Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System, and has a hard surface with many craters. Most of them are named after figures from Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Phoenician (or Canaanite), and other ancient Middle Eastern myths. Others are named after relatives of the mythological Trojan prince Ganymede from Greek mythology.
List Crater Coordinates Diameter(km) ApprovalYear Eponym Ref Achelous 40 1979 Achelous, Greek river god; father of Callirrhoe, Ganymede's mother. Adad 39 1979 Adad, Assyro-Babylonian god of thunder. Adapa 57 1979 Adapa, Assyro-Babylonian; lost immortality when, at Ea's advice, he refused food of life. Agreus 63 1985 Agreus, Hunter god in Tyre. Agrotes 74 1985 Agrotes, Tyre; greatest god of Gebal; farmer god. Aleyin 12.4 1997 Aleyin, Son of Baal, spirit of springs. Ammura 61.5 1979 Ammura, Phoenician; god of the west. Amon 102 1985 Amon, Theban king of gods. Amset 11 1997 Amset, One of the four gods of the dead, son of Horus. Anat 2.9 1985 Anat, Assyro-Babylonian goddess of dew. Note: Defines 128 degrees longitude on Ganymede. Andjeti 52 1985 Andjeti, Egyptian; first god of Busirus. Anhur 25 1997 Anhur, Egyptian warrior god. Antum 14.75 1985 Antum, Babylonian; wife of Anu. Anu 55 1979 Anu, Sumerian-Akkadian god of power, of heavens. Anubis 114 1988 Anubis, Egyptian jackal-headed god who opened the underworld to the dead. Anzu 210 2000 Anzu, Gigantic lion-headed bird-like figure, the Sumerian Thunderbird. Apophis 57 2000 Apophis, Egyptian gigantic serpent symbolizing chaos or nonexistence. Ashîma 84 1985 Ashîm, Semitic-Arab god of fate. Asshur 25.5 1979 Asshur, Assyro-Babylonian warrior god. Atra-hasis 133 2000 Atra-hasis, Exceedingly wise' hero of Akkadian myth, survived the great flood. Aya 38 1979 Aya, Assyro-Babylonian; wife of Shamash. Baal 43 1979 Baal, Phoenician; Canaanite god. Bau 77 1988 Bau, Goddess who breathed into men the breath of life; daughter of Anu and patroness of Lagash. Bes 63 1985 Bes, Egyptian god of marriage. Chrysor 7 1997 Chrysor, Phoenician god; inventor of bait, fishing hooks and line, first to sail. Cisti 70 1997 Cisti, Iranian healing god. Damkina 190 2006 Damkina, Babylonian sky and health deity, queen of the gods, and mother of Marduk in some accounts. Danel 56 1979 Danel, Phoenician; mythical hero versed in art of divination. Dendera 82 2000 Dendera, Town where Hathor was chief goddess. (Name changed from Dendera Facula.) Diment 40 1979 Diment, Egyptian goddess of the dwelling place of the dead. Ea 20 1997 Ea, Assyro-Babylonian god of water, wisdom, and the earth. El 55 1997 El, "Father of Men", existed before the birth of gods. Enkidu 122 1982 Enkidu, Friend of Gilgamesh. Enlil 34.6 1979 Enlil, Assyro-Babylonian; nature god of the air, hurricanes, and nature. En-zu 5 1997 Enzu, Babylonian moon god. Epigeus 343 1997 Epigeus, Phoenician god. Erichthonius 31 1997 Erichthonius, Possible father of Ganymede. Eshmun 98 1979 Eshmun, Phoenician; divinity of Sidon. Etana 46 1979 Etana, Assyro-Babylonian; asked the eagle for an herb to give him an heir. Gad 72 1985 Gad, Semitic god of fate or good fortune. Geb 60 1985 Geb, Heliopolis Earth god. Geinos 56 1985 Geinos, Tyre; god of brick making. Gilgamesh 153 1979 Gilgamesh, Assyro-Babylonian; sought immortality after Enkidu died. Gir 73 1985 Gir, Sumerian god of summer heat. Gula 38 1979 Gula, Assyro-Babylonian; medicine goddess. Gushkin 40.5 2016 Gushkin-Banda, Sumerian patron god of goldsmiths. Halieus 90 1985 Halieus, Tyre; fisherman god. Hapi 96 1988 Hapi, Egyptian god of the Nile. Harakhtes 108 2000 Harakhtes, "Horus of the Two Horizons", form of Egyptian god Horus who represents the path of the sun. Haroeris 70 2000 Haroeris, Egyptian sky god whose eyes are the sun and the moon, a form of Horus. Hathor 173 1979 Hathor, Egyptian goddess of joy and love. Hay-tau 27 1997 Hay-tau, Nega god, spirit of forest vegetation. Hedetet 106 2000 Hedetet, Egyptian scorpion goddess. Hershef 120 2000 Hershef, Egyptian ram-headed god. Humbaba 40 2000 Humbaba, Babylonian terrifying guardian of the cedar forests. Ilah 76 1985 Ilah, First Sumerian sky god. Ilus 90 1985 Ilus, Ganymede's brother. Irkalla 117 1985 Irkalla, Sumerian goddess of underworld, seen by Enkidu in a dream. Ishkur 67 1985 Ishkur, Sumerian god of rain. Isimu 89.5 1985 Isimu, Sumerian god of vegetation. Isis 75 1979 Isis, Egyptian goddess; wife of Osiris. Kadi 87 1985 Kadi, Babylonian goddess of justice. Khensu 17 1997 Khensu, Egyptian moon god. Khepri 47 1997 Khepri, God of transformations for the Heliopitans. Khonsu 80 1988 Khonsu, Egyptian moon god. Khumbam 57 1979 Khumbam, Assyro-Babylonian; Elamite creator god. Kingu 78 1988 Kingu, Assyro-Babylonian; conquered leader of Tiamat's forces whose blood was used to create man. Kishar 78 1979 Kishar, Assyro-Babylonian; terrestrial progenitor goddess. Kittu 15 1985 Kittu, Assyro-Babylonian god of justice. Kulla 93 1985 Kulla, Sumerian god of brick making. Lagamal 131 2000 Lagamal, Son of Babylonian god Ea. Laomedon 64 2019 Laomedon, king of Troy, nephew of Ganymede. Latpon 43 1997 Latpon, One of the sons of El. Lugalmeslam 64 1997 Lugalmeslam, Sumerian god of the underworld. Lumha 58 1985 Lumha, Title of Enki as patron of singers; also Babylonian priest. Maa 31 1997 Maa, Egyptian god of the sense of sight. Mehit 47 1985 Mehit, Egyptian lion-headed goddess; Anhur's wife. Melkart 105 1979 Melkart, Phoenician; divinity of Tyre. Menhit 140 2006 Menhit, Egyptian lion and war goddess. Min 33 1988 Min, Egyptian fertility god. Mir 8 1985 Mir, West Semitic god of wind. Misharu 88 1985 Misharu, Assyro-Babylonian god of law. Mont 15 1997 Mont, Theban war god. Mor 41 1979 Mor, Phoenician; spirit of the harvest. Mot 23 1997 Mot, Spirit of the harvest, one of the sons of El. Mush 99 1985 Mush, Sumerian male deity; upper parts are human, lower parts a serpent. Nabu 40 1979 Nabu, Sumerian god of intellectual activity. Nah-Hunte 47 2000 Nah-Hunte, Elamite god of light and justice. Namtar 50 1979 Namtar, Assyro-Babylonian plague demon. Nanna 56 1985 Nanna, Sumerian moon god; god of wisdom. Nefertum 29 1997 Nefertum, Original divine son of the Memphis triad, son of Ptah. Neheh 54 1985 Neheh, Egyptian god of eternity. Neith 90 1988 Neith, Egyptian warrior goddess; goddess of domestic arts. Nergal 9.6 1997 Nergal, Assyro-Babylonian king of the underworld. Nidaba 199 1985 Nidaba, Sumerian grain goddess. Nigirsu 53 1979 Nigirsu, Assyro-Babylonian; god of the fields, war god. Ningishzida 32 1997 Ningishzida, Sumerian vegetation god. Ninkasi 81 1988 Ninkasi, Sumerian goddess of brewing. Ninki 194 1985 Ninki, Consort to Ea, Babylonian god of water. Ninlil 91 1985 Ninlil, Chief Assyrian goddess; Asshur's consort. Ninsum 88 1985 Ninsum, Minor Babylonian goddess of wisdom; Gilgamesh's mother. Nut 90 1979 Nut, Egyptian goddess of the sky. Ombos 177 2013 Ombos, Egyptian town where Sebek's triad worshiped; present Kom Ombo. Osiris 107 1979 Osiris, Egyptian god of the dead. Ptah 30 1988 Ptah, Sovereign god of Memphis; patron of artisans. Punt 135 1997 Punt, Land east of Egypt where Bes originated. Changed from Punt Facula. Ruti 16 1979 Ruti, Phoenician; Byblos god. Saltu 40 2006 Saltu, Babylonian goddess of discord and hostility. Sapas 56 1979 Shapash, Assyro-Babylonian; torch of the gods. Sati 95 1988 Sati, Wife of Khnum, Egyptian god of the Cataracts. Sebek 61 1979 Sebek, Egyptian crocodile god. Seima 38 1985 Seima, Mother goddess of the Arameans. Seker 103 1988 Seker, Egyptian god of the dead at Memphis. Selket 168 1985 Selket, Tutelary goddess who guarded intestines of the dead. Serapis 169 1997 Serapis, Egyptian healing god. Shu 44 1988 Shu, Egyptian god of air. Sin 19 1979 Sin, Babylonian moon god. Tammuz 51 1985 Tammuz, Akkadian youthful god of vegetation Tanit 26 1979 Tanit, Assyro-Babylonian; Carthaginian goddess. Tashmetum 135 2000 Tashmetum, Assyro-Babylonian goddess who invented writing with her husband Nabu. Ta-urt 94 1988 Taurt, Egyptian childbirth goddess. Teshub 188 1994 Teshub, Elamite god of the tempest. Thoth 102 1985 Thoth, Egyptian moon god; invented all arts and sciences. Tros 94 1979 Tros, Greek; father of Ganymede. Upuant 17 1997 Upuant, Jackal-headed warrior god, god of the dead. We-ila 36 2000 We-ila, Akkadian god from whom the hero Atra-hasis was created. Wepwawet 86 2000 Wepwawet, Ancient Egyptian jackal deity. Zakar 170 1997 Zakar, Assyrian supreme deity. Zaqar 33 1979 Zaqar, Assyro-Babylonian; Sin's messenger who brought dreams to men.
Dropped or not approved names Crater Coordinates Diameter(km) ApprovalYear Eponym Ref Keret 36.0 1979 Dropped. Keret, Phoenician hero. Name dropped because feature not found on imagery. Khnum 45.0 – Not approved named. Khnum, Egyptian ram-headed creation god. Note: Provisional name Khnum changed to Nah-Hunte because of duplication with Khnum Catena. Wadjet 100.0 2000 Dropped name. Wadjet, Egyptian cobra goddess. Same crater as Nut.
References
External links USGS: Ganymede nomenclature USGS: Ganymede Nomenclature: Craters