Grace

The Kharites or Charites or Grace in Greek mythology is described as one of a group of goddess who personified charm and beauty.  The Grace were usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, however in other versions daughters of Zeus by Hera or Harmonia or Lethe or Eunomia or Eurydomene. Also in some versions they were daughters of Helios and Aegle, or of Apollo by  Aegle or Evanthe, or of Dionysus by Aphrodite or Coronis. 
The number of Grace varied in different legends, but usually they were three:
 Aglaia (brightness), 
Euphrosyne (joyfulness), and 
Thalia (bloom).
Other Grace sometimes mentioned were: 
Auxo,
 Hegemone,
 Peitho, 
Phaenna,
 Kharis, and
 Pasithea. 
               The Grace were attendants of the goddess Aphrodite and Hera. 

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Iris

Iris and Morpheus

In Greek mythology, Iris was described as the goddess of the rainbow, and the messenger of the Olympian gods. Iris was described goddess of the sea and sky, as she was the daughter of Thaumas (sea god) and Electra (cloud nymph). As the messenger of the gods, Iris is described as swift-footed, like a storm wind and she principally engaged in the, service of Zeus, and also Hera. 
 

Iris and Zeus

                                    Iris performed her services not only when commanded but she sometimes advice and assists of her own accord. Iris was chosen by the gods to carry water from the Styx (the river of oaths) to Mt Olympus for the gods to swear by. 
 

Iris carry water from the river Styx

                         Iris was described as a virgin goddess, but later writers said that she was married to Zephyrus, the god of west wind. 

Iris and Zephyrus

                Iris was represent either as a rainbow or as a young maiden with wings. She was usually depicted standing beside Zeus or Hera sometimes as cupbearer of the gods she is often indistinguishable from Hebe in art.

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Hebe

Hebe

In Greek mythology, Hebe is described as goddess of youth, and daughter of Zeus and Hera. Hebe was the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mt Olympus.  She was also the goddess of the young bride and an attendant of the goddess Aphrodite. Hebe had power to make persons of advanced age young again. Hebe assists Hera in putting the horses to her chariot and she bathes and dresses her brother Ares.  Hebe's male counterpart was the boy Ganymede. When Hercules ascended into heaven after his painful death, Hebe became his bride.  Hebe became by Hercules the mother of two sons, Alexiares and Anitcetus. Sometime she was represented with wings like the goddess Iris and Nike.

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Phobos

In Greek mythology, Phobos is described as the son of Aphrodite and Ares, and twin brother of Deimos (terror). Phobos was described as the personification of fear. In Greek mythology, Phobos is more of a personification of the fear brought by war and does not appear as a character in any myth. He was known for accompanying Ares into battle along with Enyo, Eris, and Deimos (terror).

Phobos often is depicted as having a lion's or lion like head. Warriors and heroes who worshiped Phobos such as Hercules and Agamemnon carried shields with depiction of Phobos on them. Those who worshiped Phobos often made bloody sacrifices in his name. 

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Sinope

Sinope was the daughter of river-god Asopus by Metope. According to other version she was daughter of Ares by Aegiva or Parnassa. There is two stories about Sinope:- First she was abducted by Apollo and carried to the place where later stood the city of her name, the city Sinope on the Black Sea. A son named Syrus was born from their union. Second  she was abducted to the place by Zeus, who in his passion, swore to fulfill her wish. Sinope declared she wished to remain a virgin. Sinope later tricked Apollo and the river Halys in the same fashion and remained a virgin all her life. 

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Othreis

Othreis

In Greek mythology, Othreis was an Oreiad or Naiad nymph, who was loved by Apollo and Zeus. She became mother of Phager (Phagrus) by Apollo, and of Meliteus by Zeus. According to legend, when Othreis gave birth to Zeus child (Meliteus), she was in fear of Hera wrath. In fear of Hera, as Othreis had affair with Zeus (Hera husband), she exposed her child in forest. The child however nurtured by bees and thus survived. He was soon found by his half-brother, Phager, who was pasturing his sheep in forest.  Impressed with the child being nurtured in such a marvelous way, Phager took him home (to Phthia). Phager brought him up with great care and gave him name Meliteus, "Bee-Man", because he had been nourished by bees. When Meliteus grew up, he founded the city Melite in Phthia.

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Ganymede

Ganymede

In Greek mythology, Ganymede was a Trojan prince, son of Tros or Laomedon. He was the most beautiful of all morals. Ganymede was carried off by Zeus either in his natural shape or in the form of an eagle or he sent his eagle to fetch Ganymede into heaven (Mt Olympus). Ganymede was carried off, to be the cupbearer of Zeus, in which office he was conceived to have succeeded Hebe. Zeus compensated the father of Ganymede, with the present of a pair of divine horses, and Hermes who took the horses to Ganymede's father, at same time comforted him by informing him that by will of Zeus, Ganymede had became immoral and exempt from old age. The other version state that the compensation which Zeus have to Ganymede's father consisted of a golden vine.

Zeus and Ganymede

Later writers describe him as the beloved and favorite of Zeus. Ganymede was frequently represented as the god of homosexual love. In a rare version, Ganymede was said to be carried of by Tantalus or Minos, and that he was killed during the chase.

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Eos

Eos

                                    In Greek mythology, Eos was the daughter of Hyperion and Theia or Euryphassa and sister of Helios (sun) and Selene (moon). Eos was the rosy fingered goddess of the dawn. Eos rose up into the sky from the river Oceanus at the start of eachday and with her rays of light dispersed the mists of night. She was sometimes depicted riding in a golden chariot drawn by winged horses at other time she was shown borne aloft by her own pair of wings. Eos is most noted for her insatiable appetite for youngmen.

Eos riding in a golden chariot

As Eos had affair with the war god Ares and was cursed with unsatisfiable sexual desire by the jealous Aphrodite. This caused her to abduct a number of handsome youngmen, most notable Cephalus, Orion, Cletus, and Tithonus. Tithonus by whom she became mother of Emathion and Memnon. Eos begged Zeus to make Tithonus immortal, but forgot to request eternal youth for him. So long as he was young and beautiful she lived with him at the end of the earth on the bank of Oceanus and when he grew old she nursed him until his voice disappeared and his body became quite dry, and then transformed him into cricket.

Eos and Tithonus

                          By Astraeus she became mother of Boreas, Notus, Heosphorus, Zephyrus, and other stars. When her son Memnon was going to fight against Achilles, she asked Hephaetus to give arms for him and when Memnon was killed her tears fell down in form of morning dew.

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Callisto

 

Callisto and Zeus in disguise of Artemis

Callisto or Kallisto was the daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia. She was one of Artemis hunting attendants. As a companion of Artemis, Callisto took a vow to remain a virgin. Zeus, who was in love with Callisto, appeared to her in disguise of Artemis, gained her confidence and took advantage of her. 

 Zeus turn Callisto into a bear when Hera came across them as they were consorting or zeus jealous wife Hera angrily transformed her into a bear. Hera also persuaded Artemis to think she was a normal bear and to shoot her. Zeus sent Hermes to recover the child, Arcas from her womb and deliver him into the care of Maia. Zeus came to rescue turning Callisto into the constellation Arctos, the great bear also known as Ursa Major. Later she was joined by her son who became the nearby constellation Arctophylase, the little bear, also known as Ursa Minor. 
 

Callisto pregnant condition was discovered while bathing

According to other version Callisto pregnant condition was discovered some months later while bathing with  Artemis and her fellow nymphs. Artemis in her anger transformed Callisto into a bear. Hunters then caught and delivered her son Arcas. Later when her son was grown, Callisto, still a bear, encountered the son hunting in the forest. When Arcas was about to kill his own mother with his javelen, Zeus prevent the tragedy by placing mother and son amongst the stars as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor respectively. Hera holds  grudge against Callisto asked Tethys and Oceanus not to allow Callisto to enter thier realm, the ocean.  Due to this Callisto must circle the North Star and never set over the horizon (circumpolar position).

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Danaides

 

Danaides

In Greek mythology, the fifty daughters of Danaus were know as Danaides. The family migrated from Libya in North Africa to Argos in Greek. The fifty sons of Danaus' brother Aigyptus later arrived in Argos in search of their cousins. They forced Danaus to let them marry the girls, but he persuaded his daughters to murder the men on their wedding night.

Danaides murdered their husband

 All murdered their husband on the wedding night, except Hypermnestra, who spare her husband Lynceus, because he respected her desire to remain a virgin. Danaus was angered that his daughter refused to do as he ordered and was punished her with imprisonment, but afterwards restored to her husband Lynceus. The Danaides buried the corpses of their victims and were purified from their crime by Hermes and Athena at the command of Zeus. 

Danaus afterward found it difficult to obtain husbands for his daughters, so he invited men to public contests, in which his daughters were given as prizes to the victors. According to other version  Lynceus killed Danaus as revenge for the death of his brother, and he and Hypermnestra started the Danaid Dynasty of rulers in Argos. The other fourty nine Danaides remarried by choosing their mate in foot races. 
 

Danaides in underworld

Not withstanding Danaides purification mentioned by earlier writers, later poets tell  Danaides were punished for the crime by Hades, after their death, in Tartarus (underworld) forced them to carry water from the Styx in a jar to fill a bathtub with a leak, to wash their sins off. Because the water was always leaking they would forever try to fill the tub. In rare version Danaides were killed by Lynceus together with their father.

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Lamia

Limia

In Greek mythology, Lamia was described as a beautiful queen of Libya and was a mistress of Zeus. Zeus jealous wife Hera kill all Lamia's children and transformed her into a monster that hunt and devours the children of other. Another version stated that as Hera kill all Lamia's children and it being Lamia herself, losing her mind from grief and despair, who starts stealing and devouring others' children out of envy, the repeated monstrosity of which transforms her into a monster on its own.

Limia with a snake tail below the waist

 In some versions Lamia is described with a serpent's (snake) tail below the waist. In later stories, Lamia was cursed with the inability to close her eyes so that she would always obsess over the image of her dead children. Zeus gave her the power of taking her eyes out of head and putting them in again. Later traditions referred to many Lamiae, who were beautiful ghostly women, seduced youngmen, and fed on their blood. In some versions she is also called the mother of Scylla. 

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Dryope

Dryope

Dryope was the daughter of Dryops, king of Oeta or of Eurytus. Dryope used to play with Hamadryads (tree nymphs) of the wood on Mt Oeta. Hamadryads taught her to sing hymns to the gods and to dance. Once Apollo saw her and fall in love with her. In order to gain possession of her, Apollo transformed himself into a tortoise. The tree-nymphs played with the tortoise and Dryope took it into her lap. 

Dryope and Apollo

Apollo then changed himself into a snake, which frightened the nymphs away. Dryope tried to run, but he coiled around her legs and held her arms tightly against her sides, as he seduce her. Soon after she married Andraemon, the son of Oxylus, but she became, by Apollo, the mother of Amphissus, who, afterhe had grown up built the town of Oeta and a temple to Apollo.  
The tree-nymphs came to converse with Dryope, who had became a priestess of the temple, but one day Apollo return in the form of a serpent and coiled around her while she stood by a spring.this time Dryope was turn into a poplar tree.

 According to other version, Dryope saw the red flowers of the lotus tree, the nymph Lotis who when ran from Priapus advances, had transformed into a tree. Dryope wanted to give the flower to her baby (Amphissus) to play with, but when she picked mode the used started to tremble and bleed.   She tried to run away, but the alone of the tree had found her feet slowly began to turn into poplar tree. Before fully transform into poplar tree, her husband Andraemon on hearing her cries, came to her. She had enough time to warm her husband to take case of their child and make sure that he did not pick flower. 

According to some versions, Hermes became father of Pan by Dryope, daughter of Dryops.

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Amymone

 

Amymone

 Amymone was princess of Argos, one of the Danaides, the fifty daughters of Danaus. The family migrated from Libya in North Africa to Argos in Greece. But new land was parched by drought. So Danaus sent his daughters out to find water.

Danaides, the fifty daughters of Danus

 Amymone whiled searching for water, threw a spear at a deer and hit a sleeping satyr, who woke, jump up and was ready to have sex with her. Then Poseidon appeared and the Satyr ran off. Poseidon himself have sex with her, after which he told her about the spring of Lerna. She bore him a son name Nauplius.
 

Amymone, Poseidon and Satyr

 The fifty sons of Danaus' brother Aigyptus, later arrived in Argos in search of their cousins. They forced Danaus to let them marry the girls, but he persuaded his daughters to murder the men on their wedding night. Amymone compelled, slaying her husband Enkeladus. 

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Danae

Danae

According to Greek mythology, Danae was the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos. After an oracle warned her father that she would bear a son by whom he would be slain, he confined Danae in a tower. Her prison however, was easily infiltrated by the Zeus, who seduce her in the guise of a golden shower, and she gave birth to Perseus. According to some versions she was impregnated by her uncle Proseus. Mother and child were then placed in a wooden box and cast unto the sea. 

They drifted ashore on the island of Seriphus, and Perseus grew up there. The island king Polydectes was charmed by Danae but she had on interest in him. Polydectes agree not to marry her only he her son would bring the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Using Athena's shield, Hermes's winged sandals, and Hades' helmet of invisibility Perseus was able to evade Medusa's gaze and beheaded her. 

Perseus with Medusa's head

According to other version,   Perseus was angry that he had been sent on quest to kill Medusa. So that his mother, Danae was alone to be pursued by Polydectes. Perseus turned Polydectes and his allies to stone with Medusa's head. Perseus rescued his mother and took her to Argos. However learning of the prophecy instead went to  Larissa, where athletic games were being held. By chance, Acrisius was there and Perseus accidentally struck him on the head with his javelin and kill his grandfather.

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Chione

1.Chione or Khione was the daughter of Boreas, god of the chill north wind and Oreithyia, the lady of mountain gales, and was sister of Cleopatra, Zetes, and Calais. In Greek mythology Chione is described as goddess of snow. 

Chione

 Chione had intercourse with Poseidon, and when she have birth to Eumoplus, without letting her father know. She threw the baby into the deep sea to avoid discovery. But Poseidon rescued the baby and took the baby to Aithiopia. He gave baby to Benthesikyme, the deep wave (his daughter).


2.Chione or khione was a nymph, she was said to have been abducted by Boreas, god of north wind, and brought by him to Mt Niphantes.

Boreas and Chione

 Chione gave birth to hyperborean Boreades, the three gaint sons of Boreas.


3.Chione or Khione was the daughter of Daedalion. She was very beautiful and had countless suitors. Once Apollo and Hermes saw her and both fall in love with her. Hermes put her to sleep and seduce her. Apollo waited for nightfall and then approached her in the guise of an old woman and seduce her. 
 

Chione

Chione became pregnant with twin, Philamon (son of Apollo) and Autolycus (son of Hermes). Chione became so vain, she compared her beauty with Artemis. Artemis killed her with an arrow. Daedalion grieved so much at his daughter's death the he jump from peak of Mt Parnassus, and was transformed by Apollo into a hawk.   

4.Chione or khione was a Naiad nymph, daughter of River Neilus (Nile) in Aigyptus (Egypt). She was raped by a peasant and cast down upon the desert. 
 

Chione

Zeus pity on her and send Hermes, who transformed her into a cloud, which snowed down upon the desert.

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Pan

Pan

Pan was the god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain, wilds, hunting, and rustic music. In Greek mythology Pan was usually said to be son of Hermes by the daughter of Dryops, or by Thymbris or by Penelope, and in some versions son of Zeus. Pan wandered the hills and mountain of Arkadia playing his pan-pipes and chasing Nymphs. 

Pan with Nymphs

                                                  His unseen presence aroused feelings of panic in men passing through the remote, lonely places of the wilds. Pan was often represented as a vigorous  and lustful figure with the horns, legs, and ears of a goat. Pan was lover of nymphs, and nymphs commonly fled from his advances. Syrinx ran away from Pan advances and was transformed into a clump of reeds, out of which Pan crafted his famous pan-pipes. Some Christian depictions of the devil bear a striking resemblance to Pan. Pan could inspire irrational terror in humans, and the word 'panic' came from his name.

Pan love
  Echo :  Syrinx : (update soon) 

Related
 Music contest between Apollo and Pan :

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Europa

Europa

Europa was the daughter either of Phoenix or of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. Her beauty inspired the love of Zeus. Zeus transformed himself into a white bull and mixed in with Europa father's herds. When Europa with her companions were gathering flowers, she saw the beautiful bull. She caressed his flanks and eventually got onto his back. Zeus took that opportunity and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back to island of Crete.

                    Europa pleaded with him to pity her. Zeus them reveled his true identity and explained his love. After bearing Zeus three sons, she married the king of Crete, who adopted her sons. They grew up to become King Minos of Crete, King Rhadamanthus of the Cyclades, and Prince Sarpedon of Lycia. They became the three judge of underworld when they die. On Crete Europa was worshiped under the name Hellotis. The continent of Europe is named for her.

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Io

Io was the daughter of Inachus, the founder of the worship of Hera at Argos, and according to other versions she was daughter of Iasus or Peiren. Zeus fell in love with Io and lusted after her. Io rejected Zeus advances untill the oracles caused her own father to drive her out into the field of Lerna. Zeus pursued Io, covered her with clouds to hide her from the eyes of his wife (Hera), and seduce her.

Io covered with clouds

                                    Hera notice the clouds and got suspicious. She came down from Mt Olympus and began dispersing the clouds. Zeus transform Io into  white cow, so when clouds dispersed Hera found Zeus standing next to a white cow. Hera was not fooled, she demanded the cow, as a present, and Zeus could not refuse her without arousing suspicion. 

                                     Hera immediately put Io under the watch of hundred eyed creature, Argus. And even when Argus was sleeping, he never closed more than half of his eyes. Zeus sent Hermes to kill Argus and set Io free. Disguised as a shepherd Hermes had to employ all his skill as a musician and story-teller to gain Argus confidence and lull him to sleep with all hundred eyes closed. Once asleep Hermes killed Argus. Hera was enraged at this, but did not know who had done it. Hera put some of Argus eyes on the tail of peacock. Peacock have these eyes to this day. 

Hera in grief after Argus death

Hera put some of Argus eyes on the tail of peacock

                              Hera sent a gadfly to torment (string) Io without rest. According to some versions ghost of Argus pursued Io as well. This pushed Io near madness, trying to escape she wandered the world. During her wanders she came across Prometheus while chained, and everyday a giant eagle, fed on his liver. Despite his agony, he hate Io hope. He predicted that she would have to wander for many years, but she would eventually be changed back into human form and would bear a child. 
                          
                           According to some versions he also predicted that a descendent of this child would be a great hero and set him free. Io wander across the Europe and crossed the bodies of water later named the Ionian Sea and the Bosporus (ford of the cow) in her honour. When she arrived in Egypt, Zeus restore her back to  human form. According to other version Hera agreed to changing her back into a human, but only Zeus sword never to look at or speak to Io again. Io bore Epaphus and eleven generations later her descendent Hercules set Prometheus free. Io was later identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis.  


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Nemesis

Nemesis

                                                   In Greek mythology, Nemesis is described as daughter of Nyx (night) with no father, in some versions she is described as daughter of Erebus and Nyx, or Oceanus.  Nemesis was often depicted as a winged goddess. Nemesis was the goddess of indignation against and retribution for, evil deeds and undeserved good fortune. Nemesis distributes happiness and unhappiness, and take care that happiness was not too frequent or too excessive. If this happene Nemesis could bring about losses and suffering.  
                                 According to some versions, Nemesis was the mother of Helen. When Zeus show his interest towards Nemesis, she to avoid him, turns into a goose.  Zeus turns into a swan and mate with her. Nemesis in her bird form laid an egg that was found by shepherd. Shepherd gave it to Leda, who carefully kept it in a chest until the egg hatched, Leda adopted Helen as her daughter. 

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Leda

Leda

                             In Greek mythology, Leda was the daughter of King Thestius of Aetolia and wife of King Tyndareus of Lacedaemon (or Sparta). Zeus fell in love with Leda and lusted after her.  Zeus visited her in form of swan, and fell into her arms for protection from a pursuing eagle. Zeus seduce her in the form of a swam. 

On the same night Leda had intercourse with her husband Tyndareus. As a result Leda laid two eggs each of which contain one child of Zeus, Pollux in one and Helen in the other, and one child each of her husband,  Castor and Clytemnestra. According to other version Leda laid an egg from which were hatched the twins Castor and Pollux, both sons of Zeus. Another version states that Nemesis was the mother of Helen, and was also impregnated by Zeus in the form of a swan. A shepherd found the egg and gave it to Leda. She carefully kept it in a chest until the egg hatched. Leda adopted Helen as her daughter.  Leda also had other daughter by Tyndareus- Timandra, Phoebe, and Philonoe.   

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Athena and Hephaestus

Athena and Hephaestus

                                Athena the goddess of war and wisdom, once went to workshop of the smith god Hephaestus. As she wanted to make some weapons. Hephaestus, who was deserted by his wife, Aphrodite (goddess of sexual love and beauty), became aroused by Athena, and started chasing her as she ran from him. When he caught up with her with much effort (as he was lame), he tried to enter her, but she, being the model of virginal self-control, would not let him. 

Athena and Hephaestus

                                 So as he ejaculated, his semen fell on her leg. Athena wiped Hephaestus semen, with scrap of wool,  from her leg and threw it upon the earth. The goddess of earth, Gaea, was accidentally impregnated by the semen of Hephaestus and bore a son Erichthonius. Athena felt a certain responsibility for this child and raised it  as her own.

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Eris

Eris with golden apple

                                               In Greek mythology, Eris is described as personification of strife. Eris is described as daughter of Nyx (night) and according to other version as a daughter of Zeus and Hera. Eris was the friend and sister of Ares, and with him she delights in the tumult of war, increasing the moaning of men. She is insatiable in her desire for bloodshed and after all the other gods have withdrawn from the battle field, she still remains rejoicing over the havoc that has been made. Eris is described as the mother of a variety of allegorical being, which are the causes or representative of man's misfortunes.

Eris in battle field

                                    When Eris alone was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, she threw down among the guests a golden apple inscribed "for the most beautiful." Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each claimed it, and Zeus assigned the task of judging to the Trojan Paris. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, who in return helped him carry off the beautiful Helen, an act that triggered war.  

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Zagreus

Zagreus or Zagreos was the first-born son of Zeus who the god seated on the throne of heaven armed with thunderbolts when he was just a babe. The Titan gods came into Olympus, distracted the child, and dismembered him with their bloody knives. Athena recovered his heart, and the god was reborn through Semele as Dionysus.

Zagreus

                                       Zagreus was the son of Persephone, who was seduce by Zeus in form of serpent or dragon( Zeus and Persephone), before she was abducted by Hades (Abduction of Persephone).

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Atlas

Atlas personified the quality of endurance. He was the son of Iapetus and Clymene (or Asia), and brother of Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus. Atlas was the god who instructed mankind in the art of astronomy, a tool which was used by sailors in navigation and farmers in measuring the seasons.   Atlas was one of the Titans who took part in their war against Zeus, for which as a punishment he was condemned to stand at the western edge of the Earth (Gaea) and hold up Heaven (Uranus) on his shoulders, to prevent the two from resuming their primordial embrace. According to other version, Atlas was said to have been appointed guardian of the pillars which held earth and sky apart.  

Atlas is said to have been the father of the Pleiades by Pleione or by Hesperis, of the Hyades and Hesperides by Aethra, and of Oenomaus and Maea by Sterope.

                                          Hercules encountered the Atlas during his quest for the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. Hercules agreed to take the heavens upon his shoulders while Atlas fetched the apples. In some versions, Heracles built the two Pillars to hold the sky away from the earth, freed Atlas. 
                              According to other version Perseus came to Atlas to ask for shelter, which he refused, whereupon Perseus by means of the head of Medusa changed him into mount Atlas, on which heaven rested with all its stars. In some version Atlas is represent as a powerful king, who possessed great knowledge of the courses of the stars, and who was the first who taught men that heaven had the form of a globe.

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