Antike Religionsgeschichte Flashcards
What does chaos mean in Ancient Greek?
An inconceivably, immense emptiness.
Name several important sources
Homer epics as well as the Homeric epics
Philosophical treatises by Plato and Aristotle
Philosophical treatises by Cicero
Philosophical treaties by Plotinus (Neo-Platonist)
The tragedians
Satires, especially Lukans
Plautus “The Great Pan is Dead” line from de defectu oraculorum
For the Eleusian Mysteries, Hegel’s The Phenomenology of Spirit is an important secondary source
In The Iliad, who are the following:
Diós
Diós-kouroi
Zeú pater
patér andrón te theón
Diós = Zeus, or God
Diós-kouroi, castor and Pollux, Leta’s twin sons, Pollux was Zeus’ son while Tyndareos fathered Castor
Zeú pater = Zeus the father
patér andrón te theón = Father of of humanity and gods… also Zeus
What did Schopenhauer say about Zeus’ keraunós?
Keraunós is lightning bolt.
The lightning bolt symbolises humanity’s impotence fear of the infinite in nature, our smallness in the face of cosmic greatness:
es ist der, welcher sich gründet auf das Gefühl der Hülfsbedürftigkeit,
Ohnmacht und Abhängigkeit des Menschen unendlich überlegenen,
unergründlichen und meistens unheildrohenden Naturmächten gegenüber;
wozu sich sein natürlicher Hang, alles zu personifizieren, gesellt und endlich
noch die Hoffnung kommt, durch Bitten und Schmeicheln, auch wohl durch
Geschenke etwas auszurichten.“
Discuss the Thetis scene in the Iliad imploring Zeus and what it reveals about Zeus
Zeus is the almighty, albeit reluctant to intervene in the Trojan war. His nod is a sign of his cosmic agreement.
Why do Hera and Zeus dislike each other?
The numerous affairs and Hera’s trials against Hercules.
Also, Hera knows that despite what Zeus has said about refusing to intervene in the Trojan war that he already has a bias against the Greeks.
What’s the significance of ambrosial hair?
Ambrosial hair signifies the godliness of the gods
What did Zeus do to Hephaestus and what does it represent?
Zeus threw him by the foot into Lemnos, where he is now worship, because he tried to help Hera.
It reveals Zeus power to shape the world through destructive force.
What is the significance of the Golden Chain in the Iliad?
The golden chain is the threat by Zeus. He threatens that anyone who intervenes to assist the Trojans or the Greeks will be punished. To prevent anyone intervening, he threatens to hang them from Olympus by a golden chain.
Who was Rhea and why did she bring Kronos a stone?
Rhea is the mother of Zeus, Kronos the father. According to Hesiod, Rhea gave birth to Demeter and Hera as well.
Kronos was frightened of Zeus and intended to eat Zeus. Rhea saved his life by tricking Kronos: she gave him a stone instead of Zeus which he apparently found convincing enough because he ate it.
Who carries the scales of justice in Greek mythology and why?
Zeus. In the Iliad, Athena was worried that he wouldn’t be a fair judge regarding the combatants in Greece, so he showed the scales of justice to comfort her.
What did Jörg Rüpke discover through his archaeological investigation of the Roman republic?
Even before the ascent of Rome as the dominant force and urban centre in the Mediterranean, there is evidence of Zeus being worshipped.
Who was Zeus first wife and why is she important?
Metis. He married apparently because she was wiser than all other gods and goddesses, however, he was worried that she would supplant if she could give birth to their child. That is why thy ate the foetal Athena before she could have been born.
Athena later sprung fully-armoured from Zeus’ head. In some versions, Hephaestus was the midwife. Albeit, Hephaestus’ midwifery entailed cracking Zeus’ head open with an axe.
What is the symbol of Athena’s wisdom?
That she has owl-eyes.
What do Gaia and Uranos’ names mean literally?
Earth and Sky
