Greek Gods You've Probably Never Heard Of (or What To Do When You're Really Bored)

Okay, this is hysterical! Well, it's entertaining anyway, and oddly addictive. Here's how it works. Take a word that typically ends in the letters "le". Add an "s" to make the ending "les". Pronounce the new word so that the ending has a long "e" and rhymes with "please". Here's an example. Take the word "particle". Change the ending to make it "particles". Capitalize the word to make it a proper name: "Particles" (pronounced "part-i-kleez"). And there you have it. Particles, the Greek god of physics (particles...physics...get it?!)! Here's another example. Consider the word "article". Make the appropriate changes to get "Articles" (pronounced "art-i-kleez"). Articles, the Greek god of journalism (articles...journalism...get it?!). Sometimes a name qualifies without the "le" ending, as illustrated below.

Apologies, Greek god of apologetic behavior (Thanks Diana.)

Apples, Greek god of fruit (Also Greek god of computers.)

Apsides, Greek god of orbital elements

Arrestees, Greek god of prisoners (Thanks Kathy!)

Articles, Greek god of journalism (This is the one that started it all.)

Asperites, Greek god of friction

Apostrophes, Greek god of punctuation (Thanks Deb!)

Arteries, Greek god of circulation

Altitudes, Greek god of heights (Also Greek god of triangles.) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Apologies, Greek god of politeness

Apostrophes, Greek goddess of punctuation

Astroglides, Greek god of lubrication (Thanks Diana.)

Atrocities, Greek god of war crimes (Thanks Scarlet.)

Auricles, Greek god of ears

Bangles, Greek goddess of female rock groups

Barnacles, Greek god of shipborne parasites

Beatles, Greek god of British rock and roll

Berries, Greek god of shrubbery fruit (Thanks Scarlet.)

Bicycles, Greek god of two-wheeled transportation

Binaries, Greek god of double stars (Thanks Scarlet.)

Bojangles, Greek god of fast food chicken (sometimes pronounced bo-hang-leez by Hispanics)

Booties, Greek god of footwear

Braces, Greek god of orthodontics

Broccolies, Greek god of cabbage head dolls (Thanks Wayne.)

Bubbles, Greek god of children's bath time (Thanks Sara.)

Bugles, Greek god of brass music (Also Greek god of drum corps and Greek god of snack foods.)

Canticles, Greek god of Christian music

Capillaries, Greek god of phlebotomy

Castles, Greek god of people who live in huge, extravagant houses (Thanks Wayne.)

Catastrophes, Greek god of catastrophes

Chefboyardees, Greek god of canned pasta

Chemicales, Greek god of chemistry (Yeah, the spelling's wrong...but it's funny!)

Chenilles, Greek god of blankets (Thanks Cat.)

Cherries, Greek god of the pits

Chickadees, Greek god of ornithology

Chocolates, Greek god of chocolate (What else did you expect?) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Chronicles, Greek god of calendars

Circles, Greek god of geometry

Clavicles, Greek god of bone

Coffees, Greek god of caffeinated sustenance (Thanks Scarlet.)

Couples, Greek god of duos (e.g. Simon and Garfunkel) (Thanks Sara.)

Crucibles, Greek god of chemistry (Also known as Chemicales.)

Cubicles, Greek god of corporate office space

Cuddles, Greek god of comfort (Thanks Sara.)

Cuticles, Greek god of manicures and pedicures

Decades, Greek god of ten year periods

Debacles, Greek god of very poor decision making (particularly in politics)

Degrees, Greek god of measurement (Also Greek god of geometry.) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Deities, Greek god of Greek gods (Thanks Larry.)

Delegates, Greek god of shared responsibility

Disciples, Greek god of education

Diabetes, Greek god of candy, cola, and jelly doughnuts Also known as KrispyKremes.) (Thanks Tyson.)

Dicktrickles, Greek god of NASCAR (Whooooooooo!)

Dillpickles, Greek god of cookout condiments (Get it?!)

Donkeys, Greek god of the Democratic National Committee

Draftees, Greek god of conscription

Eclipses, Greek god of planetary alignments

Energies, Greek god of power (Even though energy and power aren't the same thing.) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Ephemerides, Greek god of celestial mechanics

Epistles, Greek god of long-winded orators (Thanks Wayne.)

Euphrates, Greek god of ancient Babylon

Facilities, Greek god of public restrooms

Faculties, Greek god of knowledge (Also Greek god of tenure.)

Feces, Greek god of shit (Yeah, I know...but it's funny.)

Fickles, Greek god of indecision

Fleas, Greek god of pet infestations

Follicles, Greek god of pattern baldness

Freckles, Greek god of dermatology

Frisbees, Greek god of silly sports (Also Greek god of aerodynamics.) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Glazes, Greek god of ceramics and pottery

Groceries, Greek god of the retail food industry

Handles, Greek god of survival (Thanks Sara.)

Hardees, Greek god of fast food

Heckles and Jeckles, twin Greek gods of birds

Herpes, Greek god of venereal disease

Honeybees, Greek god of honey (Also Greek god of castaway singing groups.)

Hubbles, Greek god of spaceborne telescopes (Thanks Scarlet.)

Hyades, Greek god of nearby open clusters

Hypocrites, Greek god of dissembling (Thanks Scarlet.)

Icicles, Greek god of ice

Images, Greek god of pictures (Thanks Scarlet.)

Johncleese, Greek god of British comedy

Jubliees, Greek god of cherry desserts

Juggles, Greek god of balancing (Thanks Sara.)

Kamikazes, Greek god of suicide

Lattes, Greek god of high class coffee (Thanks Diana.)

Lenses, Greek god of refractors

Littles, Greek god of Munchkins (Thanks Wayne.)

Magnitudes, Greek god of brightness (Thanks Scarlet.)

Measles, Greek god of communicable diseases

Menses, Greek god of PMS

Meteorites, Greek god of (Earth bound?) interplanetary debris (Thanks Scarlet.)

Miracles, Greek god of telethons

Monkees, Greek god of American British rock and roll

Monocles, Greek god of single-eyed vision

Nativities, Greek god of messianic birthplaces

Nipples, Greek god of milk

Oracles, Greek god of electronic databases

Pansies, Greek god of decorative flowers (Also Greek god of homosexuals.)

Panties, Greek god of lingerie

Parentheses, Greek god of inclusion (Thanks David.)

Participles, Greek god of grammar

Particles, Greek god of physics

Pebbles, Greek god of small stones (Also Greek god of cartoons.) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Pedicles, Greek god of bony protuberances

Peoples, Greek god of demographics

Phylacteries, Greek god of scroll safekeeping and transportation

Pickles, Greek god of fermented cucumbers

Pilates, Greek god of flat stomachs (Thanks Diana.)

Pimples, Greek god of acne (Thanks Jessica.)

Pinnacles, Greek god of climaxes (Take it any way you want.) (Thanks Sara.)

Pleiades, Greek god of young open clusters

Popsicles, Greek god of frozen desserts

Posttoasties, Greek god of cereal

Praesepes, Greek god of apiatric science (bee keeping)

Preambles, Greek god of parliamentary documents

Principles, Greek god of ideas

Pringles, Greek god of potato chips (Thanks Sara.) (Also known as Ruffles, Greek god of chip dipping at parties. Thanks Jessica.)

Promiscuities, Greek got of dalliances (Thanks David.)

Prosecutes, Greek god of lawyers (Thanks Scarlet.)

Prostitutes, Greek god of turning tricks (Thanks Diana.)

Pulease, Greek god of begging (Thanks David.)

Radiates, Greek god of radiation (Thanks Scarlet.)

Receptacles, Greek god of electricity

Recycles, Greek god of conservation (Thanks Diana.)

Refugees, Greek god of immigration

Relativities, Greek god of spacetime curvature (Once held the rank of General Relativity, but his mother said he was special.) (Thanks Cary.)

Remedies, Greek god of homeopathic medicine

Reticles, Greek god of sighting (Not to be confused with Spectacles, Greek god of vision.) (Also the Greek god of Telrads.)

Rifles, Greek god of firearms (For the NRA members.) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Ripples, Greek god of water waves

Rumbles, Greek god of hunger (Also Greek god of gang fights. Also Greek God of thunder. Thanks Sara.)

Serendipities, Greek got of happy accidents (Thanks David.)

Sleepeeze, Greek god of sleep (Remember those?)

Snorkles, Greek god of snorkeling (Also Greek god of scuba diving. Thanks Ratanjit.)

Spades, Greek god of gardening implements

Species, Greek god of evolution

Speckles, Greek god of high resolution interferometry

Spectacles, Greek god of vision

Spicules, Greek god of chromospheric solar activity (Solar astronomers will get this one!)

Stapes, Greek god of tiny bones (Also known as Ossicles.)

Staples, Greek god of office supplies (Also Greek god of retail office supply stores.)

Stitches, Greek god of emergency medicine (Also known as Sutures.)

Struggles, Greek god of overwhelming tasks (Thanks Wayne.)

Symphonies, Greek god of classical music

Tabernacles, Greek god of churches

Tables, Greek god of furniture (Also Greek god of organized data.) (Thanks Scarlet.) (Also Greek god of civilized dining. Thanks Diana.)

Taxes, Greek god of the IRS (For the Republicans in the audience.) (Thanks Scarlet.)

Telephones, Greek god of long distance communication (Thanks Scarlet.)

Telescopes, Greek god of long distance observation (Thanks Scarlet.)

Tentacles, Greek god of cephalopods (Also Greek god of octopi. Yes, I know an octopus is a cephalopod so this may be redundant.)

Testicles, Greek god of fertility

Theses, Greek god of graduate school and graduate study

Tickles, Greek god of dermal stimulation (Also Greek god of laughing torture and phalangus humorous.)

Treacles, Greek god of snake bite victims (Thanks Wayne.)

Tumbles, Greek god of gymnastics (Thanks Sara.)

Unicycles, Greek god of one-wheeled transportation

Uncles, Greek god of family

Variables, Greek god of variable stars (Thanks Scarlet.)

Vegetables, Greek god of gardening

Vehicles, Greek god of motorized transportation

Ventricles, Greek god of cardiology

Vesicles, Greek god of semen passages

Vignettes, Greek god of illustrative sketches (Thanks Scarlet.)

Waffles, Greek god of breakfast cakes (a.k.a Pancakes) (Thanks Scarlet.) (Also Greek god of breakfast. Thanks Diana.)

Wavicles, Greek god of modern physics (This one's a stretch, but I think it's valid.)

Wheaties, Greek god of champions

Yankees, Greek god of people who demean Southerners (Thanks Jessica.) (May also be known as Greek god of male masturbation...we're not sure.)

Yerkes, Greek god of observatories (May also be known as the Swedish god of masturbation…we’re not sure.)