greek terms Flashcards
Aidos
shame; something to be ashamed of; fear of disgrace; fear of what others will say; negatively affects one’s kleos
Aition
cause, origin
Anthromorphism
turning into a human being. Gods and goddesses are anthropomorphized when they take on human qualities
Arete
virtue, excellence
Aristeia
display of superior prowess and skill in battle
Ate
blindness, madness, or folly that the gods may impose with or without the fault of the human.
dactylic hexameter
the meter of epic has 6 dactylic feet in a line. A dactyl is a long syllable followed by two short. In English this meter winds up sounding sing-songy. Daktylos is a word for a finger, which, with its 3 phalanges, is like a finger
Dolos
trickery
Geras
a gift of honour
in medias res
into the middle of things, the epic story begins in the middle of things and reveals the past with narratives and flashbacks
invocation
at the start of epic, the poet calls upon the Goddess or Muse. The poet either believes or adopts the stance that the poem couldn’t be composed without divine inspiration
kleos
fame, especially immortal, for a deed. From a word for that which is heard, kleos is renown. Kleos can also refer to praise poetry.
Moira
portion, share, lot in life, destiny
nemesis
righteous indignation
Nostoi
homecomings