Janus, Apollo, Jupiter and Ares are some of the most famous names of Greek and Roman antiquity.
So why are a multitude of asset management and hedge fund companies named after these ancient deities?
For example, London-based Artemis Fund Managers was named after the Greek goddess of the hunt, wilderness, and moon.
“Right from the start we were focused on hunting down great investments,” said Mark Murray, senior partner of Artemis.
“The wife of one of the (other) founders was an English teacher and suggested the name because ‘Artemis’ is often associated with hunting. The goddess was also bold, fearless and happy to stand apart. Those were qualities that were integral to the way we do things. I still like the name, because I think it says something about the personality of the business and isn’t just something plucked off the internet to make us sound serious.”
Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. As the goddess of chastity, she never married.
Artemis Fund Managers has £26.8 billion ($33.3 billion) in assets under management.
Emily Paxhia, managing partner of San Francisco-based cannabis investment fund Poseidon Investment Management, said she and her brother named their company after the Greek god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses for a number of reasons, including the fact that their family is of Sicilian-Greek origin.
“We are sailors from birth and we thought that like navigating the sea, you have to be nimble and rely on experience to navigate the investment landscape,” she said. “Poseidon gives a sense of strength and wisdom, something we find aspirational as fund managers. I also just loved and still love how it sounds, it made for a fun logo-building exercise.”
Poseidon Investment also named two of its funds Demeter Capital, after the Greek goddess of agriculture, harvest (which is appropriate for a cannabis investor) and fertility.
However, given that Poseidon and Demeter were siblings who had a child together through incestuous relations, Paxhia concedes that their relationship “wasn’t exactly a healthy one.” Poseidon committed many cruel acts in his life. For example, after Queen Cassiopeia bragged that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than any daughters of the gods, an enraged Poseidon sent a sea monster to destroy the kingdom of Cassiopeia and her husband King Cepheus. Moreover, Poseidon was himself the offspring of incestuous siblings, Cronus and Rhea.
“You have to ignore the dark side of the Greek gods if you want to choose the path of using their names,” she explained. “There are some nefarious activities (linked) with these deities, but we chose to focus on the positive and powerful.”
Indeed, the name Poseidon is closely related to the very notion of power, she noted. Poseidon Investment has about $136.5 million in AUM.
Ed Costello, a spokesperson for Federated Hermes, explained that the “Hermes” part of the name came from the 2018 acquisition by Federated Investors of Hermes Investment Management, which was at one time the in-house asset manager for the BT Pension Scheme in the U.K. (which had £35.7 billion, or $45.1 billion, in assets as of June )
“The name ‘Hermes’ was given to the manager by a former CEO whose view was that the pensioners, or beneficiaries, are ‘gods’ because it is their money the manager looks after and, therefore, it is the messenger of the gods. Hence Hermes.”
Aside from serving as a messenger of the gods, Hermes was also himself the Greek god of travel, wealth, and mischief. Federated Hermes manages $829.6 billion in AUM.
Sometimes Greek gods combine in huge deals.
In 2021, Apollo Global Management acquired Athene Holdings in a stock transaction valued at $11 billion. The $733 billion alternative firm Apollo Global could not be reached for comment on its name.
Using the names of ancient fictitious deities appears to be linked to the notion of power, said some branding experts.
Dan Sondhelm, founder and CEO of Sondhelm Partners, a firm that helps boutique asset managers, wealth managers, and other financial companies grow their business, said financial firms choose mythological names because they signal endurance and historical weight.
“The names project power without being obvious about it,” he said. “Most clients don't need to know the detailed mythology. The names just need to sound elevated and important.”
A company’s name is primarily about perception, said Andrew Corn, CEO of E5A Integrated Marketing, a marketing and advertising firm that serves the asset management industry.
“In branding and messaging, how something sounds is just as important as what it means,” he said. “If a name can be linked to qualities like power, success, discipline, or strategic thinking, it reinforces a firm’s positioning. These names evoke a sense of strength and legacy, which can be compelling when managing large amounts of capital.”
Brand power
Townsend Belisle, CEO and creative director at Haystack Needle, a branding and design firm that supports firms across private equity, investment banking, and alternative asset management, said naming an asset manager or hedge fund after a Greek or Roman god has certain important advantages.
“Even if people aren’t well-versed in ancient mythology, these names are widely recognized, rarely mispronounced and carry an undeniable gravitas,” he said. “They evoke qualities that many financial firms aspire to: intelligence, power, sophistication, and timeless prestige.”
Mythological names can also signal a fund’s strategy, Belisle noted.
“Apollo, god of light, prophecy, law, and medicine, embodies integrity and precision, ideal for a firm that approaches opportunities with discipline and foresight,” he elaborated. “Ares, god of war and courage, suggests an aggressive, battle-ready approach to markets. Victory is not a question, but an expectation.”
Ares Management, with $464 billion in AUM, declined to comment on its name.
Cerberus, which inspired the name of $65 billion alternative manager Cerberus Capital Management, was the multi-headed guardian of the underworld, Belisle said. “(Cerberus) represents fearlessness in navigating dark or overlooked corners of the financial world, uncovering hidden value where others hesitate to tread,” he said.
Cerberus Capital could not be reached for comment.
However, the appeal of these classical names has led to widespread use, making trademarking a challenge, Belisle cautioned.
“Nearly all Greek and Roman deity names have already been claimed across various industries, and securing exclusive rights to one, especially in finance, can be an uphill battle,” he said. “While mythology offers a treasure trove of inspiration, today’s firms may need to get creative with variations or entirely new names to stand out and secure a lasting brand identity.”
Sondhelm also suggested that the trend of naming financial firms after Greek/Roman gods can be traced back to when a classical education marked the financial elite of the west. “Latin and Greek studies were the sign of high status,” he said. “These references spread globally as finance grew. These ancient names still carry weight in modern finance, showing how old symbols maintain power.”
“While brands are wise to avoid names with potential negative connotations, very few brands have been scrutinized over the possible connection to some negative, historic distant sentiment,” Belisle said. “In other words, like a playground nickname, any moniker can be twisted into something negative. This fact doesn’t need to hang like the sword of Damocles over a sharp new name.”
Belisle pointed out that people rarely dig beneath the meaning of a brand name unless it provokes something they feel is relevant.
Sondhelm said the dark side of mythology doesn't matter too much because most people don't know about these violent stories. “Firms focus on positive associations like wisdom and knowledge,” he said.
But is there any evidence that naming an asset manager or hedge fund after a fictitious ancient god helps the bottom line?
“A name alone won’t attract assets under management, but branding is much more than just picking a name and moving on,” said Corn. “A firm must actively embrace and build around its brand. When done intentionally, a strong name can differentiate a company, make it more memorable, and signal high aspirations. The real impact comes from how the name is positioned and reinforced through a firm’s messaging and operations, product set, and of course, performance.”
Belisle said it is exceedingly difficult to quantify the value of a verbal or visual brand because such things are almost impossible to measure. “These names are distinctive, expressive, and memorable, which makes them powerful,” he said. “They stand out from the competition, elicit a resonant feeling, and they sound familiar.”
“Some firms with mythological names manage billions (of dollars), but the connection to success isn't clear,” Sondhelm said. “The names help stand out from generic names, such as last names or trees, and might attract talent drawn to sophistication. But choosing an ancient deity over a conventional name hasn't been shown to boost returns."
