Cacus [ka'kus] or Kakos, "bad"
He was a minor fire deity who stole some of the cattle of Geryon that Heracles was taking to Mycenae. When Heracles heard one of the stolen animals lowing in Cacus' cave, he broke into the cave and strangled Cacus (Virgil, Aeneid 8.252-367; Livy 1.7.4-7).

Cadmus [kad'mus] or Kadmos, "east"
The brother of Europa, he built the city of Cadmeia (Thebes), where he saw a cow lie down. He married Harmonia and became the father of Ino, Semele, Autonoë, Agave, and (according to some accounts) Polydorus (Apollodorus 3.4.1-2; Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.1-135; Hyginus, Fabulae 178). Later he became the leader of the Encheleans and the Illyrians. He and Harmonia were turned into snakes and went to Elysium (Apollodorus 3.5.4; Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.563-603; Hyginus, Fabulae 6). Family Tree 46.

Caeneus [see'ne-us] or Kaineus, "new"
Originally a woman named Caenis, Poseidon raped her and then offered her whatever she desired. She asked to become a man and she changed her name to Caeneus. When Caeneus demanded to be worshiped as a god, Zeus caused him to be buried under a pile of logs-he flew away as a bird with yellow wings (Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.57-64; Apollodorus, Epitome 1.22; Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.189-209, 459-531).

Calchas [kal'kas] or Kalchas, "searcher"
He was a wise and accurate prophet of the Greeks at the Trojan War. After the war he went to Colophon, where he lost to Mopsus in a contest of prophetic ability and died (Apollodorus, Epitome 6.2-4). Family Tree 27.

Callisto [kal-lis'toh] or Kallisto , "most beautiful"
She was a follower of Artemis. Zeus forced his affection on her. Some accounts say he turned her into a bear to avoid detection by Hera, but Hera convinced Artemis to shoot the bear (Apollodorus 3.8.2). Other accounts say Hera herself turned Callisto into a bear (Pausanias 8.3.6-7; Hyginus, Fabulae 177). Ovid says Artemis expelled Callisto from the ranks of her followers when she discovered that Callisto was pregnant (Metamorphoses 2.409-495). Callisto's son, Arcas, was hunting one day and happened upon his mother, who was in the form of a bear, without realizing who she was-Zeus transformed both of them into constellations to avert the matricide (Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.496-507; Hyginus, Poetica Astronomica 2.1-2).

Calydonian [kal-i-doh'ni-an] boar hunt
This was the hunt for a wild boar sent by Artemis to ravage Calydon. Meleager led the expedition, which included the greatest heroes of the age. Atalanta first wounded the boar and Meleager killed it. Meleager awarded the boar's skin to Atalanta, which enraged his uncles. Meleager killed them in the argument that ensued (Homer, Iliad 9.533-599; Apollodorus 1.8.2-3; Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.268-546; Hyginus, Fabulae 171-174).

Calypso [ka-lip'soh] or Kalypso, "concealer"
The daughter of Thetis and Atlas (some sources say Nereus or Oceanus), she lived on the island of Ogygia where she detained Odysseus for seven years, promising him immortality if he would stay with her. After Zeus sent Hermes to tell Calypso she had to let Odysseus go, Odysseus built a raft and set sail (Homer, Odyssey 5.1-269). Family Tree 24.

Cassandra [kas-sand'ra] or Kassandra, "trapper of men."
Daughter of King Priam of Troy, she received the ability to prophesy from Apollo when she promised to sleep with him, but he fated her never to be believed when she went back on her promise (Apollodorus 3.12.5). She predicted that Paris' trip to Sparta to get Helen would be disastrous for Troy and that the wooden horse built by the Greeks contained armed soldiers (Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1202-1212; Apollodorus, Epitome 5.17). Agamemnon took her as his concubine after the war, and she predicted that both of them would be killed in Mycenae (Aeschylus, Agamemnon; Apollodorus, Epitome 6.23). Family Tree 42.

Castor [kas'tor] or Kastor.
A son of Leda and Tyndareus and "twin" of Polydeuces, he and Polydeuces were known as the Dioscuri (sons of Zeus). After he was killed in a quarrel with his cousins he lived with Polydeuces, one day in the Underworld and the next on Olympus (Pindar, Nemean Odes 10.60-91; Theocritus, 22.137ff.; Euripides, Helen 16ff.; Apollodorus 3.10.7, 3.11.2, Epitome 1.23; Hyginus, Fabulae 77, 80; Plutarch, Theseus 32, 34; Diodorus Siculus 4.63.1-5; Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.301-302, 373-375, Fasti 5.699ff.). Family Tree 32.

Catreus [ka'tre-us] or Katreus.
The son of Minos and Pasiphaë, he ruled a portion of Crete and was fated to be killed by one of his children. His son, Althaemenes, went to Rhodes and his daughters were sold abroad. As an old man he desired to leave his kingdom to his son, but when he sailed to Rhodes to get him, Althaemenes mistook him for an invader and killed him (Apollodorus 3.1.2, 3.2.1-2, Epitome 3.3). Family Tree 23.

Cecrops [see'kropz] or Kekrops, "tail with a face."
He was born from the earth without parents and was a snake from the waist down. He became the first king of Attica, built temples to Athena, married Agraulos and became the father of Aglauros, Herse, and Pandrosos (Apollodorus 3.14.1-2; Pausanias 1.2.6, 8.2.2-3, Hyginus, Fabulae 48).

centaurs [sen'tawrs] or Kentauroi, "bull-goaders."
A race of creatures with the head of a man and the legs and body of a horse, they were descendants of Centaurus, a son of Ixion, and the mares with whom he mated on the slopes of Mount Pelion. Chiron was the most famous of the centaurs. At the wedding of Pirithous, the centaurs tried to rape the bride and other Lapith women, causing a huge fight in which the centaurs were routed (Pindar, Pythian Odes 2.21-48; Apollodorus, Epitome 1.21; Diodorus Siculus 4.69.1-70.1; Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.210-535; Hyginus, Fabulae 33). Family Tree 33.

Cephalus [se'fa-lus] or Kephalos, "head."
This son of Hermes and Herse, and grandson of Cecrops, had an affair with Eos (Hesiod, Theogony 986-987; Apollodorus 1.9.4; Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.700-713; Hyginus, Fabulae 270). He married Procris, though, and tested her faithfulness by trying to seduce her in disguise. When he caught her beginning to yield, she joined the followers of Artemis, where she was given a hound named Laelaps, which was destined to catch its quarry in every hunt, and a javelin that was destined to hit its mark on every throw. The hound was later employed by Amphitryon in Thebes to chase a fox that was destined to outrun any pursuer. Zeus turned both of them to stone. When Cephalus and Procris were reunited, Procris thought Cephalus was having an affair, so she followed him when he went hunting; he heard her in the foliage and thought she was his prey, so he threw the javelin that always hit its mark-Procris was killed (Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.670-862; Hyginus, Fabulae 189). Family Tree 28.

Cerberus [ser'ber-us] or Kerberos, "monster of the pit"(?).
One of the offspring of Echidna and Typhon, he is the dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld to keep the living from entering and the dead from leaving. Some accounts say Cerberus has fifty heads (Hesiod, Theogony 310-312), while others say he has three heads and a mane of snakes (Apollodorus 2.5.12). The twelfth labor of Heracles was to drag Cerberus from Hades and bring him to Eurystheus (Homer, Iliad 8.366-368, Odyssey 11.623-626; Euripides, Heracles 22-25, 1276-1280; Apollodorus 2.5.12; Diodorus Siculus 4.25.1, 4.26.1; Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.408-419; Hyginus, Fabulae 30). Family Tree 1.

Cercopes [ser-koh'peez] or Kerkopes, "tailed men."
These twin sons of Oceanus and Theia were great tricksters. Their mother had warned them to beware of the "great Black Bottom." Heracles caught them attempting to steal his arrows, so he tied the two upside down at opposite ends of a pole, lifted the pole to his shoulders, and began to bear them away, but the Cercopes laughed uncontrollably. When Heracles learned that they were laughing because his bottom was black from years of exposure to the sun, he was amused and released them (Diodorus Siculus 4.31.7). Zeus turned the Cercopes into monkeys (Ovid, Metamorphoses 14.88-100). Family Tree 26.

Cercyon [ser'si-on] or Kerkyon, "tail."
He was a wrestler at Eleusis who compelled all visitors to wrestle to the death with him. Theseus accepted the challenge and killed Cercyon by smashing him to the ground (Apollodorus, Epitome 1.3; Diodorus Siculus 4.59.5; Plutarch, Theseus 11; Pausanias 1.39.3; Hyginus, Fabulae 38).

Ceres [see'reez] (Demeter), "one who produces."
She was an Italian grain goddess -- the equivalent of Demeter. In 493 B.C., a temple was dedicated to her on the Aventine Hill in Rome.

Ceto [see'toh], "whale."
A daughter of Pontus and Gaia, she was a sea monster, and mother of the Gorgons and the Graeae by Phorcys (Hesiod, Theogony 237-336). Family Tree 1 Family Tree 6.

Chaos [kay'os], "gaping."
This refers to an enormous mass with no limits or order from which the universe originated. From Chaos emerged Ge, Tartarus, Eros, Erebus and Night (Hesiod, Theogony 116-123). Family Tree 1.

Charon [ka'ron], "bright-eyed."
He was the ferryman who takes the souls of the dead across the River Styx on a barge. It was customary in antiquity to bury a persons with a coin between their teeth to pay Charon for passage across the river (Aristophanes, Frogs 138-140, 180-269; Euripides, Alcestis 252-259; Virgil, Aeneid 6.295-330). Several living people managed to gain passage from Charon--Orpheus accomplished it by charming Charon with his singing, Heracles intimidated him, and Aeneas bribed him with the Golden Bough (Virgil, Aeneid 6.384-416).

Charybdis [ka-rib'dis], "one who sucks down."
This is the name of a whirlpool in the narrow strait between Italy and Sicily, that sucked ships down to the bottom of the ocean. Opposite Charybdis lay the monster Scylla. Sailors who tried to avoid Scylla were destroyed by Charybdis, and those who tried to stay away from Charybdis were attacked by Scylla (Homer, Odyssey 12.101-110, 12.234-244; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.825-826).

Chimaera [keye-mee'ra or ki-mee'ra] or Chimaira, "she-goat."
A child of Echidna and Typhon, she was a lion in her forepart and a goat in the middle, with a serpent's tail. Bellerophon, at the behest of Iobates, killed the Chimaera by swooping down on it atop Pegasus and throwing spears at the monster (Homer, Iliad 6.178-183; Hesiod, Theogony 319-325; Apollodorus 2.3.1-2; Hyginus, Fabulae 57, Poetica Astronomica 2.18). Family Tree 1.

Chimaereus [ki-mee're-us] or Chimaireus.
He was a son of Prometheus and Celaeno and was buried at Troy. Menelaus made a sacrifice on his tomb to end a plague at Sparta because Apollo had said the plague would pass when a sacrifice was performed on the tomb of a son of Prometheus. Family Tree 4.

Chiron [keye'ron], "hand."
As the most noble and learned of the centaurs, he was the teacher of Achilles, Actaeon, Aeneas, Peleus, Heracles, Asclepius, and Jason. He was skilled in medicine, music, archery, and the use of plants and herbs. When he was accidentally wounded by one of Heracles' poisoned arrows, Chiron exchanged his immortality for the mortality of Prometheus so he could find relief from his pain in death (Apollodorus 2.5.4; Hyginus, Poetica Astronomica 2.38).

Chrysaor [kreye-say'or], "golden sword."
The son of Poseidon and Medusa, he sprang, fully grown and brandishing a golden sword, from Medusa when Perseus cut off her head. He married Callirhoë, an Oceanid, and became the father of Geryon and Echidna (Hesiod, Theogony 278-288, 979-983; Apollodorus 2.4.2). Family Tree 1.

Chryseïs [kreye-see'is], "gold."
The daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo, she was awarded to Agamemnon after the Greeks had captured her while they were making raids on the small towns around Troy. When Agamemnon refused to return her to her father, Apollo sent a plague to the Greek army. Agamemnon gave the girl back, but demanded that Achilles give him his girl, Briseïs. Achilles did so, but then refused to fight in the war (Homer, Iliad 1.8-474; Hyginus, Fabulae 121).

Cicones [si-koh'neez] or Kikones
These were a people who lived in the Thracian city of Ismarus. Odysseus attacked them on his way home from Troy, but the Cicones regrouped and attacked Odysseus' men while they were feasting and enjoying the spoils of the conquest. Six men from each of Odysseus' ships were lost in the counterattack (Homer, Odyssey 9.39-61).

Cinyras [sin'i-ras] or Kinyras, "wailing."
The grandson of Pygmalion and Galatea, his daughter, Myrrha, fell in love with him. Myrrha's nurse arranged for the girl to sleep with her father without her identity becoming known; later, when Cinyras did learn that it was his own daughter with whom he'd been sleeping, he pursued her in anger. She was transformed into a myrrh tree, which drips her tears. From the tree was born her son, Adonis. Hyginus (Fabulae 242) reports that Cinyras took his own life (Pindar, Pythian Odes 2.15-17; Apollodorus 3.14.3; Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.298-518; Hyginus, Fabulae 58). Family Tree 13.

Circe [sir'see] or Kirke, "hawk."
A sorceress-the daughter of Helios and the sister of Aeëtes-she lived on the island of Aeaea. She purified Jason and Medea of the murder of Medea's brother, Apsyrtus (Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.559-591, 4.659-752; Apollodorus 1.9.24). Odysseus spent an entire year with Circe on his way back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. She directed him to go to the Underworld for a consultation with Tiresias. Telegonus was the son of Circe and Odysseus; when Telegonus grew up, he killed his father accidentally (Homer, Odyssey 10.133-574). Family Tree 12.

Clotho [kloh'thoh] or Klotho, "she who spins."
A daughter of Zeus and Themis, she was one of the Fates who were also called Moirae or Parcae. Usually depicted as an old woman, she spun out the thread of one's life (Hesiod, Theogony 217-222, 901-906; Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 248-269; Apollodorus 1.3.1). Family Tree 5.

Clymene [kleye'me-nee] or Klymene, "glorious might."
She was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. According to Hesiod, she married Iapetus and became the mother of Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus (Hesiod, Theogony 507-511). Ovid makes her the wife of Helius and the mother of Phaëthon (Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.750-2.366). Family Tree 4.

Clytemnestra [kleye-tem-nes'tra] or Klytaimnestra, "praiseworthy wooer."
She was the daughter of Tyndareus and Leda, wife of Agamemnon, and mother of Iphigenia, Orestes, Electra, and Chrysothemis (Apollodorus, Epitome 2.16). When Agamemnon was fighting at Troy, Clytemnestra became the lover of Aegisthus; the two of them killed Agamemnon when he returned home (Aeschylus, Agamemnon; Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis; Apollodorus, Epitome 3.21-22, 4.23; Hyginus, Fabulae 117). Orestes later avenged the murder of his father by killing Clytemnestra and Aegisthus (Pindar, Pythian Odes 11.17-37; Aeschylus, Choephori; Sophocles, Electra; Euripides, Electra; Apollodorus, Epitome 4.24-25; Hyginus, Fabulae 119). Family Tree 15 Family Tree 32.

Coeus [see'us] or Koios, "one who perceives."
This son of Uranus and Gaia-one of the Titans-married his sister Phoebe and became the father of Asteria and Leto, the mother of Apollo (Hesiod, Theogony 134, 409-410; Apollodorus 1.1.3). Family Tree 3 Family Tree 21.

Coronis [co-roh'nis] or Koronis, "crow."
She was a young woman from Thessaly whom Apollo loved. The raven saw her in the arms of another young man and reported the incident to Apollo, who shot Coronis through the breast with an arrow. As Coronis lay dying, she told Apollo she was pregnant with their child. Apollo tried to save her, but it was too late; however, he was able to save the infant, whom he named Asclepius. He gave the boy to Chiron and cursed the raven with the black color that it has today (Pindar, Pythian Odes 3.8-46; Apollodorus 3.10.3; Pausanias 2.26.6; Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.533-632; Hyginus, Fabulae 202, Poetica Astronomica 2.40).

Creon [kree'on] or Kreon (1), "ruler."
He was the king of Corinth when Jason and Medea arrived there as exiles from Iolcus. When Jason arranged to marry Creon's daughter, Glauce, Medea sent a crown and a robe to Glauce, after smearing them with an ointment that would burn into Glauce's flesh. When Glauce put them on, she fell to the ground in unbearable agony. Creon tried to embrace her as she lay dying and he too was burned to death by Medea's trap (Euripides, Medea; Apollodorus 1.9.28; Ovid, Metamorphoses 7.391-403; Hyginus, Fabulae 25).

Creon [kree'on] or Kreon (2), "ruler."
This son of Menoeceus and brother of Jocasta and uncle of Oedipus became king of Thebes when Oedipus' sons, Eteocles and Polynices, were killed in the attack of the Seven against Thebes. He decreed that anyone who buried Polynices would be put to death. When Antigone performed burial rites for Polynices, he sealed her in a cave where she would starve to death. His son, Haemon, who was betrothed to Antigone, killed himself; his wife, Eurydice, then committed suicide also (Aeschylus, Seven against Thebes; Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone; Euripides, Phoenician Women; Apollodorus 3.5.8-9, 3.7.1; Hyginus, Fabulae 72).

Cretheus [kree'the-us] or Kretheus, "ruler."
He was the brother of Athamas and king of Iolcus; he was also the father of Aeson, who was the father of Jason. When Cretheus died, his stepson Pelias, son of Poseidon, and Tyro, the wife of Cretheus, seized the throne, usurping it from Aeson (Apollodorus 1.9.8, 1.9.11; Homer, Odyssey 11.235-237, 11.258-259). Family Tree 45.

Creusa [kre-ou'sa] or Kreousa.
This daughter of Priam and Hecuba, wife of Aeneas, and mother of Iulus (Ascanius) became lost while following her husband out of the burning city of Troy and was killed by the Greeks (Apollodorus 3.12.5; Pausanias 10.26.1; Virgil, Aeneid 2.596-598, 2.673-674, 2.736-795). Family Tree 42.

Crius [kreye'us] or Krios, "ram"(?).
This son of Uranus and Gaia and one of the Titans married his sister Eurybia and became the father of Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses (Hesiod, Theogony 134, 375-377; Apollodorus 1.1.3). Family Tree 3 Family Tree 18.

Cronus [kro'nus] or Kronos (Saturn), "crow," "rocky," or "accomplisher"(?).
This son of Uranus and Gaia was the youngest of the Titans (Hesiod, Theogony 137-138). He dethroned his father by castrating him. He was ruler of the world during the Golden Age. He married his sister Rhea and together they produced Hestia, Hades, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and Zeus. Cronus swallowed his children as they were born, but Rhea gave him a rock bundled in baby blankets instead of Zeus, who was taken to Crete, where he grew up. Zeus later came back and dethroned Cronus in the Titanomachy (Hesiod, Theogony 453-506; Apollodorus 1.1.3-2.1; Pausanias 8.8.2; Diodorus Siculus 5.70.1-71.1). Family Tree 2 Family Tree 3.

Cupid [kyou'pid] (Eros [er'os]), "yearning."
He was the Roman equivalent of Eros, often depicted as a winged cherub.

Cyclopes [seye-klo'peez] or Kyklopes, "round-eyes."
These three children of Uranus and Gaia each had only one eye in the center of his forehead (Hesiod, Theogony 139-146). They were confined within Gaia by Uranus but were released when Cronus castrated Uranus (Apollodorus 1.1.2-4). The Cyclopes served Zeus by providing him with thunderbolts, which they forged with their own hands (Hesiod, Theogony 501-506; Apollodorus 1.2.1; Virgil, Aeneid 8.439-453). They were slain by Apollo, who was angry because Zeus had used one of their thunderbolts to kill Asclepius, Apollo's son (Euripides, Alcestis 3-6; Apollodorus 3.10.4; Diodorus Siculus 4.71.2-3; Hyginus, Fabulae 49). Family Tree 3.

Cycnus [sik'nus] or Kyknos, "swan."
This son of Poseidon-king of Colonae, near Troy-fought on the side of the Trojans in the Trojan War, but Achilles killed him in the first battle. He was turned into a swan by his father, and flew away (Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.71-145, 580-606).

Cyrene [seye-ree'nee] or Kyrene, "lady of the rein."
She was a nymph whom Apollo saw wrestling a lion; he whisked her away to a place in Libya that was later named for her. Cyrene bore a son to Apollo named Aristaeus, who married Autonoë and became the father of Actaeon (Pindar, Pythian Odes 9.5-8; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.500-527; Diodorus Siculus 4.81-82; Virgil, Georgics 4.315-558). Family Tree 47.

Cyzicus [siz'i-kus] or Kyzikos, "exalted."
He was a king of the Doliones who lived in a small village on the coast of the Euxine Sea just inside the Hellespont. Jason and the Argonauts stopped there on their way to get the Golden Fleece. They killed Cyzicus unwittingly when a storm at sea blew them back to land and a battle ensued, with neither side realizing whom it was fighting. When daylight showed that a tragic mistake had been made, Jason and the Argonauts helped to mourn and bury Cyzicus (Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.946-1077; Apollodorus 1.9.18; Hyginus, Fabulae 16; Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 2.634-3.361).