＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・ギリシャ神話の「オリュンポス１２神」以外の男神たち（その１）
Previously, I introduced the “Twelve Olympians,” the most famous gods in Greek mythology, but there are many other gods and goddesses as well.
Therefore, this time, I will introduce the male gods appearing in Greek mythology in alphabetical order.
1. Titans (Titan Gods)
(1) What are the Titans (Titan Gods)?
The Titans (Titan Gods) are gods who appear in Greek and Roman mythology.
They are the “ancient gods who preceded the Olympian gods,” including Cronus, who usurped the kingship of Uranus (the heavens). They are said to have enormous bodies.
In a narrow sense, it refers to the “twelve Titans” (*) (the twelve gods born to Uranus and Gaia), but in a broader sense, Dione and Phorcys are sometimes added.
(*) The Twelve Titans (in alphabetical order):
Iapetus, Oceanus, Clius, Cronus, Coeus, Theia, Tethys, Themis, Hyperion, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Rhea
When Zeus challenged his father Cronus to war, many of the Titans sided with Cronus, resulting in a great war that lasted for 10 years. This war is called the “Titanomachia.”
The Titans were ancient nature gods in the Balkan Peninsula, predating the establishment of the Zeus cult, which originated from the sky god common to Indo-European languages. They were believed to be sealed underground, and it was thought that earthquakes occurred when they occasionally raged.
(2) Specific examples of names derived from the Titans
While Mazda trucks also bear the name “Titan,” there are many other famous examples.
The adjective “titanic” means “huge,” and names like the tragic luxury liner “Titanic,” the terror bird “Titanis,” and the dinosaur “Titanosaurus” are derived from “Titan.”
The element “titanium” was also named for its exceptional strength and durability. Many of Saturn’s moons are also named after Titan.
Incidentally, the English name for Saturn, “Saturn,” is derived from the name “Cronus” (or “Saturnus” in Roman mythology).
The villains in the 1997 Disney film “Hercules” and the “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” series were the “Titans.”
He appears as a main character or antagonist in the video game series “God of War,” and in the films “Clash of the Titans” (1981), “Clash of the Titans” (2010), and “Wrath of the Titans” (2012).
2. Gods beginning with the letter A
① Aeon (Ion): God of time. Eternity and the Chinese zodiac
In Latin, it’s aeon or æon, and in English, aeon or eon.
Aeon is an ancient Greek word meaning “a period of time,” and has meanings such as “era,” “century,” and “a person’s life,” which are related to the “eras” in astrology, such as the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius.
It is the origin of the name of the major retail group Aeon Co., Ltd.
It is said to embody the wish that “contributing to customers is an eternal mission, and that in fulfilling that mission, the company will continue to develop and prosper forever.”
② Aether (Aether): The primordial sky god. The clear, pure air of the heavens.
His father was Erebus and his mother was Nyx. He is the personification of the clear, radiant air believed to reside in the upper reaches of the heavens.
The image above is “Aether Fighting the Lion-Headed Giant” from the Pergamon Altar in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
③ Asclepius (Asclepius, Ascrapius): Son of Apollo. God of Medicine
He is said to have been able to resurrect even the dead with his superior medical skills, and later ascended to the throne of a god. Therefore, he remains a symbolic figure of medicine today.
He was the son of Apollo and Coronis.
The image above shows a seated statue of Asclepius holding a staff entwined with a snake.
This “Rod of Asclepius” (the snake staff) is his “attribute” and is used worldwide as a “symbol of medicine.”
The staff in the WHO (World Health Organization) logo (image below) is derived from this staff.
④ Astraeus: Meaning “Man of the Stars.” God of the starry sky. Father of the wind gods.
He was the son of Clius the Titan and Eurybia, daughter of Pontus, and brother of Pallas Perses.
Astraeus and Eos fathered Zephyrus, the god of the west wind; Boreas, the god of the north wind; Notus, the god of the south wind; and Eosphorus, the god of the morning star, along with the stars themselves.
⑤ Atlas: One of the Titan gods. He is said to support the heavens with his arms and head.
He is the son of Iapetus, one of the Titan gods, and Clymene, daughter of Oceanus, and the older brother of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius.
The name originates from an Old Indo-European word meaning “supporter,” “endurer,” or “rebel.”
The term “Atlas” for an atlas originates from Mercator’s depiction of Atlas on the cover of his atlas in 1636.
The name Atlas was used for the “intercontinental ballistic missile” developed by the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but in the 1960s it was repurposed for “space development,” being used for “artificial satellites” and the “manned satellite launch rocket” of the Mercury program.
⑥ Anemoi: Gods of Wind
The Anemoi are gods of wind in Greek mythology. They preside over the four cardinal directions (east, west, north, and south), and each is associated with different seasons and weather conditions.
There are four main Anemoi. Boreas is the north wind that carries the cold winter air, Notus is the south wind that carries the storms of late summer and autumn, and Zephyrus is the west wind that carries the breezes of spring and early summer. Euros, the east wind, is not associated with any season.
In addition, there are four lower-ranking deities: Kaichias (northeast wind), Apeliotes (southeast wind), Skiron (northwest wind), and Lips (southwest wind).
⑦ Aristaeus: Believed to have invented beekeeping and cheesemaking.
He was the son of Apollo and Cyrene. Aristaeus married Autonoe, the daughter of Cadmus, and had two children, Actaeon and Macris.
He is said to have invented beekeeping techniques by building beehives, and also to have introduced cheesemaking techniques, olive cultivation, and pressing methods.
⑧ Anteros: God of reciprocal love. Considered to be Eros’s brother.
His name means “one who loves,” and he was considered a symbol of mutual love and fraternal love. He is also sometimes seen as a vengeful figure in love.
He is considered the son of Ares and Aphrodite, and the brother of Eros.
When struck by Eros’s arrow, the person is overcome with intense unrequited love for someone. Anteros then shoots an arrow at the object of this unrequited love, allowing the feelings to be reciprocated.
Furthermore, in the motif of “Blind Cupid,” where Eros is blindfolded and fires arrows indiscriminately, his arrows hit even those who would be harmed by their impact. In such cases, Anteros is said to shoot an arrow to transform blind love into rational love, and Anteros is also interpreted as a god who rejects love.
⑨ Iapetus: Father of the brothers Atlas, Menoetis, Prometheus, and Epimetheus
Son of Uranus and Gaia, and one of the Titan gods.
Iapetus fathered Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus with Clymene, the daughter of Oceanus.
During the Titanomachy (*), he fought fiercely against Zeus’s forces alongside his other brothers, but was defeated and lost the realm of Tartarus. His sons also all opposed Zeus.
(*) The Titanomachy is a battle in Greek mythology between the Olympian gods led by Zeus and the Titans, the giants led by Cronus.
This great war, which threatened to destroy the entire universe, lacked a decisive victory due to the conflict between immortal gods, and is said to have lasted for 10 years.
Gaia advised Zeus and his allies that they could win if they gained the support of the three Hecatoncheires (hundred-armed giants) and the three Cyclopes, whom Uranus had imprisoned in Tartarus.
Zeus and his allies defeated Campe, who had been guarding the two imprisoned giants, freed them, and gained their allegiance by giving them nectar and ambrosia.
In return for their help, the Cyclopes crafted and presented weapons to Zeus and his allies. They bestowed upon Zeus the thunderbolt that could destroy and burn everything, upon Poseidon the trident that ruled the seas and continents, and upon Hades the cap of invisibility.
The two armies clashed again, and the Olympian forces, armed with powerful allies and ultimate weapons, consistently maintained their advantage.
Poseidon’s trident shook the entire Earth with tremendous force, and the invisible Hades seized the Titans’ weapons. The Hecatoncheires relentlessly hurled 300 massive boulders at a time, overwhelming the Titans.
Zeus unleashed his thunderbolt without mercy, its overwhelming power causing the heavens to crumble and the world to be turned upside down. The lightning that filled the entire space burned the eyes of the Titan gods, instantly blinding them. The sacred flames erupting from the thunder utterly destroyed the Earth, and even the entire universe and its source, Chaos, were consumed by Zeus’s lightning.
The Titans could not withstand the unimaginable onslaught of the Olympian forces, and finally, the great war of the gods, which had lasted for 10 years, came to an end.
Thus, the Olympian gods achieved a glorious victory. Afterward, the immortal Titans were sealed away in the abyss of Tartarus, and the rule of Olympus began.
⑩ Uranus (Uranus, Caelus): Meaning “Heaven.” King of the primordial gods. Son and husband of Gaia.
Uranus is the “Sky God” and is considered the king of the primordial gods who first ruled the entire universe. He is said to have possessed an immeasurably large body, and to have been enveloped in the universe itself, a universe filled with countless galaxies.
Ouranos means “heaven” in Greek, and is the personification of heaven itself.
He was both the son and husband of Gaia, and together they fathered Cronus and the other twelve Titan gods.
⑪ Urea: Gods of the mountains. There are said to be ten of them, children of Gaia.
The Urea are simply “personifications of mountains,” neither male nor female.
They include Etna, Athos, Helicon, Nisos, Olympus (1, 2), Oreius, Parnes, and Tomorus, and like Uranus and Japontus, are believed to have been created through Gaia’s parthenogenesis.
⑫ Epimetheus: One of the Titan gods. Brother of Prometheus and husband of Pandora.
Epimetheus comes from the Greek words “ἐπί (above, further) + μάθη (learning),” meaning “the one who thinks in addition.” While his brother Prometheus’s name means “foresight” or “foresight, careful consideration before acting,” his name carries the nuance of “hindsight.”
He was the son of Iapetus and Clymene.
Epimetheus’s brothers were all Titan warriors who rebelled against Zeus, were defeated, and suffered harsh torment. However, Epimetheus is said to have been dull-witted, and there are no stories of him specifically opposing Zeus.
One reason given for his dullness is that “his abilities were stolen by his brothers.” However, he was ultimately humiliated by Zeus, caught up in his brother Prometheus’s actions.
After Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humankind, Zeus feared that humans would become stronger than the gods and plotted to bring disaster upon them. Therefore, he had Hephaestus create the beautiful Pandora and gave her to Epimetheus as a gift.
Prometheus warned Epimetheus, but Epimetheus ignored him and took Pandora as his wife. Later, Pandora opened a jar (some say a “box”) given to her by Zeus and unleashed the plagues that were inside. This is what is known as “Pandora’s Box.” However, Epimetheus and Pandora escaped the disaster and survived the subsequent great flood.
⑬ Erebus: The primordial god. The personification of the “underworld.”
The name Erebus means “underworld.” He is also the god of the dark underworld, and is often confused with Tartarus.
He was both Nyx’s brother and husband, and together they fathered Hemera, Aether, and Charon.
Just as mother Nyx and daughter Hera are two sides of the same coin, representing night and day, father Erebus and son Aether are two sides of the same coin, representing the darkness of the underworld and the light of the heavens.
⑭ Eros: The god of love and sexuality. Considered the primordial god or the son of Aphrodite.
Eros is a deified concept derived from the Greek verb “ἔραμαι,” meaning sexual love or passion, which became a common noun.
In Roman mythology, Eros is associated with Amor or Cupido, which in Latin has a meaning close to “suffering love.”
Cupido later became infantilized, transforming into a small angel-like figure known as Cupid in English, but was originally imagined as a bearded man.
Similarly, in ancient Greece, Eros was depicted as a powerful winged man or a youthful young man, but eventually came to be imagined as a boy.
The “attributes” symbolizing Eros are the bow and arrow and the torch.
⑮ Oceanus: One of the Titan gods. God of the sea and open ocean.
Oceanus is a sea god, particularly a deification of ocean currents. In Latin, he is “Oceanus.”
He is said to have fathered 3,000 rivers and 3,000 daughters (the water nymphs of Greek mythology, the Oceanides) with the goddess Tethys.
⑯ Oneiros (plural: Oneiroi): The deification of “dream”
Oneiros is the Greek word for “dream,” and its deification. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, he is the son of Nyx (night) and the brother of Hypnos (sleep) and Thanatos (death).
⑰ Ophion (Ophion, Ophioneus): Considered the first ruler of Olympus
Ophion, who married Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus, is considered the first ruler of Olympus.
Because his name contains the word “opis” (snake), he is considered a snake god.
