CPLT 315 key term flashcards

Pantheon

Roster of the gods, consists of the names of gods and godesses

Anthropomorphism

Things or beings that are human-shaped or have human qualities

Hierarchy

A ranking system

Polytheistic

A religion with many gods

Attribute

A motif that characterizes a figure, often occurring in paintings or images

Scepter

A staff used to symbolize authority

Cult

the things you do when you worship a god or goddess

Epithet

A way of identifying someone important without using their name, either a nickname or juxtaposition with an object

Classical

ancient Greece and Rome

Myth

Story that has cultural significance, a story of importance to the people who tell it and hear it

Theogony

Origin story of the gods

Cosmogony

Birth of the universe or the cosmos

Succession myth

Generations following another, taking over power and rule. Begins with an invocation

Invocation

A call for something

Charter myth

Explains why society is the way it is, explains to people why things are good or justified

Trickster 

someone who plays tricks, a recurrent character type in folklore and mythology

Archetype

A recurrent character type that can be found across time periods, cultures, languages, societies. Not unique to any one time or place, and transcends historical and cultural limits or values

Cosmology

A way of thinking about the nature of the world and the cosmos

Tremendum

Something that makes you tremble, such as gods holding greater power over you

Emendation

Fixing the problem in a text

Pathogenesis

Being a virgin and still giving birth

Cuthonic

living underground 

Rite of passage 

Anthropological term describing something that is done to mark and/or enable the transition of a person from one stage of life to another 

mysterium tremendum et fascinans

“A fearful/awe inducing and fascinating mystery”, used to describe the experience of the divine. Similar to the sublime

Theophany

An observable and tangible form of a deity, an appearance of a god to mortals

Homeric Hymn

A collection of 33 greek hymns and one epigram written by various poets. The hymns praise greek gods and retell mythological stories.

Culture Hero

A mythological hero specific to a cultural, ethnic, or religious group who changes the world through invention or discovery. 

Caduceus

AKA staff of hermes. The present day medical symbol of a staff with wings at the end and two snakes