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***The Greek Goddesses: O-Z***

Aceso to Eutychia | Fates to Nyx

Odyne
She was the personification and Goddess of Pain. How pleasant.

Oizys
She was a daughter of Nyx and the personification of Woe.

Ophthalmitis
Patron Goddess of Eyesight. Now, who'd a thunk it? But she wasn't really that specific - it was really just a surname of Athena in Sparta. This guy named Lycurgus dedicated a temple to Athena when one of his eyes was struck out by Alcander (this dude who was bitter about Lycurgus' laws). But they saved the eye and rededicated the temple to Athena Ophthalmitis.

Oreilochia
Oreilochia was another name for Iphigenia - but wait, you are thinking, Iphigenia was HUMAN! Heh. Maybe so . . . but there's this story that say that Artemis didn't take her as a sacrifice, but spirited her away to the island of Leauce. There, these traditions say, she became immortal AND got eternal youth (becoming rather godddess-like, wouldn't you say?) and became Achilles' wife under the new name of Oreilochia.

Ossa
The Goddess of Rumor, more like the personification of it. Her equivalent in Roman Mythology was Fama. She was also called a messenger of Zeus, and she had an altar in Athens. She was called the daughter of Elpis (or Hope).

Otrera
This chick was really mysterious. She is believed to be the mother of the Amazons by many, and their mother by Ares . . . but, it seems that she was probably Ares' daughter, as well - not to mention that no one has any guess as to her her mother was. She was a real war-chick - not like Harmonia at all.

Pallas
Pallas was an epithet of Athena, meaning Maiden or youth. The name has a story though. There was once another named Pallas, accepted by most as the girl-companion of the young Athena. When the two were little they decided to play a game of friendly combat with sword and spear, and Athena accidentally killed her. In her grief and remorse, Athena put Pallas' name before her own. There is a more complete version of this in the Nymphs section and more again in the story of Athena's birth.

Panaceia
She was one of the many daughters of Epione and Aesclepius. She was sister to Hygeia, Aegle, and Iaso. Like the other members of her family, she was a Goddess of Healing. Her name, in fact, was the All Healing. She shared an altar with her sisters and Aphrodite and Athena.

Panachaea
She was specifically, Goddess of all the Achaians, but WHO she was is debateable. In Aegae she was Demeter, and in Patrae she was Athena.

Panatis
A Goddess of Weaving.

Pandia
Her name meant "All Bright" and she was the Goddess of the Brightness, especially the Sun. She may have also been the Goddess of the Full Moon, as she was the mate of Zeus in his epithet of Zeus Pandion (the Full Moon God). I got my info straight from Encyclopedia Mythica on this one. Another source says that she and her sisters were the daughters of Zeus and Selene.

Pandrosos
She was worshipped as a Goddess of Agriculture and was credited by some for the introduction of weaving. She was one of the Agraulides. Basically, she was one of the daughters of Cecrops and Agraulos who killed herself - yet started being worshipped in a sort of heroine cult. If you want to know the story behind her suicide, check out the story of Erichthonius in the Myth pages. I'm not actually sure if it's there yet. It's a cool story, though!

Paregoros
This daughter of Tethys and Oceanus was a Goddess of Persuasion and Consolation. Despite her parentage, she was NOT a water deity.

The Parnassides
Another name for The Muses because of their birth on Mt. Parnassus.

Parthenos
Parthenos, as in Parthenon, was an epithet of Athena. It means Virgin. The Parthenon is a temple to Athena in Athens, Greece (what a shocker!).

Pasiphae
Not to be confused with the bull-lovin' Queen o' Crete (here), this was a daughter of Atlas and she was an oracular Goddess. There are different opinions of how her life went, including that she was just a godly version of Cassandra, and that she was Daphne. But a lot of people believed in her, and people would sleep in her temple to dream of the future.

Peitho
Peitho was the personification of Persuasion. She was an attendent of the Aphrodite, as well as one of the Gamelii (a Protectress of Marriage).

Penia
I don't care how old I get, this name will always make me giggle. Penia. Hee hee. Yeah, so anyway, Penia was the personification and Goddess of Poverty. She was worshipped among the poor. Legend has it that after a feast on Olympus she married Porus, the personification of "Expediency." Some say that she and Porus gave birth to Eros. Heh. Penia.

Pepromene
Pepromene was the personification of the idea that every human is tied to a destiny. This is basically the same as Moira (Fate).

Perse
Perse was one of the underworld moon Goddesses. She was the consort of Helios and bore Circe, Aeetes, Perses, Aloeus, and Pasiphae (and all her kids had some serious magical talent). She was also called Neaera or the New One, the embodiment of the New Moon.
Persephone, Queen of the Dead

Persephone

Persephone was special, which is part of why she has her own page. She was the daughter of Demeter, the Maiden of Spring. Wherever she walked flowers grew. Unfortunately, one day Hades, the God of the Underworld, abducted her, raped her, and made her Queen of the Underworld. She hated it but there was nothing she could do, because she had eaten seeds from a pomegranet that grew there. So she was miserable for the half of her life she spent with him. She was also the Light link between the Underworld and Earth. Read more about Persephone.

Pheme
Pheme was the Goddess of Popular Rumour. She had a temple in Athens. Pheme was always prying. She announced whatever she heard, first to only a few, then louder until everyone had known. Pheme was represented as a winged, gentle figure holding a trumpet.

Phemonoe
She invented hexameter verse. She was the Goddess of Poetry and the daughter of Apollo and his first priestess at Delphi.

Philia
She was mostly associated with Peitho (above), but she also had a temple to her in Athens. She was the personification of Friendship. Awwwww.

Philote
Philote was the Greek personification of Affection. She was one of the MANY daughters of Nyx. Wow, I never knew about her before the Encyclopedia Mythica. What a cool Goddess.

Philyra
Philyra was a Thessalian Goddess. She was a shape-shifter, and the Goddess of Beauty, Perfume, Healing and Writing. She was also given credit for the invention of paper. She was the mother of Cheiron (the wise and oh-so-cool King of the Centaurs) by Cronos (the father of Zeus). If you're wondering how Cheiron ended up as in centaur form despite his different heritage, it is because his mom and Cronos did the deed in horsey form. Philyra was the daughter of Oceanus (but probably not Tethys).

Phoebe
Phoebe was a Titan, one of the original (that is, pre-classical) 14. She and Atlas were given dominion over the Moon, whose plantetary power is that of Enchantment, and the second day of the week was their's. So, Phoebe is another Moon Goddess, her name means Bright Moon. She was the mother of Leto and Asteria through her brother Coeus(Intelligence). There was another Phoebe, a human priestess, who figures briefly in the story of Castor and Pollux. Anyway, it's Phoebe who was the grandmother of Artemis and Apollo, and her name became surnames for both twins.

Physis
The personification of Nature.

Phytia
It means Creator, and it was the surname of Leto when saved a girl baby's life by changing its sex to male when the child's father would have otherwise killed the baby.

Pleiades
Check out the Pleiades on the Nymphs Page.

Poene
The Goddess of Retaliation. Interesting. . . not retribution, like most of them, but retaliation. She was in the train of Dike and was once sent in the form of a monster punish the people of Argos for killing Psamathe.

Polias
Polias is an epithet of Athena as the protector of the Acropolis and Athens. The word polis means city in Greek.

Potnia
Potnia is just the Greek word for "mistress" and is put in front of a lot of things, especially if you're talking about Mothers, but it was also used (I imagine, but am not sure) in conjuction with various goddesses.

Praxidice
A Goddess of Oaths.

Prosymna
Prosymna was one of the names for the New Moon. She was also a nurse of Hera with her sisters: Acraea and Euboea.

Protogenia
She was the Goddess of Success in Business. She was really an earth goddess, but managed to become associated with the city-life. As society changes, so does theology.

Psyche

There's not a lot that I don't know about this chick. She was the Goddess of the Soul. She was the wife of Eros (God of Love, son of Aphrodite) and their myth is about how Love and the Soul came together. It is a beautiful story, and now it is HERE! In the Myth Pages. A quick once over is she got abandoned on a mountain, an invisible dude picked her up and took her home with him. She went all Pandora and figured out it was Eros (read the story to learn how she figured it out), and, after many trials, she lived happily ever after. Or did she?

Pyrrha
Pyrrha was a later Titani, a daughter of Epimetheus. She married Deucalion, a son of Prometheus. Prometheus warned Deucalion that Zeus was pissed, and they made an ark and survived Zeus' flood. As they were the only ones to survive, they became the first of the new human race. For more on the story, check out the detail version in the Myth Pages. The name Pyrrha means Fiery Red.

Rhea
Rhea was far more powerful in the days before classical (ie, patriarchal) mythology came around. In Orphic she was the "inescapable mother Rhea" who sat outside the house of Nyx beating a bronze drum and making sure all humans were paying attention the oracle of the goddess. In Pelasgian Myth (soon before classical myth took hold) she was one of the 14 original Titans, paired, of course, with Cronus. They held dominian over the last day of the week, and the planet Saturn. In pre-Hellenic Greece the planetary power of Saturn was peace. Rhea loses a lot of her importance in the Olympian creation myth, but still holds some power. She causes her husband Cronus to stop eating his children, saves Zeus and (indirectly) brings the Olympian Gods into power. That's a great story, check it out here. She is raped by her son Zeus when she tells him he may not marry, despite her change to a snake. She also had a big role in her grandson Dionysus' life. She is also often called Cybele.

Rumor
See Ossa, above. She was a swift-footed and feathered demon goddess who delivered messages - not always truthfully.

Salmaone
I don't really know anything about her, but would like to, so if you can find me a source, I'd love to see it!
Vision of Endymion, by Sir Edward Poynter

Selene

Selene was the Goddess of the Moon. She was the daughter of the two Titans Hyperion and Theia (see below). She married mortal Endymion (a shepherd who she caused to sleep forever so that he wouldn't get old and gross) and had 50 daughters (I don't know what happened to them). If you want to read the longer version of the story, read it here. She is a part of the Triple Goddess (there will be a section on the Myth pages explaining the phenomenon of Triple Goddesses, so keep looking). She rode across heaven in a chariot with milk-white horses. In Roman (puh-tooey) mythology she was called Luna.

Semnai
Semnai is another name for the Erinyes. It means the "Venerable Ones," it is a euphemism like the Eumenides.

Sophrosyne
A Goddess of Temperance and Moderation. This concept seems to be pretty important to the Greeks, although I can no longer find my source for this goddess, and she was clearly not that crucial a deity.

Soteira
Just the Greek word for Saviour, and was applied to different goddesses in different contexts.

Styx
Wrong page, sweetheart. Try here.

Tabliope
A Goddess of Gambling. I didn't make this one up, but I've lost the source, so I wouldn't use it in any job applications without checking your evidence. Or something.

Techne
Techne is Greek for skill, and thus would, as a goddess, personify that skill, probably particularly useful for artisans.

Telete
The daughter of Nicaea and Dionysus. Her daddy drove her mama to suicide, and Telete became the personification of Consecration.

Tethys
Tethys was a Titan, both original and classical. She and Oceanus ruled the planet Venus and the sixth day. From their planet they received the power of love. Some say that the Gods and everything populating Earth was born from Oceanus' stream, and that Tethys was their mother. To Homer, Tethys was very like what Eurynome was to the Pelasgians. In more classical mythology the Titaness Tethys was the wife of her brother Oceanus and by him the mother of the 3000 Oceanids and of all the river gods. She was a Goddess of the Ocean, but eventually ceded to Doris, who ceded to Amphitrite. Tethys was the Godmother of Rhea (see above), and raised her during the civil war between the Gods and the Titans. Her name means Disposer and is very similar, in root, to Thetis.

Thalassa
She was the personification of the Mediterranean, and the daughter of Hemera (Day) and Aether (the Upper Air) - two of the first beings created. She seemed to be less a social goddess, and more referred to in metaphor, and she was a goddess of lonely shores.

Thaleia
Thaleia was apparently (in addition to a different Thaleia being one of the Charites) the daughter of Hephaestus and some unknown mother. She had a fling with Zeus, and, no surprise, got pregnant - but she knew about Hera's vengeance and asked Zeus to let the Earth swallow her. He granted her request, and her children, the twin Palici, were the protectors of solemn oaths - and in the old days, some people say they were offered human sacrifices. The mama stayed in the Earth, I guess - they don't mention what happened to her.

Theia
One of the original seven Titanesses, Theia was the mate of Hyperion. They were connected in the "planetary power" of the Sun and the first day of the week. The Sun's power was, surprise, Illumination. She was associated with light and the sky, she was an early Goddess of Light. She was the mother of Helios, Selene (see above), and Eos. The name Theia means Divine, and she was also referred to as "the cow-eyed Euryphaessa". Euryphaessa means Wide Shining.

Themis
Themis was one of the origninal Titans, and shared dominion of Jupiter with Eurymedon (fifth day). Their power was that of Law and her name means Order. The Titaness Themis was the mother of the the Seasons (and some say the three Fates) with Zeus. The Goddess of Divine Justice and Law, Themis was the constant companion of the god Zeus and sat beside him on Olympus. In ancient art she is represented holding aloft a pair of scales on which she weighs the claims of opposing parties. Before and during this, however, she was also the Great Goddess who ordered the 13 month year, divided into two seasons. She was the prophet who declared that Thetis's son would be greater than his father (ever heard of Achilles?). It was Themis who appeared before Deucalion and Pyrrha (see above) and told them how to keep their race from dying out after the flood (click here for more). There was a altar dedicated to her by Pittheus in Troezen. She was very important and with Zeus plotted to create the Trojan War. That's all about her for now.

Thetis
Thetis Takes Achilles from the Centaur Chiron, by Pompeo BatoniThetis was the chief of the Nereids. She was such a hot number that Poseidon, while he was looking for a wife, courted her. Zeus too, courted her, but she rejected him for the sake of Hera, her foster-mother. Then Themis prophesied that Thetis was to bear a son stronger than its father, so Zeus decreed that she must marry a mortal. Hera, remembering Thetis' rejection of Zeus, set her up with "the best of mortals." Thetis married Peleus and bore Achilles. But there was more to it than that. She saved her father once; when all the other Gods got pissed and tied him up she went and got the Hundred-Handed Briareus. She also played a large part in the birth of Hephaestus. Like Tethys (see above) the name Thetis means Disposer.

Thoosa
Thoosa was the personification of swiftness.

Thyone
Remember Semele, the mother of Dionysus? Well, after she got all crispy and died, Dionysus went down and got her back from Hades realm. What a nice son taking his mom up to Olympus and making her immortal ... anyway, upon becoming immortal she received a new name, and Thyone was it!

The Titanides
The Titanides were the six daughters of Gaia and Uranus, the sisters to the Titans. There was one assigned to each of the seven planetary powers and to each day of the week, they shared each position with a brother. In order of their day of the week they were: Theia and the Sun (illumination), Phoebe and the Moon (enchantment), Dione and Mars (growth), Metis and Mercury (wisdom), Themis (see above) and Jupiter (justice), Tethys (see above) and Venus (love), and Rhea (see above) and Jupiter (peace). They existed before the Olympian Gods (like Zeus, Hera, Athena, etc.), and were coopted into that culture as mothers of minor deities with their Titan brothers and husbands. The breakdown of power is as given by Robert Graves, who is not necessarily worth believing

Tritopatores
Tritopatores was, according to P J Criss, a Goddess of the Winds. I, however, know nothing about her.
Wheel of Fortune, by Edward Burne-Jones

Tyche
Tyche was the Goddess of Fortune. It is widely accepted that she was the daughter of Zeus, though some reports give her to be the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys (see above). It was in her temple that the first dice was reportedly made. If however, she ends up bestowing wealth upon someone, and they do not sacrifice appropiately to the Gods, then Nemesis steps in and takes care of business. Tyche was very widely worshipped, despite her hard-to-guess nature.

Volupta
Volupta was the daughter of Psyche and Cupid. She is Roman, not Greek, completely not Greek. But for some reason I included her.

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