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65 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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How does the theogony begin? |
The invocation of the Muses which are the entertainers of the gods created when Zeus slept with Mnemosyne (memory). A muse was born for each day he slept with her (9). |
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Where were did the muses live? |
Mount Helikon. |
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The theogony states that from chaos three deities were formed. Who were they? |
Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (underworld), and Eros (desire) |
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Gaia was responsible for the production of who? She reproduced with him to form what? |
The sky and heavens, known as Ouranos, whom she reproduced with. Together they formed: 1) the twelve titans 2) the three cyclopes 3) the three hundred-handed ones But Ouranos hated the latter and shoved them back into Gaia which pissed her off. |
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Describe how the action of the titans led to the formation of Aphrodite. |
Gaia created a sickle which her youngest titan, Kronus, used to castrate Ouranus whose blood went on to form the furies and giants. Kronos threw his dad's testicles into the ocean where the sea foam that formed around them went on to become Aphrodite. |
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Describe the events leading up to Zeus overthrowing Kronos. |
Kronos reproduces with his sister Rheia thus producing the six olympians: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Kronos eats them because he fears being overthrown. Rhea tricks kronos and spares Zeus who grows up in Crete. Eventually Zeus defeats Kronos by tricking him into throwing up the other olympians. |
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Zeus has seven children with different wives, name them. |
wife-child Metis-Athena Demeter- Persephone Leto-Apollo and Artemis Hera-Ares (Hera also produced Hephaestus asexually) Maia-Hermes Semele(mortal)-Dionysus Alkmene (mortal-) Heracles |
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Describe Poseidon. |
-Married to Amphitrite -Associated with Horses and Bulls -Fatherof monsters such as Polyphemus and Pegasus |
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Describe hestia. |
The virgin sister of Zeus who was both the first and last born. Stays at home and tends the Hearth fire Although not mentioned in many Greek myths, she's a rockstar in Rome (Vesta) |
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What is the Roman name for Hades? Zeus? Hera? |
Dis, Jove (Jupiter), Juno. |
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Describe Demeter and her daughter. |
Demeter (Ceres) had Persephone (Proserpina) with Zeus. Demeter is the goddess of the grain and is often depicted with wheat or torches. The two represent the major stages in the female life cycle in Greek society. The term kore (meaning young lady) is attributed to Persephone. She is married to Hades. |
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What is Katabasis? |
Descent and then return from the underworld which is considered one of the most heroic things someone an do. Heracles did it thrice and persephone (as wife to hades) does it all the time. |
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Ancient Greek marriage has two practices, what are they and what do they mean? |
Exogamous (Took a girl away from home) Virilocal (Bride goes to live in husband's home) |
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What do the terms Eggue, nymphe, and parthenos mean? |
Eggue- betrothal. Arranged between a girl's father and her future husband and the ultimate goal is to forge a bond between two households. Pathenos- a virgin, unmarried girl Nymphe-bride |
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Describe Ekdosis. |
The ritual giving away of the bride was a ceremony usually held at night (which is why they held torches) in which the father gives his daughter to the husband. The bride was washed, dressed, and adorned by family members before getting on a chariot to the Husband's home. |
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What do gamos and gyne mean? |
Gamos-Marriage is not official until you consummate Gyne-wife |
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Describe the ancient Greek Funerary Ritual. |
Similar to the bridal procession. The corpse is washed, dressed, and adorned by family. There is a torch-lit procession and then the corpse is taken by chariot to the burial ground. Then offerings are made to underworld gods. |
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What did homer address in his hymn to Demeter? |
-Persephone's experience of marriage -Power of Female Fertility (Demeter uses this to negotiate with Zeus) -Cycle of seasons (Greeks only had three seasons: Spring, summer, and winter) -Eleusinian Mysteries (a cult created by Demeter to honour herself and her daughter) |
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What were the Eleusinian Mysteries? Discuss the aetiology. |
-Initiations held every year by the Cult of Demeter at Eleusis (close to athens) -Initiates expected a blessed existence after death - Demeter, disguised as an old woman, goes to the home of the King and Queen of Eleusis -She becomes the nurse for their infant son, Demophoon -She intends to make him immortal by feeding him ambrosia and nectar -The queen, suspicious, spies on Demeter and sees her try to put her son in a fire. -This was a spiritual and secret rite but it was interrupted so she instructs the house to begin the mysteries in her honour. |
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Describe how Persephone came to be Hades' wife. |
She was in a meadow picking flowers when she is taken by Hades to the underworld. Her abduction goes unwitnessed except by Helios. Demeter asks helios what happened and when he tells her she freaks out. She disguises herself as a human and refuses to let crops grow in order to kill humans so the gods had no sacrifices. Zeus sends iris (rainbow) to offer Demeter anything she wants but all she wants is her daughter. So Zeus sends Hermes to the underworld to persuade hades to allow Persephone to see her mother. Hades does so but not before giving her a pomegranate seed. By eating this Persephone is forced to live with Hades a third of the year while the rest she is with her mother. |
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Describe Aphrodite. |
-Roman Venus -Hoemer said she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione (a titan) -Goddess of sexual attraction, desire, pleasure, but also deceit and violence -Married to Hephaestus but has an affair with Ares with whom she has three kids: harmonia, panic, and fear |
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What three goddesses are immune to sexual desire? |
1) Athena (devoted to war and crafts) 2) Artemis (devoted to hunting, dancing, woods) 3) Hestia (asked Zeus to let her remain a virgin forever) |
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Describe the story of Aphrodite in love. |
-Aphrodite, who desires the Trojan hero Anchises takes on a mortal form and goes to him -She lies about her identity so he will not be intimidated. -Anchises falls for his desire and bangs her after which she reveals her identity -Aeneas is the son produced from this relationship. He is nursed by nymphs and returned to his father as a boy. -Aphrodite warns Anchises not to tell Aeneas she is his father because Zeus would be pissed -During the Trojan war, Aeneas is seen carrying his father on his back while fleeing to a new nation in italy. -Aphrodite is said to care for this new nation (Rome) |
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What are the Roman names for Apollo and Artemis? Describe their birth. |
-Apollo is (Phoebus) and Artemis is (Diana) -They are the twins of Zeus and Leto (a titan) -When Hera found out Leto was pregnant she told the Earth not to give Leto shelter -Leto is forced to wander and suffer homeless until Delos, a barren island, agrees to shelter her - Hera prevents Eileithyia (goddess of childbirth) from attending Leto - Eileithyia, bribed with a necklace by Leto, attends to the pregnant titan -Leto first gives birth to Artemis who comes out fully grown and helps in the birth of her brother, Apollo -Greek women call on Artemis to ease their pains in childbirth -These pains are said to be because Artemis is mad at them for giving up their virginity |
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Describe how the Homeric Hymns to Apollo compare to Hesiod's Theogony. |
-Homer's Hymn Describes Apollo's journey, slaying of Python the dragon and establishment of a culture centre at Delphi (Pytho). -This compares to Zeus's slaying of Typhoeus because both enemies are associated with female divinity and challenge a male god's role -Hera is the mother of Typhoeus in the Hymn as opposed to Gaia in the theogeny |
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Describe Apollo. |
He is a young and beautiful aristocrat with a bow and lyre said to symbolize moderation and harmony. He is often considered a spiritual healer who men prayed to because his arrows caused illness. |
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What is an ephebe? |
A young man 18-20 about to enter into military service. |
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Apollo's temple at Delphi had an oracle, what was her name and what did she do? |
-A priestess named Pythia who answered the questions of travellers but her answers could not be understood -So they were interpreted by male priests who did not do a much better job |
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What does Paeon mean? |
Healer |
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Who is Asclepius? |
God of medicine and son of Apollo. |
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Describe how apollo is unlucky in love. |
1) Daphne asked to be turned into a tree to get away from him 2) Hyacinth (a man) was killed by a discus 3) Coronis (mother of Asclepius) he killed for infidelity 4) Cassandra led him on so he gave her the gift of prophecy but she could not speak of the future |
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Who was Castillo? |
A nymph and follower of Artemis, who was tricked by Zeus. He turned into Artemis and banged her thus producing their sun Arcas the hunter. Hera found out and turned Castillo into a bear but Zeus sent Arcas away with Hermes before anything could happen to him. |
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Who was Acteon? |
A hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing and was turned into a stag (deer) and eaten by his hounds. |
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What does sparagmos? |
Dismemberment of a living victim for a ritual. |
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Describe the boeotian vase and who it depicts. |
It depicts Artemis as a mother goddess and some features it shows are: -swastika -bulls -birds -lions -wings on artemis -snake like spirals -fish in her skirt |
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What is brauronia? |
As young girls approached marriageable age, they performed these dances and wove wreaths to appease artemis so she would not be pissed that they are leaving virginity. |
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Describe the story of Niobe. |
A queen with 14 children, she bragged that she was more successful than Leto. Artemis and Apollo, in defence of their mother, slaughtered Niobe's children (termed Niobids). As such Niobe is an icon of grief and lament and it is said that mount sipylus, with streams of water running down it, is Niobe as changed by the gods. |
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Hermes is also known as what for killing the god with all the eyes on him. |
Argeiphontes |
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Describe Athena and how she is the goddess of the city. Contrast this with Artemis. |
She is usually shown armed as a defender of civilization. She is a champion of culture and clever inventor of ways to tame nature. She protects cultural heroes like heracles or perseus. She is the patron goddess of Athens who presides over trials and civic institutions. In comparison, Artemis' reach only extends to the wilderness, not civilization. |
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Who is Erichthonius? |
The first king of Athens who was born from the Earth as a result of advances from Hephaestus |
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What is autochthony? |
Birth from the earth. |
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What temple is dedicated to Athena? |
The Parthenon (virgins temple). |
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What period does the bronze statue of Athena fall in? |
Classical |
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Describe Hephaestus. |
-Vulcan -Lame son of Hera -He was thrown by Hera into the sea where he was cared for by Thetis (mother of achilles) -He is thought to have been thrown near the island Lemnos which is where his cult site is -He is the god of metal craft and technology -He lives in a volcano where he oversees the cyclopes who make Zeus' lighting bolts -He is the comic figure among Olympians and married to Aphrodite |
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Describe the story of Dionysus and Hephaestus. |
Hephaestus was pissed that he was thrown away by his mother so he refused to build anything. Zeus sent embassies to persuade him to come back but Hephaestus would not. Zeus then sent his son Dionysus who offered Hephaestus wine. Hephaestus got drunk, jumped on a donkey (demeaning) and followed Dionysus back to work. |
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Describe Hermes. |
-Mercury -Son of Zeus and Maia (a titan) -Messenger of the gods and can be seen carrying a caduceus (wand with snakes rapped around it) and wearing a traveller's hat -Caduceus was given to him by Apollo -A trickster and liar but still respected by Zeus (unlike prometheus) -A psychopomp (carries souls to underworld) |
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Describe the Homeric Hymn's to Hermes. |
-Regards him as a master trickster and inventor of both fire (in comparison to Hesiod) and the lyre (not Apollo). |
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Describe the Autochthonous family of Dionysus. |
Ares and Aphrodite had a daughter, Harmonia, who married a mortal named Cadmus. Cadmus played a dragon and took the teeth and sowed them in the Earth which gave rise to an army of men. These men fought until only four families remained. One of these families included Semele who is Dionysus' mother. |
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Describe the story of Dionysus' birth and the role Hera had. |
Hera found out Zeus banged Semele and had a child with her. She comes down in disguise and convinces Semele to ask Zeus to prove himself by coming down in his true form. He does so, coming down as a lightning bolt, and incinerates her. Zeus sends Hermes to pick up Dionysus who is thrown into the thigh of Zeus and reborn. This is in line with Dionysus' all pleasure mentality. |
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Describe Hera's persecution of Dionysus and how she drove him mad. |
-Hermes took Dionysus to live in Nysa where he was raised by nymphs -Hermes entrusted Athamas and Ino (Semele's sister) to raise Dionysus and told them to bear him as a girl -Hera drove the couple mad: Athamas hunted his elder son as a deer, Ino jumped into the sea with her infant son Melicertes |
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Dionysus was driven mad by Hera, how was he cured? |
He followed the initiation rites of Cybele an eastern healing goddess in Phrygia. |
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As Dionysus returned to Greece he faced a lot of resistance, describe what happened and how he responded. |
When Dionysus was persecuted by Lycurgus, his followers, the satyrs and maenads, were imprisoned. When the maenads were released, Dionysus drove Lycurgus mad to the point that he drove an axe through his son thinking he was chopping the branch of a vine. During Dionysus' reign people came to celebrate him except for the Minyads (daughter's of king Minyas). Instead these girls stayed home and continued their regular activities like weaving. As a punishment, Dionysus entwined their looms with vines, filled their baskets with serpents, and drove them mad. One sister, chosen by Iot to give a sacrifice, tore her son to pieces as an offering. They were all transformed into owls and bats. |
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Describe the Orphic Dionysus story. |
Dionysus is the son of Zeus and Persephone (sky and underworld) but he was ripped to shreds and eaten raw by the titans. Athena saves his heart which Zeus swallows and then he impregnates Semele (born twice). Zeus incinerates the titans and humans were born from the ashes (contain a divine element). |
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What is omophagia? |
Eating something raw. |
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How does the sacrificial ritual for Dionysus compare to tradition. |
It involves the eating of raw, instead of cooked, meat as a communion with the god. |
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What is phalophoria? |
A spring festival in honour of Dionysus |
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Explain how Apollo and Dionysus are related in relation to Delphi. |
Apollo left Delphi for three months which is when Dionysus lived there. |
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Who is the ferry-man for the river styx? |
Charon |
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Compare tartarus to elysium. |
Those who make an impression on the gods do not travel to the underworld. The very evil will go beneath the underworld to tartarus while the heroic will go to elysium where they live eternally in happiness. |
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Who is Tityus? |
The giant son of Zeus and Elara who was beckoned by Hera to rape Leto but Apollo and Artemis stopped and killed him. He was sent into tartarus by Zeus who stretched him and bound him to the ground where he sent vultures to feast on his perpetually regenerating liver. |
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Tell me the story of Tantalus. |
-The son of Zeus who at a dinner with the gods stole ambrosia and nectar -He tried to feed his son, Pelops, to the gods as a sacrifice which they found out about and punished him -He was sent to tartarus where he lived eternally in a pool of water with a tree branch of fruit dangling in front of him -He would forever be out of reach of the tantalizing fruit and when he tried to drink water, it would recede before he could |
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Tell me the story of Sisyphus. |
-Son of Aeolus (god of winds) -When he was sent to tartarus, he tricked thanatos (death), and chained him up -No one on earth could die because death was tied up -Ares got pissed and released thanatos sending Sisyphus to Hades -He tricks Hades to allow him to go to the surface and yell at his wife for not burying him properly (he actually told his wife not to give him a proper burial so he could do this) -Then Hermes comes down to send Sisyphus' to the underworld -Hades, as a punishment for his trickery, forces Sisyphus to roll a large rock up a hill for eternity. |
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Tell me the story of Ixion. |
-Married Dia but could not pay the bride-price so her father stole his horses -He was pissed but hid his resentment and lured the father with promises of bride-gifts. -When the father arrived, Ixion pushed him into a pit of fire -Tormented with the fact that he was the first man to kill his kin, he tried to get purified but nobody would purify him -Zeus took pity on Ixion and performed the purification and even invited him to feast with the Olympians -But Ixion became lustful and tried to bang Hera which Zeus became aware of and started a plan -He created a cloud shaped like Hera and lured Ixion to it and just as expected the dirtbag banged the cloud -This union created Kentauros (father of centaurs) -Zeus punishes Ixion by getting Hermes to tie him to a burning wheel that rolls all over the world for eternity. |
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Describe some of the later representations of the underworld. |
-Myths began surfacing about a good life after death. -Hades' underworld becomes complex with different locations for different degrees of virtue -Cults like the Elusian mysteries, Orphic cult, and Dionysian mysteries offer hope for a better afterlife |
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What does Prometheus' name mean? |
Forethought |
