Gre Literature In English Subject Test: Greek And Roman Mythology

Front 1

Aurora

Back 1

Greek goddess of the dawn

Front 2

Euphrosyne

Back 2

Greek goddess of mirth. One of the three "Charities" or "Graces." Daughter of Aphrodite (Goddess of beauty, aka "Venus" to the Romans) and Dionysus (God of wine, good times, and revelry, aka "Bacchus" to the Romans). Euphrosyne (mirth) is a blend of both (meaning "beautiful good times").

Front 3

Apollo

Back 3

Roman god of the sun as well as poetry.

Front 4

Cynthia

Back 4

Greek goddess of the moon.

Front 5

Zeus

Back 5

Jupiter. Chief god, god of the sky.

Front 6

Poseidon

Back 6

Neptune. Lord of the sea.

Front 7

Hades

Back 7

Pluto. Lord of the dead, the underworld (but not death itself).

Front 8

Hestia

Back 8

Vesta. Goddess of the hearth.

Front 9

Hera

Back 9

Juno. Protector of marriage.

Front 10

Ares

Back 10

Mars. God of war.

Front 11

Athena

Back 11

Minerva. Goddess of wisdom.

Front 12

Aphrodite

Back 12

Venus. Goddess of love and beauty.

Front 13

Hermes

Back 13

Mercury. Messenger god, leads dead to underworld, inventor of music

Front 14

Artemis

Back 14

Diana. Goddess of the hunt. Twin sister of Apollo.

Front 15

Apollo

Back 15

Phoebus. God of healing, intellectual pursuits, dine arts, prophesy, sun, and light

Front 16

Hephestus

Back 16

Vulcan. God of smiths and weavers.

Front 17

Demeter

Back 17

Ceres. Goddess of the harvest.

Front 18

Persephone

Back 18

Proserpine. Goddess of the underworld, captured by Hades

Front 19

Eros

Back 19

Cupid. God of love, son of Aphrodite.

Front 20

Eris

Back 20

Goddess of strife

Front 21

Pan

Back 21

God of goatherds and shepherds, plays the fife and looks like a goat

Front 22

The Three Graces: Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia

Back 22

Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome. Aglaia: splendor. Euphrosyne: mirth. Thalia: good cheer.

Front 23

The Muses: Clio, Urania, Melpomene, Thalia, Terpsichore, Calliope, Erato, Polyhymnia, Euterpe

Back 23

Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, known for their music which brings joy to anyone who hears it. Each of the muses has her own specialty. Clio: history. Urania: astronomy. Melpomene: tragedy. Thalia: comedy. Terpsichore: dance. Calliope: epic poetry. Erato: love poetry. Polyhymnia: songs to the gods. Euterpe: lyric poetry

Front 24

The Furies

Back 24

Punish crime

Front 25

The Fates

Back 25

decide a person's destiny and lifespan

Front 26

The Titans

Back 26

Ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them

Front 27

Chronos

Back 27

Saturn. Ruler of the Titans. Zeus' father.

Front 28

The Naiads, Nereides, and Oceanides

Back 28

The three classes of water nymphs

Front 29

Gaea

Back 29

The goddess of earth, the grandmother of Chronus and great-grandmother of Zeus.

Front 30

Chaos

Back 30

The initial state of the universe, space, darkness, the void or abyss out of which Gaea and everything else sprung.

Front 31

What caused the Trojan war? (There are three factors)

Back 31

1. Paris stole Menelaus' wife, Helen
2. Zeus raped a mortal woman named Leda
3. The curse on the House of Atreus (Menelaus' wife was abducted as part of the curse)

Front 32

What happens in the story of Prometheus?

Back 32

Trick question! There are lots of stories about Prometheus. Usually, he's said to have helped civilize human beings by introducing them to fire. In some stories, he's said to have both made them out of clay and introduced them to fire. The usual story is that Zeus has Prometheus' liver torn out by vultures for eternity. In other versions, though, Zeus creates Pandors and sends her to Prometheus' brother with a jar that, when opened, releases evil into the world.

Front 33

Who builds the Parthenon?

Back 33

The Athenians

Front 34

Hephaistos

Back 34

God of fire and craftmanship. Makes Achilles' armor and a magnificent shield for him, which Homer talks about at length. This is also the god from whom Prometheus steals fire.

Front 35

Who or what is responsible for the Trojan War?

Back 35

1. Paris, who stole Helen
2. The gods (especially Zeus)
3. The curse on the House of Atreus (that makes everything bad for Agomemnon and Meneleus)

Front 36

What is the Minotaur? Who created him and where does he live?

Back 36

A beast that is half man, hall bull. It was created by Daedalus. It lives in the labyrinth of King Minos on the island of Crete. *Daedalus is an important name to know. Joyce appropriates it and uses it in both A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses.

Front 37

Who builds the Trojan Horse? Who writes about it?

Back 37

The Trojan horse was built by a Greek craftsman named Epeius. Homer writes about it in The Odyssey and Virgil writes about it in The Aeneid.