Midterm Flashcards
Metis
Mother of Athena, swallowed by Zeus
Themis
Titan, mothered seasons and fates by Zeus
Leto
Mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus
Dione
Mother of Aphrodite by Zeus
Hera
Mother of Ares, Hephaestus, Hebê (youth), and Eileithyia (child birth) by Zeus
Eurynomê
Mother of Graces by Zeus
Mnemosynê
Mother of Muses by Zeus
Demeter
Mother of Persephonê by Zeus, goddess of harvest and fertility
Golden Age
First men, when they died they became guardian spirits on earth
Silver Age
Second generation of men, when they died they become spirits of the earth between surface of earth and Hades
Bronze Age
Third generation, after they die they are sent to Hades
Age of Heroes
Fourth generation, some go to Hades, some go to Isle of Blessed to live forever
Iron Age
Fifth generation, age of Hesiod, all go to underworld when they die
Divine myth
Stories about interactions of gods
Legends
Stories about aristocrats and gods
Folk tale
Stories about common people
Anu
Sumerian god of high heaven
Enlil
Sumerian god, prime minister of gods, “First among equals”
Sin
Sumerian god of moon
Shamash
Sumerian god of sun and justice
Ishtar
Sumerian goddess of love and war
Ea
Sumerian god of sweet waters and wisdom
Ereskigal
Sumerian goddess of underworld
An, Ki, Kur
Upper world, Mother Earth, underworld
Gaea
Mother Earth, gives birth to Uranus and then mates with him, mother of Titans, uses son Cronus to help her castrate Uranus
Uranus
Sky, son and husband of Gaea, father of Titans, castrated by Cronus
Tartarus
Underbelly of Gaea, grows into a root to anchor her in chaos
Eros
Love principle, drives sexual reproduction
Titans
Children of Gaea and Uranus
Cyclopes
One eyed, 3 birthed by Gaea and Uranus, fight against Titans on the side of Olympians
Hecatonchires
Hundred-handers, 50 heads, 100 arms, fight with Olympians against Titans
Cronus
Youngest son of Gaea, castrates his father, swallows his children by Rhea
Oceanus
River than encircles Gaea, son of Gaea, husband of Tethys
Rhea
Wife of Cronus, hides youngest son Zeus so he wouldn’t be swallowed
Helius
Sun god
Eos
Dawn
Prometheus
Son of Titans, steals fire from Olympians for humans, insults Zeus by giving him fat with bones inside, chained to rock where vulture eats his liver
Pandora
First woman, made by Hephaestus, becomes wife of Epimethius, brings pain and horrible things to the men of earth
Deucalion and Pyrrha
Noah story, survive flood
Zeus
Olympian god of sky, father of younger immortals, beard, thunderbolt
Aegis
Skin worn by Athena, has medusa’s head on it (or on shield)
Graces
3 daughters of Zeus and Eurynomê, represent feminine qualities that make women attractive to men
Poseidon
Olympian, god of ocean and earthquakes, father of Triton, beard, long hair, trident
Hades
God of underworld, takes Persephonê as wife, keeps dead in underworld, not technically Olympian
Apollo
Olympian, god of medicine, music, and prophesy, oracle at Delphi, seen without beard, bow and arrows, lyre
Cassandra
Promised to sleep with Apollo if she was given gift of prophesy, didn’t keep her end of bargain, cursed to always tell truth but no one would believe her
Hermes
Olympian, son of Zeus and Maia, god of travelers, thrives, and trickery, guides souls to after life, shown with winged shoes and helmet
Herm
Stone with Hermes face and phallus, protection and luck
Hephaestus
Olympian, god of artisans and metal working, either born of Zeus and Hera or Hera alone, lame (thrown down by Hera/Zeus in different stories), husband of Aphrodite
Ares
Olympian, god of offensive warfare, bloodlust, has affair with Aphrodite
Hestia
Olympian, goddess of hearth and family, virgin goddess
Aphrodite
Olympian, goddess of love and sexuality, born either by Zeus and Dione or from the severed testicles of Uranus falling into the ocean, wife of Hephaestus, has affair with Ares, shown as only goddess naked
Priapus
Son of Aphrodite, large phallus
Pygmalion
Disgusted by women around him, makes his own out of marble, Aphrodite blesses him and his marble woman comes to life
Adonis
Aphrodite falls in love with Adonis, warns him not to fight monster, Adonis died fighting monster, Aphrodite turns him into flower
Anchises
Mortal man who Aphrodite loves and sleeps with, she tells him never to reveal, he does and Zeus strikes him with thunderbolt and makes him lame
Artemis
Olympian, goddess of hunt, young women, virgin, twin sister of Apollo, shown in short dress, young and athletic
Niobê
Boasts of her 12 children, says she’s better than Leto, Apollo kills her 6 sons, Artemis kills her 6 daughters
Orion
Rapes princess, blinded by King, regains sight from sun, has affair with dawn (Eos), Artemis punishes him by killing him with poisoned scorpion
Actaeon
Accidentally sees Artemis bathing, she turns him into stag, his hunting party kills him
Callisto
Raped by Zeus, turned into bear by Artemis as punishment
Athena
Olympian, goddess of strategic warfare and crafts (weaving and spinning), masculine and feminine, shown in long dress with armor
Arachnê
Challenges Athena to weaving, Athena wins and turns her into spider
When was Gilgamesh?
2700 BC
When did Greek speakers enter Greece?
2000 BC
When was the Mycenaean Age/Late Bronze Age?
1600-1100 BC
When was the Trojan War?
1200 BC
When was the Dark Age?
1100-750 BC
When was Homer’s time?
700’s BC
When was Hesiod’s time?
700 BC
When were the Homeric Hymns?
700-550 BC
When were the Greek Tragedies/Comedies
400’s BC
Tantalus
Taunted forever in underworld, can’t drink the water around him or reach the fruits above him
Sisyphus
Must roll bolder up hill in underworld where it rolls back down right before he finishes
