Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a German polymath whose work pioneered or foreshadowed biogeography, modern geomagnetic and meteorological monitoring, ecology and holistic views of the universe. He also helped establish geography as an independent scientific discipline.
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Greek nymph and minor goddess. Kalypso is most famed for detaining Odysseus on her island for seven years, before the gods intervened to get him released. She then aids him to leave.
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Name origin: Greek goddess of the hearth (both private and municipal) and the home. Hestia presides over the cooking of bread and the preparation of the family meal. She was also the goddess of the sacrificial flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods.
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Name origin: Greek Naiad who was transformed into a laurel tree. Daphne was loved by the god Apollo, who pursued her until she grew exhausted and cried out to Gaia for help. The goddess transformed her into a laurel tree which Apollo then adopted as his sacred plant.
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Name origin: Aetolian princess who became a Spartan queen; mother of the Dioscuri, Clytaemnestra and Helen, after Zeus seduced her in the guise of a swan.
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Name origin: Roman goddess of trust and good faith (bona fides). One of the original virtues to be considered an actual religious divinity. She is everything that is required for “honour and credibility, from fidelity in marriage, to contractual arrangements, and the obligation soldiers owed to Rome.”
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Circe was a Greek goddess of sorcery, skilled in various magics, potions and herbs. She lived on the island of Aiaia with her nymph companions, and is best known for her appearance in the Odyssey.
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Name origin: Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards. She watches over and protects fruit trees and cares for their cultivation. She was not actually associated with the harvest of fruits itself, but with the flourishing of the fruit trees.
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Name origin: Greek; one of the three Kharites and goddess of good cheer, mirth, merriment and joy. Her name is the feminine form of the Greek word euphrosynos meaning “merriment”.
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Name origin: Greek Muse of astronomy and astronomical writings. Ourania was often depicted pointing at a celestial globe with a rod. The astrological symbol represents compass calipers.
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