Heroes Flashcards
what does aretē mean
excellence
why is aretē important
the hero needs to prove his excellence, that he is able to do the tasks
what does kleos mean
glory (renown)
why is kleos important to the greeks
the motivation for many heroes to gain glory and fame (legacy = form of immortality)
what is hamartia
fatal flaw
why is hamartia important to the greeks
what makes the hero imperfect (leads to demise, thought not always fatal)
where does the idea of hamartia come from
Aristotle’s ‘poetics’
when do many of these hero stories take place
the later Bronze Age (semi-historical connection)
who were the Mycenaeans
people of Mycenae, an important city in the Bronze Age that collapsed and never recovered
what does heröon mean
the place of worship for a hero
where were heroöns often found
small shrines/mounds that were supposed to have some importance in the hero’s life (ie. burial place)
example of the following heroic motif:
1. extraordinary birth/childhood
hercules wrestling the snakes, Oedipus getting stabbed in the ankle and abandoned
example of the following heroic motif:
2. faces opposition from the beginning (pre main trials)
example of the following heroic motif:
3. the hero’s enemy is a source of achievement, given tasks to overcome
example of the following heroic motif:
4. helped by at least one ally (human or divine, objects also count)
Odysseus is helped by Athena (and Hermes?), Hercules is helped by his nephew (hydra fight)
example of the following heroic motif:
5. faces seemingly impossible obstacles, often labours that must be accomplished or a quest to be completed
heracles’ labours
example of the following heroic motif:
6. conflicts with divine, human, or monsterous opponents present physics, sexual, or spiritual challenges
Oedipus facing the sphinx?, Heracles and Hippolyta
example of the following heroic motif:
7. must observe taboos, or else pay a terrible price
Orpheus not looking back,
example of the following heroic motif:
8. death itself is the ultimate conquest, usually by katabasis
heracles, odysseus, (phyche?)
example of the following heroic motif:
9. success may be rewarded with something of great value (marriage, political security, wealth)
Jason marries Medea, Theseus married ariadne, Odysseus gets his wife and kingdom back
example of the following heroic motif:
10. knowledge through suffering, spiritual enlightenment (purification, rebirth, redemption, deification)
heracles becomes a god, Odysseus comes back changed, knowing more things
describe the typical heroine
royal/divine background, has extraordinary beauty, great power, and becomes the mother (or wife) of a hero
what are the 5 heroine motifs
- girl leaves home
- girl is secluded/isolated
- she is made pregnant by a god
- she suffered punishment/rejection/other consequence
- she is rescued and her son is born
how to the hero motifs compare to the heroine motifs
hero motifs are more prevalent, many heroins don’t follow their motifs
what is the mono myth
the hero’s journey (Joseph Campbell), idea that all hero’s follow basically the same formula
what are the three main parts of the hero’s journey
departure/separation, initiation (the trials, becoming an adult, reaching for aretē), return (hero returns changed)
what are some critiques of the hero’s journey
formulaic and overused, male centered, Campbell was accused of cherry picking examples, depiction of the hero solving all the problems
what are the three major groups of the Mycenaean world
the cities of Peloponnese (mycenae, tiryns, argos, sparta), the cities of the rest of the greek mainland (athens, thebes, iolcus), and Troy
who was tantalus’ son
pelops
why did demeter eat tantalus’ stew
she was distraught about the missing persephone and didn’t notice it was a person
why did pelops have an ivory/metal shoulder
demeter ate it
where was pelops honoured (worshiped?)
at Olympia (near pisa) next to Zeus’ shine
why did pelops race Oenonaüs
he wanted to marry his daughter Hippodamia, and the only way was to race her father
how did pelops win the chariot race
he replaced parts of the chariot’s wheels with wax so they would fall apart and kill the king of pisa
how did the house of atreus get cursed
Myrtilus cursed them as he died because he didn’t get to sleep with pelops’ new wife Hippodamia after he helped him win the chariot race, so pelops pushed hum off cliff
who becomes king of pisa after Oenonaüs
Pelops
who are the sons of Pelops and Hippodamia
Atreus and Thyestes
who became the next king of Mycenae; Atreus or Thyestes
Thyestes
how does Thyestes get the golden fleece
atreus has it (from pan), but thyestes has been having an affair with atreus’s wife, and she gives it to him, so he became king
how are the children of Thyestes affected by the curse
thyestes is tricked by Atreus into eating his children, then exiled again
who is Aegisthus
son of Thyestes and his daughter (while they were in exile the 2nd time)
who is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaüs
Atreus
who are the wives of Agamemnon and Menelaüs
Clytemnestra marries Agamemnon, Helen marries Menelaüs
how did the curse affect Agamemnon
he sacrificed his daughter to appease Artemis at the start of the Trojan war
why did Clytemnestra hate her husband
he killed their daughter, so Clytemnestra killed him with the help of his cousin with whom she was having an affair
is Menelaüs affected by the curse of the house of Atreus
no
who is Aeschylus
athenian playwrite/tragedian, wrote The Orestia trilogy
what are the three parts of The Orestia
The Agamemnon, The Liabation Bearers, and The Eumenides
Who are the parents of Orestes and Electra
Agamemnon and Clytemnestra
why did Orestes need to avenge his father
it was the duty of a son, and Apollo told him to
did Orestes grow up at home
no, he grew up on Phocis
what was Orestes’ crime
the murder of his mother to avenger her murdering his father (encouraged by his sister Elecrta)
how did the three authors present Orestes’ matricide
Aeschylus and Euripides presented feelings of revulsion, Sophocles was more neutral on the matter
how are the furies relevant to the play Electra
they pursue Orestes after he kills his mother
what does the prophesy say in Electra
that Orestes will be pursued by the Furies in exile, but he’ll appeal to Athena and be acquitted
what is the Eumenides
a play by Aeschylus, (the third of the trilogy) abotu the trial of Orestes
what was the first courtroom drama
the Eumenides
how did Orestes win his trial
Apollo (defence couincil) argues that the father is more important in reproduction that the mother, the jury was tied, but Athena (judge) sided with Orestes
when are the Erinyes remained the Eumenides
after Orestes trial, they are now the Kindly Ones
what ended the curse of the house of atreus
Orestes being freed from punishment of the murder of his mother
how was homicide dealt with before formalized laws/court systems
in the private home (aeschylus’ first 2 plays), an eye for an eye (becomes a cycle/blood vendetta)
what do the Furies represent in the Eumenides
retribution, vengeance, guilt and fear, human nature to relatiate
who founded Thebes
Cadmus
how are Cadmus and Europa connected
siblings, Cadmus was on his way to rescue Europa when he was told to found a city
what happened to Europa
she was abducted by Zeus in the from of a bull and taken to Crete (becomes the mother of Minos)
are Cadmus and Europa greek
no they are Phoenician
what does the oracle tell Cadmus
that he should stop looking for Europa, follow a cow until it lies down, and found a city there
who does Cadmus marry
Harmonia (daughter of Ares and Aphrodite )
what was Thebes originally called
Cadmeia
how did Cadmeia become populated
Cadmus had to kill the serpent/dragon that lived near where the cow died and Athena told him to plant its teeth (the serpent’s not the cow’s) and people sprung up
why was Cadmus a slave of Ares for a year
the serpent was a son of ares
who was Sophocles
5th C BC (after Aeschylus)
what three plays did Sophocles write
Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone
who are Oedipus’ parents
Laius and Jocasta
why is Oedipus sent to be left on a mountain
there is a prophesy that he will kill his father
why wasn’t Oedipus killed as a baby
the servant had pity and gave him to a shepherd who brought him to King Polybus of Corinth
which story is the sphinx in
Oedipus, whoever defeats the sphinx becomes king and marries Jocasta (so says regent Creon)
what heroic motifs are present in the story of Oedipus
strange birth/childhood, overcame obstacles and was rewarded, broke a taboo
who came up with the oedipus complex
sigmund freud
who wrote The Seven Against Thebes
Aeschylus
what is The seven against Thebes about
Eteocles vs Polynices (brothers): Polynices + 6 others try to overthrow Eteocles
who are the parents of Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone and Ismene
Oedipus and Jocasta
why is Polynices not allowed to get the burial rites
he betrayed his brother (and country?), so Creon says he is to be left without burial rites
why is it significant that Polynices isn’t allowed burial rites
that’s what got a person to the underworld
why does Antigone feel so strongly about Creon’s post-war decree
it is her duty to perform the burial rites for her brother, if it doesn’t happen, her family will be the ones haunted by his spirit
why would Creon have disallowed the burial rites for Polynices
may have not wanted to seem weak, to not show favouritism to his nephews, may be trying to dampen the chaos after the civil war
why does Antigone defy Creon
her first priority is to her family and her duty to the gods, not to Creon
what are some themes in Antigone
state vs family, civil disobedience (is breaking the law ever justified)
who is Athanmas and who did he first marry
king of Boeotia, married Nephele the cloud nymph
who are the parents of Phrixus and Helle
Athamas and Nephele
who was king Athamas’ second wife
Ino, daughter of Cadmus
what crimes did Ino commit
tried to destroy her step sons (Phrixus and Helle), caused a famine by convincing women to heat seeds before planting, bribed messengers to tell Athamas to sacrifice Phrixus for the famine to end
how did Phrixus and Helle escape Ino’s wrath
their mother Nephele took them away, put them on a golden ram and Hermes’ carried them east
what happened to Helle
Helle fell off the golden ram between Europe and Asia and drowned
where did Phrixus end up
Colchis
what happened to Phrixus in Colchis
King Aeëtes received him with kindness, and let him marry his daughter Chalciope
what happened to the golden ram Phrixus flew on
he sacrificed it to Zeus and gave the fleece to Aeëtes who put it on a tree in a grove sacred to Ares
how are Cretheus and Athamas related
brothers
who became king of Iolcus after Cretheus
Pelias, his stepson took the throne from the rightful heir and son of Cretheus Aeson
who are jason’s parents
Aeson and Polymede
was jason taught by chiron
yes
what did jason do after his training
went back to take the throne from his uncle Pelias, who was warned to beware the man with one sandal (jason only had on sandal)
how did jason gain the favour of Hera
he carried an old woman across the river, she turned out to be Hera
why did jason have to get the golden fleece
Pelias told him he would give him the throne if he did
Who built the Argo
Argus (with Athena’s help)
were Orpheus and Heracles Argonauts
yes , but timeline don’t really match up
who helped Phineas with the harpies
jason and the argonauts
who killed Amycus (boxer king)
polydeuces
did Aeëtes let Jason have the fleece when he got to Colchis
only if he performed a series of impossible tasks
what tasks did Aeëtes ask of Jason
- yoke a pair of fire-breathing bulls
- plow a large field with the bulls
- sow dragon’s teeth in the field
- kill the men that sprung up
who is Medea the daughter of
Aeëtes
did Medea fall in love with jason on her own
not reallly, Hera and Aphrodite helped
how did Medea help Jason
gave him fire resistant ointment, herbs to drug the dragon, and may have killed the serpent (according to Euripides)
where did jason and medea live with their sons
Corinth
why was Medea mad a Jason
he left her to marry Creusa, daughter of the king?
why are Medea’s children in danger
Medea might do something to them out of anger at jason
what happens to medea and her children after jason leaves her
she gets angry, everyone else gets scared, and she and the children get exiled
how does medea get around her exile
she convinces Creon to let her stay for one more day, saying there’s no harm she could do in a single day
how does Medea cause Creon’s death
she manipulates his daughters into killing him
who does Medea meet in exile
Aegeus, who is on his way to the oracle
what happened to Medea’s children
she killed them because she knew it would cause Jason pain
how does Medea cause Pelias’s death
she manipulates his daughters into killing him, saying she’ll bring him back stronger than he was before
why are Jason and Medea forced to leave Iolcus
Medea causes the death of the king
why did the greeks think it was ok for jason to marry Glauce/Creusa
because medea wasn’t greek so their marriage wasn’t valid
what’s themes are present in Euripides’ Medea
passion, love, betrayal, marriage, revenge
who is the most important hero of Argos
Perseus
who were Perseus’ parents
Danaë, daughter of Acrisius, and Zeus
why was Danaë locked underground
Acrisius got a prophesy that her son would kill him
how did Zeus enter Danaë’s locked chamber
shower of gold
what happened to Perseus and Danaë after Acrisus found them out
he put them in a chest and floated them out to sea
where did perseus and Danaë float away to
Seriphos, where they were rescued by the fisherman Dictys
which hero gets the most help
perseus
who kills argus (with the eyes)
hermes
why does Perseus have to get Medusa’s head
he was bragging to the unliked king that he could and the king held him to that
what do the Graeae tell Perseus
to go to some nymphs who can help him
what gifts does Perseus get
invisibility cap, winged sandals, and a kibisis (bag) from the nymphs, a scimitar from Hermes, and the bronze shield from Athena
who are medusa’s children
Pegasus and Chrysador, from the blood that fell to the ground
where does Perseus meet Andromeda
on the way back to Seriphos he stops at Joppa
why is andromeda going to be sacrificed to a sea monster
her mother bragged about her beauty, Poseidon sent a sea monster, the oracle said the only was to stop it was sacrificing Andromeda
what happened to Polydectes
perseus killed him with medusa’s head
how does perseus kill his grandfather
accidentally with a discus
how does perseus become king of Tiryns
he swaps kingships with the king of tiryns because he’s upset he killed his grandfather
who founded Mycenae
Perseus
who are Achilles’ parents
Peleus and Thetis (goddess)
is Thetis a good mom to Achilles
generally yes
what did Paris have to judge
who was the most beautiful goddess, Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite
swift-footed
Achilles
lord of men
Agamemnon
dear to Ares
Menelaus
cunning, wiley
odysseus
mighty
ajax
horseman
Patroclus
old and noble
Priam
man - killing
Hector
pious
Aeneas
magnificent
Paris
which gods are on the greek side of the Trojan War
Athena, Hera
what side of the trojan war is Aphrodite and Apollo on
Trojan
who wrote the play Ajax
sophocles
who is neoptolemus
Achilles’ son, must be brought to war for troy to fall
how do the greeks get Heracles’ bow from Philoctetes
Ody and Neoptomelus go to Lemnos, ody tries to steal the bow, heracles (from olympus) tells Phil to go with them
how is glory and mortality presented in the iliad
warriors striving for kleos, is it worth the cost?
how does the Iliad’s presentation of war resonate today?
brutality and inhumanity of it is not shied away from, war is war, in ancient greece and today
circumspect
penelope
telemachus
son of ody and penelope
nausicaā
princess of the Phaeacians, presents an options for ody to stop and not go home
how many suitors are there in the oddest
108
what is nostos
return journey
how long has ody been away from ithaca
20 years
why does telemachus leave ithaca
to go to nestor and menelaüs to see if they have news of his father
how long are Menelaus and Helen away from Sparta
7 years
which greeks went to italy after the trojan war
diomedes, Idomeneus, philoctetes
generally, what events happened on ody’s nostos
lotus eaters, polyphemus, Aeolus/Laestrygonians, circe, underworld, sirens/scylla/charibdis, helios’ cattle, calypso, Nausicaā, ithaca
what could the lotus eaters represent
the desire to forget the war, to get lost in the sauce
are cyclopes civilized
nope (no xenia, which ody expects)
what is poseidon’s curse on ody
10 year return journey to ithaca, losing all his men, troubles in ithaca
where does Aeolus’ wind bag take ody’s crew
Canibal giant island, all are lost except those on Ody’s ship
how long does ody stay with Circe
1 year
what is a nekuia
ritual to summon ghosts and speak with them (ody does this) q
who does Ody talk to in the underworld
Tiresias (prophet), Agamemnon, achilles and ajax, his mother, elpenor (fell off circe’s roof),
how does ody hear the sirens
pjo style
how long is Ody on calipso’s island
7 years
what are the three ‘types’ of female characters in the Oddessey
‘seductive’ (circe, calypso); ‘monstrous’ (scylla, sirens); ‘helpful’ (penelope, Athena)
who are heracles’ parents
Alcemena and Zeus
how does zeus trick alcmena
disguises himself as her husband so he can sleep with her
why does Hera delay Alcmena’s childbirth
prophesy that the next king of tiryns would be of Amphitryon’s blood (heracles’ foster father), and hera does not want it to be heracles
why does heracles have labours
he killed his family (hera’s fault), so is a slave to his cousin, the king, and he sends Heracles on 10 labours (ends up 12)
how does heracles defeat Nemean Lion
club
how does heracles defeat the hydra
helped by is nephew Iolaüs, they burn the stumps before heads can regrow
how does heracles get poison arrows
hydra bile
why doesn’t the hydra count as one of Heracles’ labours
he had help
why is cleaning the Augean Stables not counted as one of Heracles’ labours
he was supposed to be rewarded by Augeas
how does heracles bring the Cretan Bull back alive
rides it across the sea
who kills the cretan bull
theseus
what is apotheosis
deification
what is heracles’ hamartia
his appetites
who were the three important Athenian kings
Cecrops, Erichthonius, and Erechtheus
what does Aegeus leave under a rock
sandals and a sword, for theseus to find
why does aegeus leave tokens under a rock
once his son (and Aethra’s son) is strong enough to lift it and find the tokens, he should come find his father in Athens
how many labours does Theseus have
6
who defeated procrustes
theseus
who does theseus find married to his father
medea
what does medea do to theseus
she tries to convince his father that he is a dangerous stranger and should be poisoned
what does minos promise when he becomes king of crete
that he would sacrifice a beautiful bull to poseidon
how does poesiedon curse minos
makes his wife fall in love with a bull
who falls in love with theseus
ariadne, minos’ daughter
how does ariadne help theseus
string
what happened after theseus slayed the minotaur
he and ariadne leave and go to Naxos, where he abandons her
who found ariadne after she was abandoned
Dionysus
how does aegeus die
theseus forgets to change is sails to white when he comes back to athens, aegeus kills himself out of grief
how might the aeneid function as propoganda
connecting contemporary political systems with myths of the past, divine justice for Augustu’ reign and rome’s destiny as a world power
