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Academic Team Study Set > Humanities: Ancient Literature & Epics > Flashcards

Humanities: Ancient Literature & Epics Flashcards

Beowulf, Gilgamesh, King Arthur, etc.

1
Q

Beowulf question:

The name of the evil monster that attacks the mead hall.

A

Grendel

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2
Q

Beowulf question:

Plot summary:

A

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.

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3
Q

Beowulf question:

Grendel loses this body part in a fight against Beowulf.

A

His arm

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4
Q

Beowulf question:

Grendel is said to be descended from this Biblical figure.

A

Cain

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5
Q

Beowulf question:

This is the noisy, joyous mead hall attacked by Grendel that is home to the Danish King Hrothgar.

A

Herot Hall

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6
Q

Beowulf question:

This is the King of the Danes that built the mead hall.

A

Hrothgar

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7
Q

Beowulf question:

Name the three creatures that Beowulf battles in his life.

A
  • Grendel
  • Grendel’s Mother
  • An unnamed dragon
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8
Q

Beowulf question:

Around which century was Beowulf written?

(Used in a “chronological order” question)

A

Between the 8th and early 11th centuries (700 - 1000 AD)

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9
Q

Beowulf question:

To which Scandanavian tribe does Beowulf belong?

A

The Geats

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10
Q

Beowulf question:

In which country does Beowulf take place?

A

Denmark

(at later “Geatland”, believed to be in southern Sweden)

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11
Q

Beowulf question:

This is the only warrior who came to Beowulf’s aid during his fight with the dragon.

A

Wiglaf

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12
Q

The Aenid question

Summary

A
  • 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.
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13
Q

This is the Mesopotamian literary work known as the earliest epic.

A

The Epic of Gilgamesh

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14
Q

Epic of Gilgamesh

Plot Summary

A

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.

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15
Q

Epic of Gilgamesh question:

This is the name of Gilgamesh’s adversary.

A

Humbaba

Humbaba is a demon / forest guardian (we love an environmentalist king)

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16
Q

Epic of Gilgamesh question:

This is the name of Gilgamesh’s friend

A

Enkidu

The gods send Enkidu as a friend and lover to distract him.

(He dies from sickness after they kill the gods’ divine bull.)

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17
Q

Epic of Gilgamesh question:

The Epic of Gilgamesh gives us insight into the religion and culture of this ancient civilization.

A

Sumerian (in Mesopotamia - present-day Iraq)

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18
Q

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

A flood

(Utnapishtim survived by building a boat.)

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19
Q

Epic of Gilgamesh question:

This is the genre of the Epic of Gilgamesh

A

Epic

(obvi)

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20
Q

These are the two epics that feature Odysseus, the Greek Trojan-War hero and King of Ithaca.

A

The Odyssey and The Iliad

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21
Q

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.)

A

The Iliad

Homer invokes a goddess of poetry to tell the story about Achilles’ rage

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22
Q

This is Greek warrior and the main character of The Iliad

A

Achilles

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23
Q

The Iliad question:

This Trojan warrior joins Achilles as a companion during his journey.

A

Hector

24
Q

The Iliad question:

Plot Summary

A
  • 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.)

25
Q

The Odyssey question:

Plot Summary

A
  • 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.)

26
Q

The Odyssey question:

Odysseus’ journey is about returning home to this place and reclaiming his throne as King.

A

Ithaca

27
Q

The Odyssey question:

This is the most likely author of The Odyssey

A

Homer

28
Q

The Odyssey question:

These are two of Odysseus’ adversaries

(A father and son)

A
  • Poseidon, the god of the sea
  • Polyphemus (the Cyclops, Poseidon’s son)

Odysseus blinded Polyphemus, angering Poseidon

29
Q

The Odyssey question:

Odysseus is the Greek hero of The Odyssey. What is his name in Roman translations?

A

Ulysses

30
Q

The Odyssey question:

This is Odysseus’ wife

A

Penelope

31
Q

The Odyssey question:

This animal recognized Odysseus when he finally returned home in disguise.

A

Argos, his dog

32
Q

The Odyssey question:

This is Odysseus’ dog’s name

A

Argos

33
Q

The Odyssey question:

This sorceress changed Odysseus’ companions into swine.

A

Circe

Daughter of the Sun god Helios.

34
Q

The Odyssey question:

The entrancing songs of these carnivorous bird-women lured mariners to their deaths on a dangerous rocky coast.

A

Sirens

35
Q

The Odyssey question:

This is the cyclops and son of Poseidon that Odysseus blinds.

A

Polyphemus

👁️
36
Q

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.

A

Calypso

(Odysseus chooses to return home.)

37
Q

The Odyssey question:

This is the name of the mythological whirlpool that Osysseus escapes.

A

Charybdis

38
Q

The Odyssey question:

This monster with six heads lived in a cave on the cliff above Charybdis, mythological whirlpool that Odysseus escapes.

A

Scylla

39
Q

The Odyssey question:

This is the name of Odysseus’ son

A

Telemachus

40
Q

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.

A

The Hero’s Journey

41
Q

The Odyssey question:

Odysseus finds his missing crewman Elpenor, the prophet Tiresias, and Achilles in this location.

A

Hades, the Underworld

42
Q

The Odyssey question:

Odysseus goes to Hades to speak to the ghost of this Trojan War hero.

A

Achilles

(You know, his buddy from The Iliad.)

43
Q

The Odyssey question:

This gorgon, according to Homer, could turn people into stone with her gaze.

A

Medusa

44
Q

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

A

The Blind Prophet, Tiresias

45
Q

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.”

A

Aesop

46
Q

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.”

A

Aesop

47
Q

This is the ancient Athenian playwright who wrote more than 120 plays.

A

Sophocles

48
Q

Oedipus Rex:

Plot Summary

A
  • 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)

49
Q

Oedipus Rex question:

This is Oedipus’ father.

A

King Laius

50
Q

Oedipus Rex question:

This is the **monster and Oedipus’ adversary ** sent by Hera to torment the Greek city of Thebes.

A

Sphinx

51
Q

This is the figure that causes the Sphinx to fall into the sea.

A

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.)

52
Q

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.

A

Man

53
Q

This is the **blind Thebean prophet **who appears in several Greek myths and plays

A

Tiresias

54
Q

This is the son of Laius, King of Thebes.

A

Oedipus

55
Q

This is Oedipus’ mother.

A

Jocasta

56
Q

This is Oedipus’ brother-in-law

A

Creon: Jocasta’s brother and a trusted advisor who does not want to be king himself.

57
Q

This is **Oedipus’ son **who is denied burial by Creon.

A

Polyneices

Oedipus has three other children with Jocasta - one is Antigone.

Academic Team Study Set (29 decks)

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