Melankomas of Caria

He was a young boxer in the early olympic games. He was not only known for his incredible boxing skills, but he was also known for his amazing good looks. His name means "the black haired one". He was very competitive, and on his death bed he asked his friend about how many days were left in the atheltic games that he had been currently participating in.

Pygmalion and Galatea

I had to include these two Greek mythology characters, I loved the story.





As the myth goes, Pygmalion was a skilled Greek sculptor who loved what he did. One day he carved a beautiful woman out of ivory, and loved it so much he clothed it and gave it jewels and named her Galatea. He went to the temple of the Goddess Aphrodite to ask for a wife just like this statue. She in turn went to his house, and upon seeing the beautiful statue, was very pleased and gave it life. Pygmalion and Galatea were married, and they frequently went to the temple of Aphrodite with gifts and food in thanks for her wonderful blessing. She in turn blessed them with happiness and love.

The Nine Muses

They were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory). They each presided over a particular department of literature, science, and art.



They are:

Calliope - Muse of Epic Poetry

Clio - Muse of History

Euterpe - Muse of Lyric Poetry

Terpsichore - Muse of Tragedy

Erato - Muse of Love Poetry

Polyhymnia - Muse of Sacred Poetry

Urania - Muse of Astronomy

Thalia - Muse of Comedy

Cassiopeia

The constellation of Cassiopeia is one of the most famous because of it's easy to spot "W" shape. It is said that Cassiopeia was the wife of the Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia. She was very proud, and bragged about her beauty. As a punishment, she was placed in the sky to revolve around the celestial pole forever, sometimes hanging upside down in uncomfortable and undignified positions.

Draco the Dragon

Draco the Dragon is a famous character of Ancient Myths, particularly Greek myths. There are various stories of how Draco became a constellation, one involves Hercules, Zeus and Athena, while the other involves Athena alone.

Pegasus

Pegasus was a winged horse that was born of a former Lybian princess named Medusa who was transformed into a monster by Athena. Pegasus was placed as a constellation in the sky after Zeus began using him to transport lightning bolts.

Jupiter - Jupiter

Jupiter was the God of the Roman Gods. He held the position that Zeus had in Greek mythology. The planet "Jupiter" was named after him because Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. Various Jupiter moons were also named after Roman Gods.

Apollo - Sun

Apollo is known in both Greek and Roman ancient mythology. In Greek he is known as the God of Sun, logic, and reason. In Rome he is known the God of light, music, and hearing. When we hear the name Apollo, we tend to think of space, due to the spacecraft that was named Apollo, but in reality, he does have to do with space, as he is associated with the Sun.

Hypnos - Hypnosis

Hypnos was the ancient Greek God of sleep and rest. The word "hypnosis" is derived from this name, as hypnosis is a method used to make people subconscious.

Chronos - Chronological

Chrono is the Greek God of time. Which is where we get the word "chronological" from, as "chronological" means in order, or in time. He was later adopted by the Romans as the God Saturn, and the planet in our solar system "Saturn" is named after him.

Ceres - Cereal

Ceres was the Greek goddess of wheat and agriculture. This is where the word "cereal" is derived from, as cereal is a type of plant.

Atlas - Atlas

Atlas was a Titan who fought against the Greek Gods. So Zeus punished him by making him carry the whole sky. Today, we use the term “Atlas” to mean a map or a series of maps all in book form.

Auster- Austral

Auster was the Greek personification of the Southern Wind. Which is where we get the word Austral from, which means something southern.