Zeus:

Originally an Indo-European sky god, the most powerful of the Greek gods, the ruler of heaven and earth, lord of the sky, god of thunder and lightning, king of the gods, and known to the Romans as Jupiter, is usually depicted as a great bearded figure carrying a thunderbolt.

He obtained his power by overthrowing his father Cronus and the Titans and rules from Mt. Olympus. Notorious for his affairs with human women, Zeus often changed his appearance to seduce them, despite his marriage to Hera. He fathered many other gods with the Titans and other goddesses. The twins Apollo and Artemis were his children by a Titan named Leto. She had given birth to them on the island of Delos, where Hera had chased her in a fit of jealousy.

Zeus' favorite daughter was Athena, goddess of wisdom. She had sprung from his head fully grown and fully armed, wearing a shining helmet and a glimmering robe. Zeus's son Hephaestus had split open his father's head with an axe so that Athena could leap out. When it was time to man to be created, Zeus gave this important work to Prometheus and Epimetheus, the two Titans who had helped him in his battle against Cronus and the other Titans. Zeus also gave them the task of providing men and animals gifts that would insure their survival.

For giving men fire, Prometheus was punished by Zeus, who chained him to a rock in the Caucasus mountains, where a vulture would eat his ever-growing liver for eternity.

(See also: Zeus, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Batu (Egyptian) Also Batoo, Baiti. First man in the Egyptian legend of the Two Brothers, the probable original of the Greek story of Epimetheus and Prometheus. Just as Pandora was sent to Epimetheus, so is a beautiful girl, the creation of the heavenly artist Khnum, sent to Batu, whereupon Batu's happiness is destroyed.

(See also: Batu, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Pyrrha (Greek) Daughter of Epimetheus who, with her husband Deucalion, survived the deluge and created a new humanity. {SD 2:270; BCW 5:218-20}

(See also: Pyrrha, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Iapetus, Iapetos (Greek) A titan, son of Ouranos and Gaia, thrown into Tartarus by Zeus. He was father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas, and Menoetius.

(See also: Iapetus, Iapetos, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Clymene Klymene (Greek) In Greek mythology, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and mother of Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus by Iapetus and of Phaethon by Helios. (SD 2:493, 519)

(See also: Clymene, Klymene, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Pandora (Ancient Greek). A beautiful woman created by the gods under the orders of Zeus to be sent to Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus; she had charge of a casket in which all the evils, passions and plagues which torment humanity were locked up. This casket Pandora, led by curiosity, opened, and

thus set free all the ills which prey on mankind.

(See also: Pandora, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

Pandora (Greek) All-gifted; in Greek mythology, after Prometheus enlightened man by bringing him the celestial fire, the enraged Zeus revenges himself by seducing man, for which purpose he has Hephaestos create a woman,

Pandora, endowed with gifts from the great gods. She is brought to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus ("after-thought," the brother of "fore-thought"), bringing with her a locked box containing all human ills, which she opens from curiosity, and the ills spread over the earth. Hesiod calls her the first woman, sent as a punishment to man for his theft of the divine fire.

It evidently means that as soon as he quits his passive irresponsible state and acquires active will and intellect, man subjects himself to temptations from the lower world. Pandora is an earthly aspect of all-bounteous nature; a later interpretation of the story of the box makes it the container of blessings, which however fly away when it is opened, leaving behind only hope.

(See also: Pandora, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Titans (Greek) In Greek mythology, builders of worlds, often called cosmocratores, and as microcosmic entities the progenitors of human races; as such, of various orders, so that in mythology they were considered good or bad, as angels or entities of matter.

Hesiod's original heaven-dwelling titans, six sons and six daughters of Ouranos and Gaia (heaven and earth), were Oceanos, Coios, Creios, Hyperion, Iapetos, Kronos, Theia, Rheia, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys, but other names were later included, such as Prometheus and Epimetheus; and later still the name was given to any descendant of Ouranos and Gaia. Rebellions taking place against the rulers of heaven, followed by falls and castings out, refer to the descent of creative powers to form new worlds and races. In the rebellion of titans, first against Ouranos in favor of Kronos, then against Kronos in favor of Zeus, the titans are mixed up with other sons of heaven and earth -- Hecatoncheires (hundred-handed), Cyclopes, etc. -- and the accounts in detail are extremely intricate and confused.

The titans, in one respect, are fourth root-race giants, the Hindu daityas, who at one time obtain the sovereignty of earth and defeat the minor gods; they are thus fallen beings -- Python, suras and asuras, corybantes, curetes, Dioscuri, anaktes, dii magni, idaei dactyli, lares, penates, manes, aletae, kabeirio, manus, rishis, and dhyani-chohans -- who watched over and incarnated in the elect of the third and fourth root-races.

(See also: Titans, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Hephaistos, Hephaestus (Greek) A fire god, child of Zeus and Hera, equivalent to the Latin Vulcanus or Vulcan. He is twice cast down from Olympus, to which however he returns; thus he is a messenger of the gods to earth, and appears on various planes as a manifestation of cosmic fire. He is a kabir, a cosmic teacher of men, whom he instructed in the use of fire and the metallurgic arts. Jupiter, or the four-faced or four-sided Brahma, partakes of all four elements and disputes his fiery function to Hephaistos. The volcanic island of Lemnos, on which Hephaistos is said to have fallen when cast from Olympus, was sacred to him.

Hephaistos has both a cosmic and an earthly significance; and because he is essentially a fire god, his nature and functions are necessarily involved with all the mystical ranges of thought into which fire enters: the fire of spirit, the fire of intellect, the fire of creative activity, etc. He may generally be identified with the fiery or aspiring element in human beings derivative from the higher manas, which links Hephaistos with the manasaputric activities.

As the smith of the gods, he is related to the kabiri, the instructor of mankind in the metal arts. He made thunderbolts for Zeus, armor, jewelry, and other items for the gods, and is said to have molded the first woman, Pandora, which was sent to Epimetheus.

(See also: Hephaistos, Hephaestus, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Atlas (Greek) (from tlenai to bear)

In Greek mythology a titan, a sea god who supports on his shoulders the vault of heaven. Son of Iapetus and Clymene or Asia; brother of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius; father of the Pleiades, Hyades, Calypso, and sometimes the Hesperides.

Also a mountain or range in West Africa. Mount Atlas, considered both geographically and mythologically, parallels Mount Meru of the Hindus. Both are intimately connected with the fourth root-race. Atlas is a symbol of the fourth root-race, and his seven daughters, the Atlantides, are the seven subraces (SD 2:493).

But Atlas is also the old continents of Lemuria and Atlantis, combined and personified in one symbol, and Mount Atlas is spoken of as a relic of Lemuria. "The poets attributed to Atlas, as to Proteus, a superior wisdom and an universal knowledge, and especially a thorough acquaintance with the depths of the ocean: because both continents bore races instructed by divine masters, and because both were transferred to the bottom of the seas . . ." (SD 2:762). Atlas was compelled to leave the surface of the earth and join his brother Iapetus in the depths of Tartarus, where he supports the new continents on his "shoulders."

(See also: Atlas, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Hephaistos, Hephaestus (Greek) A fire god, child of Zeus and Hera, equivalent to the Latin Vulcanus or Vulcan. He is twice cast down from Olympus, to which however he returns; thus he is a messenger of the gods to earth, and appears on various planes as a manifestation of cosmic fire. He is a kabir, a cosmic teacher of men, whom he instructed in the use of fire and the metallurgic arts. Jupiter, or the four-faced or four-sided Brahma, partakes of all four elements and disputes his fiery function to Hephaistos. The volcanic island of Lemnos, on which Hephaistos is said to have fallen when cast from Olympus, was sacred to him.

Hephaistos has both a cosmic and an earthly significance; and because he is essentially a fire god, his nature and functions are necessarily involved with all the mystical ranges of thought into which fire enters: the fire of spirit, the fire of intellect, the fire of creative activity, etc. He may generally be identified with the fiery or aspiring element in human beings derivative from the higher manas, which links Hephaistos with the manasaputric activities.

As the smith of the gods, he is related to the kabiri, the instructor of mankind in the metal arts. He made thunderbolts for Zeus, armor, jewelry, and other items for the gods, and is said to have molded the first woman, Pandora, which was sent to Epimetheus.

(See also: Henoch, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Prometheus (Greek) [from pro fore + metis counsel]

The foreknower, he who knows beforehand, in contrast with his brother Epimetheus (the one who knows after, or when it is too late). Like other symbols, it has its seven keys of interpretation, which not merely reconciles but renders necessary the various versions of the story. Son of the titan Iapetos, Prometheus stole fire from heaven in a hollow tube (narthex) and brought it to mankind, who thereby was enlightened; for this Prometheus was chained by Zeus to a rock on Mt. Caucasus, where an eagle devours his liver by day, the liver being restored by night; until finally he is released by Hercules or Dionysos.

Ovid tells that after Deukalion's flood, Zeus ordered Prometheus and Athene to create a new race of men out of mud; he made them in the image of the gods with an upright posture, after Epimetheus had succeeded in fashioning only mindless creatures. This represents a stage in the history of the downward arc of evolution, which may be interpreted cosmically, geographically, and in relation to man. It is in one sense the descent of the manasaputras, agnishvattas, and other Sons of Flame, who endowed the mindless forms with the divine spark; so that Prometheus is Lucifer, Phosphoros, the Light-bringer, the serpent of Eden, etc.

In the antithesis between Zeus (here not the supreme Olympian lord) and Prometheus, is the antagonism between the Hebrew Lord God and the serpent. The so-called disobedience of these fallen angels is an act of spiritual chivalry, in which the divine prerogative of free will is exercised in the spirit of compassion, an old order is superseded, and a new chapter in evolution is begun. In both stories the deity invokes a curse upon the fallen angel and his new humanity; and this curse is fulfilled in the suffering caused by the conflict between the two natures in man thus awakened. Prometheus, who may also be taken as representing humanity, is fastened to a rock representing karmic destiny, while the vultures of new-born knowledge and self-consciousness gnaw at his inner being. But the curse ends in a blessing, and Hercules or Dionysos delivers the Chrestos or immanent Christ, enlightens and raises the neophyte.

The story is in one sense but another version of that of manas between kama and buddhi. Zeus represents the host of primeval progenitors, pitris (fathers) who formed man without mind; and Prometheus symbolizes the host of spiritual creators who "fell" into matter -- humanity -- to enlighten the latter. The drama of Prometheus is thus still enacted through the ages -- but man can rebecome the unfallen titan. Geographical allusions to the locations of the great root-races are seen in the mention of Mt. Caucasus, a name for the far north where the Aryan race, as an instance, was first developed.

The name of the Hebrew Prometheus is Azazel.

(See also: Prometheus, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek Τιταν, plural Τιτανες) are among a series of gods, some of whom opposed Zeus and the Olympian gods in their ascent to power. Others who opposed the gods include the Gigantes, Typhon, and Ophioneus. Greeks of the Classical age knew of several poems about the war between the gods and many of the Titans. The dominant one, and the only one that has survived, was the Theogony attributed to Hesiod. A lost epic Titanomachy attributed to the blind Thracian bard Tham ...

Including:

• Titan mythology - The Titans in Hesiod
• Titan mythology - The Titans in other Greek sources
• Titan mythology - The Titans in the twentieth century
• Titan mythology - Titans in Neopaganism
• Titan mythology - Titans in Modern Literature

Read more here: » Titan mythology: Encyclopedia - Titan mythology

Minor planets, or planetoids are minor bodies of the Solar system orbiting the Sun (or of other planetary systems orbiting other stars) that are larger than meteoroids (the largest of which might be taken to be around 10 meters or so across) but smaller than major planets (Mercury having a diameter of about 4880 km). The term minor planet is sometimes used as a synonym for asteroid though this is technically incorrect; asteroids are one group of minor planets, a category which also includes Trans-Neptunian objects and ot ...

Including:

• Minor planet - Groups out to the orbit of Earth
• Minor planet - Groups out to the orbit of Mars
• Minor planet - The main asteroid belt
• Minor planet - Families within the main asteroid belt
• Minor planet - Other groups out to the orbit of Jupiter
• Minor planet - Groups beyond the orbit of Jupiter
• Minor planet - Quasi-satellites and horseshoe objects

Read more here: » Minor planet: Encyclopedia - Minor planet

In Greek mythology, Prometheus, or Prometheas (Ancient Greek, Προμηθεύς, "forethought") is the Titan chiefly honored for stealing fire from the gods in the stalk of a fennel plant and giving it to mortals for their use. Prometheus - Worship. As a god of fire, burning, and craft, Prometheus had a small shrine in the Keramikon, or potter's quarter, of Athens, not far from Plato's Academy. Prometheus - Myth. Prometheus was a son of Iapetus by Clymene ( ...

Including:

• Prometheus - Worship
• Prometheus - Myth
• Prometheus - Comparative perspectives
• Prometheus - Promethean myth in culture

Read more here: » Prometheus: Encyclopedia - Prometheus

(Most of the gods and goddesses had Roman equivalents.) See also family tree of the Greek gods and the list of Greek mythological creatures. List of Greek mythological characters - Immortals. List of Greek mythological characters - The twelve gods of Olympus. Aphrodite - Goddess of beauty and Love Apollo - God of healing, light, and poetry, patron of scribes Arês - God of war Artemis - Goddess of the hunt and the moon Athena - G ...

Including:

• List of Greek mythological characters - Greek mythological characters
• List of Greek mythological characters - Immortals
• List of Greek mythological characters - The twelve gods of Olympus
• List of Greek mythological characters - Other deities
• List of Greek mythological characters - Primeval gods
• List of Greek mythological characters - Titans
• List of Greek mythological characters - The Hundred-Handed
• List of Greek mythological characters - Cyclopes
• List of Greek mythological characters - River gods
• List of Greek mythological characters - Nymphs
• List of Greek mythological characters - Giants
• List of Greek mythological characters - Mortals
• List of Greek mythological characters - A-B
• List of Greek mythological characters - C-G
• List of Greek mythological characters - H-L
• List of Greek mythological characters - M-P
• List of Greek mythological characters - R-Z

Read more here: » List of Greek mythological characters: Encyclopedia - List of Greek mythological characters

Pollux. In Greek mythology, Pollux or Polydeuces was one of the twin sons of Zeus, see Castor and Pollux Pollux is a bright star in the constellation Gemini. Julius Pollux, (Ioulios Poludeukes) a Greek rhetorician of the latter half of the second century ad; a native of Naucratis, Egypt. He taught at Athens, and compiled a Greek Lexicon. Pollux was a dog in the French children's TV series Le Manège Enchanté, better known as Dougal in the

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3753 Cruithne (English crew-een'-ya; Modern Irish ['krɪnʲə]) is an asteroid in orbit around the Sun. It is sometimes described as Earth's "second moon", though this is technically incorrect: its orbit has unusual properties when viewed in relation to the orbit of the Earth (see below), but it is not a satellite of the Earth. Cruithne was discovered on October 10, 1986, by J. Duncan Waldron, working with Robert H. McNaught, Malcolm Hartley and Michael R. S Hawkins a ...

Including:

• 3753 Cruithne - Cruithne's horseshoe orbit and the orbit of the Earth

Read more here: » 3753 Cruithne: Encyclopedia - 3753 Cruithne

In Greek mythology, Deucalion, or Deukálion ("new-wine sailor") was the son of Prometheus and Clymene or Celaeno. When the wrath of Zeus was ignited against the whole of the Pelasgians, the original pre-Hellenic inhabitants of Greece, Zeus decided to bring an end to the Golden Age with the Great Deluge. It appears that all was not as golden as it seemed, at least not in primitive Arcadia, where an old cult of the wolf that demanded human sacrifice and the eating of human flesh lingered longest, for there the son of Pela ...

Read more here: » Deucalion: Encyclopedia - Deucalion

Gods Enlil and 7 who decree fate Ishtar and planet Venus Tiamat and Tablets of Destiny Annunaki and astronauts Marduk and Babylon Heroes Utnapishtim and world-flood Tammuz and new life Gilgamesh and Cedar Forest Enkidu, the man-beast Monsters Zu, the lion-eagle Kingu, mankind's bloodSee also:

Deluge mythology, Deluge mythology - Flood myths in various cultures, Deluge mythology - Ancient Near East, Deluge mythology - Europe, Deluge mythology - Americas, Deluge mythology - India, Deluge mythology - China, Deluge mythology - Batak Indonesia, Deluge mythology - Theories of origin, Deluge mythology - Other references

Read more here: » Deluge mythology: Encyclopedia II - Deluge mythology - Flood myths in various cultures

Gods Enlil Ishtar Tiamat and Tablets of Destiny Annunaki Marduk and Babylon Heroes Utnapishtim Tammuz Gilgamesh and Enkidu Monsters Zu Humbaba Kingu Resheph Namtar Related Me, divine decrees Ma, primeval land Irkalla, the underworld Mesopotamian religion The Fertile Crescent

See also:

Deluge mythology, Deluge mythology - Flood myths in various cultures, Deluge mythology - Ancient Near East, Deluge mythology - Europe, Deluge mythology - Americas, Deluge mythology - India, Deluge mythology - China, Deluge mythology - Batak Indonesia, Deluge mythology - Theories of origin, Deluge mythology - Other references

Read more here: » Deluge mythology: Encyclopedia II - Deluge mythology - Flood myths in various cultures