Download Getting to Know the Greeks

Vocabulary from Greek and Roman Mythology
Adonis was a beautiful young man that Aphrodite fell in
love with. He was killed while hunting a boar and died in
her arms. In his honor, she created the flower, anemone,
which was very beautiful short-lived
The Aegis was the magical shield of
Zeus. No one other than Zeus could
wield the sword, except for Athena
The Amazons were a womenonly tribe of fierce warriors.
They were renown for their
fighting skills, especially
archery and throwing the
javelin.
Ambrosia was the food of the
gods. Nectar was their drink.
Atlas was a titan who fought
against the Olympians. As
punishment, he was
sentenced to bearing the
world upon his shoulders.
Bacchus is the Roman name
for the Greek god Dionysus,
who was the god of wine.
The Chimera was a monster
killed by Bellerophon that had a
lion's head, a goat's body, and a
dragon's tail.
Cupid was the Roman
name for Eros, the
god of love and desire
Hercules is the Roman
name for Heracles, a hero
known for his great
strength.
Iris was a messenger
goddess whose trail
was a rainbow.
Jove was one of the Roman
names for Zeus, king of the
gods.
The Labyrinth was a
complex maze designed by
Daedulus to imprison the
Minotaur, a monster with
the head of a bull.
Mars was the Roman name
for Ares, the god of war.
Mercury was the Roman name
for Hermes, messenger god who
was also the god of thieves,
pranksters.
Mnemosyne was the goddess
of memory and mother of
the nine Muses.
Nemesis was the goddess of
revenge.
Odysseus was a hero who
travelled for ten years to get
home after fighting in the
Trojan War.
Pan was the goatlegged god of fear,
nature, the wild, and
shepherds
Promethean: creative
and original
Prometheus was a
titan who stole fire
from the gods and
gave it to humans.
The Sirens were
monsters who sang so
sweetly that sailors
would wreck their ships
trying to hear them.
Tantalize: to tease with something
desirable
Tantalus was a person
whose punishment
was to be forever
hungry and thirsty
with food and drink
just out of reach
Titans race of giants who rule until they were overthrown
by the Olympians