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Hades (The Roman god Pluto or Dis) was the son of Cronos and Rhea. When he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon divided up the world, Hades became Lord of the Underworld, the kingdom of the dead. He was not one of the Olympians as he rarely traveled outside his kingdom.
The most famous myth involving Hades is his abduction of Persephone, Demeter's daughter.
The son of Creon of Thebes. He was in love with Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus buried alive in a cave for defying Creon's command and burying her brother. Although Hæmon persuaded his father to release her, it was too late and she had taken her own life. Hæmon was overcome with grief and he too killed himself.
The daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. She married Cadmus (son of Agenor and King of Phoenicia and later Thebes). From Aphrodite she received a necklace made by Hephæstus originally worn by Europa (Cadmus' sister) which gave irrisistable loveliness to its wearer. Athene gave her a magic robe, giving her divine dignity. Cadmus and Harmonia's children were Autonoe, Ino, Semele, Agave, Polydorus and Illyrius. She left Thebes with her husband in old age and were received in the Islands of the Blessed in the form of serpents.
Daughter of Zeus and Hera who acted as cup bearer to the gods on Olympus until she was replaced with Ganymede. The Romans called her Juventas. She married Heracles after he became immortal.
Hecate was mainly a goddess of the underworld. She once aided Demeter in her search for Persephone and acted as a companion to the maiden. She was thought to keep company with the dead and fostered sorcery and witchcraft. She was worshiped wherever three roads met. She featured in Macbeth as the chief witch.
The Hecatoncheires (or Centimani) were hundred handed, and some say fifty headed, giants who were the sons of Gaea and Uranus. There names were Cottus, Briareus (aka Ægæon) and Gyes (aka Gyges).
After Uranus was deposed by the Titans the Hecatoncheires were thrown into Tartarus. They were freed by Zeus after Gaea promised to help him defeat the Titans in exchange for their freedom. After the Titans were beaten, the Hundred handed giants stoned them, and then stood guard over them in Tartarus.
The champion of Troy, son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. He was married to Andromache and had a baby son Astynax who was thrown from the walls of Troy and killed by when Troy fell to the Greeks.
Hector was a brave and strong fighter, but unlike many he only fought to save his family and city. He killed many people in battle, but was killed by Achilles after killing Patroclus. His body was treated badly by Achilles until Priam begged for his son's return.
The second wife of Priam, King of Troy. She bore him nineteen sons, including Hector, Paris, Polites, Deiphobus, Polydorus and Helenus. Troilus may have been her son by Apollo. She had many daughters including Polyxena, Cassandra and Laodice. Before the birth of her second son, Paris, she dreamt that she brought forth a fire brand, and the baby was exposed on Mount Ida. She was devoted to her children, and begged Hector to come inside the city when he was being pursued by Achilles, to no avail.
As Troy fell she persuaded her husband to take refuge with her and her daughters at an alter of Zeus, but she had to watch as Polites and Priam were killed by Neoptolemus. She was given to Odysseus and taken to Thracian Chersonesus. She avenged the death of Polydurus, her youngest son, who had been entrusted to Polymestor. But he was killed by his guardian. Hecuba killed Polymestor and his two sons and evaded capture by turning into a dog called Mæra. This story is told by Euripides in Hecuba.
Helen was the daughter of Leda and Zeus and was raised in the house of Leda's husband Tyndareus of Sparta. At a young age she was carried away by Theseus, but was rescued by her brothers the Dioscuri (Castor and Polydeuces). There was a lot of competition for her hand, but she eventually married Menelaus who became King of Sparta and had a daughter, Hermione.
She was carried off to Troy by Paris, who had been promised the loveliest woman alive by Aphrodite in exchange for awarding her the golden apple. This caused the Greeks to set sail for Troy (hence "the face that launched a thousand ships") and besieged Troy. After Paris was killed she was forced to marry Deiphobos, another prince of Troy. Whether she initially went voluntarily or not is not clear, however after Paris' death, she longed to return home. She did not betray Odysseus when he was disguised as a beggar inside Troy. However when the horse arrived she helped Deiphobos try to find out if it was a trap by immitating the wives of the warriors inside. She was forgiven by Menelaus and taken home to Sparta.
Son of Priam, a seer and Cassandra's twin. Following the death of Paris he quarrelled with Deiphobus for the hand of Helen. After he lost he fled to Mount Ida where he either freely joined the Greeks or was captured by Odysseus. He told the Greeks that Troy would only fall if a bone of Pelops were brought to Troy, if Neoptolemus or Pyrrhus joined them and if Athene's Palladium were stolen from Troy. After the fall of Troy he travelled to Epirus with Neoptolemus and married Andromache.
The son of Hyperion and Theia, (the Roman Sol) the god of the Sun. He was all seeing and reported incidents such as Aphrodite's affair and Persephone's rape, but failed to see Odysseus' companions stealing his cattle. His wife Rhode bore him seven sons and one daughter. He gave Heracles a golden cup because he admired the heroes' boldness for attempting to shoot the son with an arrow. He also had children by Persë including Pasiphæ and Circe. Phæthon 'the shining' was his son by Clymene, he drove his father's chariot of the son, but his incompetence provoked Zeus to kill him.
Daughter of Athamas and Nephele
Son of Deucallion and Pyrrha, mythical ancestor of all the Hellenes. His sons were Æolus, Dorus and Xuthus.
Family
Hephæstus was the son of Zeus and Hera, but he was born lame and weak and Hera was so repulsed that she threw him off of Olympus. He fell into the sea and was cared for by the sea goddesses Thetis and Eurynome. Nine years later Hera took him back into heaven. He tried to act as a peace maker between his parents. But on one occasion he angered Zeus by taking Hera's side in an argument, and he was again flung out of Olympus, and after a day of falling he landed on the island of Lemnos. Some say it was this fall that made him lame.
Skills
Hephæstus (or Vulcan of Rome) was the Smith-god, able to create marvelous weapons and tools with magical properties. He made all the palaces of the gods, the armour of Achilles (Iliad - book 18), the necklace of Harmonia, and the bulls of Æetes. He was respected by the gods for his skills (a reflection of the importance of smiths in the Bronze age society) but they also mocked his lameness.
Family
Hera was the daughter of Cronos and Rhea and reluctantly married her brother Zeus, who in the form of a cuckoo sought her out at Cnossos in Crete and their wedding night was spent on Samos. She was faithful to Zeus, and their children were Hebe, Ares, Hephæstus, and the Eileithyia (several daughters).
She was very jealous of Zeus' affairs and persecuted his mistresses and children, for example she declared that no land where the sun shone should welcome Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis. With the aid of Apollo and Poseidon she led a revolt against Zeus, and bound him in chains. He was rescued by Thetis and Briareus and Hera was punished by being hung with her wrists attached to the sky and an anvil on each ankle.
Powers
Hera, though treated with great reverence by the other gods, was greatly inferior to Zeus, and had to obey him. As the women of Ancient Greece had to obey their own husbands. She was able to bestow the gift of prophecy, and was the goddess of marriage and child birth. Hera had a tree of golden apples, a gift from Gaea, and her bird was the peacock. She was worshiped in Rome as Juno.
Myths
The son of Alcmene and Zeus. He was made immortal, in error, by Hera, who hated him. She repeatedly cursed him with madness, causing him to kill his children (and according to Euripides in Heracles) his wife Megara. He performed many feats of strength, including the twelve labors set by King Eurystheus of Argos through which he was accompanied by his brother Iphialtes' eldest son Iolaus.
He desired to marry Iole, daughter of Eurytus, King of Oechalia, but was refused as he had murdered his children. In a fit of rage he killed her brother Iphitus, and as penance served as a slave to Omphale, Queen of Lydia for a few years.
After his period of servitude was over he travelled, taking revenge on the various people who had wronged him. He killed Laomedan and all his sons save Podarces (Priam) because Laomedan had not given him the promised reward for saving his daughter Hesione from Poseidon's monster. He also killed Augeias and his sons and allies, because he had not been paid for cleansing the stables. He also destroyed the city of Pylos, its King,Neleus and all his sons (save Nestor) because they had aided Augeias. Neleus' ally Hippocoon and his sons were also killed, allowing the rightful ruler Tyndareus to rule Sparta. During this time he also aided the gods in their battle against the giants and founded the Olympic games.
Heracles desired to marry Deianeira, the daughter of Oeneus, King of Calydonia. He won her hand after defeating Achelous, the River God. He sent Iolaus as leader of his sons by the daughters of Thespius to settle in Sardinia. Heracles was voluntarily exiled with his wife and son Hyllus after he accidentally killed Eunomus. As they crossed the River Evenus, the centaur Nessus who helped travelers for a fee, attempted to carry off Deianeira, but Heracles killed him with an arrow, Deianeira took some of the centaurs blood thinking that it would bind Heracles' love to her as the centaur described.
Heracles then took revenge on Eurytus, killing him and all his family and sending Iole to Deianeira. His wife however thought that Iole would win Heracles love, so she put the centaur's blood on his shirt, not knowing that it was poisoned. Heracles tried to rip the clothes from his body, but his flesh came away with it. He threw Lichas (who he thought had poisoned him) into the sea. His wife was horrified at what had happened and hung herself, Heracles made Hyllus promise to marry Iole and to build him a funeral pyre on Mount Oeta. The events leading to Heracles' death are described in Sophocles' Women of Trachis.
Heracles climbed on top of his funeral pyre to be burned alive. He gave Philoctetes his bow, arrows and quiver. He was carried on a cloud to Olympus, where he became immortal and was finally reconciled with Hera, and he married Hebe.
Heracles also had a son Telephus by the priestess Auge. Heracles' children were pursued by Eurysthenes, who tried to expel them all from Greece. However he was defeated eventually, after Macaria (Heracles' daughter) sacrificed herself.
The son of Aphrodite and Hermes.
Birth
Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, a daughter of Atlas (Hermes was also known as Atlantiades). He was born in a cavern on Mt Cyllene (from which he was sometimes called Cyllenius). He grew amazingly quickly and when only a few hours old he travelled to Pieria and stole some of Apollo's oxen and drove them to Pylos. Hermes then invented the lyre by stringing a tortoise shell with cow-gut. When Apollo discovered the thief he told Zeus, who ordered Hermes to return the oxen. However when Apollo heard the lyre he was delighted and took it in exchange for the oxen. Apollo took his new friend back to Zeus who appointed him as herald and allowed him to join the Olympians.
Hermes had several sons, including Echion, herald to the Argonauts, Daphnis, and Autolycus the thief his son by Chione.
Role
Zeus gave his son supreme powers over animals and appointed him his herald, Hermes also acted as herald to Hades, conducting shades to the underworld. Heralds promoted peace and trade and therefore Hermes was thought of as the god of peaceable commerce, and also of eloquence.
Hermes was also the god of prudence, cunning and even theft. many inventions were also ascribed to him, including weights and measures, the musical scale, astronomy, olive-culture, gymnastics and boxing. He also presided of games of dice as a god of fertility and luck.
As signs of his position as herald he wore the Petasus (a winged traveling-hat), the Alipes (winged sandals), and the Caduceus (heralds staff) whose white ribbons were sometimes described as serpents as a sign of his position as Hades' herald.
Myths
The daughter of Helen and Menelaus. She was betrothed to her cousin Orestes by her grandfather, Tyndareus. However when the Greeks returned from Troy she was married to Neoptolemus. Orestes killed Neoptolemus and married Hermione.
Hesione was the daughter of Laomedan, King of Troy. Her father had refused to pay Poseidon and Apollo for work they did for him. Hesione was tied naked to a rock, and a sea monster was sent by Poseidon to kill her. The monster was killed and she was rescued by Heracles and Telemon. Her father refused to give them the promised reward of the horses Zeus gace in exchange for Ganymede. They later returned to Troy and killed Laomedan and all his sons save Podarces. Hesione became Telemon's wife, and bore him a son, Teucer She ransomed her brother Podarces who then changed his name to Priam (meaning "redeemed"). Many years later Priam sent Antenor to Telemon to demand the return of Hesione, the Greeks scornful refusal was one of the causes of the Trojan war.
The Hesperides were children of Atlas guarded the golden apples which grew on the tree given to Hera by Gaea at her wedding and which had been planted on Mount Atlas. Three apples were stolen by Atlas for Heracles.
Hestia (known as Vesta to the Romans) was the oldest daughter of Rhea and Cronos. She was known as the Goddess of the Hearth, and thus of home life. The home fire was very important to the Greeks, it was very difficult to relight should it go out. Each town also had a hearth, which was an asylum for supliants. Hestia was the most peaceable and kind of all the Olympians and the first part of all sacrifices was offered to Hestia. Dionysus later took Hestia's place as one of the Olympians.
The King of Sparta, he seized the kingdom from his brother Tyndareus. Heracles (with the assistance of Cepheus) killed Hippocoon and all his sons because he had fought against him under Neleus.
I - Daughter of Oenomaus, wife of Pelops. Her father had been told that his son-in-law would kill him, so he challenged all suitors to a chariot race. If they lost they were killed, but if they won they could marry Hippodameia. Pelops cheated, taking the lynch pin from Oenomaus' chariot and the king was thrown to his death. Their children were Atreus and Thyestes, whom she helped kill their half brother Chrysippus.
II - Wife of Pirithous, King of the Lapithæ. A drunken centaur attempted to carry her off during her wedding, which led to a great battle against the Centaurs involving Theseus.
Queen of the Amazons. Heracles was sent to steal Hippolyte's golden girdle, a gift from Ares, for Admete as his 9th task. Hippolyte received him kindly and promised to give him the girdle freely. However Hera roused the Amazons, who attacked Heracles. In the ensuing battle he killed the Amazon leaders and Hippolyte. An alternate version is that Hippolyte was kidnapped by Theseus when he took her sister Antiope.
Nymphs who were children of Atlas. They lived on Mount Nysa, where the young Dionysus was brought by Hermes. As thanks for raising the god, Zeus placed them in the stars as the constellation The Hyades.
The son of Heracles and Deianeira. He married Iole, (daughter of Eurytus) who had been promised to his father. When Eurystheus tried to expel Heracles' children from Greece, Hyllus, Iolaus and Theseus fought back, and Eurytus was killed. Hyllus was killed by Echemus, while trying to enter Peloponnesus.
A Titan and father of Helios, Selene and Eos. The Sun, he drove his chariot across the sky from dawn to dusk.
Father of Cyrene, favoured by Apollo