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Mediterranean & Near East
Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Mediterranean & Near East.
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Antinous
Antinous was a young man from Bithynia who became the beloved companion of the Roman emperor Hadrian and, after his death, the focus of a widespread religious cult. Unlike most figures classified under Roman mythology, A…
Amymone
Amymone is a figure in Greek mythology, best known as one of the fifty daughters of Danaus and as the mortal woman associated with the spring of Lerna. In the most familiar version of her story, the god Poseidon rescues …
Anna-perenna
Anna Perenna is a Roman goddess associated with the yearly cycle, continued life and the renewal of time. Her festival was celebrated on 15 March, the Ides of March, with outdoor feasting, drinking, songs and prayers for…
Amphitryon
Amphitryon is a mortal king and heroic figure in Greek mythology, best known as the husband of Alcmene and the social father of Heracles. His place in the myth is shaped by a deception: while Amphitryon is away from home…
Angita
Angita, also written Angitia, is a goddess or sacred female figure associated with the Marsi, an ancient people of central Italy. Her tradition belongs to the religious landscape of the Apennines, where local Italic cult…
Amphitrite
Amphitrite is a goddess of the sea in Greek mythology, best known as the wife and queen of Poseidon. In early Greek tradition she belongs to the Nereids, the fifty sea nymphs born to the ancient sea god Nereus and the Oc…
Angerona
Angerona was a little-known Roman goddess associated with silence, secrecy, and the relief of distress. Her name appears in the forms Angerona and Angeronia, and she was honoured at a Roman festival called the Angeronali…
Amphion
Amphion is a legendary musician, prince and culture hero of Greek mythology, best known from the Theban cycle. He is traditionally the twin brother of Zethus and the son of Zeus and Antiope. His music was said to possess…
Amicitia
Amicitia is the Roman personification of friendship, goodwill and the bonds that unite individuals or communities. Unlike major Roman gods such as Jupiter, Juno or Mars, Amicitia does not possess a large, clearly defined…
Ampelos
Ampelos is a beautiful young companion of Dionysus in Greek mythology, best known from the late antique epic Dionysiaca by Nonnus. His story explains, in mythic form, the origin of the grapevine and connects love, loss, …
Alemonia
Alemonia is a name associated with a minor Roman divine power believed to protect or nourish a developing child in the womb. The figure belongs to the broad category of specialised Roman religious names sometimes connect…