So much has been said about Olympus, gods and goddesses, demigods and deities — anything that has to do with Greek mythology. The adventures and misfits of the more famous ones have endured time and enthralled generations of readers. But have you heard some of the most obscure Greek gods and goddesses?
Here’s a bunch of some of the most obscure Greek gods and goddesses.
Epaphus
One of the most obscure Greek gods and goddesses, Epaphus, is the son of Io and Zeus. Io is the mortal ancestor of Perseus.
Epaphus is hardly known in Greek mythology, compared to the other Olympians or even some of the famous demigod heroes who had been successful throughout the Greek world. His daughter Libya (or Lysianassa) had a place named after her in the Mediterranean – Libya. So, that makes her at least a part of mythology.
Ascalaphus
Ascalaphus was the keeper of Hades’ orchard and the underworld daimon (spirit). He’s the son of Acheron and Orphne. Demeter buried him beneath a rock after he reported that Persephone had tasted the pomegranate seed.
Herakles eventually freed him, but the goddess retaliated by transforming him into a screech-owl. The screech owl was a sacred bird to the gods of the underworld and a sign of bad luck.
Anteros
Anteros stood for those who love sincerely and punished the ones who weren’t interested in love or those who didn’t reciprocate the love of others. He was the son of Ares and Aphrodite. Eros, the god of love, and Anteros are siblings.
Ariadne
Ariadne is the daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë. She’s the goddess of mazes and labyrinths. Ariadne is the Roman equivalent of Arianna. Her story exemplifies resilience and the value of strength and perseverance. Even though Ariadne had been abandoned by Theseus, she triumphed over the odds and found love with Dionysus. Her children are Staphylus and Oenopion.
Asclepius (or Asklepios)
Asclepius was a demigod hero. He’s the embodiment of the ideal doctor, as he was the god of medicine and healing, as well as the ability to raise the dead.
He was the son of the Greek god of medicine Apollo and the mortal Koronis of Thessaly. Ashamed of Asclepius’ illegitimacy, Koronis was said to have abandoned her child near Epidaurus and left him with a goat and a dog.
Circe
Circe is the goddess of magic and enchantment. She’d seduce men and lure them to her island. A magic spell would be cast upon those who came to turn them into hogs the moment they touch her. The only man who’s able to escape her magic was Odysseus, who had been warned by Hermes.
Demeter
The daughter of Cronus and Rhea, Demeter is the goddess of fertility, grain, and harvest, making her an important goddess to the peasants and farmers of ancient Greece.
She’s one of the gods that lived on Mount Olympus. Her Roman counterpart is Ceres. She’s the mother of Arion, Persephone, Lacchus, Philomelus, Despoina, and Plutus.
Eris
Eris is Zeus and Hera’s daughter. The Latin translation of her name is Harmonia, while Concordia is her Latin counterpart. Together with her son Strife, she rides in her brother’s (Ares) chariots during battles to sow discord.
Eris is often turned down as a guest because humanity and the other gods disliked her.
Priapus
Aphrodite and Dionysus had a son named Priapus. He was the minor god of the Greek garden. He was rejected by his mother because his body was said to be twisted and badly deformed. He also had oversized genitals.
Tartarus
Tartarus (Tartaros) is both a god and an underworld location in Greek mythology. He is the son of Aether and Ge. Tartarus is said to be the place in the lower world where the spirits of evil men are punished for their crimes.
Zephyrus (Anemoi)
Zephyr was the son of Astraeus and Eos. He lived in a cave in Thrace. He’s the god of the west wind and spring.
Chloris, an Oceanid nymph, was Zephyrus’s wife. Chloris was known as the goddess of flowers because she was the Greek equivalent of Flora. Carpus, the Greek god of fruit, was their son.
Koalemos (Coalemus in Latin)
Aristophanes once mentioned Koalemos as the god of stupidity. It is sometimes called a demon, but it’s more of a spirit or minor deity.
It’s unclear whether Koalemos was regarded as a god or not.
Oizys
Oizys personifies grief, misery, and suffering. She’s the daughter of Nyx, the goddess of night, and Erebos, the god of darkness. Her twin sister, Momos, is the personification of blame. The Roman equivalent of her name is Miseria. And it’s from this where we got the word misery.
The Horae
The Horae (Thallo, Auxo, and Carpo) were the daughters of either Zeus and Aphrodite or Zeus and Themis. The sisters were known as the goddesses of order and justice, seasons, as well as the wardens of the gates of Olympus.
Phthonos
The personified spirit (daimon) of jealousy and envy, Phthonos symbolizes the jealous passions of love. He was said to have appeared as an Erote, the winged godling of love. His female counterpart was Nemesis, the goddess of jealous retribution.
Hekate
Hekate (Hecate) was the only child of Titanes Perses and Asteria. From them, she inherited her power over heaven, earth, and sea. She’s the goddess of necromancy, magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, and ghosts.
Hekate was depicted as a woman holding twin torches. She wore a knee-length maiden’s skirt and hunting boots on occasion, similar to Artemis.
Tyche (Tycke)
Tyche was the Greek goddess of chance, fate, and fortune. She embodied both the positive and negative aspects of these traits. Ancient Greeks believed she was the source of both the good and bad events in their lives.
People said they’d been blessed at birth by Tyche if they succeed in life without having to work hard for it — but also blamed her for their misfortunes.
The Three Judges of the Dead
Aeacus, Minos, and Rhadamanthys weren’t chosen simply because they were the sons of Zeus. Each of the three judges of the dead had been a mortal king. Although many of Zeus’s sons became kings, the three were picked for their sound judgment and for establishing law and order.
Final Thoughts
Greek mythology wouldn’t have been as interesting had these random and obscure Greek gods and goddesses not been credited for that important role they played.
Credits to them, the accessibility of information over the internet, and the endless fascination of people. The most obscure Greek gods and goddesses may now be called the less obscure Greek gods and goddesses.