Greek Mythology Family Trees

If you have been following my post, maybe have notice that from time to time i post a sort of family tree or family portrait picture of greek mythology families, so i decided took some of them and make some news one to made a blog post about them ! The Children of the Night A quite obscure and dark family, Nyx and her offspring! Nyx , goddess of the night, she born from Chaos (the first thing to exist), a primordial goddess, her offspring is full of dangerous and obscure aspects of life, between those the Moirai (the one who weave the destiny of mortals), Moros (personification of doom) Charon (the ferryman of the underworld, he transports the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the river that borders the underworld), Ker or Keres in plural, were malicious spirits that represented violent death, Oizys (personification of pain and distress) and Nemesis (personification of retribution). Between all this, there is Philotes , she is the personification of friendship, physical affect and sexual intercourse. Geras is the god of old age, personification and having the attributes of both, the physical deteriority of aging and the wise, acknowledge and virtue of aging. The brothers Hypnos and Thanatos , are one of this group that had more participation in myths, Hypnos is the god of sleep, and Thanatos is the god of the paceful death. And for last and not less funny, Momus ! the personification of satire and mockery, he used to lived in the Mount Olympus with the gods, but he got expelled because his sharp-tongue criticism. -Zeus feared... or respeted Nyx, avoiding enter in conflict with her or to stop by her domains -Most of the gods and spirits mentioned here, dwells in the underground -Most of them embodies dark inevitable forces, yet necessary for the universe equilibrium -The Moirai fate dictates also includes the destiny of gods Children of the Sun Now move on with a more bright, sun bright family lineage!. Helios is a second generation Titan, a god of sun, meanwhile Perseis is a Oceanid (ocean nymphs) one of the thousand daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys (both sea and water related titans). As usually an union with a deity and a nymph in greek mythology, results in mortal offspring yet sometimes with some supernatural or magical attribute, and that case is Circe ! a powerful sorceress, was a important role and help for Odysseus in the Odyssey, a also bring a little help to her niece Medea and Jason (and the Argonauts). Circe lived alone (or in company of nymph maidens) in a island for her own, with a palace full of harmless beasts. Aeëtes was a powerful king of Colchis, a realm he built on the eastern edge of the Black Sea, he received as a gift the "golden fleece" (the main quest of the Argonauts) that granted plenty to his land, he guarded in a sacred grove of the god Ares, in wich there was also a dragon guarding. Pasiphaë , the queen of Crete, spouse of Minos the mythical king of Crete (in wich there was the labyrinth and the minotaur), she was also a sorceress, she uses her spells and potions to punish Minos's lovers and prevent infidelity, with Minos she gave birth to Ariadne, and she is also the mother of Asterion (the minotaur). Perses, not confuse him with the Titan of the same name, with this guy there is not much to say than he usurpated his brother kingdom, after the events of Jason and the Argonauts, Perses took advantage and overthrow his brother Aeëtes, sadly for him, Medea returned to Colchis and slain him to restore her father's realm. Medea , daughter of Aeëtes, princess of Colchis and also a powerful sorceress, when Jason and the Argonauts came to Colchis, she fell in love with Jason, help him escape with the goldeen fleece, betraying her father, later the relationship with Jason didnt work out well, she returned to Colchis, helping her father, killing the usurper as mentioned. Ariadne , princess of Crete, famous for helping Theseus with a golden thread to find the path of the labyrinth. Theseus was a jerk, she later marryed the olympian god Dionysus, she is a true Disney Princess. Asterion , most known as the minotaur, he born like that because a punish Poseidon gave to Crete, Poseidon gave to Minos a sacred white bull to sacrifice for his honor, Minos didnt sacrifice it because the bull was so majestic and beautiful and sacrifice a common bull instead, angry for that, Poseidon (a really angry god) cursed Pasiphaë making her fell in love with the white bull, and thats how Asterion born. King Minos ordered to built a labyrinth to lock him up, and demanded to Athens fourteen young noble citizens (seven men and seven women) to be offered as sacrificial victims to the Minotaur every 9 years (this was in retribution of the death of Androgeus, another Minos son) Telegonus , son of Circe and Odysseus, not much to say, years laters of the Odyssey final events, he accidentaly killed his father Odysseus, as it was prophetized. -Circe turned men into animals. -Ariadne, Minos and Pasiphaë were culturally very important in the ancient Minoan civilization (previous than the Classical Greek civilization), as the Minotaur and the symbol of the bull, depicted vases, pottery, wall paintings and temple frescoes. -Medea could fly, she had a chariot pulled by two dragons, or giant snakes (for ancient greeks dragons were more like giant snakes) -why Medea conveniently fell in love with Jason? some version attribute that to goddess Hera, who ordered Eros (personificaion of love) to do it. -For ancient greeks, the descendants of Medea founded the Median Kingdom/Empire, that later evolved to the Persian Empire. Underworld Royal Family They live in the underworld yet you have here the most faithfulness relationship of the Olympian gods. Hades , god of the underworld, son of Cronos and Rhea, he rule the realm of the dead. Persephone , goddess of spring and queen of the underworld after her uncle Hades abducted her (yes, i said their relationship was faithfulness but not cancellable), she is daughter of Demeter and Zeus (yes, both are siblings). Cerberus , born from the monster and fierce force Typhoon and Echidna, Hades directly choosed him to be guard of the underworld. Melinoë , a chthonic (that means underground, basically) goddess, with a half dark and half light body, she is the daughter of Persephone and Zeus (yes, i said their relationship was faithful but Zeus impersonated Hades and tricked her), or sometimes Hades, she drives specters and spirits to the living realm that causes nightmares, panic, and mental illness Zagreus , similar to Melinoë, a son of Zeus and Pesephone, but this time an angry and jelous queen Hera ordered the titans to slain and "sparagmos" this kid, Zeus with a thunderbolt eliminated this titans, and saved Zagrues heart, he later reborn, similar to Dionysus (god of wine and ritual madness), often called Dionysus Zagreus -Sparagmos means dismember -Melinoë and Zagreus, usually are not son of Hades and either Persephone, they are part of the "Orphic religion" that has differences with the "standard" greek myths, in the standard mythology, Melinoë quite not exist at all and is just a "epithet" of another goddess, despite of that there are sources of a cult for her, in wich people make offerings to be protected from nightmares and madness. -Also in the standard myths, Hades has no children, and he can due his connection with the underworld, sort of metaphor of infertility. -Zagreus is very important in the Orphic religion, quite their main role, but there are few surviving text and sources, quite obscure. -Persephone ate a pomegrenade in the underworld, making her bind to the underworld, wich she could not leave it for longer time periods, rules of the underworld i guess. -During Persephone abduction, her mother Demeter (goddess of harvest and agriculture) was so sad and desperate that the land became infertile and vegetation started to decay, or a similar version, she did that on purpose provoking famine until Hades returned her daughter. -Zeus ordered Hades to return her, but because Persephone had eat food from the underworld she could not stay forever, dividing the year in the underworld with her husband and in the living world with her mother, making with this the seasonal cycle of spring. -The cult for Demeter and Persephone was quite important, specially in ancient Athens, they were central figures of the "Eleusinian Mysteries" Ancestors of Humanity A titanic genealogy that end ups with the origin of mankind ! Japetus and Clymene or Asia, not much to say about them asides Japetus is a first generation Titan, born from Uranus (the sky) and Gea (the earth), and she is a oceanid, offspring of the titan Oceanus. Menoetius , the less interesant of the Japetus sons, it not was clear what was his role, he was violent temper, he participated in the titanomachy (war between Titans and Olympians) in the side of the titans, he was fulminated by Zeus thunderbolt. Atlas , a powerful titan, he also participated in the titanomachy on the titans side, he was condemned to hold up the heavens or sky for eternity. He had a plenty of daughters, often named in groups/plural, the Pleiades and the Hyades, and one single son, Hyas Prometheus , the benefactor of humankind, decided to not participate in the titanomachy, and conviced his brother Epimetheus to also not engaged. They both were not condemned, and had the task of create the humankind. Prometheus stole the sacred fire from the Olympus, and gave it to the humans, Zeus punished him for that, and chained him on a mountain, every day a giant eagle came to eat his liver (Prometheus is immortal, so his liver regenerates), finally he was freed by Heracles as one of his twelve labours. Epimetheus , he created the first humans from clay aparently all male, as part of Prometheus punishment, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to craft and create a woman, with the help of Olympian goddess they create Pandora, and sent her with a vase/jar to Epimetheus as a gift (Prometheus told him specifically to not receive gifts from Zeus) slow-minded Epimetheus accepted. Pandora , the first woman, she marry or couple Epimetheus, she opened a jar (Pandora's box) and released all kind of evils to humanity, wich was the plan of Zeus. With Epimetheus she gave birth to Pyrrha. Deucalion was the son of Prometheus and oceanid nymph, he with Pyrrha were the only mortals (or few of them) that survived a great flood caused by Zeus to punish humanity. Pyrrah , daughter of Pandora and Epimetheus, she is the first mortal woman. Wife of Deucalion, with him had sons, in wich is Hellen, the great ancestor of the hellenes (the name greeks use to call themself and their land, Hellas). Pleiades , daughters of Atlas, they were seven nymphs, being the chaste troupe of Artemis. The infamous hero Orion fell in love with them chasing them, after years of escaping of his unrequitted love, Zeus transform them into doves, and then into stars, the Pleiades cluster of stars. Hyades , daughters of Atlas, also a group of nymphs, they bring rain, and were in charge of nursing the baby Dionysus (god of wine who reborn), in gratitude Zeus put them in a cluster of stars. Hyas , the only male son of Atlas, basically his myth is that he died at young age during a hunting accident, his sisters, the Hyades cry out in grief, in this version Zeus in compassion out them in the stars for that reason. -Prometheus was clever, had foresight or can see the future, for that he didnt took part on the titanomachy, stole the fire from the gods, told his brother to not trust Zeus, and his son about the great deluge and how to survive. -Prometheus took to much risk or he knew it was necessary even with the consequences? Is part of the debate, part of the metaphorical conflict between transgression and intelligence. -Pandora release all evils to humanity on purpose? Apparently yes, for that Zeus ordered to create her. All over the ages, mysoginist and male centered theories/philosofies had base on this myth/metaphor how women is necessary for home but also a burden. -About Deucalion, Pyrrha and the deluge, yes that myth also includes an ark. Zeus did that deluge to end the "corrupted bronze age". Pyrrah and Deucalion restock humanity by advice of the goddess Temis, throwing rocks over their shoulders, the rocks turned into humans. -Pyrrha will be the first human, in wich her descendants are the current humanity. -Despite the Pleiades were a chaste sisterhood of Artemis, many olympian gods as Zeus, Poseidon and Ares laid with them, being their descendats the lineage of many greek heroes and kings. -One of the Pleiades, Maya, with her union with Zeus was the mother of Hermes, god of merchants, thieves, travel, trade and messenger of the gods. Mother of Monsters Some chaotic monster fun here! Echidna , born from sea or chthonic deities, she is a half snake woman, with Typhoon (greek mythology greatest monster, born from Gea to avenge and punish the Olympian gods) they gave birth of most of the scariest and dangerous monster of the greek mythology!. The list of their monster offsprings may vary from source to source, usually the more cannonical are; Cerberus , Orthrus , Lernaean Hydra . More ambiguous and later addition are; the Sphinx , Nemean Lion , Chimera , the Caucasian Eagle , Ladon (a dragon who guarded the golden apples of hesperides's garden), the Colchian Dragon and the Crommyonian Sow . -Cerberus, the three-headed hound mentioned in the Hades family. -Orthrus, similar to Cerberus but two headed, he guard the cattle of the giant Gerion, part of the Heracles twelve labours. -Nemean Lion, a dangerous lion of invulnerable skin, the first labour of Heracles. -Sphinx a hybrid of woman with lion and eagle body, part of the myth of Oedipus, in wich she killed travelers who cant guess her riddle. -Lernaean Hydra, a snake-dragon monster of multiple heads, it can grow up new heads when its beheaded, can spit or breath poison. Also part of Heracles's labours. -Caucasian Eagle, the eagle that ate Prometheus's liver everyday, slain by Heracles to freed Prometheus. -Ladon was a snake-dragon that custody the golden apples, there are two version, one that it is slain by Heracles to get the apples as part of his labours, the other in wich is never killed, Heracles swap positions with Atlas, holding the sky vault, and Atlas taking the apples. In the version that Ladon dies, the Hesperides nymphs cry out in grief, then Zeus put Ladon in the sky, being Ladon the dragon constellation. -The Colchian Dragon custody the golden fleece, he never slept, was slain by Jason with the help of Medea or by Medea herself using potions. Their teeth can be sow in the earth, spranging sown men/Spartoi, that were fierce warriors. -Crommyonian Sow, a big wild pig that causes havoc in the village of Crommnyon, slain by a young hero Theseus. See you with love your fella Myth End.