Chapter 9: Aphrodite, Artemis And Athena Flashcards
What does Hestia’s name mean?
Hearth
Who are the vestal virgins?
Worshippers of Hestia, they tend to a fire which must never go out
What are two important places associated with Aphrodite?
Cyprus and Cytherea
What was a striking feature of the worship of Aphrodite?
Temple prostitution
Who wrote a poem about Aphrodite?
Sappho
What was the name of the child born out of the union between Hermes and Aphrodite?
Hermaphroditus
Who fell in love with Hermaphroditus?
The nymph Salmacis
What happened to Salmacis and Hermaphroditus?
They were fused into one being, with a woman’s breasts but a man’s genitals
Who is Priapus?
Son of Aphrodite and either Hermes or Dionysus. He had an enormous erect phallus that warned off the evil eye
Who was Pygmalion?
He was the king of Cyprus and fell in love with a statue that he had created. The statue was later brought to life
What was the name of the statue that Pygmalion fell in love with?
Galatea
What was the name of the child of Galatea?
Paphos
What happened to Cinyras?
His wife claimed that their daughter Myrrha was more beautiful than Aphrodite. She punished them by making Myrrha fall in love with Cinyras and they slept together.
What happened to Myrrha?
After she slept with her father he tried to kill her but she was turned into a Myrrh tree.
What emerged from the Myrrh tree?
The beautiful hero Adonis, whom Aphrodite instantly fell in love with
How did Adonis die?
He was gorged by a boar and died of blood loss
What grew from the blood of Adonis?
The blood red anemone
What did the women do in the cult of Adonis?
They would sow seeds of quickly germinating plants (lettuce, wheat and barley) in shallow baskets or bowls and after 8 days they would throw the plants into the ocean or stream
Who did Zeus make Aphrodite fall in love with?
Anchises
Who was the son of Anchises and Aphrodite?
Aeneas
What does Homer call Artemis?
Potnia Theron (Mistress of Animals)
What happened to Niobe?
She boasted of her superiority to Leto for she had six sons and six daughters. Artemis and Apollo killed them all in revenge
Who was Orion?
He was a son of Poseidon, an inescapable hunter and a devotee of Artemis. He had the power to walk on water
What happened to Orion after he raped Oenopion?
She blinded him while he slept
