Famous Greek Women

Ever pondered about what makes the Greek women stand out among the rest of the world? They are known for their strong beliefs toward setting the high standards for the future generation. Not just that, Greek women are also in the spotlight for their simple outlook towards beauty standards. They go by the 'Less is more' when it comes to beauty mantras and use makeup to enhance their already beautiful natural features, and not to 'cover up' their imperfections. Now let's take a look at the famous Greek women and their contribution towards making the world better in their small way. Dora Bakoyannis, Greece's first foreign minister, was herself a victim of terrorism but did not let that stop her from doing great things for the nation. Jennifer Aniston, Hollywood's favourite is part Greek from her paternal side. Vicky Papadopoulou is one of the prettiest Greek actresses in Greece. Read on and find out more about other famous Greek women!

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 1 
Cleopatra
(Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt (51 - 30 BC))
Cleopatra
263
Birthdate: 0069 BC
Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt
Died: July 31, 0030

The last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the last true pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra is described as an extremely beautiful woman who was also intelligent and educated with command over numerous languages. Her romance and military alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony have inspired numerous art works.

 2 
Maria Callas
(One of the Most Renowned and Influential Opera Singers of the 20th Century)
Maria Callas
28
Birthdate: December 2, 1923
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Died: September 16, 1977
Greek soprano Maria Callas, also known as “La Divina,” is considered one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner was also in the news for her affair with shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, her rivalry with Renata Tebaldi, and her gradually declining vocal ability.
 3 
Medusa
(Queen)
Medusa
5
Birthplace: Greece

One of the 3 monster-like creatures from Greek mythology, known as the Gorgons, Medusa was a winged woman with a head full of snakes instead of hair and could turn people into stone with her stare. Perseus could kill her, as she was the only mortal Gorgon.

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 4 
Arianna Huffington
(Co-Founder of 'The Huffington Post' and the Founder & CEO of 'Thrive Global')
Arianna Huffington
18
Birthdate: July 15, 1950
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Athens, Greece

Arianna Huffington is a Greek-American author, businesswoman, and syndicated columnist. She is credited with co-founding the popular news aggregator and blog, The Huffington Post. She is also the founder of Thrive Global, for which she also serves as the CEO. She has been featured on lists, such as Time magazine's 100 most influential people and Forbes magazine's Most Powerful Women.

 5 
Sappho
(Archaic Greek Lyric Poet)
Sappho
5
Birthdate: 0630 BC
Birthplace: Lesbos, Greece
Died: 0570 BC
Sappho was a lyric poet from Lesbos, in the 6th-7th century B.C. Known as the “Tenth Muse,” she wrote the Ode to Aphrodite and the Tithonus poem. Though her sexuality is still debated, she gave rise to the terms “sapphic” and “lesbian,” used to denote love and desire between women. 
 6 
Helen of Troy
(Daughter of Zeus)
Helen of Troy
3
Birthplace: Greece
 7 
Persephone
(Queen)
Persephone
2
Birthplace: Greece

Greek goddess Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, was abducted by Hades while collecting flowers in Nysa. She had eaten a pomegranate seed in the underworld, which meant she had to spend one-third of the year with Hades and couldn’t be freed completely. She thus became the queen of the underworld.

 8 
Medea
(Daughter of King Aeëtes)
Medea
0
Birthplace: Greece
 9 
Cassandra
(Queen)
Cassandra
0
Birthplace: Greece

The daughter of Priam and Hecuba, Cassandra was the sister of Greek Trojan hero Hector. Described as stunningly beautiful in Homer’s Iliad, she was raped by Ajax the Lesser during the fall of Troy. Her rape by Ajax later became one of the most depicted scenes in Greek art and sculpture.

 10 
Nike (mythology)
(Goddess)
Nike (mythology)
1
Birthplace: Greece

The ancient Greek goddess of victory, Nike was the daughter of the giant Pallas and the river Styx. While she is usually depicted as winged, she is wingless when she appears as an attendant of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, or Zeus. The Romans worshipped her as Victoria.

 11 
Styx
(Queen)
Styx
0
Birthplace: Greece

In Greek mythology, Styx is the river that borders the Earth and the Underworld. Charon ferried dead people’s souls across the Styx to the world of Hades. It is believed that Thetis dipped her son, Achilles, into the Styx, which made him invulnerable, except for his heels, which Thetis held while dipping him.

 12 
Christina Onassis
(Businessperson, Socialite)
Christina Onassis
12
Birthdate: December 11, 1950
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City
Died: November 19, 1988

The daughter of Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, Christina Onassis had an unhappy life. She lost both her parents shortly after her brother’s accidental death. She married and divorced 4 times and had a long struggle with eating disorders. She tragically died of a heart attack at 37.

 13 
Andromeda
(Daughter of Aethiopia)
Andromeda
1
Birthplace: Greece
 14 
Pandora
(Queen)
Pandora
0
Birthplace: Greece

In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman and was created by Hephaestus on Zeus’s orders. When Epimetheus married Pandora, she opened her jar, which contained all sorts of evils and miseries, and threw them upon the Earth, barring Hope, which couldn’t escape before the lid was shut.

 15 
Athina Onassis
(French-Greek Equestrian and the Only Surviving Descendant of Greek Shipping Magnate Aristotle Onassis)
Athina Onassis
2
Birthdate: January 29, 1985
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

Athina Onassis Roussel is a French-Greek heiress and equestrian. She is the granddaughter and the only surviving descendant of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Her parents are Aristotle's daughter Christina Onassis and her fourth husband, Thierry Roussel. She began riding horses as a child and is now a competitive showjumper. Following Christina Onassis’s death, Athina became her sole heiress.  

 16 
Leto
(Daughter of Coeus)
Leto
0
Birthplace: Greece
 17 
Maria Sakkari
(Tennis player)
Maria Sakkari
7
Birthdate: July 25, 1995
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Athens, Greece

The daughter of former WTA player Angelikí Kanellopoúlou, Sakkari was introduced to tennis at age six. Greek tennis sensation Maria Sakkari has had a career-high ranking of number 6 in singles. Known for her aggressive style, Sakkari was born and raised in Athens but moved to Barcelona at 18 to train.

 18 
Nana Mouskouri
(Singer)
Nana Mouskouri
2
Birthdate: October 13, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chania, Greece

Greek pop icon Nana Mouskouri soared to fame all over Europe with her track The White Rose of Athens. She has sung in a wide range of languages, including German, Italian, Chinese, and Dutch. Dubbed Europe’s Barbra Streisand, she also sang the theme song of the Oscar-nominated movie The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

 19 
Ariadne
(Queen)
Ariadne
1
Birthplace: Greece

Ariadne was the daughter of Cretan king Minos and Pasiphae. Her love for Theseus made her help him escape the Labyrinth with a string of jewels. It is believed, she was later rejected by Theseus and either killed herself or married Dionysus, the god of wine.

 20 
Artemisia I of Caria
(Queen of the Ancient Greek City-State of 'Halicarnassus')
Artemisia I of Caria
2
Birthdate: 0520 BC
Birthplace: Halicarnassus, Greece

Artemisia I was the queen of Halicarnassus in the district of Caria and also ruled Kos, Kalymnos, and Nisyros. She joined hands with Xerxes I, the ruler of Persia, during his invasion of Greece. She commanded 5 ships of the invading navy but requested Xerxes to retreat after suffering heavy losses.

 21 
Erinyes
(Queen)
Erinyes
0
Birthplace: Greece
 22 
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
(Queen)
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
3
Birthdate: August 30, 1946
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Amalienborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
 23 
Antigone
(Daughter of Oedipus)
Antigone
0
Birthplace: Greece
 24 
Olga Constantinovna of Russia
(Queen Consort of Greece)
Olga Constantinovna of Russia
2
Birthdate: September 3, 1851
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: June 18, 1926

Olga Constantinovna of Russia was the oldest daughter of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaievich and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. She was married to King George I of Greece and was the queen consort of Greece as his wife. In this role, she became involved in social and charitable work and founded hospitals and schools. 

 25 
Hippolyta
(Daughter of Ares)
Hippolyta
0
Birthplace: Greece
 26 
Olympias
(Mother of Alexander the Great and Queen of Macedonia (357 - 316 BC))
Olympias
4
Birthdate: 0375 BC
Birthplace: Epirus, Greece
Died: 0316 BC

Olympias served as the queen of Macedonia from 357 to 316 BC. As the mother of Alexander the Great, Olympias played an important role in Alexander's life. An extremely influential figure during Alexander's reign, Olympias was regarded as the de facto leader of Macedon during her son's conquests. Not surprisingly, Olympias is often depicted in stories that narrate Alexander's life.

 27 
Irene Papas
(Greek Actress and Singer Best Known for Her Films: 'The Trojan Women' and 'Antigone')
Irene Papas
4
Birthdate: September 3, 1926
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chiliomodi, Greece
Died: September 14, 2022

Irene Papas is a popular Greek actress and singer who has played powerful women in films and stage plays in an illustrious career spanning over five decades. Widely regarded as the quintessential Greek beauty, Papas has won many awards, including the Golden Arrow Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

 28 
Lamia
(Queen)
Lamia
0
Birthplace: Greece

Lamia was, according to Greek mythology, a female demon who ate children. Some accounts state she was a queen of Libya and a lover of Zeus. When a jealous Hera kidnapped and killed Lamia’s children with Zeus, Lamia became a child-eating monster. She appears as a seductress in John Keats’s Lamia.

 29 
Aegis
(Queen)
Aegis
0
Birthplace: Greece

The aegis was a shield forged by the Cyclopes and carried by Athena and Zeus. It was sometimes depicted as a piece of animal skin worn by the gods to protect themselves. Legend has it that the shield was adorned by the head of a Gorgon and also roared during battles.

 30 
Thetis
(Queen)
Thetis
0
Birthplace: Greece

Thetis appears in Greek mythology as a sea nymph and one of the 50 daughters of Nereus, the sea god. The gods, fearful that she would bear a son who would be more powerful than his father, gave her away to the mortal king Peleus. She was the mother of Achilles.

 31 
Eos
(Daughter of the Titan)
Eos
0
Birthplace: Greece
 32 
Penelope
(Queen)
Penelope
0
Birthplace: Greece
 33 
Maenad
(Queen)
Maenad
0
Birthplace: Greece

The Maenads were the female followers of Dionysus, the god of wine. Since Dionysus was also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology, the Maenads were also called the Bacchantes. They often engaged in frenzied dances, and a group of Maenads even killed musician Orpheus when he refused to entertain them.

 34 
Briseis
(Queen)
Briseis
0
Birthplace: Greece
 35 
Gorgo, Queen of Sparta
(Queen)
Gorgo, Queen of Sparta
0
Birthdate: 0506 AD
Birthplace: Greece

The only child of Spartan king Cleomenes I, Gorgo later married Cleomenes’s successor and half-brother, Leonidas, thus becoming the queen of Sparta. She was a child when she warned her father against Aristagoras, who tried his best to bribe Cleomenes to have him as an ally after the Ionian revolt.

 36 
Megara
(Princess)
Megara
0
Birthplace: Greece

The first wife of Heracles, Megara was also the eldest daughter of Theban king Creon. The king gave her away to Heracles for his help in winning back his kingdom, Thebes, from the Minyans. Hera, who hated Heracles, made him kill Megara and their children in a fit of rage.

 37 
Andromache
(Daughter of Eetion)
Andromache
0
Birthplace: Greece
 38 
Iris
(Queen)
Iris
0
Birthplace: Greece
 39 
Nereid
(Queen)
Nereid
0
Birthplace: Greece
 40 
Mnemosyne
(Queen)
Mnemosyne
0
Birthplace: Greece

The Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne gave birth to the 9 Muses after Zeus, her nephew, spent 9 nights with her in Pieria. The daughter of Uranus and Gaea, she was a titaness. An Orphic inscription asks dead souls to avoid drinking from Lethe and to drink from Mnemosyne, the pool of memory.

 41 
Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece
(The Wife of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece)
Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece
2
Birthdate: September 17, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England

Marie-Chantal Claire is the wife of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece. Her parents-in-law are Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark. Her husband is the heir apparent to the now-defunct throne of Greece. The daughter of a prominent businessman, she married Pavlos in 1995. She is the founder of Marie-Chantal, an international childrenswear brand. 

 42 
Naiad
(Queen)
Naiad
0
Birthplace: Greece
 43 
Iphigenia
(Daughter of King Agamemnon)
Iphigenia
0
Birthplace: Greece
 44 
Clytemnestra
(Wife of Agamemnon)
Clytemnestra
0
Birthplace: Greece
 45 
Hesperides
(Queen)
Hesperides
0
Birthplace: Greece
 46 
Melina Mercouri
(Greek Actress and Former Minister for Culture)
Melina Mercouri
3
Birthdate: October 18, 1920
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Athens, Greece
Died: March 6, 1994

Maria Amalia Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer, politician, activist, and socialist. Mercouri had a profound acting career and is remembered for her portrayal of Ilya in the film Never on Sunday, which earned her a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award. As a politician, Mercouri served as the Minister of Culture and Sports, the first female to do so.

 47 
Theia
(Queen)
Theia
0
Birthplace: Greece
 48 
Pasiphae
(Queen)
Pasiphae
0
Birthplace: Greece
 49 
Alcmene
(Queen)
Alcmene
0
Birthplace: Greece
 50 
Callisto
(Daughter of King Lycaon)
Callisto
0
Birthplace: Greece