19: Trojan Saga

Question 1

leda and zeus

Answer 1

• leda is the wife of tyndareus, the king of sparta
• zeus appears to her disguised as a swan
• have 2 eggs; 4 kids
• polydeuces (aka POllux) and hellen –> zeus
• Castor and Clytemnestra –> tyndareus

Question 2

who are the dioscuri

Answer 2

• the ‘sons of zeus’
• polydeuces aka Pollux: immortal and a boxer and son of zeus
• castor: mortal and son of tyndareus and tamer of horses

Question 3

who do dioscuri join

Answer 3

• join jason and the argonauts
• flame flicjers from brothers’ heads and storm ceases instabtly. flames known as castor and pollux and later becomes st elmo’s fire
• Castor is killed and pollux shares immortality with castor

Question 4

oath of tyndareus

Answer 4

• Helen : ‘ms. olympia’. All heroes want to marry her and tyndaerus is worried about rejected suitors. Odysseus solves tyndareus’ problem by negotiating own marriage to Penelope
• Odysseus’ 2 conditions: all suitors must abide by tyndareus’ decision and should helen be abudcted, all must vow to rescue her
• tyndareus picks menelaus, the king of spart

Question 5

wedding of peleus and thetis

Answer 5

• eris (‘discord’) is not invited and tosses golden apple among guests. inscribed on it was ‘ to the fairest’
• contestants were hera, athena, and aphrodite. Zeus intervenes and chooses paris as judge aka Alexander, son of Priam, King of Troy

Question 6

birth of paris

Answer 6

• hecuba (Hekabe), mother of paris
• has a dream that gives birth to firebrand that destroys Troy
• Paris exposed on mt. ida and raised by shepherd

Question 7

bribing of paris

Answer 7

• hera: world domination
• athena: military victory
• aphrodite: helen

Question 8

madness of odysseus

Answer 8

• hereos all assemple at Aulis but not all come willingly
• wily odysseus feigns madness. Recenlt a father to son Telemachus and wife Penelope
• Plows field with ox and ass and sows field with salt
• palamedes places telemachus before plow and odysseus’ excuse is discovred

Question 9

prophecy of calchas

Answer 9

calchas: is a seer sho accompanies armada “troy cannot be taken without Achilles’”
* achilles is the child of peleus and thetis (nereid)
* thetis tries ot make achilles immortal, two veresions

Question 10

two versions of immortal achilles

Answer 10

1. thetis burns away mortal parts and annoits him with amrbosia but is prevented by peleus
2. thetis dips achilles into river styx, how we got achilles’ heel

Question 11

mentor and protege

Answer 11

• chiron: wise centaur who tutors achilles along with his best friend, patroclus on mt pelion

Question 12

achilles’ fate

Answer 12

• long inglorious life or short glorious one

Question 13

achilles outed

Answer 13

• thetis hides achilles on scyros and disguises him as a girl
• achilles and deidamia have a son named neoptolemus aka pyrrhus
• odysseus blows his cover and sounds battle call. Achilles goes for armor

Question 14

armada at aulis

Answer 14

• agamemnon must sacrifice daughter iphigenia to gain favorable winds and to appease artemis to launch greek armada to troy
• ipigenia lured to marry achilles
• variant: artemis substitutes iphigenia to a doe and she is whisked away to taurians

Question 15

storyof philoctetes

Answer 15

• bit in foot by snake and develops stench so he is abandoned on lemnos
• he is left with bow and arrows of heracles
• helenus prophecy: troy captured only with heracles’ bow
• so philoctetes is rescued and blow and kills paris