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English > Myths Quest #2: Demeter, Dionysus, and Olympians > Flashcards

Myths Quest #2: Demeter, Dionysus, and Olympians Flashcards

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1
Q

Zeus (Jupiter)

A
  • Son of Cronus and Rhea
  • Husband-brother of Hera
  • Realm: sky
  • Associated with rain and clouds
  • Nickname: cloud gatherer
  • Power over all but fate
  • Bird: eagle
  • Weapon: lightning blot
  • Known for infidelity
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2
Q

Hera (Juno)

A
  • Daughter of Cronus and Rhea
  • Wife-sister of Zeus
  • Realm: Marriage
  • Famous for vengeful/angry personality
  • Targets: Zeus’ mistresses and their children
  • Bird: Peacock
  • Associated with cows
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3
Q

Poseidon (Neptune)

A
  • Son of Cronus and Rhea
  • Second in power to brother Zeus
  • Realm: Ocean
  • Nickname: earth shaker
  • Gave mankind horses
  • Lived in golden underwater palace, rode gold cart across water, and carried a trident (his symbol)
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4
Q

Hades (Pluto)

A
  • Son of Cronus and Rhea
  • Third in power to brothers Zeus and Poseidon (got preferable turf)
  • Realm: Underworld (king of the dead)
  • God of precious metals hidden in earth
  • Wife: Persephone (kidnapped)
  • Helmet that made him invisible
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5
Q

Athena (Minerva)

A
  • Daughter of Zeus
    • Sprung armored and fullgrown from his hea
    • Favorite, could hold his thunderbolt
  • Adjectives associated with: Palace, grey-eyed, flash-eyed
  • 1 of three Olympian virgins
  • Goddess of wisdom (unusual birth)
  • Associations: war, city/civilized life, and weaving
  • Bird: Owl
  • Tree: olive tree
  • Athens= her namesake city
  • Temple: Parthenon
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6
Q

Apollo

A
  • Son of Zeus
  • Twin= Artemis
  • Adjective: Phoebus (shining or brilliant)
  • God of light and truth
  • Associations: Archery, sun, healing, and the arts
  • Instrument: the lyre (played beautiful)
  • Oracle: Delphi
  • Tree:Laurel
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7
Q

Artemis (Diana)

A
  • Daughter of Zeus
  • Twin: Apollo
  • Virgin goddess
  • Goddess of wild things/life, youth, and hunting
  • Associations: Moon
  • Animal: deer
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8
Q

Aphrodite (Venus)

A
  • Arose from foam
  • Beautiful, married ugly Hephaestus
  • Goddess of love and beauty
  • Many sides to her–> similar to experience with romantic love
  • Son/sidekick: Eros or Cupid
  • Flower: rose
  • Birds: dove or swan
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9
Q

Hermes (Mercury)

A
  • Son of Zeus
  • Messenger for the gods (quick and graceful)
  • Associations: commerce and trade
  • Wings on sandals, helmet, and wand
  • Job of leading dead to resting place
  • Claim to fame: appears in most myths
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10
Q

Ares (Mars)

A
  • Son of Zeus and Hera
  • Despised because god of war
  • Associations: discord and strife
  • Romans respected him more
    • Celebrated glory of battle
  • Bird: vulture
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11
Q

Hephaestus (Vulcan)

A
  • Son of Zeus and Hera (or just her)
  • Unattractive husband to Aphrodite
  • God of fire
  • Associations: volcanos, weapon making (forges, armor)
  • W/ Athena, patron of civilized city life
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12
Q

Hestia (Vesta)

A
  • Sister of Zeus
  • Virgin goddess
  • Goddess of hearth and home
  • Plays no part in myths
  • Cities had public hearths to her
  • Rome priestesses= Vestals (6, all virgins)
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13
Q

Fact!!

A
  • All lived in on Mount Olympus except Hades

- Feasted on ambrosia and nectar

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14
Q

Eros/Cupid

A
  • Son/sidekick to Aphrodite

- Blindfolded (love is blind)

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15
Q

Hebe

A
  • Cup bearer to the gods

- 3rd wife of Hercules

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16
Q

Muses

A
  • 9
  • Source of inspiration of the arts
  • Daughters of Mnemosyne
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17
Q

Graces

A
  • Incarnation of grace and beauty

- Dance to Apollo’s lyre music

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18
Q

Naiads

A

-Water nymphs

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19
Q

Iris

A

-Goddess of the rainbow

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20
Q

Janus

A
  • Roman god of beginning, doorways, and gates

- 2 headed (looking forward and back)

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21
Q

Fates

A
  • 3

- Gave people allotted lifespan of good and evil

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22
Q

Sirens

A
  • Creatures who were never seen but heard

- Lure people in boats to death

23
Q

Amazons

A
  • Women warriors

- Worshipped Aries

24
Q

Gorgons (Medusa)

A
  • Dragon-like creatures
  • turn to stone if you look them in the eyes
  • Snake-haired
25
Q

Furies/Erinyes

A
  • Goddesses of vengeance
  • Snake-haired
  • Blood for tears
  • Castration of father sky
26
Q

Satyrs/Fauns

A

-Half man, half goat

27
Q

Pan/Faunus

A
  • Leader of the satyrs
  • Hermes’ son
  • Noisy shepherd god
28
Q

Centaurs

A

-Half man, half horse

29
Q

Aeolus

A

-King of winds

30
Q

Zephyr

A

-West wind

31
Q

Aurora

A

-Roman goddess of the dawn

32
Q

Pegasus

A
  • Flying horse

- Connected with Percyus

33
Q

Nike

A

-Goddess of victory

34
Q

Ambrosia

A

-Food

35
Q

Nectar

A

-Drink

36
Q

Mount Olympus

A
  • Where the gods and goddesses lived

- Highest mountain in Greece

37
Q

Cerberus

A

-3 headed guard dog of the underworld

38
Q

Charon

A
  • Ferryboat driver

- Transports the dead

39
Q

Elysian Fields

A
  • Place

- Blessedness for the good

40
Q

Tartarus and Erebus

A

-Realms of the Underworld

41
Q

Great Sinners

A
  • Tantalus
  • Sisyphus
  • Ixion
42
Q

Tantalus

A
  • Killed and served his son to the gods
  • Punishment: Food and drink always out of reach
    • Always hungry and thirsty
43
Q

Sisyphus

A
  • Crossed Zeus

- Rolls rock up hill and then it rolls back down

44
Q

Ixion

A
  • Insulted Hera

- Tied to wheel, forever spinning

45
Q

Rivers of the Underworld

A
  • Lethe: forgetfulness
  • Phlegethon: Fire
  • Styx**: River of unbreakable oath
46
Q

Demeter

A
  • Goddess of harvest, grain, wheat, corn, crops
  • Daughter of Cronus and Rhea
  • Sister of Zeus, Hera etc
  • Mother of Persephone (springtime)
    • Can be most understood in terms of their powerful relationship
  • Myths: Kidnapping/Rape of Persephone, Flower myths
    1. Explains seasons
    2. Themes: beauty= curse, innocence never lasts, motherhood= strongest of bonds
  • Human= can relate
    • Mother grieved about daughter
  • Worship
    • Eleusis: site of temple
    • Eleusinian mysteries: secret rites of her worship
47
Q

Parallels Between Dionysus and Demeter

A
  • Major deities but not Olympians
  • Humans could identify with them
  • Connected with seasons and festivals at Eleusis  -Both demonstrate strength of the mother-child bond
  • Idea of two
  • Comparisons with New Testament
  • Other interesting tidbits
48
Q

Contrasts Between Dionysus and Demeter

A
  • Demeter as a simpler deity whereas Dionysus as more complex (just as bread is much simpler than wine)
  • Demeter’s secretive rites vs. Dionysus’ public worship
  • Demeter as a tragic persona (sense that always the grieving mother) vs. Dionysus as triumphant (sense that will always win in the end
49
Q

Humans Could Identify with Them

A
  1. walked/wandered the earth teaching mankind
  2. associated with daily life (bread and wine)
  3. experienced strong feelings of joy and pain (esp. lasting grief vs. temporary sorrows of the carefree Olympians) ~ thereby tied to the HUMAN CONDITION
    a. Demeter’s pain = loss of daughter Demeter’s joy = reunion
    b. Dionysus’ pain = vine torn apart Dionysus’ joy = revelry, celebration; also rebirth each spring
50
Q

Idea of 2

A
  1. Demeter: 2 people (mother and daughter); 2 times of year

2. Dionysus: 2 sides of wine/drinking just as 2 sides to him

51
Q

Comparisons with New Testament

A
  1. Demeter like Blessed Mother (great sorrow and joy; child is brought back from death)
  2. Dionysus like Jesus (suffering, death, resurrection)
  3. Both with Christ: bread and wine
52
Q

Interesting Tidbits

A
  1. both “contained” by fathers

2. both rescue a loved one from underworld (Persephone/Semele)

53
Q

Dionysus (Bacchus)

A
  • God of vine, wine, grapes, intoxication, revelry, theater
  • Son of Zeus and Semele
  • Wandering god from Thebes
    • Taught of wine/vine, demanded respect just as alcohol’s power must be respected
  • Followers= Maenads (mad women)– drink into frenzies and kill things
  • Paradoxical god of duality w/ positive and negative faces (2 sides of alcohol)
  • Connection w/ humanity through suffering–> vines being pruned, alcohol being abused
  • Grief: dies every year/ what happens when drunk
  • Joy: rebirth, vine regrows, celebrations
  • Associated w/ theater: great tragedies written and performed in honor of him @ sacred festival
    • Connected w/ Eleusinian mysteries

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