Pantheon of the Gods Flashcards

Question

Ending of the titanomachy

Answer 1

Zeus and his allies triumph. Titans are imprisoned in Tarturus, with the Hecatonchires acting as guards. Division of the world between Zeus (sky/heavens), Poseidon (sea), and Hades (underworld) BUT Zeus is top dog! Special punishment for Atlas because he sided with the Titans = has to ‘hold up the sky’ (left – ‘Farnese Atlas’, Naples National Archaeological Museum).

Answer 2

Brother and sister – but also husband and wife! Seduction - Pausanius, Description of Greece, 2.17.4 = “They explain the presence of a cuckoo seated on the sceptre [of Hera] by the story of when Zeus was in love with Hera, and, in her maidenhood, he changed himself into this bird, and she caught it to be her pet” The ultimate love/hate relationship.

Answer 3

``` Demeter Hera Poseidon Zeus Hephaistos Apollo Artemis Hermes Dionysus Athene Ares Aphrodite ``` Often exclude Hades and Hestia

Answer 4

Complex guy! Tumultuous rise to power – Titanomachy. “Supreme leader” BUT note Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 5.31-52 – he is not “all powerful”. Had famous religious sanctuaries dedicated to him at Olympia and Dodora.

Answer 5

``` Lightening bolt. Royal sceptre. A throne – guarded by four winged spirits: Kratos (strength), Zelos (rivalry), Nike (victory), and Bia (force). Usually a mature man. Long robe (chiton) and cloak (himaton). Wreath of olive leaves. ```

Answer 6

Trojan prince who was carried off to heaven by Zeus (eagle). Appointed a cup-bearer of the gods. In art – depicted as a handsome youth always. In scenes of his abduction, he holds a rooster (a lover’s gift), a hoop (a boy’s toy), or a lyre. When portrayed as the cup-bearer, he pours nectar from a jug. Homer Iliad 20.230-34 “And to Tros [lord of the Trojans] in turn there were born three sons unfaulted, Ilos, Assarakos, and godlike Ganymede who was the loveliest born of the race of mortals, and therefore the gods caught him away to themselves to be Zeus’ wine pourer, for the sake of his beauty, so he might be amongst the immortals”.

Answer 7

Queen of the Gods! Mainly associated with women and marriage. Always depicted as a beautiful woman. Holds lotus-tipped sceptre, sometimes accompanied by a peacock. Myths often involve jealousy and persecution of Zeus’ objects of desire (can you blame her?!)

Answer 8

Zeus and Hera had four children together….. Outside of the Pantheon: Hebe – goddess of youth, cup-bearer, went on to become the wife of Heracles. Eilethyia – goddess of childbirth. In the Pantheon crew: Ares Hephaestus (?) Ares and Hephaestus could not be more different…..

Answer 9

God of WAR! Usually dressed like a standard Greek warrior (which makes it hard to identify him). Symbols = peaked helmet, shield, spear, sword (sometimes). EITHER a mature, bearded warrior armed for battle, OR a nude, beardless youth with a helm and spear?!

Answer 10

HUGE contrast to his brother Ares. love triangle with his wife? aphrodite and ares He is lame: Iliad 20.37 = “He went the way of these in the pride of his great strength limping, and yet his shrunken legs moved lightly beneath him”/ Odyssey 8.267 “I am a cripple from birth”. Some stories say he was created without Zeus in a sort of immaculate conception (just the product of Hera) BUT the Homeric texts seem to refer to Hera AND Zeus as his parents. Banished from Olympus as a baby because of his lame-ness, but he was saved and looked after by the marine divinities Thetis and Eurynome – despite this, he was still always faithful and good with Hera. Contentious relationship with his parents - Also tossed from Olympus for siding with Hera in one the many Hera-Zeus showdowns – Iliad 1.590-611.

Answer 11

Dionysus brings hephaestus back to olympus – Pausanius, Description of greece, 1.20.3 “One of the legends is that Hephaestus, when he was born, was thrown down by Hera. In revenge, he sent as a gift a golden chair with invisible fetters. When Hera sat down she was held fast, and Hephaestus refused to listen to any other of the gods save Dionysus – in him he reposed the fullest trust – and after making him drunk, Dionysus brought him to heaven”

Answer 12

God of the fire and metallurgy. Famously forged the shield of Achilles Iliad 18.477-549 “First of all he forged a shield that was huge and heavy, Elaborating it about, and threw it a shining Triple rim that glittered, and the shield strap was a cast of silver. There were five folds composing the shield itself, and upon it He elaborated many things in his skills and craftsmanship.”

Answer 13

Phoebus – ‘Fear’ Deimos – ‘Terror’ Harmonia – ‘Harmony’ Adrestia – “she who cannot be escaped”, goddess of revolt The Erotes – a collection of winged gods associated with love and sexuality, the most famous of which is Eros (= Cupid!).

Answer 14

many! but 4 key athena hermes apollo artimis

Answer 15

``` Goddess of wisdom and good counsel. Associated with heroic endeavours. Weaving, pottery, and other crafts. Depicted as a stately woman armed with a shield and spear, a long robe, crested helm, and the aegis. Green-eyed (or bright-eyed). ```

Answer 16

Born out of Zeus’ head?!? Background = another prophecy about a child being more powerful than their father – another case of someone deciding to eat a person to solve a problem?! As you do! Hesiod, Theogony 929ff. “But he [Zeus] seized her [Metis] with his hands and put her in his belly for fear that she might bring something stronger than his thunderbolt. Therefore Zeus did swallow her down suddenly. But she straightaway conceived Pallas Athena, and the father of men and gods gave birth by way of his head…arrayed in arms of war”

Answer 17

Competition between Athena and Poseidon for the land – Zeus acts as judge. Athena – creates the first olive tree. Poseidon – brings water to the plains. Athena wins – hence, ATHENS! Plato, Menexenis 237c: “Our country [Athens] is deserving of praise, not only from us but from all men, on many grounds, but first and foremost because she is god-beloved. The strife of the gods who contended over her and their judgement testify to the truth of our statement”.

Answer 18

Arachne claims she can weave better than athena. athena then turned her into a spider. where the terms arachnid comes from Her attention turned To the undoing of Maeonian Arachne, Who (it was said) accepted praise that set her Above the goddess in the art of weaving, A girl renowned not for her place of birth Not for her family, but for her art”

Answer 19

Son of Zeus and Maia. Father of Pan. Messenger to the gods. Guide to the Underworld. ``` God of…. Herds and flocks. Travellers and hospitality. Roads and trader. Thievery and cunning. Heralds and diplomacy. Language and writing. Athletic contests. Astronomy and astrolog ```

Answer 20

``` Herald’s wand – kerykeion. Sometimes armed with a small sword. Knee-length robe, short cloak, and a brimmed traveller’s hat. Winged boots. Herma – boundary markers ```

Answer 21

Summary of the Homeric Hymn to Hermes from Apollodorus: conflict with apollo. as a baby stole a calf from apollow and made the first lyre from a tortoise shell “Though he was laid out in swaddling clothes with her winnowing basket for a cradle, he escaped and made his way to Pieria, where he stole some cattle from Apollo… Outside the cave, he found a tortoise feeding. He cleaned it out, and stretched across the shell strings made from the cattle he has sacrificed, and when he had thus devised a lyre he also invented a plectrum… When Apollo heard the lyre, he exchanged the cattle for that… And Zeus made Hermes his personal herald and messenger of the gods beneath the earth.”

Answer 22

Goddess of hunting, wilderness, wild animals. Goddess of childbirth. Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Twin of Apollo. Usually depicted as a young girl – a beautiful virgin goddess. Sacred animal – deer.

Answer 23

Most distinctive symbol – bow and arrows. Sometimes seen with a quiver, pair of hunting spears, torch, lyre, or water jug. Clothes – knee-length girl’s robe OR a full-length woman’s robe, with a cloak, headgear, and occasionally a pelt of a deer on her shoulders.

Answer 24

Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3.30 actaeon is hunting with his dogs and comes across artemis and his nymphs naked. He watches and she gets angry and transfroms him into a stag and has him torn apart by his own dogs “…Actaeon, who was reared by Kheiron and trained as a huntsman, but was later eaten up on Kithairon by his own dogs [because] he saw Artemis bathing. They say that the goddess changed him on the spot into a deer, and drove his fifty hunting dogs into a frenzy so that they unintentionally ate him.”

Answer 25

God of prophecy & divination. Patron of music & the arts - leader of the Muses. Famous shrine and oracle at Delphi. Also called Phoebus Apollo - “the shining one” – association with the Sun-god. Represents both violence and restraint – he is a healer, but also a bringer of plague. Contrast with Dionysus – rational vs. irrational.

Answer 26

Daphne (Ovid Met. 1.452ff.) – loved by Apollo and hounded mercilessly by him until she grew exhausted and cried out for help from Gaia. She was transformed into a laurel tree.

Answer 27

Hyacinthus – a beautiful Spartan prince and lover of Apollo (but also admired by the west wind Zephyrus, the north wind Boreas, and a mortal man called Thamyris). One day, Apollo and Hyacinthus were playing a game of quoit but, during this friendly competition, Hyacinthus was killed by a discuss – perhaps accidentally, or perhaps because Zephyrus blew it in his direction on purpose. In his devastation, Apollo created the Hyacinth flower to remember his lover; and, eventually, he resurrected him and gave him immortality. The Spartan festival of Hyacinthia (in the spring time) was originally a festival that started with mourning for the boy, but it eventually morphed into a celebration of Apollo in general.

Answer 28

Cyparissus (Ovid Met. 106ff.) – Cyparissus’ favourite companion was a stag, but he accidentally killed it hunting one day. The boy’s grief turned him into a cypress tree (=classical symbol of mourning).

Answer 29

Coronis was a princess of the Thessalian kingdom of Phlegyantis and loved by Apollo. Whilst pregnant with his child, she committed adultery with a man name Iskys. When Apollo found out, he asked Artemis to kill Coronis, which she did. Apollo did feel some remorse and recovered the child from Coronis’ womb – grew up to be Asclepius = Greek god of medicine (continuing his father’s connection to healing and disease). Asclepius was trained in healing with the centaur Chiron. Asclepius went on to marry Epione – the goddess of soothing, and they had many children together, all of which were associated with aspects of medicine, healing, and recuperation.

Answer 30

Demeter(Hades & Persephone, Gian-Lorenzo Bernini (1621-1622)) Goddess of Agriculture (wheat, grain, bread). Presided over the Elysium Mystery Cults – blessed afterlife. Depicted as a mature woman, often wearing a crown or bearing sheaves of wheat or a cornucopia (horn of plenty) and a torch. The main myth we associate with Demeter actually relates to her AND her daughter Persephone, and a “relationship” with Hades (god of the Underworld). The story of the abduction of Persephone by Hades is also termed the Rape of Persephone.

Answer 31

Story is briefly mentioned in Hesiod’s Theogony, but told in detail in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter: It is said that Zeus permitted Hades, who was in love with Persephone, to abduct her – because Demeter was unlikely to allow her daughter to go to the underworld. Persephone was gathering flowers in a field when Hades abducted her. When Demeter found out her daughter was missing, she scorched the earth and (in her role as goddess of agriculture) forbade the earth to produce – as long as her daughter was not returned to her, her grief would now allow anything to grow. Helios, the sun god (who sees everything), told Demeter what had happened – so she knew it was Hades. Eventually, Zeus ordered Hades to return Persephone because he was being pressed by the cries of the hungry people.

Answer 32

BUT Hades had one final trick…. He did comply with Zeus’ request to return Persephone, but, first, he tricked her into eating some pomegranate seeds. Persephone was released from the underworld by Hermes, who had been sent to retrieve her BUT because she had tasted food in the underworld, she was obliged to spend half of her time there, with the other half of the year with the gods above. This is how Persephone ends up with the dual role = goddess of spring BUT also of the un-dead = related to rebirth and recycling of the ages.

Answer 33

Olympian god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, festivity, madness, and ‘wild frenzy’. Depicted as either an older bearded god, or effeminate long-haired youth. Attributes include the thyrsos (a pine-cone tipped staff), a drinking cup, and a crown of ivy. Also referred to as Bacchus. Famous for the way he ‘possesses’ his followers.

Answer 34

Son of Zeus and Semele of Thebes (daughter of Cadmus). Hera tricked Semele into asking Zeus to appear before her in his full glory. Bound by oath, the god was forced to comply and the heat of his lightening bolts consumed her. Zeus recovered their unborn child from her body, sewed him up in his thigh, and carried him to term. Dionysus was then entrusted to the care of the elderly satyr Sellenos and the Nymphs of Nysa; and later to the care of his aunt Ino, Semele’s sister, and her husband Athamas. Hera’s jealously continued – she drove Ino and Athamus mad, causing them to kill both their children and themselves.

Answer 35

Female followers = referred to as Bacchae or Maenads –a mysterious cult that came to be associated with sexual ‘freedom’. Festival of the Bacchanalia celebrated in Rome (said to be based on earlier Greek versions related to Dionysus – orgiastic cult rituals appear to have begun in Thrace) In Livy’s account, the Bacchic mysteries were originally restricted to women and held only three times a year, they eventually became ‘corrupted’ and basically became an excuse for drunken, disinhibited men and women of all ages and social classes to cavort in a sexual free-for-all five times a month. Satyrs were also a key part of Dionysus’ retinue = male nature spirits with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. Believed to inhabit remote locales, such as woodlands, mountains, and pastures.

Answer 36

Ariadne is the daugter of king minus of crete, and assisted thesesis in his quest to slay the minotaur. Her and thesesis fled to the island of maxus. Thesesis abandoned her. Dionysus discovers her on the beach sleeping. Dionysus & Ariadne – from Catullus 64: “But from another part of the quilt, Bacchus, in the glory of his youth, has been flying about, along with his troop of Satyrs and his attendants from Mount Nysa, looking for you Ariadne, and inflamed by your love. The Maenads have raved for Bacchus dispersedly, with frenzied mind! The Maenads are throwing back their heads! Some of them were shaking spears with a covered tip, some were tossing about the limbs of a bullock which had been torn apart, some were wrapping themselves with twisted serpents, and some were honouring esoteric icons with hollow wicker boxes, icons about which the uninitiated long to hear; others were beating tomtoms with long palms or producing tinny, clangorous sounds with polished bronze; for many, horns blasted harsh sounding, booming bass sounds; and an outlandish pipe made a strident shriek and played a dreadful song”.

Answer 37

``` Bacchae – written in 410BCE. Key Characters/Place Thebes Cadmus, grandfather of Pentheus (king of thebes) retired Agave, sister of Semele Pentheus, son of Agave Dionysus – new god – being badmouthed by Agave and Semele! ``` ``` Tiresias, priest of traditional religion Euripides, Bacchae 215-247 Pentheus as an adversary of the ‘new’ god Dionysus Euripides, Bacchae 714-774 Pentheus as sacrificial victim Euripides, Bacchae 811-846 Torn to bits by Agave  Euripides, Bacchae 1084-1152 ``` read story// see slides (slide 15,pantheon pt 2)

Answer 38

Virgin goddess of the hearth and the home. Associated with the sacrificial flame. First-born child of Rhea and Cronus. Modestly-veiled woman, sometimes holding a flowered branch.

Answer 39

Origins: Castration of Uranus. Zeus & Dione. Nature & Appearance of Aphrodite Beauty, love, Marriage. Always depicted as a beautiful (and often nude) woman – and her attributes include a dove, apple, scallop shell, and a mirror. Importance of Praxiteles’ work – Aphrodite of Knidos (4th century BCE).

Answer 40

Anchises = member of the royal family of Troy. Mortal lover of Aphrodite/Venus. Son = Aeneas – the proto-founder of Rome (= provides the city with divine ancestry). Union described in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite.

Answer 41

Artemis vs aphrodite fight to the death (but they cant die) ``` Hippolytus, devotee of Artemis Aphrodite angry Euripides, Hippolytus 10-25 Phaedra Euripides, Hippolytus 412-430 Phaedra kills herself and accuses Hippolytus of rape Theseus exiles Hippolytus, not believing his story. Hippolytus dies. ``` See slides (slide 21, pantheon part 2)

Answer 42

God of the sea earthquakes, floods, droughts, and horses Most distinctive attribute = trident – a three-pronged fishing spear. Stern character – rough, unkempt, called ‘the earthshaker’. Rides a hippocampus – half horse/half fish creature. Depicted as a mature man in art – either clothed in a robe or depicted nude with a cloak draped loosely over his arms. Often crowned with a wreath of wild celery or a simple headband. Often angry! Contest with Athena/ HATES Odysseus!

Answer 43

Poseidon sure got around – like his brother Zeus! He had lovers of both sexes, and fathered both mortal and immortal children. His consort was Amphitrite, a nymph – had a son = Triton. Fathered many heroes, including, it was said, Theseus. Tried to sleep with both Hestia and Thetis – he did sleep with Demeter but only through an act of sexual assault. Similarly, he also raped Medusa – on the floor of the temple of Athena – who was then punished by Athena (why her not him?! Victim blaming occurs A LOT in Greek myth) and turned into a monster.

Answer 44

oceanus trition proteus nereus nereids

Answer 45

Oceanus – the stream of Ocean Oceanids –kids; river gods

Answer 46

son of Poseidon &Amphitrite blew on a shell – trumpeter Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.330-347

Answer 47

old man of the sea Foretell future Change shape at will

Answer 48

another old man of the sea

Answer 49

3 important: Thetis, Galatea, Amphitrite Beautiful

Answer 50

Goddess of the sea - leader of the fifty Nereids. Like many other sea gods, she possessed the gift of prophesy and power to change her shape at will. Because of a prophecy that she was destined to bear a son greater than his father, Zeus had her marry a mortal man. Peleus, the chosen groom, was instructed to ambush her on the beach, and not release his grasp of the struggling goddess as she metamorphosed into a host of shapes. The couple were afterwards married in a ceremony attended by all the gods of heaven. She bore a son, the celebrated hero – Achilles – so we will come in to contact with both Thetis and Achilles a lot more soon!

Answer 51

Galatea = often depicted in art as a beautiful woman riding side-saddle on the back of a sea-monster or a fish-tailed god. Story of Acis and Galatea: Polyphemus = a Cyclops, and the son of Poseiodon – falls in love with Galatea. Offers Galatea gifts and sings her songs. BUT he is rejected because Galatea is in love with Acis. In a jealous rage, Polyphemus kills Acis by crushing him with a huge rock.

Answer 52

Pursued by Poseidon but initially reluctant to wed . Hid with Atlas but the dolphin-god Delphin tracks her down. Eventually marries Poseidon and they have a son – Triton, the merman  Tritan is often depicted blowing on conch shell. Amphitrite regularly depicted alongside Poseidon riding in his hippocampus.

Answer 53

Scylla ans charydbis iris harpies graeae gorgons

Answer 54

Scylla – terrible monster - transformation at hands of Amphitrite or Circe (both because of jealousy of some sort) - Straits of Messina identified as real life location? Charybdis – Whirlpool “between Scylla and Charybdis” – idiom for being forced to choose between two equally dangerous situations

Answer 55

Iris (rainbow) – beautiful, married to Zephrys (god of the west wind).

Answer 56

Harpies (snatchers) – half-human/half-bird – vicious, cruel, and violent.

Answer 57

Graeae (old women) – ‘the grey sisters’ - daughters of the sea-deities Phorcys and Ceto and sisters to the Gorgons. Took the form of old, grey-haired women.

Answer 58

Gorgons - Stheno, Euryale, Medusa - three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes as a well as a horrifying visage that would turn those who looked at them into stone. Traditionally, Stheno and Euryale were immortal but Medusa was not and she was slain by Perseus (more on this in heroes week!). When the blood that spurted from Medusa’s neck made contact with the sea – Pegasus (flying horse!) and Chrysaor were born = sons of Medusa and Poseidon, effectively.

Answer 59

Eldest son of Cronus and Rhea – but the last to be regurgitated by his father, because they came back up in reverse order… naturally! ‘King of the Dead’. Presided over funeral rites and defended the right of the dead to a due and proper burial. Assumption that Underworld = inherently ‘evil’. For the Greeks, Hades was seen more as a ‘balance’ to Zeus.

Answer 60

Depicted as a dark-bearded, regal god. Often accompanied by his three-headed guard dog – Cerberus (‘the hound of Hades’) – who guards the gates of the underworld to prevent the dead from living. Example of classical reception with Cerberus – the three-headed guard dog Fluffy in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is clearly inspired by the mythical creature. Mythical narratives – primarily the Demeter/Persephone story.

Answer 61

Cerberus is usually described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from multiple parts of his body. Cerberus primarily known as the Twelfth and final labour of the hero Heracles (which we will be looking at during heroes week!).

Answer 62

Rivers: Styx (hate), Acheron (woe), Cocytus (wailing), Lethe (forgetfulness), Phlegethon (fire). Hades and Persephone. Hermes Psychopompus. Charon the ferryman – must pay him! Cerberus. 3 judges: Minos, Rhadamanthys, Aeacus Furies: Allecto, Megaera, Tisiphone

Answer 63

Tarturus – BAD! Asphodel Fields/Meadows – indifferent. Elysium/Elysian Fields – GOOD!

Answer 64

``` (In)famous inhabitants of Tarturus: Tityros. Ixion. Sisyphus (right – Titian, 1548-9) Tantulus (please ignore my passing reference in the audio to the House of Atreus – I switched the order of some content after I had recorded – so you have not missed anything – we will cover this later in the semester!) Danaids. ```

Answer 65

attempted to rape lito at the beheist of hera slain by artemis and apollo stretched out in tarturus and had two vultures his liver which grew back each day

Answer 66

lusted for hera after being invited to olympus by zeus blasted by a thunderbolt from olympus stuck in a hamsterwheel on fire (wheel of misfortune)

Answer 67

was too full of himself had to roll a huge boudler up a hill, which would roll down and become almost crushed by it

Answer 68

served his son paelops as a sacrifice to the gods. had to kit under a fruit tree. with fruit and water always out of reach where the phrase tantalizing comes from

Answer 69

the 50 daughters of denais. murdered their husbands on their wedding night had to carry water on a seive

Answer 70

``` Classical Accounts of Creation: Homer - not much to say Hesiod - Theogony and Works & Days Bitter (?) perspective on life 1st Greek account of creation Muses important to him Ovid - Metamorphoses Homeric Hymns Even Aristophanes ``` Some recurring themes/events Incest, incest, and more incest Kids hating their fathers & a father hating his kids The younger generations replacing the older

Answer 71

``` 4 or 5 ages Ovid: 4 Metamorphoses 1.126ff. Hesiod: 5 (heroes) Hesiod, Works and Days 106ff. ``` Gold Best Cronus (Saturn) king Free of toils ``` Silver Olympians in charge Childhood long adult life short Not respectful of Olympians ``` ``` Bronze Made by Olympians Violent & quite strong Everything bronze When dead went to Hades ``` Heroes Demigods Events @ Thebes & Troy humans go to the elysian fields after death ``` Iron Life is hard Good mixed with evil Little concern for family Justice lacking ```

Answer 72

REMEMBER: Zeus fears being overthrown! Prometheus is: Son of Iapetus (Titan) & Clymene ``` Quarrel between gods & men Prometheus settles (?) things – at Mecone. (told by Hesiod in the theogony) ``` ``` He butchers ox & divvies up the pieces: Bones fat Meat stomach Zeus to choose He picks fat Zeus gets pissed no more fire & grain Prometheus gives humans fire & grain anyway ```

Answer 73

Prometheus’ fault: (he gave humanity fire) Hesiod, Theogony 570-616; Works & Days 47-105. 1st woman (v. similar to Christian ‘Eve’ in terms of moral connotations – unfortunately!) Hephaestus’ creation. (first woman) Athena’s role. (dresses in the jewelry, gown and veil) Hermes’ role. (shameful mind and deceitful nature) Pandora means “all gifts”. Pandora’s jar: Do not open! (burdens and toil and sickness) Thesises warns Epimetheus to not accept anything from zeus. He accepts anyways and jar is opened. “Hope alone remained within”.

Answer 74

``` Zeus vs. Prometheus For all that he did Prometheus is punished Bound by chains high up in mountains Eagle of Zeus chomps on liver It regenerates  ``` ``` Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound Characterization of Hephaestus Zeus as tyrant Prometheus’ gifts to mankind (also gave them medicine, maths, metallurgy and agriculture) Grumpy pants! Justifiably? Prometheus Bound 442-506 Prometheus Bound 1076-1093 ```