10 Achilles: The Making of a Hero

Question 1

Achilles

Answer 1

The son of the sea goddess Thetis, who was destined to produce a son who would be greater than Zeus. (p. 459)

Question 2

Aeneas

Answer 2

A refugee from the Trojan War who founded the Roman people on Italian soil. (p. 487)

Question 3

Ariadne

Answer 3

The Cretan princess who helps Theseus defeat the Minotaur—by means of some helpful silver thread. (p. 454)

Question 4

Cleomedes

Answer 4

A boxer who tore down a school building, killing sixty children, and yet was worshipped as a hero because he was “no longer mortal”. (p. 446)

Question 5

Colonus

Answer 5

The ultimate refuge of Oedipus, after he had blinded himself in his self-discovery. (p. 456)

Question 6

Deianira

Answer 6

The wife of Heracles who inadvertently poisons him with the blood of the centaur Nessus. (p. 453)

Question 7

Heracles

Answer 7

The son of Zeus who is pursued by Hera—and yet achieves great things due to her rage. (p. 450)

Question 8

Heracles’ labors

Answer 8

Twelve famous deeds accomplished by Heracles, as punishment for the murder of his wife and children. (p. 451)

Question 9

Hero cult

Answer 9

The worship of heroes, generally where their bodies were believed to rest. (p. 447)

Question 10

Hero Shrine

Answer 10

A “heroon” which could be located at a variety of places, such as in the center of a community or at its boundaries. (p. 446)

Question 11

Hippolytus

Answer 11

The son of Theseus who is accused by his step-mother Phaedra of an attempted rape. (p. 455)

Question 12

Hyllus

Answer 12

The son of Heracles and Deianira, who is forced to marry Iole against his wishes. (p. 453)

Question 13

Jocasta

Answer 13

The mother of Oedipus and unwittingly his wife and mother of his four children. (p. 457)

Question 14

Laius

Answer 14

The father of Oedipus, whom he kills, again unwittingly, at a crossroads. (p. 457)

Question 15

Megara

Answer 15

The first wife of Heracles, whom he kills, together with their two sons, once he has been driven mad. (p. 450)

Question 16

Minotaur

Answer 16

The half-human, half-bull creature who lived in a Cretan labyrinth and received the annual tribute of fourteen Athenian boys and girls. (p. 454)

Question 17

Oedipus

Answer 17

The son and husband of Jocasta, who blinds himself with the pins from her robe. (p. 458)

Question 18

Pyanopsia

Answer 18

The most important Athenian festival in honor of Theseus, during which young boys imitated Theseus’ destruction of the Minotaur. (p. 456)

Question 19

Sphinx

Answer 19

The holder of a riddle that resulted in many deaths, until Oedipus solved it during his travels. (p. 457)

Question 20

Theseus

Answer 20

A quintessentially Athenian hero, who uses his brains as well as his brawn to defeat his enemies. (p. 454)

Question 21

Thetis

Answer 21

The mother of Achilles, who implores Zeus’ help on her son’s behalf. (p. 463)