You might wonder how myths created over 2,000 years ago can be relevant today, but from art to advertising to movies, mythological influences have permeated all levels of culture (Juno anyone?). It should come as no surprise that parents are creating little gods and goddesses of their own these days by naming them after the immortals and mortals of ancient Greece and Rome. Come and be inspired by this new trend by finding gods and goddess baby names.

Did celebrities jump-start this baby name trend or have mythological baby names never gone out of style? Check out our ideas for gods and goddess baby names.

Celebrity Baby Name Trend

Celebrities are jumping on the mythology bandwagon, bringing even greater attention to names that are as old as time. For example:

Atlas – son of actress Anne Heche
Castor – son of Metallica rocker James Hetfield
Luna – daughter of actress Constance Marie
Mars – daughter of singer Erykah Badu
Orion – son of Sex and the City star Chris Noth

Mythological Beginnings

There are seven cities that claim to be the birthplace of Homer, the great ancient poet (not the jelly donut-eating Simpson): Argos, Athens, Chios, Colophon, Rhodes, Salamis and Smyrna. But all the credit for putting mythology into print cannot be given to just one source. Other well-known writers of mythology were Aeschylus, Euripides, Hesiod, Ovid, Sophocles and Virgil.

The Olympians

The famed Mount Olympus is the home of the mythological gods and goddesses. Cronus was the father of Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus; all six children overthrew their father, split the reign of Mount Olympus among them and named Zeus supreme ruler. The remaining great Olympians include:

Aphrodite – goddess of love
Apollo – god of archery (twin of Artemis)
Ares – god of war
Athena – goddess of wisdom
Artemis – goddess of the hunt
Dionysus – god of wine and revelry, aka the party god
Hephaestus – god of fire and craftsmanship (not considered very handsome)
Hermes – messenger of the gods

All in the Family

Playboy Zeus fathered many children with many wives including Metis, Themis, Eurynome, Demeter (yes, his sister), Mnenosyne, Leto and Hera (another sister who became his permanent wife). But being married didn’t stop Zeus from getting around. Other conquests included Aegina, Alcmene, Callisto, Danae, Electra, Europa, Ganymede, Io, Leda, Maia, Semele and Taygete.

Poseidon had a similar reputation to his brother with a list of lovers including Aethra, Amymone, Iphimedia, Medusa, Theophane and Thoosa. And Ares, the not-so-popular god of war, still had that “bad boy” appeal to up his number of love affairs to include Aerope, Aglaurus, Aphrodite, Chryse, Cyrene, Demonice, Harpinna, Otrere, Protogenia and Pyrene.

Bringing Order

Zeus’ children with Themis brought order to the universe he ruled. They were Moirai (the Fates): Atropus, Clotho and Lachesis; and the Horae (the Hours): Dike (justice), Eirene (peace) and Eunomia (discipline).

The Graces

Zeus and Eurynome produced the three Graces or Charities: Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia.

The Muses

The Muses were goddesses of the arts and daughters of Zeus and Mnenosyne: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love poetry and lyric poetry), Euterpe (music and lyric poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (mime and songs), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy) and Urania (astronomy).

Warriors and Lovers

Athena is the goddess of war, wisdom and skill. She appeared in many myths, guiding men to greatness and triumph while protecting them from battle, enemies and angry gods. She was a friend to adventurers like:

Diomedes – great warrior of the Trojan War
Jason – went on the quest for the Golden Fleece
Perseus – hero who retrieved the head of Medusa
Odysseus – intelligent, pious warrior of the Trojan War

Aphrodite lived up to her goddess of love title. Her personal conquests were high in number and included some of her fellow Olympians as well as mortals like Anchises and Butes. But she is often most famous for using her powers of love to help others get together including Paris and Helen, Milanion and Atalanta and Aeneas and Dido.

Every mythological being or creature has a story attached to them – some of them play like soap operas while others are legendary tales of bravery. If a mythological name strikes your fancy, do a little research to make sure its historical significance is something you would want associated with your child.

Read More Unique Baby Name Ideas:

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Spiritual Baby Names: An Expression of the Soul

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