Fun World Trivia Questions and Facts
Fun world trivia questions and facts with answers.
What was an official language in 87 nations and territories, by 1994?
A: English.
What's the third-largest continent in square miles?
A: North America.
What is the capital of Kuwait?
A: Kuwait City. World trivia questions.
"What town name did residents of a Florida retirement community switch to because they found Sunset Depressing?
A: Sunrise.
What's the second most populous continent?
A: Europe.
What finally went out of fashion in ancient Rome, prompting people to begin wearing short pants called feminalia?
A: The Toga.
What southwestern U.S. state has the highest percentage of non-English speakers?
A: New Mexico.
What M-word did Texas citizens choose as a town name that would "attract" folks?
A: Magnet.
What state leads the U.S. with 15 tons of solid waste per citizen each year?
A: California.
Which is further from the equator, Tasmania, Tanzania, or Transylvania?
A: Transylvania.
What eastern town is home for a service academy and the U.S. Sliver Depository?
A: West Point.
What's the University of Paris more commonly called?
A: The Sorbonne.
What two French cities are connected by the planet's fastest passenger train?
A: Paris and Lyons.
What religion has the most adherent, Buddhism, Christianity or Islam?
A; Christianity.
What U.S. state boasts a town called Captain Cook?
A: Hawaii.
What's the Greek name for hell?
A: Hades.
What European country does Aruba maintain the strongest ties to?
A: The Netherlands.
What do the Chinese call kwai-tsze, or "quick little fellows"?
A: Chopsticks.
What European country uses its Latin name, Helvetia, on its stamps?
A: Switzerland.
What British university boasts and endowment called the Jackie Mason Lectureship in Contemporary Judaism?
A: Oxford.
What country did Greek historian Herodotus dub "the gift of the Nile"?
A: Egypt.
What country is only bordered by Spain?
A: Portugal.
What's the flattest U.S. state?
A: Florida.
What U.S. state, after much debate, made the bizcochito the official state cookie?
A: New Mexico.
What Australian city boasts the largest Greek population in the world outside of Greece?
A: Melbourne.
What U.S. state boasts the towns of Gulf Stream, Lakebreeze and Frostproof?
A: Florida.
What country has bee the planet's largest aid donor since 1991?
A: Japan.
What island nation is a must for anyone wishing to see 40 species of lemours?
A: Madagascar.
What country is almost twice as large as either the U.S. or China?
A: Russia.
What South Asian city is the planet's biggest feature film producer?
A: Bombay.
How many Great Lakes do not border Michigan?
A: One.
What cowboy tune is the official song of Kansas?
A: Home on the Range.
What continent boasts the most telephone lines?
A: Europe.
What do Texas beef partisans call "wool on a stick"?
A: Lamb.
What South American country was home to the early human 'Patagnian giants"?
A: Argentina.
What Western Hemisphere people spoke Nahuatl?
A: The Aztecs.
What New Orleans soup has a name derived from the Bantu word for okra?
A: Gumbo.
What Pacific atoll got its name from its location between the Americas and Asia?
A: The Midway Islands.
What state volunteered to drop the moniker Hog and Hominy State?
A: Tennessee.
What regional accent did Americans deem sexiest, most liked and most recognizable?
A: Southern.
What interstate highway connects Boston and Seattle?
A: I-90.
Math trivia questions and answers.
Q: What mathematical symbol did math whiz Ferdinand von Lindemann determine to be a transcendental number in 1882?
A: Pi.
Q: What do you call an angle more than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees?
A: Obtuse.
Q: What's the top number of a fraction called?
A: The numerator.
Q: What Greek math whiz noticed that the morning star and evening star were one and the same, in 530 B.C.?
A: Pythagoras.
Q: What's a polygon with four unequal sides called?
A: A quadrilateral.
Q: What's a flat image that can be displayed in three dimensions?
A: A hologram.
Q: What number does "giga" stand for?
A: One billion.
Q: What digit did Arab mathematician al-Khwarizmi give to the West around 800 B/B.?
A: Zero.
Q: What word describes a number system with a base of two?
A: Binary.
Q: How many equal sides does an icosahedron have?
A: Twenty.
Q: What do mathematicians call a regular polygon with eight sides?
A: An octagon.
Q: What T-word is defined in geometry as "a straight line that touches a curve but continues on with crossing it"?
A: Tangent.
Q: What geometrical shape forms the hole that fits and allen wrench?
A: The hexagon.
Q: What number is an improper fraction always greater than?
A: One.
Q: What two letters are both symbols for 1,000?
A: K and M.
Q: What's short for "binary digit"?
A: Bit.
Q: What century did mathematicians first use plus and minus signs?
A: The sixteenth.
Q: What number, a one followed by 100 zeros, was first used by nine-year-old Milton Sirotta in 1940?
A: Googol.
Q: What handy mathematical instrument's days were numbered when the pocket calculator made the scene in the 1970s?
A: The Slide rule's.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Scrabble
KNOW YOUR 2 LETTER WORDS
There are a 120 2 letter words. If you are willing to learn anything specifically for playing Scrabble then these are the most important words to learn. They are useful to create parallel plays or for squeezing in a good play on a blocked board.
In fact you won't need to learn all of them, as 27 are everyday words like IT, IN etc., which leaves 93. Then there are interjections, contracted forms, tonic sol-fa and letter sounds which you will know but might not think are acceptable plays in Scrabble. These include:
AD, AH, AR, AW, BI, ED, EF, EH, EL, EM, EN, ER, ES, EX, FA, HA, HM, HO, LA, LO, MA, MI, MM, MO, OH, OO, OP, OW, PA, PO, RE, SH, ST, TA, TI, UG, UH, UM, UN, UR, YO.
That's another 41, only 52 to go now! You might even know some of these, for example OM (an intoned Hindu sacred symbol) or PI (mathematical symbol) but you'll probably just have to learn the rest. When you play with them regularly they will soon become second nature. They are:
AA, AB, AE, AG, AI, AL, AX, AY, BA, BO, CH, DA, DE, DI, EA, EE, ET FY, GI, GU, ID, IO, JO, KA, KO, KY, LI, MU, NA, NE, NU, NY, OB, OD, OE, OI, OM, OS, OU, OY, PE, PH, PI, QI, SI, TE, UT, WO, XI, XU, YA, YU, ZO.
DON'T ALWAYS GO FOR THE HIGHEST SCORE
A good starting point to decide where to play, is to ask yourself; what is the highest score I can get? However, it's not the only consideration. You need to think whether you are getting value for the tiles you play and consider what letters you are leaving on your rack.
The best tile is a blank. It vastly increases your chance of getting a 7 letter word and collecting a 50 point bonus. As a rule of thumb a blank should be held unless it increases your best play by upwards of 25 points. Think about setting target scores for the other letters such as S, J, Q, X, and Z.
Try to keep a balanced rack i.e. a rack that has similar number of vowels and consonants. Try to play duplicate letters (if you have 3 N's you may take a few points less in score in order to be able to play one of them.) Try to keep the letters from the word RETAINS on your rack as these are the letters most conducive to making 7 letter words and getting those elusive 50 point bonuses.
TRIPLE WORD SCORES
Triple word squares are crucial. So don't make them easily available to your opponent.
However don't be so concerned about these squares that you ignore good plays that open up the triples. Try to weigh up how many you score against what your opponent is likely to get. A play which covers the double letter square which is to be found 4 or 5 spaces from each triple will considerably depress the scores available on a triple and make the likely score from your opponent much lower.
HOOKS - LATERAL THINKING
Always look at the board to see whether there are any opportunities to ''hook'' onto existing plays. A ''hook'' is a letter that can be placed on the front or rear of a word to make a new word. There are ''front hooks'' like P onto LATE to make PLATE or ''rear hooks'' like R onto LATE to make LATER. Some everyday ones which may not immediately come to mind are U onto PEND to make UPEND or Y onto GRAVEL to make GRAVELY. There are 100's more.
Some unusual ones include K on the end of NAB to make NABK (a prickly shrub) and E on the front of TEN to make ETEN (an archaic word for a giant). Also, it follows that it's useful to know which words do not take any 'hooks'. Most words will take at least an S, but examples of common words that don't have any hooks include FRY and SUCH, these sorts of words can be used to block in a tight, defensive game.
FISHING
Generally it's a bad idea to play 1 or 2 letters in the hope of picking up a specific letter to make a great play. The most common letter in Scrabble is E; there are 12 E's in the set out of a total of 100. This means on average that you only have a 1 in 8 chance of picking an E and that the chances of picking any other specific letters are lower.
Near the end of the game, however, fishing becomes more viable. Obviously you won't know precisely what letters your opponent holds. But you can see what letters have been played and take an educated guess at what's left in the bag.
CHANGING
The occasional player never changes letters, arguing that it is a waste of a turn. However if you are continually scoring 10 points or lower because you have poor tiles then a change would probably be the best option.
There may be various reasons for a change:
You rack is not balanced. You have too many vowels or consonants and cannot score well because of this.
You are in danger of getting stuck with the Q at the end of the game.
The scores are close, the board is blocked and there are many useful letters left in the bag, which may, if you get them, win you the game.
ANAGRAMMING
One of the real skills in Scrabble is spotting the 7 letter word from an unlikely looking rack of letters. It's difficult to do this when you are shuffling all 7 letters so try to see whether you have any common suffixes or prefixes. If you have UN, IN, RE etc. move these the left of the rack and then shuffle the remaining five letters. Likewise, if you have -S, -ED, -ER, or -ING move these to the right and play with the other tiles. You'll find it easier to find possible 7 letter words this way.
Some other good prefixes are OUT, OVER, FORE, UNDER. Other useful suffixes include -AGE, -EST, -FUL, -IEST, -URE, -ABLE.
WINNING FROM BEHIND
In a game, don't get dispirited when you fall behind. It's possible to recover large deficits if you remain cool, keep the board reasonably open and don't try to recover all of the points in just one move.
Look at the state of the game; perhaps there is only one S left and you have it on your rack. In this case you can play a word close to a triple word spot and then pluralise it and take the spot on the next move without worrying that your opponent can play there.
AT THE END OF THE GAME TRY TO PLAY OUT FIRST
In a game where the scores are close, it is often vital to play out first, catching your opponent with tiles on his rack and thus garnering extra points. To achieve this you need to plan ahead when there are just a few tiles in the bag, thinking out how you can finish before your opponent.
Towards the end of the game make sure you know how many tiles are left. More often than not, particularly when you are ahead, it is a good idea to leave at least one tile in the bag. This means that: -
If you cannot go out in 1 move but can complete in 2, you will have 2 moves to your opponent's 1, giving you a much better chance of completing the game first. If your opponent plays a bonus word on his/her next play and takes the last tile you at least have 1 go to get rid of as many tiles as possible rather than giving your opponent the value of the 7 tiles on your rack as well as their bonus score.
TILE TRACKING
Try to keep a mental track of which of the most useful letters (J, Q, X, Z, S and blank) have been played. In tournament Scrabble, it is permissible to write down the letters as they are played. It is then possible in a tight endgame to work out what your opponent has on his/her rack and to make your play taking this into account, perhaps blocking an opportunity for them or setting yourself up with a scoring place which you know they cannot block.
If you do track tiles during the game it will help you make decisions about which tiles to play and which to keep. For example, you can play CLEAN or CLEAR for the same score, so you consult your tracking sheet and discover there are 3 R's left to come and only 1N. Therefore, you are more likely to pick up another R than an N and the better move is to play CLEAR, lessening the chances of creating duplicate letters and unbalancing your rack.
TILE TURNOVER
The more tiles that pass through your hands the more chance you have of getting one of those really useful ones -S, blank, J, Q, X, Z. You will need to evaluate your rack; sometimes a particularly good combination of five or six letters is worth keeping, but generally, where you can, try to play four or more tiles on each move.
Evaluating your rack is a real skill that you pick up if you play regularly. Try to judge which consonants fit together. An obvious example might be to retain C and H, or S, H and R. Another example - N, L, and R are all good letters but if all are kept they need a hard consonant like a D, T or G to make them more usable.
THE Q
The Q is the most difficult letter to play. 2 tips for dealing with it are:
The word QI (Chinese life force) will come in useful in many games. Other unusual useful words include QAT (a tea-like drug) and QADI (Muslim magistrate). If you cannot play the Q consider changing it, particularly at the end of the game when opportunities tend to be more restricted.
When they draw a U some players put it aside in case they then draw the Q at a later stage. This is a bad idea. Firstly you only have a 50-50 chance of drawing the Q anyway, secondly if you're trying to score with 6 letters rather than 7 you are greatly lessening your chances of getting good scores each move.
PREMIUM SQUARES
The double letter, triple letter, double word and triple word squares are referred to as the premium squares. Concentrate on using these squares to maximise your scores. With the letter premium squares a good tip is to find the highest scoring letter on your rack and try to land it on a double or triple letter square. Utilising the 2 letter words you can often play that high scoring letter in 2 words simultaneously scoring 4 times its worth on a double or 6 times on a triple.
Also try to combine the double and triple letter squares with the double and triple word squares in one move; this is where the really high non-bonus scores are made. If you can put the Q on a triple letter square, for example, and then play a 5 letter word down to a double word, you are looking at a 60 points + play. You can get the same sort of score by combining a high scoring letter on a double letter square at the edges of the board and playing a 4/5 letter word stretching onto a triple word.
CONSIDERING THE OPPONENT
If you have a regular opponent, try to work out his/her strengths and weaknesses. If they like a nice open board where they can make clever plays then try to keep the board tight. Conversely if your opponent likes a tight, defensive board then open the game up. Generally, if you are playing someone who has a superior word knowledge to you then try to keep the board confined and they will have less chance of utilising that knowledge.
When you're making a move consider how it might help your opponent. For instance: you have a choice of playing DEBUT or using the same letters as TUBED. If you play DEBUT, your opponent might have an S whereas TUBED cannot be extended and where the scores are close this may be the better move.
J, Q, X, Z
These are the highest scoring letters in the bag but they are not the only way of scoring. Don't waste them but try to play them as soon as you can. These letters have a high value because they are awkward; having them on your rack will cut down the variety of plays you make.
The X is the most flexible of the 4; you should aim to score around 30 with the X other than at the very end of the game where opportunities will be scarcer. Remember there are five 2 letter words containing the X - AX, EX, OX, XI and XU.
If you are looking to learn a few useful unusual words, the J, Q, X, Z words are good ones to concentrate on. A good way to remember them is in pairs e.g. OJIME (a carved bead used as a clasp) and OXIME (chemical compound) or TOAZE (alternative for tease) and TOUZE (to haul).
Did you know you have something in common with Mel Gibson, Sting, Keanu Reeves, Joan Collins And Queen Elizabeth II ?
You all play a game that's sold in 121 countries round the world.
Now in its 49th year, over 100 million sets of the game have been sold in 29 different languages making it easily the world's best selling word game.
No prizes for guessing we're talking about Scrabble. After all, this is the Scrabble Website!
To long-term devotees of the game and new fans alike, a very warm welcome.
We're going to be telling you about Scrabble's incredible history - a case of truth being stranger than fiction.
In 1931, Poughkeepsie in New York State was in a similar predicament to the rest of the USA ....deep in the depths of the depression.
There was no job security. Living on your wits was the order of the day.
And so it was that when the local architect, Alfred Mosher Butts, lost his job he decided to explore his passion for games and words.
Mild-mannered, bespectacled Butts disliked dice games. They were all down to luck. On the other hand, he felt that all-skill games, like chess, were too highbrow for the general public.
So he set out to devise a game that was half luck, half skill. And by the end of 1931 he had developed the initial idea for the game, which he called Lexico.
Lexico was played without a board and players scored on the basis of the lengths of the words formed. There were additional scores for words employing 'minor honours' (B, F, H, M, P, V, W, Y) and a higher additional score for major honours (J, K, Q, X, Z).
Butts calculated the letter frequency and value of each letter of the alphabet by meticulously combing the front page of the New York Times.
He reasoned that too many S's made the game too easy. So he reduced them to 4.
In 1933, Butts' application for a patent for Lexico was turned down.
Similarly, when he submitted the game to two games manufacturers, Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley, all he received were polite refusals.
Undeterred, over the next 5 years Butts made nearly 200 games himself which he gave or sold to friends. But that was as far as Lexico went. It wasn't a commercial success.
1938 saw Butts make a big breakthrough in developing the game.
The popularity of crosswords gave Butts the idea of combining the letters with a playing board, on which words could be joined in the manner of a crossword.
Lexico became New Anagrams, Alph, Criss-Cross then Criss-Crosswords.
The boards for the first Criss-Crosswords games were drawn with his architectural drafting equipment, reproduced by blue printing and pasted on folding chessboards.
The tiles were similarly hand lettered, then glued to quarter inch plywood and cut to match the squares on the board.
Through the years that followed, the game changed in its development. For example, at one time the opening word was placed near the upper left-hand corner of the board.
However, several of Butts original features have remained. The 15 by 15 square board and the 7-tile rack were original features. Also the distribution and the values of the letters remain unchanged from 1938 to this day.
But Criss-Crosswords met the same flat refusals as Lexico. The patent board turned him down again. And so did more games manufacturers. A decision they were collectively going to regret !
Butts thought briefly about becoming a manufacturer. But he cheerily acknowledged that he was no entrepreneur and returned to being an architect. And with the intervention of the Second World War, Butts didn't consider further development until 1948.
Then came the big breakthrough in the shape of James Brunot, an owner of one of the first Criss-Crosswords games.
The Brunots were intrigued by the game and believed it should be marketed. What's more, James Brunot had the time and inclination to make a commercial venture of it.
They shook hands on a deal. In return for allowing Brunot to manufacture the game, Butts would receive a royalty on every game sold.
The Brunots decided that the game needed a few finishing touches.
They rearranged the premium squares and simplified the rules, which were overly long and reconsidered the name of the game. Then they lodged a Copyright application, which was granted on 1 December, 1948.
Soon after, came the all important name change ! After much searching, they decided upon the name Scrabble for the game and managed to register the trademark on 16 December, 1948.
The modern game of Scrabble was born at last !
The Brunots initially set up shop in the living room of their home in Newtown, Connecticut.
Brunot bought the parts of his finished product from various manufacturers and assembled them there with the help of his wife. At first, they turned out just 18 games a day, painstakingly stamping letters on wooden tiles one at a time.
During 1949, their first year of production, they assembled and sold 2251 games in this way, losing $450 in the process. They continued to struggle in the years that followed.
By 1952, they were still losing money and ready to abandon the project. Brunot took a holiday to think things over.
He returned to find that word-of-mouth recommendation had brought in a deluge of orders. It was time to move to bigger premises, so they found an abandoned schoolhouse near their home in Connecticut and moved in.
In the fourth quarter, sales reached 37,000 units.
1952 was also the year that Jack Strauss, the Chairman of Macy's, New York, the biggest department store in the world, played Scrabble whilst on holiday.
He enjoyed playing it so much that on his return to New York, he asked the Games Department to send him up a few sets. The precise exchange can only be guessed at. But the Games Department had to own up to not stocking Scrabble. They very soon did!
What's more, Macy's supported a promotional campaign with the result that the game quickly captured the imagination of thousands.
By 1953, although by now making 6,000 sets a week, it became clear to Brunot that he couldn't match the demand for Scrabble. So he licensed the manufacture to Selchow and Righter, a leading American games manufacturer, who had previously rejected it.
For three years, orders had to be rationed. Demand just went up and up.
Meanwhile, the Scrabble craze spread to Australia in 1953. In the same year, it was launched in the UK by J.W. Spear & Sons, where the game was an instant success.
Brunot eventually sold off the rights to Scrabble in 1968 and Spear's acquired the rights to the world, outside of the USA, Canada and Australia. (However, they managed to pick up the Australian rights at a later date.) The rights to the game remain split in this way to this day.
In 1986, Selchow and Righter sold out to Coleco who promptly went bankrupt in 1987. So it was that 53 years after turning the game down, the rights for Scrabble in the USA and Canada were purchased by Milton Bradley.
1991 saw the first world championship take place in London. The second was held in New York City in 1993.
Regrettably, James Brunot died in October 1984. So he didn't live to see the first championship. But Alfred Butts did. He lived to be 93, passing away in April 1993.
He took pleasure in playing his game with family and friends to the end of his life. And this modest, unassuming man lived to see his brainchild become a worldwide phenomenon.
In 1994, J.W. Spear and Sons were acquired by Mattel Inc., the largest toy and game company in the world.
You can't win if you don't know the rules. Choose from the list below to get started.
There are three areas of rules and regulations that you need to be familiar with: Setup, Game Play, and How to Score with Scoring Examples to illustrate. We start with the Set Up instructions below. Follow the links at the bottom of the page or click on the link below to view the rest of the rules.
Setup
You should have a game board, 100 letter tiles, a letter bag, and four racks.
Before the game begins, all players should agree upon the dictionary that they will use, in case of a challenge. All words labeled as a part of speech (including those listed of foreign origin, and as archaic, obsolete, colloquial, slang, etc.) are permitted with the exception of the following: words always capitalized, abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, words requiring a hyphen or an apostrophe.
Place all letters in the pouch, or facedown beside the board, and mix them up. Draw for first play. The player with the letter closest to "A" plays first. A blank tile beats any letter. Return the letters to the pool and remix. All players draw seven new letters and each place them on their racks.
Game Play
The first player combines two or more of his or her letters to form a word and places it on the board to read either across or down with one letter on the center square. Diagonal words are not allowed.
Complete your turn by counting and announcing your score for that turn. Then draw as many new letters as you played; always keep seven letters on your rack, as long as there are enough tiles left in the bag.
Play passes to the left. The second player, and then each in turn, adds one or more letters to those already played to form new words. All letters played on a turn must be placed in one row across or down the board, to form at least one complete word. If, at the same time, they touch others letters in adjacent rows, those must also form complete words, crossword fashion, with all such letters. The player gets full credit for all words formed or modified on his or her turn.
New words may be formed by:
Adding one or more letters to a word or letters already on the board.
Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board. The new word must use one of the letters already on the board or must add a letter to it. (See Turns 2, 3 and 4 in the Scoring Examples section.)
Placing a complete word parallel to a word already played so that adjacent letters also form complete words. (See Turn 5 in the Scoring Examples section.)
No tile may be shifted or replaced after it has been played and scored.
Blanks: The two blank tiles may be used as any letters. When playing a blank, you must state which letter it represents. It remains that letter for the rest of the game.
You may use a turn to exchange all, some, or none of the letters. To do this, place your discarded letter(s) facedown. Draw the same number of letters from the pool, then mix your discarded letter(s) into the pool. This ends your turn.
Any play may be challenged before the next player starts a turn. If the play challenged is unacceptable, the challenged player takes back his or her tiles and loses that turn. If the play challenged is acceptable, the challenger loses his or her next turn. Consult the dictionary for challenges only. All words made in one play are challenged simultaneously. If any word is unacceptable, then the entire play is unacceptable. Only one turn is lost on any challenge.
The game ends when all letters have been drawn and one player uses his or her last letter; or when all possible plays have been made.
Scoring
Use a score pad or piece of paper to keep a tally of each player's score, entering it after each turn. The score value of each letter is indicated by a number at the bottom of the tile. The score value of a blank is zero.
The score for each turn is the sum of the letter values in each word(s) formed or modified on that turn, plus the additional points obtained from placing letters on Premium Squares.
Premium Letter Squares: A light blue square doubles the score of a letter placed on it; a dark blue square triples the letter score.
Premium Word Squares: The score for an entire word is doubled when one of its letters is placed on a pink square: it is tripled when one of its letters is placed on a red square. Include premiums for double or triple letter values, if any, before doubling or tripling the word score.
If a word is formed that covers two premium word squares, the score is doubled and then re-doubled (4 times the letter count), or tripled and then re-tripled (9 times the letter count). NOTE: the center square is a pink square, which doubles the score for the first word.
Letter and word premiums count only on the turn in which they are played. On later turns, letters already played on premium squares count at face value.
When a blank tile is played on a pink or red square, the value of the word is doubled or tripled, even though the blank itself has no score value.
When two or more words are formed in the same play, each is scored. The common letter is counted (with full premium value, if any) for each word. (See Turns 3, 4 and 5 in the Scoring Examples section.)
BINGO! If you play seven tiles on a turn, it's a Bingo. You score a premium of 50 points after totaling your score for the turn.
Unplayed Letters: When the game ends, each player's score is reduced by the sum of his/her unplayed letters. In addition, if a player has used all of his or her letters, the sum of the other players' unplayed letters is added to that player's score.
The player with the highest final score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the highest score before adding or deducting unplayed letters wins.
Scoring Examples
In the following, the words added on five successive turns are shown in bold type. The scores shown are the correct scores if the letter R is placed on the center square. In Turn 1, count HORN: in Turn 2, FARM; in Turn 3, PASTE and FARMS; in Turn 4, MOB, NOT and BE; in Turn 5, BIT, PI and AT.
All tournament players make it a high priority to learn these 16 Q-words that don't use a U:
FAQIR - Variation of FAKIR, a Hindu ascetic.
FAQIRS - Plural of FAQIR.
QAID - A variation of CAID, a Muslim leader.
QAIDS - Plural of QAID.
QANAT - A system of underground tunnels and wells in the Middle East.
QANATS - Plural of QANAT.
QAT - Variation of KAT, an evergreen shrub.
QATS - Plural of QAT.
QINDAR - Variation of QINTAR, a monetary unit of Albania.
QINDARS - Plural of QINDAR.
QINDARKA - Albanian currency.
QINDARKAS - The plural of QINDARKA.
QINTAR - See above.
QINTARS - Plural of QINTAR.
QOPH - A letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
QOPHS - Plural of QOPH.
QWERTY - A standard typewriter keyboard.
QWERTYS - The plural of QWERTY, see above.
SHEQEL - An ancient unit of weight and money.
SHEQALIM - The plural of SHEQEL, see above
TRANQ - A variation of TRANK (i.e. tranquilizer).
TRANQS - Plural of TRANQ.
Impress your friends and family with SCRABBLE terminology. Our glossary will have you sounding like a SCRABBLE pro in no time. Just click on a letter to jump to that section of the glossary.
Abbreviations: DLS: Double Letter Score; DWS: Double Word Score; TLS: Triple Letter Score; TWS: Triple Word Score; ?: Blank; PTS.: Points.
top
Alphagram: The alphabetic arrangement of a group of letters. Example: BEGNU is the alphagram of the word BEGUN.
top
Anagram: A word that is spelled with the exact same letters as another word. Example: KITCHEN is an anagram of THICKEN, and vice versa. GAPE is an anagram of PAGE.
top
Back Extension: See Extension Play.
top
Back Hook: See Hook.
top
Balancing Your Rack: Making a play that leaves the letters on your rack which will most likely help you to score well next turn. This often means leaving a favorable ratio of vowels and consonants. Also known as Rack Balance.
top
Bingo: Any word played that uses all seven letters of the rack, earning a bonus of 50 points. British players use the term "bonus" instead of bingo.
top
Bingo-Prone Tiles: A group of tiles that are likely to produce a bingo. Often used to describe a player's set of three to six tiles just before drawing his or her replacement tiles. Example: ERS?, AL?, or AERST.
top
Blank: One of the two tiles that have no letter printed on them. The blank is worth zero points, but is widely regarded as the most valuable tile due to its chameleon-like ability of being able to represent any letter. Having one increases the odds of playing a bingo.
top
Blank Bingo: A bingo that includes a blank tile.
top
Blocking: The act of playing a word on the board that stops the opponent from making a potentially large score.
top
Braille: To feel the surface of a tile while your hand is in the bag in order to draw a blank or other specific letter. This is strictly forbidden.
top
"Challenge!": An opponent calls "Challenge!" when s/he thinks a word is not acceptable (i.e., not in the OSPD3). The opponent records the challenged words on a "challenge slip" and a word judge is called to verify the acceptability of all the words formed on a play. If any of the words challenged are unacceptable, the whole play is unacceptable. The player must then remove his or her play from the board and lose that turn. If all the words are acceptable, then the challenger loses his or her turn. Only one turn is lost on any challenge.
top
Challenge Slip: The slip of paper upon which the words being challenged are printed by one of the players (and double-checked by the opponent). These slips are generally preferred to a player's simply pointing to the challenged word on the board. That's because mistakes are much more likely to be made unless the words are recorded.
top
Chess Clock: See Tournament Clock.
top
Closed Board: The opposite of an open board: when there are few or no places on the board to put down either bingos or other high-scoring plays.
top
Coffeehousing: To make small talk, crack knuckles, or do any of a number of things meant to distract or mislead your opponent. This is unethical and strictly forbidden in clubs and tournaments. It is generally considered impolite to talk during a tournament game unless it is pertinent to the score or the play.
top
Contestant Score Card: On this card each player keeps a record of each game's results: opponent's name and signature, who plays first, final score, total number of wins, and his or her own total point spread.
top
Courtesy Rule: If an opponent takes more than a minute to "Hold!" a play, the player may draw new tiles but must keep them separate from the others until the hold is resolved. Often, a third rack is used to hold these new tiles.
top
Credits: A seldom-used but effective method of deciding tournament results. One "credit" system has each player beginning each game with 30 credits. The winner automatically earns 10 credits, plus 1 credit for each 10 points of point spread (rounded off). The loser subtracts 1 credit from his or her original 30 for each 10 points of spread. Arbitrarily, no more than 60 credits nor fewer than 10 credits can be earned. For example, if Player #1 beats Player #2 400-350, Player #1 earns 30 + 10 (for winning) + 5 (for winning by 5 x 10 points) = 45 credits. Player #2 earns 30 - 5 (for losing by 5 x 10 points) = 25 credits. For ties, both players receive 35 credits.
top
Double-Double (DWS-DWS): When a player makes a play with letters that cover two Double Word Score squares, it is known as playing a "Double-Double." The bonus for covering two DWSs on one play is four times the sum of the value of the letters of the Double-Double word. The sum should include the extra values earned from any DLS covered that turn.
top
Dumping: Making a play that scores few points but rids the rack of a poor combination of letters.
top
Endgame: That portion of a SCRABBLE game when there are fewer than seven tiles left to draw from the bag.
top
Exchanging Tiles (or Trading Tiles): Instead of playing a word on the board, the player may use his or her turn to exchange from one to seven tiles for new tiles drawn from the bag. There must be at least seven tiles in the bag in order to exchange. To exchange, place the unwanted tiles facedown in front of you, announce the number of tiles you are exchanging, draw an equal number of tiles from the bag and place them on your rack. Finally, return the unwanted tiles to the bag.
top
Extension Play: The extension of one word by adding two or more letters. Example: With QUEST on the board, adding CON to the front creates the extension CONQUEST. Also called Front Extension or Back Extension.
top
Fishing: To play for only a few points or exchange only one or two tiles, keeping five or six really good tiles, with the hope of making a high-scoring play next turn.
top
Frequency List: See Preprinted Tracking Sheet.
top
Front Extension: See Extension Play.
top
Front Hook: See Hook.
top
"Hold!": An opponent calls "Hold!" when a player plays a word that the opponent considers challenging. Calling "Hold!" signals to the player not to draw new tiles until either the challenge is officially resolved or the hold is cancelled. To cancel a "Hold!" the opponent simply tells the player "I accept the play." Using chess clocks, an opponent may hold as long as s/he desires; with sand timers, a hold may last as long as three minutes. After one minute of holding, the player may draw tiles, but must keep them separate from the others. See Courtesy Rule.
top
Hook Letter (or Hook): A letter that will spell a new word when it is played either at the front or end of a word already on the board. Example: With HARD on the board, the Y is a hook letter, since HARDY is acceptable. "Hook" is also used as a verb. Example: The letter C can "hook" on to HARD, since CHARD is acceptable. Also called Front Hook or Back Hook.
top
Hot Spots: These are either specific squares or areas on the board that have excellent bonus-scoring opportunities. Players will do well to look for these areas before looking for words on their rack. Examples: Triple Letter Score squares or Double Word Score squares adjacent to vowels; a single letter placed between two open Triple Word Score squares; words that take a variety of hook letters (ARE, ON, CARE).
top
Leave: The group of tiles on a player's rack after s/he makes a play and before s/he draws new tiles.
top
Natural: A bingo that does not use a blank tile. Also called a Natural Bingo.
top
Nongo: A bingo that won't play on the board.
top
Neutralizing the Timer: : Stopping the game clock. Neither player's time continues during challenges, rule disputes, or score verifications.
top
Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 3rd Edition: The Bible for all National SCRABBLE® Association Clubs and Tournaments. The official source for all of the two- to eight-letter words. For words over eight letters, the NSA uses Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition.
top
Open Board: During play, the board is considered "open" when there are many places to play either bingos or other high-scoring words.
top
Overdrawing Tiles: When one player draws more tiles from the bag than is appropriate.
top
Parallel Play: A word played parallel to another word. Example:
M A R
L A T E
With MAR on the board, LATE is a parallel play that simultaneously forms MA, AT, and RE, all of which earn points for the player.
top
Passing: A player may pass his or her turn by not exchanging tiles and not making a play on the board. The player says "Pass!," scores zero, and starts the opponent's timer. It is now the opponent's turn. In club or tournament play, when there are six consecutive scores of zero in a game, the game is over. A player scores zero when s/he either exchanges, passes, or loses a challenge.
top
Phoney: Any unacceptable word. An unacceptable word is one that is not found in The Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, or, if the root word has more than eight letters, it is not found in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. However, if a phoney is not challenged, it will stay on the board for the remainder of the game.
top
Point Spread: The algebraic difference between the winner's and loser's score of a game. Example: If Player #1 wins over Player #2 by 400 to 300, Player #1's point spread is + 100; Player #2's is - 100. See Total Spread.
top
Power Tiles: There are ten power tiles. They are the two blanks, the four Ss, and the J, Q, X, and Z.
top
Preprinted Tracking Sheet: : Also called Frequency List or simply Tracking Sheet. This sheet of paper has printed on it either the alphabet or a partial or complete list of the one hundred lettered tiles used in a SCRABBLE game.
top
Rack Balance: See Balancing Your Rack.
top
Rack Management: How a player develops his series of racks toward the goal of putting down a bingo and other high-scoring plays.
top
Rating: For each sanctioned National SCRABBLE Association tournament, a new rating is computed for each of the contestants. The rating represents how well a player is doing in relation to other rated players. The higher the rating, the more skillful the player. Ratings currently range from 200 to 2,100.
top
Rounds: In club or tournament play, one game is one round. Typically, there are five or six rounds (games) per day at most tournaments.
top
Sand Timer: In some tournaments and clubs, where chess clocks are not available, three-minute sand timers are used to time each player's turns.
top
Second Opinion: If a player believes the word judge has made a mistake, s/he may ask for a second person to research the challenge. That second judgment is known as the second opinion. If the second opinion contradicts the original one, a third opinion may be called for.
top
Stems: Certain five- and six-letter combinations of letters are so useful for forming bingos that lists of bingos have been printed that include these stems. Some of the more useful ones are: STARE, STANE, RETINA, SATINE, and SATIRE. By learning these lists and saving these letters, players will learn to play bingos more often.
top
Team (or Partnership) Game: Two or more players may pool their knowledge and play as one team against another.
top
Total (Cumulative) Spread: Over the course of many games the + (plus) or -(minus) spread for each game is added together. At the end of a tournament each player has a total spread for the event.
top
Tournament Clock: Often called a Chess Clock, it is actually two clocks housed in one plastic or wooden case. Sanctioned tournament games are timed using these clocks. Each player has twenty-five minutes to play the entire game. After making a move, the player presses the button on his or her side of the clock, which starts the opponent's time. The clock is used in this fashion until the game is over. Players are penalized 10 points per minute for every minute, or fraction thereof, used over the allotted twenty-five.
top
Tracking (or Tile Tracking): The process of keeping track of the letters played on the board. This can give the astute player an advantage as the game progresses. Careful trackers can deduce an opponent's rack after there are no letters left to draw. By knowing the opponent's rack, the player can often make moves to block the opponent's best plays or set up high-scoring plays that the opponent can't block. Players are allowed to play with their own Preprinted Tracking Sheet alongside their score sheet.
top
Tracking Sheet: See Preprinted Tracking Sheet.
top
Triple-Triple: When a player makes a play with letters that cover two Triple Word Score squares, it is known as playing a "Triple-Triple." The bonus for covering two TWSs on one play is nine times the sum of the value of the letters of the Triple-Triple word. The sum should include the extra values earned from any DLS covered that turn.
top
Turnover: Players are playing for "turnover" when they play as many tiles as they can in order to draw as many new tiles as possible. By playing for turnover, a player maximizes his or her chances for drawing the better tiles.
top
Two-to-Make-Threes: Two-letter words that will take a third letter placed either in front or back to form a three-letter word. Example: AN is a two-to-make-three because BAN, CAN, etc., as well as AND, ANT, and ANY, are words. The three-letter words BAN, CAN, and ANT, and ANY, are also known as two-to-make threes.
Most people agree that a lifelong curiosity about words is one of the greatest gifts you can give to a child. Playing SCRABBLE with children not only fosters a love for words, it also builds other important skills. Figuring out where to place their words builds spatial relations and strategic thinking skills. And playing with other children and adults strengthens social skills. Tallying word scores requires a familiarity with addition and multiplication.
Here are some hints and tips for playing SCRABBLE with children:
Kids as young as four and five can start playing SCRABBLE Junior.
At eight, they're ready for regular SCRABBLE.
Don't spend a lot of time talking about rules and strategy. Jump right in!
Let children use a dictionary. It's a terrific safety net, and a great learning skill.
Play for fun, spelling your names - or a favorite word - with SCRABBLE tiles. Then practice adding up the score.
Explain anagrams. Have children see how many words they can make out of the letters in their names. Then show how the letters in the word TEA can also spell EAT and ETA or how CAROB can become COBRA.
Introduce rules and strategy once children understand the basics.
Results for arisai
AA
aa aas \ n pl. -S rough, cindery lava
AI
ai ais \ n pl. -S a three-toed sloth
AIR
air airest airer \ adv AIRER, AIREST early
AIR
air airs airing aired \ v -ED, -ING, -S to expose to the air (the mixture of gases that surrounds the earth)
AR
ar ars \ n pl. -S the letter R
ARIA
aria arias \ n pl. -S an elaborate melody for a single voice
AS
as \ adv to the same degree
IRIS
iris irising irised \ v -ED, -ING, -ES to give the form of a rainbow to
IRIS
iris irises \ n pl. IRISES or IRIDES a part of the eye
IS
is \ present 3d person sing. of be
RAIA
raia raias \ n pl. -S rayah
RAS
ras rases \ n pl. -ES an Ethiopian prince
RIA
ria rias \ n pl. -S a long, narrow inlet
SARI
sari saris \ n pl. -S an outer garment worn by Hindu women
SI
si sis \ n pl. -S ti
SIR
sir sirs \ n pl. -S a respectful form of address used to a man
SRI
sri sris \ n pl. -S mister; sir -- used as a Hindu title of respect
17 words found.
There are a 120 2 letter words. If you are willing to learn anything specifically for playing Scrabble then these are the most important words to learn. They are useful to create parallel plays or for squeezing in a good play on a blocked board.
In fact you won't need to learn all of them, as 27 are everyday words like IT, IN etc., which leaves 93. Then there are interjections, contracted forms, tonic sol-fa and letter sounds which you will know but might not think are acceptable plays in Scrabble. These include:
AD, AH, AR, AW, BI, ED, EF, EH, EL, EM, EN, ER, ES, EX, FA, HA, HM, HO, LA, LO, MA, MI, MM, MO, OH, OO, OP, OW, PA, PO, RE, SH, ST, TA, TI, UG, UH, UM, UN, UR, YO.
That's another 41, only 52 to go now! You might even know some of these, for example OM (an intoned Hindu sacred symbol) or PI (mathematical symbol) but you'll probably just have to learn the rest. When you play with them regularly they will soon become second nature. They are:
AA, AB, AE, AG, AI, AL, AX, AY, BA, BO, CH, DA, DE, DI, EA, EE, ET FY, GI, GU, ID, IO, JO, KA, KO, KY, LI, MU, NA, NE, NU, NY, OB, OD, OE, OI, OM, OS, OU, OY, PE, PH, PI, QI, SI, TE, UT, WO, XI, XU, YA, YU, ZO.
DON'T ALWAYS GO FOR THE HIGHEST SCORE
A good starting point to decide where to play, is to ask yourself; what is the highest score I can get? However, it's not the only consideration. You need to think whether you are getting value for the tiles you play and consider what letters you are leaving on your rack.
The best tile is a blank. It vastly increases your chance of getting a 7 letter word and collecting a 50 point bonus. As a rule of thumb a blank should be held unless it increases your best play by upwards of 25 points. Think about setting target scores for the other letters such as S, J, Q, X, and Z.
Try to keep a balanced rack i.e. a rack that has similar number of vowels and consonants. Try to play duplicate letters (if you have 3 N's you may take a few points less in score in order to be able to play one of them.) Try to keep the letters from the word RETAINS on your rack as these are the letters most conducive to making 7 letter words and getting those elusive 50 point bonuses.
TRIPLE WORD SCORES
Triple word squares are crucial. So don't make them easily available to your opponent.
However don't be so concerned about these squares that you ignore good plays that open up the triples. Try to weigh up how many you score against what your opponent is likely to get. A play which covers the double letter square which is to be found 4 or 5 spaces from each triple will considerably depress the scores available on a triple and make the likely score from your opponent much lower.
HOOKS - LATERAL THINKING
Always look at the board to see whether there are any opportunities to ''hook'' onto existing plays. A ''hook'' is a letter that can be placed on the front or rear of a word to make a new word. There are ''front hooks'' like P onto LATE to make PLATE or ''rear hooks'' like R onto LATE to make LATER. Some everyday ones which may not immediately come to mind are U onto PEND to make UPEND or Y onto GRAVEL to make GRAVELY. There are 100's more.
Some unusual ones include K on the end of NAB to make NABK (a prickly shrub) and E on the front of TEN to make ETEN (an archaic word for a giant). Also, it follows that it's useful to know which words do not take any 'hooks'. Most words will take at least an S, but examples of common words that don't have any hooks include FRY and SUCH, these sorts of words can be used to block in a tight, defensive game.
FISHING
Generally it's a bad idea to play 1 or 2 letters in the hope of picking up a specific letter to make a great play. The most common letter in Scrabble is E; there are 12 E's in the set out of a total of 100. This means on average that you only have a 1 in 8 chance of picking an E and that the chances of picking any other specific letters are lower.
Near the end of the game, however, fishing becomes more viable. Obviously you won't know precisely what letters your opponent holds. But you can see what letters have been played and take an educated guess at what's left in the bag.
CHANGING
The occasional player never changes letters, arguing that it is a waste of a turn. However if you are continually scoring 10 points or lower because you have poor tiles then a change would probably be the best option.
There may be various reasons for a change:
You rack is not balanced. You have too many vowels or consonants and cannot score well because of this.
You are in danger of getting stuck with the Q at the end of the game.
The scores are close, the board is blocked and there are many useful letters left in the bag, which may, if you get them, win you the game.
ANAGRAMMING
One of the real skills in Scrabble is spotting the 7 letter word from an unlikely looking rack of letters. It's difficult to do this when you are shuffling all 7 letters so try to see whether you have any common suffixes or prefixes. If you have UN, IN, RE etc. move these the left of the rack and then shuffle the remaining five letters. Likewise, if you have -S, -ED, -ER, or -ING move these to the right and play with the other tiles. You'll find it easier to find possible 7 letter words this way.
Some other good prefixes are OUT, OVER, FORE, UNDER. Other useful suffixes include -AGE, -EST, -FUL, -IEST, -URE, -ABLE.
WINNING FROM BEHIND
In a game, don't get dispirited when you fall behind. It's possible to recover large deficits if you remain cool, keep the board reasonably open and don't try to recover all of the points in just one move.
Look at the state of the game; perhaps there is only one S left and you have it on your rack. In this case you can play a word close to a triple word spot and then pluralise it and take the spot on the next move without worrying that your opponent can play there.
AT THE END OF THE GAME TRY TO PLAY OUT FIRST
In a game where the scores are close, it is often vital to play out first, catching your opponent with tiles on his rack and thus garnering extra points. To achieve this you need to plan ahead when there are just a few tiles in the bag, thinking out how you can finish before your opponent.
Towards the end of the game make sure you know how many tiles are left. More often than not, particularly when you are ahead, it is a good idea to leave at least one tile in the bag. This means that: -
If you cannot go out in 1 move but can complete in 2, you will have 2 moves to your opponent's 1, giving you a much better chance of completing the game first. If your opponent plays a bonus word on his/her next play and takes the last tile you at least have 1 go to get rid of as many tiles as possible rather than giving your opponent the value of the 7 tiles on your rack as well as their bonus score.
TILE TRACKING
Try to keep a mental track of which of the most useful letters (J, Q, X, Z, S and blank) have been played. In tournament Scrabble, it is permissible to write down the letters as they are played. It is then possible in a tight endgame to work out what your opponent has on his/her rack and to make your play taking this into account, perhaps blocking an opportunity for them or setting yourself up with a scoring place which you know they cannot block.
If you do track tiles during the game it will help you make decisions about which tiles to play and which to keep. For example, you can play CLEAN or CLEAR for the same score, so you consult your tracking sheet and discover there are 3 R's left to come and only 1N. Therefore, you are more likely to pick up another R than an N and the better move is to play CLEAR, lessening the chances of creating duplicate letters and unbalancing your rack.
TILE TURNOVER
The more tiles that pass through your hands the more chance you have of getting one of those really useful ones -S, blank, J, Q, X, Z. You will need to evaluate your rack; sometimes a particularly good combination of five or six letters is worth keeping, but generally, where you can, try to play four or more tiles on each move.
Evaluating your rack is a real skill that you pick up if you play regularly. Try to judge which consonants fit together. An obvious example might be to retain C and H, or S, H and R. Another example - N, L, and R are all good letters but if all are kept they need a hard consonant like a D, T or G to make them more usable.
THE Q
The Q is the most difficult letter to play. 2 tips for dealing with it are:
The word QI (Chinese life force) will come in useful in many games. Other unusual useful words include QAT (a tea-like drug) and QADI (Muslim magistrate). If you cannot play the Q consider changing it, particularly at the end of the game when opportunities tend to be more restricted.
When they draw a U some players put it aside in case they then draw the Q at a later stage. This is a bad idea. Firstly you only have a 50-50 chance of drawing the Q anyway, secondly if you're trying to score with 6 letters rather than 7 you are greatly lessening your chances of getting good scores each move.
PREMIUM SQUARES
The double letter, triple letter, double word and triple word squares are referred to as the premium squares. Concentrate on using these squares to maximise your scores. With the letter premium squares a good tip is to find the highest scoring letter on your rack and try to land it on a double or triple letter square. Utilising the 2 letter words you can often play that high scoring letter in 2 words simultaneously scoring 4 times its worth on a double or 6 times on a triple.
Also try to combine the double and triple letter squares with the double and triple word squares in one move; this is where the really high non-bonus scores are made. If you can put the Q on a triple letter square, for example, and then play a 5 letter word down to a double word, you are looking at a 60 points + play. You can get the same sort of score by combining a high scoring letter on a double letter square at the edges of the board and playing a 4/5 letter word stretching onto a triple word.
CONSIDERING THE OPPONENT
If you have a regular opponent, try to work out his/her strengths and weaknesses. If they like a nice open board where they can make clever plays then try to keep the board tight. Conversely if your opponent likes a tight, defensive board then open the game up. Generally, if you are playing someone who has a superior word knowledge to you then try to keep the board confined and they will have less chance of utilising that knowledge.
When you're making a move consider how it might help your opponent. For instance: you have a choice of playing DEBUT or using the same letters as TUBED. If you play DEBUT, your opponent might have an S whereas TUBED cannot be extended and where the scores are close this may be the better move.
J, Q, X, Z
These are the highest scoring letters in the bag but they are not the only way of scoring. Don't waste them but try to play them as soon as you can. These letters have a high value because they are awkward; having them on your rack will cut down the variety of plays you make.
The X is the most flexible of the 4; you should aim to score around 30 with the X other than at the very end of the game where opportunities will be scarcer. Remember there are five 2 letter words containing the X - AX, EX, OX, XI and XU.
If you are looking to learn a few useful unusual words, the J, Q, X, Z words are good ones to concentrate on. A good way to remember them is in pairs e.g. OJIME (a carved bead used as a clasp) and OXIME (chemical compound) or TOAZE (alternative for tease) and TOUZE (to haul).
Did you know you have something in common with Mel Gibson, Sting, Keanu Reeves, Joan Collins And Queen Elizabeth II ?
You all play a game that's sold in 121 countries round the world.
Now in its 49th year, over 100 million sets of the game have been sold in 29 different languages making it easily the world's best selling word game.
No prizes for guessing we're talking about Scrabble. After all, this is the Scrabble Website!
To long-term devotees of the game and new fans alike, a very warm welcome.
We're going to be telling you about Scrabble's incredible history - a case of truth being stranger than fiction.
In 1931, Poughkeepsie in New York State was in a similar predicament to the rest of the USA ....deep in the depths of the depression.
There was no job security. Living on your wits was the order of the day.
And so it was that when the local architect, Alfred Mosher Butts, lost his job he decided to explore his passion for games and words.
Mild-mannered, bespectacled Butts disliked dice games. They were all down to luck. On the other hand, he felt that all-skill games, like chess, were too highbrow for the general public.
So he set out to devise a game that was half luck, half skill. And by the end of 1931 he had developed the initial idea for the game, which he called Lexico.
Lexico was played without a board and players scored on the basis of the lengths of the words formed. There were additional scores for words employing 'minor honours' (B, F, H, M, P, V, W, Y) and a higher additional score for major honours (J, K, Q, X, Z).
Butts calculated the letter frequency and value of each letter of the alphabet by meticulously combing the front page of the New York Times.
He reasoned that too many S's made the game too easy. So he reduced them to 4.
In 1933, Butts' application for a patent for Lexico was turned down.
Similarly, when he submitted the game to two games manufacturers, Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley, all he received were polite refusals.
Undeterred, over the next 5 years Butts made nearly 200 games himself which he gave or sold to friends. But that was as far as Lexico went. It wasn't a commercial success.
1938 saw Butts make a big breakthrough in developing the game.
The popularity of crosswords gave Butts the idea of combining the letters with a playing board, on which words could be joined in the manner of a crossword.
Lexico became New Anagrams, Alph, Criss-Cross then Criss-Crosswords.
The boards for the first Criss-Crosswords games were drawn with his architectural drafting equipment, reproduced by blue printing and pasted on folding chessboards.
The tiles were similarly hand lettered, then glued to quarter inch plywood and cut to match the squares on the board.
Through the years that followed, the game changed in its development. For example, at one time the opening word was placed near the upper left-hand corner of the board.
However, several of Butts original features have remained. The 15 by 15 square board and the 7-tile rack were original features. Also the distribution and the values of the letters remain unchanged from 1938 to this day.
But Criss-Crosswords met the same flat refusals as Lexico. The patent board turned him down again. And so did more games manufacturers. A decision they were collectively going to regret !
Butts thought briefly about becoming a manufacturer. But he cheerily acknowledged that he was no entrepreneur and returned to being an architect. And with the intervention of the Second World War, Butts didn't consider further development until 1948.
Then came the big breakthrough in the shape of James Brunot, an owner of one of the first Criss-Crosswords games.
The Brunots were intrigued by the game and believed it should be marketed. What's more, James Brunot had the time and inclination to make a commercial venture of it.
They shook hands on a deal. In return for allowing Brunot to manufacture the game, Butts would receive a royalty on every game sold.
The Brunots decided that the game needed a few finishing touches.
They rearranged the premium squares and simplified the rules, which were overly long and reconsidered the name of the game. Then they lodged a Copyright application, which was granted on 1 December, 1948.
Soon after, came the all important name change ! After much searching, they decided upon the name Scrabble for the game and managed to register the trademark on 16 December, 1948.
The modern game of Scrabble was born at last !
The Brunots initially set up shop in the living room of their home in Newtown, Connecticut.
Brunot bought the parts of his finished product from various manufacturers and assembled them there with the help of his wife. At first, they turned out just 18 games a day, painstakingly stamping letters on wooden tiles one at a time.
During 1949, their first year of production, they assembled and sold 2251 games in this way, losing $450 in the process. They continued to struggle in the years that followed.
By 1952, they were still losing money and ready to abandon the project. Brunot took a holiday to think things over.
He returned to find that word-of-mouth recommendation had brought in a deluge of orders. It was time to move to bigger premises, so they found an abandoned schoolhouse near their home in Connecticut and moved in.
In the fourth quarter, sales reached 37,000 units.
1952 was also the year that Jack Strauss, the Chairman of Macy's, New York, the biggest department store in the world, played Scrabble whilst on holiday.
He enjoyed playing it so much that on his return to New York, he asked the Games Department to send him up a few sets. The precise exchange can only be guessed at. But the Games Department had to own up to not stocking Scrabble. They very soon did!
What's more, Macy's supported a promotional campaign with the result that the game quickly captured the imagination of thousands.
By 1953, although by now making 6,000 sets a week, it became clear to Brunot that he couldn't match the demand for Scrabble. So he licensed the manufacture to Selchow and Righter, a leading American games manufacturer, who had previously rejected it.
For three years, orders had to be rationed. Demand just went up and up.
Meanwhile, the Scrabble craze spread to Australia in 1953. In the same year, it was launched in the UK by J.W. Spear & Sons, where the game was an instant success.
Brunot eventually sold off the rights to Scrabble in 1968 and Spear's acquired the rights to the world, outside of the USA, Canada and Australia. (However, they managed to pick up the Australian rights at a later date.) The rights to the game remain split in this way to this day.
In 1986, Selchow and Righter sold out to Coleco who promptly went bankrupt in 1987. So it was that 53 years after turning the game down, the rights for Scrabble in the USA and Canada were purchased by Milton Bradley.
1991 saw the first world championship take place in London. The second was held in New York City in 1993.
Regrettably, James Brunot died in October 1984. So he didn't live to see the first championship. But Alfred Butts did. He lived to be 93, passing away in April 1993.
He took pleasure in playing his game with family and friends to the end of his life. And this modest, unassuming man lived to see his brainchild become a worldwide phenomenon.
In 1994, J.W. Spear and Sons were acquired by Mattel Inc., the largest toy and game company in the world.
You can't win if you don't know the rules. Choose from the list below to get started.
There are three areas of rules and regulations that you need to be familiar with: Setup, Game Play, and How to Score with Scoring Examples to illustrate. We start with the Set Up instructions below. Follow the links at the bottom of the page or click on the link below to view the rest of the rules.
Setup
You should have a game board, 100 letter tiles, a letter bag, and four racks.
Before the game begins, all players should agree upon the dictionary that they will use, in case of a challenge. All words labeled as a part of speech (including those listed of foreign origin, and as archaic, obsolete, colloquial, slang, etc.) are permitted with the exception of the following: words always capitalized, abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, words requiring a hyphen or an apostrophe.
Place all letters in the pouch, or facedown beside the board, and mix them up. Draw for first play. The player with the letter closest to "A" plays first. A blank tile beats any letter. Return the letters to the pool and remix. All players draw seven new letters and each place them on their racks.
Game Play
The first player combines two or more of his or her letters to form a word and places it on the board to read either across or down with one letter on the center square. Diagonal words are not allowed.
Complete your turn by counting and announcing your score for that turn. Then draw as many new letters as you played; always keep seven letters on your rack, as long as there are enough tiles left in the bag.
Play passes to the left. The second player, and then each in turn, adds one or more letters to those already played to form new words. All letters played on a turn must be placed in one row across or down the board, to form at least one complete word. If, at the same time, they touch others letters in adjacent rows, those must also form complete words, crossword fashion, with all such letters. The player gets full credit for all words formed or modified on his or her turn.
New words may be formed by:
Adding one or more letters to a word or letters already on the board.
Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board. The new word must use one of the letters already on the board or must add a letter to it. (See Turns 2, 3 and 4 in the Scoring Examples section.)
Placing a complete word parallel to a word already played so that adjacent letters also form complete words. (See Turn 5 in the Scoring Examples section.)
No tile may be shifted or replaced after it has been played and scored.
Blanks: The two blank tiles may be used as any letters. When playing a blank, you must state which letter it represents. It remains that letter for the rest of the game.
You may use a turn to exchange all, some, or none of the letters. To do this, place your discarded letter(s) facedown. Draw the same number of letters from the pool, then mix your discarded letter(s) into the pool. This ends your turn.
Any play may be challenged before the next player starts a turn. If the play challenged is unacceptable, the challenged player takes back his or her tiles and loses that turn. If the play challenged is acceptable, the challenger loses his or her next turn. Consult the dictionary for challenges only. All words made in one play are challenged simultaneously. If any word is unacceptable, then the entire play is unacceptable. Only one turn is lost on any challenge.
The game ends when all letters have been drawn and one player uses his or her last letter; or when all possible plays have been made.
Scoring
Use a score pad or piece of paper to keep a tally of each player's score, entering it after each turn. The score value of each letter is indicated by a number at the bottom of the tile. The score value of a blank is zero.
The score for each turn is the sum of the letter values in each word(s) formed or modified on that turn, plus the additional points obtained from placing letters on Premium Squares.
Premium Letter Squares: A light blue square doubles the score of a letter placed on it; a dark blue square triples the letter score.
Premium Word Squares: The score for an entire word is doubled when one of its letters is placed on a pink square: it is tripled when one of its letters is placed on a red square. Include premiums for double or triple letter values, if any, before doubling or tripling the word score.
If a word is formed that covers two premium word squares, the score is doubled and then re-doubled (4 times the letter count), or tripled and then re-tripled (9 times the letter count). NOTE: the center square is a pink square, which doubles the score for the first word.
Letter and word premiums count only on the turn in which they are played. On later turns, letters already played on premium squares count at face value.
When a blank tile is played on a pink or red square, the value of the word is doubled or tripled, even though the blank itself has no score value.
When two or more words are formed in the same play, each is scored. The common letter is counted (with full premium value, if any) for each word. (See Turns 3, 4 and 5 in the Scoring Examples section.)
BINGO! If you play seven tiles on a turn, it's a Bingo. You score a premium of 50 points after totaling your score for the turn.
Unplayed Letters: When the game ends, each player's score is reduced by the sum of his/her unplayed letters. In addition, if a player has used all of his or her letters, the sum of the other players' unplayed letters is added to that player's score.
The player with the highest final score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the highest score before adding or deducting unplayed letters wins.
Scoring Examples
In the following, the words added on five successive turns are shown in bold type. The scores shown are the correct scores if the letter R is placed on the center square. In Turn 1, count HORN: in Turn 2, FARM; in Turn 3, PASTE and FARMS; in Turn 4, MOB, NOT and BE; in Turn 5, BIT, PI and AT.
All tournament players make it a high priority to learn these 16 Q-words that don't use a U:
FAQIR - Variation of FAKIR, a Hindu ascetic.
FAQIRS - Plural of FAQIR.
QAID - A variation of CAID, a Muslim leader.
QAIDS - Plural of QAID.
QANAT - A system of underground tunnels and wells in the Middle East.
QANATS - Plural of QANAT.
QAT - Variation of KAT, an evergreen shrub.
QATS - Plural of QAT.
QINDAR - Variation of QINTAR, a monetary unit of Albania.
QINDARS - Plural of QINDAR.
QINDARKA - Albanian currency.
QINDARKAS - The plural of QINDARKA.
QINTAR - See above.
QINTARS - Plural of QINTAR.
QOPH - A letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
QOPHS - Plural of QOPH.
QWERTY - A standard typewriter keyboard.
QWERTYS - The plural of QWERTY, see above.
SHEQEL - An ancient unit of weight and money.
SHEQALIM - The plural of SHEQEL, see above
TRANQ - A variation of TRANK (i.e. tranquilizer).
TRANQS - Plural of TRANQ.
Impress your friends and family with SCRABBLE terminology. Our glossary will have you sounding like a SCRABBLE pro in no time. Just click on a letter to jump to that section of the glossary.
Abbreviations: DLS: Double Letter Score; DWS: Double Word Score; TLS: Triple Letter Score; TWS: Triple Word Score; ?: Blank; PTS.: Points.
top
Alphagram: The alphabetic arrangement of a group of letters. Example: BEGNU is the alphagram of the word BEGUN.
top
Anagram: A word that is spelled with the exact same letters as another word. Example: KITCHEN is an anagram of THICKEN, and vice versa. GAPE is an anagram of PAGE.
top
Back Extension: See Extension Play.
top
Back Hook: See Hook.
top
Balancing Your Rack: Making a play that leaves the letters on your rack which will most likely help you to score well next turn. This often means leaving a favorable ratio of vowels and consonants. Also known as Rack Balance.
top
Bingo: Any word played that uses all seven letters of the rack, earning a bonus of 50 points. British players use the term "bonus" instead of bingo.
top
Bingo-Prone Tiles: A group of tiles that are likely to produce a bingo. Often used to describe a player's set of three to six tiles just before drawing his or her replacement tiles. Example: ERS?, AL?, or AERST.
top
Blank: One of the two tiles that have no letter printed on them. The blank is worth zero points, but is widely regarded as the most valuable tile due to its chameleon-like ability of being able to represent any letter. Having one increases the odds of playing a bingo.
top
Blank Bingo: A bingo that includes a blank tile.
top
Blocking: The act of playing a word on the board that stops the opponent from making a potentially large score.
top
Braille: To feel the surface of a tile while your hand is in the bag in order to draw a blank or other specific letter. This is strictly forbidden.
top
"Challenge!": An opponent calls "Challenge!" when s/he thinks a word is not acceptable (i.e., not in the OSPD3). The opponent records the challenged words on a "challenge slip" and a word judge is called to verify the acceptability of all the words formed on a play. If any of the words challenged are unacceptable, the whole play is unacceptable. The player must then remove his or her play from the board and lose that turn. If all the words are acceptable, then the challenger loses his or her turn. Only one turn is lost on any challenge.
top
Challenge Slip: The slip of paper upon which the words being challenged are printed by one of the players (and double-checked by the opponent). These slips are generally preferred to a player's simply pointing to the challenged word on the board. That's because mistakes are much more likely to be made unless the words are recorded.
top
Chess Clock: See Tournament Clock.
top
Closed Board: The opposite of an open board: when there are few or no places on the board to put down either bingos or other high-scoring plays.
top
Coffeehousing: To make small talk, crack knuckles, or do any of a number of things meant to distract or mislead your opponent. This is unethical and strictly forbidden in clubs and tournaments. It is generally considered impolite to talk during a tournament game unless it is pertinent to the score or the play.
top
Contestant Score Card: On this card each player keeps a record of each game's results: opponent's name and signature, who plays first, final score, total number of wins, and his or her own total point spread.
top
Courtesy Rule: If an opponent takes more than a minute to "Hold!" a play, the player may draw new tiles but must keep them separate from the others until the hold is resolved. Often, a third rack is used to hold these new tiles.
top
Credits: A seldom-used but effective method of deciding tournament results. One "credit" system has each player beginning each game with 30 credits. The winner automatically earns 10 credits, plus 1 credit for each 10 points of point spread (rounded off). The loser subtracts 1 credit from his or her original 30 for each 10 points of spread. Arbitrarily, no more than 60 credits nor fewer than 10 credits can be earned. For example, if Player #1 beats Player #2 400-350, Player #1 earns 30 + 10 (for winning) + 5 (for winning by 5 x 10 points) = 45 credits. Player #2 earns 30 - 5 (for losing by 5 x 10 points) = 25 credits. For ties, both players receive 35 credits.
top
Double-Double (DWS-DWS): When a player makes a play with letters that cover two Double Word Score squares, it is known as playing a "Double-Double." The bonus for covering two DWSs on one play is four times the sum of the value of the letters of the Double-Double word. The sum should include the extra values earned from any DLS covered that turn.
top
Dumping: Making a play that scores few points but rids the rack of a poor combination of letters.
top
Endgame: That portion of a SCRABBLE game when there are fewer than seven tiles left to draw from the bag.
top
Exchanging Tiles (or Trading Tiles): Instead of playing a word on the board, the player may use his or her turn to exchange from one to seven tiles for new tiles drawn from the bag. There must be at least seven tiles in the bag in order to exchange. To exchange, place the unwanted tiles facedown in front of you, announce the number of tiles you are exchanging, draw an equal number of tiles from the bag and place them on your rack. Finally, return the unwanted tiles to the bag.
top
Extension Play: The extension of one word by adding two or more letters. Example: With QUEST on the board, adding CON to the front creates the extension CONQUEST. Also called Front Extension or Back Extension.
top
Fishing: To play for only a few points or exchange only one or two tiles, keeping five or six really good tiles, with the hope of making a high-scoring play next turn.
top
Frequency List: See Preprinted Tracking Sheet.
top
Front Extension: See Extension Play.
top
Front Hook: See Hook.
top
"Hold!": An opponent calls "Hold!" when a player plays a word that the opponent considers challenging. Calling "Hold!" signals to the player not to draw new tiles until either the challenge is officially resolved or the hold is cancelled. To cancel a "Hold!" the opponent simply tells the player "I accept the play." Using chess clocks, an opponent may hold as long as s/he desires; with sand timers, a hold may last as long as three minutes. After one minute of holding, the player may draw tiles, but must keep them separate from the others. See Courtesy Rule.
top
Hook Letter (or Hook): A letter that will spell a new word when it is played either at the front or end of a word already on the board. Example: With HARD on the board, the Y is a hook letter, since HARDY is acceptable. "Hook" is also used as a verb. Example: The letter C can "hook" on to HARD, since CHARD is acceptable. Also called Front Hook or Back Hook.
top
Hot Spots: These are either specific squares or areas on the board that have excellent bonus-scoring opportunities. Players will do well to look for these areas before looking for words on their rack. Examples: Triple Letter Score squares or Double Word Score squares adjacent to vowels; a single letter placed between two open Triple Word Score squares; words that take a variety of hook letters (ARE, ON, CARE).
top
Leave: The group of tiles on a player's rack after s/he makes a play and before s/he draws new tiles.
top
Natural: A bingo that does not use a blank tile. Also called a Natural Bingo.
top
Nongo: A bingo that won't play on the board.
top
Neutralizing the Timer: : Stopping the game clock. Neither player's time continues during challenges, rule disputes, or score verifications.
top
Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 3rd Edition: The Bible for all National SCRABBLE® Association Clubs and Tournaments. The official source for all of the two- to eight-letter words. For words over eight letters, the NSA uses Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition.
top
Open Board: During play, the board is considered "open" when there are many places to play either bingos or other high-scoring words.
top
Overdrawing Tiles: When one player draws more tiles from the bag than is appropriate.
top
Parallel Play: A word played parallel to another word. Example:
M A R
L A T E
With MAR on the board, LATE is a parallel play that simultaneously forms MA, AT, and RE, all of which earn points for the player.
top
Passing: A player may pass his or her turn by not exchanging tiles and not making a play on the board. The player says "Pass!," scores zero, and starts the opponent's timer. It is now the opponent's turn. In club or tournament play, when there are six consecutive scores of zero in a game, the game is over. A player scores zero when s/he either exchanges, passes, or loses a challenge.
top
Phoney: Any unacceptable word. An unacceptable word is one that is not found in The Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, or, if the root word has more than eight letters, it is not found in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. However, if a phoney is not challenged, it will stay on the board for the remainder of the game.
top
Point Spread: The algebraic difference between the winner's and loser's score of a game. Example: If Player #1 wins over Player #2 by 400 to 300, Player #1's point spread is + 100; Player #2's is - 100. See Total Spread.
top
Power Tiles: There are ten power tiles. They are the two blanks, the four Ss, and the J, Q, X, and Z.
top
Preprinted Tracking Sheet: : Also called Frequency List or simply Tracking Sheet. This sheet of paper has printed on it either the alphabet or a partial or complete list of the one hundred lettered tiles used in a SCRABBLE game.
top
Rack Balance: See Balancing Your Rack.
top
Rack Management: How a player develops his series of racks toward the goal of putting down a bingo and other high-scoring plays.
top
Rating: For each sanctioned National SCRABBLE Association tournament, a new rating is computed for each of the contestants. The rating represents how well a player is doing in relation to other rated players. The higher the rating, the more skillful the player. Ratings currently range from 200 to 2,100.
top
Rounds: In club or tournament play, one game is one round. Typically, there are five or six rounds (games) per day at most tournaments.
top
Sand Timer: In some tournaments and clubs, where chess clocks are not available, three-minute sand timers are used to time each player's turns.
top
Second Opinion: If a player believes the word judge has made a mistake, s/he may ask for a second person to research the challenge. That second judgment is known as the second opinion. If the second opinion contradicts the original one, a third opinion may be called for.
top
Stems: Certain five- and six-letter combinations of letters are so useful for forming bingos that lists of bingos have been printed that include these stems. Some of the more useful ones are: STARE, STANE, RETINA, SATINE, and SATIRE. By learning these lists and saving these letters, players will learn to play bingos more often.
top
Team (or Partnership) Game: Two or more players may pool their knowledge and play as one team against another.
top
Total (Cumulative) Spread: Over the course of many games the + (plus) or -(minus) spread for each game is added together. At the end of a tournament each player has a total spread for the event.
top
Tournament Clock: Often called a Chess Clock, it is actually two clocks housed in one plastic or wooden case. Sanctioned tournament games are timed using these clocks. Each player has twenty-five minutes to play the entire game. After making a move, the player presses the button on his or her side of the clock, which starts the opponent's time. The clock is used in this fashion until the game is over. Players are penalized 10 points per minute for every minute, or fraction thereof, used over the allotted twenty-five.
top
Tracking (or Tile Tracking): The process of keeping track of the letters played on the board. This can give the astute player an advantage as the game progresses. Careful trackers can deduce an opponent's rack after there are no letters left to draw. By knowing the opponent's rack, the player can often make moves to block the opponent's best plays or set up high-scoring plays that the opponent can't block. Players are allowed to play with their own Preprinted Tracking Sheet alongside their score sheet.
top
Tracking Sheet: See Preprinted Tracking Sheet.
top
Triple-Triple: When a player makes a play with letters that cover two Triple Word Score squares, it is known as playing a "Triple-Triple." The bonus for covering two TWSs on one play is nine times the sum of the value of the letters of the Triple-Triple word. The sum should include the extra values earned from any DLS covered that turn.
top
Turnover: Players are playing for "turnover" when they play as many tiles as they can in order to draw as many new tiles as possible. By playing for turnover, a player maximizes his or her chances for drawing the better tiles.
top
Two-to-Make-Threes: Two-letter words that will take a third letter placed either in front or back to form a three-letter word. Example: AN is a two-to-make-three because BAN, CAN, etc., as well as AND, ANT, and ANY, are words. The three-letter words BAN, CAN, and ANT, and ANY, are also known as two-to-make threes.
Most people agree that a lifelong curiosity about words is one of the greatest gifts you can give to a child. Playing SCRABBLE with children not only fosters a love for words, it also builds other important skills. Figuring out where to place their words builds spatial relations and strategic thinking skills. And playing with other children and adults strengthens social skills. Tallying word scores requires a familiarity with addition and multiplication.
Here are some hints and tips for playing SCRABBLE with children:
Kids as young as four and five can start playing SCRABBLE Junior.
At eight, they're ready for regular SCRABBLE.
Don't spend a lot of time talking about rules and strategy. Jump right in!
Let children use a dictionary. It's a terrific safety net, and a great learning skill.
Play for fun, spelling your names - or a favorite word - with SCRABBLE tiles. Then practice adding up the score.
Explain anagrams. Have children see how many words they can make out of the letters in their names. Then show how the letters in the word TEA can also spell EAT and ETA or how CAROB can become COBRA.
Introduce rules and strategy once children understand the basics.
Results for arisai
AA
aa aas \ n pl. -S rough, cindery lava
AI
ai ais \ n pl. -S a three-toed sloth
AIR
air airest airer \ adv AIRER, AIREST early
AIR
air airs airing aired \ v -ED, -ING, -S to expose to the air (the mixture of gases that surrounds the earth)
AR
ar ars \ n pl. -S the letter R
ARIA
aria arias \ n pl. -S an elaborate melody for a single voice
AS
as \ adv to the same degree
IRIS
iris irising irised \ v -ED, -ING, -ES to give the form of a rainbow to
IRIS
iris irises \ n pl. IRISES or IRIDES a part of the eye
IS
is \ present 3d person sing. of be
RAIA
raia raias \ n pl. -S rayah
RAS
ras rases \ n pl. -ES an Ethiopian prince
RIA
ria rias \ n pl. -S a long, narrow inlet
SARI
sari saris \ n pl. -S an outer garment worn by Hindu women
SI
si sis \ n pl. -S ti
SIR
sir sirs \ n pl. -S a respectful form of address used to a man
SRI
sri sris \ n pl. -S mister; sir -- used as a Hindu title of respect
17 words found.
Fun Facts
Words:
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
"Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
Animals:
A Crocodiles tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth.
A group of larks is called an exaltation.
A elephant is the heavest of all land mammals at around 8,000 pounds.
A kangaroo can't jump unless its tail is touching the ground.
A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away.
A millipede has 4 legs on each segment of it's body.
A mole can dig over 250 feet of tunnel in a single night.
A monkey was once tride and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend,Indiana.
A person at rest generates as much heat as a 100watt lightbulb
A group of owls is called a parliament.
A Penny whistle has six finger holes.
A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove.
A quarter of Russia is covered by forest.
A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champange will bounce up and down continually from the bottom of the glass to the top.
A rat can last longer with out water than a camel.
A rhinoceros' horn is made of compacted hair.
A rodents teeth never stop growing. They are worn down by the animal's constant gnawing on bark, leaves, and other vegetables.
A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee
A shark can detect one part of blood in 100 million parts of water.
A group of ravens is called a murder.
A shark can grow a new set of teeth in a week
A silicon chip a quarter inch square has the capacity of the orignal 1949 ENIAC computer, which occupied a city block.
A sizable oak tree, during the typical growing season, gives off 28,000 gallons of moisture.
A snail can have about 25,000 teeth
A group of toads is called a knot.
About 3,500 gallons if water is needed to produce one pound of beef.
About 300 million cells die in your body every minute.
About 70% of all living organisms in the world are bacteria.
A group of rhinos is called a crash.
A species of earthworm in Australia grows up to 10 feet in length.
A starfish can turn its self inside out.
A ten gallon hat holds three quarters of a gallon.
A toothpick is the object most often chocked on by Americans.
A whales heart beats only nine times a minute.
A woodchuck breathers only ten times during hibernation.
A zebra is white with black stripes.
Anteaters prefers termites to ants.
Ants stretch before they wake up. They also appear to yawn in a very human manner before taking up the tasks of the day.
Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them.
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952.
All totalled, the sunlight that strikes Earth at any given moment weighs as much as a large ocean liner.
A group of Unicorns is called a blessing.
According to Genesis 7:2, God told Noah to take 14 of each kind of 'clean' animal in to the ark.
Actor Tommy Lee Jones and vice president Al Gore were freshman roommates at Harvard.
After eating, a housefly regurgitates is food and then eats it again.
Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms every day.
Canada has more lakes that the rest of the world combined.
Canada is an Indian word meaning Big Village.
Catgut comes from sheep not cats.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about 10.
A group of whales is called a pod.
Children grow more in the springtime.
Due to gravitational effects, you weigh slightly less when the moon is directly over head.
During a life time, one person generates more than 1000 pounds of red blood cells.
Armored knights raised their visors to themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.
Assuming you could walk to the sun it would take about 2000 years.
If the Earth was smooth, the ocean would cover the entire surface to a depth of 12 000 feet.
If you are chased by a crocodile, run zigzag, a crocodile is not good at making sharp turns.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula"
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
In ancient Greece, where the mouse was sacred to Apollo, mice were sometimes devoured by temple priests.
In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 cam be jailed for cheating on their finals.
In Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile, it has never rained.
In the 19th century, the British Navy attempted to dispel the superstition that Friday was an unlucky day to embark on a ship. The Keel of a new ship was laid on a Friday, she was named HMS Friday, commanded by a Captain Friday, and finally went to sea on a Friday. Neither the ship nor her crew were ever heard of again.
In the middle Ages, the highest court in France ordered the execution of a cow for injuring a human.
It has been calculated that in the last 3,500 years, there have only been230 years of peace throughout the civilized world.
It take 8.5 minutes for light to get from the sun to the earth.
It takes a yard of sugarcane to make one sugar cube.
It takes the insect eating Venus Flytrap plant only half a second to shut its trap on prey.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
Ivory bar soap floating was a mistake. They had been over mixing the soap formula causing excess air bubbles that made it float. Customer wrote and told how much they loved that it floated, and it has floated ever since.
Jaw muscles can provide about 200 pounds of force to being the back teeth together for chewing.
Jet lag was once called boat lag, back before jets existed.
Just twenty seconds' worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11's lunar module landed on the moon.
Knitted socks discovered in Ancient Egyptian tombs have been dated back as far as the 3rd century AD.
Lemon sharks grow a new set of teeth every two weeks! They grow more than 24,000 new teeth every year!
Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.
Less than 7% of the population donates blood.
Less than 2% of the water on Earth is fresh.
Li is the family name for over 87 million People in China.
Lightning strikes the earth about 6,000 times per minute on this planet.
Lobsters have blue blood.
Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time.
-Misquitos are attracted to the color blue.
-There is a species of butterfly in Brazil that has the color and smell of chocolate.
-It would take 60,113 leaf cutter ants to lift a ten pound picnic basket.
-The housefly can carry more than 25 different diseases.
-A dragonfly can use its feet for perching but not walking.
-A housefly lives roughly two months.
-A field bee will fly about 50,000 miles to collect enough nectar to make a pound of honey.
-The most dangerous animal in Ireland is the bumblebee.
-It would take 14.3 billion fireflies to generate the visable brightness of the sun.
-Some species of ants have five noses.
-An average dairy cow produces four times its body weight in manure each year.
-Kiwis are the only bird that hunts by smell.
-A birds eye keeps everything in focus at all times.
-Elvis had a pet monkey named Scatter.
-A sheep trained to turn the lights on and off will leave them them on 82% of the time.
-A blind chameleon will still change color to match its surroundings.
-All dogs except the Chow have a pink tongue, the Chow's tongue is bluish black.
-Nine out of ten extinct species were birds.
-Lions sleep 17 hours per day.
-Most wild birds live only 10% of their normal life span.
-Mouse sex only lasts five seconds.
-Florida officals recieve 8,000 complaints each year about alligators.
-Pigeons have three sets of eyelids.
-Male monkeys go bald just as men do.
-Giraffes have no vocal cords, the communicate with their tails.
-About one third of all species of snakes are venomous.
-The stomach of a hippo can be up to 10 feet long and hold up to 400 pounds of food.
-An Elephant's tusks never stop growing as long as it lives.
-If left alone, a dog will spend up to 3 hours a day remarking its scent posts.
-The horseshoe crab has sky-blue blood.
-A snapping turtle can only swollow when its head is under water.
-When given unlimited access to mice, cats will kill about 15 before stopping.
-Lobsters and jellyfish never stop growing.
-The seahorse is the only fish that swims upright.
-Cat milk is 10% protein where cow milk is only 3%.
-Crocodiles can't move their tongues.
-The pouch on a pelican's beak can hold up to 2 gallons of water.
-A homing pigeon will not be able to find its way home if a magnet it attached to their neck.
-The speckles on a bird's egg are as individual as a fingerprint.
-The upstroke of a bird's wing moves it forward, the downstroke only keeps it airborn.
-A giraffe can run faster than a horse and go longer without water than a camel.
-A freshly hatched crocodile is three times longer than the egg it came from.
-Polar bears are left-handed.
-Elephants are not afraid of mice.
-A snail can sleep for three years.
-Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.
-All polar bears are left handed.
-The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1.
-You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.
-A blue whales testicles are the size of a family car.
-Robins eat three miles of earth worms in a year.
-An oyster changes sex several times during its life.
-Male monkeys loose their hair the same way men do.
-Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cannot find food.
-Ostriches can run faster than horses and the males can roar like lions.
-Skunks can accurately spray their fluid up to ten feet.
-A group of twelve or more cows is called a flink.
-Sheep can survive up to two weeks buried in show drifts.
-A slug has four noses.
-A turtle can breath through its butt.
-An ant can detect movement through five centimeters of earth.
-A hippo can open it's mouth wide enouth to fit a four foot child inside.
-Bats always exit a cave to the left.
-A crocodile can't move it's tongue.
-When mating, a hummingbird's wings beat 200 times a second.
-Two dogs were hanged for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
-Jackrabbits got their name because their ears look like a donkey's (Jackass).
-Rabbits and horses cannot vomit.
-If birds could sweat they wouldn't be able to fly.
-Sloths sneeze slowly. They also give birth upside down.... slowly.
-Goldfish have a memory span of 3 seconds.
-A whales heart beats about once every 6 and a half seconds.
-The average American Bald Eagle weighs about 9 pounds.
-A chicken's top speed is 9 mph.
-A bat can eat up to 1,000 insects per hour.
-Argentina's falabella horses are only 16 inches tall fully grown and are the smallest horses on Earth.
-The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal.
-Lobsters like to eat lobster.
-To maintain a chimpanzee in captivity for 60 years it would cost an estimated $300,000.
-Crocodiles can't move their tongues.
-Wolves could bark like dogs, they don't because they don't want to.
-An adult crocodile can go two years without eating.
-A roadrunner purrs when it is content.
-A cow has four stomachs.
-The decapitated jaws of a snapping turtle can keep snapping for about a day.
-The average cow produces about 70,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
-A study has concluded that if a woodchuck could chuck wood it could chuck about 700 pounds.
-A mother shark can give birth to as many as 70 baby sharks per litter.
-Both gorillas and house cats purr.
-A hibernating bear can go as long as 6 months without a bathroom break.
-The only time a turkey whistles is when it is panicking.
-Whales and Buffalos both stampede.
-The top speed of a pigeon in flight is 90 mph.
-Squirrels cannot see the color red.
-Chimpanzees will hunt ducks if given the opportunity.
-Sheep snore.
-A group of jellyfish is called a "smack."
-One humped camels run faster than two humped camels.
-Camel hair brushes are made from squirrel hair.
-Emus cannot walk backwards.
-Camel's milk does not curdle.
-Armadillos can catch malaria.
-The last animal in the dictionary is the zyzzyva, a tropical American weevil.
-Black sheep have a better sense of smell then white sheep.
-The English Sparrow is not a sparrow and it comes from Africa, not England.
-Baboons cannot throw overhand.
-Lions are the only cats that live in packs.
-To get a gallon of milk, it takes about 345 squirts from a cow's utter.
-A warthog has only 4 warts, all of which are on its head.
-The penalty for stealing a rabbit in 19th-century england was seven years in prison.
-Even bloodhounds cannot smell the difference between two identical twins.
-Cows and cats both get hairballs.
-Camels are born without humps.
-Anteaters can flick their tongues 160 times a minute.
Food:
-The Incas measured time by how long it took a potato to cook.
-Apples ripen after being picked while oranges do not.
-A peanut is one of the most concentrated source of nourishment.
-Half the people in the world will eat rice on any given day.
-Alaskans eat twice as much ice cream per capita than the rest of the nation.
A peanut is neither a pea nor a nut.
-A typical banana travels 4,000 miles before being eaten.
-There are 27 chemicals that can be added to bread without being listed on the label.
-Coffee is the world's most recognizable smell.
-It takes four tons of grapes to make one ton of rasins.
-An average adult eats 2,000 pounds of food each year.
Human Body:
- It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-Your body requires 1000-1500 calories per day just to simply survive (breathing, sleeping, eating).
-Every day an adult body produces 300 billion new cells.
-Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream.
-The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest it the male sperm.
-You use 200 muscles to take one step.
-Muscle cells live as long as you do while skin cells live less than 24 hours.
-A full bladder is roughly the size of a soft ball.
-Your brain operates on the same amount of power that would light a 10-watt light bulb.
-There are 5 million hair follicles on an average adult.
-The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades.
-The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
-Approximately 75% of human poop is made of water.
-Your eyes are always the same size from birth but your nose and ears never stop growing.
-It takes the food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.
-The average human dream lasts 2-3 seconds.
-Your brain is more active during the night than the day.
-One human hair can support 3kg.
-Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.
-The tooth is the only part of the human body that can't repair itself.
-An average human loses about 200 head hairs per day.
-The white part of your fingernail is called the Lunula.
-There is enough iron in a human being to make one small nail.
-A shank is the part of the sole between the heel and the ball of the foot.
-The talus is the second largest bone in the foot.
-The attachment of human muscles to skin is what causes dimples.
-A 13 year old child found a tooth growing out of his foot in 1977.
-Your thumb is the same length of your nose.
-A woman's heart beats faster than a man's.
-Dogs and Humans are the only animals with prostates.
-It only takes 7lbs of of pressure to rip off your ears.
-There are nine muscles in your ear.
-The navel divides the body of a newborn baby into two equal parts.
-If the average male never shaved, his beard would be 13 feet long when he died.
-Experts say the human body has 60,000 miles of blood vessels.
-The tongue is the only muscle attached at one end.
-Fetuses can hiccup.
-Your brain uses 40% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream.
-Men without hair on their chests are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than men with hair.
-The longest recorded bout of hiccups lasted for 65 years.
-The longest recorded sneezing fit lasted 978 days.
-Your stomach has 35 million digestive glands.
-At the moment of conception, you spent about half an hour as a single cell.
-There is about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.
-Side by side, 2000 cells from the human body could cover about one square inch.
-There are no two tongue prints that are alike.
-Your body contains about four ounces of salt.
-Injured fingernails grow faster than uninjured ones.
-Women blink twice as much as men.
-It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
-The average person's skin weighs twice as much as their brain.
-When you are looking at someone you love, your pupils dialate, they do the same when you are looking at someone you hate.
-It takes twice as long to lose new muscle if you stop working out than it did to gain it.
-The three things pregnant women dream most of during their first trimester are 1) frogs 2) worms 3) potted plants.
-Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil.
-If they were laid end to end, the blood vessels in your body would wrap around the equator three times.
-Blondes have more hair than dark-haired people.
-Bone is stronger, inch for inch, than the steel in skyscrapers.
-About one third of the human race has 20-20 vision.
-In a hot climate, you can sweat as much as 3 gallons of water a day.
-Fingernails are made from the same substance as a bird's beak.
-A runner consumes about 7 quarts of oxygen while running a 100-yard dash.
-The enamel in your teeth is the hardest substance in your body.
-Your teeth start growing 6 months before you are born.
-Your big toes have two bones each while the rest have three.
-A pair of human feet contain 250,000 sweat glands.
-Living brain cells are bright pink.
-You're ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren't.
-Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still.
-If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it.
-Your body contains the same amount of iron as an iron nail.
-The average woman is 5 inches shorter than the average man.
Miscellanous:
-The average pencil will draw a line 35 miles long.
-Raindrops can fall up to 22 miles per hour.
-American Indians hardly ever go bald.
-A normal 100 ton blue whale eats its own weight in microscopic krill each month.
-Roman statues were often made with heads that could be removed and replaced with other heads.
-In ancient Rome, any house hit by lightning was considered consecrated.
-When astronauts returned from the moon they had to go through customs.
-Buzz Aldrin's mother's maiden name was Moon.
-Denmark's flag has remained the same since the 13th century.
-More cowboys died crossing swollen rivers in the old west than in gun fights.
-A boulder is a rock that is 10 or more inches in diameter.
-Hippos can run faster than humans.
-The weight of the sun's light on the Earth's surface is 2 pounds per square mile.
-Stamp collecting is the most popular hobby in the world.
-With enough training an elephant can throw a baseball faster than a human.
-It would take 27,000 spider webs to produce a single pound of spider silk.
-Tombstones were originally put over graves so that the dead could not escape.
-It is impossible for it to hail when ground temperature is below freezing.
-The diamond is the only gem composed of a single element.
-Plants run fevers when they are sick.
-The bark of the giant sequioa can be up to 2 feet thick.
-More people die playing golf than any other sport, the leading cause of death is heart attacks and strokes.
-The kilt originated in France.
-If you work nights, you are almost twice as likely to have an accident than if you work days.
-A cubic foot of gold weighs more than half a ton.
-The geodesic dome is the only structure that becomes stronger as it increases in size.
-A plane uses less fuel the higher it flies.
-A third of the Earth's land surface can be classified as desert.
-The seed cones of the cycad tree can weigh up to 90 pounds.
-Floods cause more death and destruction in the U.S. than any other natural disaster.
-Las Vegas, Nevada is the brightest city when seen from space.
- Lightning bolts are only about two inches wide.
-The average car contains 15,000 parts.
-The average adult has 4 dreams each night and 1 nightmare per year.
-Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18.
-Nearly 1,000 people each year die as a direct result of volcanic activity.
-The average person speaks 450 words in a typical 3 minute phone call.
-Columbus traveled at an average speed of 2.8 mph on his first voyage across the sea.
About 85% of the plant life on the Earth is in the ocean.
-Los Angeles's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, LA
- One man had the hiccups for 69 years.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were thirty.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
"Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
Animals:
A Crocodiles tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth.
A group of larks is called an exaltation.
A elephant is the heavest of all land mammals at around 8,000 pounds.
A kangaroo can't jump unless its tail is touching the ground.
A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away.
A millipede has 4 legs on each segment of it's body.
A mole can dig over 250 feet of tunnel in a single night.
A monkey was once tride and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend,Indiana.
A person at rest generates as much heat as a 100watt lightbulb
A group of owls is called a parliament.
A Penny whistle has six finger holes.
A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove.
A quarter of Russia is covered by forest.
A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champange will bounce up and down continually from the bottom of the glass to the top.
A rat can last longer with out water than a camel.
A rhinoceros' horn is made of compacted hair.
A rodents teeth never stop growing. They are worn down by the animal's constant gnawing on bark, leaves, and other vegetables.
A Saudi Arabian woman can get a divorce if her husband doesn't give her coffee
A shark can detect one part of blood in 100 million parts of water.
A group of ravens is called a murder.
A shark can grow a new set of teeth in a week
A silicon chip a quarter inch square has the capacity of the orignal 1949 ENIAC computer, which occupied a city block.
A sizable oak tree, during the typical growing season, gives off 28,000 gallons of moisture.
A snail can have about 25,000 teeth
A group of toads is called a knot.
About 3,500 gallons if water is needed to produce one pound of beef.
About 300 million cells die in your body every minute.
About 70% of all living organisms in the world are bacteria.
A group of rhinos is called a crash.
A species of earthworm in Australia grows up to 10 feet in length.
A starfish can turn its self inside out.
A ten gallon hat holds three quarters of a gallon.
A toothpick is the object most often chocked on by Americans.
A whales heart beats only nine times a minute.
A woodchuck breathers only ten times during hibernation.
A zebra is white with black stripes.
Anteaters prefers termites to ants.
Ants stretch before they wake up. They also appear to yawn in a very human manner before taking up the tasks of the day.
Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them.
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952.
All totalled, the sunlight that strikes Earth at any given moment weighs as much as a large ocean liner.
A group of Unicorns is called a blessing.
According to Genesis 7:2, God told Noah to take 14 of each kind of 'clean' animal in to the ark.
Actor Tommy Lee Jones and vice president Al Gore were freshman roommates at Harvard.
After eating, a housefly regurgitates is food and then eats it again.
Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms every day.
Canada has more lakes that the rest of the world combined.
Canada is an Indian word meaning Big Village.
Catgut comes from sheep not cats.
Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about 10.
A group of whales is called a pod.
Children grow more in the springtime.
Due to gravitational effects, you weigh slightly less when the moon is directly over head.
During a life time, one person generates more than 1000 pounds of red blood cells.
Armored knights raised their visors to themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.
Assuming you could walk to the sun it would take about 2000 years.
If the Earth was smooth, the ocean would cover the entire surface to a depth of 12 000 feet.
If you are chased by a crocodile, run zigzag, a crocodile is not good at making sharp turns.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula"
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
In ancient Greece, where the mouse was sacred to Apollo, mice were sometimes devoured by temple priests.
In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 cam be jailed for cheating on their finals.
In Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile, it has never rained.
In the 19th century, the British Navy attempted to dispel the superstition that Friday was an unlucky day to embark on a ship. The Keel of a new ship was laid on a Friday, she was named HMS Friday, commanded by a Captain Friday, and finally went to sea on a Friday. Neither the ship nor her crew were ever heard of again.
In the middle Ages, the highest court in France ordered the execution of a cow for injuring a human.
It has been calculated that in the last 3,500 years, there have only been230 years of peace throughout the civilized world.
It take 8.5 minutes for light to get from the sun to the earth.
It takes a yard of sugarcane to make one sugar cube.
It takes the insect eating Venus Flytrap plant only half a second to shut its trap on prey.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
Ivory bar soap floating was a mistake. They had been over mixing the soap formula causing excess air bubbles that made it float. Customer wrote and told how much they loved that it floated, and it has floated ever since.
Jaw muscles can provide about 200 pounds of force to being the back teeth together for chewing.
Jet lag was once called boat lag, back before jets existed.
Just twenty seconds' worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11's lunar module landed on the moon.
Knitted socks discovered in Ancient Egyptian tombs have been dated back as far as the 3rd century AD.
Lemon sharks grow a new set of teeth every two weeks! They grow more than 24,000 new teeth every year!
Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.
Less than 7% of the population donates blood.
Less than 2% of the water on Earth is fresh.
Li is the family name for over 87 million People in China.
Lightning strikes the earth about 6,000 times per minute on this planet.
Lobsters have blue blood.
Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time.
-Misquitos are attracted to the color blue.
-There is a species of butterfly in Brazil that has the color and smell of chocolate.
-It would take 60,113 leaf cutter ants to lift a ten pound picnic basket.
-The housefly can carry more than 25 different diseases.
-A dragonfly can use its feet for perching but not walking.
-A housefly lives roughly two months.
-A field bee will fly about 50,000 miles to collect enough nectar to make a pound of honey.
-The most dangerous animal in Ireland is the bumblebee.
-It would take 14.3 billion fireflies to generate the visable brightness of the sun.
-Some species of ants have five noses.
-An average dairy cow produces four times its body weight in manure each year.
-Kiwis are the only bird that hunts by smell.
-A birds eye keeps everything in focus at all times.
-Elvis had a pet monkey named Scatter.
-A sheep trained to turn the lights on and off will leave them them on 82% of the time.
-A blind chameleon will still change color to match its surroundings.
-All dogs except the Chow have a pink tongue, the Chow's tongue is bluish black.
-Nine out of ten extinct species were birds.
-Lions sleep 17 hours per day.
-Most wild birds live only 10% of their normal life span.
-Mouse sex only lasts five seconds.
-Florida officals recieve 8,000 complaints each year about alligators.
-Pigeons have three sets of eyelids.
-Male monkeys go bald just as men do.
-Giraffes have no vocal cords, the communicate with their tails.
-About one third of all species of snakes are venomous.
-The stomach of a hippo can be up to 10 feet long and hold up to 400 pounds of food.
-An Elephant's tusks never stop growing as long as it lives.
-If left alone, a dog will spend up to 3 hours a day remarking its scent posts.
-The horseshoe crab has sky-blue blood.
-A snapping turtle can only swollow when its head is under water.
-When given unlimited access to mice, cats will kill about 15 before stopping.
-Lobsters and jellyfish never stop growing.
-The seahorse is the only fish that swims upright.
-Cat milk is 10% protein where cow milk is only 3%.
-Crocodiles can't move their tongues.
-The pouch on a pelican's beak can hold up to 2 gallons of water.
-A homing pigeon will not be able to find its way home if a magnet it attached to their neck.
-The speckles on a bird's egg are as individual as a fingerprint.
-The upstroke of a bird's wing moves it forward, the downstroke only keeps it airborn.
-A giraffe can run faster than a horse and go longer without water than a camel.
-A freshly hatched crocodile is three times longer than the egg it came from.
-Polar bears are left-handed.
-Elephants are not afraid of mice.
-A snail can sleep for three years.
-Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.
-All polar bears are left handed.
-The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1.
-You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.
-A blue whales testicles are the size of a family car.
-Robins eat three miles of earth worms in a year.
-An oyster changes sex several times during its life.
-Male monkeys loose their hair the same way men do.
-Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cannot find food.
-Ostriches can run faster than horses and the males can roar like lions.
-Skunks can accurately spray their fluid up to ten feet.
-A group of twelve or more cows is called a flink.
-Sheep can survive up to two weeks buried in show drifts.
-A slug has four noses.
-A turtle can breath through its butt.
-An ant can detect movement through five centimeters of earth.
-A hippo can open it's mouth wide enouth to fit a four foot child inside.
-Bats always exit a cave to the left.
-A crocodile can't move it's tongue.
-When mating, a hummingbird's wings beat 200 times a second.
-Two dogs were hanged for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.
-Jackrabbits got their name because their ears look like a donkey's (Jackass).
-Rabbits and horses cannot vomit.
-If birds could sweat they wouldn't be able to fly.
-Sloths sneeze slowly. They also give birth upside down.... slowly.
-Goldfish have a memory span of 3 seconds.
-A whales heart beats about once every 6 and a half seconds.
-The average American Bald Eagle weighs about 9 pounds.
-A chicken's top speed is 9 mph.
-A bat can eat up to 1,000 insects per hour.
-Argentina's falabella horses are only 16 inches tall fully grown and are the smallest horses on Earth.
-The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal.
-Lobsters like to eat lobster.
-To maintain a chimpanzee in captivity for 60 years it would cost an estimated $300,000.
-Crocodiles can't move their tongues.
-Wolves could bark like dogs, they don't because they don't want to.
-An adult crocodile can go two years without eating.
-A roadrunner purrs when it is content.
-A cow has four stomachs.
-The decapitated jaws of a snapping turtle can keep snapping for about a day.
-The average cow produces about 70,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
-A study has concluded that if a woodchuck could chuck wood it could chuck about 700 pounds.
-A mother shark can give birth to as many as 70 baby sharks per litter.
-Both gorillas and house cats purr.
-A hibernating bear can go as long as 6 months without a bathroom break.
-The only time a turkey whistles is when it is panicking.
-Whales and Buffalos both stampede.
-The top speed of a pigeon in flight is 90 mph.
-Squirrels cannot see the color red.
-Chimpanzees will hunt ducks if given the opportunity.
-Sheep snore.
-A group of jellyfish is called a "smack."
-One humped camels run faster than two humped camels.
-Camel hair brushes are made from squirrel hair.
-Emus cannot walk backwards.
-Camel's milk does not curdle.
-Armadillos can catch malaria.
-The last animal in the dictionary is the zyzzyva, a tropical American weevil.
-Black sheep have a better sense of smell then white sheep.
-The English Sparrow is not a sparrow and it comes from Africa, not England.
-Baboons cannot throw overhand.
-Lions are the only cats that live in packs.
-To get a gallon of milk, it takes about 345 squirts from a cow's utter.
-A warthog has only 4 warts, all of which are on its head.
-The penalty for stealing a rabbit in 19th-century england was seven years in prison.
-Even bloodhounds cannot smell the difference between two identical twins.
-Cows and cats both get hairballs.
-Camels are born without humps.
-Anteaters can flick their tongues 160 times a minute.
Food:
-The Incas measured time by how long it took a potato to cook.
-Apples ripen after being picked while oranges do not.
-A peanut is one of the most concentrated source of nourishment.
-Half the people in the world will eat rice on any given day.
-Alaskans eat twice as much ice cream per capita than the rest of the nation.
A peanut is neither a pea nor a nut.
-A typical banana travels 4,000 miles before being eaten.
-There are 27 chemicals that can be added to bread without being listed on the label.
-Coffee is the world's most recognizable smell.
-It takes four tons of grapes to make one ton of rasins.
-An average adult eats 2,000 pounds of food each year.
Human Body:
- It is impossible to lick your elbow.
-Your body requires 1000-1500 calories per day just to simply survive (breathing, sleeping, eating).
-Every day an adult body produces 300 billion new cells.
-Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream.
-The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest it the male sperm.
-You use 200 muscles to take one step.
-Muscle cells live as long as you do while skin cells live less than 24 hours.
-A full bladder is roughly the size of a soft ball.
-Your brain operates on the same amount of power that would light a 10-watt light bulb.
-There are 5 million hair follicles on an average adult.
-The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades.
-The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
-Approximately 75% of human poop is made of water.
-Your eyes are always the same size from birth but your nose and ears never stop growing.
-It takes the food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.
-The average human dream lasts 2-3 seconds.
-Your brain is more active during the night than the day.
-One human hair can support 3kg.
-Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.
-The tooth is the only part of the human body that can't repair itself.
-An average human loses about 200 head hairs per day.
-The white part of your fingernail is called the Lunula.
-There is enough iron in a human being to make one small nail.
-A shank is the part of the sole between the heel and the ball of the foot.
-The talus is the second largest bone in the foot.
-The attachment of human muscles to skin is what causes dimples.
-A 13 year old child found a tooth growing out of his foot in 1977.
-Your thumb is the same length of your nose.
-A woman's heart beats faster than a man's.
-Dogs and Humans are the only animals with prostates.
-It only takes 7lbs of of pressure to rip off your ears.
-There are nine muscles in your ear.
-The navel divides the body of a newborn baby into two equal parts.
-If the average male never shaved, his beard would be 13 feet long when he died.
-Experts say the human body has 60,000 miles of blood vessels.
-The tongue is the only muscle attached at one end.
-Fetuses can hiccup.
-Your brain uses 40% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream.
-Men without hair on their chests are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than men with hair.
-The longest recorded bout of hiccups lasted for 65 years.
-The longest recorded sneezing fit lasted 978 days.
-Your stomach has 35 million digestive glands.
-At the moment of conception, you spent about half an hour as a single cell.
-There is about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.
-Side by side, 2000 cells from the human body could cover about one square inch.
-There are no two tongue prints that are alike.
-Your body contains about four ounces of salt.
-Injured fingernails grow faster than uninjured ones.
-Women blink twice as much as men.
-It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
-The average person's skin weighs twice as much as their brain.
-When you are looking at someone you love, your pupils dialate, they do the same when you are looking at someone you hate.
-It takes twice as long to lose new muscle if you stop working out than it did to gain it.
-The three things pregnant women dream most of during their first trimester are 1) frogs 2) worms 3) potted plants.
-Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil.
-If they were laid end to end, the blood vessels in your body would wrap around the equator three times.
-Blondes have more hair than dark-haired people.
-Bone is stronger, inch for inch, than the steel in skyscrapers.
-About one third of the human race has 20-20 vision.
-In a hot climate, you can sweat as much as 3 gallons of water a day.
-Fingernails are made from the same substance as a bird's beak.
-A runner consumes about 7 quarts of oxygen while running a 100-yard dash.
-The enamel in your teeth is the hardest substance in your body.
-Your teeth start growing 6 months before you are born.
-Your big toes have two bones each while the rest have three.
-A pair of human feet contain 250,000 sweat glands.
-Living brain cells are bright pink.
-You're ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren't.
-Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still.
-If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it.
-Your body contains the same amount of iron as an iron nail.
-The average woman is 5 inches shorter than the average man.
Miscellanous:
-The average pencil will draw a line 35 miles long.
-Raindrops can fall up to 22 miles per hour.
-American Indians hardly ever go bald.
-A normal 100 ton blue whale eats its own weight in microscopic krill each month.
-Roman statues were often made with heads that could be removed and replaced with other heads.
-In ancient Rome, any house hit by lightning was considered consecrated.
-When astronauts returned from the moon they had to go through customs.
-Buzz Aldrin's mother's maiden name was Moon.
-Denmark's flag has remained the same since the 13th century.
-More cowboys died crossing swollen rivers in the old west than in gun fights.
-A boulder is a rock that is 10 or more inches in diameter.
-Hippos can run faster than humans.
-The weight of the sun's light on the Earth's surface is 2 pounds per square mile.
-Stamp collecting is the most popular hobby in the world.
-With enough training an elephant can throw a baseball faster than a human.
-It would take 27,000 spider webs to produce a single pound of spider silk.
-Tombstones were originally put over graves so that the dead could not escape.
-It is impossible for it to hail when ground temperature is below freezing.
-The diamond is the only gem composed of a single element.
-Plants run fevers when they are sick.
-The bark of the giant sequioa can be up to 2 feet thick.
-More people die playing golf than any other sport, the leading cause of death is heart attacks and strokes.
-The kilt originated in France.
-If you work nights, you are almost twice as likely to have an accident than if you work days.
-A cubic foot of gold weighs more than half a ton.
-The geodesic dome is the only structure that becomes stronger as it increases in size.
-A plane uses less fuel the higher it flies.
-A third of the Earth's land surface can be classified as desert.
-The seed cones of the cycad tree can weigh up to 90 pounds.
-Floods cause more death and destruction in the U.S. than any other natural disaster.
-Las Vegas, Nevada is the brightest city when seen from space.
- Lightning bolts are only about two inches wide.
-The average car contains 15,000 parts.
-The average adult has 4 dreams each night and 1 nightmare per year.
-Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18.
-Nearly 1,000 people each year die as a direct result of volcanic activity.
-The average person speaks 450 words in a typical 3 minute phone call.
-Columbus traveled at an average speed of 2.8 mph on his first voyage across the sea.
About 85% of the plant life on the Earth is in the ocean.
-Los Angeles's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, LA
- One man had the hiccups for 69 years.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were thirty.
Mythology
Gods and Goddesses Around the World
Aztec
Huitzilopochtli was the god of the sun and of war. He was the patron god of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, where Mexico City now stands. The Aztecs built a great temple there in his honor and sacrificed many humans to him.
Coatlicue was the goddess of the earth and the mother of all the gods. She also gave birth to the moon and stars. In Tenochtitlán the Aztecs carved a gigantic stone statue of her wearing a necklace made of human hearts and hands.
Chicomecoatl was the goddess of corn and fertility. So important was corn to the Aztecs that she was also known as “the goddess of nourishment.”
Quetzalcoatl was the god of learning. A wise god, he helped to create the universe and humankind and later invented agriculture and the calendar. He is often depicted as a magnificent feathered serpent.
Egyptian
Ra was the supreme god and the god of the sun. The early pharaohs claimed to be descended from him. He sometimes took the form of a hawk or a lion.
Nut represented the heavens and helped to put the world in order. She had the ability to swallow stars and the pharaohs and cause them to be born again. She existed before all else had been created.
Osiris was the god of the underworld and the judge of the dead. He was associated with the continuity of life and was often shown wearing mummy wrappings.
Isis invented agriculture. She was the goddess of law, healing, motherhood and fertility. She came to be seen as a kind of Mother Earth figure.
Horus was a sky god who loved goodness and light. The son of Osiris and Isis, he was sometimes depicted as a young child.
Thoth was the god of wisdom and magic. He was believed to have invented writing, astronomy and other arts, and served as a scribe to the gods.
Nephthys was the goddess of the dead. She was a kind and understanding companion to the newly dead as well as to those left behind.
See also Egyptian Mythology.
Mayan
Hunahpu was a god of the sun and the father of the first humans. A great hero, with his brother he defeated the forces of death and went on to rule in the heavens.
Hurakan was the god of storms and winds. When the first humans made him angry, he swept them away in a violent flood. The word “hurricane” comes from his name.
Ixchel was the goddess of the moon and the protector of pregnant women. She was often depicted as an old woman wearing a full skirt and holding a serpent.
Chac was the god of agriculture and a great friend to humankind. He brought them rain and used his vast tail and fangs to protect planted fields.
Itzamna was the state god of the Mayan empire and the founder of its people. Corn, chocolate, writing and calendars were among his many gifts to them.
Norse
Odin was the supreme god and, along with his brothers Vili and Ve, the creator of the world. He was also the ruler of war and wisdom.
Frigg was the goddess of the sky, marriage and motherhood. It was believed that she knew the fate of each person, but kept it a close secret.
Loki was the god of mischief and death. He liked to invent horrible ways to harm the other gods. His nastiness and trickery earned him many an enemy.
Freyja was the goddess of love and fertility. She was very beautiful and enjoyed music and song. Fairies were among her most beloved companions.
Balder was the god of light, peace and joy. A kind and gentle god, he was slain in a plot hatched by Loki. He was greatly mourned, especially by his parents, Odin and Frigg.
Greek and Roman Mythology
Most of the Greek deities were adopted by the Romans, although in many cases there was a change of name. In the list below, information is given under the Greek name; the name in parentheses is the Roman equivalent. However, all Latin names are listed with cross-references to the Greek ones. In addition, there are several deities that are exclusively Roman. Bold words within entries indicate cross references.
Achelous: River god; son of Oceanus and Tethys and said to be the father of the Sirens.
Acheron: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Achilles: Greek warrior; slew Hector at Troy; slain by Paris, who wounded him in his vulnerable heel.
Actaeon: Hunter; surprised Artemis bathing; changed by her to stag; and killed by his dogs.
Admetus: King of Thessaly; his wife, Alcestis, offered to die in his place.
Adonis: Beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite.
Aeacus: One of three judges of dead in Hades; son of Zeus.
Aeëtes: King of Colchis; father of Medea; keeper of Golden Fleece.
Aegeus: Father of Theseus; believing Theseus killed in Crete, he drowned himself; Aegean Sea named for him.
Aegisthus: Son of Thyestes; slew Atreus; with Clytemnestra, his paramour, slew Agamemnon; slain by Orestes.
Aegyptus: Brother of Danaus; his sons, except Lynceus, slain by Danaides.
Aeneas: Trojan; son of Anchises and Aphrodite; after fall of Troy, led his followers eventually to Italy; loved and deserted Dido.
Aeolus: One of several Winds.
Aesculapius: See Asclepius.
Aeson: King of Ioclus; father of Jason; overthrown by his brother Pelias; restored to youth by Medea.
Aether: Personification of sky.
Aethra: Mother of Theseus.
Agamemnon: King of Mycenae; son of Atreus; brother of Menelaus; leader of Greeks against Troy; slain on his return home by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
Aglaia: One of several Graces.
Ajax: Greek warrior; killed himself at Troy because Achilles's armor was awarded to Odysseus.
Alcestis: Wife of Admetus; offered to die in his place but saved from death by Hercules.
Alcmene: Wife of Amphitryon; mother by Zeus of Hercules.
Alcyone: One of several Pleiades.
Alecto: One of several Furies.
Alectryon: Youth changed by Ares into cock.
Althaea: Wife of Oeneus; mother of Meleager.
Amazons: Female warriors in Asia Minor; supported Troy against Greeks.
Amor: See Eros.
Amphion: Musician; husband of Niobe; charmed stones to build fortifications for Thebes.
Amphitrite: Sea goddess; wife of Poseidon.
Amphitryon: Husband of Alcmene.
Anchises: Father of Aeneas.
Ancile: Sacred shield that fell from heavens; palladium of Rome.
Andraemon: Husband of Dryope.
Andromache: Wife of Hector.
Andromeda: Daughter of Cepheus; chained to cliff for monster to devour; rescued by Perseus.
Anteia: Wife of Proetus; tried to induce Bellerophon to elope with her.
Anteros: God who avenged unrequited love.
Antigone: Daughter of Oedipus; accompanied him to Colonus; performed burial rite for Polynices and hanged herself.
Antinoüs: Leader of suitors of Penelope; slain by Odysseus.
Aphrodite (Venus): Goddess of love and beauty; daughter of Zeus and Dione; mother of Eros.
Apollo: God of beauty, poetry, music; later identified with Helios as Phoebus Apollo; son of Zeus and Leto.
Aquilo: One of several Winds.
Arachne: Maiden who challenged Athena to weaving contest; changed to spider.
Ares (Mars): God of war; son of Zeus and Hera.
Argo: Ship in which Jason and followers sailed to Colchis for Golden Fleece.
Argus: Monster with hundred eyes; slain by Hermes; his eyes placed by Hera into peacock's tail.
Ariadne: Daughter of Minos; aided Theseus in slaying Minotaur; deserted by him on island of Naxos and married to Dionysus.
Arion: Musician; thrown overboard by pirates but saved by dolphin.
Artemis (Diana): Goddess of moon; huntress; twin sister of Apollo.
Asclepius (Aesculapius): Mortal son of Apollo; slain by Zeus for raising dead; later deified as god of medicine. Also known as Asklepios.
Astarte: Phoenician goddess of love; variously identified with Aphrodite, Selene, and Artemis.
Asterope: See Sterope.
Astraea: Goddess of Justice; daughter of Zeus and Themis.
Atalanta: Princess who challenged her suitors to a foot race; Hippomenes won race and married her.
Athena (Minerva): Goddess of wisdom; known poetically as Pallas Athene; sprang fully armed from head of Zeus.
Atlas: Titan; held world on his shoulders as punishment for warring against Zeus; son of Iapetus.
Atreus: King of Mycenae; father of Menelaus and Agamemnon; brother of Thyestes, three of whose sons he slew and served to him at banquet; slain by Aegisthus.
Atropos: One of several Fates.
Aurora: See Eos.
Auster: One of several Winds.
Avernus: Infernal regions; name derived from small vaporous lake near Vesuvius which was fabled to kill birds and vegetation.
Bacchus: See Dionysus.
Bellerophon: Corinthian hero; killed Chimera with aid of Pegasus; tried to reach Olympus on Pegasus and was thrown to his death.
Bellona: Roman goddess of war.
Boreas: One of several Winds.
Briareus: Monster of hundred hands; son of Uranus and Gaea.
Briseis: Captive maiden given to Achilles; taken by Agamemnon in exchange for loss of Chryseis, which caused Achilles to cease fighting, until death of Patroclus.
Cadmus: Brother of Europa; planter of dragon seeds from which first Thebans sprang.
Calliope: One of several Muses.
Calypso: Sea nymph; kept Odysseus on her island Ogygia for seven years.
Cassandra: Daughter of Priam; prophetess who was never believed; slain with Agamemnon.
Castor: One of Dioscuri.
Celaeno: One of several Pleiades.
Centaurs: Beings half man and half horse; lived in mountains of Thessaly.
Cephalus: Hunter; accidentally killed his wife Procris with his spear.
Cepheus: King of Ethiopia; father of Andromeda.
Cerberus: Three-headed dog guarding entrance to Hades.
Ceres: See Demeter.
Chaos: Formless void; personified as first of gods.
Charon: Boatman on Styx who carried souls of dead to Hades; son of Erebus.
Charybdis: Female monster; personification of whirlpool.
Chimera: Female monster with head of lion, body of goat, tail of serpent; killed by Bellerophon.
Chiron: Most famous of centaurs.
Chronos: Personification of time.
Chryseis: Captive maiden given to Agamemnon; his refusal to accept ransom from her father Chryses caused Apollo to send plague on Greeks besieging Troy.
Circe: Sorceress; daughter of Helios; changed Odysseus's men into swine.
Clio: One of several Muses.
Clotho: One of several Fates.
Clytemnestra: Wife of Agamemnon, whom she slew with aid of her paramour, Aegisthus; slain by her son Orestes.
Cocytus: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Creon: Father of Jocasta; forbade burial of Polynices; ordered burial alive of Antigone.
Creüsa: Princess of Corinth, for whom Jason deserted Medea; slain by Medea, who sent her poisoned robe; also known as Glaüke.
Creusa: Wife of Aeneas; died fleeing Troy.
Cronus (Saturn): Titan; god of harvests; son of Uranus and Gaea; dethroned by his son Zeus.
Cupid: See Eros.
Cybele: Anatolian nature goddess; adopted by Greeks and identified with Rhea.
Cyclopes: Race of one-eyed giants (singular: Cyclops).
Daedalus: Athenian artificer; father of Icarus; builder of Labyrinth in Crete; devised wings attached with wax for him and Icarus to escape Crete.
Danae: Princess of Argos; mother of Perseus by Zeus, who appeared to her in form of golden shower.
Danaïdes: Daughters of Danaüs; at his command, all except Hypermnestra slew their husbands, the sons of Aegyptus.
Danaüs: Brother of Aegyptus; father of Danaïdes; slain by Lynceus.
Daphne: Nymph; pursued by Apollo; changed to laurel tree.
Decuma: One of several Fates.
Deino: One of several Graeae.
Demeter (Ceres): Goddess of agriculture; mother of Persephone.
Diana: See Artemis.
Dido: Founder and queen of Carthage; stabbed herself when deserted by Aeneas.
Diomedes: Greek hero; with Odysseus, entered Troy and carried off Palladium, sacred statue of Athena.
Diomedes: Owner of man-eating horses, which Hercules, as ninth labor, carried off.
Dione: Titan goddess; mother by Zeus of Aphrodite.
Dionysus (Bacchus): God of wine; son of Zeus and Semele.
Dioscuri: Twins Castor and Pollux; sons of Leda by Zeus.
Dis: See Pluto, Hades.
Dryads: Wood nymphs.
Dryope: Maiden changed to Hamadryad.
Echo: Nymph who fell hopelessly in love with Narcissus; faded away except for her voice.
Electra: Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; sister of Orestes; urged Orestes to slay Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
Electra: One of several Pleiades.
Elysium: Abode of blessed dead.
Endymion: Mortal loved by Selene.
Enyo: One of several Graeae.
Eos (Aurora): Goddess of dawn.
Epimetheus: Brother of Prometheus; husband of Pandora.
Erato: One of several Muses.
Erebus: Spirit of darkness; son of Chaos.
Erinyes: One of several Furies.
Eris: Goddess of discord.
Eros (Amor or Cupid): God of love; son of Aphrodite.
Eteocles: Son of Oedipus, whom he succeeded to rule alternately with Polynices; refused to give up throne at end of year; he and Polynices slew each other.
Eumenides: One of several Furies.
Euphrosyne: One of several Graces.
Europa: Mortal loved by Zeus, who, in form of white bull, carried her off to Crete.
Eurus: One of several Winds.
Euryale: One of several Gorgons.
Eurydice: Nymph; wife of Orpheus.
Eurystheus: King of Argos; imposed twelve labors on Hercules.
Euterpe: One of several Muses.
Fates: Goddesses of destiny; Clotho (Spinner of thread of life), Lachesis (Determiner of length), and Atropos (Cutter of thread); also called Moirae. Identified by Romans with their goddesses of fate; Nona, Decuma, and Morta; called Parcae.
Fauns: Roman deities of woods and groves.
Faunus: See Pan.
Favonius: One of several Winds.
Flora: Roman goddess of flowers.
Fortuna: Roman goddess of fortune.
Furies: Avenging spirits; Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone; known also as Erinyes or Eumenides.
Gaea: Goddess of earth; daughter of Chaos; mother of Titans; known also as Ge, Gea, Gaia, etc.
Galatea: Statue of maiden carved from ivory by Pygmalion; given life by Aphrodite.
Galatea: Sea nymph; loved by Polyphemus.
Ganymede: Beautiful boy; successor to Hebe as cupbearer of gods.
Glaucus: Mortal who became sea divinity by eating magic grass.
Golden Fleece: Fleece from ram that flew Phrixos to Colchis; Aeëtes placed it under guard of dragon; carried off by Jason.
Gorgons. Female monsters; Euryale, Medusa, and Stheno; had snakes for hair; their glances turned mortals to stone.
Graces: Beautiful goddesses: Aglaia (Brilliance), Euphrosyne (Joy), and Thalia (Bloom); daughters of Zeus.
Graeae. Sentinels for Gorgons.; Deino, Enyo, and Pephredo; had one eye among them, which passed from one to another.
Hades (Dis): Name sometimes given Pluto; also, abode of dead, ruled by Pluto.
Haemon: Son of Creon; promised husband of Antigone; killed himself in her tomb.
Hamadryads: Tree nymphs.
Harpies: Monsters with heads of women and bodies of birds.
Hebe (Juventas): Goddess of youth; cupbearer of gods before Ganymede; daughter of Zeus and Hera.
Hecate: Goddess of sorcery and witchcraft.
Hector: Son of Priam; slayer of Patroclus; slain by Achilles.
Hecuba: Wife of Priam.
Helen: Fairest woman in world; daughter of Zeus and Leda; wife of Menelaus; carried to Troy by Paris, causing Trojan War.
Heliades: Daughters of Helios; mourned for Phaëthon and were changed to poplar trees.
Helios (Sol): God of sun; later identified with Apollo.
Helle: Sister of Phrixos; fell from ram of Golden Fleece; water where she fell named Hellespont.
Hephaestus (Vulcan): God of fire; celestial blacksmith; son of Zeus and Hera; husband of Aphrodite.
Hera (Juno): Queen of heaven; wife of Zeus.
Hercules: Hero and strong man; son of Zeus and Alcmene; performed twelve labors or deeds to be free from bondage under Eurystheus; after death, his mortal share was destroyed, and he became immortal. Also known as Herakles or Heracles. Labors: (1) killing Nemean lion; (2) killing Lernaean Hydra; (3) capturing Erymanthian boar; (4) capturing Cerynean hind; (5) killing man-eating Stymphalian birds; (6) procuring girdle of Hippolyte; (7) cleaning Augean stables; (8) capturing Cretan bull; (9) capturing man-eating horses of Diomedes; (10) capturing cattle of Geryon; (11) procuring golden apples of Hesperides; (12) bringing Cerberus up from Hades.
Hermes (Mercury): God of physicians and thieves; messenger of gods; son of Zeus and Maia.
Hero: Priestess of Aphrodite; Leander swam Hellespont nightly to see her; drowned herself at his death.
Hesperus: Evening star.
Hestia (Vesta): Goddess of hearth; sister of Zeus.
Hippolyte: Queen of Amazons; wife of Theseus.
Hippolytus: Son of Theseus and Hippolyte; falsely accused by Phaedra of trying to kidnap her; slain by Poseidon at request of Theseus.
Hippomenes: Husband of Atalanta, whom he beat in race by dropping golden apples, which she stopped to pick up.
Hyacinthus: Beautiful youth accidentally killed by Apollo, who caused flower to spring up from his blood.
Hydra: Nine-headed monster in marsh of Lerna; slain by Hercules.
Hygeia: Personification of health.
Hymen: God of marriage.
Hyperion: Titan; early sun god; father of Helios.
Hypermnestra: Daughter of Danaüs; refused to kill her husband Lynceus.
Hypnos (Somnus): God of sleep.
Iapetus: Titan; father of Atlas, Epimetheus, and Prometheus.
Icarus: Son of Daedalus; flew too near sun with wax-attached wings and fell into sea and was drowned.
Io: Mortal maiden loved by Zeus; changed by Hera into heifer.
Iobates: King of Lycia; sent Bellerophon to slay Chimera.
Iphigenia: Daughter of Agamemnon; offered as sacrifice to Artemis at Aulis; carried by Artemis to Tauris where she became priestess; escaped from there with Orestes.
Iris: Goddess of rainbow; messenger of Zeus and Hera.
Ismene: Daughter of Oedipus; sister of Antigone.
Iulus: Son of Aeneas.
Ixion: King of Lapithae; for making love to Hera he was bound to endlessly revolving wheel in Tartarus.
Janus: Roman god of gates and doors; represented with two opposite faces.
Jason: Son of Aeson; to gain throne of Ioclus from Pelias, went to Colchis and brought back Golden Fleece; married Medea; deserted her for Creüsa.
Jocasta: Wife of Laius; mother of Oedipus; unwittingly became wife of Oedipus; hanged herself when relationship was discovered.
Juno: See Hera.
Jupiter: See Zeus.
Juventas: See Hebe.
Lachesis: One of several Fates.
Laius: Father of Oedipus, by whom he was slain.
Laocoön: Priest of Apollo at Troy; warned against bringing wooden horse into Troy; destroyed with his two sons by serpents sent by Athena.
Lares: Roman ancestral spirits protecting descendants and homes.
Latona: See Leto.
Lavinia: Wife of Aeneas after defeat of Turnus.
Leander: Swam Hellespont nightly to see Hero; drowned in storm.
Leda: Mortal loved by Zeus in form of swan; mother of Helen, Clytemnestra, Dioscuri.
Lethe: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Leto (Latona): Mother by Zeus of Artemis and Apollo.
Lucina: Roman goddess of childbirth; identified with Juno.
Lynceus: Son of Aegyptus; husband of Hypermnestra; slew Danaüs.
Maia: Daughter of Atlas; mother of Hermes.
Maia: One of several Pleiades.
Manes: Souls of dead Romans, particularly of ancestors.
Mars: See Ares.
Marsyas: Shepherd; challenged Apollo to music contest and lost; flayed alive by Apollo.
Medea: Sorceress; daughter of Aeëtes; helped Jason obtain Golden Fleece; when deserted by him for Creüsa, killed her children and Creüsa.
Medusa: One of several Gorgons. slain by Perseus, who cut off her head.
Megaera: One of several Furies.
Meleager: Son of Althaea; his life would last as long as brand burning at his birth; Althaea quenched and saved it but destroyed it when Meleager slew his uncles.
Melpomene: One of several Muses.
Memnon: Ethiopian king; made immortal by Zeus; son of Tithonus and Eos.
Menelaus: King of Sparta; son of Atreus; brother of Agamemnon; husband of Helen.
Mentor: Tutor of Telemachus and friend of Odysseus. In the Odyssey, on several occasions, Athena assumes form of Mentor to give advice to Telemachus or Odysseus
Mercury: See Hermes.
Merope: One of several Pleiades. Merope is said to have hidden in shame for loving a mortal.
Mezentius: Cruel Etruscan king; ally of Turnus against Aeneas; slain by Aeneas.
Midas: King of Phrygia; given gift of turning to gold all he touched.
Minerva: See Athena.
Minos: King of Crete; after death, one of three judges of dead in Hades; son of Zeus and Europa.
Minotaur: Monster, half man and half beast, kept in Labyrinth in Crete; slain by Theseus.
Mnemosyne: Goddess of memory; mother by Zeus of Muses.
Moirae: One of several Fates.
Momus: God of ridicule.
Morpheus: God of dreams.
Mors: See Thanatos.
Morta: One of several Fates.
Muses: Goddesses presiding over arts and sciences: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric and love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polymnia or Polyhymnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (choral dance and song), Thalia (comedy and bucolic poetry), Urania (astronomy); daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.
Naiads: Nymphs of waters, streams, and fountains.
Napaeae: Wood nymphs.
Narcissus: Beautiful youth loved by Echo; in punishment for not returning her love, he was made to fall in love with his image reflected in pool; pined away and became flower.
Nemesis: Goddess of retribution.
Neoptolemus: Son of Achilles; slew Priam; also known as Pyrrhus.
Neptune: See Poseidon.
Nereids: Sea nymphs; attendants on Poseidon.
Nestor: King of Pylos; noted for wise counsel in expedition against Troy.
Nike: Goddess of victory.
Niobe: Daughter of Tantalus; wife of Amphion; her children slain by Apollo and Artemis; changed to stone but continued to weep her loss.
Nona: One of several Fates.
Notus: One of several Winds.
Nox: See Nyx.
Nymphs: Beautiful maidens; minor deities of nature.
Nyx (Nox): Goddess of night.
Oceanids: Ocean nymphs; daughters of Oceanus.
Oceanus: Eldest of Titans; god of waters.
Odysseus (Ulysses): King of Ithaca; husband of Penelope; wandered ten years after fall of Troy before arriving home.
Oedipus: King of Thebes; son of Laius and Jocasta; unwittingly murdered Laius and married Jocasta; tore his eyes out when relationship was discovered.
Oenone: Nymph of Mount Ida; wife of Paris, who abandoned her; refused to cure him when he was poisoned by arrow of Philoctetes at Troy.
Ops: See Rhea.
Oreads: Mountain nymphs.
Orestes: Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; brother of Electra; slew Clytemnestra and Aegisthus; pursued by Furies until his purification by Apollo.
Orion: Hunter; slain by Artemis and made heavenly constellation.
Orpheus: Famed musician; son of Apollo and Muse Calliope; husband of Eurydice.
Pales: Roman goddess of shepherds and herdsmen.
Palinurus: Aeneas' pilot; fell overboard in his sleep and was drowned.
Pan (Faunus): God of woods and fields; part goat; son of Hermes.
Pandora: Opener of box containing human ills; mortal wife of Epimetheus.
Parcae: One of several Fates.
Paris: Son of Priam; gave apple of discord to Aphrodite, for which she enabled him to carry off Helen; slew Achilles at Troy; slain by Philoctetes.
Patroclus: Great friend of Achilles; wore Achilles' armor and was slain by Hector.
Pegasus: Winged horse that sprang from Medusa's body at her death; ridden by Bellerophon when he slew Chimera.
Pelias: King of Ioclus; seized throne from his brother Aeson; sent Jason for Golden Fleece; slain unwittingly by his daughters at instigation of Medea.
Pelops: Son of Tantalus; his father cooked and served him to gods; restored to life; Peloponnesus named for him.
Penates: Roman household gods.
Penelope: Wife of Odysseus; waited faithfully for him for many years while putting off numerous suitors.
Pephredo: One of several Graeae.
Periphetes: Giant; son of Hephaestus; slain by Theseus.
Persephone (Proserpine): Queen of infernal regions; daughter of Zeus and Demeter; wife of Pluto.
Perseus: Son of Zeus and Danaë; slew Medusa; rescued Andromeda from monster and married her.
Phaedra: Daughter of Minos; wife of Theseus; caused the death of her stepson, Hippolytus.
Phaethon: Son of Helios; drove his father's sun chariot and was struck down by Zeus before he set world on fire.
Philoctetes: Greek warrior who possessed Hercules' bow and arrows; slew Paris at Troy with poisoned arrow.
Phineus: Betrothed of Andromeda; tried to slay Perseus but turned to stone by Medusa's head.
Phlegethon: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Phosphor: Morning star.
Phrixos: Brother of Helle; carried by ram of Golden Fleece to Colchis.
Pirithous: Son of Ixion; friend of Theseus; tried to carry off Persephone from Hades; bound to enchanted rock by Pluto.
Pleiades: Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, Sterope or Asterope, Taygeta; seven daughters of Atlas; transformed into heavenly constellation, of which six stars are visible (Merope is said to have hidden in shame for loving a mortal).
Pluto (Dis): God of Hades; brother of Zeus.
Plutus: God of wealth.
Pollux: One of Dioscuri.
Polyhymnia: See Polymnia.
Polymnia (Polyhymnia): One of several Muses.
Polynices: Son of Oedipus; he and his brother Eteocles killed each other; burial rite, forbidden by Creon, performed by his sister Antigone.
Polyphemus: Cyclops; devoured six of Odysseus's men; blinded by Odysseus.
Polyxena: Daughter of Priam; betrothed to Achilles, whom Paris slew at their betrothal; sacrificed to shade of Achilles.
Pomona: Roman goddess of fruits.
Pontus: Sea god; son of Gaea.
Poseidon (Neptune): God of sea; brother of Zeus.
Priam: King of Troy; husband of Hecuba; ransomed Hector's body from Achilles; slain by Neoptolemus.
Priapus: God of regeneration.
Procris: Wife of Cephalus, who accidentally slew her.
Procrustes: Giant; stretched or cut off legs of victims to make them fit iron bed; slain by Theseus.
Proetus: Husband of Anteia; sent Bellerophon to Iobates to be put to death.
Prometheus: Titan; stole fire from heaven for man. Zeus punished him by chaining him to rock in Caucasus where vultures devoured his liver daily.
Proserpine: See Persephone.
Proteus: Sea god; assumed various shapes when called on to prophesy.
Psyche: Beloved of Eros; punished by jealous Aphrodite; made immortal and united with Eros.
Pygmalion: King of Cyprus; carved ivory statue of maiden which Aphrodite gave life as Galatea.
Pyramus: Babylonian youth; made love to Thisbe through hole in wall; thinking Thisbe slain by lion, killed himself.
Python: Serpent born from slime left by Deluge; slain by Apollo.
Quirinus: Roman war god.
Remus: Brother of Romulus; slain by him.
Rhadamanthus: One of three judges of dead in Hades; son of Zeus and Europa.
Rhea (Ops): Daughter of Uranus and Gaea; wife of Cronus; mother of Zeus; identified with Cybele.
Rivers of Underworld. Acheron (woe), Cocytus (wailing), Lethe (forgetfulness), Phlegethon (fire), Styx (across which souls of dead were ferried by Charon).
Romulus: Founder of Rome; he and Remus suckled in infancy by she-wolf; slew Remus; deified by Romans.
Sarpedon: King of Lycia; son of Zeus and Europa; slain by Patroclus at Troy.
Saturn: See Cronus.
Satyrs: Hoofed demigods of woods and fields; companions of Dionysus.
Sciron: Robber; forced strangers to wash his feet, then hurled them into sea where tortoise devoured them; slain by Theseus.
Scylla: Female monster inhabiting rock opposite Charybdis; menaced passing sailors.
Selene: Goddess of moon.
Semele: Daughter of Cadmus; mother by Zeus of Dionysus; demanded Zeus appear before her in all his splendor and was destroyed by his lightning bolts.
Sibyis: Various prophetesses; most famous, Cumaean sibyl, accompanied Aeneas into Hades.
Sileni: Minor woodland deities similar to satyrs (singular: silenus). Sometimes Silenus refers to eldest of satyrs, son of Hermes or of Pan.
Silvanus: Roman god of woods and fields.
Sinis: Giant; bent pines, with which he hurled victims against side of mountain; slain by Theseus.
Sirens: Minor deities who lured sailors to destruction with their singing.
Sisyphus: King of Corinth; condemned in Tartarus to roll huge stone to top of hill; it always rolled back down again.
Sol: See Helios.
Somnus: See Hypnos.
Sphinx: Monster of Thebes; killed those who could not answer her riddle; slain by Oedipus. Name also refers to other monsters having body of lion, wings, and head and bust of woman.
Sterope (Asterope): One of several Pleiades.
Stheno: One of several Gorgons.
Styx: One of several Rivers of Underworld. The souls of the dead were ferried across the Styx by Charon.
Symplegades: Clashing rocks at entrance to Black Sea; Argo passed through, causing them to become forever fixed.
Syrinx: Nymph pursued by Pan; changed to reeds, from which he made his pipes.
Tantalus: Cruel king; father of Pelops and Niobe; condemned in Tartarus to stand chin-deep in lake surrounded by fruit branches; as he tried to eat or drink, water or fruit always receded.
Tartarus: Underworld below Hades; often refers to Hades.
Taygeta: One of several Pleiades.
Telemachus: Son of Odysseus; made unsuccessful journey to find his father.
Tellus: Roman goddess of earth.
Terminus: Roman god of boundaries and landmarks.
Terpsichore: One of several Muses.
Terra: Roman earth goddess.
Thalia: One of several Graces. Also one of several Muses.
Thanatos (Mors): God of death.
Themis: Titan goddess of laws of physical phenomena; daughter of Uranus; mother of Prometheus.
Theseus: Son of Aegeus; slew Minotaur; married and deserted Ariadne; later married Phaedra.
Thisbe: Beloved of Pyramus; killed herself at his death.
Thyestes: Brother of Atreus; Atreus killed three of his sons and served them to him at banquet.
Tiresias: Blind soothsayer of Thebes.
Tisiphone: One of several Furies.
Titans: Early gods from which Olympian gods were derived; children of Uranus and Gaea.
Tithonus: Mortal loved by Eos; changed into grasshopper.
Triton: Demigod of sea; son of Poseidon.
Turnus: King of Rutuli in Italy; betrothed to Lavinia; slain by Aeneas.
Ulysses: See Odysseus.
Urania: One of several Muses.
Uranus: Personification of Heaven; husband of Gaea; father of Titans; dethroned by his son Cronus.
Venus: See Aphrodite.
Vertumnus: Roman god of fruits and vegetables; husband of Pomona.
Vesta: See Hestia.
Vulcan: See Hephaestus.
Winds: Aeolus (keeper of winds), Boreas (Aquilo) (north wind), Eurus (east wind), Notus (Auster) (south wind), Zephyrus (Favonius) (west wind).
Zephyrus: One of several Winds.
Zeus (Jupiter): Chief of Olympian gods; son of Cronus and Rhea; husband of Hera.
The Olympian Gods and Goddesses
In Greek mythology, twelve gods and goddesses ruled the universe from atop Greece's Mount Olympus. These Olympians had come to power after their leader, Zeus, overthrew his father, Kronos, leader of the Titans. All the Olympians are related to one another. The Romans adopted most of these Greek gods and goddesses, but with new names.
Zeus (Roman name: Jupiter)
The most powerful of all, Zeus was god of the sky and the king of Olympus. His temper affected the weather, and he threw thunderbolts when he was unhappy. He was married to Hera but had many other lovers. His symbols include the oak and the thunderbolt.
Hera (Roman name: Juno)
Hera was goddess of marriage and the queen of Olympus. She was Zeus's wife and sister; many myths tell of how she sought revenge when Zeus betrayed her with his lovers. Her symbols include the peacock and the cow.
Artemis
Poseidon (Roman name: Neptune)
Poseidon was god of the sea. He was the most powerful god except for his brother, Zeus. He lived in a beautiful palace under the sea and caused earthquakes when he was in a temper. His symbols include the horse and the trident (a three-pronged pitchfork).
Hades (Roman name: Pluto)
Hades was king of the dead. He lived in the underworld, the heavily guarded land where he ruled over the dead. He was the brother of Zeus and the husband of Persephone, Demeter's daughter, whom he kidnapped.
Aphrodite (Roman name: Venus)
Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, and the protector of sailors. She may have been the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione, or she may have risen from the sea on a shell. Her symbols include the myrtle tree and the dove.
Apollo
Apollo was the god of music and healing. He was also an archer, and hunted with a silver bow. Apollo was the son of Zeus and the Titan Leto, and the twin of Artemis. His symbols include the laurel tree, the crow, and the dolphin.
Ares (Roman name: Mars)
Ares was the god of war. He was both cruel and a coward. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, but neither of his parents liked him. His symbols include the vulture and the dog, and he often carried a bloody spear.
Artemis (Roman name: Diana)
Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and the protector of women in childbirth. She hunted with silver arrows and loved all wild animals. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Apollo. Her symbols include the cypress tree and the deer.
Athena (Roman name: Minerva)
Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was also skilled in the art of war, and helped heroes such as Odysseus and Hercules. Athena sprang full-grown from the forehead of Zeus, and became his favorite child. Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.
Hermes
Hephaestus (Roman name: Vulcan)
Hephaestus was the god of fire and the forge (a furnace in which metal is heated). Although he made armor and weapons for the gods, he loved peace. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and married Aphrodite. His symbols include the anvil and the forge.
Hestia (Roman name: Vesta)
Hestia was the goddess of the hearth (a fireplace at the center of the home). She was the most gentle of the gods, and does not play a role in many myths. Hestia was the sister of Zeus and the oldest of the Olympians. Fire is among her symbols.
Hermes (Roman name: Mercury)
Hermes was the messenger god, a trickster, and a friend to thieves. He was said to have invented boxing and gymnastics. He was the son of Zeus and the constellation Maia. The speediest of all, he wore winged sandals and a winged hat and carried a magic wand.
…also sometimes included:
Demeter (Roman name: Ceres)
Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. The word “cereal” comes from her Roman name. She was the sister of Zeus. Her daughter, Persephone, was forced to live with Hades each winter; at this time Demeter let no crops grow. Her symbols include wheat.
Dionysus (Roman name: Bacchus)
Dionysus was the god of wine, which he invented. In ancient Greece Dionysus was honored with springtime festivals that centered on theater. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal. His symbols include ivy, the snake, and grapes.
Heroes in Greek Mythology
Achilles
Achilles was the strongest and most fearless warrior in the Greek war against the Trojans. As an infant his mother dipped him into the River Styx, which made him invulnerable everywhere but the heel by which she held him. For ten years Achilles was a great hero in the Trojan War. But in the end Paris, son of the Trojan king, fatally wounded Achilles in the heel. Today, the tendon that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone is called the Achilles tendon, and a small but dangerous weakness is known as an “Achilles heel.”
Hercules (Herakles)
Hercules
Brave and powerful Hercules is perhaps the most loved of all Greek heroes. The son of Zeus and Alcmene (a granddaughter of Perseus), Heracles grew up to become a famed warrior. But Zeus's jealous wife, Hera, made him temporarily insane, and he killed his wife and children. As punishment Heracles performed twelve seemingly impossible labors (see The Twelve Labors of Hercules), which have been the subject of countless works of art and drama. Heracles is often depicted wearing a lion skin and wielding a club.
Jason
Jason was the leader of the Argonauts, the 50 heroes who sailed in search of the Golden Fleece. Jason's uncle, Pelias, had stolen the kingdom that should belong to Jason. He promised to return it only if Jason would bring home the Golden Fleece—the wool from the magical winged ram that became the constellation Aries. On their journey Jason and the Argonauts faced down such dangers as the deadly singing Sirens. They ultimately captured the fleece with the help of the sorceress Medea, who became Jason's wife.
Odysseus (Ulysses)
Odysseus
King of Ithaca and a celebrated warrior, Odysseus helped the Greeks triumph in the Trojan War. Afterward he journeyed nearly ten years to return home to Ithaca and his wife Penelope. Along the way Odysseus's courage and cleverness saved him and his men from such monsters as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis. Back in Ithaca, Odysseus proved his identity to Penelope and once again ruled his homeland. These adventures are told in Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey.
Perseus
The son of Zeus and Danaë, Perseus completed dangerous feats with his quick thinking and talents as a warrior. Most famous was his slaying of the Gorgon Medusa. Because looking directly at the monstrous Medusa would turn a man to stone, Perseus killed her while watching her reflection in a mirror. After beheading the Gorgon with his sword he kept her head in his satchel. Later, to save the princess Andromeda from being eaten by a sea monster, Perseus pulled out Medusa's head and turned the creature to stone.
Theseus
Theseus was known for his triumph over numerous monsters, especially the Minotaur, which lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete. Every year the people of Athens had been forced to send fourteen young people for the Minotaur to eat alive. But Theseus, using a ball of magic thread from the princess Ariadne, found his way in and out of the labyrinth and killed the beast. Theseus was the son of either Aegeus, king of Athens, or the sea god Poseidon. In later life he became king of Athens and a famous warrior.
The Twelve Labors of Hercules
Hercules performed twelve labors given him by King Eurystheus of Tiryns. For twelve years, he traveled all over to complete these incredible tasks. NOTE: Because different ancient poets gave their own accounts of Hercules's labors, some details may vary.
One: Kill the Nemean Lion
This monster of a lion had a hide was so tough that no arrow could pierce it. Hercules stunned the beast with his olive-wood club and then strangled it with his bare hands. It is said that he skinned the lion, using the lion's sharp claws, and ever after wore its hide.
Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra
The evil, snakelike Hydra had nine heads. If one got hurt, two would grow in its place. But Hercules quickly sliced off the heads, while his charioteer, Iolaus, sealed the wounds with a torch. Hercules made his arrows poisonous by dipping them in the Hydra's blood.
Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind
The goddess Artemis loved and protected this stubborn little deer, which had gold horns. Hercules found it a challenge to capture the delicate hind without hurting it (and making Artemis angry). After following the hind for an entire year, he safely carried it away.
Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar
The people of Mount Erymanthus lived in fear of this deadly animal. Hercules chased the wild boar up the mountain and into a snowdrift. He then took it in a net and brought it to King Eurystheus, who was so frightened of the beast that he hid in a huge bronze jar.
Five: Clean the Augean Stables
Thousands of cows lived in these stables belonging to King Augeas. They had not been cleaned in 30 years, but Hercules was told to clean them completely in a single day. To do so he made two rivers bend so that they flowed into the stables, sweeping out the filth.
Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds
These murderous birds lived around Lake Stymphalos. Their claws and beaks were sharp as metal and their feathers flew like darts. Hercules scared them out of their nests with a rattle and then killed them with the poison arrows he had made from the Hydra's blood.
Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull
This savage bull, kept by King Minos of Crete, was said to be insane and breathe fire. Hercules wrestled the mad beast to the ground and brought it back to King Eurystheus. Unfortunately, the king set it free, and it roamed Greece, causing terror wherever it went.
Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes
King Diomedes, leader of the Bistones, fed his bloodthirsty horses on human flesh. Hercules and his men fought and killed King Diomedes and fed the king to his horses. This made the horses tame, so that Hercules was able to lead them to King Eurystheus.
Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte
Hercules went to the land of the Amazons, where the queen welcomed him and agreed to give him her girdle for Eurystheus's daughter. But Hera spread the rumor that Hercules came as an enemy. In the end he had to conquer the Amazons and steal the golden belt.
Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon
Geryon, a winged monster with three human bodies, had a herd of beautiful red cattle. He guarded his prized herd with the help of a giant and a vicious two-headed dog. Hercules killed Geryon, the giant, and the dog and brought the cattle to King Eurystheus.
Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
The Hesperides were nymphs. In their garden grew golden apples protected by Ladon, a dragon with a hundred heads. Hercules struck a bargain with Atlas, who held up the earth. Hercules shouldered the earth while Atlas, the nymphs' father, fetched the apples.
Twelve: Capture Cerberus
Hercules was ordered to capture Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, without using weapons. Hercules wrestled down the dog's wild heads, and it agreed to go with him to King Eurystheus. Cerberus was soon returned unharmed to the underworld.
Monsters in Greek Mythology
Argus
Argus may have had as many as one hundred eyes, which were located all over his body. Hera employed him as a guard. He was killed by Hermes. Afterward, Hera put Argus's eyes in the tail of the peacock, her favorite bird.
Cerberus
Cerberus was a huge and powerful three-headed dog. He was owned by Hades, god of the dead, who used the fearsome hound to guard the entrance to the underworld. In his final labor, Hercules went to the underworld and kidnapped Cerberus.
Cyclopes
Each of the Cyclopes was gigantic and had a single eye in the middle of its forehead. The Cyclopes made lightning and thunderbolts for Zeus to use. The brutal Polyphemus, a Cyclops and a son of Poseidon, lived on an island, where he was blinded by Odysseus.
Gorgons
The Gorgons were horrifyingly ugly monsters who lived at the edge of the world. Their hair was made of serpents, and one look from a Gorgon's eyes would turn a man to stone. Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa by beheading her while looking only at her reflection.
The Hydra
Hydra
The Hydra was a massive and poisonous serpent with nine heads. Every time one head was injured, another two grew in its place. Hercules sought out the monster in its dark marsh and succeeded in destroying it.
Minotaur
The Minotaur was a man-eating monster with the head of a bull. King Minos kept it hidden in a labyrinth (a maze) in Knossos, on the island of Crete, where he used it to frighten his enemies. Theseus killed the Minotaur.
The Minotaur
Scylla and Charybdis
The powerful monsters Scylla and Charybdis lived together in a sea cave. Scylla had many fierce dog heads and ate sailors alive; Charybdis created whirlpools by sucking in and spitting out seawater. Both Jason and Odysseus safely traveled by these monsters.
Sirens
The Sirens were giant, winged creatures with the heads of women. They lived on rocks on the sea, where their beautiful singing lured sailors to shipwreck. Odysseus filled his sailors' ears with wax so that they might sail safely past the Sirens.
The Nine Muses
The Nine Muses were Greek goddesses who ruled over the arts and sciences and offered inspiration in those subjects. They were the daughters of Zeus, lord of all gods, and Mnemosyne, who represented memory. Memory was important for the Muses because in ancient times, when there were no books, poets had to carry their work in their memories.
Calliope was the muse of epic poetry.
Clio was the muse of history.
Erato was the muse of love poetry.
Euterpe was the muse of music.
Melpomene was the muse of tragedy.
Polyhymnia was the muse of sacred poetry.
Terpsichore was the muse of dance.
Thalia was the muse of comedy.
Urania was the muse of astronomy.
Norse Mythology
Aesir: Chief gods of Asgard.
Andvari: Dwarf; robbed of gold and magic ring by Loki.
Angerbotha (Angrbotha): Giantess; mother by Loki of Fenrir, Hel, and Midgard serpent.
Asgard (Asgarth): Abode of gods.
Ask (Aske, Askr): First man; created by Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur.
Asynjur: Goddesses of Asgard.
Atli: Second husband of Gudrun; invited Gunnar and Hogni to his court, where they were slain; slain by Gudrun.
Audhumia (Audhumbla): Cow that nourished Ymir; created Buri by licking ice cliff.
Balder (Baldr, Baldur): God of light, spring, peace, joy; son of Odin; slain by Hoth at instigation of Loki.
Bifrost: Rainbow bridge connecting Midgard and Asgard.
Bragi (Brage): God of poetry; husband of Ithunn.
Branstock: Great oak in hall of Volsungs; into it, Odin thrust Gram, which only Sigmund could draw forth.
Brynhild: Valkyrie; wakened from magic sleep by Sigurd; married Gunnar; instigated death of Sigurd; killed herself and was burned on pyre beside Sigurd.
Bur (Bor): Son of Buri; father of Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur.
Buri (Bori): Progenitor of gods; father of Bur; created by Audhumla.
Embla: First woman; created by Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur.
Fafnir: Son of Rodmar, whom he slew for gold in Otter's skin; in form of dragon, guarded gold; slain by Sigurd.
Fenrir: Wolf; offspring of Loki; swallows Odin at Ragnarok and is slain by Vitharr.
Forseti: Son of Balder.
Frey (Freyr): God of fertility and crops; son of Njorth; originally one of Vanir.
Freya (Freyja): Goddess of love and beauty; sister of Frey; originally one of Vanir.
Frigg (Frigga): Goddess of sky; wife of Odin.
Garm: Watchdog of Hel; slays, and is slain by, Tyr at Ragnarok.
Gimle: Home of blessed after Ragnarok.
Giuki: King of Nibelungs; father of Gunnar, Hogni, Guttorm, and Gudrun.
Glathsehim (Gladsheim): Hall of gods in Asgard.
Gram (meaning “Angry”): Sigmund's sword; rewelded by Regin; used by Sigurd to slay Fafnir.
Greyfell: Sigmund's horse; descended from Sleipnir.
Grimhild: Mother of Gudrun; administered magic potion to Sigurd which made him forget Brynhild.
Gudrun: Daughter of Giuki; wife of Sigurd; later wife of Atli and Jonakr.
Gunnar: Son of Giuki; in his semblance Sigurd won Brynhild for him; slain at hall of Atli.
Guttorm: Son of Giuki; slew Sigurd at Brynhild's request.
Heimdall (Heimdallr): Guardian of Asgard.
Hel: Goddess of dead and queen of underworld; daughter of Loki.
Hiordis: Wife of Sigmund; mother of Sigurd.
Hoenir: One of creators of Ask and Embla; son of Bur.
Hogni: Son of Giuki; slain at hall of Atli.
Hoth (Hoder, Hodur): Blind god of night and darkness; slayer of Balder at instigation of Loki.
Ithunn (Ithun, Iduna): Keeper of golden apples of youth; wife of Bragi.
Jonakr: Third husband of Gudrun.
Jormunrek: Slayer of Swanhild; slain by sons of Gudrun.
Jotunnheim (Jotunheim): Abode of giants.
Lif and Lifthrasir: First man and woman after Ragnarok.
Loki: God of evil and mischief; instigator of Balder's death.
Lothur (Lodur): One of creators of Ask and Embla.
Midgard (Midgarth): Abode of mankind; the earth.
Midgard Serpent: Sea monster; offspring of Loki; slays, and is slain by, Thor at Ragnarok.
Mimir: Giant; guardian of well in Jotunnheim at root of Yggdrasill; knower of past and future.
Mjollnir: Magic hammer of Thor.
Nagifar: Ship to be used by giants in attacking Asgard at Ragnarok; built from nails of dead men.
Nanna: Wife of Balder.
Nibelungs: Dwellers in northern kingdom ruled by Giuki.
Niflheim (Nifelheim): Outer region of cold and darkness; abode of Hel.
Njorth: Father of Frey and Freya; originally one of Vanir.
Norns: Demigoddesses of fate: Urth (Urdur) (past), Verthandi (Verdandi) (present), Skuld (future).
Odin (Othin): Head of Aesir; creator of world with Vili and Ve; equivalent to Woden (Wodan, Wotan) in Teutonic mythology.
Otter: Son of Rodmar; slain by Loki; his skin filled with gold hoard of Andvari to appease Rodmar.
Ragnarok: Final destruction of present world in battle between gods and giants; some minor gods will survive, and Lif and Lifthrasir will repeople world.
Regin: Blacksmith; son of Rodmar; foster-father of Sigurd.
Rerir: King of Huns; son of Sigi.
Rodmar: Father of Regin, Otter, and Fafnir; demanded Otter's skin be filled with gold; slain by Fafnir, who stole gold.
Sif: Wife of Thor.
Siggeir: King of Goths; husband of Signy; he and his sons slew Volsung and his sons, except Sigmund; slain by Sigmund and Sinflotli.
Sigi: King of Huns; son of Odin.
Sigmund: Son of Volsung; brother of Signy, who bore him Sinflotli; husband of Hiordis, who bore him Sigurd.
Signy: Daughter of Volsung; sister of Sigmund; wife of Siggeir; mother by Sigmund of Sinflotli.
Sigurd: Son of Sigmund and Hiordis; wakened Brynhild from magic sleep; married Gudrun; slain by Guttorm at instigation of Brynhild.
Sigyn: Wife of Loki.
Sinflotli: Son of Sigmund and Signy.
Skuld: One of several Norns.
Sleipnir (Sleipner): Eight-legged horse of Odin.
Surt (Surtr): Fire demon; slays Frey at Ragnarok.
Svartalfaheim: Abode of dwarfs.
Swanhild: Daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun; slain by Jormunrek.
Thor: God of thunder; oldest son of Odin; equivalent to Germanic deity Donar.
Tyr: God of war; son of Odin; equivalent to Tiu in Teutonic mythology.
Ull (Ullr): Son of Sif; stepson of Thor.
Urth: One of several Norns.
Valhalla (Valhall): Great hall in Asgard where Odin received souls of heroes killed in battle.
Vali: Odin's son: Ragnarok survivor.
Valkyries: Virgins, messengers of Odin, who selected heroes to die in battle and took them to Valhalla; generally considered as nine in number.
Vanir: Early race of gods; three survivors, Njorth, Frey, and Freya, are associated with Aesir.
Ve: Brother of Odin; one of creators of world.
Verthandi: One of several Norns.
Vili: Brother of Odin; one of creators of world.
Vingolf: Abode of goddesses in Asgard.
Vitharr (Vithar): Son of Odin; survivor of Ragnarok.
Volsung: Descendant of Odin, and father of Signy, Sigmund; his descendants were called Volsungs.
Yggdrasill: Giant ash tree springing from body of Ymir and supporting universe; its roots extended to Asgard, Jotunnheim, and Niffheim.
Ymir (Ymer): Primeval frost giant killed by Odin, Vili, and Ve; world created from his body; also, from his body sprang Yggdrasill.
Egyptian Mythology
Aaru: Abode of the blessed dead.
Amen (Amon, Ammdn): One of chief Theban deities; united with sun god under form of Amen-Ra; husband of Mut.
Amenti: Region of dead where souls were judged by Osiris.
Anubis: Guide of souls to Amenti; son of Osiris; jackal-headed.
Apis: Sacred bull, an embodiment of Ptah; identified with Osiris as Osiris-Apis or Serapis.
Geb (Keb, Seb): Earth god; father of Osiris; represented with goose on head.
Hathor (Athor): Goddess of love and mirth; cow-headed.
Horus: God of day; son of Osiris and Isis; hawk-headed.
Isis: Goddess of motherhood and fertility; sister and wife of Osiris.
Khepera: God of morning sun.
Khnemu (Khnum, Chnuphis, Chnemu, Chnum): Ram-headed god.
Khonsu (Khensu, Khuns): Son of Amen and Mut.
Mentu (Ment): Solar deity, sometimes considered god of war; falcon-headed.
Min (Khem, Chem): Principle of physical life.
Mut (Maut): Wife of Amen.
Nephthys: Goddess of the dead; sister and wife of Set.
Nu: Chaos from which world was created, personified as a god.
Nut: Goddess of heavens; consort of Geb.
Osiris: God of underworld and judge of dead; son of Geb and Nut; brother and husband of Isis.
Ptah (Phtha): Chief deity of Memphis.
Ra: God of the Sun, the supreme god; son of Nut; Pharaohs claimed descent from him; represented as lion, cat, or falcon.
Serapis: God uniting attributes of Osiris and Apis.
Set (Seth): God of darkness or evil; brother and enemy of Osiris; brother and husband of Nephthys.
Shu: Solar deity; son of Ra and Hathor.
Tem (Atmu, Atum, Tum): Solar deity.
Thoth (Dhouti): God of wisdom and magic; scribe of gods; ibis-headed.
American Indian Myths
American Indian tribes share many myths. If a myth is exclusive to one tribe, the tribe is listed in parenthesis.
The Great Spirit in some form or name is found in most American Indian beliefs. It is the unknown power that is found in everything—the air, a rock, the sky. The Great Spirit is often seen as the great creator of life and the universe, aided by other spirits who are in charge of more specific things, such as stars, water, or trees. The Cheyenne call the Great Spirit Heammawihio; the Shawnee, Finisher; and the Algonquin, Gitche Manitou.
Coyote was a popular spirit among western tribes such as the Navajo, Zuni, Sioux, and Chinook. A sly trickster, he made life more interesting for people. Coyote was responsible for sorrow and death, but also for the creation of humans and the Milky Way. There are many stories of Coyote’s mischievous trickery and his contributions to the world.
Raven seemed to have his beak into everything, and like Coyote, was somewhat wily. He could change into a bird, a human or an animal. Raven could bring both good and evil. Always hungry, his search for food often got him into a lot of trouble. Raven was found mainly in Pacific Northwest and southeastern Alaska tribes.
Skywoman (Iroquois) fell through a hole in the sky to a dark watery Earth populated only by animals. Birds caught her and put her on a giant turtle’s back. The turtle grew bigger and became the land. The hole Skywoman fell through brought light to the world, and the beginning of Earth as we know it.
Kachinas (Hopi) are spirits that lived in and controlled everything—the sky, water, plants, animals. The kachinas protected humans and brought them good fortune. Today, the Hopi give their children kachina dolls to teach them about different spirits.
Aningan (Eskimo) is the most important Eskimo god and the Moon spirit. He was a hunter and he also chased his sister, the Sun, around the North Pole during the brief Arctic summer. She was unable to go over the horizon and the Sun never set.
The Breathmaker (Seminole) or Creator, made humans out of clay. He also blew across the heavens and created the Milky Way. When a good Seminole died the Big Dipper becoame a boat and sailed the soul across the Milky Way to the City in the Sky.
Windigo (Ojibwa, Algonquin) was a huge evil demon who wandered the winter woods in search of humans to eat. In a sort of werewolf or vampire way, if a person was bitten by Windigo, he turned into one.
Aztec
Huitzilopochtli was the god of the sun and of war. He was the patron god of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, where Mexico City now stands. The Aztecs built a great temple there in his honor and sacrificed many humans to him.
Coatlicue was the goddess of the earth and the mother of all the gods. She also gave birth to the moon and stars. In Tenochtitlán the Aztecs carved a gigantic stone statue of her wearing a necklace made of human hearts and hands.
Chicomecoatl was the goddess of corn and fertility. So important was corn to the Aztecs that she was also known as “the goddess of nourishment.”
Quetzalcoatl was the god of learning. A wise god, he helped to create the universe and humankind and later invented agriculture and the calendar. He is often depicted as a magnificent feathered serpent.
Egyptian
Ra was the supreme god and the god of the sun. The early pharaohs claimed to be descended from him. He sometimes took the form of a hawk or a lion.
Nut represented the heavens and helped to put the world in order. She had the ability to swallow stars and the pharaohs and cause them to be born again. She existed before all else had been created.
Osiris was the god of the underworld and the judge of the dead. He was associated with the continuity of life and was often shown wearing mummy wrappings.
Isis invented agriculture. She was the goddess of law, healing, motherhood and fertility. She came to be seen as a kind of Mother Earth figure.
Horus was a sky god who loved goodness and light. The son of Osiris and Isis, he was sometimes depicted as a young child.
Thoth was the god of wisdom and magic. He was believed to have invented writing, astronomy and other arts, and served as a scribe to the gods.
Nephthys was the goddess of the dead. She was a kind and understanding companion to the newly dead as well as to those left behind.
See also Egyptian Mythology.
Mayan
Hunahpu was a god of the sun and the father of the first humans. A great hero, with his brother he defeated the forces of death and went on to rule in the heavens.
Hurakan was the god of storms and winds. When the first humans made him angry, he swept them away in a violent flood. The word “hurricane” comes from his name.
Ixchel was the goddess of the moon and the protector of pregnant women. She was often depicted as an old woman wearing a full skirt and holding a serpent.
Chac was the god of agriculture and a great friend to humankind. He brought them rain and used his vast tail and fangs to protect planted fields.
Itzamna was the state god of the Mayan empire and the founder of its people. Corn, chocolate, writing and calendars were among his many gifts to them.
Norse
Odin was the supreme god and, along with his brothers Vili and Ve, the creator of the world. He was also the ruler of war and wisdom.
Frigg was the goddess of the sky, marriage and motherhood. It was believed that she knew the fate of each person, but kept it a close secret.
Loki was the god of mischief and death. He liked to invent horrible ways to harm the other gods. His nastiness and trickery earned him many an enemy.
Freyja was the goddess of love and fertility. She was very beautiful and enjoyed music and song. Fairies were among her most beloved companions.
Balder was the god of light, peace and joy. A kind and gentle god, he was slain in a plot hatched by Loki. He was greatly mourned, especially by his parents, Odin and Frigg.
Greek and Roman Mythology
Most of the Greek deities were adopted by the Romans, although in many cases there was a change of name. In the list below, information is given under the Greek name; the name in parentheses is the Roman equivalent. However, all Latin names are listed with cross-references to the Greek ones. In addition, there are several deities that are exclusively Roman. Bold words within entries indicate cross references.
Achelous: River god; son of Oceanus and Tethys and said to be the father of the Sirens.
Acheron: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Achilles: Greek warrior; slew Hector at Troy; slain by Paris, who wounded him in his vulnerable heel.
Actaeon: Hunter; surprised Artemis bathing; changed by her to stag; and killed by his dogs.
Admetus: King of Thessaly; his wife, Alcestis, offered to die in his place.
Adonis: Beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite.
Aeacus: One of three judges of dead in Hades; son of Zeus.
Aeëtes: King of Colchis; father of Medea; keeper of Golden Fleece.
Aegeus: Father of Theseus; believing Theseus killed in Crete, he drowned himself; Aegean Sea named for him.
Aegisthus: Son of Thyestes; slew Atreus; with Clytemnestra, his paramour, slew Agamemnon; slain by Orestes.
Aegyptus: Brother of Danaus; his sons, except Lynceus, slain by Danaides.
Aeneas: Trojan; son of Anchises and Aphrodite; after fall of Troy, led his followers eventually to Italy; loved and deserted Dido.
Aeolus: One of several Winds.
Aesculapius: See Asclepius.
Aeson: King of Ioclus; father of Jason; overthrown by his brother Pelias; restored to youth by Medea.
Aether: Personification of sky.
Aethra: Mother of Theseus.
Agamemnon: King of Mycenae; son of Atreus; brother of Menelaus; leader of Greeks against Troy; slain on his return home by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
Aglaia: One of several Graces.
Ajax: Greek warrior; killed himself at Troy because Achilles's armor was awarded to Odysseus.
Alcestis: Wife of Admetus; offered to die in his place but saved from death by Hercules.
Alcmene: Wife of Amphitryon; mother by Zeus of Hercules.
Alcyone: One of several Pleiades.
Alecto: One of several Furies.
Alectryon: Youth changed by Ares into cock.
Althaea: Wife of Oeneus; mother of Meleager.
Amazons: Female warriors in Asia Minor; supported Troy against Greeks.
Amor: See Eros.
Amphion: Musician; husband of Niobe; charmed stones to build fortifications for Thebes.
Amphitrite: Sea goddess; wife of Poseidon.
Amphitryon: Husband of Alcmene.
Anchises: Father of Aeneas.
Ancile: Sacred shield that fell from heavens; palladium of Rome.
Andraemon: Husband of Dryope.
Andromache: Wife of Hector.
Andromeda: Daughter of Cepheus; chained to cliff for monster to devour; rescued by Perseus.
Anteia: Wife of Proetus; tried to induce Bellerophon to elope with her.
Anteros: God who avenged unrequited love.
Antigone: Daughter of Oedipus; accompanied him to Colonus; performed burial rite for Polynices and hanged herself.
Antinoüs: Leader of suitors of Penelope; slain by Odysseus.
Aphrodite (Venus): Goddess of love and beauty; daughter of Zeus and Dione; mother of Eros.
Apollo: God of beauty, poetry, music; later identified with Helios as Phoebus Apollo; son of Zeus and Leto.
Aquilo: One of several Winds.
Arachne: Maiden who challenged Athena to weaving contest; changed to spider.
Ares (Mars): God of war; son of Zeus and Hera.
Argo: Ship in which Jason and followers sailed to Colchis for Golden Fleece.
Argus: Monster with hundred eyes; slain by Hermes; his eyes placed by Hera into peacock's tail.
Ariadne: Daughter of Minos; aided Theseus in slaying Minotaur; deserted by him on island of Naxos and married to Dionysus.
Arion: Musician; thrown overboard by pirates but saved by dolphin.
Artemis (Diana): Goddess of moon; huntress; twin sister of Apollo.
Asclepius (Aesculapius): Mortal son of Apollo; slain by Zeus for raising dead; later deified as god of medicine. Also known as Asklepios.
Astarte: Phoenician goddess of love; variously identified with Aphrodite, Selene, and Artemis.
Asterope: See Sterope.
Astraea: Goddess of Justice; daughter of Zeus and Themis.
Atalanta: Princess who challenged her suitors to a foot race; Hippomenes won race and married her.
Athena (Minerva): Goddess of wisdom; known poetically as Pallas Athene; sprang fully armed from head of Zeus.
Atlas: Titan; held world on his shoulders as punishment for warring against Zeus; son of Iapetus.
Atreus: King of Mycenae; father of Menelaus and Agamemnon; brother of Thyestes, three of whose sons he slew and served to him at banquet; slain by Aegisthus.
Atropos: One of several Fates.
Aurora: See Eos.
Auster: One of several Winds.
Avernus: Infernal regions; name derived from small vaporous lake near Vesuvius which was fabled to kill birds and vegetation.
Bacchus: See Dionysus.
Bellerophon: Corinthian hero; killed Chimera with aid of Pegasus; tried to reach Olympus on Pegasus and was thrown to his death.
Bellona: Roman goddess of war.
Boreas: One of several Winds.
Briareus: Monster of hundred hands; son of Uranus and Gaea.
Briseis: Captive maiden given to Achilles; taken by Agamemnon in exchange for loss of Chryseis, which caused Achilles to cease fighting, until death of Patroclus.
Cadmus: Brother of Europa; planter of dragon seeds from which first Thebans sprang.
Calliope: One of several Muses.
Calypso: Sea nymph; kept Odysseus on her island Ogygia for seven years.
Cassandra: Daughter of Priam; prophetess who was never believed; slain with Agamemnon.
Castor: One of Dioscuri.
Celaeno: One of several Pleiades.
Centaurs: Beings half man and half horse; lived in mountains of Thessaly.
Cephalus: Hunter; accidentally killed his wife Procris with his spear.
Cepheus: King of Ethiopia; father of Andromeda.
Cerberus: Three-headed dog guarding entrance to Hades.
Ceres: See Demeter.
Chaos: Formless void; personified as first of gods.
Charon: Boatman on Styx who carried souls of dead to Hades; son of Erebus.
Charybdis: Female monster; personification of whirlpool.
Chimera: Female monster with head of lion, body of goat, tail of serpent; killed by Bellerophon.
Chiron: Most famous of centaurs.
Chronos: Personification of time.
Chryseis: Captive maiden given to Agamemnon; his refusal to accept ransom from her father Chryses caused Apollo to send plague on Greeks besieging Troy.
Circe: Sorceress; daughter of Helios; changed Odysseus's men into swine.
Clio: One of several Muses.
Clotho: One of several Fates.
Clytemnestra: Wife of Agamemnon, whom she slew with aid of her paramour, Aegisthus; slain by her son Orestes.
Cocytus: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Creon: Father of Jocasta; forbade burial of Polynices; ordered burial alive of Antigone.
Creüsa: Princess of Corinth, for whom Jason deserted Medea; slain by Medea, who sent her poisoned robe; also known as Glaüke.
Creusa: Wife of Aeneas; died fleeing Troy.
Cronus (Saturn): Titan; god of harvests; son of Uranus and Gaea; dethroned by his son Zeus.
Cupid: See Eros.
Cybele: Anatolian nature goddess; adopted by Greeks and identified with Rhea.
Cyclopes: Race of one-eyed giants (singular: Cyclops).
Daedalus: Athenian artificer; father of Icarus; builder of Labyrinth in Crete; devised wings attached with wax for him and Icarus to escape Crete.
Danae: Princess of Argos; mother of Perseus by Zeus, who appeared to her in form of golden shower.
Danaïdes: Daughters of Danaüs; at his command, all except Hypermnestra slew their husbands, the sons of Aegyptus.
Danaüs: Brother of Aegyptus; father of Danaïdes; slain by Lynceus.
Daphne: Nymph; pursued by Apollo; changed to laurel tree.
Decuma: One of several Fates.
Deino: One of several Graeae.
Demeter (Ceres): Goddess of agriculture; mother of Persephone.
Diana: See Artemis.
Dido: Founder and queen of Carthage; stabbed herself when deserted by Aeneas.
Diomedes: Greek hero; with Odysseus, entered Troy and carried off Palladium, sacred statue of Athena.
Diomedes: Owner of man-eating horses, which Hercules, as ninth labor, carried off.
Dione: Titan goddess; mother by Zeus of Aphrodite.
Dionysus (Bacchus): God of wine; son of Zeus and Semele.
Dioscuri: Twins Castor and Pollux; sons of Leda by Zeus.
Dis: See Pluto, Hades.
Dryads: Wood nymphs.
Dryope: Maiden changed to Hamadryad.
Echo: Nymph who fell hopelessly in love with Narcissus; faded away except for her voice.
Electra: Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; sister of Orestes; urged Orestes to slay Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
Electra: One of several Pleiades.
Elysium: Abode of blessed dead.
Endymion: Mortal loved by Selene.
Enyo: One of several Graeae.
Eos (Aurora): Goddess of dawn.
Epimetheus: Brother of Prometheus; husband of Pandora.
Erato: One of several Muses.
Erebus: Spirit of darkness; son of Chaos.
Erinyes: One of several Furies.
Eris: Goddess of discord.
Eros (Amor or Cupid): God of love; son of Aphrodite.
Eteocles: Son of Oedipus, whom he succeeded to rule alternately with Polynices; refused to give up throne at end of year; he and Polynices slew each other.
Eumenides: One of several Furies.
Euphrosyne: One of several Graces.
Europa: Mortal loved by Zeus, who, in form of white bull, carried her off to Crete.
Eurus: One of several Winds.
Euryale: One of several Gorgons.
Eurydice: Nymph; wife of Orpheus.
Eurystheus: King of Argos; imposed twelve labors on Hercules.
Euterpe: One of several Muses.
Fates: Goddesses of destiny; Clotho (Spinner of thread of life), Lachesis (Determiner of length), and Atropos (Cutter of thread); also called Moirae. Identified by Romans with their goddesses of fate; Nona, Decuma, and Morta; called Parcae.
Fauns: Roman deities of woods and groves.
Faunus: See Pan.
Favonius: One of several Winds.
Flora: Roman goddess of flowers.
Fortuna: Roman goddess of fortune.
Furies: Avenging spirits; Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone; known also as Erinyes or Eumenides.
Gaea: Goddess of earth; daughter of Chaos; mother of Titans; known also as Ge, Gea, Gaia, etc.
Galatea: Statue of maiden carved from ivory by Pygmalion; given life by Aphrodite.
Galatea: Sea nymph; loved by Polyphemus.
Ganymede: Beautiful boy; successor to Hebe as cupbearer of gods.
Glaucus: Mortal who became sea divinity by eating magic grass.
Golden Fleece: Fleece from ram that flew Phrixos to Colchis; Aeëtes placed it under guard of dragon; carried off by Jason.
Gorgons. Female monsters; Euryale, Medusa, and Stheno; had snakes for hair; their glances turned mortals to stone.
Graces: Beautiful goddesses: Aglaia (Brilliance), Euphrosyne (Joy), and Thalia (Bloom); daughters of Zeus.
Graeae. Sentinels for Gorgons.; Deino, Enyo, and Pephredo; had one eye among them, which passed from one to another.
Hades (Dis): Name sometimes given Pluto; also, abode of dead, ruled by Pluto.
Haemon: Son of Creon; promised husband of Antigone; killed himself in her tomb.
Hamadryads: Tree nymphs.
Harpies: Monsters with heads of women and bodies of birds.
Hebe (Juventas): Goddess of youth; cupbearer of gods before Ganymede; daughter of Zeus and Hera.
Hecate: Goddess of sorcery and witchcraft.
Hector: Son of Priam; slayer of Patroclus; slain by Achilles.
Hecuba: Wife of Priam.
Helen: Fairest woman in world; daughter of Zeus and Leda; wife of Menelaus; carried to Troy by Paris, causing Trojan War.
Heliades: Daughters of Helios; mourned for Phaëthon and were changed to poplar trees.
Helios (Sol): God of sun; later identified with Apollo.
Helle: Sister of Phrixos; fell from ram of Golden Fleece; water where she fell named Hellespont.
Hephaestus (Vulcan): God of fire; celestial blacksmith; son of Zeus and Hera; husband of Aphrodite.
Hera (Juno): Queen of heaven; wife of Zeus.
Hercules: Hero and strong man; son of Zeus and Alcmene; performed twelve labors or deeds to be free from bondage under Eurystheus; after death, his mortal share was destroyed, and he became immortal. Also known as Herakles or Heracles. Labors: (1) killing Nemean lion; (2) killing Lernaean Hydra; (3) capturing Erymanthian boar; (4) capturing Cerynean hind; (5) killing man-eating Stymphalian birds; (6) procuring girdle of Hippolyte; (7) cleaning Augean stables; (8) capturing Cretan bull; (9) capturing man-eating horses of Diomedes; (10) capturing cattle of Geryon; (11) procuring golden apples of Hesperides; (12) bringing Cerberus up from Hades.
Hermes (Mercury): God of physicians and thieves; messenger of gods; son of Zeus and Maia.
Hero: Priestess of Aphrodite; Leander swam Hellespont nightly to see her; drowned herself at his death.
Hesperus: Evening star.
Hestia (Vesta): Goddess of hearth; sister of Zeus.
Hippolyte: Queen of Amazons; wife of Theseus.
Hippolytus: Son of Theseus and Hippolyte; falsely accused by Phaedra of trying to kidnap her; slain by Poseidon at request of Theseus.
Hippomenes: Husband of Atalanta, whom he beat in race by dropping golden apples, which she stopped to pick up.
Hyacinthus: Beautiful youth accidentally killed by Apollo, who caused flower to spring up from his blood.
Hydra: Nine-headed monster in marsh of Lerna; slain by Hercules.
Hygeia: Personification of health.
Hymen: God of marriage.
Hyperion: Titan; early sun god; father of Helios.
Hypermnestra: Daughter of Danaüs; refused to kill her husband Lynceus.
Hypnos (Somnus): God of sleep.
Iapetus: Titan; father of Atlas, Epimetheus, and Prometheus.
Icarus: Son of Daedalus; flew too near sun with wax-attached wings and fell into sea and was drowned.
Io: Mortal maiden loved by Zeus; changed by Hera into heifer.
Iobates: King of Lycia; sent Bellerophon to slay Chimera.
Iphigenia: Daughter of Agamemnon; offered as sacrifice to Artemis at Aulis; carried by Artemis to Tauris where she became priestess; escaped from there with Orestes.
Iris: Goddess of rainbow; messenger of Zeus and Hera.
Ismene: Daughter of Oedipus; sister of Antigone.
Iulus: Son of Aeneas.
Ixion: King of Lapithae; for making love to Hera he was bound to endlessly revolving wheel in Tartarus.
Janus: Roman god of gates and doors; represented with two opposite faces.
Jason: Son of Aeson; to gain throne of Ioclus from Pelias, went to Colchis and brought back Golden Fleece; married Medea; deserted her for Creüsa.
Jocasta: Wife of Laius; mother of Oedipus; unwittingly became wife of Oedipus; hanged herself when relationship was discovered.
Juno: See Hera.
Jupiter: See Zeus.
Juventas: See Hebe.
Lachesis: One of several Fates.
Laius: Father of Oedipus, by whom he was slain.
Laocoön: Priest of Apollo at Troy; warned against bringing wooden horse into Troy; destroyed with his two sons by serpents sent by Athena.
Lares: Roman ancestral spirits protecting descendants and homes.
Latona: See Leto.
Lavinia: Wife of Aeneas after defeat of Turnus.
Leander: Swam Hellespont nightly to see Hero; drowned in storm.
Leda: Mortal loved by Zeus in form of swan; mother of Helen, Clytemnestra, Dioscuri.
Lethe: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Leto (Latona): Mother by Zeus of Artemis and Apollo.
Lucina: Roman goddess of childbirth; identified with Juno.
Lynceus: Son of Aegyptus; husband of Hypermnestra; slew Danaüs.
Maia: Daughter of Atlas; mother of Hermes.
Maia: One of several Pleiades.
Manes: Souls of dead Romans, particularly of ancestors.
Mars: See Ares.
Marsyas: Shepherd; challenged Apollo to music contest and lost; flayed alive by Apollo.
Medea: Sorceress; daughter of Aeëtes; helped Jason obtain Golden Fleece; when deserted by him for Creüsa, killed her children and Creüsa.
Medusa: One of several Gorgons. slain by Perseus, who cut off her head.
Megaera: One of several Furies.
Meleager: Son of Althaea; his life would last as long as brand burning at his birth; Althaea quenched and saved it but destroyed it when Meleager slew his uncles.
Melpomene: One of several Muses.
Memnon: Ethiopian king; made immortal by Zeus; son of Tithonus and Eos.
Menelaus: King of Sparta; son of Atreus; brother of Agamemnon; husband of Helen.
Mentor: Tutor of Telemachus and friend of Odysseus. In the Odyssey, on several occasions, Athena assumes form of Mentor to give advice to Telemachus or Odysseus
Mercury: See Hermes.
Merope: One of several Pleiades. Merope is said to have hidden in shame for loving a mortal.
Mezentius: Cruel Etruscan king; ally of Turnus against Aeneas; slain by Aeneas.
Midas: King of Phrygia; given gift of turning to gold all he touched.
Minerva: See Athena.
Minos: King of Crete; after death, one of three judges of dead in Hades; son of Zeus and Europa.
Minotaur: Monster, half man and half beast, kept in Labyrinth in Crete; slain by Theseus.
Mnemosyne: Goddess of memory; mother by Zeus of Muses.
Moirae: One of several Fates.
Momus: God of ridicule.
Morpheus: God of dreams.
Mors: See Thanatos.
Morta: One of several Fates.
Muses: Goddesses presiding over arts and sciences: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric and love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polymnia or Polyhymnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (choral dance and song), Thalia (comedy and bucolic poetry), Urania (astronomy); daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.
Naiads: Nymphs of waters, streams, and fountains.
Napaeae: Wood nymphs.
Narcissus: Beautiful youth loved by Echo; in punishment for not returning her love, he was made to fall in love with his image reflected in pool; pined away and became flower.
Nemesis: Goddess of retribution.
Neoptolemus: Son of Achilles; slew Priam; also known as Pyrrhus.
Neptune: See Poseidon.
Nereids: Sea nymphs; attendants on Poseidon.
Nestor: King of Pylos; noted for wise counsel in expedition against Troy.
Nike: Goddess of victory.
Niobe: Daughter of Tantalus; wife of Amphion; her children slain by Apollo and Artemis; changed to stone but continued to weep her loss.
Nona: One of several Fates.
Notus: One of several Winds.
Nox: See Nyx.
Nymphs: Beautiful maidens; minor deities of nature.
Nyx (Nox): Goddess of night.
Oceanids: Ocean nymphs; daughters of Oceanus.
Oceanus: Eldest of Titans; god of waters.
Odysseus (Ulysses): King of Ithaca; husband of Penelope; wandered ten years after fall of Troy before arriving home.
Oedipus: King of Thebes; son of Laius and Jocasta; unwittingly murdered Laius and married Jocasta; tore his eyes out when relationship was discovered.
Oenone: Nymph of Mount Ida; wife of Paris, who abandoned her; refused to cure him when he was poisoned by arrow of Philoctetes at Troy.
Ops: See Rhea.
Oreads: Mountain nymphs.
Orestes: Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; brother of Electra; slew Clytemnestra and Aegisthus; pursued by Furies until his purification by Apollo.
Orion: Hunter; slain by Artemis and made heavenly constellation.
Orpheus: Famed musician; son of Apollo and Muse Calliope; husband of Eurydice.
Pales: Roman goddess of shepherds and herdsmen.
Palinurus: Aeneas' pilot; fell overboard in his sleep and was drowned.
Pan (Faunus): God of woods and fields; part goat; son of Hermes.
Pandora: Opener of box containing human ills; mortal wife of Epimetheus.
Parcae: One of several Fates.
Paris: Son of Priam; gave apple of discord to Aphrodite, for which she enabled him to carry off Helen; slew Achilles at Troy; slain by Philoctetes.
Patroclus: Great friend of Achilles; wore Achilles' armor and was slain by Hector.
Pegasus: Winged horse that sprang from Medusa's body at her death; ridden by Bellerophon when he slew Chimera.
Pelias: King of Ioclus; seized throne from his brother Aeson; sent Jason for Golden Fleece; slain unwittingly by his daughters at instigation of Medea.
Pelops: Son of Tantalus; his father cooked and served him to gods; restored to life; Peloponnesus named for him.
Penates: Roman household gods.
Penelope: Wife of Odysseus; waited faithfully for him for many years while putting off numerous suitors.
Pephredo: One of several Graeae.
Periphetes: Giant; son of Hephaestus; slain by Theseus.
Persephone (Proserpine): Queen of infernal regions; daughter of Zeus and Demeter; wife of Pluto.
Perseus: Son of Zeus and Danaë; slew Medusa; rescued Andromeda from monster and married her.
Phaedra: Daughter of Minos; wife of Theseus; caused the death of her stepson, Hippolytus.
Phaethon: Son of Helios; drove his father's sun chariot and was struck down by Zeus before he set world on fire.
Philoctetes: Greek warrior who possessed Hercules' bow and arrows; slew Paris at Troy with poisoned arrow.
Phineus: Betrothed of Andromeda; tried to slay Perseus but turned to stone by Medusa's head.
Phlegethon: One of several Rivers of Underworld.
Phosphor: Morning star.
Phrixos: Brother of Helle; carried by ram of Golden Fleece to Colchis.
Pirithous: Son of Ixion; friend of Theseus; tried to carry off Persephone from Hades; bound to enchanted rock by Pluto.
Pleiades: Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, Sterope or Asterope, Taygeta; seven daughters of Atlas; transformed into heavenly constellation, of which six stars are visible (Merope is said to have hidden in shame for loving a mortal).
Pluto (Dis): God of Hades; brother of Zeus.
Plutus: God of wealth.
Pollux: One of Dioscuri.
Polyhymnia: See Polymnia.
Polymnia (Polyhymnia): One of several Muses.
Polynices: Son of Oedipus; he and his brother Eteocles killed each other; burial rite, forbidden by Creon, performed by his sister Antigone.
Polyphemus: Cyclops; devoured six of Odysseus's men; blinded by Odysseus.
Polyxena: Daughter of Priam; betrothed to Achilles, whom Paris slew at their betrothal; sacrificed to shade of Achilles.
Pomona: Roman goddess of fruits.
Pontus: Sea god; son of Gaea.
Poseidon (Neptune): God of sea; brother of Zeus.
Priam: King of Troy; husband of Hecuba; ransomed Hector's body from Achilles; slain by Neoptolemus.
Priapus: God of regeneration.
Procris: Wife of Cephalus, who accidentally slew her.
Procrustes: Giant; stretched or cut off legs of victims to make them fit iron bed; slain by Theseus.
Proetus: Husband of Anteia; sent Bellerophon to Iobates to be put to death.
Prometheus: Titan; stole fire from heaven for man. Zeus punished him by chaining him to rock in Caucasus where vultures devoured his liver daily.
Proserpine: See Persephone.
Proteus: Sea god; assumed various shapes when called on to prophesy.
Psyche: Beloved of Eros; punished by jealous Aphrodite; made immortal and united with Eros.
Pygmalion: King of Cyprus; carved ivory statue of maiden which Aphrodite gave life as Galatea.
Pyramus: Babylonian youth; made love to Thisbe through hole in wall; thinking Thisbe slain by lion, killed himself.
Python: Serpent born from slime left by Deluge; slain by Apollo.
Quirinus: Roman war god.
Remus: Brother of Romulus; slain by him.
Rhadamanthus: One of three judges of dead in Hades; son of Zeus and Europa.
Rhea (Ops): Daughter of Uranus and Gaea; wife of Cronus; mother of Zeus; identified with Cybele.
Rivers of Underworld. Acheron (woe), Cocytus (wailing), Lethe (forgetfulness), Phlegethon (fire), Styx (across which souls of dead were ferried by Charon).
Romulus: Founder of Rome; he and Remus suckled in infancy by she-wolf; slew Remus; deified by Romans.
Sarpedon: King of Lycia; son of Zeus and Europa; slain by Patroclus at Troy.
Saturn: See Cronus.
Satyrs: Hoofed demigods of woods and fields; companions of Dionysus.
Sciron: Robber; forced strangers to wash his feet, then hurled them into sea where tortoise devoured them; slain by Theseus.
Scylla: Female monster inhabiting rock opposite Charybdis; menaced passing sailors.
Selene: Goddess of moon.
Semele: Daughter of Cadmus; mother by Zeus of Dionysus; demanded Zeus appear before her in all his splendor and was destroyed by his lightning bolts.
Sibyis: Various prophetesses; most famous, Cumaean sibyl, accompanied Aeneas into Hades.
Sileni: Minor woodland deities similar to satyrs (singular: silenus). Sometimes Silenus refers to eldest of satyrs, son of Hermes or of Pan.
Silvanus: Roman god of woods and fields.
Sinis: Giant; bent pines, with which he hurled victims against side of mountain; slain by Theseus.
Sirens: Minor deities who lured sailors to destruction with their singing.
Sisyphus: King of Corinth; condemned in Tartarus to roll huge stone to top of hill; it always rolled back down again.
Sol: See Helios.
Somnus: See Hypnos.
Sphinx: Monster of Thebes; killed those who could not answer her riddle; slain by Oedipus. Name also refers to other monsters having body of lion, wings, and head and bust of woman.
Sterope (Asterope): One of several Pleiades.
Stheno: One of several Gorgons.
Styx: One of several Rivers of Underworld. The souls of the dead were ferried across the Styx by Charon.
Symplegades: Clashing rocks at entrance to Black Sea; Argo passed through, causing them to become forever fixed.
Syrinx: Nymph pursued by Pan; changed to reeds, from which he made his pipes.
Tantalus: Cruel king; father of Pelops and Niobe; condemned in Tartarus to stand chin-deep in lake surrounded by fruit branches; as he tried to eat or drink, water or fruit always receded.
Tartarus: Underworld below Hades; often refers to Hades.
Taygeta: One of several Pleiades.
Telemachus: Son of Odysseus; made unsuccessful journey to find his father.
Tellus: Roman goddess of earth.
Terminus: Roman god of boundaries and landmarks.
Terpsichore: One of several Muses.
Terra: Roman earth goddess.
Thalia: One of several Graces. Also one of several Muses.
Thanatos (Mors): God of death.
Themis: Titan goddess of laws of physical phenomena; daughter of Uranus; mother of Prometheus.
Theseus: Son of Aegeus; slew Minotaur; married and deserted Ariadne; later married Phaedra.
Thisbe: Beloved of Pyramus; killed herself at his death.
Thyestes: Brother of Atreus; Atreus killed three of his sons and served them to him at banquet.
Tiresias: Blind soothsayer of Thebes.
Tisiphone: One of several Furies.
Titans: Early gods from which Olympian gods were derived; children of Uranus and Gaea.
Tithonus: Mortal loved by Eos; changed into grasshopper.
Triton: Demigod of sea; son of Poseidon.
Turnus: King of Rutuli in Italy; betrothed to Lavinia; slain by Aeneas.
Ulysses: See Odysseus.
Urania: One of several Muses.
Uranus: Personification of Heaven; husband of Gaea; father of Titans; dethroned by his son Cronus.
Venus: See Aphrodite.
Vertumnus: Roman god of fruits and vegetables; husband of Pomona.
Vesta: See Hestia.
Vulcan: See Hephaestus.
Winds: Aeolus (keeper of winds), Boreas (Aquilo) (north wind), Eurus (east wind), Notus (Auster) (south wind), Zephyrus (Favonius) (west wind).
Zephyrus: One of several Winds.
Zeus (Jupiter): Chief of Olympian gods; son of Cronus and Rhea; husband of Hera.
The Olympian Gods and Goddesses
In Greek mythology, twelve gods and goddesses ruled the universe from atop Greece's Mount Olympus. These Olympians had come to power after their leader, Zeus, overthrew his father, Kronos, leader of the Titans. All the Olympians are related to one another. The Romans adopted most of these Greek gods and goddesses, but with new names.
Zeus (Roman name: Jupiter)
The most powerful of all, Zeus was god of the sky and the king of Olympus. His temper affected the weather, and he threw thunderbolts when he was unhappy. He was married to Hera but had many other lovers. His symbols include the oak and the thunderbolt.
Hera (Roman name: Juno)
Hera was goddess of marriage and the queen of Olympus. She was Zeus's wife and sister; many myths tell of how she sought revenge when Zeus betrayed her with his lovers. Her symbols include the peacock and the cow.
Artemis
Poseidon (Roman name: Neptune)
Poseidon was god of the sea. He was the most powerful god except for his brother, Zeus. He lived in a beautiful palace under the sea and caused earthquakes when he was in a temper. His symbols include the horse and the trident (a three-pronged pitchfork).
Hades (Roman name: Pluto)
Hades was king of the dead. He lived in the underworld, the heavily guarded land where he ruled over the dead. He was the brother of Zeus and the husband of Persephone, Demeter's daughter, whom he kidnapped.
Aphrodite (Roman name: Venus)
Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, and the protector of sailors. She may have been the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione, or she may have risen from the sea on a shell. Her symbols include the myrtle tree and the dove.
Apollo
Apollo was the god of music and healing. He was also an archer, and hunted with a silver bow. Apollo was the son of Zeus and the Titan Leto, and the twin of Artemis. His symbols include the laurel tree, the crow, and the dolphin.
Ares (Roman name: Mars)
Ares was the god of war. He was both cruel and a coward. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, but neither of his parents liked him. His symbols include the vulture and the dog, and he often carried a bloody spear.
Artemis (Roman name: Diana)
Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and the protector of women in childbirth. She hunted with silver arrows and loved all wild animals. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Apollo. Her symbols include the cypress tree and the deer.
Athena (Roman name: Minerva)
Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was also skilled in the art of war, and helped heroes such as Odysseus and Hercules. Athena sprang full-grown from the forehead of Zeus, and became his favorite child. Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.
Hermes
Hephaestus (Roman name: Vulcan)
Hephaestus was the god of fire and the forge (a furnace in which metal is heated). Although he made armor and weapons for the gods, he loved peace. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and married Aphrodite. His symbols include the anvil and the forge.
Hestia (Roman name: Vesta)
Hestia was the goddess of the hearth (a fireplace at the center of the home). She was the most gentle of the gods, and does not play a role in many myths. Hestia was the sister of Zeus and the oldest of the Olympians. Fire is among her symbols.
Hermes (Roman name: Mercury)
Hermes was the messenger god, a trickster, and a friend to thieves. He was said to have invented boxing and gymnastics. He was the son of Zeus and the constellation Maia. The speediest of all, he wore winged sandals and a winged hat and carried a magic wand.
…also sometimes included:
Demeter (Roman name: Ceres)
Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. The word “cereal” comes from her Roman name. She was the sister of Zeus. Her daughter, Persephone, was forced to live with Hades each winter; at this time Demeter let no crops grow. Her symbols include wheat.
Dionysus (Roman name: Bacchus)
Dionysus was the god of wine, which he invented. In ancient Greece Dionysus was honored with springtime festivals that centered on theater. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal. His symbols include ivy, the snake, and grapes.
Heroes in Greek Mythology
Achilles
Achilles was the strongest and most fearless warrior in the Greek war against the Trojans. As an infant his mother dipped him into the River Styx, which made him invulnerable everywhere but the heel by which she held him. For ten years Achilles was a great hero in the Trojan War. But in the end Paris, son of the Trojan king, fatally wounded Achilles in the heel. Today, the tendon that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone is called the Achilles tendon, and a small but dangerous weakness is known as an “Achilles heel.”
Hercules (Herakles)
Hercules
Brave and powerful Hercules is perhaps the most loved of all Greek heroes. The son of Zeus and Alcmene (a granddaughter of Perseus), Heracles grew up to become a famed warrior. But Zeus's jealous wife, Hera, made him temporarily insane, and he killed his wife and children. As punishment Heracles performed twelve seemingly impossible labors (see The Twelve Labors of Hercules), which have been the subject of countless works of art and drama. Heracles is often depicted wearing a lion skin and wielding a club.
Jason
Jason was the leader of the Argonauts, the 50 heroes who sailed in search of the Golden Fleece. Jason's uncle, Pelias, had stolen the kingdom that should belong to Jason. He promised to return it only if Jason would bring home the Golden Fleece—the wool from the magical winged ram that became the constellation Aries. On their journey Jason and the Argonauts faced down such dangers as the deadly singing Sirens. They ultimately captured the fleece with the help of the sorceress Medea, who became Jason's wife.
Odysseus (Ulysses)
Odysseus
King of Ithaca and a celebrated warrior, Odysseus helped the Greeks triumph in the Trojan War. Afterward he journeyed nearly ten years to return home to Ithaca and his wife Penelope. Along the way Odysseus's courage and cleverness saved him and his men from such monsters as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis. Back in Ithaca, Odysseus proved his identity to Penelope and once again ruled his homeland. These adventures are told in Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey.
Perseus
The son of Zeus and Danaë, Perseus completed dangerous feats with his quick thinking and talents as a warrior. Most famous was his slaying of the Gorgon Medusa. Because looking directly at the monstrous Medusa would turn a man to stone, Perseus killed her while watching her reflection in a mirror. After beheading the Gorgon with his sword he kept her head in his satchel. Later, to save the princess Andromeda from being eaten by a sea monster, Perseus pulled out Medusa's head and turned the creature to stone.
Theseus
Theseus was known for his triumph over numerous monsters, especially the Minotaur, which lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete. Every year the people of Athens had been forced to send fourteen young people for the Minotaur to eat alive. But Theseus, using a ball of magic thread from the princess Ariadne, found his way in and out of the labyrinth and killed the beast. Theseus was the son of either Aegeus, king of Athens, or the sea god Poseidon. In later life he became king of Athens and a famous warrior.
The Twelve Labors of Hercules
Hercules performed twelve labors given him by King Eurystheus of Tiryns. For twelve years, he traveled all over to complete these incredible tasks. NOTE: Because different ancient poets gave their own accounts of Hercules's labors, some details may vary.
One: Kill the Nemean Lion
This monster of a lion had a hide was so tough that no arrow could pierce it. Hercules stunned the beast with his olive-wood club and then strangled it with his bare hands. It is said that he skinned the lion, using the lion's sharp claws, and ever after wore its hide.
Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra
The evil, snakelike Hydra had nine heads. If one got hurt, two would grow in its place. But Hercules quickly sliced off the heads, while his charioteer, Iolaus, sealed the wounds with a torch. Hercules made his arrows poisonous by dipping them in the Hydra's blood.
Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind
The goddess Artemis loved and protected this stubborn little deer, which had gold horns. Hercules found it a challenge to capture the delicate hind without hurting it (and making Artemis angry). After following the hind for an entire year, he safely carried it away.
Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar
The people of Mount Erymanthus lived in fear of this deadly animal. Hercules chased the wild boar up the mountain and into a snowdrift. He then took it in a net and brought it to King Eurystheus, who was so frightened of the beast that he hid in a huge bronze jar.
Five: Clean the Augean Stables
Thousands of cows lived in these stables belonging to King Augeas. They had not been cleaned in 30 years, but Hercules was told to clean them completely in a single day. To do so he made two rivers bend so that they flowed into the stables, sweeping out the filth.
Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds
These murderous birds lived around Lake Stymphalos. Their claws and beaks were sharp as metal and their feathers flew like darts. Hercules scared them out of their nests with a rattle and then killed them with the poison arrows he had made from the Hydra's blood.
Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull
This savage bull, kept by King Minos of Crete, was said to be insane and breathe fire. Hercules wrestled the mad beast to the ground and brought it back to King Eurystheus. Unfortunately, the king set it free, and it roamed Greece, causing terror wherever it went.
Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes
King Diomedes, leader of the Bistones, fed his bloodthirsty horses on human flesh. Hercules and his men fought and killed King Diomedes and fed the king to his horses. This made the horses tame, so that Hercules was able to lead them to King Eurystheus.
Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte
Hercules went to the land of the Amazons, where the queen welcomed him and agreed to give him her girdle for Eurystheus's daughter. But Hera spread the rumor that Hercules came as an enemy. In the end he had to conquer the Amazons and steal the golden belt.
Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon
Geryon, a winged monster with three human bodies, had a herd of beautiful red cattle. He guarded his prized herd with the help of a giant and a vicious two-headed dog. Hercules killed Geryon, the giant, and the dog and brought the cattle to King Eurystheus.
Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
The Hesperides were nymphs. In their garden grew golden apples protected by Ladon, a dragon with a hundred heads. Hercules struck a bargain with Atlas, who held up the earth. Hercules shouldered the earth while Atlas, the nymphs' father, fetched the apples.
Twelve: Capture Cerberus
Hercules was ordered to capture Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, without using weapons. Hercules wrestled down the dog's wild heads, and it agreed to go with him to King Eurystheus. Cerberus was soon returned unharmed to the underworld.
Monsters in Greek Mythology
Argus
Argus may have had as many as one hundred eyes, which were located all over his body. Hera employed him as a guard. He was killed by Hermes. Afterward, Hera put Argus's eyes in the tail of the peacock, her favorite bird.
Cerberus
Cerberus was a huge and powerful three-headed dog. He was owned by Hades, god of the dead, who used the fearsome hound to guard the entrance to the underworld. In his final labor, Hercules went to the underworld and kidnapped Cerberus.
Cyclopes
Each of the Cyclopes was gigantic and had a single eye in the middle of its forehead. The Cyclopes made lightning and thunderbolts for Zeus to use. The brutal Polyphemus, a Cyclops and a son of Poseidon, lived on an island, where he was blinded by Odysseus.
Gorgons
The Gorgons were horrifyingly ugly monsters who lived at the edge of the world. Their hair was made of serpents, and one look from a Gorgon's eyes would turn a man to stone. Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa by beheading her while looking only at her reflection.
The Hydra
Hydra
The Hydra was a massive and poisonous serpent with nine heads. Every time one head was injured, another two grew in its place. Hercules sought out the monster in its dark marsh and succeeded in destroying it.
Minotaur
The Minotaur was a man-eating monster with the head of a bull. King Minos kept it hidden in a labyrinth (a maze) in Knossos, on the island of Crete, where he used it to frighten his enemies. Theseus killed the Minotaur.
The Minotaur
Scylla and Charybdis
The powerful monsters Scylla and Charybdis lived together in a sea cave. Scylla had many fierce dog heads and ate sailors alive; Charybdis created whirlpools by sucking in and spitting out seawater. Both Jason and Odysseus safely traveled by these monsters.
Sirens
The Sirens were giant, winged creatures with the heads of women. They lived on rocks on the sea, where their beautiful singing lured sailors to shipwreck. Odysseus filled his sailors' ears with wax so that they might sail safely past the Sirens.
The Nine Muses
The Nine Muses were Greek goddesses who ruled over the arts and sciences and offered inspiration in those subjects. They were the daughters of Zeus, lord of all gods, and Mnemosyne, who represented memory. Memory was important for the Muses because in ancient times, when there were no books, poets had to carry their work in their memories.
Calliope was the muse of epic poetry.
Clio was the muse of history.
Erato was the muse of love poetry.
Euterpe was the muse of music.
Melpomene was the muse of tragedy.
Polyhymnia was the muse of sacred poetry.
Terpsichore was the muse of dance.
Thalia was the muse of comedy.
Urania was the muse of astronomy.
Norse Mythology
Aesir: Chief gods of Asgard.
Andvari: Dwarf; robbed of gold and magic ring by Loki.
Angerbotha (Angrbotha): Giantess; mother by Loki of Fenrir, Hel, and Midgard serpent.
Asgard (Asgarth): Abode of gods.
Ask (Aske, Askr): First man; created by Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur.
Asynjur: Goddesses of Asgard.
Atli: Second husband of Gudrun; invited Gunnar and Hogni to his court, where they were slain; slain by Gudrun.
Audhumia (Audhumbla): Cow that nourished Ymir; created Buri by licking ice cliff.
Balder (Baldr, Baldur): God of light, spring, peace, joy; son of Odin; slain by Hoth at instigation of Loki.
Bifrost: Rainbow bridge connecting Midgard and Asgard.
Bragi (Brage): God of poetry; husband of Ithunn.
Branstock: Great oak in hall of Volsungs; into it, Odin thrust Gram, which only Sigmund could draw forth.
Brynhild: Valkyrie; wakened from magic sleep by Sigurd; married Gunnar; instigated death of Sigurd; killed herself and was burned on pyre beside Sigurd.
Bur (Bor): Son of Buri; father of Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur.
Buri (Bori): Progenitor of gods; father of Bur; created by Audhumla.
Embla: First woman; created by Odin, Hoenir, and Lothur.
Fafnir: Son of Rodmar, whom he slew for gold in Otter's skin; in form of dragon, guarded gold; slain by Sigurd.
Fenrir: Wolf; offspring of Loki; swallows Odin at Ragnarok and is slain by Vitharr.
Forseti: Son of Balder.
Frey (Freyr): God of fertility and crops; son of Njorth; originally one of Vanir.
Freya (Freyja): Goddess of love and beauty; sister of Frey; originally one of Vanir.
Frigg (Frigga): Goddess of sky; wife of Odin.
Garm: Watchdog of Hel; slays, and is slain by, Tyr at Ragnarok.
Gimle: Home of blessed after Ragnarok.
Giuki: King of Nibelungs; father of Gunnar, Hogni, Guttorm, and Gudrun.
Glathsehim (Gladsheim): Hall of gods in Asgard.
Gram (meaning “Angry”): Sigmund's sword; rewelded by Regin; used by Sigurd to slay Fafnir.
Greyfell: Sigmund's horse; descended from Sleipnir.
Grimhild: Mother of Gudrun; administered magic potion to Sigurd which made him forget Brynhild.
Gudrun: Daughter of Giuki; wife of Sigurd; later wife of Atli and Jonakr.
Gunnar: Son of Giuki; in his semblance Sigurd won Brynhild for him; slain at hall of Atli.
Guttorm: Son of Giuki; slew Sigurd at Brynhild's request.
Heimdall (Heimdallr): Guardian of Asgard.
Hel: Goddess of dead and queen of underworld; daughter of Loki.
Hiordis: Wife of Sigmund; mother of Sigurd.
Hoenir: One of creators of Ask and Embla; son of Bur.
Hogni: Son of Giuki; slain at hall of Atli.
Hoth (Hoder, Hodur): Blind god of night and darkness; slayer of Balder at instigation of Loki.
Ithunn (Ithun, Iduna): Keeper of golden apples of youth; wife of Bragi.
Jonakr: Third husband of Gudrun.
Jormunrek: Slayer of Swanhild; slain by sons of Gudrun.
Jotunnheim (Jotunheim): Abode of giants.
Lif and Lifthrasir: First man and woman after Ragnarok.
Loki: God of evil and mischief; instigator of Balder's death.
Lothur (Lodur): One of creators of Ask and Embla.
Midgard (Midgarth): Abode of mankind; the earth.
Midgard Serpent: Sea monster; offspring of Loki; slays, and is slain by, Thor at Ragnarok.
Mimir: Giant; guardian of well in Jotunnheim at root of Yggdrasill; knower of past and future.
Mjollnir: Magic hammer of Thor.
Nagifar: Ship to be used by giants in attacking Asgard at Ragnarok; built from nails of dead men.
Nanna: Wife of Balder.
Nibelungs: Dwellers in northern kingdom ruled by Giuki.
Niflheim (Nifelheim): Outer region of cold and darkness; abode of Hel.
Njorth: Father of Frey and Freya; originally one of Vanir.
Norns: Demigoddesses of fate: Urth (Urdur) (past), Verthandi (Verdandi) (present), Skuld (future).
Odin (Othin): Head of Aesir; creator of world with Vili and Ve; equivalent to Woden (Wodan, Wotan) in Teutonic mythology.
Otter: Son of Rodmar; slain by Loki; his skin filled with gold hoard of Andvari to appease Rodmar.
Ragnarok: Final destruction of present world in battle between gods and giants; some minor gods will survive, and Lif and Lifthrasir will repeople world.
Regin: Blacksmith; son of Rodmar; foster-father of Sigurd.
Rerir: King of Huns; son of Sigi.
Rodmar: Father of Regin, Otter, and Fafnir; demanded Otter's skin be filled with gold; slain by Fafnir, who stole gold.
Sif: Wife of Thor.
Siggeir: King of Goths; husband of Signy; he and his sons slew Volsung and his sons, except Sigmund; slain by Sigmund and Sinflotli.
Sigi: King of Huns; son of Odin.
Sigmund: Son of Volsung; brother of Signy, who bore him Sinflotli; husband of Hiordis, who bore him Sigurd.
Signy: Daughter of Volsung; sister of Sigmund; wife of Siggeir; mother by Sigmund of Sinflotli.
Sigurd: Son of Sigmund and Hiordis; wakened Brynhild from magic sleep; married Gudrun; slain by Guttorm at instigation of Brynhild.
Sigyn: Wife of Loki.
Sinflotli: Son of Sigmund and Signy.
Skuld: One of several Norns.
Sleipnir (Sleipner): Eight-legged horse of Odin.
Surt (Surtr): Fire demon; slays Frey at Ragnarok.
Svartalfaheim: Abode of dwarfs.
Swanhild: Daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun; slain by Jormunrek.
Thor: God of thunder; oldest son of Odin; equivalent to Germanic deity Donar.
Tyr: God of war; son of Odin; equivalent to Tiu in Teutonic mythology.
Ull (Ullr): Son of Sif; stepson of Thor.
Urth: One of several Norns.
Valhalla (Valhall): Great hall in Asgard where Odin received souls of heroes killed in battle.
Vali: Odin's son: Ragnarok survivor.
Valkyries: Virgins, messengers of Odin, who selected heroes to die in battle and took them to Valhalla; generally considered as nine in number.
Vanir: Early race of gods; three survivors, Njorth, Frey, and Freya, are associated with Aesir.
Ve: Brother of Odin; one of creators of world.
Verthandi: One of several Norns.
Vili: Brother of Odin; one of creators of world.
Vingolf: Abode of goddesses in Asgard.
Vitharr (Vithar): Son of Odin; survivor of Ragnarok.
Volsung: Descendant of Odin, and father of Signy, Sigmund; his descendants were called Volsungs.
Yggdrasill: Giant ash tree springing from body of Ymir and supporting universe; its roots extended to Asgard, Jotunnheim, and Niffheim.
Ymir (Ymer): Primeval frost giant killed by Odin, Vili, and Ve; world created from his body; also, from his body sprang Yggdrasill.
Egyptian Mythology
Aaru: Abode of the blessed dead.
Amen (Amon, Ammdn): One of chief Theban deities; united with sun god under form of Amen-Ra; husband of Mut.
Amenti: Region of dead where souls were judged by Osiris.
Anubis: Guide of souls to Amenti; son of Osiris; jackal-headed.
Apis: Sacred bull, an embodiment of Ptah; identified with Osiris as Osiris-Apis or Serapis.
Geb (Keb, Seb): Earth god; father of Osiris; represented with goose on head.
Hathor (Athor): Goddess of love and mirth; cow-headed.
Horus: God of day; son of Osiris and Isis; hawk-headed.
Isis: Goddess of motherhood and fertility; sister and wife of Osiris.
Khepera: God of morning sun.
Khnemu (Khnum, Chnuphis, Chnemu, Chnum): Ram-headed god.
Khonsu (Khensu, Khuns): Son of Amen and Mut.
Mentu (Ment): Solar deity, sometimes considered god of war; falcon-headed.
Min (Khem, Chem): Principle of physical life.
Mut (Maut): Wife of Amen.
Nephthys: Goddess of the dead; sister and wife of Set.
Nu: Chaos from which world was created, personified as a god.
Nut: Goddess of heavens; consort of Geb.
Osiris: God of underworld and judge of dead; son of Geb and Nut; brother and husband of Isis.
Ptah (Phtha): Chief deity of Memphis.
Ra: God of the Sun, the supreme god; son of Nut; Pharaohs claimed descent from him; represented as lion, cat, or falcon.
Serapis: God uniting attributes of Osiris and Apis.
Set (Seth): God of darkness or evil; brother and enemy of Osiris; brother and husband of Nephthys.
Shu: Solar deity; son of Ra and Hathor.
Tem (Atmu, Atum, Tum): Solar deity.
Thoth (Dhouti): God of wisdom and magic; scribe of gods; ibis-headed.
American Indian Myths
American Indian tribes share many myths. If a myth is exclusive to one tribe, the tribe is listed in parenthesis.
The Great Spirit in some form or name is found in most American Indian beliefs. It is the unknown power that is found in everything—the air, a rock, the sky. The Great Spirit is often seen as the great creator of life and the universe, aided by other spirits who are in charge of more specific things, such as stars, water, or trees. The Cheyenne call the Great Spirit Heammawihio; the Shawnee, Finisher; and the Algonquin, Gitche Manitou.
Coyote was a popular spirit among western tribes such as the Navajo, Zuni, Sioux, and Chinook. A sly trickster, he made life more interesting for people. Coyote was responsible for sorrow and death, but also for the creation of humans and the Milky Way. There are many stories of Coyote’s mischievous trickery and his contributions to the world.
Raven seemed to have his beak into everything, and like Coyote, was somewhat wily. He could change into a bird, a human or an animal. Raven could bring both good and evil. Always hungry, his search for food often got him into a lot of trouble. Raven was found mainly in Pacific Northwest and southeastern Alaska tribes.
Skywoman (Iroquois) fell through a hole in the sky to a dark watery Earth populated only by animals. Birds caught her and put her on a giant turtle’s back. The turtle grew bigger and became the land. The hole Skywoman fell through brought light to the world, and the beginning of Earth as we know it.
Kachinas (Hopi) are spirits that lived in and controlled everything—the sky, water, plants, animals. The kachinas protected humans and brought them good fortune. Today, the Hopi give their children kachina dolls to teach them about different spirits.
Aningan (Eskimo) is the most important Eskimo god and the Moon spirit. He was a hunter and he also chased his sister, the Sun, around the North Pole during the brief Arctic summer. She was unable to go over the horizon and the Sun never set.
The Breathmaker (Seminole) or Creator, made humans out of clay. He also blew across the heavens and created the Milky Way. When a good Seminole died the Big Dipper becoame a boat and sailed the soul across the Milky Way to the City in the Sky.
Windigo (Ojibwa, Algonquin) was a huge evil demon who wandered the winter woods in search of humans to eat. In a sort of werewolf or vampire way, if a person was bitten by Windigo, he turned into one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)