aeithalesAncient Greek for evergreen
Aeneasa prince of Troy and reputed ancestor of the Romans; the hero of Virgil’s epic the Aeneid
Alexander the Greata king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from 336 to 323 BCE; he united the Greek city-states and conquered Persia
ambrosiathe food of the gods; it gives immortality to whoever consumes it; demigods can eat it in small doses to heal their injuries
AphroditeGreek goddess of love and beauty; Roman form: Venus
arbutusany shrub or tree in the heath family with white or pink flowers and red or orange berries
Aresthe Greek god of war; the son of Zeus and Hera, and half brother to Athena; Roman form: Mars
Argo IIa flying trireme built by the Hephaestus cabin at Camp Half-Blood to take the demigods of the Prophecy of Seven to Greece
Artemisthe Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon; the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Apollo
Asclepiusthe god of medicine; son of Apollo; his temple was the healing centre of Ancient Greece
Athenathe Greek goddess of wisdom
Bellonaa Roman goddess of war; daughter of Jupiter and Juno
blemmyaea tribe of headless people with faces in their chests
Britomartisthe Greek goddess of hunting and fishing nets; her sacred animal is the griffin
cabritoroasted or stewed kid goat meat
caligae (caliga, sing.)Roman military boots
Caligulathe nickname of the third of Rome’s emperors, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, infamous for his cruelty and carnage during the four years he ruled, from 37 to 41 CE; he was assassinated by his own guard
Camp Half-Bloodthe training ground for Greek demigods, located in Long Island, New York
Camp Jupiterthe training ground for Roman demigods, located in California, between the Oakland Hills and the Berkeley Hills
Cave of Trophoniusa deep chasm, home to the Oracle Trophonius
Celestial bronzea powerful magical metal used to create weapons wielded by Greek gods and their demigod children
Chicago Black Soxeight members of the Chicago White Sox, a Major League Baseball team, accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money
ClaudiusRoman emperor from 41 to 54 CE, succeeding Caligula, his nephew
CommodusLucius Aurelius Commodus was the son of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius; he became co-emperor when he was sixteen and emperor at eighteen, when his father died; he ruled from 177 to 192 CE and was megalomaniacal and corrupt; he considered himself the New Hercules and enjoyed killing animals and fighting gladiators at the Colosseum
Cyclops (Cyclopes, pl.)a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his or her forehead
Daedalusa skilled craftsman who created the Labyrinth on Crete in which the Minotaur (part man, part bull) was kept
Daphnea beautiful naiad who attracted Apollo’s attention; she transformed into a laurel tree in order to escape him
Delosa Greek island in the Aegean Sea near Mykonos; birthplace of Apollo
Demeterthe Greek goddess of agriculture; a daughter of the Titans Rhea and Kronos
denarius (denarii, pl.)a unit of Roman currency
Dionysus Greek god of wine and revelry; the son of Zeus
Doors of Deaththe doorway to the House of Hades, located in Tartarus; the doors have two sides – one in the mortal world, and one in the Underworld
dryada spirit (usually female) associated with a certain tree
EdesiaRoman goddess of banquets
Edsela car produced by Ford from 1958 to 1960; it was a big flop
Elysiumthe paradise to which Greek heroes were sent when the gods gave them immortality
empousaa winged bloodsucking monster, daughter of the goddess Hecate
Enceladusa giant, son of Gaia and Ouranos, who was the primary adversary of the goddess Athena during the War of the Giants
Erymanthian Boara giant wild boar that terrorized people on the island of Erymanthos until Hercules subdued it in the third of his twelve labours
Erythraean Sibyla prophetess who presided over Apollo’s Oracle at Erythrae in Ionia
EuterpeGreek goddess of lyric poetry; one of the Nine Muses; daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne
Feroniathe Roman goddess of wildlife, also associated with fertility, health and abundance
Furiesgoddesses of vengeance
Gaiathe Greek earth goddess; wife of Ouranos; mother of the Titans, giants, Cyclopes and other monsters
Germanicusadoptee of the Roman emperor Tiberius; became a prominent general of the Roman empire, known for his successful campaigns in Germania; father of Caligula
gladiusa stabbing sword; the primary weapon of Roman foot soldiers
Golden Fleecethe much-coveted fleece of the gold-haired winged ram, which was held in Colchis by King Aeëtes and guarded by a dragon until Jason and the Argonauts retrieved it
Hadesthe Greek god of death and riches; ruler of the Underworld
Hadrianthe fourteenth emperor of Rome; ruled from 117 to 138 CE; known for building a wall that marked the northern limit of Britannia
harpya winged female creature that snatches things
Hecategoddess of magic and crossroads
Hecubaqueen of Troy, wife of King Priam, ruler during the Trojan War
Helen of Troy a daughter of Zeus and Leda and considered the most beautiful woman in the world; she sparked the Trojan War when she left her husband Menelaus for Paris, a prince of Troy
Heliosthe Titan god of the sun; son of the Titan Hyperion and the Titaness Theia
Hephaestusthe Greek god of fire, including volcanic, and of crafts and blacksmithing; the son of Zeus and Hera, and married to Aphrodite; Roman form: Vulcan
Herathe Greek goddess of marriage; Zeus’s wife and sister; Apollo’s stepmother
Heraclesthe Greek equivalent of Hercules; the son of Zeus and Alcmene; born with great strength
Herculesthe Roman equivalent of Heracles; the son of Jupiter and Alcmene; born with great strength
HermesGreek god of travellers; guide to spirits of the dead; god of communication
Herophilethe daughter of a water nymph; she had such a lovely singing voice that Apollo blessed her with the gift of prophecy, making her the Erythraean Sibyl
HestiaGreek goddess of the hearth and home
Hyacinthusa Greek hero and Apollo’s lover, who died while trying to impress Apollo with his discus skills
hydraa many-headed water serpent
HypnosGreek god of sleep
Imperial golda rare metal deadly to monsters, consecrated at the Pantheon; its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors
Incitatusthe favourite horse of Roman emperor Caligula
Janusthe Roman god of beginnings, openings, doorways, gates, passages, time and endings; depicted with two faces
Jupiterthe Roman god of the sky and king of the gods; Greek form: Zeus
KatoptrisGreek for mirror; a dagger that once belonged to Helen of Troy
khandaa double-edged straight sword; an important symbol of Sikhism
kusarigamaa traditional Japanese weapon consisting of a sickle attached to a chain
KymopoleiaGreek goddess of violent storm waves; daughter of Poseidon
La Ventanaa performance and event venue in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Labyrinthan underground maze originally built on the island of Crete by the craftsman Daedalus to hold the Minotaur
legionnairea member of the Roman army
Letomother of Artemis and Apollo with Zeus; goddess of motherhood
Little Tiberthe barrier of Camp Jupiter
Lucrezia Borgiathe daughter of a pope and his mistress; a beautiful noblewoman who earned the reputation of being a political schemer in fifteenth-century Italy
Marcus AureliusRoman Emperor from 161 to 180 CE; father of Commodus; considered the last of the ‘Five Good Emperors’
Marsthe Roman god of war; Greek form: Ares
Medeaa Greek enchantress, daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis and granddaughter of the Titan sun god, Helios; wife of the hero Jason, whom she helped obtain the Golden Fleece
Mefitisa goddess of foul-smelling gasses of the earth, especially worshipped in swamps and volcanic areas
MeliaiGreek nymphs of the ash tree, born of Gaia; they nurtured and raised Zeus in Crete
Michelangeloan Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance; a towering genius in the history of Western art; among his many masterpieces, he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican
Minotaurthe part-man, part-bull son of King Minos of Crete; the Minotaur was kept in the Labyrinth, where he killed people who were sent in; he was finally defeated by Theseus
Mount Olympushome of the Twelve Olympians
Mount Vesuviusa volcano near the Bay of Naples in Italy that erupted in the year 79 CE, burying the Roman city of Pompeii under ash
Naevius Sutorius Macroa prefect of the Praetorian Guard from 31 to 38 CE, serving under the emperors Tiberius and Caligula
Neos HeliosGreek for new sun, a title adopted by the Roman emperor Caligula
Neroruled as Roman Emperor from 54 to 58 CE; he had his mother and his first wife put to death; many believe he was responsible for setting a fire that gutted Rome, but he blamed the Christians, whom he burned on crosses; he built an extravagant new palace on the cleared land and lost support when construction expenses forced him to raise taxes; he committed suicide
Nine Musesgoddesses who grant inspiration for and protect artistic creation and expression; daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; as children, they were taught by Apollo; their names are Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania and Calliope
Niobidschildren who were slain by Apollo and Artemis when their mother, Niobe, boasted about having more offspring than Leto, the twins’ mother
nunchakuoriginally a farm tool used to harvest rice, an Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at one end by a short chain or rope
nympha female deity who animates nature
Oracle of Delphia speaker of the prophecies of Apollo
Oracle of Trophoniusa Greek who was transformed into an Oracle after his death; located at the Cave of Trophonius; known for terrifying those who seek him
Orthopolisthe only child of Plemnaeus who survived birth; disguised as an old woman, Demeter nursed him, ensuring the boy’s survival
Ouranosthe Greek personification of the sky; husband of Gaia; father of the Titans
Palatine Hillthe most famous of Rome’s seven hills; considered one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in Ancient Rome, it was home to aristocrats and emperors
Panthe Greek god of the wild; the son of Hermes
pandai (pandos, sing.)a tribe of men with gigantic ears, eight fingers and toes, and bodies covered with hair that starts out white and turn black with age
parazoniuma triangular-bladed dagger sported by women in Ancient Greece
Petersburga Civil War battle in Virginia in which an explosive charge designed to be used against the Confederates led to the deaths of 4,000 Union troops
phalanxa body of heavily armed troops in close formation
Philip of Macedonthe king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BCE until his assassination in 336 BCE; father of Alexander the Great
physician’s curea concoction created by Asclepius, god of medicine, to bring someone back from the dead
Plemnaeus the father of Orthopolis, whom Demeter reared to ensure that he would flourish
Pompeiia Roman city that was destroyed in 79 CE when the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried it under ash
Poseidonthe Greek god of the sea; son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and the brother of Zeus and Hades
praetoran elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army
praetorian guarda unit of elite Roman soldiers in the Imperial Roman Army
princepsLatin for first citizen or first in line; the early Roman emperors adopted this title for themselves, and it came to mean prince of Rome
Pythona monstrous dragon that Gaia appointed to guard the Oracle at Delphi
River Styxthe river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld
Sarpedona son of Zeus who was a Lycian prince and a hero in the Trojan War; he fought with distinction on the Trojan side but was slain by the Greek warrior Patroclus
Saturnaliaan Ancient Roman festival held in December in honour of the god Saturn, the Roman equivalent of Kronos
satyra Greek forest god, part goat and part man
scimitara saber with a curved blade
shurikena ninja throwing star; a flat, bladed weapon used as a dagger or to distract
Sibyla prophetess
situlaLatin for bucket
Spartana citizen of Sparta, or something belonging to Sparta, a city-state in Ancient Greece with military dominance
strix (strixes, pl.)a large blood-drinking owl-like bird of ill omen
Stygian irona rare magical metal capable of killing monsters
Styxa powerful water nymph; the eldest daughter of the sea Titan, Oceanus; goddess of the Underworld’s most important river; goddess of hatred; the River Styx is named after her
TarquinLucius Tarquinius Superbus was the seventh and final king of Rome, reigning from 535 BCE until 509, when, after a popular uprising, the Roman Republic was established
Temple of Castor and Polluxan ancient temple in the Roman Forum in Rome, erected in honour of the twin demigod children of Jupiter and Leda and dedicated by the Roman general Aulus Postumius, who won a great victory at the Battle of Lake Regillus
TerpsichoreGreek goddess of dance; one of the Nine Muses
Thermopylaea mountain pass near the sea in northern Greece that was the site of several battles, the most famous being between the Persians and the Greeks during the Persian invasion of 480–479 BCE
Tiber Riverthe third-longest river in Italy; Rome was founded on its banks; in Ancient Rome, criminals were thrown into the river
Titansa race of powerful Greek deities, descendants of Gaia and Ouranos, that ruled during the Golden Age and were overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians
tragus (tragi, pl.)a fleshy prominence at the front of the external opening of the ear
triremea Greek warship, having three tiers of oars on each side
triumviratea political alliance formed by three parties
Trojan WarAccording to legend, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband, Menelaus, king of Sparta
Trophoniusdemigod son of Apollo, designer of Apollo’s temple at Delphi, and spirit of the Dark Oracle; he decapitated his half brother Agamethus to avoid discovery after their raid on King Hyrieus’s treasury
Troya pre-Roman city situated in modern-day Turkey; site of the Trojan War
Underworldthe kingdom of the dead, where souls go for eternity; ruled by Hades
ventus (venti, pl.)storm spirits
Vulcanthe Roman god of fire, including volcanic, and of blacksmithing; Greek form: Hephaestus
Waystationa place of refuge for demigods, peaceful monsters and Hunters of Artemis, located above Union Station in Indianapolis, Indiana
Zeusthe Greek god of the sky and the king of the gods; Roman form: Jupiter