ALCESTIS and ADMETUS: Admetus was dying, and APOLLO wanted to save him. ZEUS said that if anyone was willing to die for him, they could take his place. Admetus' wife, Alcestis, offered and started to die. But HERCULES stepped in and fought off death, and both lived for a long time after. When Alcestis died as an old woman, Admetus didn't live much longer. APHRODITE (Greek) - VENUS (Roman): Goddess of love & beauty. Daughter of CRONUS?, wife of VULCAN. Mother of CUPID, Anteros. Symbols: Myrtle, rose, doves. Emerged from the sea near the island of Cythera, and so sometimes called Cynthia. The most beautiful woman in the world, she could also grant this gift to others. She also had an affair with MARS, and. She had a chariot drawn by doves. Was very heartbroken by the death of ADONIS. She didn't like her husband very much. ARACHNE: The Spider Was a beautiful Weaver. She challenged ATHENA to a weaving contest and lost. But Athena didn't want to waste her weaving talents, so she turned Arachne into the spider. ARIADNE: Daughter of king Minos, wife of BACCHUS. She helped Thesus escape from the maze of the minotaur by giving him a ball of thread and a sword. He killed the minotaur, and she left with him. He abandoned her later, however, at the command of Bacchus, who then took her as his wife. ARTEMIS (Greek) - DIANA, CYNTHIA (Roman): Goddess of the Hunt & Moon. Daughter of ZEUS and LETO. Symbols: Moon, bow, arrows, hunting dogs. Was raised by HECATE on mount Cynthus, and taught about wild animals. She rode her chariot drawn by stags over the sky at night; the moon. Also Goddess of healing. Sometimes seen as wearing a white robe with a cresent moon on her forehead. Usually seen as cold and unyeilding. She fell in love with ENDYMION. Good friend of ORION. Killed NIOBE's children. ATHENA, PALLAS (Greek) - MINERVA (Roman): Goddess of wisdom. Daughter of ZEUS. Symbols: Owl, olive, weaving, breastplate. Sprang fully formed from the head of Zeus. Watched over governments, and guarded wise rulers. She wore Medusa's head on her breastplate, and guarded virgins. She was also good at weaving. She had a contest with NEPTUNE to bring a gift of most benefit to mankind. The winner would have a city named after them in Attica. Neptune produced the horse. Pallas Athena produced the olive tree. The city was named Athens. Later, she was also challenged by ARACHNE to a weaving contest. Athena won, and changed Arachne into a spider. ATLANTA: Was prophesied that marriage would kill her, so she decided not to get married. She was a follower of DIANA. Men wouldn't leave her alone, so she decided that she would only marry a man who could out-race her. No-one could, and they were all executed. Hippomenes went to VENUS for help, and she gave him 3 golden apples. Atlanta ran ahead of him, but he threw the apples in her path, and each time she stopped to pick them up. Hippomenes won, and married her. However, the couple forgot to thank Venus, and so she changed them into lions, and chained them to RHEA's chariot. BELLONA (Roman): Goddess of War. Sometimes seen as sister or wife of MARS. BRIGIT (Celtic): Earth Goddess. Also Goddess of knowlege, and poetry. Protectress of women. Also sometimes known as DANA, DON, ANA, DANU, she is then the mother of the Gods. CALLISTO: Mother of: Arcas Lived in Arcadia, lover of ZEUS. HERA became bitter and changed Callisto into a bear. One day, Callisto saw her son, and tried to embrace him. He tried to kill her, but Zeus changed them both into constellations (Great Bear and Little Bear) that never set at night. CIRCE: The enchantress. Daughter of APOLLO. Lived on the island of Aeaea. MERCURY helped Ulysses avoid the spells of Circe by giving him Moly (A magic herb). CLYTIE: Was in love with APOLLO, but he didn't love her. She neglected herself so much that eventually she died. She became the sunflower who looks at the sun all the time. DANAIDES: The daughters of the king of Argos. They murdered their husbands, so in the underworld they were condemned to carry water around in a sieve. DAPHNE: Was shot by CUPID with lead arrows, to dislike APOLLO. Apollo was shot with a gold arrow to fall in love with her. He pursued her so much that she turned into the Laurel tree. DEMETER (Greek) - CERES (Roman): Grain Goddess Daughter of CRONUS and RHEA. Mother of PERSEPHONE. Goddess of the Earth, and crops. The patroness of farmers. Sometimes seen as having a cornucopia. She withdraws her fertile hand from the earth for 6 months a year while her daughter is with HADES. DIKE (Roman): Goddess of Justice ECHO: An OREAD who was friends with DIANA. One day, she detained HERA in a conversation while ZEUS was flirting with other women. Hera was so angry that she took away Echo's power to start a conversation. Echo eventually fell in love with NARCISSUS, but couldn't say anything to him except by repeating what he had just said. He thought she was making fun of him, so he tried to avoid her. Eventually, she faded away until she was only a voice. EOS (Greek) - AURORA (Roman): Goddess of the dawn. Wife of TITHONUS. Mother of PHOSPHOR. Scared away the morning star, Phosphor, every day. Created the morning breeze. Protectress of young people, and especially in the morning. EUMENIDES (Greek) - FURIES (Roman): Attendants to PERSEPHONE. Women with wings and snakes in their hair; they had blood dripping from their eyes. They punished people who weren't punished enough during their lifetimes. EUROPA: Mother of: The Minotaur, MINOS A Beautiful princess from Asia, ZEUS fell in love with her, and seduced her in the shape of a bull. Their child was the Minotaur.

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