Mythology Midterm Review - Cla 2323

Front 1

Europa

Back 1

Europa is the woman Zeus came to as a Bull, and mother of Minos, the King of Crete.

Her story is one of the many examples of Zeus' unforgiving promiscuity and ultimately a reflection of his sphere of influence.

Front 2

Chaos

Back 2

A mass of undifferentiated matter.

Chaos is the primordial being in Greek mythology and connects the Greek Mythology to others around the world.

Front 3

Atlas

Back 3

A titan who claimed that he was stronger than the gods and was punished by being charged with holding up the universe.

He is an example of the dangers of hubris, and the ate that comes to those who commit it.

Front 4

Ouranos

Back 4

Primeval god of the Sky, "Father Sky," who was castrated by his son Cronus.

He starts the cycle of sons overthrowing fathers when he locks his children inside Gaia. (Original Sin)

Front 5

Gaia

Back 5

Mother Earth.

She represents creation and feminine power.

Front 6

Battus

Back 6

The farmer who betrayed Hermes' trust, and was punished by being turned into a "touchstone."

His story is an example of a moral lesson, an aetiology, and an ironic punishment.

Front 7

Zeus

Back 7

King of the Gods, whose domain consists of all of the skies

His promiscuity reflects the nature of rain in the Greek peninsula,

Front 8

Hesiod

Back 8

Author of the "Theogony"

His work reminds us of the challenge of differentiating between ancient myth and the author's personal beliefs.

Front 9

Euripides

Back 9

A famous Athenian Tragedian who is known for altering myth.

He shows us how myth can be used to challenge the status quo.

Front 10

Fate / Free-will

Back 10

Fate reflects the inevitability of an event, but how the event comes to be is decided by the free-will of the individual.

Free will is bounded by fate.

Front 11

Prophecy

Back 11

Foretelling of the future in myth is about the failed attempts to escape prophecy.

An example would be Ouranos' failed attempts to maintain his rule by preventing the birth of his children.

Front 12

Polis Hero

Back 12

A specific figure that represents a defined geographical area.

E.x. Bellerophontes was a Corinthian Polis hero.

Front 13

Cottys
Gyges
Birareus

Back 13

The hundred-handers.

They were an early attempt at creation. They represent the first sin as well as the paradigm of the craftsman being.

Front 14

Eros

Back 14

the force of love

Tells us about the Greek understanding of the universe, in that it requires the desire to create.

Front 15

Rhea

Back 15

Wife of Cronus,

Rhea is in the cycle of mother and son conspiring against the father.

Front 16

Tartarus

Back 16

The underworld.

It is an example of a universe of dichotomy.

Front 17

Prometheus

Back 17

The titan that gave man meat and fire.

He's often associated with paradigm myths and is generally recognized for defining humanity.

Front 18

"Creator God"

Back 18

A single being that guides differentiation in Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Only appears in Ovid's work and shows the multiplicity of myth.

Front 19

Cyclopes

Back 19

Craftsmen of Zeus' lightning bolts.

Provide the clearest link between mythology and the real world. (Elephants)

Front 20

Aeschylus

Back 20

A conservative playwright that was a general in the Persian War.

Pioneers the practice of narrative mythology, also uses myth as a precise metaphor for modern times.

Front 21

Apollodorus

Back 21

The professional mythographer.

He is important because he presents a bare-bones version of the greek cosmogony (without a lot of editorializing).

Front 22

Callimachus

Back 22

A Scholar-poet known for his epigrams.

He reminds us that there is not one right version of a myth. E.g. multiplicity.

Front 23

Phaethon

Back 23

Son of Clymene and Helios, who rode Helios' chariot across the sky.

Why is he important? Imperfect perception and memory of the gods, and HUBRIS of Phaethon.

Front 24

Pentheus

Back 24

Rejected Bacchus as a god and was torn apart by his mother's hands.

Shows the cost of doubting the gods, as well as the brutal practice of sparagmos among Bacchites.

Front 25

Athena

Back 25

Warrior-goddess born out of Zeus' head.

Athena is a representation of female masculinity and strength, the androgynous ideal.

Front 26

Ixion

Back 26

Made advances on Hera, but was tricked into sleeping with a cloud.

HUBRIS again

Front 27

ate

Back 27

utter ruination that comes when people commit hubris

Front 28

Hubris

Back 28

overstepping one's station in life

Front 29

Apotheosis

Back 29

The transformation of a mortal into a god, always occurs at death.

Front 30

Culture Hero

Back 30

Helps define the Greek way of life, spread Greek culture.

Front 31

Ovid

Back 31

Wrote the Metamorphoses.

He shows that mythical tales can be written purely as entertainment.

Front 32

Stheneboia

Back 32

The married woman that tries to seduce Bellerophontes.

Represents the internal battles heroes may face, the control of Bellerophontes, and the beginning of his rise to power.

Front 33

Actaeon

Back 33

Saw Artemis naked and was turned into a deer.

His myth teaches us about liminal spaces in Greek mythology.

Front 34

Demeter

Back 34

Goddess of the Harvest.

Her mythology includes an aetiology for the seasons, as well as an example of how a god's personality reflects their sphere of influence.

Front 35

Stellio

Back 35

A boy who mocked Demeter and was turned into a Newt.

An aetiology tale for the newt.

Front 36

Apollo

Back 36

Son of Leto and brother of Artemis.

His myths often involve failed attempts at seduction and reflect Greek beliefs about power in relationships.

(Alternatively: He is a member of the second generation of gods with powers concerned with human behavior)

Front 37

Aphrodite

Back 37

The goddess of erotic love.

She is the only god who can be affected by her own power.

Front 38

Sparagmos

Back 38

A bacchite practice of tearing living beings apart with their hands

Front 39

Arachne

Back 39

A weaver who claimed her talent was not a gift from Athena.

An aetiology tale of the spider.

Front 40

Chimera

Back 40

Front end of a lion, back end of a serpent, goat's head on its back that breathes fire.

Represents the chaos of an earlier, undifferentiated time.

Front 41

Bellerophontes

Back 41

Hero who tried to ride pegasos into Olympia.

HUBRIS

Front 42

Anchises

Back 42

Aphrodite's first mortal man.

Story is significant in that Aphrodite instructs him how he may retain his masculinity after their affair.

Front 43

Hermes

Back 43

Son of Maia and Zeus

He is one of the most important trickster figures in Greek mythology, and is known as an "everyman" god.

Front 44

Maia

Back 44

Mother of Hermes.

She is known for her humility.

Front 45

Medea

Back 45

Sorceress that aids Jason in his heroic journey.

She represents everything the Greek hero is not.

Front 46

Niobe

Back 46

Woman who claims she should be worshiped over Leto.

An example of hubris and ironic punishment.

Front 47

Andromeda

Back 47

Daughter of Cepheus who was set out to be eaten by a sea monster.

Significant in that its an early example of the "damsel in distress trope."

Front 48

Medusa

Back 48

The only mortal Gorgon.

Her serpent hair and golden wings reflect an earlier, more chaotic time.

Front 49

Cassiopeia

Back 49

Wife of Cepheus who vied with Nerieds for beauty.

Hubris

Front 50

Erikhthonios

Back 50

Child of Vulcan and Gaia

He was a Polis Hero that became the king of Athens.

Front 51

Hyginus

Back 51

He is an amateur mythographer.

His works must be read with caution because they may not be correct interpretations of the myth, rather than alternate versions.

Front 52

Deucalion and Pyrrha

Back 52

The last two members of the race of Bronze, who survived the flood by building an Ark.

They represent the transition into the Age of Stone-- both are hardworking and pious people.

Front 53

Io

Back 53

Priestess of Hera that slept with Zeus.

Her myth in particular shows us the struggle of Gods for power and Hera's wrath.

Front 54

Pandora

Back 54

Pandora was a woman created out of clay as a punishment for mankind.

She represents a form of ironic punishment for Prometheus, tried to guide mankind to greatness.

Front 55

Alcmene

Back 55

Mother of Heracles who was tricked into sleeping with Zeus in the guise of her husband.

She is another in the list of Zeus' exploits.

Front 56

Semele

Back 56

Mother of Dionysus by Zeus.

She committed hubris by thinking she could withstand Zeus in his full glory.

Front 57

Hippolyta

Back 57

Queen of the Amazons.

Her marriage to Theseus is a metaphor for his taming of the wild.

Front 58

Megara

Back 58

First wife of Heracles, killed by him in a fit of madness.

Her story reminds us that heroes in the greek world are not always morally good, just "more" than human.

Front 59

Deianeira

Back 59

Second wife of Heracles, who led to his ultimate demise.

She reflects the negative Greek beliefs about women who are self-interested.

Front 60

Baucis and Philemon

Back 60

Only two to welcome Zeus and Hermes in the guise of travelers.

They embody the exercise of hospitality, or xenia.

Front 61

Ariadne

Back 61

Helped Theseus escape labyrinth and was later abandoned by him.

Her abandonment leads to the ironic death of Thseus' father.

(Alternative: Her story embodies Greek beliefs about outsiders, and their general tendency towards xenophobia)

Front 62

Pollux

Back 62

Son of Zeus and Leda – asked Zeus to let him share his immortality with Casto Aetiology of Gemini

Front 63

Castor

Back 63

Son of Leda and Tyndareus - Aetiology of Gemini

Front 64

The Lemnian women

Back 64

Women who did not make sacrifices to Venus and were inflicted with an awful smell (leading their husbands to reject them). This myth represents the volatility of gods in Greek mythology, it’s necessary to make sacrifices to all the gods, or one may be offended at your failure to respect them.

Front 65

Leucothoe

Back 65

Formerly a woman named Ino. Her myth is a paradigm myth for the Isthmian games.

Front 66

Lycaon

Back 66

Tried to trick Zeus into eating human flesh, and was turned into a werewolf. Hubris and disrespect, ironic punishment.

Front 67

The “Sea Monster”

Back 67

Monster that was supposed to eat Andromeda. It is the ate of Cassiopeia for vying with beauty with the Nereids

Front 68

Typhon

Back 68

A god whose hands were like engines of war, from whose shoulders grew the hundred heads of a frightful dragon. He represents a failed attempt to destabilize the increasingly ordered and civilized world.

Front 69

The Chimera

Back 69

Bellerophontes' first challenge, supposed to be an impossible task but paved his way to greatness. Represents an earlier more chaotic time.

Front 70

The Giants

Back 70

Children of Ge that has serpent coils for legs. Represent chaos

Front 71

Cerberus

Back 71

A three headed dog that prevents anyone from leaving the house of hades. Was used to intimidate Eurystheus and stop him from giving Heracles more labors.

Front 72

Echidna

Back 72

Half snake, Half woman. Gave birth to many monsters: Chimera, Hydra, Cerberus

Front 73

Nessus

Back 73

Centaur who attempted to rape Heracles’ wife, and tricked her into killing Heracles. His story teaches us about the Greek beliefs regarding feminine naivety and insecurity.

Front 74

Charon

Back 74

Boatman of the underworld who ferries dead souls across the river Styx. The greeks put coins on the eyes of the dead is because they believed dead souls needed to pay the ferryman to enter Hades.

Front 75

Pegasus

Back 75

Offspring of Medusa and Poseidon, steed of Bellerophontes. Pegasus was a physical manifestation of Bellerophontes’ heroic nature.

Front 76

Titanomachy

Back 76

The period of conflict between the Titans and the Gods. Zeus’ release and recruitment of the Cyclopes and Hundred Handers represents an atonement for the original sin.

Front 77

Gigantomachy

Back 77

A war of the Gods and Men against Giants. It represents the rise of heroes and mankind in Greek mythology. Struggle against Chaos. Won w/ prophecy.

Front 78

Polytheistic

Back 78

A system with multiple gods.
By definition no god is omnipotent or omniscient

Front 79

Paradigm

Back 79

A story that explains why a certain ritual or practice is done.

Tells us about greek culture and why certain practices are valued.