Great Goddesses Read online

  Io: Nymph and ancestor to many heroes. One of Zeus’s first victims. He abducted her and turned her into a cow so no one would recognise her and her family would not find her.

  Iphigenia: Daughter of Agamemnon who was sacrificed by her father so that the Greeks’ ships could sail to Troy. In most versions of the myth, the Goddess Artemis sees the courage in this girl and takes her away to be a high priestess.

  Keres: Death spirits who personified violent death. Daughters of Nyx and Chthonic deities. They are considered similar to the Valkyries of ancient Norse mythology.

  Khaos: The chasm from which the universe was born. The mother of all the primordials and the Greek creation myth.

  Kore: The girlhood name of Persephone when she was the Goddess of Spring and not yet the Queen of Hell.

  Kraken: A Norse name for Cetus, the sea monster.

  Kronos: Father of the Olympians who was King of the Titans and the heavens before his son Zeus defeated him.

  Lachesis: One of the Three Fates or the Moirai. Measurer of the thread of destiny.

  Lamia: a revered princess and a lover to Zeus. Hera punished her for her liaisons with Zeus by giving her a madness which made her kill her children, after which she became a widely mocked hermit. Zeus turned her into a monster so that those who mocked her would fear her.

  Leto: Goddess of Motherhood and sister to Asteria. Mother of Apollo and Artemis.

  Medusa: Originally a beautiful high priestess of the Temple of Athena. A victim of Poseidon’s lust, she prayed to Athena for help and the Goddess turned her into a monster with snakes for hair and the capacity to turn anyone into stone.

  Megara: Wife of Heracles. He murdered her along with their children in a fit of rage.

  Menelaus: King of Sparta and husband of Helen of Troy. He was also brother to Agamemnon.

  Metis: Oceanid, Goddess of Cunning and first wife of Zeus. She also raised Zeus in secret and taught him everything he knew. He devoured her because it was prophesied that she would give birth to a son who would overthrow him. Mother of Athena.

  Mnemosyne: One of the original Twelve Titans. The personification of memory and mother to the Nine Muses.

  Mormolykeia (pl.): Literally translated, it means the hideous ones; a fable used to frighten children.

  the Nemean lion: A vicious monster who lived in Nemea. Killed by Heracles during one of his twelve tasks.

  the Nereids: The fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris, the Nereids were water nymphs who were helpful to sailors.

  Nyx: Personification of the night and one of the first primordials. Daughter of Chaos and mother to many primordial Gods and Goddesses.

  the Oceanids (pl.): The three thousand River Goddesses who were children of Oceanus and Tethys, two of the original Twelve Titan children.

  Odysseus: King of Ithaca and a grandson of Hermes. One of the commanders in the battle of Troy, Odysseus was known for his cunning.

  Oizys: Goddess of Misery, Grief, Anxiety and Depression. Daughter of Nyx.

  Ouranos: The mate Gaia crafted for herself and the personification of the sky. He was the father of Gaia’s Titan children and the Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes. He was overthrown by his youngest Titan son, Kronos.

  Pallas: Warrior daughter of Triton, Sea God. Lover and best friend of Athena. She met her end under Athena’s spear amid friendly combat; Zeus distracted her with the Aegis so she misstepped. Athena, in remembrance, placed her name before her own and called herself Pallas Athena from then on.

  Paris: Prince of Troy who brought about its fall by eloping with Helen, the Queen of Sparta. Paris is known for his role in choosing Aphrodite when the three Goddesses – Hera, Athena and Aphrodite – asked him to give the apple of discord to the Goddess he found most beautiful. Athena and Hera cursed him.

  Patroclus: Warrior at Troy and lover of Achilles. When Patroclus died at the hands of Hector, Achilles nearly single-handedly destroyed Troy.

  Peitho: Goddess of Persuasion and Seduction, and wife of Hermes. She was also a companion of Aphrodite.

  Penelope: Queen of Ithaca who ruled with shrewd common sense while her husband Odysseus fought the war for the Greeks in Troy.

  Persephone: Queen of the Underworld and daughter of Demeter, who became wife of Hades. Her name means the Destroyer.

  Perseus: Husband to Andromeda and founder of Mycene. He beheaded Medusa.

  Phaeton: Originally the son of Helios, in this book, the son of Apollo. He thought he could drive the sun chariot to impress his friends but slipped and went off course and ended up setting half the world on fire. Zeus killed him with a lightning bolt to prevent more damage.

  Phoebe: One of the original Twelve Titans and Goddess of Shining. Her name is the reason behind Artemis and Apollo sometimes being called Phoebus Apollo and Phoebe Artemis.

  Pirithous: King of the Lapiths of Larissa. He and Theseus pledged to carry off daughters of Zeus and they descended into the Underworld to steal Persephone for Pirithous. Persephone punished his insolence by setting the Erinyes on them. In some versions of the tale, she invites Theseus and Pirithous to sit at her table to eat, but the chairs turn into bonds that leave the two men trapped till Heracles was able to free Theseus (but not Pirithous).

  Polydorus: Youngest son of Priam and Hecuba, and a prince of Troy. He was sent with gold to Thrace under the protection of King Polymestor. When Troy fell, the king murdered Polydorus by drowning him.

  Polymestor: King of Thrace who betrayed the oath of Priam by killing his son. When Hecuba found out, she killed Polymestor’s sons and blinded him.

  Poseidon: God of the Sea and one of the Twelve Olympians. Son of Rhea and Kronos.

  Priam: King of Troy and father of Hector, Paris, Cassandra, among others.

  Prometheus: Titan, father of man and best friend of Zeus who crafted mortals from clay. Prometheus had the gift of prophecy and was punished for giving man divine fire.

  Rhea: Mother of the Olympians and one of the original Twelve Titans. Wife of Kronos who helped to defeat him.

  Scylla: Legendary monster who features in the Odyssey.

  Selene: Titan Goddess of the Moon, sister to Helios and Eos, and daughter of Hyperion.

  Semele: mortal daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (daughter of Ares and Aphrodite), who became mother to Dionysus by Zeus. Unfortunately she was tricked by Hera into asking Zeus to appear to her in his true form, which then incinerated her while Dionysus was still in her womb. Zeus rescued Dionysus by sewing him into his thigh. When he grew up Dionysus rescued his mother from Hades.

  Tethys: One of the original Twelve Titans and mother to thousands of Oceanids and River Gods. Wife to Oceanus. Daughter to Gaia and Ouranos.

  Theia: One of the original Twelve Titans and mother to Helios, Selene and Eos. Consort of Hyperion.

  Themis: Personification of divine order and fairness, justice and law. She is one of the original Twelve Titans.

  Theseus: Hero who defeated the Minotaur of Crete.

  Titanides (pl.): The six original Titan Goddesses.

  the Titanomachy: The ten thousand-year war between the Titans and the Olympians started by Zeus and Kronos. The Titans lost and were sent to Tartarus, the innermost circle of hell reserved for immortals.

  Triton: Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, and father to Pallas, who was Athena’s lover and comrade. Triton raised Athena as his own and taught her the wisdom of warfare when Zeus couldn’t raise her himself.

  Typhon: Husband to Echidna and the son of Tartarus and Gaia, created by Gaia to defeat the Olympians.

  Zeus: The first Olympian and King of the Gods. He also defeated his father Kronos to gain access to the throne of the Heavens by starting the Titanomachy.

  Acknowledgements

  With thanks to:

  My parents, for raising me with mythology in my bones.

  My grandparents, for every o
ld clothbound book of mythology that sits in their homes.

  My brother, for being reassuring and reading the stories with me.

  Emma, for always believing in me and being the most incredible editor a writer could ask for.

  Niki, for being the loveliest and best agent, and my champion.

  Steve, for being my rock, always.

  Tristan and Joanna, for being the dearest of friends and always believing in me.

  Clare and Layla, my very best friend and my lovely niece.

  Amanda and Trista, my found family.

  Nikesh, for being an absolute inspiration.

  The team over at Ebury, especially Chloe, Stephenie and Michelle for being marvellous and supporting me throughout this process.

  Shaun, Alison, Rebekah, Dave, Clara, Lauz, Emma, Heather, Ross, Matt, for their friendship, kindness and support while writing – especially when I thought I would fail.

  Henry and Tom, for their motivation during this book’s creation and my next venture.

  Robert Graves, Homer, Apollodorus, Hesiod, Ovid, Margaret Atwood, Madeline Miller, Edith Hamilton and Stephen Fry for writing the most excellent books which aided me along the way.

  And finally and always, to you who found this book and joined me on this journey from the heavens to the underworld to meet monsters, Gods, Goddesses and mortals. I hope this book brings you the belief that you are a divine hero too.

  About the Author

  Nikita Gill is a British-Indian writer and poet living in the south of England. With a huge online following, her words have entranced hearts and minds all over the world.

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