Gods of Heaven

Apollo (Phoebus, Paean) - The Greek and Roman god of sunlight, prophecy, music, and poetry. Son of Jove and Latona, twin brother of Diana. He is the patron god of Argos.
Athena (Pallas, the maiden, Parthenos, Minerva) - The Greek goddess of wisdom. Born full-grown out of Zeus’ forehead, she is the patron god of Athens. Athena lends her powers to both the Argive and Theban heroes throughout Statius’ epic.
Aurora* - Goddess of the Dawn.
Bacchus (Dionysus) - The Greek god of wine, and patron god of Thebes.
Bellona (Enyo) - The goddess of war.
Clio*# - One of the nine daughters of Zeus and Memory, she is the Greek Muse of history.
Diana (Artemis) - The Greek goddess of the woods. Daughter of Jove and Latona, she is the twin sister of Apollo. She ensures a glorious death for Parthenopaeus.
Dione* - The mother of Aphrodite.
Gradivus (Mars) - The Greek god of War. Son of Zeus and Hera. He is both a character and a symbol of war throughout Statius’ epic.
Iris - Messenger of the gods. Recruited by Juno, she travels to Bacchus’ home to request that a deep sleep be put over the Theban offensive camp.
Jove (Jupiter, Saturnian father, the Thunderer) - Supreme ruler of heaven, earth and the underworld. It is Jove’s promise to fulfill Oedipus’ prayer to Tisiphone that causes the Dircean war.
Juno - The Greek goddess of marriage, wife and sister of Jove. She is the supporter and protector of Argos.
Latona (Leto) * - Mother of Apollo and Diana
Lucifer* - God of light.
Mercury (Hermes, the winged Maenalian) - Messenger of the gods. Son of Jove and Maia.
Neptune (Poseidon)* - Ruler of the seas, brother of Jove.
Venus (Aphrodite) - The Greek goddess of love and beauty. She is the daughter of Zeus and Dione and the wife of Vulcan. She is responsible for Polyxo’s vision that leads to the slaughter on Lemnos.

Thebans

Agenor* - The father of Cadmus.
Amphion* - Historical king of Thebes who erected the walls that surround the city.
Antigone - Daughter of Oedipus. Leads Oedipus to the corpses of Eteocles and Polynices. Pleads with Creon to allow Oedipus to be exiled only from Thebes and not from Boetia. Protects Polynices’ flaming corpse with Argia.
Atys - Betrothed to Ismene, he is killed by Tydeus.
Cadmus* - Son of Agenor, Cadmus is the founder of Thebes.
Crenaeus - Son of Ismenis, killed by Hippomedon.
Creon - Uncle of Oedipus. Assigned to the Ogygia gate during the attack on Thebes. Assumes the throne in Thebes after the deaths of Eteocles and Polynices. Prohibits the burial of the fallen Argives in the battle of Thebes. Sentences Antigone and Argia to death for burning Polynices’ corpse. Killed by Theseus.
Dryas - Theban general assigned to the Electrae gate during the attack on Thebes. He is responsible for mortally wounding Parthenopaeus. Killed by an unknown source.
Eteocles - Son of Oedipus, brother of Polynices, Antigone and Ismene.
Eurymedon - Theban general assigned to the Hypsistae gate during the attack on Thebes.
Haemon - Son of Creon, brother of Menoeceus. Theban general assigned to the Homoloidae gate during the attack on Thebes.
Harmonia - Wife of Cadmus. Her cursed necklace is given to Argia on her wedding day, and is eventually acquired by Amphiaraus’ wife, Eriphyle.
Hypseus - Theban general assigned to the Proetiae gate during the attack on Thebes. Mocks Hippomedon’s corpse, and is killed by Capaneus.
Ide - Mother of the twins, Chromis and Periphas, who were pierced together by Tydeus’ spear.
Ismene - Daughter of Oedipus, betrothed to Atys. Kills herself after finding her mother’s corpse.
Ismenis - Petitions Ismenos to avenge her son’s death. She is the ultimate cause of Hippomedon’s death.
Jocasta - Widow of Laius, wife of Oedipus, mother of Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone and Ismene. Kills herself with Laius’ sword after the death of her two sons.
Laius (Polybus) - Father of Oedipus, murdered by Oedipus at Phocis.
Maeon - Sole survivor of the initial ambush on Tydeus. He kills himself after bringing word of the slaughter to Eteocles.
Manto - Daughter of Tiresias.
Melanippus - Theban warrior whose head is gnawed on by the dying Tydeus (it was his spear that mortally wounded Tydeus).
Menoeceus - Son of Creon, brother of Haemon. Theban general assigned to the Dircaea gate during the attack on Thebes. Kills himself to save Thebes. He is the only warrior who is granted a special burial under Creon’s rule after the battle for Thebes.
Oedipus - Husband of Jocasta, father of Polynices, Eteocles, Antigone and Ismene. It is Oedipus’ prayer to Tisiphone that ultimately causes the Dircean war.
Palaemon# - A god of the sea, son of Ino.
Phorbis - Theban seer.
Pleiades* - Refers to the seven daughters of Atlas (Electra, Maia, Taygete, Alcyone, Merope, Celaeno, Sterope).
Polynices - Son of Oedipus, brother of Eteocles, Antigone and Ismene.
Tiresias - Blind Theban prophet.

Argives

Acaste - Adrastus’ maid. Adrastus - The king of Argos. He is the sole survivor of the seven against Thebes.
Amphiaraus - Prophet, son of Oecleus. High priest to Apollo.
Argia - daughter of Adrastus, wife of Polynices.
Atalanta - Mother of Parthenopaeus.
Capaneus - One of the seven against Thebes. Kills Hypseus during the battle at the Ismenos River. Attempts to kill Eteocles, but is incinerated by one of Jove’s lightning bolts for his disrespect to the gods.
Coroebus - Argive hero, slayer of one of Apollo’s monsters.
Deipyle - daughter of Adrastus, wife of Tydeus.
Dorceus - Best friend of Parthenopaeus, and messenger to Atalanta after Parthenopaeus’ death.
Dymas - Argive warrior who is caught while trying to rescue the bodies of Tydeus and Parthenopaeus. He kills himself after he is captured by Amphion to avoid releasing secret information.
Eriphyle - Wife of Amphiaraus. Her ownership of Harmonia’s cursed necklace is ultimately the cause of her husband’s death.
Evadne - Wife of Capaneus. Travels to Athens and begs Theseus to allow them to bury the Argive dead.
Hippomedon - One of the seven against Thebes. Wins the discus throw at the Nemean games. Is killed during the battle at the Ismenos River. Mocked by Hypseus.
Hopleus - Argive warrior who is killed while trying to rescue the bodies of Tydeus and Parthenopaeus.
Melampus - Prophet, son of Amythaon. Climbs Mt. Aphesas with Amphiaraus and petitions Apollo for an omen.
Menoetes - Argia’s companion on her journey to Thebes.
Nealce - Wife of Hippomedon.
Palaemon - Informs Adrastus of Amphiaraus’ fate and suggests that they leave the battle because the earth itself has foreshadowed victory for Thebes.
Parthenopaeus - Son of Atalanta. Doomed to die, but is blessed by Diana, who helps him to achieve fame in his death. Killed by Dryas.
Thiodamas - Son of Amphiaraus. Named high priest of Apollo after his father’s descent to hell. Tells Adrastus of the deep sleep that has consumed the Theban offensive camp.
Tydeus# - One of the seven against Thebes. An exile from Calydon, he is the son of Oeneus and Mars.

Other

Agylleus - Wrestles against Tydeus in the Nemean games, and loses.
Alcidamas - Spartan warrior who boxes against Capaneus in the Nemean games.
Eurydice - wife of Lycurgus, mother of Opheltes.
Hypsipyle - Lemnian slave to Lycurgus, maid to the infant Opheltes. She leads the Argive army to drink at the Langia River, and Opheltes is killed by one of Jupiter’s servants.
Idas - Pulls Parthenopaeus’ hair to win the foot race during the Nemean games, but loses to Parthenopaeus in the rematch.
Jason - Leader of the Argonauts. Abandons Hypsipyle, who bears him twin sons: Thoas and Euneos.
Lycurgus - King of Nemea, father of Lycurgus.
Opheltes (Archemorus) - Son of Lycurgus, king of Nemea.
Polyxo - Lemnian woman possessed by Venus who orders the death of all males on the island of Lemnos.
Theseus - King of Athens. After being beseeched by the women of Argos, he kills Creon, and allows the burial of the dead from the battle for Thebes. Becomes king of Thebes.
Thoas - Father of Hypsipyle, one-time king of Lemnos, and sole male survivor in the slaughter on Lemnos. He later becomes the king of Chios.

Gods of Hell

Atropos - One of the three Fates. Atropos governed the length of the thread of life for humans.
Furies (Eumenides) - Goddesses of hell (Tisiphone, Megaera and Alecto)
Hecate - Goddess of darkness.
Infernal Jove (Hades, Pluto) - God of the underworld.
Magaera - One of the Furies. Ascends to Earth during the final attack on Thebes. Chides Tisiphone for her involvement in the war, but then appears to Polynices in the form of his wife, Argia, inciting the final battle with Eteocles.
Persephone (Prosperpina) - Wife of Infernal Jove.
Tisiphone - One of the Furies. Spreads fear and hatred throughout the story. Plagues the Argive army during the final attack on Thebes. Causes Jocasta to push Eteocles through the city gates of Thebes, instigating the final clash between Eteocles and Polynices.