Sunday, September 11, 2011

You're a God (Part Deux)

Like the Romans, the Greeks' religion underwent a couple paradigm shifts, resulting in dozens of Titans, Olympians, and other sorts of gods. Surprisingly, many goddess names are in use today--Phoebe [intellect & prophecy], Athena [wisdom & warfare], Rhea [fertility & motherhood], Selene [the moon], Irene [peace], Iris [the rainbow], Thalia [muse of comedy].
God-names for boys seem to have not caught on for some reason.

Boys:
  • Alpheus (AL-fee-us)--river god
  • Apollo (ah-POL-loh)--god of poetry, light, healing, and truth (and many others). Original form was Apollon.
  • Aristaeus (ar-is-TAY-us)--god of useful arts (beekeeping, cheese-making, net-making, etc)
  • Atlas (AT-las)--god who kept the sky up
  • Attis (AT-tis)--god of vegetation. Originally Phrygian, but adopted by the Greeks. Husband of Cybele.
  • Carmanor (CAHR-man-or)--god of the harvest
  • Comus (COH-mus)--god of festivals & revelry
  • Epiphron (EP-ih-fron)--personification of thoughtfulness and shrewdness
  • Hermes (HER-mees)--god of language, travel, and trade (and many others)
  • Kratos (KRAH-tos)-personification of strength & power
  • Nereus (NEHR-ee-us)--god of the sea and fishing
  • Lelantos (leh-LAN-tos)--god of the air and hunters
  • Palaemon (pal-AY-mon)--child-god who aided sailors in distress
  • Pallas (PAL-las)--god of warcraft
  • Pontos (PON-tos)--god of the sea
  • Thaumas (THOW-mas)--god of the wonders of the sea
  • Zephyr (ZEF-er)--god of the west wind

Girls:
  • Aletheia (ah-LAY-thay-ah)--personification of truth & honesty
  • Ananke (an-AHN-kay)--goddess of necessity
  • Antheia (an-THAY-ah)--goddess of flowers
  • Aphaia (ah-FYE-ah)--goddess of agriculture & fertility
  • Arete (AHR-eh-tee)--personification of virtue & valor
  • Arke (AR-kay)--messenger goddess, twin sister to Iris
  • Artemis (AR-tem-is)--goddess of hunting, wilderness, and childbirth
  • Brizo (BREE-zoh)--goddess of sailors & fishermen
  • Chione (kee-OH-nay)--goddess of snow
  • Eleos (EL-eh-os)--personification of mercy & compassion
  • Eos (AY-ohs)--goddess of the dawn
  • Hera (HEHR-ah)--goddess of marriage, women, and empires (and many others)
  • Leto (LAY-toh)--goddess of motherhood
  • Metis (MAY-tis)--goddess of wisdom, planning, and cunning
  • Nyx (NIKS)--goddess of the night
  • Persephone (per-SEF-oh-nee)--goddess of the underworld and of spring
  • Soteria (soh-TAY-ree-ah)--personification of preservation and safety from harm
  • Tethys (TETH-is)--goddess of springs, fountains, rivers, and clouds
  • Thalassa (thah-LAS-sah)--goddess of the sea
  • Theia (THAY-ah--goddess of sight
  • Themis (THEM-is)--goddess of customs & natural law
  • Tyche (TYE-kee)--personification of luck & providence

 Name derived from deities:

Boys:
  • Artyom (ahr-TYOM, Russian)--from Artemis
  • Denis (DEN-is, French)--from Dionysos, god of wine & revelry
  • Demetrius (dem-EE-tree-us, Greek)--from Demeter, goddess of agriculture & harvest
  • Dmitriy (dMEE-tree, Russian)--from Demeter
  • Ermete (ehr-MEH-tay, Italian)--from Hermes 
  • Zeno (ZEE-no, Greek)--from Zeus, king of the gods, and god of weather, law and many others

Girls:
  • Demetria (deh-MEE-tree-ah, Greek)--from Demeter
  • Denise (den-EES, French)--from Dionysos
  • Hermione (her-MYE-oh-nee, Greek)--from Hermes

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