certamen Flashcards
Whose rude laughter at the way Demeter greedily drank barley water resulted in his transformation into a lizard?
Ascalabus
From the blood of what Spartan youth did Apollo cause a flower to grow after accidentally killing him with a discus?
Hyacinthus
Which Greek deity had the epithet ‘Promachos’?
Athena
Who was twiced punished by Demeter in the underworld - first trapped under a heavy stone, and later transformed into an owl?
Ascalaphus
Who blinded Polymnestor for killing her youngest son and was transformed into a fiery-eyed dog?
Hecuba
Into what were the tears of the Heliades transformed?
amber
What couple, riding an oxcart, led the Encheleans into various wars until that tribe was routed and they were transformed into snakes?
Cadmus & Harmonia
What woman from Colophon dared to challenge Athena to a weaving contest and as a result was transformed into a spider?
Arachne
What daughter of Penius was changed into a Laurel tree as she fled from Apollo?
Daphne
Into what was Clytie transformed because of her jealous actions against her sister Leucothoe?
sunflower
What son of Cephissus & Leiriope fell in love with his own reflection and wasted away watching it?
Narcissus
Which Greek deity had the epithet ‘Ennosigaeus’, meaning ‘Earth-shaker’?
Poseidon
Which Greek deity had the epithet ‘Argeiphontes’, meaning ‘killer of Argus’?
Hermes
Which Greek deity had the epithets ‘Anadyomene’ and ‘Cytheria’?
Aphrodite
Which pious couple offered to kill their pet goose to provide a meal for a pair of disguised gods?
Baucis & Philemon
Which Greek deity had the epithets ‘Delphinius’ and ‘Smintheus’?
Apollo
Which Greek Olympian does Homer call ‘Nephelegereta’ meaning ‘the cloud gatherer’?
Zeus
After she brought about her father’s death by cutting her purple lock of hair, who was changed into a ciris bird?
Scylla
What Ligurian musician was changed into a swan as he mourned for his friend Phaethon?
Cycnus
While grieving over the loss of his daughter who flung himself from a cliff and was transformed into a hawk?
Daedalion
Which Greek Olympian was called the ‘Earthshaker’ because he was responsible for earthquakes?
Poseidon
By what collective name do we know the sisters Euryale, Stheno, and Medusa?
Gorgons
What ruler of Olympus relied on his thunderbolts to help maintain order?
Zeus / Jupiter
Equipped with the caduceus and winged sandals, what messenger god led souls to the underworld?
Hermes / Mercury
What whirlpool-like monster made it impossible for Odysseus’ ships to pass safely through the Straits of Messina?
Charybdis
Reared by the Lycian King Amisodarus, what creature had the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a snake?
Chimaera
By what collective name do we know the daughters of Zeus and Themis who presided over Justice, Peace, and Order?
Seasons / Horae
Upon which river in the Underworld did the Gods swear their oaths?
Styx
Phlegethon, Acheron, Lethe, Cocytus, and Styx all belong to what group?
Rivers of the Underworld
Which of the Muses is often depicted holding a tragic mask and a wreath of vines because of her connection with the theater?
Melpomene
What group of sisters, conceived when Zeus lay with Mnemosyne for nine nights, were the patronesses of various arts?
Muses
What group of one-eyed giants were in charge of forging Zeus’ thunderbolts?
Cyclopes
According to Ovid, what god induced the Theban women who followed him to create chaos while intoxicated by his wine?
Bacchus (not Dionysus)
According to Homer, which god created a new shield for Achilles?
Hephaestus (not Vulcan)
What Greek goddess of wisdom was born from Zeus’ head?
Athena
The word ‘Cereal’ derives from the name of what Roman goddess of agriculture?
Ceres
According to Homer, who was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea?
Zeus (not Jupiter)
According to Hesiod’s Theogony, what river in the Underworld was the oldest of the children of Oceanus and Tethys?
Styx
Who asked Zeus to give her the following as gifts: 60 ocean nymphs to be her companions; 20 river nymphs from Crete to look after her hunting gear and her hounds; bow and arrows; and eternal virginity?
Artemis
Who was protected from his father’s cannibalism by noises made by the clashing of the spears and shields of the Corybantes?
Zeus
Who was given a pair of bronze castanets to assist in chasing the birds away from Lake Stymphalus?
Heracles
For which of his labors did Heracles change the course of the Alpheius & Penius rivers?
Cleaning the Augeian Stables
What daughter of Creon did Heracles inadvertently kill in a fit of madness induced by Hera?
Megara
Who took refuge in a bronze jar because he was terrified by the sight of the Nemean Lion?
Eurystheus
For which of his labors did Heracles demand the payment of one tenth of a herd of cattle?
Cleaning the Augeian Stables
Who helped Heracles defeat the Hydra?
Iolaus
What Bistonian king did Heracles feed to his own flesh eating horses?
Diomedes
Heracles first ventured beyond the Peloponnese in order to retrieve what creature as his seventh labor for Eurystheus?
Cretan Bull
Who terrified by the sight of the Nemean Lion hid in a bronze jar?
Eurystheus
For which of his labors did Heracles receive help from his nephew Iolaus?
Killing the Hydra
What fisherman gave shelter to Danae and her son Perseus?
Dictys
Who was the maiden rescued from a sea monster by Perseus?
Andromeda
What mythological king of Mycenae, an ancestor of Heracles, was born in a bronze chamber?
Perseus
From whom did Perseus learn the whereabouts of the nymphs who kept the weapons that were necessary for his quest to find and slay Medusa?
Graeae
Who fled to Larisa only to be killed there with a discus by his grandson Perseus?
Acrisius
What king of Seriphos gave Perseus the task of bringing back the head of the Gorgon Medusa?
Polydectys
For which of his labors did Heracles sail beyond the river Oceanus in a huge golden cup?
retrieving cattle of Geryon
After pursuing it for a year all over Arcadia, what creature did Heracles finally ensnare in a bed of nets near the Ladon River?
Cerynithian Hind
Who had told Deianeira that a cloak soaked in his blood would ensure Heracles’ faithfulness?
Nessus
Whose girdle was thought to bestow some magical properties on its possessor and was involved in one of the labors of Hercules?
Hippolyta
Who encountered Cytissorus, Phrontis, Melas, and Argus shipwrecked, and brought them on the voyage to Colchis?
Jason
Who was carried to Colchis by a flying ram with a golden fleece?
Phrixus
After forcing fire-breathing bulls into submission, who yoked them to a plow and used them to sow a field with dragon’s teeth?
Jason
What king was fated to die if strangers carried off the golden fleece?
Aeetes
What son of Arestor built the ship which allowed Jason to sail to Colchis?
Argus
Who successfully sailed through the symplegades in route to Colchis on his journey to obtain the Golden Fleece?
Jason
What creature was wounded first by Atalanta and Amphiaraus before Meleager killed it?
Calydonian Boar
Who killed his uncles Toxeus & Plexippus in a dispute over the hide of the Calydonian Boar?
Meleager
Whose life did Atropos declare would last as long as a firebrand?
Meleager
What maiden was temporarily condemned to the island of Naxos after she was abandoned by Theseus?
Ariadne
Who found joy in watching the recoil of a bent pine tree fling passersby to their death?
Sinis / Pityocamptes
The inhabitants of Delos, commemorating the visit of Theseus danced in intricate patterns in order to imitate the windings of what Cretan structure?
labyrinth
Who admired Heracles so much that he chose the perilous land route across the Isthmus of Corinth, in hopes of facing similar challenges?
Theseus
Who neglected his father’s request to change the color of his black sail upon returning to Athens, causing his father to leap to his death?
Theseus
What daughter of Minos did Theseus abandon on Naxos after she helped him escape the Labyrinth?
Ariadne
What bandit was accustomed to making strangers fit his bed, until Theseus ended his life in the same manner?
Procrustes
What Isthmian outlaw killed by Theseus would kick strangers off a cliff where they would become victim to a giant turtle below?
Sceiron
What two tokens of his birth did Theseus have to find under a rock?
a sword & sandals
Who gave birth to a son who grew up to be strong enough to move a heavy stone and claim the sword and sandals under it?
Aethra
What sort of animal was the beast called Phaea, which Theseus killed at Crommyon?
boar / pig / sow
What hero rode the winged horse Pegasus?
Bellerophon
King Proetus became angry when his wife falsely accused what young man of trying to seduce her?
Bellerophon
Who gave Bellerophon a magic bridle with which to tame Pegasus?
Athena / Minerva
Which of lobates’ daughters falsely accused Bellerophon of lusting over her?
Anteia / Stheboea
What king of Argos purified Bellerophon of the sin of murder?
Proetus
What winged creature was the offspring of Poseidon and Medusa?
Pegasus
What king of Lycia ordered Bellerophon to kill the Chimaera?
lobates
Who received a letter instructing him to kill its messenger because he had allegedly seduced the wife of Proetus?
lobates
After Bellerophon killed the Chimaera, against what bellicose tribe was he sent to fight singlehandedly?
Solymi
Against what other tribe was Bellerophon sent for his third task?
Amazons
What son of Glaucus and Eurynome received his new name when he was exiled from Corinth for killing the merchant Bellerus?
Bellerophon
After Bellerophon proved to lobates that there was no task he could send him on that would kill him, what daughter did lobates promise him in marriage?
Philonoe
What king of Thebes refused to give up power when his year to rule was up?
Eteocles
What Argive king helped Polyneices by putting together an army to march on Thebes?
Adrastus
What king of Argos yoked his daughters to a boar and a lion and attempted to put his son-in-law back on the throne of Thebes by leading an expedition of seven heroes, commonly known as the ‘Seven Against Thebes’?
Adrastus
Which of the sons of Oedipus sought help from Adrastus to recover the throne of Thebes?
Polyneices
Who had decreed that it was illegal to bury the body of Polyneices, the brother of Ismene?
Creon
Which of the Seven Against Thebes was compelled to go on the expedition because his wife had accepted a bribe from Polyneices?
Amphiaraus
When she was bribed with Harmonia’s necklace, who forced her husband Amphiaraus to join the Seven Against Thebes?
Eriphyle
What son of Creon was the fiancé of Antigone?
Haemon
What Ithacan swineherd remained faithful to Odysseus?
Eumaeus
What island did Odysseus call home for 7 years while under the charms of Calypso?
Ogygia
What son of Ctesius served as Odysseus’ loyal swineherd?
Eumaeus
Agenor, Leodes, Amphimedon, Eurymachus, and Antinous were all suitors of what Ithacan queen?
Penelope
Who slaughtered several sheep which he thought were the Greek chieftains and killed himself in shame after losing the contest for Achilles’ armor?
Ajax the Greater
Who acquired a bag full of winds, which he was advised not to open until he saw Ithaca?
Odysseus
Who provoked the jealous rage of three goddesses when she threw an apple labeled for the most beautiful?
Eris
Who was shocked when Calypso urged him to build a raft, after remaining captive to her spells for seven years?
Odysseus
Who prayed to his father that ‘nobody’ be punished for blinding his only eye with a wooden stake?
Polyphemus
Who was tied to the mast of his ship as he sailed past the Sirens so that he could hear their song?
Odysseus
Who unwove by night the shroud which she spun during the day in order to delay her marriage to a suitor?
Penelope
What king was ransomed as a child from Heracles by his sister, fathered numerous children, and died at the hands of a Greek warrior as Troy was falling?
Podarces
Who encountered the Cicones, the Lotophagi, the Phaeaecians and several others during his voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War?
Odysseus
What concept, brought to life by Epeius, was originally envisioned by Odysseus and gave the Greeks a way to infiltrate the city of Troy?
Trojan Horse
Which of the sinners of Tartarus, because he was the first mortal to murder a relative, spends his time getting dizzy on a wheel of fire?
Ixion
What son of Laius and Jocasta inadvertently killed his father at a crossroads and married his mother?
Oedipus
Which of the sinners of Tartarus, because he fed the flesh of his own son to the gods, spends his time trying to get food and water for himself?
Tantalus
Because of his crimes such as handcuffing Hades, what mortal was forever forced to roll a boulder up a hill in the underworld?
Sisyphus
What giant is eternally punished in the Underworld by having his body stretched to cover nine acres while two vultures ate his heart?
Tityus
Who in the Underworld was condemned to carry water in jars which leaked like sieves?
Danaids
