lecture 21 & ch. 20

Question 1

In art, what is a notable feature of the sirens?

Answer 1

They are depicted having wings.

Question 2

What story element connects the sirens, the Lotus eaters, and Circe?

Answer 2

If you let them, all of these beings will cause you to forget your mission.

Question 3

After leaving Calypso’s Island, Odysseus’ raft is destroyed by a storm that was sent by Poseidon. How did Odysseus survive?

Answer 3

Leucothea, divinated Ino, gives him a sort of life preserver/jacket. Without her assistance, he would not have survived.

Question 4

Throughout Odyssey’s journey, he faced many threats. Which was the most dangerous threat to his journey of returning home?

Answer 4

NAUSICAA, the Phaeacian princess.
- She is young, royal, and beautiful, but Odysseus does not want to marry her because he wants to return home to Penelope and Telemachus.

Question 5

How is Penelope able to fend off the suitors for 20 years?

Answer 5

She told the suitors that before she could remarry, her final act as wife to Odysseus, would be to weave a funeral shroud for his father, Laertes.
- Every day she would work on a very intricate design and make significant progress on the funeral shroud.
- Every night she would undo all of the work she had completed during the day.

Question 6

Pelops has been cursed along with his family line, what led this to happen?

Answer 6

1. Pelops, son of Tantalus, decides he wants to marry Hippodamia (different Hippodamia).
2. Her father, Oenomaus, likes her too much and refuses to marry her off. He ultimately begins holding a contest of chariot racing against himself to win her hand, but he usually wins.
3. Pelops has fast horses but to ensure he wins, he bribes Myrtilus to change the spokes of Oenomaus’ wheels with wax.
4. Sometimes Myrtilus was bribed with the promise of being able to fuck Hippodamia before Pelops does.
5. Myrtilus sabotages the king, Pelops wins the race, but Pelops does not keep his promise to Myrtilus. A scuffle occurs and ends with Pelops killing Myrtilus by pushing him off a cliff.
6. As Myrtilus falls, he curses Pelops and his family line.

Question 7

Who are the children of Pelops?

Answer 7

1. Chrysippus - raped by Laius
   2.Thyestes - Atreus kills all his children by Aegisthus and feeds them to Thyestes.
2. Atreus - killed by Aegisthus, to restore power to his father. Atreus fathers Agamemnon and Menelaus.

Question 8

Who are the Dioscuri?

Answer 8

“sons of Zeus” - refers to Polydeuces and Castor, argonauts and sons of Leda.

Question 9

What 4 key events resulted in the Trojan War?

Answer 9

1. Zeus wanting to relieve the earth of humans.
2. Tyndareus’ Oath
   - Tyndareus made potential suitors of Helen, his daughter, vow an oath that the suitors not chosen to be her husband are obligated to ensure the sanctity of Helen’s marriage is protected.
3. The wedding of Peleus and Thetis
   - The place of the divine beauty pageant that results in Aphrodite providing Paris with the most beautiful wife i.e. a married Helen.
4. Paris’ abduction of Helen - the direct cause.

Question 10

Leda births two sets of twins. Who are the fathers? Who are the children?

Answer 10

1. Tyndareus, her husband, and Zeus, in swan form.
2. Helen (Zeus) and Clytemnestra (Tyndareus), Polydeuces (Zeus) and Castor (Tyndareus).

Question 11

Why does Tyndareus’ Oath exist? What is the oath and what is its purpose?

Answer 11

1. After being abducted by Theseus, Helen is incredibly desired.
   - She had a very long line of potential suitors that were very powerful and her father, Tyndareus, was worried about choosing a suitor as he didn’t want to make
   anyone angry.
2. Odysseus, understanding he was not powerful
   enough for Helen, settles for Penelope and advises Tyndareus to make every suitor vow an oath. If they are not selected
   to be Helen’s husband, then they are obligated to
   protect the sanctity of Helen’s marriage to her chosen husband.

Question 12

Who wins the hand of Helen?

Answer 12

Menelaus

Question 13

What is the most important wedding in Greek
mythology? What are the events that lead up to this wedding?

Answer 13

WEDDING OF PELEUS AND THETIS
1. Aeacus of Aegina has three son:
- Peleus
- Telamon, fathers Ajax
- Phocus (a half brother) is murdered by Peleus and Telamon.
2. Aeacus exiles Peleus and Telamon for this murder; Telamon goes to Salamis and Peleus goes to Thessaly.
3. After learning the prophecy that Thetis, a sea nymph, will bear a child destined to be stronger than his father, Zeus decides that Peleus should marry her.
- Although Zeus wants Thetis, Peleus is a human so it’s no big deal that his son would be stronger than Peleus.
4. No one tells Thetis though, Peleus grabs her and has to hold on until she tires out before he can actually marry her.
5. HERA IS THRILLED that Zeus did not fuck Thetis so, as the goddess of marriage, she throws a grand wedding for them.

Question 14

What significant event happens at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis.

Answer 14

1. After not being invited to the wedding, Eris throws a golden apple with the inscription, “Kallista” or “for the fairest” into the party.
2. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all reach for the apple.
3. They begin bickering about who deserves the Apple and Zeus decides to appoint Paris, a man renowned for his honesty, to decide which goddess is the most fairest and therefore deserving of the apple.
4. The goddesses all provide incentives for Paris to choose them, he chooses Aphrodite and is therefore granted the most beautiful woman.
5. The most beautiful woman is Helen, Paris runs off with her, Menelaus invokes the oath of Tyndareus to get her back.

Question 15

Thetis and Peleus conceive a very important child, who is this child?

Answer 15

ACHILLES

Question 16

Paris of Troy was born to who? Although born to these people, Paris was raised by somebody else, why?

Answer 16

1. King Priam and Queen Hecabe
2. While pregnant, Queen Hecabe had a vision that she would give birth to a torch, therefore her and Priam decide to expose Paris. He was found by a shepherd who raised him instead.

Question 17

During the divine beauty pageant, each goddess provided an incentive. Who are the goddesses and what were their incentives?

Answer 17

1. Hera, Queen of the gods, promises dominion.
2. Athena, Goddess of warfare, promises an impressive military career.
3. Aphrodite, Goddess of desire/love, promises the most beautiful woman.

Question 18

There is a power struggle between Atreus and
Thyestes, Pelops’ children. How did this struggle come to be?

Answer 18

1. Eurystheus, cousin of Heracles, was murdered by the children of Heracles, the Heraclids.
2. An Oracle declared that the Mycenaeans were to choose a child of Pelops as their new king.
3. A group of Mycenaean’s traveled to the Peloponnesus and asked for Atreus or Thyestes to go back to Mycenae with them and rule as king.

BOOM. power struggle.

Question 19

How was kingship of
Mycenae between Atreus
and Thyestes, sons of Pelops, decided?

Answer 19

1. Atreus was older, so he was the obvious choice.
2. However, Thyestes declared that a token was needed and suggested that whoever could produce a golden fleece should be king.
3. Previously Atreus had vowed to sacrifice his finest lamb to Artemis, but when a lamb with a golden fleece appeared, he killed it and hid the fleece instead of sacrificing it.
   - ONLY HIS WIFE NEW
4. Atreus agreed to the terms suggested by Thyestes, but then Thyestes produced the golden fleece.
   - uh oh. Atreus’ wife had been having an affair with Thyestes and secretly gave Atreus’ hidden fleece to his brother.
5. Atreus determined to be king, claimed that Zeus would make the sun rise in the west instead of the east.
6. Sure enough the sun rose in the west, Thyestes withdrew from the throne and Atreus banished him.

Question 20

Why did Atreus feel the need to take revenge on Thyestes? What was the form of revenge Atreus took against his brother?

Answer 20

1. Atreus did not know how his brother had acquired the golden fleece that he had kept secret from all except his wife.
   - Until he discovered his wife’s infidelity and therefore decided to get revenge against Thyestes.
2. After having banished him, Atreus invited Thyestes back to Mycenae.
   - While he was being entertained, Atreus murdered Thyestes’ three boys and served them to his brother for dinner.

Question 21

After Atreus murdered his boys, Thyestes cursed Atreus’ lineage and travelled to the Delphic Oracle asking how he could get revenge on his brother. What was the response?

Answer 21

1. The Oracle informed him that he needed to conceive a child with Pelopia, his own daughter, but he had no idea where his daughter was.

Question 22

How did Thyestes ultimately get revenge on Atreus?

Answer 22

1. After leaving the Delphic Oracle, Thyestes came to a stream where a girl was near the water. Thyestes raped the girl and in the chaos of his assault, left his sword behind.
2. Atreus, searching for Thyestes, came across Pelopia.
   He believed her to be the daughter of the king and took her as his wife. When Pelopia gave birth, Atreus thought
   it was his child, and named him Aegisthus.
3. Years later Atreus, still looking for Thyestes, sent his sons (Menelaus and Agamemnon) to the Delphic Oracle to find out where he was. SURPRISE. Thyestes was at the oracle, asking how he could get revenge on Atreus.
4. Thyestes was taken back to Mycenae by Agamemnon and Menelaus. Atreus ordered Aegisthus to go to the prison and kill Thyestes.
5. Aegisthus did as he was asked, but when he drew his sword, Thyestes recognized the sword as being the one he lost when he raped the girl by the stream.
6. Aegisthus went to Pelopia in secret asking about the sword, she confirmed it was from her rapist, Aegisthus’ real father.
7. Pelopia realizing her father raped her, killed herself with the sword. Aegisthus removed the sword to “prove” he had killed Thyestes to Atreus. But when
   unsuspecting, Aegisthus killed Atreus and Thyestes took the throne.

REVENGE COMPLETED.

Question 23

While Thyestes got revenge on Atreus, it was short lived. Why?

Answer 23

• After Aegisthus killed Atreus and Thyestes replaced
  him on the throne, Agamemnon and Menelaus fled to Sparta.
• King Tyndareus was sympathetic to them, raised an army, and drove Thyestes from Mycenae.
• Agamemnon was now king of Mycenae.