Myths Quiz 1: Intro Flashcards
Mnemosyne
- Memory
- Titan
- Mother to 9 muses
Helios
-Sun god
Selene
-Moon Goddess
Oceanus
- Titan
- Ocean
Aphrodite
-Came from the castration of Father Sky
According to the Greeks, what existed before all else?
-Chaos
What two entities came from Chaos?
- Night
- Death (Erebus)
What was born from Night and Death (Erebus)?
-Love
What companion was born alongside Light?
-Day
What was the name for Mother Sky?
-Gaea
What was the name for Father Sky?
-Ouranos
Which children of Earth and Sky had only one eye?
-Cyclops
To which group of creatures did Cronus belong?
-Titans
Whom did Cronus harm?
- Father Sky
- This castration created Aphrodite
Which creatures were created from the blood of Cronus harming Father Sky?
- The Furies
- Giants
What was Cronus’ Roman name?
-Saturn
Who was Cronus’ sister-wife?
-Rhea (Ops)
What horrible act did Cronus commit with his children?
-He ate them
Why did Cronus eat his children?
-They would eventually dethrone him
Who tricked Cronus by hiding their sixth baby and replacing him with a rock?
-Rhea
Where did the rock Cronus swallowed end up?
-Delphi
Which Titan sided with Zeus in the great battle?
-Prometheus
Which Titan was condemned to hold up the world (heavens)?
-Atlas
What still did not exist after the great battle?
-Humans
Epimetheus’ name meaning
-Afterthought
Prometheus’ name meaning
-Forethought
What two gifts did Prometheus bestow upon man?
- Fire
- Standing upright
What are the five metal races?
- Gold
- Silver
- Brass
- Heroic
- Iron
Who was sent by Zeus as a punishment to mankind?
-Women (Pandora)
What made Zeus angry?
- Prometheus stole fire
2. Humans get the best part of sacrifice (meat), gods get bones (worst part)
What does Pandora mean?
-“gift of all”
Why did Pandora open the box?
-She was curious
What was in the box that Pandora opened?
- Plagues
- Sorrow
- Mischief
What remained in the box Pandora opened?
-Hope
Who was bound and tortured because he had a secret?
- Prometheus
- Liver picked at by a vulture each day, it would go back
What was the secret that Prometheus knew?
-Wouldn’t reveal the name of the woman Zeus would sleep with that would produce the child that would dethrone him
Who eventually freed Prometheus?
-Hercules
Who was saved from the destructive flood?
- Deucalion (Son of Prometheus)
- Pyrrha (Daughter of Epimetheus)
Which race began out of the “bones” of Earth (stones from Mother Earth)?
-The stone race
Who came from Mother Earth and Father Sky?
- Titans
- Cyclops
- Monsters
Definition of Myths
- An imaginable, fantastical story
- Filled with truth about the human condition
- A story not true on the outside, but true on inside
- Truths= relational (human relationships)
Purpose of Mythology
- Early science: How something came to be or why something happens
- Sacred history: gods/goddesses, beliefs about creation and afterlife
- Entertainment: Richest collection of stories next to Bible
- Truth of Human Condition: Connect to and convey love, loss, war, suffering
Characteristics of Mythology
- Greek Miracle
- Anthropomorphic
- Polytheistic
- Nontranscendental
- Mythical in time: time not specific or scientific
Greek Miracle
- Man moves from fairly insignificant to the epitome of strength and beauty
- World becomes place of light and loveliness instead of darkness and fear
Anthropomorphic
- Gods/goddesses given human characteristics
- All lived with gusto
- Deities very flawed, not always admirable
- Making possible God-like heroes, human-like gods
Polytheistic
- Different deities have different turf
- Comparable to Catholic tradition of patron saints
- Makes for tension and conflict
Nontranscendental
-Not otherworldly like other religions
Mythology is full of motifs and themes
- “Don’t mess with the gods”
- Myths connect with each other, as well as other “non-contact” cultures
Dark Spots
- Beastly characters (sphynx, satyrs, centaurs)
- Human sacrifice
- Occasional cruelty of deities
