Greek Myth Flashcards
Arachne
Talented weaver who challenged Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts, and was transformed into a spider - Namesake of “arachnids”
Hecuba
Queen of Troy, wife of King Priam - Mother of 19 kids, including Hector, Paris, Troilus, and prophetess Cassandra - Became slave of Odysseus after Trojan War
Electra
Daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra - Plotted revenge against mother for father’s murder - Namesake of Electra Complex in psychology
Antigone
The daughter/sister of Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta - The subject of a story in which she attempts to secure a respectable burial for her brother Polynices despite a royal death sentence against it
Hebe (Juventas)
Goddess of youth - Cupbearer of the gods, serving nectar y ambrosia - Succeeded by Ganymede - Daughter of Zeus y Hera - Married to Hercules
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
God of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges, volcanoes, y the art of sculpture - son of Zeus and Hera - Injured and disfigured- Blacksmith of the gods
Scylla
Monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis (a whirlpool) - associated with the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily.
Theseus
Founder-King of Athens - Defeated Minotaur - Son of Poseidon
Helios
Greek god of the sun - Drove chariot of the sun across the sky each day - Son of Titan Hyperion and Thea - Similar to but distinct from Apollo
Perseus
Founder of Mycenae (on Peloponesse) - Beheaded the Gorgon Medusa - Saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus - Son of Zeus and Danaë - Accidentally killed his grandfather (as prophesied) with a javelin
Nike (Victoria)
Winged goddess of victory!
Hestia (Vesta)
Goddess of the hearth, home, family, architecture - Daughter of Kronos and Rhea
Ariadne
Daughter of Minos, King of Crete - associated with mazes and labyrinths - Helped Theseus overcome the Minotaur - Became bride of Dionysus
Athena (Minerva)
Goddess of wisdom - Companion of heroes - Namesake of Athens and Parthenon built for her
Artemis (Diana)
Goddess of the Hunt, Forests and Hills, the Moon, Archery - daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo - Depicted as a huntress with bow and arrows
Asclepius (Vejovis)
God of medicine - Symbol is the Rod of Asclepius, a one-serpent-lined staff (similar to Hermes’ staff, the Caduceus, which has two snakes) - Son of Apollo and Coronis
Menelaus
King of Sparta - Husband of Helen of Troy - Led Spartan army in Trojan War
Cassandra
Daughter of Hecuba and Priam of Troy - Apollo gave her power of prophecy, but curse of never being believed
Muses (9)
Calliope (epic poetry) Clio (history) Euterpe (flutes and lyric poetry) Thalia (comedy and pastoral poetry) Melpomene (tragedy) Terpsichore (dance) Erato (love poetry) Polyhymnia (sacred poetry) Urania (astronomy)
The inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. Their mother is Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.
Danaë
Daughter of King Acrisius of Argos - Mother of Perseus - Prophesied that her son would kill Acrisius, so imprisoned in a tower - Impregnates by Zeus as a golden shower - Cast out to sea then rescued by King Polydectes
Triton
Greek god messenger of the sea - Son of Poseidon y Amphitrite - Carried a trident y a loud conch shell trumpet
Nemesis
Greek spirit of divine retribution against hubris and arrogance - Can turn into animals - Goddess of justice
Circe
Greek goddess of magic - Daughter of Helios, wife of King Minos, mother of the Minotaur - used magic to transform enemies into animals - Lured Odysseus to her island
Selene
Greek goddess of the moon - Sister of Helios - Roman equivalent: Luna - Similar but distinct from Artemis
Agamemnon
Brother of Menelaus - King of Mycenae (Argos) - Led united Greek forces in Trojan War - Murdered upon his return by wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus - Father of Electra y Orestes
Hecate
Greek goddess of crossroads, magic, witchcraft - 3 faces - Roman equivalent: Trivia
Orpheus
Legendary musician able to charm living things with his music - Attempted to rescue wife Eurydice from the Underworld
Aphrodite (Venus)
Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality - Daughter of either Uranus or Zeus - Wife of Hephaestus - Mother of Eros
Persephone
Goddess of the Underworld, springtime, vegetation, and maidenhood - Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, wife of Hades, Queen of the Underworld
Medea
Greek sorceress - Niece of Circe, granddaughter of Helios, wife of Jason - in Euripedes play, Jason leaves her for another, she avenges by slaughtering their children - Name Medea derived from Greek for “to plot”
Andromeda
Daughter of Cepheus of Ethiopia & Cassiopeia - Said to be more beautiful than the Nereids, so sacrificed to sea monster Cetus, but saved by Perseus.
Athena
Goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, strength, etc - Roman Minerva - Namesake of Athens - Parthenon temple - Daughter of Zeus and Metis
Eros (Cupid)
God of sexual desire y attraction - Sometimes a primordial god, sometimes son of Aphrodite
Pan (Faunus)
God of the wild, shepherds, nature - Has legs of a goat - Homeland in Arcadia
Demeter (Ceres)
Goddess of agriculture, fertility, sacred law and the harvest - Known as “Law-Bringer,” as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society - Mother of Persephone
Helen of Troy
Daughter of Zeus and Leda, sister of Castor and Pollux, and Clytemnestra - Wife of Menelaus - Abducted by Paris, leading to Trojan War
Atalanta
A virgin huntress raised in the wilderness by bears - First to draw blood in the Caledonian Boar Hunt - Defeated by Hippomenes in a foot race after being lured by Aphrodite’s golden apples - Joined quest for the Golden Fleece on the Argo to follow her love Meleager
