Exam 2 Flashcards
Demeter
goddess of grain and good harvest
mother of Persephone
when hades abducted Persephone and carried her away to be his bride, Demeter was so enraged she refused to allow grain to grow until a compromise was reached by which Persephone would spend a third of the year in Hades house and two-thirds in the world above
Kore
Demerter’s daughter, Persephone
was abducted by Hades and allowed to spend two-thirds of the year in the world above and one third in the underworld when Demeter refused to let anything grow until a compromise was reached
her fate is like the Greek girls who at age 14 were married to men twice their age whom they hardly knew
Eleusinian Mysteries
famous religious cult in the ancient world
an agrarian festival designed to promote the growth of grain
it fostered a feeling of community among the greeks
it ensured the growth of grain, promised a happy afterlife
Triptolemus
one of the princes of Eleusis to whom Demeter taught her secret rites
he mounted a chariot drawn by dragons and traveled the world teaching the art of growing grain
Inanna
“queen of heaven”
Mysopotamian myth
goddess of love and war,
went to the underworld to become quenn of the dead because she was already queen of the living, but got turned into meat green with decay.
was rescued but had to find someone to take her place in the underworld,
she chose her husband Dumuzi because instead of mourning her loss, he was dressed in finery and seated on a throne
Dumuzi
Inanna’s husband
didn’t mourn her loss when she was trapped in the underworld, so she chose him to replace her down there when she was free (but had to chose someone to take her place in the underworld-condition of her leaving)
hieros gamos
“sacred marriage”
mesopotamina religion
king acted as Dumuzi and Priestess as Inanna, and on top of the ziggurat they had intercourse so that it might gurauntee a rich natural harvest
because Dumuzi and Inanna did have intercourse for humans to have a rich harvest
Isis and Osiris
means “throne”
was married to Osiris, her brother and husband
greatest goddess of Egypt
they both lead Egyptians ou of their crude and backward ways
abolished canibalism, eastablshed laws, showed people how to grow crops.
However, Typhoeus plotted to kill Osiris, and was successful, but then their son Horus defeats Typhoeus
Cybele
was goddess of fertility and healing and sending diseases, protected from war in Greek culture
born from a rick in Phrygia
Zeus overcam with lust after seeing her, she resisted him, he spilled his seed on a rock. The rock became pregnant and Agdestis was born
Agdestis
born from a rock after Zeus spilled his seed on it when Cybele resisted him
was very strong and violent
Dionysus (God of wine and life force) poured powerful wine in the stream he drank from, got him very drunk, then made a noose from braided hair, put it around his feet and his gentials, so when Agdestis got up he ripped out his own testicles
Adonis
Myrrha (pregnant by her father) was turned into a tree
after 9 months, the tree split open and Adonis emerged
Aphrodite fell in love with him and spent all her time with him, but he was more interested in hunting
she warned him not to go after big sport, but he ignored her advice and one day a boar gouged him in the thigh and he bled to death
Attis
from Addetis’s spilled semen on the ground due to his castration, came new life: a pomegranite tree ripe with bloody seeds which impregnated Nana with Attis
the goddess Cybele loved him
and Agdetis became his guide in hunting, but became furious when Attis was to be married and had trsnferred his affections to a woman, drove eneryone including Attis mad
from Attis’ castrated genitals planted by Cybele, violets grew around a pine a tree that has seed0filled cones and erect straight growth, a symbol of male sexuality
Dionysus
god of wine, the life force
stood somewhat apart from the Other olympians
a male principle of fertility
encourages the growth of everything: plants, animals, humans
thick luscious ivy was the sign of his presence
Semele
princess of the house of Thebes, daughter of the Phoenician king Cadmus
Zeus fell in love with her
came to her disguised as a mortal man, impregnated her
Hera heard of her and came to Semele dressed as an old woman, and said that Zeus’s claim that he was Zeus was probably just a ploy to get her into bed, so Semele asks Zeus to appear to her in his true form, which he does and she burns to a crisp
her child is saved by Hermes and taken to Zeus and sown into his thigh. Later Dionysus was born again
Ino
Hermes carried the child Dionysus to Ino (Semele’s sister) to take care of him
Ino disguises him in girl’s clothing but Hera still knows it is him. she drives both Ino and her husband mad
Nymphs of Nysa
to save Dionysus from Hera, Zeus turns Dionysus into a goat and Hermes delivers him to the nymphs of Nysa
Bacchae
Dionysus’s female followers
maenads
another name for Bacchae, Dionysus’s female followers
thyrsus
a staff crowned with a pinecone or a bunch of Ivy leave, carried by the Bacchae, Dionysus’s female followers
satyrs
male followers of Dionysus
half-human with erect phalli, sometimes huge, and tails and ears of horses
Silenus
an ugly drunken extremely fat satyr, who tells tall tales
Midas
local king of Phrygia, whom Dionysus rewarded a single wish for his hospitality
he asked that everything he touched be turned to gold
but even his food and drink did too
so Midas begged for Dionysus to take the gift back, and the river carried away his gift and the gold settled in the sands, and Lydia later became a very rich country
Ariadne
Dionysus married her
daughter of the King Minos
he found her on an Island after she had been abandoned by Theseus, hero of Athens
Lycurgus
Dionysus recieved resistance when he returned from his travels from the East
Lycurgus was a king of a tribe in Thrace and he persecuted him and him travelers
Minyads
also resisted Dionysus and refused to join his new religion
enraged, Dionysus drove them mad, and they joined him as Bacchae, but he later turned them into bats who enjoy the dark and hate the light
Pentheus
a stubborn king, resisted Dionysus
championed reason against disorder
ensured his own horrible end
Thespis
introduced someone speaking in first person who presented a crisis in the career of a mythic figure
made possible the presentation on stage of visible, direct conflict between characters prominent in traditional tales
Hades
ruled over all the dead in the dark land he received when he and his brothers partitioned the world. the dead buried in the earth are unseen and that is where Hades rules
also called Pluto
Pluto
another name for Hades
means “enricher”
because from beneath the earth comes mineral and agricultural wealth
Erinyes
the furies
mythical portrayal of the ghosts of slain members of one’s own family
precautions had to be taken to ensure the safety of the living without infringing on the rights of the often malevolent dead
psychopompos
Hermes, “soul-guide”
leads the dead to Hades’ house and relieve the world of their presence
Tiresias
the most famous seer in Greek myth and an important character in Euipedes Bacchae
was descended from
Tiresias was descended from one of the Sparti, the five-founders of the ruling families of Thebes who sprang from the teeth of a dragon (that Cadmus killed)
when he was young, he saw a pair of serpants coupling and killed the female. As punishment, he was turned into a woman. After 7 years, he saw another pair of serpants mating, and killed the male this time to me turned back into a man
Tantalus
was guilty of violence against their gods
he tested the god’s omniscience by serving them his own son at a banquet, and he was punished: he can never satisfy his desire for food and drink
from his punishment comes the word “tantalize”
Sissyphus
guilty of violence against their gods
was famed for his cleverness
he seduced Odysseus’ mother, on her wedding night, and according to tradition was the true father of Odysseus
also tricked Death himself, as one time imprisoning him, on another time escaping to the upper world to love out a second life
Going a second time to the underworld, he recieved his punishment: labors endlessly without result
Elysium
a special afterword
those destined for Elysium don’t descend to the underworld, but continue a blessed life in a remote part of earth
notion of a happy other world
Orpheus
famous for his sweet singing
tragic love for Eurydice
his wife died on their wedding day, and he entered the underworld overwhelmed with grief.
Hades agreed to release his wife but only if, while climbing back to the upper world, he must mot look back. But he does, and when he tries to enter the underworld again, he can’t.
wanting nothing to do with any other woman, he invented male homosexuality
Zagreus
Dionysus
born from Zeus and Persephone
Pythagoras
best known for the philosophical claim that the essence of reality resides in mythical relations among numbers, proportions, and measures
also taught metemphsychosis, and taught his followers to lead ascetic lives based on principles like those of Orphism
Er
described by socrates
Er was killed in battle, but 10 days later, when the bodies were put on a funeral pyre, he was found still alive and told his tale: he and all the other dead in a place where openings on either side led to heaven or down to earth. the souls were judjed and sent under the earth to be punished, or to heaven to be rewarded. for the evil or good they had done.
they suffered or enjoyed bliss for a thousand years. afterward they returned to the place of judgement and offered the choice of new lives when they returned to earth.
this myth is philosophical and intellectual recasting of ancient traditional accounts of life after death and of the uderworld to teach tha the soul is immortal and that a moral law governs the world (pg 325)
Acheron
the boundary of Di’s realm (Hades’ realm)
Charon
the ferryman who takes the dead to the underworld. the dead can only board if they have fare, or they must wait a hundred years to cross
Ixion
a king who lusted after Hera
Zeus, not believing that someone could desire his wife for sport made an image of Hera out of a cloud.
Ixion pounced on it and his seed tumbled through the cloud to the earth, and up sprang Centaurus, father of the centaurs.
Zeus bound Ixion to a wheel of fire that turns slowly through the eternal mists
Eurydice
was Orpheus’s love
died on their wedding date because a beekeeper tried to rape her, and while running away was bitten by a snake, and so died
Hero
any noble or well-born male
someone who stands out from others, someone distinguished by prominence, bravery, or merit
Gilgamesh
king of Uruk
one-third mortal
abused his power
Enkidu was sent to defeat him, but they ended up friends instead
tried to achieve immortality after Enkidu’s death, but wasn’t able to
Enkidu
mother of gods created him to defeat Gilgamesh
he challenged Gilgamesh, gilgamesh won, but began a lifelong friendship
Humbaba
the guardian of the forest, killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu
Utnapishtim
he and his wife were the only mortals to have survived the flood, had achieved immortality
Gilgamesh went to them to try to achieve immortality after Enkidu dies
he suggests that Gilgamesh stay awake for 7 days and 7 nights because if he could not conquer sleep than how could he conquer Death
However, Gilgamesh falls asleep, so Utnapishtim tells him of a herb so he can escape old age
heroic nudity
may have been influenced by Greek athletics which was practiced in the nude
art male nudity distinguishes the “heroic” Greeks from non-greeks
Argive plain
in Greece
richest territory from remains from the Greek Bronze Age
Perseus
in myth, Mycenae was founded by him
grandfather of Heracles
beheaed Medusa
son of Zeus and Danae
Tiryns
fortress
near the sea
Io
ancestor of three great dynasties: the houses of Argos, Thebes, Crete
Zeus lusted after her, but she was a priestess of Hera
Zeus surrounded her in a mist and had his way with her
Hera grew suspicious, so Zeus turns Io into a cow, but Hera wasn’t fooled so she asked for the cow (Io) as a present from Zeus, which Zeus had to comply with.
To keep Zeus away from her, she had her guarded by a monster who had a hundred eyes and never slept (Argus)
But Hermes sings a lullaby, puts him to sleep, and cuts of his head
and sets her free, but Hera sends a gadfly to torment her. Being stung constantly, she wandered through Greece
she finds Prometheus, and he predicts her wanderings that lie ahead
he also predicts she will regain her human form when Zeus touches her with his hands
Heracles was her descendant
Prometheus predicted Heracles would set him free
Danaus
descendant of Poseidon
had 50 daughters by numerous wives
King of Libya
Danaids
Danaus’ 50 daughters
murdered their husbands on their wedding nights (except one who was later imprisoned by her father) on the order of their father because their father was trying to gain power
Acrisius
descendant of Danaus
he and his twin brother hated each other
Acrisius wanted a male heir but fathered Danae
consulted an oracle who told him his grandson would kill him
instead of killing her he imprisions her
Zeus falls in love with her and comes to her in a shower of gold that fall from the roof and into her womb
in this way Perseus was concieved, and Acrisius afriad to kill his daughter and grandson, puts them in a wooden box and casts them out to sea where they are rescued by Dictys, a fisherman, and live with him
Polydectes, Dictys’ brother lusts after Danae when Perseus grows up but she rejects him and Perseus backs her and etc
Polydectes
brother of Dictys (who saves Danae and Perseus after her father puts them in a wooden box and casts them out to sea)
was the king of the island desired Danae as his mistress (when Perseus grew to manhood)
Danae resisted and Perseus defeneded her refusal
Polydectes than pretended to marry someone else and demanded a wedding gift of a fine horse from every young man on the island, which Perseus didn’t have
but Perseus boasted he would bring anything Polydectes wanted, even a Gordon’s head, which Polydectes agreed to to get Perseus out of the way to get to his mother
Gorgons
monsters whom no one ever returned alive from after dealing with them
have enormous tusks and wide, staring eyes that turn anyone who sees them into stone
must be approached on foot because they live on the edge of the world
included medusa, Stheno and Euryale and medusa
Medusa
the only Gorgon who was mortal
Graeae
sisters to the Gorgos
numbered 2 or 3,
were hideous hags who lived near where Atlas supported the world
they only has one tooth and one eye between them which they passed to whomever wanted to see or eat
Perseus went to them
and grabbed the eye as it was being passed around and demanded they tell him the location of certain nyohs, then gave them back the eye
Andromeda
While perseus was flying over Jordan, Palestine, etc he saw Cepheus’ daughter Andromeda chained to a rock and about to be devoured by the sea-monster Ceto
this had occured because: Andromeda’s vain mother had boosted she was more beautiful than the Nereids
the infuriated sea-nymphs complained to Poseidon who sent a flood against the land
an oracle said that only the sacrifice of the king’s daughter would prevent destruction
as he flew over, Perseus fell in love with her
he swoopd down to her parents and promised to save her if he could marry her
they agreed without mentioning that she was already engaged to to Phineus, Cepheus’ brother
Cepheus held a banquet and Phineus burst in with an army
Perseus pulled out the Gorgon’s head and turned Phineus and his men into stone
Perseus than remained with them until Andromeda bore a son Perses, ancestor of the Persians
only then he returned to free his mother
girl’s tragedy
a folktale pattern
contains:
prohibition
seclusion
violation of the prohibition
threat of punishment or death
liberation
example: Perseus’ mother
because of an oracle, Danae is forbidden to marry (prohibition)
she is locked in a chamber to keep her from men (seclusion)
but nontheless becomes pregnant (violation)
her father Acrisius places her and the child in the box (threat of life)
and she is saved by Dictys (liberation)
Alcmena
Perseus’ son married his own niece and they had a daughter Alcmena and nine sons
Amphitryon married her after he took her and fled after killing Electryon in a quarrel
was tricked into sleeping with Zeus who appeared to her as her husband returning after killing pirates (avenging her brother as her father was going to do) and then slept with her actual husband and fathered Heracles from Zeus’s seed
Eurystheus
Electryon’s other brother had a son Eurystheus
Amphitryon
Electryon’s other brother Alcaeus’s son
killed Electryon in a quarell
and was banished to Mycenae
took Alcmena and fled to Creon, king of Thebes, purified him of blood-pollution for killing his uncle
then married Alcmena but she would not sleep with him until he avenged the death of her brothers as Electryon had planned to do before Amphitryon killed him
Amphitryon gathered forces and killed the pirates (who had attacked them and killed one of Electryon’s sons)
he came back anticipating sleeping with Alcmena but Zeus appeared as Amphitryon and slept with her
then the real Amphitryon appeared and slept with Alcema \she fathered Heracles from Zeus’s seed and another son of humbler stature from her husband
Megara
Amphitryon was killed in a war against the king of Minyans
the new king of Thebes, Creon gave Heracles his daughter Megara in marriage
Heracles settled down and fathered children, but one day went mad because of Hera and murdered his wife and children
Reasoning behind Heracles’ 12 labors
after murdering his wife and children, to atone for the crime he goes to an oracle at Delphi
oracles tells him he must go to his parents land and serve as bondsman to his cousin Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, and perform for him 12 labors
Nemean lion
Heracles’ first labor
Eurytheus demanded he kill a savage lion ravaging the country around Nemea
the lion’s skin was impenetrable so Heracles snapped his neck with his brute strength
then took one of the lion’s own claws and cut his pelt which he then wore and brought back to Eurystheus
Nemea
northwest of Mycene
where the Nemean lion was
The Lernaean Hydra
2nd labor
an enormous serpent that Heralces had to destroy
had many heads and lived near a swamp of Lerna
was ravaging the fields and livestock
Heracles cut off one head of the hydra and another grew in its place
the central head was immortal, but Heracles cut it off and buried it beneath a rock
(also dipped his arrows in his poison)
Lerna
where the Hydra was
southeast of Mycenae
Ceryneian deer
3rd task
was to bring it back with him
was a magical animal, and though female had golden antlers and brazen hoofs, but belonged to Artemis
tracked her for a year
he wounded her with an arrow and carried her back
ran into Apollo and Artemis to whom he explained why he was takikng the deer, and who let him
he then took the deer to Copreus after which Heracles let it go
Erymanthian Boar
Heracles was to capture it
he drove it finally (after the Chiron side-deed) to Eurystheus who held it in terror
Chiron
side-deed of Heracles
Heracles went to stay with a centaur
and was drinking whose smell attracted the other centaurs and was alarmed at their aggressive manner and shot them
they fled and one wise centaur Chiron fled to northern Greece
he was immortal but one of Heracles’ poisoned arrows wounded him and he suffered as he was immortal
Prometheus eventually traded his mortality with Chiron allowing Chiron to die
Augeas
5th deed
was the son of Helius
he had many herds but never cleaned the stables, so Heracles bargained with him to get paid (by recieveing one-tenth of Augeas;s cattle) in return for cleaning the stables
Heracles did so without by diverting a neraby river through the stables
but when Augeas learned of Heracles’ obligation to Eurytheus he refused to pay
later Heracles retuned and kills Augeas and his sons and institued the Olypic games
Stymphalian birds
6th deed
death-dealing birds
with arrow firing wongs and armor pierced beaks
Heralces drove them from their cover in the thik forest around the lake by clangign bronze castanets
as they flew into the sky he shot them with his arrows
Cretan bull
7th deed
Eurystheus ordered Heracles to capture this bull
a magnificent creature summoned from the sea by Mins
heracles seized the bull by the horns and tossed it into the sea and rode it back to Peloponnesus
after the herald inspected it, the bull got away
Horses of Diomedes
8th deed
Heracles was to capture them
Diomeded was a son of Ares and king of a svage tribr up north in Thrace
the horses dined on human flesh
heracles reached Thrace, captured the horses, fed them their master
and then after showing them ot the herald they were released and they fled to mount olympus where they were eaten by wolves
Admetus
side-deed
Apollo killed the Cyclops who made Zeus’ thunderbolts in revenge for Zeus killing Apollo’s son who was the greatest physician who ever lived
so Zeus forced him to serve under Admetus, a king in Thessaly
he treated Apollo so well that that Apollo told him he didn’t need to die if he found someone else to die for him
Alcestis
Admetus’ beautiful wife died for him
and Heracles brings her back from Hades’ realm after shamelessly enjoying himself in a house mourning their queen’s death, though he did not know it was the queen who died
Girdle of Hippolyta
Eurystheus ordered him to bring back the girdle of Hippolyta the Amazon queen, for his daughter
the girdle was a belt that women wore above their hips: to loosen it was to offer oneself sexually, to take it forcibly was rape
this labor is a sexual one, directed against the queen of the man-hating Amazons
when he arrived Hippolyta gladly offered him the belt so charming was Heracles
seeing this Hera disguised herself as an Amazon and told everyone Heracles had abducted their queen
The amazons attacked and Heracles fearing treachery, strangled Hippolyta, removed her girdle, and sailed away
he then gave it to Eurystheus
cattle of Geryon
10th labor
this monster had 3 bodies joined at the waist and lived on the island of Erythia
Geryon had a herd of red cattle, watched over by Eurytion and his demonic 2-headed dog
Heracles killed Orthus and the herdsman
rustled the cattle and was driving them across a river when Geryon attacked
heracles felled him with arrows, herded the cattle into the cup and came back where Eurystheus sacrificed them to Hera
Cacus
side-deed
1 3 headed fire breathing monster stole some of the cattle (of Geryon after Heracles had them) and hid them in a cave
Heracles heard their lowering, leaped down inside and demolished Cacus with his club
Apples of Hesperides
11th deed
these apples grew on a magical tree with golden bark and golden leaves
Zeus gave the present to Hera as a wedding present and Hera planted it in a garden at the foot og Mount Atlas
Hera set a ferocious hundred-headed serpent named Ladon as guard over it
Heracles persuaded Atlas to get them for him, took his place holding up the sky, and then tricked him into taking his place back\
he then took them to Eurystheus and because they were too dangerous to be kept, Eurystheus gave them to Heracles who gave them to Athena who testored them to Hesperides
Busiris
a son of Posidon
so Perseus’ cousin
a seer told the king (him) that he must sacrifice a foreigner so he sacrificed every foreigner he could, even the seer
Heracles allowed himself to be bound and then grew impatoent and burst his bonds, and killed Busiris and his sons
Cerberus
12th labor
Heracles was orderd to go to the underworld and bring back its many headed guard-dog
He travelled there and appeared before the king and queen and requested permission to take Cerberus
Hades agreed as long as Heracles didn’t use any weapons
protected by his lion skin he seized the hound by the throat and dragged hom to Eurystheus then released him to the world below
metopes
earliest evidence for the canonical cycle of 12 labors is found not in literature but on 12 stone panels called metopes mounted abpve the front and rear porch columns of Zeus’s temple at Olympia
Iole
Eurytus, the king of Oechalia who had been Heracles’ own archery instructor was offering his beautiful daughter as a prize in an archery contest
Heracles won but Eurytus would not give him his daughter fearing that she and her children migth share the same fate as Heracles’ earlier wife
so Heracles stormed off
Omphale
Heracles was told by Apollo that he would purify Heracles of his sins (of breaking Xenia) if he served a woman for 3 years as her slave
Omphale queen of Lydia liked the Hero’s physique and bought him thinking he would be a fine lover
the 2 would spend the next 3 years leisurly doing things like wearing each other’s clothes
Cercopes
during his time with Omphale, Heracles captured the Cercopes, 2 ruffians who robbed passerby and treated them cruelly
they tried to rob Heracles one day when he was sleeping but heracles stopped them and suspended them from poles from his shoulder.
but since they amused him, he let them go, but Zeus later turned them into monkeys
Deianira
Heracles first heard of her when he was in the underworld
the ghost of her brother suggested to Heracles that he marry her should he escape from death’s realm
so Heracles set off to where she lived
got married after Heracles wrestled the river god Achelous who also wanted her
Achelous
the river-god also wanted Deianira (the woman who’s brother’s ghost suggested Heracles marry if he got out of the underworld)
usually represented as a bull but sometimes took other life forms
Heracles and he wrestled and Heracles broke off one of his horns
Nessus
centaur
ferried travellers for a small fee
he had lived in Peloponnesus until Heracles drive him out in his squabble with the drunken Centaurs long ago
Deianira got on the Centaur’s back while Heracles swam beside them
but in the middle of the river Nessus assaulted the young woman so Heracles shot him with his poisoned arrow
Nessus staggered ashore and with his dying breath told Deianira to collect his blood and semen, a powerful love potion should she ever need it (with which she later accidently kills him with, and then realizing what she had done, kills herself)
Heraclids
the many sons fathred on many women whom Heracles had left behind
Heracles
was the greatest greek Heroes
strong and illful
lists for adventure and experience
understands loyalty and frienship
shows sympathy with the natural world by toting a primitive club by shooting with bow and arrow
yet he rid the civilized world of dangerous animals an men
after a life of suffering, victory and defeat, he traveled to olympus and became a god
Theseus
Athen’s greatest hero
concieevd by Posidon and Aethra
Aegeus believed he was his son
tells his mother to have him come to him when he grew to manhood
performed 6 famous deeds of strength
when the fifty sons of Pallas found out that Aegeus had an heir they tried to kill Theseus but Theseus killed them all
when he returned from Crete, he became king through tragedy
he was supposed to turn the sail of his ship to white when approaching Athens to show that he had won against the Minotaur, or black to show that he was dead.
he forgot to turn the sail while and when Aegeus saw the black sail he killed himself in despair
when he became king, he instituted many reforms, and brought the people together
longing for adventure, he set sail to the Amazons and abducted their queen, causing the Amazonomachy
Cecrops
the Athenians made 3 claims about their origins
that they were descended from a mortal named Cecrops, from the earth, and from Athena
Cecrops sprang from the earth, with the form of a snake beneath the waist, a man above
he introduced the arts of civilization and monogamy, to people, taught them to worship Zeus, abandon human sacrifice, build cities, bury the dead properly
Erichthonius
another early king of Athens
succeeded Cecrops
was born when Athena had gone to Hephastus smithy for repair of her weapons
missing his ex-wife Aphrodite, whom he had divorced for adultery, Haphaestus pursued the goddess lustfully. he caught up with her and ejaculated semen onto her leg
Athena wiped if off in disgust with a piece of wool which she threw to the ground and up sprang Erichthonious
Athena took the infant and put him in a basket and gave him to the daughters of Cecrops, whom she warned not to look inside, but 2 of them did but were so terrified at the half child half serpent, or entwined with a serpent, that it drove them mad
Athena then took the child and raised him herself
when he grew up, he became king
Cephalus
married Procris, daughter of Erechtheus
before his marriage, Aurora, he lustful goddess of dawn, carried Cephalus away to Syria where she bore Phaeton to him
at first their marriage was happy but he couldn’t believe his good luck and became suspicious
to test her love for him, he would come to her under disguise tempting her to sleep with him until she agreed,
then in a rage he revealed himself and she, frightened fled
then she returned disguised as a boy and they were reunited
they were happy again for a while until Aurora became suspicious of Cephalus and spied on him while he was hunting
then feeling ridiculous for not trusting him, she went to him, but he accidently stabs her to death
and then Athenians exiled Cephalus for life
Procne and Philomela
granddaughters of Erichthonius, sisters to Erechtheus
Tereus, a king, sone of Mars, who helped Pandion win a war
in gratitude Pandion gave Tereus his daughter Procne for a wife
She bore him a son Itys
Tereus
ereus, a king, sone of Mars, who helped Pandion win a war
in gratitude Pandion gave Tereus his daughter Procne for a wife
She bore him a son Itys
Itys
Procne killed her son by Tereus, Itys (or Itylos), boiled him and served him as a meal to her husband.[2] After he had finished his meal, the sisters presented Tereus with the severed head of his son, and he realised what had been done.[2] He snatched up an axe and pursued them with the intent to kill the sisters.[2] They fled but were almost overtaken by Tereus. In desperation, they prayed to the gods to be turned into birds and escape Tereus’ rage and vengeance
Erechtheus
became king
married and had several children
Aegeus
his rule was threatened because he did not have a male heir
Pallas resented him since he had 50 sons
he went to an oracle to understand how to get a male heir but didn’t understnad what she says so goes to Erechtheus who realizes that the next woman h sleeps with will bear him and heir so he sends him to his own daughter Aethra
after intercourse with Aegus, Aethra goes to a nearby island and Poseidon appreared from the sea and possessed her
and thus Theseus was concieved
the next morning Aegeus suspected that Aethra was pregnant and ordered her to raise the child in secret, and once old enough, for the child to come find him
Aethra
Erechtheus sleeps
Procrustes
killed by Theseus as a part of his 6 deedshe offered travellers a place to sleep at night and would offer bigger beds to small people and small beds to bug people, and then would saw off the protruding parts of the bigs people and stretch the little people
Amazonomachy
the abduction of the amazonian queen by Theseus casued this
the amazons invaded and overran the countryside but were defeated by the Athenians
Hippolytus
the Amazon queen bore Theseus a son called Hippolytus
was raised by his grandfather because Theseus cast his mother off in favor of Phaedra
when he grew to manhood, he became devoted to Artemis and despised women
Theseus’ new wife Phaedra fell in love with him (her own stepson) and propositioned him through a nurse, but he was disgusted and expressed it to the nurse, which Phaedra overheard and killed herself, leaving a note that said that Hippolytus assaulted her, scared that he would tell Theseus
when Theseus comes home, he finds the note and confronts Hippolytus who cannot defned himself, and so Theseus curses him and he dies
too late, Theseus finds out the truth
Phaedra
Theseus cast Hippolytus’ mother (the amazonian queen) off in favor of Phaedra
when he grew to manhood, he became devoted to Artemis and despised women
Theseus’ new wife Phaedra fell in love with him (her own stepson) and propositioned him through a nurse, but he was disgusted and expressed it to the nurse, which Phaedra overheard and killed herself, leaving a note that said that Hippolytus assaulted her, scared that he would tell Theseus about her feelings
when Theseus comes home, he finds the note and confronts Hippolytus who cannot defned himself, and so Theseus curses him and he dies
too late, Theseus finds out the truth
appeals to the male fear of woman’s vindictive power a themes that occurs in many Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh etc
Bellerophon
similar story to Hippolytus and Phaedra
Bellerophon rejects the wife of a king who then accuses him of making advances
the king cannot kill him as he is a guest, so sends him to his father in law with sealed clay tablets with instructions to kill him
the king sends him on impossible tasks on which he is successful
in the end he married the king’s daughter and recieved a portion of the kingdom
appeals to the male fear of woman’s vindictive power a themes that occurs in many Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh etc
Pirithous
was king of Lapiths
heard of Theseus’ prowess and decided to test him
so he raided his flocks but Theseus caught him red-handed
they were about to fight when Pirithous admiring Theseus’ physique volunteered to become his slave
Theseus was also impressed by him so suggested they become friends
Pirithous married and invited Centaurs to his wedding, but they became to drunk and rowdy at the wedding and attacked the bride and tried to rape her and her attendants
Theseus joined the fight to help resucue the bride (Hippodamia)
and thus began the Centauromachy
(also looked for wives together with Theseus and both ended up trapped in the underworld because they wanted to marry the daughters of gods)
Centaurs
half men half horse
Pirithous married and invited Centaurs to his wedding, but they became to drunk and rowdy at the wedding and attacked the bride and tried to rape her and her attendants
Theseus joined the fight to help resucue the bride (Hippodamia)
and thus began the Centauromachy
Centauromachy
Pirithous married and invited Centaurs to his wedding, but they became to drunk and rowdy at the wedding and attacked the bride and tried to rape her and her attendants
Theseus joined the fight to help resucue the bride (Hippodamia)
and thus began the Centauromachy
famous war between the centaurs and the Lapiths
symbolized the struggle between civilization and barbarism in art between greek and foreigner
Pisistratus
the popularization of Theseus took place under his reign
famous leader of Athens
like Theseus, he unified Attica under political and cultural rule of Athes, fought for Athens; interests overseas
paralells were constantly drawn between the accomplishments of Pisistratus and Theseus
Procris
married Cephalus
daughter of Erechtheus
at first their marriage was happy but he couldn’t believe his good luck and became suspicious
to test her love for him, he would come to her under disguise tempting her to sleep with him until she agreed,
then in a rage he revealed himself and she, frightened fled
then she returned disguised as a boy and they were reunited
they were happy again for a while until Aurora became suspicious of Cephalus and spied on him while he was hunting
then feeling ridiculous for not trusting him, she went to him, but he accidently stabs her to death
and then Athenians exiled Cephalus for life
Danae
Acrisius wanted a male heir but fathered Danae
consulted an oracle who told him his grandson would kill him
instead of killing her he imprisions her
Zeus falls in love with her and comes to her in a shower of gold that fall from the roof and into her womb
in this way Perseus was concieved, and Acrisius afriad to kill his daughter and grandson, puts them in a wooden box and casts them out to sea where they are rescued by Dictys, a fisherman, and live with him
Polydectes, Dictys’ brother lusts after Danae when Perseus grows up but she rejects him and Perseus backs her and etc
