Term List #2 - Mythic Background to Homer

Thetis

sea goddess; mother of Achilles

Nereus (Old man of the sea)

father of Thetis

Peleus

guy who "won" by holding on tight (she's a shapeshifter)

Eris

goddess of Chaos, not invited to the wedding but she showed up anyways an brought a golden apple

Te Kalliste

To the fairest; inscription written upon the golden apple of Eris; all the goddesses fight for it--making Paris judge who should get it (AKA who he thinks is the fairest)

Hera, Athena, Aphrodite

goddesses who fought over the apple

Paris or Alexander

judged apple, was rewarded by Aphrodite with the most beautiful woman (Helen)

Priam and Hecuba

parents of Paris, Cassandra, Hector, and Agelaus, kids have prophetic powers

Cassandra

gift of perfect prophecy, no one will believe her

Hector

Paris' brother, need I say more

Miasma

pollution would infect and kill them

recognition scene as a motif

children separated from parents since birth

Leda and Tyndareus

parents of Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux, kids born from eggs, slept with a swan

Helen

most beautiful woman, married to Menelaus

Clytemnestra

married to Agamemnon

Castor and Pollux

born of Leda and Zeus, hatched from an egg

Odysseus

came up with plan to figure out how they would find Helen's husband

Oath of Tyndareus

Helene's competition, whoever won would be able to call on everyone else to help protect the marriage

Penelope

Odysseus' wife

Ithaca

Home of Odysseus

Telemachus

Odysseus' son

Menelaus

king of Sparta, married to Helen

Tantalus

fed son to Gods, doomed to starve and thirst forever

Pelops

fed to the gods, came back to life and killed Myrtilus

Hippodameia

Daughter of Oenomaus, won by Pelops in a chariot race

Oenomaus

father of Hippodameia, would compete with suitors in chariot races

Myrtilus

chariot mechanic, helped Pelops in exchange to sleep with Hippodameia, Pelops pushed him off the cliff, cursed "house of Atreus"

Liminal characters

characters straddling boundaries

i.e life and death

The Curs of the House of Atreus

curse from Myrtilus

Atreus

son of Pelops, favorite of Zeus, killed Thyestes sons

Thyestes

son of Pelops, affair w/ Atreus' wife, competed for crown, yielded crown to Atreus

Aerope

Atreus' wife, helped Thyestes's win with gold fleece

Aegisthus

son of Thyestes, fed to his dad

Agamemnon

married to Clytemnestra, took Achilles' girlfriend/wife/trophy

Aulis

Bay in Thessaly where the Greek forces mustered for the Trojan War; they were pinned down by contrary winds sent by Artemis there until Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter

Iphigenia

daughter of Agamemnon, sacrificed to the gods

Artemis

twin to Apollo, hated men, replaced Iphigenia with a deer

Achilles

son of Pelus and Thetis, most powerful mortal, long happy life or short glory

Styx

river Achilles was "dipped" in

Skyros

island where all single girls were protected, Achilles went to hide so he wouldn't have to fight

Neoptolemus (or Pyrrhus)

Achille's son

Penthesilea

queen of amazon's, Achilles fell in love with her when he killed her

Thersites

laughed at Achilles over losing Penthesilea, gets killed

Calchas

Prophet who said Agamemnon needed to sacrifice his daughter

funeral marriage motif

marriage that ends in death (physically/metaphorical)