Ekhion

Ekhion is the name of several figures in Greek mythology, including the name of a Giant; a Greek warrior who fought in the Trojan War; the name of one of the Spartoi, warriors who sprang up from the dragon’s teeth sown into the earth by Cadmus and than, later, Jason; as well as the name…

Luscinia

Luscinia is the name of a genus of birds containing nightingales and other birds related to them. The name comes from Latin luscinia meaning “nightingale”, possibly a combination of luscus (“one-eyed” or “half blind”) from PIE root word *lewk- (light, bright; to shine; to see); and canō (to sing), derived from PIE root *keh₂n- (to…

Gorgo

Gorgo is another name for Medusa, one of the three Gorgons in Greek mythology, whose hair was made of living snakes and who could turn anyone who looked at her into stone. The Gorgons were the daughters of the primordial sea god Phorkys and Keto, a primordial sea goddess, though in some versions they are…

Gesander

Gesander is the name of a figure in Greek mythology, a Scythian warrior and a prince of the Iazyges, an ancient Sarmatian (or possibly Scythian) tribe that eventually settled in what is now modern Ukraine. In Greek mythology Gesander kills one of the Argonauts, Canthus, when they were in Colchis which was the destination of…

Telchis

Telchis refers to one of the Telkhines, the original inhabitants of Rhodes in Greek mythology. They are said to be the children of the Titans Pontos and Gaia, or Pontos and Thalassa, or even Tartarus and Nemesis, or perhaps even born from the castrated blood of Ouranos. They were said to have been the first…

Tiamat

Tiamat is the name of a Mesopotamian goddess, the personification of the sea and associated with the chaos of primordial creation. She is the mother of the younger gods with Abzu, the god of fresh groundwater while she was associated with sea water. In later stories of the myth she is depicted as a female…

Abzu

Abzu is the name of an ancient Mesopotamian god of fresh water, especially underground water, and was the lover of Tiamat, who fathered the younger gods with her. Abzu was later murdered by the younger gods when he tried to kill them. Abzu is made of Sumerian ab 𒀊 “sea” and zu 𒍪 “deep, depths”….

Ceres

Ceres is the name of the Roman goddess of agriculture (the Roman equivalent to Greek Demeter). The name is derived from PIE root word *ḱer- (to grow, increase). Ceres is also the name of a dwarf planet. Origin: Proto-Indo-European Meaning: “to grow, increase” Usage: Roman mythology Variants:

Liber

Liber is the god of viticulture, wine, and male fertility in Roman mythology, making him the Roman equivalent of Dionysios. The origin of the name derives from Latin līber meaning “free, independent, unrestricted, unchecked” via PIE root word *h₁lewdʰ- (people). However, the name may also be related to Ancient Greek leíbō λείβω “to pour out…

Branwen

Branwen is the name of a major character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi (a collection of 4 related stories, part of the Mabinogion). Branwen was the sister of Brân the Blessed, a giant and the king of Britain. She is married to the Irish king Matholwch but her half-brother Efnysien is angry he…

Pryderi

Pryderi is the name of a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll, the king of Dyfed, and Rhiannon (also another major figure in Welsh mythology). He is kidnapped as an infant but is later reunited with his parents, eventually becoming king of Dyfed after his father’s death. Pryderi appears in all Four…

Liriope

Liriope is the Latinized form of Ancient Greek Leiriope, the name of a naiad nymph in Greek mythology. She is the mother of Narcissus by the river god Kephissos (though other versions state he is the son of Selene and Endymion). Liriope is also the name of a genus of low, grass-like flowering plants found…

Kephissos

Kephissos is the name of an Ancient Greek river god, either associated with the river Cephisus in Attica or the river Cephisus in Boeotia. Kephissos is the son of Pontus and Thalassa and, among his many offspring, is listed as the father of Narcissus by the naiad Liriope. The origin and meaning behind the name…

Theonoe

Theonoe is an Ancient Greek female name meaning “divine wisdom”, made up of Ancient Greek theós θεός (divine; god) < PIE root word, and nóos νόος (mind; thought) of uncertain etymology. It’s the name of a few figures in Greek mythology. Theonoe is also the name of a genus of spiders. Origin: Proto-Indo-European, uncertain Meaning:…