lecture 11 & ch. 8, 9, 10

Question 1

Within the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, he invents three things. What are the three things and what is the relevance of each?

Answer 1

1. Sandals - cover his tracks; they are used alongside moving cows backwards
2. Creates fire through friction - with firesticks
3. Invents sausage - through killing and sacrificing cattle but does not eat it; he mimics how humans sacrifice to the gods.

Question 2

Describe the sequence of events that occur within the Homeric Hymn to Hermes.

Answer 2

1. Hermes defines himself in rivalry with Apollo
   - Through stealing Apollo’s cattle and getting Apollo’s attention, he gets Zeus’ attention.
2. After the theft, Apollo looks for his cattle and threatens Hermes
3. Trial before Zeus
   - Hermes lies while under oath
4. Zeus is amused by the trial, but he commands Hermes to return the cattle
5. The end result is peace
   - This is established through a gift exchange by Hermes and Apollo; apollo receives the liar and Hermes is granted various offices by Apollo

Question 3

Who is Priapus? What does he represent?

Answer 3

Priapus is Aphrodite’s son BUT his father changes (either Dionysus or Hermes)
- He represents the apotropaic power of an erect
phallus.

BONERS WARD OFF EVIL; THE ROMANS VIEWED HIM AS
A PROTECTOR OF THE HOME

Question 4

What kind of goddess is Hestia? How is she represented?

Answer 4

a hearth virgin goddess; guardian of the home,
- She is the fireplace (the warmth) within a home.

Question 5

Artemis is the twin of which God? Born on which island?

Answer 5

APOLLO
- Ortygia

Question 6

Artemis was originally the goddess of what? During the Archaic/Classical/Hellenistic period, her specific divine offices change. What do they become?

Answer 6

• a mother goddess; associated with the potnia theron
• becomes more associated with nature, fertility, wilderness, and hunting.

Question 7

Why is Artemis a paradoxical goddess?

Answer 7

She is a virgin goddess but she is also a fertility goddess.

Question 8

In relation to Artemis, what are 4 of the most major myths? Briefly explain.

Answer 8

1. Niobe - boasts about her fertility and claims she is a better mother than Leto, Artemis and Apollo kill Niobe’s 12 children. (sometimes she is transformed into a rock)
2. Orion the giant - he offends Artemis, she places a scorpion on his head, the scorpion kills him
3. Actaeon the hunter - while hunting, stumbles across a pool where Artemis is bathing. for seeing her nude, she transforms him into a stag. his hunting dogs catch his scent and tear him apart
4. Calisto - a follower of Artemis, takes a vow of chastity. Zeus rapes and impregnates her, eventually it’s revealed and she gets transformed into a bear

Question 9

What are the three honors of Athena?

Answer 9

1. Wisdom - *strategy
2. Women’s crafts - weaving
3. Political life - represents a well-ordered community

Question 10

Which animal is associated with Athena?

Answer 10

Owl; sometimes holding a twig from an olive tree

Question 11

In relation to Athena, describe the sequence of events of the myth arachne.

Answer 11

The myth of a human challenging a god
1. Arachne is a weaver and Bose that she is better than Minerva/Athena
2. Minerva hears, and disguised as an old lady, they decide to have a competition.
- Arachne weaves the crimes and misdemeanors of the Olympians
- Minerva weaves her myth with Poseidon
3. Minerva wins the competition and transforms Arachne into a spider (the weaver of the animal kingdom)

Question 12

What is the relevance of Pygmalion to Aphrodite?

Answer 12

Pygmalion was a sculptor that fell in love with his creation, Galatea.
- he prayed to Aphrodite to have the statue come to life and Aphrodite grants his prayer.
- Pygmalion and Galatea have three children (Paphos, Cinyras, and Myrrha)
- Cinyras and Myrrha have an affair resulting in the conception of Adonis.
- Adonis is Aphrodite’s fav

Question 13

What is the sequence of events that occurs within the Homeric hymn to Aphrodite?

Answer 13

1. As payback for “causing” him to have countless affairs, Zeus makes Aphrodite fall in love with a mortal
   (Anchises)
2. Aphrodite gets glammed up (slay) and then leaves Cyprus and goes to Troy- to Anchises.
3. She appears to him, he doesn’t know what to think but suspects that she is a goddess and freaks out a little.
4. She lies to calm him down, saying that Hermes brought her there so they could be wed.
5. His anxieties are eased knowing that the official steps will be taken but feels an immense need to dick her down right then and there

Question 14

What is the main purpose of the Homeric hymn to Aphrodite?

Answer 14

The main purpose is to reaffirm that Zeus is in charge.
- he blames Aphrodite for being the reason he has so many affairs, if this is the case, Aphrodite has some level of power over Zeus everyone gasped

Question 15

What is a very specific form of worship seen at the temple of Aphrodite?

Answer 15

Temple prostitution
- instead of female sacrifice, the woman would sacrifice her virginity in honor of the goddess.

Question 16

Who is considered to be the “tenth muse?” What was this person celebrated for?

Answer 16

SAPPHO
- her erotic celebration of women (purr)

Question 17

What are the sequence of events in relation to Aphrodite and Adonis?

Answer 17

1. When Aphrodite saw Adonis emerge from the myrrh tree, she fell in love with him
2. He only cared about “the hunt” but Aphrodite warned him to not go after big game
3. He didn’t listen and a boar gouged his thigh. He bled out and from the blood came the blood-red anemone