Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Norns

(Encyclopedia)Norns, the Norse Fates. Like the Fates of Greek religion and mythology, the Norns spun and wove the web of life. Belief in the Norns was of great importance in Germanic religion and life. It was said ...

maenads

(Encyclopedia)maenads mēˈnădz [key], in Greek and Roman religion and mythology, female devotees of Dionysus. They roamed mountains and forests, adorned with ivy and skins of animals, waving the thyrsus. When the...

Chaos

(Encyclopedia)Chaos kāˈōs [key], in Greek religion and mythology, vacant, unfathomable space. From it arose all things, earthly and divine. There are various legends explaining it. In one version, Eurynome rose ...

Memnon

(Encyclopedia)Memnon mĕmˈnŏn [key], in Greek mythology, king of Ethiopia, son of Tithonus and Eos. In the Trojan War he fought against the Greeks, and after he had killed Antilochus, he himself was killed by Ach...

Ikaría

(Encyclopedia)Ikaría or Icaria both: īkârˈēə [key], mountainous island, c.100 sq mi (260 sq km), SE Greece, one of the Southern Sporades, near Turkey. It has iron-ore deposits and sulfur springs. According to...

Amphilochus

(Encyclopedia)Amphilochus ămfĭlˈəkəs [key], in Greek mythology, son of Amphiaraüs and Eriphyle and brother of Alcmaeon. He was one of the Epigoni and with his brother slew Eriphyle for her treachery in bringi...

Müller, Karl Otfried

(Encyclopedia)Müller, Karl Otfried mülˈər [key], 1797–1840, German classical scholar and archaeologist. He was professor of classics at the Univ. of Göttingen (1819–39), lecturing on art history, literatu...

Hippolyte

(Encyclopedia)Hippolyte hĭpŏlˈĭtē [key], in Greek mythology, an Amazon queen. One of the 12 labors of Hercules was to take the golden girdle of Ares from her. To accomplish his task Hercules captured Hippolyte...

Gaea

(Encyclopedia)Gaea jēˈə [key], in Greek religion and mythology, the earth, daughter of Chaos, both mother and wife of Uranus (the sky) and Pontus (the sea). Among Gaea's offspring by Uranus were the Cyclopes, th...

Amphiaraüs

(Encyclopedia)Amphiaraüs ămˌfēərāˈəs [key], in Greek mythology, a prophet, one of the ill-fated Seven against Thebes. He foresaw the disaster of the expedition, but Polynices bribed his wife, Eriphyle, with...