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Mediterranean & Near East
Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Mediterranean & Near East.
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Acca-larentia
Acca Larentia, also called Acca Larentina, is a figure of Roman mythology associated with the childhood of Romulus and Remus, the founding legends of Rome, and the annual festival known as the Larentalia. Her identity is…
Alcmena
Alcmena—also spelled Alcmene—is a mortal woman in Greek mythology, best known as the mother of Heracles (the Roman Hercules). She was the wife of Amphitryon and became the mother of two sons: Heracles, fathered by Zeus, …
Abundantia
Abundantia was a Roman personification of abundance, prosperity and the plentiful supply of food or material goods. Her name comes from the Latin word abundantia, meaning “abundance” or “plenty”. Unlike major Roman gods …
Alcmene
Alcmene is a mortal woman in Greek mythology, best known as the mother of Heracles (Roman Hercules). A princess of the royal house of Mycenae, she becomes central to one of the most important divine-human unions in Greek…
Abeona
Abeona is a little-known Roman goddess associated with going away, departure and movement from one place to another. Her name is usually understood in relation to the Latin verb abire, “to go away” or “to depart.” In Rom…
Heracles
Heracles (Greek Hēraklēs; Latin Hercules) is one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology. Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, he is celebrated for extraordinary strength, endurance and courage, but his stories al…
Artemis
Artemis is one of the principal goddesses of ancient Greek religion. She is associated with the hunt, wild animals, forests, sudden death, childbirth, and the protection of girls and young people. Greek poets and worship…
Aglaurus
Aglaurus, also written Aglauros or Aglaura, is a figure in Greek mythology associated with Athens, the Acropolis and the royal family founded by Cecrops. She is best known as one of the daughters of Cecrops who were entr…
Aglaia
Aglaia is a figure of Greek mythology best known as one of the three Charites, or Graces. Her name, also written Aglaea or Aglæa in some transliteration systems, is associated with splendour, radiance, beauty and joyful …
Agdistis
Agdistis is a powerful and sexually dual figure associated with the Phrygian and Anatolian religious world, especially the city of Pessinus and the legends of Attis. The surviving accounts are mostly written in Greek or …
Agave
Agave is a figure of Greek mythology best known as the Theban woman who, while possessed by Dionysus, helped tear her own son Pentheus apart. Her story reaches its most powerful form in Euripides’ tragedy The Bacchae, wh…