All Allusions 1-90 Flashcards
Achilles
a foremost Greek warrior at the siege of Troy; when he was a baby his mother tried to make him immortal by bathing him in a magical river but the heel by which she held him remained vulnerable.
- ex: Achilles Heel
Adonis
Greek god of rebirth. After he failed to listen to Aphrodite’s pleas to be careful while hunting, he was killed by a wild boar that was sent by Artemis
-When Zeus resurrected him= God of rebirth
Aeneas
- son of the goddess Aphrodite and Anchises.
- cousin of Hector
- Hero of Troy and Rome Defended against the Greeks
- Second in skill to Hector
- Trojan war
Ares/Mars
- Greek god of war
- More specifically the spirit of battle
- represented the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter.
- (not very popular among the Greeks)
Argus
- giant with 100 eyes on his body.
- was a servant of the goddess Hera and watchman because he never fell asleep
Athena/Minerva
- Greek God city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason,
Atlas
- Greek God a Titan who was forced by Zeus to bear world on his shoulders
- used as the name for maps
Delphic oracle
- a priestess who made prophecies (predictions) about the future. People went there to ask questions of the god Apollo, who would answer through the prophet
-based in the Greek city of Delphi - Oedipus Rex: was told the prophecy that Oedipus will murder his father and marry his mother
Bacchus/Dionysus
- Greek god of wine and pleasure (aka liked to fuck)
- Greek plays were performed in his honor.
- the son of Zeus(god) and Semele(mortal)
Powers: transfiguration(lion/bull)+ drive mortals insane
Niobe
- the bereaved mother, weeping for the loss of her children.
- as punishment for boasting about he many children Apollo and Artemis killed all her children
Judgement of Paris
a contest between the three most beautiful goddesses of Olympus–Aphrodite, Hera and Athena
- The Prize was a golden apple addressed “the fairest”
-Aphrodite, wins the competition as she has promised Paris possession of the most beautiful women on earth, Helen.
Jupiter/Zeus
- chief deity of the pantheon, a sky and weather god
- considered the ruler, protector, and father of all gods and humans
Laocoön
a seer and a priest of the god Apollo
Prometheus
- one of the Titans, the supreme trickster, and a god of fire
- he developed into a master craftsman is known as the creator of mortals
Nike
the winged goddess of victory
Pygmalion
- a king and a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved
Odin
- War god, and protector of heroes
Cassandra
-Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believed.
Cerberus
- often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving.
Ceres/Demeter
- goddess of the harvest and was credited with teaching humans how to grow, preserve, and prepare grain and corn
- responsible for the fertility of the land.
Chimera
- ## a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature, composed of different animal parts
Circe
- a sorceress, the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and of the ocean nymph Perse
- was able by means of drugs and incantations to change humans into wolves, lions, and swine
Daedalus
mythical Greek inventor, architect, and sculptor who was said to have built the paradigmatic Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete.
Damocles(Sword of Democles)
- those in power always labor under the specter of anxiety and death
- in Oedipus this is why Creon doesn’t want to be king
Hera/Juno
- goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth
- sister and wife to Zeus
Electra
- saved the life of her young brother Orestes by sending him away when their father was murdered. When he later returned, she helped him to slay their mother and their mother’s lover
Pan
- god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, rustic music and impromptus(an instrument), and companion of the nymphs
Pandora’s Box
A box containing all manners of evil(aka all the evil in the world) that when this person opened it due to curiosity released it all upon the world
Paris
A dream regarding his birth was interpreted as an evil portent, and he was consequently expelled from his family as an infant. Left for dead, he was either nursed by a bear or found by shepherds.
Parnassus
- Parnassus was the site of the fountain Castalia and the home of the Muses
- became known as the home of poetry music and learning
Vesta
- goddess of the sacred fire of the hearth in every house
- associated with faith, family, and domestic order.
Zephyr
- Greek god of the west wind, which was considered the gentlest wind.
- indicated the coming spring season awaking the Earth after winter
- Even today the name of the god is used to indicate a warm and light breeze.
Aphrodite/Venus
- ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty
- goddess of fertility and occasionally presided over marriage
Romulus & Remus
In Roman mythology, they are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom
Elysian Fields
the paradise to which heroes on whom the gods conferred immortality were sent.
Fauns
a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology.