Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
210 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Studying Mythology:
Context |
Understand how the history, religious beliefs, cultural developments, politics, and intellectual currents affected the myth's portrayal
|
|
Studying Mythology:
Literary Artistry |
Myth conformed to the certain literary conventions in which it was told
|
|
Studying Mythology:
Theoretical Analysis |
Myth represents the attempt to understand the human condition
How they saw it and why it matters Same issues now as then |
|
Meaning of "Myth"
|
Mythos=something spoken, not inherently false
A pre-scientific and imaginative attempt to explain Appeals to emotion over reason a story that, through its classical form, has attained a kind of immortality has its source in reason |
|
Types of Myths:
Myth (narrow sense) |
mistaken explanations of phenomena, either human or of nature
pre-scientific science |
|
Types of myths:
Legends |
oral/written traditions related to real people/places/events
pre-literate history |
|
Types of myths:
Folk-tales |
Purely imaginary, for entertainment purposes
pre-literate fiction |
|
Nature Myth
|
Explains a phenomenon of nature
|
|
Aetiological Myths
|
a cause or explanation of something in the real world
|
|
Charter myth
|
explanation of social beliefs, institutions, customs
|
|
Religious Ritual myth
|
explanation or source of religious rituals
|
|
Creative Era myths
|
explanation of creation
reclaim a lost paradise or gain a better state |
|
Heroic myths
|
folk-tale undercurrent, aetiological and historical elements
benefit of mankind |
|
Psychological myths
|
Observations about human nature and behavior
Mythological figures illustrate personalities |
|
Literary uses of myth
|
used as the prototype for subsequent art and literature
|
|
Structuralism
|
1) Human nature and behavior is constant
2) Society has a constant nature because of the binary nature of the mind *binary opposites: life/death, male/female, hunter/hunted |
|
Feminism
|
Psychological and social situation of females
frequently fails to emphasize the complimentary nature of the male/female relationship, not just strict opposition |
|
Strengths of periodization
|
summarization of the period/style's major characteristics
|
|
Weaknesses of periodization
|
artificial, blurred boundaries are permeable
|
|
Minoan Civilization
|
Palace culture: no gate blocking entrance, redistributive economy
Presumably literate: Linear A (undecipherable) Society: King Minos was more powerful than Athens. Human sacrifices made to the minotaur on Crete. Theseus defeated Minotaur. SOn of King Aegeus. Aegean Sea. |
|
Mycenaean Civilization
|
Palace culture: heavily fortified, buried with weapons
Linear B: Greek gods listed but no complete myths Heroic Age: setting for many myths, Trojan War, Homer's writings, worshipped Zeus Cyclopean masonry Megaron- main gathering place |
|
Aetiology
|
From Greek aition: cause
explanation of localized/isolated phenomena |
|
Aidoneus
|
Hades' epithet meaning "unseen one"
|
|
aischrologia
|
shameful talk
off-colored jests |
|
anthropomorphism
|
in the form of humans
possessing the characteristics, personalities, even faults of humans |
|
Catharsis
|
the arousal of pity or fear as a means of purging those emotions
|
|
Chthonic
|
pertaining to the underworld
cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth |
|
Polytheism
|
Many gods for many functions
|
|
Syncretism
|
associating one culture’s god with that of another (e.g., Greek Zeus and Roman Jupiter)
|
|
Henotheism
|
only worshiping one god but not denying the existence or
power of others |
|
Homeric
|
Same diction, style, and meter (dactylic hexameter) as Homer
|
|
Hymn
|
The term hymnos “hymn” denotes a type of devotional song
sung in honor of a god or goddess |
|
Hera
|
pre-Hellenic mother goddess
wife of Zeus, daughter of Kronos and Rhea function: earth goddess, queen of gods, marriage |
|
Hephaestus
|
god from Asia Minor
son of Hera, often parthenogenically volcanoes, metallurgy given Aphrodite |
|
Hestia
|
early mother goddess
daughter of Kronos and Rhea virgin goddess hearth fire worshiped at home more than publicly |
|
Poseidon
|
a native Greek god who predated Zeus, later partially displaced/replaced
son of Kronos and Rhea Function: fresh water, sea, horses, earthquakes Attributes: trident Animal: hippocamp Epithet: Earth-shaker Spouse: Amphitrite |
|
Didactic poetry
|
a teaching poem (like Hesiod's)
|
|
Compendium
|
A handbook, a general summary (like Apollodorus' Bibliotheca)
|
|
Linear A
|
undeciphered text from the Minoan Civilization
|
|
Linear B
|
deciphered text from the Mycenaean civilization, early Greek
|
|
Dorians
|
invaded Greece, bringing the Dark Age
used iron which was stronger than bronze literary and palace culture were lost oral poetry preserved myths for later ages |
|
Hesiod
|
late 8th century BC
settled in Askra near Mt Helicon, mount of the Muses won a poetry competition for Theogony |
|
Theogony
(the work) |
a genealogical table in verse
structure: Background of Hesiod’s Call Description of Patronesses “How the Gods Came to Be” Zeus-centric |
|
Chaos
|
Hesiod: gap, void
Ovid: disorder, unformed mass The first of the early generation of the gods, spontaneous creation generator of Nyx (night) |
|
Gaia
|
one of the first 4 gods
earth produces primarily parthenogenically mother of Ouranos (sky) and Pontos (sea) |
|
Tartaros
|
deep underworld
one of the first 4 gods prison for the Titans |
|
Eros (primal power)
|
desire
begins creation by reproduction |
|
Succession myth
|
adopted from near Eastern mythology
son overthrows father as ruler of the gods |
|
Titanomachy
|
Zeus grows to maturity and overthrows most of the Titans, imprisoned them in Tartarus
|
|
Ovid's Creation myth
|
four elements: fire, earth, water, and air
formed from the unformed, disorganized mass of Chaos |
|
Prometheus
|
In Hesiod: Patron of the human race
In Ovid and Apollodorus: Creator of human race Aeschylus: Classic account |
|
Plot
|
Tragedy is the representation, not of men, but of ACTION and life, of happiness and unhappiness—and happiness and unhappiness are bound up with action
|
|
Hamartia
|
a simple mistake in judgments that brings about tragic consequences
|
|
Tragic Character
|
good but not too good, one with whom the audience can
identify |
|
Iambic Trimeter
|
three measures of short-long short-long
|
|
Prometheus Bound:
Background |
rule is harsh whose rule is new
Prometheus as a culture hero |
|
Mt. Helicon
|
Mountain of the Muses
|
|
Perses
|
Brother of Hesiod
Cheated Hesiod out of inheritance land Addressed in Works and Days |
|
Pandora
|
given to the idiot Epimetheus (afterthought) by Zeus
created by all the gods opened the pithos that contained all the evils of the world |
|
Elpis
|
hope
the last thing left in Pandora's pithos |
|
Typhoeus
|
Chthonic monster, associated with snakes. Defeated by Zeus. Debated genesis, either by Gaia and Tartaros or parthenogenically by Hera.
|
|
GIgantomachy
|
battle between the gods and the giants, the offspring of Gaia and Ouranos
Zeus needed the help of the mortal Herakles to win |
|
Zeus
|
Indo-European sky god
Son of Kronos and Rhea, married to Hera Sanctuary: Olympia Functions: storm god, king of gods, guardian of state and justice |
|
Athena
|
Pre-Hellenic Mycenaean goddess,
perhaps a mother goddess stripped of her fertility Sprung from Zeus’ head after he swallowed Metis patroness of heroes, wisdom, crafts, just warfare aegis (cape thing) Sanctuary in Athens virgin goddess |
|
Ares
|
son of Zeus and Hera
all war, but often violent that is not just or defensive On-going affair with Aphrodite, an odd collusion of love and war |
|
Styx
|
Part of the Tartaros Proper
Punishment for breaking an oath |
|
Hades the deity
|
chthonic deity whose fertility role is later downplayed by his role as lord of the dance. I mean the dead.
son of Kronos and Rhea god of the underworld, wealth keys, black sheep, pomegranate seed Aidoneus “Unseen one,” and Zeus Katachthonios |
|
Hades the place
|
Tartarus, Elysian FIelds, Styx
a place of reward and punishment |
|
Cerberus
|
three-headed guard dog of the underworld
|
|
Phlegethon
|
River of fire in Hades
|
|
Furies
|
avengers of crime, especially
murder and blood guilt |
|
Eumenides
|
“kindly ones” – a euphemism stressing the positive aspect of the Furies, after they have been
appeased |
|
Hecate
|
associated with female power, magic
|
|
Soma
|
Body
|
|
Pneuma
|
breath
|
|
Psychē
|
life-force while alive
|
|
shade
|
the pale reflection of one’s soma and the echo of nous after death
|
|
Admetus
|
king of Thessaly, allows his wife to die in his place to avoid an early death
|
|
Alcestis (the character)
|
Queen that dies for her husband Admetus and is saved by Herakles
|
|
Herakles
|
saves Alcestis from the Underworld
|
|
Pheres
|
Father of Admetus, disappointed in him for bein a wuss
|
|
Demeter
|
Pre-Hellenic mother goddess whose sphere is later reduced to vegetative fertility, successor to Gaia
Daughter of Kronos and Rhea agriculture, earth mother mother of Persephone Sanctuary in Eleusis |
|
Kore
|
epithet for Persephone meaning young maiden
|
|
rapio
|
snatch
|
|
kykeon
|
drink of barley and water used in the Eleusinian mysteria
|
|
Apollo
|
son of Zeus and Leto
music, poetry, archery, and aristocratic endeavors; medicine, prophecy represented the traditional pattern of Hellenic law, custom, and religious observance Epithets: Delphinius, Pythian Sanctuaries: Delphi, Delos |
|
Hymn to Apollo
|
1) Delian Apollo
2) Poet's digression 3) Delphic (Pythian) Apollo |
|
Ouranos
|
the sky, a male because from it comes rain, which makes the world fertile
primal power born of Gaia |
|
Nyx
|
night
a Primal Power born of Chaos |
|
Pontos
|
Sea
Born of Gaia, primal power |
|
Okeanos
|
ocean stream around Gaia
a Titan |
|
Kronos
|
A Titan
Time |
|
Rhea
|
A Titaness
The bomb.com |
|
Epimetheus
|
"Afterthought"
Brother of Prometheus. An idiot. Gives Pandora the pithos to open. Duh! |
|
Memnosyne
|
"Memory"
A Titan. mother of the Muses by Zeus |
|
Metis
|
Mother of Athena
Swallowed by Zeus A Titan |
|
Dionysus
|
liminal abandon
a late arrival married to Ariadne early Greek fertility god Son of Semele (who burned in Zeus' glory) and Zeus' leg Twice-born Maenads and stayrs Thebes, Athens |
|
Zagreus
|
son of Zeus and Persephone
Torn apart and devoured by the Titans by command of Hera Heart incubated in Zeus' leg-->Dionysus! Iacchus |
|
Iacchus
|
Dionysus
god born of Zagreus' heart from Zeus' leg after torn apart and devoured by Titans |
|
Muses
|
born of Zeus and Memnosyne
home on Mt Helicon |
|
Artemis
|
fertility, hunt and animals
twin of Apollo, daughter of Zeus and Leto Sanctuary in Ephesus Polymastos, Potnia Theron |
|
Hermes
|
perhaps an early chthonic fertility deity merged with a later Greek god
son of Zeus of Maia messenger of the gods, merchants/thieves, herdsmen, fertility (herms), dead souls, boundary crossing, magic (trickster) Argeiphontes (slayer of Argos? “flash?”), Psychopompus (guider of souls) |
|
Argeipontes
|
epithet of Hermes
slayer or Argos? flash? |
|
Psychopompus
|
guider of souls
Hermes' epithet |
|
caduceus
|
Hermes' staff thingy with the snakes
|
|
Persephone
|
daughter of Demeter
Kore: maiden snatched by Hades wife of Hades |
|
Charon
|
Sails the dead across the river Styx
requires a fee |
|
Styx
|
river of hate!
Charon sails across River of Broken Oaths |
|
Aphrodite
|
Eastern fertility goddess
Daughter of Zeus and Dione or Ouranos's genitals Married to Hephaestus but affair with Ares. Cuz he's hawt! Goddes of physical and spiritual love Mother of Eros Sanctuary in Cyprus Epithets: Kypris, Cypris |
|
Urania
|
Aphrodite epithet, Celestial
Sprung from Ouranos alone For religion and philosophy, becomes the celestial goddess of pure and spiritual love |
|
Pandemos
|
Epithet of Aphrodite, of all the people
Sprung from Zeus and Dione more base, devoted primarily to physical satisfaction Goddess of physical attraction and procreation |
|
Eros (deity)
|
Son of Aphrodite and Ares. Yowza!
|
|
Theodicy in Hades
|
Judges
a place of reward and punishment |
|
Hundred-handers
|
Allies of Zeus
Sprung of Gaia and Ouranos |
|
Kyclopes
|
Born of Gaia and Ouranos
Zeus' allies |
|
Giants
|
Born of Gaia and Ouranos to eliminate the Olympians
|
|
Echidna
|
in the Hymn to Apollo
She-dragon monster described by Hesiod as half nymph, half snake |
|
Bibliotheca
|
“Library”, written by Apollodorus. A basic history of the gods and their myths.
|
|
Metamorphoses
|
Written by Ovid, a Roman
An epic compendium |
|
Ovid
|
Roman
Wrote Metamorphoses prOVIDes a less religious view of the myths, far removed in years |
|
bull
|
Minoan symbol of male fertility and masculinity
|
|
mystery religion
|
A religion with rites or rituals that are not spoken of to the uninitiated
|
|
Demophoön
|
Prince of the palace of Celeos, fed ambrosia and burned in the hearth (as part of the process of becoming a god) when under the care of Demeter in the Persephone myth.
|
|
parthenogenesis
|
“Asexual” reproduction, Greek-style. Procreation without a partner of the opposite sex.
|
|
Alcestis (the play)
|
Written by Euripides
General synopsis: Admetus is threatened with an early death but evades it by allowing his sickly wife Alcestis to die for him. Weak sauce. Herakles saves her from the underworld and brings her back. Why we studied it: Greek views on death, the guest-friend customs |
|
Bacchae (the play, not the other name for maenads)
|
Euripides
Synopsis: Dionysiac worship gone awry. Pentheus is led by a disguised Dionysus to spy on the ladies as they worship by way of punishment for not acknowledging Dionysus as a god. They go crazy, rip him to shreds and eat him! I think they eat him...yeah yeah. They do. Cuz Dionysus was eaten and reborn and all. Why we studied it: Opposition to Apolline cult and such |
|
Pentheus
|
character in Bacchae
torn apart for not worshipping Dionysus rationalism and Apolline opposition to the new cult |
|
Semele (the mortal)
|
Mother of Dionysus
A mortal!!!! Burnt in the glory of Zeus while pregnant with Dionysus |
|
viticulture
|
the cultivation and culture of grapes,
especially leading towards the production of wine Dionysus |
|
liminality
|
The loosening of inhibitions allowed
worshipers to “cross boundaries” (limina), acting differently than usual |
|
omophagy
|
the eating of raw flesh
noted in the Dionysus slides. Sacramental feasts, Zagreus eaten by Titans. |
|
entheos
|
the possession by the god of his followers (cf. English “enthusiasm,” meaning “god within”)
|
|
thyrsus
|
wand wreathed with ivy and topped with pine cone
|
|
satyrs
|
half man, half goat/horse; they dance, sing, drink wine, often ithyphallic
|
|
Hymn to Dionysus
|
Grape and wine motifs, descriptive of Dionysus
Men-to-dolphins aetiological explaining why dolphins like people! |
|
theatron
|
“watching area,” the semi-circular area of tiered seating
|
|
orchestra
|
round “dancing” floor for the chorus, the
descendant of rural “goat men” who had danced and sung around poles representing Dionysus in the rural festivals |
|
skene
|
“tent” but later a wooden scene building or stage behind
|
|
Proscenium
|
the raised area or stage between the orchestra and the skēnē
|
|
Cadmus and Tiresias
|
In Bacchae
submitted willingly to Dionysus and as a result had experienced only moderate “frenzy" |
|
Agave
|
Mother of Pentheus
tears apart her own son in Bacchic frenzy |
|
Maenads
|
female worshipers of Dionysus
|
|
Hippolytus (the work)
|
Euripides
Synopsis: Phaedra ahem wanted her stepson Hippolytus somethin fierce. Not her fault! Aphrodite made it so as a punishment for Hippolytus not chasin the ladies. Nurse helped Phaedra get Hippolytus buuuuut she committed suicide and accused Hippolytus of attacking her. Theseus then curses Hippolytus and he dies. Hippolytus dies, that is. Why?: Pathological love: Incest or devout virginity. Euripides does his iconoclastic thing and makes Artemis seem callous and arbitrary. |
|
Theseus
|
culture hero
Father of Hippolytus cursed his son! curses. |
|
brief overview of historical periods
|
Bronze
Dark Archaic Classical Holla! |
|
Hippolytus (the character)
|
protagonist of Hippolytus, the Euripides play. Lit Phaedra's fire
hamartia: devout virginity, offended Aphrodite worshipped Artemis, a virgin hunter. I mean a virgin AND a hunter |
|
Phaedra
|
stepmother in Hippolytus to Hippolytus
Totally lusted after Hippolytus, had him, and killed herself, blaming Hippolytus in the end. And Aphrodite |
|
Euripides
|
third great tragedian
wrote Alcestis, Bacchae, and Hippolytus iconoclast, focused on realism always loved the awkward stuff |
|
Apollodorus
|
author of Bibliotheca
|
|
Primal powers
|
spontaneously generated
Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, Eros, Nyx, Ouranos not anthropomorphized |
|
titans
|
born of the primal powers
overthrown by Zeus Kronos, Rhea, Okeanos, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Memnosyne, Metis |
|
Pytho
|
a monster defeated by Apollo
pytho: rot |
|
pomegranate
|
symbol of male and female fertility
associated with Persephone and Hades, chthonic symbol symbolized the consummation of Hades and Persephone's marriage |
|
Anchises
|
a mortal, loved by Aphrodite by design of Zeus so she could stop making fun of the gods for loving rampantly when she made it happen
|
|
Aeneas
|
descendent of Anchises
leader of Trojans ainos: grief. Anchises couldn't be with another woman after Aphrodite. That's grievous. So the boy born of the union was a Trojan leader! |
|
Adonis
|
a mortal but a hottie Aphrodite actually wanted to get with
the most beautiful male aetiological myth for the anemone flower |
|
Deucalion
|
the Noah character in the flood after the Iron Age
builds a boat by recommendation of Prometheus married to Pyrrha repopulated the earth by chuckin rocks |
|
Pyrrha
|
the Noah's wife character in the flood after the Iron Age
Went on the boat with Deucalion |
|
Hymn to Aphrodite (both)
|
the tales of Anchises and Adonis
|
|
Metaneira
|
Queen of the palace of Celeos
In the Hymn to Demeter Demophoon and all...the nurse was named Iambe! |
|
Hymn to Demeter
|
Myth of Demeter and Persephone
Hades took Persephone, Demeter went to the palace of Celeos, cared for Demophoon, tried to deify him Lalala |
|
Iambe
|
nurse in the palace of Celeos
aischrologia Hymn to Demeter |
|
Eleusis
|
Independent city before absorbed by Athens
Sanctuary to Demeter Eleusinian mysteria |
|
Celeus/Celeos
|
King of the palace in the Hymn to Demeter
|
|
aegis
|
Athena's cape-y shawl thing
|
|
Tantalus
|
Crime: stole nectar and ambrosia from the gods and served his son Pelops the gods for dinner
Punishment: forced to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree, forever “tantalized” |
|
Sisyphus
|
Crime: cheated death by tricking Persephone into temporarily letting him leave the
underworld, then refused to return Punishment: continually rolls a rock up a hill |
|
Kosmos
|
Ouranos
Gaia Okeanos Hades Tartaros |
|
Ephesus
|
Sanctuary to Artemis
Polymastos statue |
|
Works and Days
|
written by Hesiod
a didactic poem on agriculture and moral conduct Perses, Pandora |
|
Aeschylus
|
First of the three tragedians
author of the Prometheus trilogy (Firebearer, Bound, Unbound) invented spectacle wrote in iambic trimeter used myths and legends to explore questions of human suffering and psychology as well as the nature of the gods |
|
Chorus
|
part of Greek theatre
danced, sang, interjected lines...etc. |
|
Cosmology
|
study of the origins and nature of the universe
|
|
Cosmogony
|
Theories on the origin if the universe
None prior to Hesiod |
|
Cyprus
|
Sanctuary of Aphrodite
The epithet Cypris means of Cyprus. Holla. |
|
deus ex machina
|
god is machine
in Greek theatre gods would literally be craned onto stage at weirdly opportune times |
|
theophany
|
appearance of a god to mortal, revealing themselves as a god
note Apollo''s theophany from the dolphin shape |
|
theogony (the meaning)
|
genealogy of the gods
|
|
oral poetry
|
the first form of relaying myths from generation to generation
poetry was easier to remember than prose could easily be passed down |
|
palace culture
|
palace a tthe center of the community
redistributive economy see Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations |
|
near Eastern mythology
|
influenced Greek mythology
throughout Bronze Age and again with early Archaic Primal couple motifs and succession myths |
|
Culture hero
|
benefit mankind
Prometheus! |
|
omphalos
|
navel stone, the center of the universe
in Delphi, the center of the Greek world and Apollo's sanctuary |
|
Delphi
|
center of the Greek world
omphalos, navel stone sanctuary of Apollo |
|
invocation
|
a prayer the the Muses at the beginning of any poem or section of poetry in ancient Greek writings
Muses are the goddesses of art! They are helpful when invoked. |
|
pathological love
|
crazy, illogical, sick and wrong
element of Euripidean tragedy examples in Hippolytus: stepmother/stepson thing devout virginity |
|
xenia
|
extreme hospitaliy
guest-friend association generational |
|
Homer
|
author of epics the Iliad and the Odyssey
may or may not be real? |
|
Delos
|
birthplace of Apollo and Artemis
Sanctuary to Apollo |
|
Thebes
|
birthplace and sanctuary of Dionysus
setting for the Bacchae |
|
Athens
|
sanctuary for Dionysus
sanctuary for Athena. duh |
|
Io
|
in Prometheus Bound
a foil for Prometheus turned into a cow by Hera, bugged by a fly. Ha. Bugged. Io’s sufferings and eventual redemption to illustrate the ultimate wisdom, justice, and mercy of an all-powerful Zeus Io's descendants bear Herakles. Yeah! |
|
Pandora's jar
|
pithos
All evils for mankind escape, except Elpis (“hope”) |
|
armor
|
attributed to Athena, goddess of just warfare
|
|
owl
|
attributed to Athena, "owl-eyed"
|
|
cornucopia
|
attribute of Demeter
horn of plenty, goddess of agriculture. Fitting! |
|
crown
|
attributed to Zeus or Poseidon as kings
|
|
dolphin
|
attributed to Apollo and Dionysus but mostly Apollo
pirates! |
|
trident
|
Poseidon symbol!
|
|
thunderbolts
|
Zeus!
|
|
scepter
|
attributed to Zeus and Hera
|
|
snake goddess
|
Minoan statue, unknown diety
|
|
torch
|
attributed to Ares, god of warfare, along with armor
|
|
eagle
|
attributed to Zeus, his animal
|
|
helmet
|
Hermes, Athena
|
|
keys
|
Hades, keeper of the underworld
|
|
Mt. Olympus
|
home of the gods
|
|
Olympia
|
sanctuary of Zeus
|
|
Olympia
|
sanctuary of Zeus
|
|
crescent
|
bow and arrow
Apollo and Artemis |