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Mediterranean & Near East
Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Mediterranean & Near East.
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Aetna
Aetna (Greek Aitnē, Αἴτνη) is a figure associated with Mount Etna in eastern Sicily and with the Greek mythological imagination of volcanic landscapes. She is generally described as a mountain nymph or personification of…
Aethon
Aethon is a name given to several different figures, animals and beings in Greek and Greco-Roman mythology. It is not the name of one universally defined mythological character. The best-known Aethon is the eagle that ea…
Aether
Aether is a primordial figure and cosmic substance in Greek mythology, associated with the bright, pure upper air above the ordinary atmosphere. Unlike the air breathed by human beings, Aether was imagined as the clear r…
Aethalides
Aethalides is a minor but distinctive figure in Greek mythology, best known as an Argonaut and as the possessor of extraordinary memory. He was regarded as a son of the god Hermes and a mortal woman, and his exceptional …
Asclepius
Asclepius is the Greek god and legendary master of healing, one of the most important divine figures associated with medicine in the ancient Mediterranean. In myth he begins as a gifted mortal physician, but his skill be…
Aer
Aer is a name sometimes used for the personification of air in Greek mythology, especially the lower atmosphere or misty air close to the earth. The Greek word aēr (ἀήρ) primarily means “air,” “mist,” or “the atmosphere,…
Aeolus
Aeolus is a name associated with the winds in Greek mythology, but it does not belong to only one figure. In the Odyssey, Aeolus is a powerful ruler who keeps the winds under control on the floating island of Aeolia. Lat…
Aello
Aello is a Harpy in Greek mythology, one of the winged female beings associated with violent winds, sudden abduction and divine punishment. Her name is usually written Ἀελλώ in Greek and is commonly connected with words …
Aegle
Aegle is a name shared by several figures in Greek mythology rather than belonging to one single, universally defined goddess or creature. The Greek name Αἴγλη (Aiglē) is commonly connected with “radiance,” “brightness,”…
Aegina
Aegina is a figure of Greek mythology best known as a river nymph, the daughter of the river god Asopus and the mother of the hero Aeacus. Her story explains the mythic naming of the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf …
Briareus
Briareus is a primordial being in Greek mythology, one of the three Hekatoncheires, or “Hundred-Handers.” He is described as possessing extraordinary strength, many arms and numerous heads, and he plays an important part…