter of Poseidon
and Gaia who flooded lands for her father's underwater kingdom until Zeus
turned her into a monster and have her suck in and out water three times
an day. She lived in a cave at one side of the Strait of Messina, opposite
the monster Scylla, the two of them forming a dangerous threat to passing
ships.
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Chelone
A nymph who was turned into a turtle because she ridiculed or refused
to attend the wedding of Zeus and Hera. For her insulting words the gods
condemned her to eternal silence.
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Chimaera,
the
("she-goat") The daugher of the winter snake goddess Echidne
and the storm god Typhon.She had a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's
tail. Her name has come to mean 'an illusory vision' ; the Greek noun
khimaira means 'utopia' and is a feminine noun. |
Chione
The daughter of Boreas and Orithya, mother of Eumolphus. Or, The daughter
of Daedelion. She was so beautiful that even the gods fell in love with
her. Because her beauty led to vanity and pride, Artemis killed her.
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Chloe
An epithet for Demeter, meaning 'the young green'.
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Chloris
The Greek goddess of flowers, and the personification of spring. She is
the spouse of Zephyrus. Her Roman equivalent is Flora. Chloris is also
the name of a daughter of Niobe. She was the only child that was saved
when Apollo and Artemis took their vengeance on Niobe's children.
Chryseis
The daughter of Chryses. In the battle for Troy, Agamemnon received her
as a slave. When her father tried to buy her free, he was humiliated and
taunted by Agamemnon. Apollo then send a plague through the Greek camp,
which would only stop when Chryseis was returned to her father. The displeased
Agamemnon then claimed Achilles' slave Breseis, which led to a fatal conflict
between the two heroes. Greece
Chrysothemis
The daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Contrary to the fierce and
warrior-like sister Electra, Chrysothemis was meek and resigned in the
adulterous nature of her mother.
Circe
Circe, daughter of the sun, was a sorceress best known for her ability
to turn men into animals with her magic wand. The daughter of Perse and
Helios, and whose daughter is Aega (goddess of the sun) she is remembered
for her encounter with Odysseus and his men, and renowned for her knowledge
of magic and poisonous herbs. When Odysseus and his men landed in Aeaea,
his crew later met with Circe and were turned into pigs. Circe's spells
however had no effect on Odysseus who earlier was given an herb by Hermes
to resist her power. Circe realizing she was powerless over him lifted
the spell from the crew and welcomed them in her home. After about a year
when Odysseus leaves she warns them of the sirens they will encounter
on their journey. Circe and Odysseus also bore a child together named
Telegonus who later ruled over the Tyrsenians. Circe also has the powers
for spiritual purification as she purifies the Argonauts for the murder
of Apsyrtus.
Cleito
("key") According to Plato's account of Solon's interview with
the Egyptian priest, she was the daugher of Evenor, a man of Atlantis,
and his wife Leucippe ('white mare'). Poseidon fell in love with Cleito,
fathering five sets of twins on her, among whom were divided the five
areas of Atlantis.
Clio
The Muse of historical and heroic poetry. With Pierus, the king of Macedonia,
she is the mother of Hyacinth. She was credited for introducing the Phoenician
alphabet into Greece. Her attribute is usually a parchment scroll or a
set of tablets.
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Clotho
("spinner") (Klotho) The first of the three Fates, daughter
of Zeus out of Themis. She is sometimes pictured as a young maiden bearing
a spindle. Her office it is to take the stuff of life and spin it into
thread. See also Atropos and Lachesis. the youngest of the three Fates,
but one of the oldest goddesses in Greek mythology. She is a daughter
of Zeus and Themis. Each fate has a certain job, whether it be measuring
thread, spinning it on a spinning wheel, or cutting the thread at the
right length. Clotho is the spinner, and she spins the thread of human
life with her distaff. The length of the string will determine how long
a certain person's life will be. She is also known to be the daughter
of Night, to indicate the darkness and obscurity of human destiny. No
one knows for sure how much power Clotho and her sisters have, however,
they often disobey the ruler, Zeus, and other gods. For some reason, the
gods seem to obey them, whether because the fates do possess greater power,
or as some sources suggest, their existence is part of the order of the
Universe, and this the gods cannot disturb. |
Clytemnestra
(Clytaemnestra) The daughter of Leda and Tyndareus, and the half sister
of Helen. Clytemnestra and Helen are half sisters because Zeus appeared
to Leda in the form of a swan and raped her. On the same night, Tyndareus
also had sex with Leda and Leda became pregnant. Leda gave birth to four
children or in some versions, laid four eggs. Clytemnestra and Castor
were Tyndareus' children therefore they are mortal. Helen and Polydeuces
were Zeus', therefore they are immortal.
Clytemnestra's importance in Greek mythology comes from her marriage to
Agamemnon, Menelaus' brother. There are two versions of Clytemnestra's
involvement in the death of Agamemnon. Homer describes Agamemnon's departure
for the Trojan War, to help to avenge his brother Menelaus. While Agamemnon
is away, Aegisthus plotted to seduce Clytemnestra and murder Agamemnon
once he returned from the Trojan War. As the years passed, and there was
no word that the war was anywhere near an end, Clytemnestra weakened and
welcomed the sensuous advances of Aegisthus. When the war does finally
end, Agamemnon arrives home to be killed by men hired by Aegisthus. Orestes,
Agamemnon's and Clytemnestra's son, kills Aegisthus to avenge his father's
death. Clytemnestra disappears or is killed but Homer does not go into
to much detail about her. In this version, Clytemnestra is weak and insignificant
compared to the male players.
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Clytia
In Greek mythology, an ocean nymph who was in love with Apollo. When Apollo
fell in love for Leucothoe, the jealous Clytia betrayed her to her father.
In anger, he buried Leucothoe alive. The sad Apollo turned away from Clytia
and she languished and finally died. After her death she changed into
the heliotrope or sunflower, which, traditionally, still turns to the
sun, following him through his daily course.
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Coronis
Crow Goddess. The mother of Asclepius by Apollo. Even before she gave
birth to Asclepius she cheated on Apollo. Raven informed Apollo of her
infidelity and the god killed her (according to others it was Artemis).
Before her body was consumed on a funeral pyre, Apollo saved the life
of his son. Since then, raven have black feathers, where before they were
white.
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Cottyto
(Cotys)The Thracian goddess of immodesty and debauchery, worshipped at
Athens with licentious rites. Her priests were called Baptes, from the
Greek verb bapto, to wash, because of the ceremonies of purification connected
with her rites. It is possible that the names of the Cotys kings in Thrace
and Paphlagonia and the Cattini and Attacoti of North Britain are derived
from her name.
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Creusa
The daughter of the Corinthian king Creon. When Jason and Medea stayed
in Corinth, Jason divorced his wife and married Creusa. Medea took revenge
by giving the young bride a poisoned gown which stuck to Creusa's body
the moment she wore it and burned her to death.
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Cynosura
A nymph from the Ida Mountains on Crete. She was a wet-nurse of Zeus and
upon her death placed among the stars.
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Cynthia
Cynthia is an epithet of Artemis, referring to her and Apollo's place
of birth on Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos. For the same reason,
Apollo was called Cynthius.
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Cyone
Raped by her father, she forced him into a nearby temple and sacrificed
him on the altar.
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Cyrene
The daughter of the naiad Creusa and the mortal Hypseus, king of the Lapiths,
and granddaughter of the river god Peneus. This myth has Cyrene wrestling
a lion which was attacking her father's sheep. The god Apollo, passing
by, saw this and immediately fell in love with her. He carried her off
to Africa, where he built her a city (called Cyrene, on the coast of North
Africa). The region Cyrenaica is also named after her. Aristaeus is her
son by Apollo.
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Cytherea
An epithet of Aphrodite, referring to the fact that she rose from the
sea near the island of Cythera, and where she was particularly worshipped.
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