The Toys of Zeus: Part One Flashcards
What were the first humans made from?
Clay sculpted from Gaia by Prometheus –plus the spittle of Zeus –breathed into life by Athena.
What were humans forbidden by Zeus to have? And why?
Fire
Because it could cause them to challenge the gods and think themselves their equal
In what way do humans embody the four elements?
Earth –Gaia’s clay
Air –breath of Athena
Fire –sun of Apollo
Water –spittle of Zeus
Where did Prometheus steal fire from, and with what?
Hephaestus’s forge, with the stem of a narthex plant
What was the significance of giving fire to man?
It allowed them to forge tools and fire pots, but also gave them divine fire of curiosity
How did Zeus punish humans for adopting fire?
He commanded Hephaestus to create a female, using goddesses as a model. Called Pandora –all-gifted.
Also gave her a container filled with secrets, and told her never to open it.
Gifted her as wife to Epimetheus (Prometheus’s brother)
What was Pandora’s box really?
A pithos –a glazed and sealed earthenware jar
How did Pandora try to remove the jar from her attention?
Buried it in garden under a sundial
What was in the jar that Pandora could not resist opening?
Mutant descendants of Nyx and Erebus: Ilness, Violence, Deceit, Misery and Want
What did Pandora accidentally leave in the jar?
Elpis – hope
The opening of Pandora’s box heralded the end of the _______ _____ and the start of the _______ ____.
The opening of Pandora’s box heralded the end of the Golden Age and the start of the Silver Age.
Who is Pyrrha?
The daughter of Pandora and Epimetheus
Who is Deucalion?
Son of Prometheus and either his mother Clymene (ew) or Hesione an Oceanid
Who was Lycaon and what happened to him?
King of Arcadia –son of Pelasgos, one of original clay figures.
Roasted own son Nyctimus and served to Zeus.
Zeus, disgusted, brought boy back to life and turned Lycaon into a wolf.
Who was Pelasgos?
One of original clay figures, ethnically Hellenic
Gave name to Pelasgians –tribe thought barbaric by the Greeks
What happened during the reign of Nyctimus?
His 49 brothers ravaged the land and behaved so disgustingly that Zeus caused a flood to end mankind.
Who survived Zeus’s great flood and how?
Only Deucalion and Pyrrha, upon a wooden chest built for them by Prometheus.
Chest settled on Mount Parnassus.
Where is Mount Parnassus?
Central Greece on Gulf of Corinth. Place of Oracle of Delphi.
How was the world repopulated after the flood of Zeus?
Deucalion and Pyrrha consulted oracle of Themis for advice. Told to “cover heads and throw bones of mother over shoulders”.
Threw rocks over shoulders, and from the earth sprung up humans.
Contemporary humans are the descendants of whom?
Deucalion and Pyrrha –and the stones of Gaia.
Who escorts the dead to Hades?
Depends –if important person then Hermes Psychopomp. Otherwise Thanatos.
To which place in the underworld are the dead first led?
To meeting of River Styx (Hate) and Acheron (Woe).
What did you need to be ferried across the Styx?
Payment to ferryman Charon. If no payment, would have to wait 100 years.
What is this?
An example of Charon’s obol (or obolus). Placed in the mouth of dead to pay for carriage across the Styx.
This is a ceremonial coin –thinner than one used for currency.
Who judged where the dead would end up?
At first hades, then two sons of Zeus and Europa –Minos and Rhadamanthus
What are the four accommodation options in Hades?
Elysian Fields –for heroes and those with divine blood
Meadows of Asphodel (white flowers) for the blameless, who drink of Lethe and forget earthly life
Halls of Hades –for mild sinners, who flit around without any real consciousness
Fields of Punishment, where tortured in accordance with crimes.
What’s this? Where might you find it? And what would you have to do to get there?
An asphodel flower, found in the Meadows of Asphodel, for those who lead a blameless life.
Who is Eurynomos?
Demon who strips flesh from bones of dead in Hades (in some accounts)
What was Prometheus’s punishment?
Chained to rock by Cyclopes, eagle (maybe vulture) eats liver every day, which regrows to be eaten again.
What is the etymology of Prometheus and Epimetheus? And how does this play out in their story?
Prometheus means “Forethought” (Greek: “Pro-“ before, “meth” think), and Epimetheus means “Afterthought” (Greek: “Epi-“ after).
Prometheus cleverly defies gods by bringing fire to humans, while Epimetheus, unwise, accepts Pandora from gods, releasing woes into the world, highlighting foresight versus hindsight.
Persephone’s parents?
Demeter and Zeus
Persephone’s nickname?
Kore or Cora –meaning simply ‘the maiden’
Roman name for Persephone?
Proserpina
What did Demeter intend for her daughter Persephone?
For her to remain a virgin like Hestia, Artemis and Athena. So hid her away in the countryside.
Who is this?
Prometheus (c 550BC)
What happened to Persephone?
Abducted by Hades
Demeter neglects the world to search for her with Hecate –nothing blooms
Helios tells gods that Perephone abducted by Hades
Zeus orders her return
Hades asks for one more night
Hades feeds her 6 pomegranate seeds, meaning she must stay there for 6 months of year –explaining seasons
Who is Hecate?
Titaness, goddess of witchcraft. Depicted in triplicate and found at crossroads.
Called Trivia by Romans.
Who is this?
Hecate
Roman sculpture after a Hellenistic original
What is a griffin?
Mythical beast with body of lion and wings and head of eagle.
Have protective power, and seen on Athena’s helmet.
Who is Pan?
Goat-footed god of nature.
Son of Hermes and Dryope.
Who is Dryope?
Nymph, mother of Pan
How did Hermaphroditus become a hermaphrodite?
Naiad Salmacis attempted to seduce the reluctant Hermaphroditus.
She clung to his body and begged gods to let him and her always be one.
They fused their bodies.
Who is Hermaphroditus?
Son of Hermes and Aphrodite
Grew up in Mount Ida in Phrygia, raised by naiads.
Who is this?
Hermaphroditus
Who is Silenus?
Bearded, pot-bellied, donkey-tailed, drunk–popular subject on drinking vessels.
Son of Hermes and unknown nymph.
Who are the Erotes?
Deities of winged and naked godlings attendant on Aphrodite.
HHHH–APE
Hedylogos
Hermaphroditus
Himeros
Hymenaios
Anteros
Pothos
Eros
Which of the Erotes is Anteros?
Youthful patron of selfless unconditional love.
Which of the Erotes is Eros?
Leader of Erotes, god of physical love and sexual desire.
Son of Ares and Aphrodite
Which of the Erotes is Hedylogos?
Spirit of language of love and terms of endearment
Which of the Erotes is Hermaphroditus?
Protector of those of fluid gender
Which of the Erotes is Himeros?
Embodiment of desperate, impetuous love
Which of the Erotes is Hymenaios?
Guardian of the bridal chamber and wedding music
Which of the Erotes is Pothos?
Personification of languorous longing, of love for the absent and departed
Four kinds of Greek love?
Agape – charity, including love for children and for gods
Philia –friendship, fondness
Eros –erotic love
Storge –loyalty –e.g., for country
How was Eros depicted by the greeks?
As a fully grown man of great accomplishment (sexual and sporting).
What’s the story of Psyche and Eros?
Psyche youngest daughter of king Aristides and Queen Damaris. Praised for beauty.
Jealous Aphrodite asks Eros to make her fall in love with a pig.
Eros scratches arm with arrow as trying to shoot her, falls in love with Psyche.
Parents consult oracle –advises to leave Psyche on mountain to be wed to most dangerous being in world.
Psyche carried away by Zephyr to magical castle, attended by invisible Eros.
Psyche pledged not to speak of Eros to anyone. Eventually tells sisters, who convince her Eros is monster.
Psyche attempts to kill sleeping Eros, but reveals him in lantern, inspects arrow, grazes hand and in lust attempts to embrace him, spilling oil and waking him.
Eros enraged, castle disappears, Psyche returns to sisters, convinces them that Eros wants them to fly to him on Zephyr. They throw themselves off cliff to doom.
Eros mourns, love lost from world.
Aphrodite learns of events, sets tasks to challenge Psyche –sorting seeds (helped by ants); fetching golden wool (advised by reed); take beauty cream from Hades.
Eros tells Olympians of above, Zeus takes pity, gives Psyche ambrosia of immortality. She and Eros united forever.
