Heroes/Heroines Flashcards
What is Heracles’ origin?
Son of Zeus and Alcmena; kills wife & kids after Hera drives them mad; must complete 12 labours for Eurystheus (king of Mycenea) to get rid of miasma
what are the 12 labours of Heracles?
1 Nemean Lion 2 Hydra 3 Cerynean Stag (borrows from Artemis) 4 Erymanthian Boar 5 Stables of Augeus (cleans up poop) 6 Stymphalian Birds (scares w rattle, shoots down w arrows) 7 Cretan Bull (minotaur's dad) 8 Horses of Diomedes (man-eating horses) 9 Belt of Hippolyta (fights amazons) 10 Cattle of Geryon 11 Apples of Hesperides 12 Cerberus (uses to terrorize Eurystheus until he calls off the labours)
What is Perseus’ origin
son of Zeus & Danae; grandfather Acrisius is told that his daughter’s son (Perseus) will kill him; has Danae and Perseus locked in a chest & thrown into the ocean
What does Perseus do in Seraphos?
sent by the king to kill Medusa (king wants to marry Danae), with the help of Hermes, Perseus does it, turns the king to stone when he returns
How does Perseus fufill his fate?
returns to Argos for funeral games, kills Acrisius with either a discus or a javelin (depending or version)
what does the oracle tell Aegus?
“do not open the wineskin”
What does Aegeus leave for Theseus? what do these things indicate?
sword and sandals; tells Thesesu that he must travel to Athens
Where does the Minotaur come from?
king minos doesnt sacrifice the Cretan bull, Poseidon punishes him by making the king’s wife have a monster kid with the bull
Who helps Theseus with the labyrinth? what happens to them?
Ariadne helps him, if he promises to marry her; he does, but ends up leaving her on the island of Naxos
Who is the man with one sandal? what is he sent to do?
Jason; sent by Pelias to retreive the golden fleece in exchange for the throne
who helps Jason and the argonauts along their way?
Medea, using magic
what happens in Euripedes’ ‘Medea’?
Jason & Medea are exiled to Corinth, Jason leaves her for the princess of Corinth, Medea gets mad, kills a bunch of people, escapes to Athens on a flying chariot. Jason is crushed to death by a piece of the Argos
What happens in the play “Electra”?
Electra and Orestes plot to kill Clytemnestra to avenge their father’s (Agamemnon) death
who wrote the different versions of Electra?
Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles
