Maew Chapter 20 Flashcards
Oenomaus
King of Pisa, in the northwest Peloponnesus. Father to Hippodamia, required her suitors to win an impossible game of carrying her away in a chariot, because he was in love with her
Hippodamia
Daughter of Oenomaus and wife to Pelops
Myrtilus
The charioteer of Oenomaus, whom Pelops promised the first night in bed with Hippodamia in exchange for help in winning the chariot race. Pelops threw him off a cliff in jealousy when Myrtilus tried to make good on this, and Pelops’ family was cursed by Mytrilus as a result.
Thyestes and Atreus
Sons of Pelops, one of whom would be the ruler of Mycenae after the death of Eurystheus. Atreus becomes the king after Zeus sends a sign (sun rising in the west, setting in the east), and Thyestes is banished
What does Atreus do to Thyestes?
He finds out about an affair between Thyestes and his wife, so invites his brother over for dinner as a “reunion”, then murders his children and feeds them to him.
Pelopia
Daughter of Thyestes, unknowingly raped by Thyestes himself (he didn’t know it was her and vice versa). She is later taken by Atreus (her uncle) as a wife, again not knowing the relatedness
Aegisthus
Son of Pelopia by Thyestes, but raised by Atreus (who thought it was his own son). Thyestes is eventually captured by Atreus, who orders his death. Aegisthus finds out the truth, and kills Atreus instead. Thyestes then becomes king of Mycenae.
Tyndareus
King of Sparta, who takes in Agamemnon and Menelaus, sons of Atreus. They raise an army together and overthrow Thyestes, and Agamemnon becomes king of Mycenae.
Leda
Wife of Tyndareus, who sleeps with Zeus in swan form. She has four children: Polydeuces and Helen by Zeus, and Castor and Clytemnestra by Tyndareus
The Dioscuri
Castor and Polydeuces, inseparable heroes and Argonauts, considered by Romans to be protectors of the Roman state
The Oath of Tyndareus
Proposed by Odysseus (in exchange for marriage with Penelope), the oath was sworn by all the suitors of Helen that they would honor whoever her husband was, and fight alongside him if anyone tried to steal her away.
Who wins Helen?
Menelaus (they had a daughter, Hermione)
Peleus
Father of Achilles and Husband of Thetis
What happens at the Wedding of Thetis and Peleus?
Eris, “strife”, was angry that she had not been invited, so she rolled an apple across the floor, saying “whoever is the most beautiful goddess can take it”.
Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all fight over it, resolving to let Paris decide
Paris
Prince of the Trojans, he is the one who steals Helen from Menelaus and causes the Trojan war
The Judgement of Paris
Athena, Aphrodite and Hera all go to Paris, and ask him to decide who is most beautiful, bribing him along the way. He accepts Aphrodite’s bribe, the most beautiful woman in the world (Helen)
Hecabe
Wife of Priam in Troy, father of Hector and Paris (Whom she abandoned, having heard he will bring about Troy’s destruction from a seer)
How Paris gets Helen
He takes Aphrodite’s bribe, and travels to Sparta to get Helen. He is welcomed as all guests are, but when Menelaus leaves to attend a funeral, Helen and Paris steal all the treasure in the palace and elope
Aulis
Where all the warriors gathered before heading to Troy, on the east coast of Boeotia
How Odysseus ends up coming
He pretends his has gone insane, but Palamedes throws Odysseus’ new son, Telemachus, in front of the blade of a plow, and Odysseus stops so as to not kill his son, proving his sanity. The soldiers then demand he comes along, because of the Oath of Tyndareus
Calchas
A seer/prophet who came along with the Greeks to Troy.
How Achilles ends up coming
Thetis, Achilles’ mother, dresses him as a girl so that the warriors will not be able to find him and bring him, but Odysseus pretends to be a peddler selling girl’s toys at the palace. The Greeks sound a horn signaling the coming of pirates, and Achilles grabs a sword and shield to fight. Odysseus asks that he come to Troy, and Achilles immediately agrees
Achilles’ teacher/mentor in early years
Chiron, the centaur
Telephus
A king of a town near Troy, where the Greeks landed looking for Troy. He is wounded by Achilles, before the Greeks return home for direction. He discovers Achilles is the one who must heal him, so he seeks him out and promises to lead the Greeks to Troy if he is healed.
Iphigenia
The daughter of Agamemnon, who must be sacrificed (According to Calchas) in order to soothe Artemis’ anger and allow the Greeks to sail to Troy. Agamemnon pretends he is going to marry her to Achilles, then sacrifices her
Helen on the Wall
A story in the Iliad seemingly from the early years of the war, when Priam and Helen sit on the walls of Troy, and Helen tells Priam about each of the soldiers she sees.
Chryseis
Daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo of the Trojans. She is taken as a war prize by Agamemnon, and he refuses to ransom her when Chryses comes by. Chryses asks Apollo to plague the Greeks for this, and he does.
Briseis
The war-prize (woman) of Achilles, whom Agamemnon takes when he is forced to return Chryseis to the Trojans to end the plague
Quarrel between Achilles/Agamemnon
Achilles is angry that Agamemnon would take Briseis from him, to replace Chryseis. He curses Agamemnon and calls him a coward and a poor leader, then refuses to fight for the Greeks any longer (and curses them)
Andromache
Wife of Hector
Astyanax
Son of Hector (name means “king of the city”), an infant when he dies.
Myrmidons
The people of Achilles, literally “ants”, because of a legend that the land Achilles is from was uninhabited until Zeus made all the ants into humans
Who was in the Embassy to Achilles?
Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoenix, an old tutor of Achilles
What does Achilles say to his Embassy?
He tells them he will not accept Agamemnon’s offer, and still refuses to fight for the Greeks
What does Patroclus do about Achilles’ refusal to fight?
He asks that Achilles let him borrow his armor, so that the Trojans will be scared (thinking Achilles is fighting once again), to save the Greeks. He does so, but gets caught up in the killing and goes too far. Hector kills him and strips the armor of Achilles
Patroclus
Friend (maybe lover) of Achilles, who is killed by Hector, inciting a rage which leads to Hector’s death in Achilles.
What Achilles does with Hector’s body
Drags it around in the dirt for days after his death, finally comes to his senses when Priam asks for the body and reminds Achilles of his own father. Achilles then returns it without ransom
How does the Iliad end?
With the burial of Hector (Achilles is still alive and the war is still going on)
