Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Greek religion, religious beliefs and practices of the ancient inhabitants of the region of Greece. The civil strife that followed the classical period (from c.500 b.c.) placed the old gods on trial...

(Encyclopedia) Momus mōˈməs [key], figure in Greek mythology. He was the personification of censure and mockery. ...

(Encyclopedia) Maia māˈə, mīˈə [key]. 1 In Greek mythology, oldest of the Pleiades. She was the mother of Hermes by Zeus. 2 In Roman mythology, goddess of fertility; also called Maiesta. She was often identifi...

(Encyclopedia) Greek Anthology, a collection of short epigrammatic poems representing Greek literature from the 7th cent. b.c. to the 10th cent. a.d. It contains more than 6,000 poems on a variety of subjects by som...

(Encyclopedia) Lethe lēˈthē [key], in Greek mythology, river of forgetfulness in Hades. The dead drank from Lethe upon their arrival in the underworld. ...

(Encyclopedia) Hyperboreans hīˌpərbôrˈēənz, –bôrēˈənz [key], in Greek mythology, people dwelling in a state of perfect bliss in the Far North who were Apollo worshipers. ...

(Encyclopedia) Palladium pəlāˈdēəm [key], in Greek religion, sacred image kept in the temple of Athena at Troy. It was either an image of Athena or an image made by Athena of her unfortunate playmate Pallas (se...

(Encyclopedia) Bacchus băkˈəs [key], in Roman religion and mythology, god of wine; in Greek mythology, Dionysus. Dionysus was also the god of tillage and law giving. He was worshiped at Delphi and at the spring f...

(Encyclopedia) Greek art, works of art produced in the Aegean basin, a center of artistic activity from very early times (see Aegean civilization). This article covers the art of ancient Greece from its beginnings t...

(Encyclopedia) Greek literature, modern, literature written in Greek in the modern era, primarily beginning during the period of rebellion against the rule of the Ottoman Empire. In general, 20th-century Greek lit...