Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Uranus , in Greek religion and mythology

(Encyclopedia)Uranus, in Greek religion and mythology, the heaven, first ruler of the universe, son of Gaea (the earth). He was the father of Gaea's children, the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hundred-handed Ones (...

Titan , in Greek religion and mythology

(Encyclopedia)Titan, in Greek religion and mythology, one of 12 primeval deities. The female Titan is also called Titaness. The Titans—six sons and six daughters—were the children of Uranus and Gaea. They were ...

Tethys , in Greek religion and mythology

(Encyclopedia)Tethys, in Greek religion and mythology, a Titan, daughter of Gaea and Uranus. She was the wife of the seagod Oceanus and the mother of the Oceanids. ...

Rhea, in Greek religion and mythology

(Encyclopedia)Rhea, in Greek religion and mythology, a Titan. She was the wife and sister of Kronos, by whom she bore Zeus, Poseidon, Pluto, Hestia, Hera, and Demeter. She eventually helped Zeus overthrow Kronos. H...

phoenix, in mythology

(Encyclopedia)phoenix, fabulous bird that periodically regenerated itself, used in literature as a symbol of death and resurrection. According to legend, the phoenix lived in Arabia; when it reached the end of its ...

Aphrodite

(Encyclopedia)Aphrodite ăfrədīˈtē [key], in Greek religion and mythology, goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. Homer designated her the child of Zeus and Dione. Hesiod's account of her birth is more popular...

Pallas, in classical mythology

(Encyclopedia)Pallas pălˈəs [key], in classical mythology. 1 Name given to Athena after she killed either a youthful playmate named Pallas or, in some legends, the giant Pallas. 2 Goatish giant killed by Athena ...

puck, in Germanic mythology

(Encyclopedia)puck pŭk [key], in Germanic folklore, generic name for various malevolent spirits. The medieval English pouke was often identified with the devil. However, the Puck of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night...

mythology

(Encyclopedia)mythology [Greek,=the telling of stories], the entire body of myths in a given tradition, and the study of myths. Students of anthropology, folklore, and religion study myths in different ways, distin...

Browse by Subject