Information given here is only occasionally reproduced in the notes to specific passages.
Acamas like Demophon, son of Theseus and sharing power in Athens after the latter’s death.
Acastus son of Pelias of Iolcus, and brother of Alcestis.
Achaean often used as meaning simply ‘Greek’, but strictly a region of the northern Peloponnese.
Acheron one of the rivers of the underworld.
Admetus son of Pheres, king of Pherae in Thessaly (NE Greece). His hospitality to Apollo led to the ambiguous favour the consequences of which are explored in the Alcestis.
Adrian off the Gulf of Venice, at the northern limit of the Adriatic.
Aegean the part of the Mediterranean sea separating Greece from Asia Minor.
Aegeus son of Pandion and king of Athens, who gives refuge to Medea; father of Theseus.
Aethra wife of Aegeus and mother of Theseus.
Alcathous son of Pelops, king of Megara (to the south of Athens) in early mythical times.
Alcmene wife of Amphitryon and mother of Heracles by Zeus.
Alpheus river running by the great cult-site of Zeus at Olympia, in the NW Peloponnese.
Amazon one of a race of warrior women, usually man-hating. Theseus’ son Hippolytus was the result of a liaison between Theseus and one of the Amazons.
Ammon an Egyptian deity whose oracle in the Libyan desert was famous among the Greeks, who often identified the god there with their own Zeus.
Aphrodite daughter of Zeus, goddess of love and desire.
Apollo son of Zeus and Leto, brother of Artemis; one of the most powerful and dignified of the Olympian gods. He was famous for his good looks, his powers as an archer, his musical gifts and above all his power of prophesying the future through his oracles, of which that at Delphi was the most famous.
Ares god of war, usually regarded as a cruel and threatening figure.
Argo the ship of Jason and the Argonauts.
Argos city in the northern Peloponnese, often conflated in tragedy with the older site nearby, Mycenae.
Artemis daughter of Zeus and Leto; sister of Apollo, and like him an archer; virgin goddess, associated with hunting and wild animals; patroness of Hippolytus.
Asclepius, Asclepius’ Rock Asclepius was son of Apollo, a great healer who overstepped the limits by recalling the dead to life. For this he was slain by Zeus with a thunderbolt. His rock, referred to in the Hippolytus, was probably near Epidaurus, where in historical times he had a great sanctuary.
Athens main settlement in Attica, in central Greece.
Atlas a giant who supported the sky on his shoulders; usually described as standing in the far west, near Gibraltar.
Bacchus = Dionysus, god of wine.
Bistonians, Bistones a Thracian tribe.
Boebe a lake in eastern Thessaly, part of Admetus’ domain.
Carneia a harvest festival celebrated at Sparta and in other states of Dorian descent. The ‘Carneian month’ embraced part of August and part of September. Apollo was worshipped during this festival.
Cecrops early mythical king of Athens, allegedly half man, half snake.
Cephalus native of Athens beloved and abducted by the goddess Dawn.
Cephisus major river flowing to the west of Athens.
Chalybes legendary metal-workers dwelling on the south coast of the Black Sea.
Charon the sinister ferryman who, in mythology, transported the dead across the river Styx to their eternal abode in the underworld.
Clashing Rocks one of the supernatural obstacles faced by Jason on his quest for the golden fleece – massive rocks which moved in the water to smash any ship passing between them. They were vaguely located in the Bosphorus area. He succeeded in passing this barrier, apparently with Medea’s aid on the return journey.
Cocytus one of the rivers of the underworld; its name means ‘lamentation’.
Colchis realm of king Aeetes, father of Medea; located at the far end of the Black Sea. It was from his expedition to this distant kingdom that Jason brought back both Medea and the golden fleece.
Corinth one of the chief cities of the Peloponnese: its position immediately to the south of the Isthmus gave it advantages in both war and trade.
Corybantes male priests associated with the wild rituals of Cybele and Bacchus.
Creon in the Medea, king of Corinth and father of the (unnamed) princess whom Jason is now wooing.
Crete in the SE Mediterranean; largest of the Greek islands, in mythical times the realm of King Minos, father of Phaedra.
Cyclops (plural Cyclopes) monstrous one-eyed giants, threatening to mortals but often presented as subjects of Zeus, for whom they forged supernatural armour and weapons, above all the thunderbolt.
Cycnus a son of Ares, robber and murderer, who was killed by Heracles.
Cypris, the Cyprian Aphrodite, goddess of love, who was born from the sea near Cyprus, and was especially worshipped there.
Dawn goddess personifying this natural phenomenon, conceived as young and beautiful; fell in love with the human Cephalus (and in other stories Tithonus).
Demeter goddess of fertility in nature, presiding over the crops and other products of the earth; mother of Persephone.
Demophon son of Theseus, and king of Athens after his death.
Dictynna ‘lady of the net’, a title of Artemis the huntress.
Diomedes of Thrace a Thracian king, son of Ares, and king of the Bistonians. His man-eating horses were captured by Heracles as one of his labours. He should be distinguished from Diomedes son of Tydeus, one of the Greek heroes at Troy.
Dionysus son of Zeus by Semele; god of wine and other natural forces; often seen as a wild and irrational deity, bringer of madness.
Dirce major river of Thebes in Boeotia.
Electryon a king of Mycenae, father of Alcmene and hence grandfather of Heracles.
Enetic see Venetian
Epidauria the area around Epidaurus, a small state in the NE Pelopon-nese, south of the Isthmus.
Erechtheus early mythical king of Athens; hence ‘Erechtheids’ = ‘Athenians’.
Eridanus a mythical river in the far west of the Mediterranean. The name was later given to the Italian Po.
Eros the personification of Love in boy’s form, conceived as son and constant companion of Aphrodite (his father varies in different versions, but sometimes he is referred to as son of Zeus). The more familiar name ‘Cupid’ is Latin in origin.
Euboea a large island off the coast of Attica and Boeotia.
Eurystheus son of Sthenelus; tyrannical king of Argos, persecutor of Heracles and his family.
Eurytus king of Oechalia, father of Iole, who was seized as a captive by Heracles when he sacked Oechalia.
Euxine a Greek name for the Black Sea, meaning ‘hospitable’ – a euphemism used to avoid bad luck. Similarly, the terrifying Furies could be referred to as ‘the kindly ones’.
Four Towns (‘Tetrapolis’) an area of Attica in which in early (i.e. pre-classical) times the centre of power may have been located. Marathon was one of the four towns; the others were Oenoe, Probalinthos and Tricorythos.
Fury adaemonic and dangerous creature who was thought to persecute evil-doers in life and after death; hence any horrific and avenging figure, especially female.
Gorgon a type of hideous female monster with snakes for hair, so horrible that to look at one outright would turn a man to stone. The most famous Gorgon, Medusa, was slain by Perseus, who chopped off her head by looking not at her, but at her reflection in his shield.
Graces, the personifications of beauty and other fine qualities, conceived in female form; often associated, like the Muses, with the arts.
Great Sea the Black Sea, symbol of the eastern extremities of the known world.
Hades (a) one of the three most powerful Olympians, the others being Zeus and Poseidon – they divided up the universe, and Hades drew the underworld as his domain; (b) the underworld itself.
Hebe divine consort of Heracles, personification of youthful beauty.
Hecate a sinister goddess associated with darkness, witchcraft and ghosts.
Helios the Sun-god, often identified with the fiery orb he controls.
Hera queen of the gods and consort of Zeus; presides over marriage; often associated with Argos, one of her favourite cities; persistent enemy of Heracles.
Heracles son of Zeus and Alcmene; greatest of the Greek heroes, famous for his many victories over monsters and barbaric peoples; enslaved by Eurystheus and compelled to perform twelve labours; after his death, deified and married to Hebe.
Hermes of the Nether World Hermes was conceived as escorting the dead on at least part of the way to the underworld, before entrusting them to Charon’s ferry.
Hesperides literally ‘daughters of evening’; nymphs dwelling in the far west, where they inhabit a garden where golden apples grow.
Hestia goddess of the hearth and hence almost a symbol for the home.
Hippolytus bastard son of the Athenian king Theseus by an Amazon prisoner-of-war; in Euripides’ play, a young man of self-conscious purity, devoted to the goddess Artemis.
Hyllus son of Heracles.
Hymenaeus a deity who presided over marriage and its ceremonies, often invoked in song at such occasions.
Ino sister of Dionysus’ mother Semele; driven mad by Hera, she jumped into the sea with one of her children; both died, but in some versions were transformed into sea-deities.
Iolaus nephew of Heracles, and former companion on his labours. Iolcus town near Mt Pelion in NE Greece; rightfully the domain of Jason’s family, but usurped by Pelias.
Isthmus the narrow stretch of land connecting central Greece with the Peloponnese.
Jason son of Aeson, Greek hero, leader of the Argonauts on their quest for the golden fleece. His treacherous abandonment of Medea and its consequences are the focus of Euripides’ play.
Larisa town in Thessaly, to the north of Admetus’ residence at Pherae.
Leto mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus.
Libya in Greek literature, this name is often loosely applied to any part of North Africa west of Egypt.
Loxias a title of Apollo, perhaps meaning ‘crooked’ or ‘slanting’, with reference to his ambiguous oracles.
Lycaon a son of Ares who challenged Heracles to single combat.
Lycia Greek-speaking region to the south of modern Turkey.
Lydia part of Asia Minor.
Maia a nymph who was mother of Hermes.
Maid, the = Persephone, consort of Hades. Although she had a kinder face, as daughter of Demeter and bringer of fertility, she is often regarded with awe, and ‘the Maid’ is a way of avoiding use of her name.
Marathon district in NW Attica, the territory of Athens, at some distance from the city proper. In historical times the site of the great battle with Darius’ invading force, which the Greeks repelled.
Medea daughter of Aeetes and granddaughter of the Sun, princess of Colchis; fell in love with the Greek Jason, whom she helped and married; when he jilted her for a Greek princess, she took her revenge.
Minos king of Crete and father of Phaedra.
Molossia a region in Epirus, in NW Greece.
Munichus one of the harbour-areas near Piraeus, the port of Athens.
Muses nine in number, goddesses of the arts and especially poetry; daughters of Memory.
Mycenae in very ancient times, a great centre of power and wealth in the Peloponnese. By Euripides’ time it was eclipsed by Argos, with which, in The Children of Heracles, it is virtually identified.
Ocean in early Greek thought, conceived as a vast river circling the entire world, and often personified as the greatest of river-gods.
Oechalia a town, rather vaguely located: in some versions in Euboea. It was sacked by Heracles. ‘The girl of Oechalia’ means Iole, whom Heracles desired and took as a captive on that occasion.
Olympus a mountain in northern Greece, on the borders of Macedonia and Thessaly. As a result of its majestic height, it was considered the home of the gods, though the name is sometimes used more loosely, to describe a remote heavenly realm.
Orpheus a gifted poet and musician whose singing could spellbind even wild beasts and who endeavoured to charm the powers of the underworld into releasing his dead wife – in some versions successfully. He was also seen as the teacher of religious doctrines and purity (including vegetarianism): hence Theseus’ jibes in the Hippolytus.
Othrys a mountain to the south of the Thessalian plain.
Pallantid of the family of Pallas, an Athenian, son of Pandion, who clashed with Theseus over control of Attica.
Pallas = Athena.
Pallene a region of Attica to the east of Athens, on the northern slopes of Mt Hymettus; location of an ancient temple of Athena.
Pallenis a title referring to the goddess Athena’s temple in Pallene, a district of Attica.
Pan son of Hermes; half goat, half man, this lesser deity is a figure of the wild and is often thought to induce frenzy and fits of madness (hence ‘panic’).
Pandion early mythical king of Athens, grandson or great-grandson of Erechtheus.
Pelian of or from Mt Pelion in Thessaly.
Pelias uncle of Jason, whose father he had supplanted in seizing the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly; he sent Jason on the quest for the golden fleece, hoping he would die in the attempt; eventually killed by his daughters through Medea’s trickery. He was also the father of Alcestis.
Pelion great mountain in Thessaly.
Peloponnese the massive peninsula which forms the southern part of Greece, including such major cities as Mycenae, Corinth, Argos, Tiryns, Sparta.
Pelops son of Tantalus and founder of the Pelopid line, after which the Peloponnese is named; father of Atreus and Thyestes.
Perseus one of the great heroes of Greek myth, slayer of the Gorgon Medusa. He was an ancestor of the even greater hero Heracles.
Phaedra wife of Theseus, cursed by an uncontrollable passion for Hippolytus.
Phaethon a rash youth who dared to ride the chariot of the Sun-god, his father, with disastrous results. The chariot went out of control, and Zeus was forced to destroy him to prevent the world from being engulfed in fire.
Pherae town in Thessaly in northern Greece, ruled by Admetus.
Pheres father of Admetus, to whom in the Alcestis he has passed on rule over Pherae.
Phoebus = Apollo.
Phrygia part of Asia Minor.
Pierian of or associated with the Muses, who were born in Pieria.
Pirene famous fountain at Corinth.
Pittheus father of Theseus’ mother Aethra, and former king of Trozen. In the Hippolytus he is thought of as honourably retired from this role.
Pluto another name for Hades, lord of the underworld and husband of Persephone.
Poseidon god of the sea and also of other threatening natural forces such as earthquakes; father of Theseus.
Pythian associated with Pytho (= Delphi), and hence with Apollo, whose oracle was there.
Pytho another name for Delphi, the sanctuary of Apollo where his oracle was located. The name derives from ‘Python’, a great snake which Apollo killed when he won control of Delphi; hence he is known as ‘Pythian Apollo’.
Saronic Gulf the sea to the east of the isthmus connecting northern Greece with the Peloponnese.
Sciron a villainous figure who attacked travellers on a cliff and hurled them into the sea below; he was killed by Theseus, who encountered him while travelling from Trozen to Athens. The ‘rocks of Sciron’, where the incident was located, were on the isthmus west of Megara.
Scylla a six-headed sea-monster who attacked wanderers, including Odysseus, and devoured sailors who were not fast enough to escape.
Semele mortal woman beloved by Zeus, by whom she became pregnant with Dionysus (Bacchus). Deceived by the jealous Hera, she rashly asked to see Zeus in his full divine glory, and was consumed in fire. The baby was rescued by Zeus.
Sinis a bandit slain by Theseus in his youthful journey from Trozen to Athens.
Sisyphus, Sisyphean Sisyphus was one of the great sinners in Greek mythology, condemned to push a gigantic rock up a hill down which it always fell again. He was the founder of Corinth, and in the Medea ‘Sisyphean’ is used for ‘Corinthian’.
Sparta in historical times the most important city of the Peloponnese and regularly opposed to Athens. This antagonism is often projected back into the mythical period.
Sthenelus a hero of a family noted for rashness and arrogance; father of Eurystheus.
Thebes chief city of Boeotia, north of Athens.
Themis a rather shadowy goddess, but with an important and weighty role as personification of what is right and just. Usually regarded as one of Zeus’ consorts.
Theseus son of Aegeus or of the god Poseidon; most famous of the mythical kings of Athens.
Thessaly region of NE Greece.
Thrace a region to the extreme north-east of the Greek mainland, beyond Macedonia; southern Greeks regarded it as primitive and savage.
Tiryns a city in the Peloponnese, east of Argos.
Trachis small city in northern Greece, where the children of Heracles vainly took refuge.
Trozen or Troezen town near Epidaurus in NE Peloponnese, and not part of Athens’ domain in historical times, but closely associated with her in legend. It was there that Theseus grew to manhood and from there that he set out to Athens to find his father.
Tuscan (Etruscan) loosely used by Euripides to mean ‘Italian’ or ‘western’. In the Medea Scylla is described as ‘Tuscan’ because Odysseus’ wanderings were thought to have taken him near Italy and Sicily.
Venetian in Greek ‘Enetic’ – from a region at the north of the Adriatic. In Euripides’ time Venice itself was not yet founded.
Zeus the most powerful of the Olympian gods and head of the family of immortals; father of Apollo, Athena and many other lesser gods, as well as of mortals such as Heracles.
Zeus of the Agora Zeus in his capacity as god of good counsel, debate and decision. The agora (‘gathering-place’) is thought of as a place for discussion (compare the Latin forum).