If you have played several of the games in the King's Quest series, you may have noticed that many of the characters roaming the lands are references to mythological figures. Being a great fan of Graeco-Roman mythology, I decided to devote a section describing the tale and myth behind some of them. If you have any comments, pleaseost them on the Sierra Planet Forums. Click on the name button to see a picture.

CERES - Goddess of harvest. Her Greek name is Demeter. Unlike the other gods, who were fickle and mostly caused mischief to humans, Ceres was kind and loving. She was worshipped by the people of Eleusis. The ceremonies held in Eleusis for Ceres were so secret that not even the other gods knew what they were like (this is the origin of the word elusive).

CHARON - The old ferryman in Hades who brought dead people across the Styx river in his ferry. Charon allowed passage only to the persons who were buried properly with a coin (an obol) under the tongue. The dead ones who did not have a coin had to wander on the river bank for 100 years. It seems, though, that Count Dracula had some kind of influence on Charon because Charon let King Graham to enter his boat, thinking that he was Dracula. Now, why did the corpse in the catacombs contain 2 coins? And why did Alexander have to pay the 2 coins to Charon? Did the old ferryman charge double fee from live people? Perhaps.

CUPID - God of love. His Greek name is Eros. In most myths, he was a small mischievous child who used to shoot love arrows at mortals and gods as well -- even at Zeus.

THE FATES - Also known as the Moirae, they were three goddesses who controlled the death date of all mortals. Their names: Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Clotho was the goddess who wove the thread of life; Lachesis cast lots to determine when a certain mortal would die; and Atropos used the terrible scissors to cut the thread, thus ending mortal life.

THE GRAEAE - The Grey Sisters, three old Goddesses who lived in the north. They had only one eye and one tooth. When Perseus traveled north to kill Medusa, he needed guidance from the Grey Sisters; but knowing that they would not reveal any information willingly (the Gorgons were their relatives after all), he stole their only eye and gave it back only after they gave him directions.

THE HARPIES - Evil Goddesses, half-women, half-birds, who were sent by the Gods to punish mortal sinners. They would appear whenever those sinners were about to eat, grabbing all the food, leaving only foul stench and filth.

MEDUSA - One of the Gorgons -- three evil goddesses, with snakes instead of hair, who could turn to stone whoever looked in their eyes. Medusa was mortal, unlike her two older sisters, so Perseus managed to kill her. He used polished shield when striking her, so he did not have to look straight at her and be turned to stone.

MINOTAUR - An evil monster, half-bull, half-man. Minos, king of Crete, held the minotaur in a great labyrinth where he would throw in Athenian prisoners to feed the beast. Theseus, the famous hero, managed to find his way in the labyrinth and killed the minotaur with the help of princess Ariadne, who gave him a ball of thread to find his way in and out of the labyrinth.

NEPTUNE - God of the sea. His Greek name is Poseidon. Neptune's weapon was the trident. With it, he would cause earthquakes.

ORACLE - The temple of the prophet God Apollo in Delphi. The term is also used for the prophets. People from all over Greek used to visit Delphi to ask the Oracle for future-telling. These prophecies, though, were mostly vague and ambiguous.

PAN - A lesser Greek God -- satyr (half man, half goat), God of forests and shepherds, protector of sheep and cattle herds. Pan invented a flute made out of reeds -- which is called "Pan's Pipe." Pan used to frighten unwary travelers by making a terrible noise (this is where the word panic came from).

PANDORA - The first mortal woman. After Prometheus stole the fire and gave it to humans, Zeus sought revenge. He created Pandora and married her to Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. Zeus gave Pandora a beautifully-crafted chest as a wedding gift. In fact, the chest contained all kinds of illnesses and diseases. Pandora, being curious, opened the chest, letting go of all the evil that had been in it. This was the revenge of Zeus. Hence the phrase "Pandora's Box" -- origin of terrible mischief, which is harmless as long as no one tampers with it.

PEGASUS - Winged immortal horse. Bellerophon, who sought to kill the Chimaera, managed to catch and tame Pegasus, using magic bridle which was given to him by Athena.