major figures in Greek mythology, the significant characters, including gods, goddesses, heroes, and other legendary figures, of Greek mythology. The personalities are known primarily from ancient Greek literature, including such classic works as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Hesiod’s Works and Days and Theogony, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The mythological figures are also featured in the dramas of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. This body of stories has had an extensive influence on the arts and literature of Western civilization, which is heir to much of Greek culture.