Humanities: Ancient Literature & Epics Flashcards
Beowulf, Gilgamesh, King Arthur, etc.
Beowulf question:
The name of the evil monster that attacks the mead hall.
Grendel
Beowulf question:
Plot summary:
Beowulf is an ancient epic written by an unknown author (likely a bard) between **700 - 1000 AD. **
The story details the adventures of Beowulf, a member of the Geats tribe, as he avenges the attack on his mead hall by Grendel, an evil monster, and later Grendel’s mother and a firebreathing dragon.
Beowulf question:
Grendel loses this body part in a fight against Beowulf.
His arm
Beowulf question:
Grendel is said to be descended from this Biblical figure.
Cain
Beowulf question:
This is the noisy, joyous mead hall attacked by Grendel that is home to the Danish King Hrothgar.
Herot Hall
Beowulf question:
This is the King of the Danes that built the mead hall.
Hrothgar
Beowulf question:
Name the three creatures that Beowulf battles in his life.
- Grendel
- Grendel’s Mother
- An unnamed dragon
Beowulf question:
Around which century was Beowulf written?
(Used in a “chronological order” question)
Between the 8th and early 11th centuries (700 - 1000 AD)
Beowulf question:
To which Scandanavian tribe does Beowulf belong?
The Geats
Beowulf question:
In which country does Beowulf take place?
Denmark
(at later “Geatland”, believed to be in southern Sweden)
Beowulf question:
This is the only warrior who came to Beowulf’s aid during his fight with the dragon.
Wiglaf
The Aenid question
Summary
- The Aenid is considered an ancient epic poem written by the Roman poet Virgil around 29 - 19 BC.
- The Aenid tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan (from Troy), who becomes the ancestor of all Romans.
This is the Mesopotamian literary work known as the earliest epic.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh
Plot Summary
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a series of Mesopotamian tales that recount the exploits of Gilgamesh, Warrior-King of Uruk. We learn of his overwhelming power, his friendship with Enkidu, and his quest for eternal life. We also read of a great flood that devastated the region.
Epic of Gilgamesh question:
This is the name of Gilgamesh’s adversary.
Humbaba
Humbaba is a demon / forest guardian (we love an environmentalist king)
Epic of Gilgamesh question:
This is the name of Gilgamesh’s friend
Enkidu
The gods send Enkidu as a friend and lover to distract him.
(He dies from sickness after they kill the gods’ divine bull.)
Epic of Gilgamesh question:
The Epic of Gilgamesh gives us insight into the religion and culture of this ancient civilization.
Sumerian (in Mesopotamia - present-day Iraq)
Epic of Gilgamesh question:
Gilgamesh travels to meet Utnapishtim, an old man that survived this weather phenomenon that caused the destruction of the world.
A flood
(Utnapishtim survived by building a boat.)
Epic of Gilgamesh question:
This is the genre of the Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic
(obvi)
These are the two epics that feature Odysseus, the Greek Trojan-War hero and King of Ithaca.
The Odyssey and The Iliad
This ancient epic begins with the line: “Sing, goddess, the wrath of Peleus’ son.”
Also translated, “Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son Achilles”
(It’s one of the most famous opening lines in literature.)
The Iliad
Homer invokes a goddess of poetry to tell the story about Achilles’ rage
This is Greek warrior and the main character of The Iliad
Achilles
The Iliad question:
This Trojan warrior joins Achilles as a companion during his journey.
Hector
The Iliad question:
Plot Summary
- The Iliad is a prequel to The Odyssey.
- It details the events of the final year of the ten-year Trojan War and the deeds of warriors Achilles, Hector, and King Odysseus.
(The Iliad was probably written between 850 - 750 BC.)
The Odyssey question:
Plot Summary
- The Odyssey is a sequel to The Iliad.
A survivor of the Trojan War, King Odysseus of Ithaca, tries to return home and must battle many mythical creatures along the way.
(The Odyssey was probably written between 850 - 750 BC.)
The Odyssey question:
Odysseus’ journey is about returning home to this place and reclaiming his throne as King.
Ithaca
The Odyssey question:
This is the most likely author of The Odyssey
Homer
The Odyssey question:
These are two of Odysseus’ adversaries
(A father and son)
- Poseidon, the god of the sea
- Polyphemus (the Cyclops, Poseidon’s son)
Odysseus blinded Polyphemus, angering Poseidon
The Odyssey question:
Odysseus is the Greek hero of The Odyssey. What is his name in Roman translations?
Ulysses
The Odyssey question:
This is Odysseus’ wife
Penelope
The Odyssey question:
This animal recognized Odysseus when he finally returned home in disguise.
Argos, his dog
The Odyssey question:
This is Odysseus’ dog’s name
Argos
The Odyssey question:
This sorceress changed Odysseus’ companions into swine.
Circe
Daughter of the Sun god Helios.
The Odyssey question:
The entrancing songs of these carnivorous bird-women lured mariners to their deaths on a dangerous rocky coast.
Sirens
The Odyssey question:
This is the cyclops and son of Poseidon that Odysseus blinds.
Polyphemus
The Odyssey question:
Nymph that keeps Odysseus on her island for seven years, nursing him back to health. She offers him immortality if he stays with her.
Calypso
(Odysseus chooses to return home.)
The Odyssey question:
This is the name of the mythological whirlpool that Osysseus escapes.
Charybdis
The Odyssey question:
This monster with six heads lived in a cave on the cliff above Charybdis, mythological whirlpool that Odysseus escapes.
Scylla
The Odyssey question:
This is the name of Odysseus’ son
Telemachus
The Odyssey question:
The** archetypal story pattern, also known as the Monomyth, was described by Joseph Campbell. It begins with “The Call to Adventure,**” and can be found in both The Odyssey and Star Wars.
The Hero’s Journey
The Odyssey question:
Odysseus finds his missing crewman Elpenor, the prophet Tiresias, and Achilles in this location.
Hades, the Underworld
The Odyssey question:
Odysseus goes to Hades to speak to the ghost of this Trojan War hero.
Achilles
(You know, his buddy from The Iliad.)
The Odyssey question:
This gorgon, according to Homer, could turn people into stone with her gaze.
Medusa
This is the mortal Zeus turned into a woman and then back into a man to settle an argument and who appears in the Theban Plays by Sophocles
The Blind Prophet, Tiresias
This ancient Greek author is known for his many fables, including “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “the Goose who Laid the Golden Egg”, and “The Fox and the Hedgehog.”
Aesop
This ancient Greek author, known for his fables, is also known for introducing the terms “fair weather friend”, “sour grapes”, and “look before you leap.”
Aesop
This is the ancient Athenian playwright who wrote more than 120 plays.
Sophocles
Oedipus Rex:
Plot Summary
- In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus unwittingly kills his father** King Laius** and marries his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus is horrified by his fate and gouges his eyes out with Jocasta’s hair pins. Jocasta hangs herself, and Oedipus leaves his country as a blind beggar.
- Apollo, the Oracle of Delphi prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, but Oedipus tries to use his free will to escape this fate.
(He unknowingly kills his father with a sword after road rage incident)
(Literally, it was a dispute over the right-of-way. Look it up)
Oedipus Rex question:
This is Oedipus’ father.
King Laius
Oedipus Rex question:
This is the **monster and Oedipus’ adversary ** sent by Hera to torment the Greek city of Thebes.
Sphinx
This is the figure that causes the Sphinx to fall into the sea.
Oedipus - he solves her riddle and she kills herself.
Oedipus was then awarded title of King and marries the widow Jocasta.
(Who turns out to be his mother.)
Oedipus Rex question:
The Riddle of the Sphinx, “What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?” was solved by Oedipus with this answer.
Man
This is the **blind Thebean prophet **who appears in several Greek myths and plays
Tiresias
This is the son of Laius, King of Thebes.
Oedipus
This is Oedipus’ mother.
Jocasta
This is Oedipus’ brother-in-law
Creon: Jocasta’s brother and a trusted advisor who does not want to be king himself.
This is **Oedipus’ son **who is denied burial by Creon.
Polyneices
Oedipus has three other children with Jocasta - one is Antigone.
