Gaia
( Gaea, Ge )
Greek earth goddess and personification of the earth. She was said to be second in the order of existence after Chaos, or was said to be his daughter. She gave birth to Ouranus (heaven) and Pontus (sea). Ouranus then became her consort. Their children included Cronos, Oceanos, the Cyclopes and the Titans. Later, when Ouranus was castrated by Cronos, his semen combined with Gaia to produce the Erinyes, the Giants, and perhaps Aphrodite as well. By Tartarus she was the mother of the monster Typhon. Gaia's cult was particularly prominent in Attica. She was also said to have had an oracle at Delphi that predated the oracle of Apollo. Her attributes included the fruits of the earth and the Cornucopia. According to Homer, Gaia was invoked in oaths along with Helios (sun).
Galatea
( none )
Greek Nereid of Sicily. The Cyclops Polyphemes loved her but she loved Acis. Polyphemes threw a rock so that it would crush Acis, which it did and he became a river. Galatea stayed near the river. She did not like Polyphemes any better after his rock throwing.
Ganymedes
( none )
Ganymedes is said to have been a very handsome young man.
There are two versions of his parentage. In one he is the son of Tros & Callirhoe. Tros called the people he ruled Trojans. Callirrhoe is a daughter of the River God Scamander. The other story is that instead his parents are Assaracus & Hieromneme. Assaracus was king of the Dardanians. Hieromneme is a Naiad, daughter of the River God Simois. Zeus saw her one day and became infatuated with her. He either swooped down as an eagle, or he changed into a whirlwind, and either case took her to heaven, and raped her. As compensation to Ganymedes, Zeus made him a cupbearer to the Olympians, drawing red nectar for them, and being praised by them for his diligence and his beauty. To compensate the father of Ganymedes for the loss of his son, he gave him some remarkable mares and had Hermes tell him that he would be immortal and forever beautiful like the gods. It is the constellations of Aquarius that is said to be Ganymedes pouring water from an urn, and the Greek constellation Aquila is the eagle form Zeus took to abduct Hieromneme with.
Gebeleizis
( none )
Thracian thunder god.
Glaukos
( Glaucus )
Greek sea god. He was said to have been a fisherman who became a god when he ate a magic herb. He then leaped into the sea where he developed a tail and remained as a guardian deity of fishermen. His cult was very popular among fishermen and sailors. Glaukos was also reputed to have a gift for prophecy.
Gorgans
( none )
Greek female monster figures. Homer spoke of only one Gorgon. In Hesiod, however, there were three Gorgons: Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa - the daughters of Phorkys and Ceto. They were winged, had hair consisting of snakes, and were depicted with large teeth and protruding tongues. Any mortal who looked upon would be turned to stone. Representations of their heads were used to ward off evil in Greek temples. Stheno and Euryale were immortal. Medusa, however, was mortal, and she was eventually killed by Perseus. Medusa's head was subsequently affixed to the Aegis, Athena's famous goatskin shield.
Graces
( Charites )
The Romans referred to them as the Gratiae, which differ little from the Charites.
They were:
AGLAIA, who mated with Hephaestus
CHARIS, who mated with Hephaestus
EUPHROSYNE
PASITHEA, who mated with Hypnos and had three children - Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phantasus
THAILIA
Graii
( Graeae )
Greek grey goddesses who guarded the cavern of the Gorgons. Daughters of Phorkys and Ceto. Their names were Deino, Enyo and Pephredo. They were depicted as old hags who had one eye and one tooth among them, which they shared. Perseus stole both the eye and the tooth on his mission to kill the Gorgon Medusa.
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