king of the gods
Zeus
queen of the gods
Hera
Hermes
the main character of the story; the one who must overcome a series of hardships in order to be successful
hero
a word, object, or color that stands for/represents something else
symbol
god of the sea
Poseidon
goddess of love
Aphrodite
god of war
Ares
beautiful, vulnerable, and in need of rescue
damsel in distress
a statement or message the author is making about the human experience
theme
god of the underworld
Hades
goddess of wisdom
Athena
goddess of agriculture
Demeter
the antagonist; the opponent with whom the hero must struggle
villain
the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied
archtype
god of light/truth
goddess of springtime
Persephone
god of wine/feasting
Dionysus
serves as the hero’s role model or conscience
mentor
a reference to a well-known piece of art, mythology, literature, song, event, or person in a work of literature
allusion
god of fire/forge
Hephaestus
goddess of the moon/hunt
Artemis
goddess of hearth and home
Hestia
the companion to the hero
sidekick
an object, concept, or symbol in literature that reappears again and again
motif