Classical Mythology Quiz 1

Front 1

Metamorphoses

Back 1

epic narrative to weave all mythology together; characters always turn into something else

Front 2

Flood mythology

Back 2

Probably originated from Mesopotamia; a way for the gods to "reinvent" mankind

Front 3

Lycaon

Back 3

king of Arcadia; tried to test Zeus by getting him to eat human flesh; Zeus turns him into a wolf as punishment

Front 4

Baucis & Philemon

Back 4

Only people that let Zeus & Hermes stay with them while traveling; bottle of wine & bread basket remained full/never ran out; house turned into a great temple; Zeus granted their wish that they would die at the same time; after death they were made into trees

Front 5

Zeus Xenios

Back 5

Guest/host (god of hospitality)

Front 6

Apsu

Back 6

Mesopotamian male principle; disturbed by new gods inside Tiamat's stomach and cannot sleep, so plots to destroy them. Aia puts a spell on already born gods, lulls them to sleep, Apsu's body becomes hope of new gods.

Front 7

Tiamat

Back 7

Mesopotamian female principle; formless waters of the sea. Her stomach is stirred up by 4 winds that creates a conflict between the gods in her stomach and those who defeated Apsu & were already born. She plots revenge and gives birth to monsters to send them against the newer gods.

Front 8

Lahmu & Lahamu

Back 8

children of Apsu & Tiamat; names mean "silt"

Front 9

Anshar & Kishar

Back 9

children of Lahmu & Lahamu; 2 horizons (east/west)

Front 10

Anu

Back 10

god of sky, birth separates horizons (Anshar/Kishar); sends 4 winds to stir up Tiamat's stomach

Front 11

Ea/Nudimmud

Back 11

waters of earth & wisdom; great intelligence

Front 12

Marduk

Back 12

Babylonian god; great hero. Anshar appeals to him and he alone fights against Tiamat's offspring

Front 13

Mesopotamian creation myth

Back 13

Act of creation comes out of Tiamat's corpse; creation of man to have someone to do all of the work for the gods so they can live in leisure.

Front 14

Antiope

Back 14

Princess of Thebes; becomes pregnant with Zeus' child and runs away to Sicyon where she marries the king. Zeus seduces her in the form of a satyr. Battle between Nyceteus (her father) and King Epopeus of Sicyon, carried on by Lycus (her uncle) who won, bringer her back to Thebes where she was imprisoned and mistreated.

Front 15

Amphion and Zethus

Back 15

Twin sons of Antiope; when their mother escapes and meets them she tells them of her sufferings and they respond by killing Lycus and Dirce (aunt).

Front 16

Europa

Back 16

Princess of Phoenicia. Seduced by Zeus in the form of a bull - 3 sons. Moved from Tyre to Crete; married Asterius who adopted the 3 sons from Zeus and had 3 of his own sons with her - Minos, Rhodamanthys, Sarpedon

Front 17

Io

Back 17

Daughter of Inachus, King of Argos. Had dreams about Zeus which resulted in her father expelling her from his home; transformed into a cow by Hera. She was watched by Argus (100 eyes) and Gadfly chased her & stung her tail all over the world. Bosporos = "cow's path" - Io's worldwide journey. She visited Prometheus and ended in Egypt, where Zeus turned her back into a human and impregnated her with the touch of his hand; she came birth to Epaphus (Greek for "touch")

Front 18

Leda

Back 18

Wife of Tyndareus, seduction by Zeus in form of swan, offspring are sets of twins - one twin is offspring of Zeus and the other of Tyndareus in each set. Twins = Castor and Pollus, Helen and Clytemaestra

Front 19

Semele

Back 19

Theban princess. Hera's jealousy - disguises herself as a nurse, convincing her to convince Zeus to have sex with her in his full divine force. This caused him to shine a lightning bolt into her, destroying her. Son Dionysus born out of Zeus' thigh

Front 20

Ganymede

Back 20

Son of Tros; Zeus falls in love with him and sends his eagle to pluck him from the earth. He becomes cupbearer to the gods and receives eternal youth from Zeus

Front 21

Athena

Back 21

Daughter of Zeus & Metis

Front 22

Muses

Back 22

daughters of Zeus & Menosyne

Front 23

Horae, Eumonia, Dike, Eirene, Fates

Back 23

Children of Zeus & Themis

Front 24

Graces

Back 24

daughters of Zeus & Eyrnome

Front 25

Apollo and Artemis

Back 25

children of Zeus & Leto

Front 26

Aphrodite

Back 26

daughter of Zeus & Dione

Front 27

Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia

Back 27

children of Zeus & Hera

Front 28

Hephaestus & Typhon

Back 28

Hera wanted to show that she was just as capable as Zeus and could bear her own children; when she gave birth to Hephaestus, he was so ugly that they threw him out of heaven

Front 29

Eileithyia

Back 29

goddess of childbirth; name indicates she was originally a Minoan god; daughter of Zeus & Hera

Front 30

Hera & cattle

Back 30

She wanted people to sacrifice cows to her; turned Io into a cow; favorite island was island of the cow

Front 31

Hera

Back 31

Wife and sister of Zeus; never called "mother of the gods" like Zeus was called "father of the gods"

Front 32

Greater Daedala/Lesser Daedala

Back 32

festival that took place on Mt. Cithaeron; marriage procession from Plataea to Mt. Cithaeron; sacrifice and conflagration; Zeus pretends to marry an idol causing Hera to become angry, but upon realizing it was an idol she found it funny and it reconciled her and Zeus

Front 33

Samian Tonaia

Back 33

ritual bathing and binding of cult statue of Hera; result of pirate attempt to steal statue but people thinking statue was trying to run away

Front 34

Poseidon - etymology of name

Back 34

"posis" = spouse; "da" = cognate for ga/ge (Gaia) "pot" = potent; name suggests he is the potent spouse to earth god

Front 35

Poseidon - Minoan association with bulls

Back 35

Preferred bull sacrifices; sent Minos (king of Crete) a bull from the sea that he should have sacrificed but didn't, so Poseidon made his wife fall in love with the bull

Front 36

Minotaur

Back 36

half bull, half human - result of Minos' wife's relationship with broze bull

Front 37

Poseidon - Indo-European association with horses

Back 37

horses not in Greece until European invasion; myth that Poseidon produced the first horse

Front 38

Medusa & Pegasus

Back 38

Poseidon raped Medusa and she gave birth to Pegasus out of her severed neck

Front 39

Amphitrite

Back 39

Poseidon rapes her, she flees to Atlas, found by Delphin, birth of Triton

Front 40

Amyone

Back 40

Poseidon rescues her from satyr, agreed to be with Poseidon and he created spring of Lerna, son Nauplius

Front 41

Melanippe

Back 41

Twins Aeolus and Boeotus results of rape by Poseidon; blinded and imprisoned by her father, sons sent into wilderness

Front 42

Aeolus & Boeotus

Back 42

sons of Melanippe & Zeus; found and given to Theano (queen of Icaria) who pretends they are her own children. When she later succeeds in having her own child she plots to kill the twins, but they foil her plot. They rescue Melanippe, bring her back to Icaria, she marries the king

Front 43

Tyro

Back 43

Loved river god Enipeus; Poseidon assumed form of river god and raped her; children Pellas and Neleus - exposed & raised by horse herders

Front 44

Caenis

Back 44

Raped by Poseidon; wished that she could become a man so she'd never again be raped; wish granted and she became Caeneus, leader of Lapiths, and invulnerable of weapons

Front 45

Nereus & Proteus

Back 45

wise old men of the sea; had prophetic powers and could shift shapes