#Greek mythology

• Absyrtus — A character in Greek mythology (also known as Apsyrtos), Medea's brother, killed and dismembered by her to delay their father (Aeetes) in his pursuit of the Argonauts. In moral philosophy, hermeneutics, and early psychoanalysis, his name is used as a conceptual archetype or metaphor for innocent sacrifice, the brutal fragmentation of moral blood bonds, and tragic self-sacrifice in the name of blind passion or devastating ambition.
• Absyrtus — In Greek mythology, a Colchian prince, son of King Aeëtes and brother of Medea. He is chiefly known for his tragic role in the myth of the Argonauts; during Medea's flight with Jason on the ship Argo, she killed and dismembered Absyrtus, scattering his remains in the sea to delay her pursuing father, who stopped to gather them for burial.
• Academus — A legendary hero from ancient Attic mythology, whose primary historical and cultural significance derives from his connection to the origins of Western education. Academos owned an estate and a sacred olive grove (located northwest of Athens) where, according to myth, he helped the Dioscuri rescue Helen. This sacred grove, named 'Hekademeia' or 'Akademeia' in his honor, was later chosen by the philosopher Plato in 387 BC as the site for his famous school, transforming the hero's name into the universal etymological root for 'academy' and 'academic'.
• Acamas — The name borne by several heroes in Greek mythology, the most famous being the son of Theseus and Phaedra, mentioned in the epic cycles related to the Trojan War. He distinguished himself as an emissary sent to Troy to demand the return of Helen and as one of the brave warriors who hid inside the Trojan Horse. Broadly, the name also refers to other mythological figures, such as a Thracian leader killed in battle or a Theban warrior in the Seven against Thebes war.
• Acamas — The primary onomastic variant of the Greek mythological hero Acamante (son of Theseus), frequently used in classical Hellenic texts (such as Homer's Iliad). In the contemporary era, the term was adopted in astronomy to name an asteroid from the Jovian trojan group (136199 Acamas), which orbits near the planet Jupiter. Geographically, the name also designates a peninsula and a protected national park located at the northwestern tip of the island of Cyprus.
• Acarnan — A Greek mythological hero, one of the Epigoni, and the son of the seer Alcmaeon and the nymph Callirhoe (daughter of the river god Achelous). According to legend, Zeus miraculously accelerated his and his brother Amphoterus's growth so they could avenge their murdered father. He later migrated to the western coast of central Greece, where he founded the ancient state and region named after him: Acarnania.
• Acastus — A Greek mythological hero and king of Iolcus, son of Pelias and Anaxibia. He participated in the famous Argonauts' expedition in search of the Golden Fleece (going against his father's will) and took part in the Calydonian Boar hunt. Following his father's murder instigated by Medea, Acast ascended the throne, expelled Jason and Medea, and organized grand funeral games, a legendary episode widely celebrated in ancient poetry and art.
• Acastus — The Latinate and international variant of the name of the Greek mythological hero Acast, son of King Pelias of Iolcus. As a legendary figure, Acastus is celebrated for his participation in the Argonauts' expedition for the Golden Fleece and the Calydonian Boar hunt, later ascending the throne and becoming entangled in dramatic conflicts with Peleus and Jason as recorded by Ovid and Apollonius of Rhodes.
• Actaea — A term with multiple contexts; in botany, it represents a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the Ranunculaceae family, commonly known as baneberry, characterized by often toxic berry-like fruits. In Greek mythology, Actaea is the name of one of the Nereids (sea nymphs), and in astronomy, it designates a natural satellite of the trans-Neptunian object 120347 Salacia.
• Actaeon — A famous hero in Greek mythology, son of Aristaeus and Autonoe, raised by the centaur Chiron to become a skilled hunter. According to the structural myth described by Ovid, Actaeon accidentally surprised the goddess Artemis (Diana) bathing naked in a sacred cave; as punishment, the goddess transformed him into a stag, and he was torn to pieces by his own hunting hounds. In astronomy, his name was given to the asteroid 12242 Maxacacia.
• Actaeus — A character in Greek mythology, structurally recognized as the legendary first king of Attica (the historical region surrounding Athens), prior to the reign of Cecrops. According to ancient traditions described by Pausanias, he named the land 'Actaea' after himself; later, his daughter, Agraulos, married Cecrops, thus passing down the royal succession. His name is deeply linked to the autochthonous origins and first territorial settlements in the Hellenic space.
• Acteon — A current graphic and phonetic variant in the Romanian language for 'Actaeon'; a hero hunter in Greek mythology transformed into a stag by the goddess Artemis and torn apart by his own hounds. In an extended scientific sense, the name defines a genus of marine gastropod snails (Acteonidae) with delicate spiral shells, as well as a main-belt asteroid discovered in the 20th century, both borrowing the structural connotation of the mythological name.
• Acteu — A current Romanian graphic and phonetic variant for 'Actaeus'; a character in Greek mythology recognized as the legendary first king of Attica (the region surrounding Athens) prior to Cecrops. He is considered a primordial autochthonous ruler, born directly from the earth, who gave the initial name to the region ('Actaea') and consolidated the first territorial settlements in the Hellenic space before written history was recorded in ancient documents.
• Admetus — The traditional Romanian form for the name of Admetus, the legendary king of Pherae in Thessaly, famous in Greek mythology for being served for a year by the god Apollo and for the devotion of his wife, Alcestis, who agreed to die in his place to save his life.
• Adonian — Relating to or characteristic of Adonis, the Greek god of beauty and vegetation; reminiscent of the charm, youth, or ideal physical beauty of Adonis; adonic. As a noun, it can designate a person or follower influenced by the historical cult or aesthetics associated with this mythological figure.
• Adonis — The Greek god of masculine beauty, youth, and vegetation, associated with the annual rebirth of nature; in everyday language, the noun metaphorically designates a young man of exceptional physical beauty, elegant and attractive. Structurally, it represents the prototype of the masculine aesthetic ideal promoted by classical Hellenic sculpture and culture.
• Adrastus — A legendary proper name from Greek mythology, borne most notably by the King of Argos who organized and led the famous military expedition of the 'Seven against Thebes' to restore his son-in-law to the throne. In astronomy, the term designates a major impact crater located on the surface of Saturn's moon Tethys, named in honor of a Homeric character.
• Aeacides — An ancient patronymic used to designate any male descendant of Aeacus, the legendary king of Aegina and judge in Hades; it primarily refers to Achilles, Peleus, and Telamon. In an extended historical context, the name also refers to members of the Aeacid dynasty who ruled ancient Epirus, including King Aeacides himself (the father of Pyrrhus).
• Aeacus — Mythological king of the island of Aegina, son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, celebrated throughout the ancient world for his piety, wisdom, and profound sense of justice. Due to his incorruptible fairness during his earthly life, after his death he was appointed by the gods as one of the three judges of the dead in the Underworld, alongside Minos and Rhadamanthus.
• Aeaea — A mythical island described in Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, as the home and domain of the goddess-sorceress Circe. Surrounded by the open sea and covered in dense oak woodlands, the island represents a symbolic space of magical metamorphosis, where wanderers are transformed into wild or domestic beasts.