Myths and Legends: Ancient Greece: Mythology and Literature - Introductory

It would be a tragedy if you didn't learn this epic list of words related to ancient Greek mythology and literature. Review the Greek gods and goddesses, from Aphrodite to Zeus, and encounter mythological creatures like the manticore, phoenix, and centaur. This list also covers important literary terms such as elegy, ode, and chorus.
91 words 867 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. Achilles
    a mythical Greek hero of the Iliad
  2. Achilles' heel
    a seemingly small but actual mortal weakness
  3. Amazon
    one of a nation of women warriors of Scythia
  4. amazon
    a large, strong, and aggressive woman
  5. amphitheater
    an oval large stadium with tiers of seats
  6. antagonist
    someone who offers opposition
  7. Aphrodite
    goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Zeus in ancient mythology; identified with Roman Venus
  8. Apollo
    Greek god of light
  9. Ares
    Greek god of war
  10. Argonaut
    (Greek mythology) one of the heroes who sailed with Jason in search of the Golden Fleece
  11. argonaut
    someone who sets off on a daring adventure
  12. Artemis
    the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon
  13. Athena
    goddess of wisdom and useful arts and prudent warfare
  14. centaur
    a mythical being that is half man and half horse
  15. Cerberus
    the three-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades
  16. Charybdis
    (Greek mythology) a ship-devouring whirlpool lying on the other side of a narrow strait from Scylla
  17. chorus
    actors who comment on the action in a classical Greek play
  18. Circe
    (Greek mythology) a sorceress who detained Odysseus on her island and turned his men into swine
  19. colossus
    someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
  20. comedy
    light and humorous drama with a happy ending
  21. Daedalus
    an Athenian inventor who built the labyrinth of Minos
  22. Demeter
    (Greek mythology) goddess of fertility and protector of marriage in ancient mythology; counterpart of Roman Ceres
  23. dialogue
    the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction
  24. Dionysus
    god of wine and fertility and drama
  25. dragon
    a mythological creature with a reptile body and wings
  26. drama
    the literary genre of works intended for the theater
  27. elegy
    a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
  28. epic
    a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
  29. epilogue
    a short speech by an actor at the end of a play
  30. foil
    a person or thing that serves to contrast with another
  31. Fury
    (classical mythology) the hideous snake-haired monsters (usually three in number) who pursued unpunished criminals
  32. god
    any supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
  33. goddess
    a female deity
  34. Golden Fleece
    in Greek mythology, a fleece of gold owned by the king of Colchis and guarded in a sacred grove by a dragon; recovered by Jason and the Argonauts
  35. Gorgon
    (Greek mythology) any of three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who had live snakes for hair; a glance at Medusa turned the beholder to stone
  36. griffin
    mythical creature with an eagle's head and a lion's body
  37. Hades
    the god of the underworld in ancient mythology
  38. halcyon
    a mythical bird said to breed at the winter solstice
  39. Harpy
    vicious winged monster
  40. Helen of Troy
    (Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
  41. Hephaestus
    the lame god of fire and metalworking in ancient mythology
  42. Hera
    queen of the Olympian gods in ancient Greek mythology
  43. Hercules
    a hero noted for his strength
  44. hero
    a being of great strength celebrated for bold exploits
  45. Homer
    ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)
  46. Hydra
    monster with nine heads
  47. Icarus
    son of Daedalus
  48. Iliad
    a Greek epic poem describing the siege of Troy
  49. immortal
    not subject to death
  50. labyrinth
    complex system of paths in which it is easy to get lost
  51. lyre
    a harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment
  52. lyric
    of or relating to poetry that expresses emotion
  53. manticore
    a monster having the head of man and the body of a lion
  54. mask
    a covering to disguise or conceal the face
  55. Medusa
    a woman transformed into a Gorgon by Athena
  56. Midas
    (Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
  57. mortal
    subject to death
  58. myth
    a traditional story serving to explain a world view
  59. mythology
    the body of stories associated with a culture or institution
  60. Nemesis
    the goddess of divine retribution and vengeance
  61. nemesis
    a personal foe or rival that cannot be easily defeated
  62. nymph
    a minor nature goddess depicted as a beautiful maiden
  63. ode
    a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  64. Odysseus
    a famous mythical Greek hero
  65. Odyssey
    a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy
  66. odyssey
    a long wandering and eventful journey
  67. Olympus
    a mountain peak in northeast Greece near the Aegean coast
  68. oracle
    a shrine where a prophet is consulted
  69. Pandora
    the first woman
  70. Pegasus
    (Greek mythology) the immortal winged horse that sprang from the blood of the slain Medusa; was tamed by Bellerophon with the help of a bridle given him by Athena; as the flying horse of the Muses it is a symbol of highflying imagination
  71. Perseus
    (Greek mythology) the son of Zeus who slew Medusa (with the help of Athena and Hermes) and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster
  72. phoenix
    a legendary bird that burned to death and emerged reborn
  73. Poseidon
    the god of the sea and earthquakes in ancient mythology
  74. prologue
    an introductory section of a novel or other literary work
  75. prophecy
    a prediction uttered under divine inspiration
  76. protagonist
    the principal character in a work of fiction
  77. Scylla
    (Greek mythology) a sea nymph transformed into a sea monster who lived on one side of a narrow strait; drowned and devoured sailors who tried to escape Charybdis (a whirlpool) on the other side of the strait
  78. Sphinx
    (Greek mythology) a riddling winged monster with a woman's head and breast on a lion's body; daughter of Typhon
  79. Styx
    a river in Hades across which Charon carried dead souls
  80. supernatural
    not able to be explained by physical laws
  81. Theseus
    (Greek mythology) a hero and king of Athens who was noted for his many great deeds: killed Procrustes and the Minotaur and defeated the Amazons and united Attica
  82. Titan
    (Greek mythology) any of the primordial giant gods who ruled the Earth until overthrown by Zeus; the Titans were offspring of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth)
  83. titan
    a person of exceptional importance and reputation
  84. tragedy
    drama exciting terror or pity
  85. Trojan War
    a great war fought between Greece and Troy
  86. Troy
    an ancient city in Asia Minor that was the site of the Trojan War
  87. underworld
    (religion) the place of the dead
  88. unicorn
    an imaginary horse with a long horn on its forehead
  89. Zephyr
    (Greek mythology) the Greek god of the west wind
  90. zephyr
    a slight wind
  91. Zeus
    the supreme god of ancient Greek mythology
Created on Tue Jan 10 16:12:50 EST 2017 (updated Fri Mar 31 11:23:50 EDT 2017)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.