CC303: INTRO TO CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY - ID Terms Exam 2!!!!!!!

Hades/Pluto

Ruler of the underworld and lord of the dead; Son of Kronos and Rhea

Resides below the earth, in the underworld (also called Hades)

Hades/Aidoneus = the invisble one; pluto = the rich one

The 'traditional view' of the Underworld

The underworld is a physical place that living people can access; it's dark, and its filled with the souls of the dead (who look like they did in life, but have no memories until they drink blood)

Greek Funerary Rites

Two goals: facilitate travel to Hades and process grief; women had a large role in funerary rites

Three stages: Preparation of the body, procession from house to burial place, interment (placing the body in the ground)

Charon

The ferryman that takes souls across the river, receives the payment of a coin (Obol)

Cerberus

three-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld

The Great Sinners

The few people who are actively punished in the afterlife:

Tityos - raped Leto; vultures eat his liver for eternity

Tantalus - broke the rules of Xenia; forced to endure eternal hunger and thirst

Sisyphus - cheated death twice; rolls a rock uphill for eternity

Plato's view of the underworld

The true self is our soul; the body is the prison of the soul

Philosophy trains us for our death: breaking the chains from the material world

If you are still connected to the material world, you will undergo a cycle of reincarnation; prizes and punishments in the underworld

Epicurus' view of dead

There's no real difference between soul and body

materialism: the soul is material and thus mortal

death is nothing to us (maybe??)

Procne, Philomela, and Tereus

Thereus married Procne, but is then struck by desire for Philomena (Procne's sister)

Tereus rapes Philomela, she threatens to make his crime public and he cuts her tongue off.

Philomena makes a tapestry that tells Procne what happened; Procne kills her son Itys to punish Tereus, and serves him at a banquet so Tereus eats his son...

The three characters suddenly turn into birds-- depravity in Ovid's metamorphosis.

Myrrha

Falls in love with her father, Cinyras; she refuses all her suitors and attempts suicide-- her nurse prevents it and encourages Myrrha to satisfy her desire

Myrrha has sex with her father (he doesn't know its his daughter) and conceives a son-- once Cinyras finds out, she runs away and gets turned into the myrrh tree (her tears become the resin of the tree)

Depravity in Ovid

Myths about the inversion of standards (sexual and familial, plus rites of passage)

Myths as a way to explore the darkest sides of human soul

Myths as way to reaffirm the standards?

exemplified in the stories of Procne, Philomela and Tereus + Myrrha

Adonis

Born from myrrha after her transformation; he's so handsome, Aphrodite falls in love with him-- she warns him not to hunt dangerous beasts, but he doesn't listen and is killed by a wild boar. Aphrodite turns him into an anemone (wind flower)

Greek heroes: main features and examples

Mortal human beings who performed extraordinary deeds (not always good or moral). They tend to die prematurely and violently, and are worshipped at their gravesite.

ex. Heracles, Perseus, Theseus

The Heroic Pattern

Birth in unusual circumstances (sometimes from a god+mortal)

Unsuccessful attempt to kill the newborn or prevent their birth

Reared by foster parents/animals in a foreign country

Return to the fatherland and travel to their future kingdom

Victory over kings/monsters

Marriage with a princess

Hero becomes a king

Hero loses favor with his subjects and/or with the god(s)

Mysterious death

Worshipped in cult

Heracles

Heracles = The "Glory of Hera," son of Zeus of Alcmene (foster parent: Amphitryon)

Exessively forceful, angry and sexually active LOL

Completed the twelve labors; attributes are club, lionskin and muscles

Heracles' labor (w/ examples)

Hera drove Hercules crazy, so he throws Hera, his children and his nephew into a fire... he was told by the oracle to serve the king Eurystheus for 12 years, completing labors

Examples: Nemean Lion, Lernian Hydra, Erymanthian Boar, Cretan Bull, War-Belt of Hippolyte, ETCCCC

The Nemean Lion

an enormous lion strangled by Hercules as the first of his 12 labors

The Hydra of Lerna

Monstrous snake with nine heads; Hercules kills it with the help of Iolaos, but it doesnt count as one of the 10 labors for Eurystheus because he had help

The Cretan Bull

Bull sacred to Poseidon who went wild; Heracles kills it for his seventh labor and brings it to Eurystheus

The Cattle of Geryones

Heracles travels across the Mediterranean, helped by the Sun, to bring Eurystheus the cattle of the giant Geryones.

In the process, he set two pillars marking the boundaries of Europe and Lybia from the Ocean

The Pillars of Heracles

After Heracles' conquest of Geryon, Heracles drives the cattle back home; on the way he passes the Strait of Gibraltar, which becomes named the Pillars of Heracles.

The Apples of Hesperides

Heracles' task to bring back golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides; Heracles tricks Atlas and gets the apple from the garden on mount Atlas

Deianeira

Heracles second wife who accidentally poisons him. She tried to win him back with a love potion that the Centaur Nessos gave her. It burned and tortured him instead. He insisted that he be carried to a top of a mountain and be burned alive on a funeral fire. He goes to heaven, achieves immortality and reconciles with Hera

The death of Heracles

Deianeira (Heracles wife) coats a robe with Centaur (Nessus) blood because she thinks it's a love potion

Blood burns his skin and Heracles kills mortal self by burning himself to death --> becomes immortal like a true god

Theseus

a hero and king of Athens who was noted for his many great deeds (6 labors): killed Procrustes and the Minotaur and defeated the Amazons. He also united Attica, introduced democracy to Athens and established the Panathenaea festival.

He's a central figure for Athenian idenitity:

- Political identity: unification and institution of democracy

- Religious identity: shared religious practices (Panathenaea festival; Theseus' ship; etc.)

- Defender of the poor and downtrodden (his tomb is a sanctuary for those who need help)

The Minotaur

half-man, half-bull; Minos offended Poseidon, so the god made his wife Pasiphae go mad-- she had sex with a bull and birthed the minotaur.

Minos imposed a tribute of 7 girls and 7 boys to be fed to the Minotaur; Theseus volunteers himself and kills the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne's thread

Theseus and the Amazons

Theseus fought with Heracles against the Amazons

His war prize was Antiope, who became mother of Hippolytus

Amazons invade Athens for Antiope but are defeated (ambiguity of Theseus' character)

Theseus and the Centaurs

At Pirithoos' wedding, centaurs get drunk and try to abuse the women; Theseus and Pirithoos defeat them

Political message: Theseus (and Athens) protect the innocent and restore the order

Minos

King of Crete; offends Poseidon, who makes his wife go crazy and have sex with a bull, birthing the Minotaur

Theseus' death

Theseus abducts Helen and Persephone; he is trapped in the underworld for a bit. Athenian people turn against Theseus and he is exiled from Athens and dies at the hands of a foreign king.

Theseus' bones

Athenian soldiers see the spirit of Theseus during the Persian war; an oracle tells them to gather his bones; Athenians re-bury Theseus in the city and establish a cult to worship him.

Perseus

the son of Zeus who slew Medusa (with the help of Athena and Hermes) and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster

his mother was imprisoned to prevent his birth, but Zeus' golden rain impregnated her; Perseus is raised by Dictys in a foreign land; Polydectes sends Perseus to kill Medusa; he discovers Andromeda, who is being sacrificed to a sea monster, and saves and marries her; he becomes king of Argos by accidentally killing his dad Acrisius and lives happily ever after; he is worshipped across Greece.

Medusa

Gorgon killed by Perseus, with the help of Athena and Hermes. From her decapitated head came Pegasus and Chrysaor; in some versions of the story, Medusa was once a beautiful woman who was raped by Poseidon in Athena's temple-- Athena turned her into a gorgon as punishment.

Andromeda

Daughter of Cepheus and Cassiepea, King and Queen of Libya. Mom committed hubris by saying Andromeda was prettier than the sea nymphs--Poseidon sent a sea monster to their town-- the oracle of Zeus Ammon said to sacrifice Andromeda to end turmoil. She's saved by Perseus, who saves her, kills the monster, and becomes her husband.

Katasterismos

an etiological myth explaining the origin of a constellation

many Greek constellations are named after Perseus' myth: Andromeda, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cetus, etc.

Cadmos

Founder of Thebes

Sent to look for his sister Europa, consults Apollo who tells him to follow a cow and build city where it stops. Fights a dragon, establishes Thebes, which is populated by the surviving Spartoi. Marries Harmonia, they are both turned into snakes then are welcomed to the Elysian Fields.

Harmonia

Daughter of Areas and Aphrodite given to Cadmos as a wife (wedding attended by all the gods).

Cadmos and Harmonia become the first rulers of the newly-founded Thebes.

Harmonia and Cadmos are turned into snakes, but Zeus welcomes them into the Elysian Fields.

Oedipus

a tragic king of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father Laios and married his mother Jocasta

Laios is king of Thebes, an oracle warns him his son will kill him and marry Jocasta. Laios tries to get rid of Oedipus, but he survives and is adopted by the king of Corinth. Oracle tells Oedipus he will kill his father and marry his mother so he runs away to Thebes; kills Laios at a crossroads, saves Thebes from the Sphinx, marries his mother, tragedy unfolds.

Laios

Father of Oedipus; former King of Thebes

Killed by Oedipus at a crossroads

Sphynx

winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion; terrorizes Thebes with riddles.

Oedipus solves the riddle, the sphynx kills herself, and Oedipus is rewarded by marrying his mom and becoming king of Thebes.

Creon

Ruler of Thebes, after Eteocles; brother of Jocasta, opp of Antigone.

After Oedipus is exiled, his two sons decide to take turns ruling for one year at a time-- Eteocles refuses to hand the kingdom to his brother, so Polyneikes attacks and they kill eachother. With no one else around, Creon rules Thebes (brother of Jocasta). Punishes Antigone for trying to bury Polyneikes.

Antigone

a daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta who defied her uncle, King Creon, by performing funeral rites over her brother, Polynices, and was condemned to be buried alive in a cave.

Polyneikes

when Oedipus was kicked out of Thebes, Polyneikes fought his brother Eteocles and they killed each other, allowing Creon to take over.

Denied a proper burial under Creon's rule, but Antigone buries him anyway.

Eteocles

Antigone's brother that died in battle with Polyneikes and recieved a hero's burial. Momentarily King of Thebes.

Sophocles' Oedipus King

Tragic poem (430 BCE) the story of Oedipus' journey.

He is abandoned in the mountains as a baby because his father hears a prophecy that his child will kill him. Oedipus is raised in Corinth by Polybus and Merope, and flees after hearing a prophecy that he will kill dad and marry mom. Oedipus ultimately fulfills the prophecy because he tried to escape from it. Ends with Jocasta killing herself and Oedipus blinding himself and going in exile.

Sophocles' Antigone

Tragedy (440 BCE?) in which Antigone, a daughter of Oedipus, disobeys the edict of King Creon and buries her brother Polynices; she is buried alive for disobeying Creon, and she kills herself in her tomb, and her fiance (who is also Creon's son) kills himself as well. Next, Creon's wife kills herself LMAOO

Rhapsodoi

itinerant, illiterate poets who performed oral poetry to be sung to music. Typically free-styled epics... Homer!

Judgement of Paris

The incident that ultimately brought on the Trojan War. A contest between Aphrodite, Hera and Athena for the prize of the Apple of Discord, awarded to the most beautiful goddess. They chose Paris to decide the winner-- all try to bribe him, but Aphrodite wins by promising him the most beautiful woman. So, Paris abducts Helen from her husband Menelaus.

Trojan War

10-year war fought between Greece and Troy. War began because Paris (of Troy) abducted Helen, who is wife of the King of Sparta, Menelaus.

There are several epic poems about the Trojan war, but the Iliad focuses on a specific time during the the tenth year of the war

Helen

Wife of Menelaus and queen of Sparta.

Helen's abduction from Sparta by the Trojans sparked the Trojan War.

Menelaus

King of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon, and husband of Helen.

He helped lead the Greeks in the Trojan War.

Agamemnon

King of Micenae and leader of the Greek army. Upsets Achilles by taking his war prize gf, Briseis.

Achilles

Greatest Greek warrior, whose rage is documented in the Iliad.

Agamemnon steals Briseis, blah blah blah fighting, Achilles kills Hector after Patroclus (boyf) is killed.

Patroclus

Achilles' best friend, killed by Hector. Brought Achilles back to the battlefield.

Hector

Son of Priam; leader of the Trojans and their greatest fighter. Married to Andromache.

Kills Patroclus (and a lot more ppl), killed by Achilles-- his body is defiled but later ransomed back to Priam.

Priam

King of Troy, father of Hector and Paris

Andromache

Wife of Hector, mother of Astyanax.

Says some cool sad things about those left behind during war

Paris

(aka Alexander) brother of Hector and kidnapper/husband of Helen; a pretty boy, not much of a fighter. Fav of Aphrodite.

Prophesized to kill Achilles, but that isn't shown in the Iliad.

Iliad

a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing Achilles' rage (first against Agamemnon, then Hector) during the siege of Troy in the Trojan war.

Time, Geras, Kleos and Aidos

Time = honor, the most important value for a Homeric hero

Geras = war prize: the means through which the time of a hero becomes visible to others.

Kleos = fame/glory: it is obtained when a hero accomplishes some great deed, and is necessary to achieve time.

Aidos = shame: what the hero must avoid at all costs; it is a form of public sanction that leads to social exclusion

Shame Society

The overriding concern is what others think of you. Failure produces public shame.

- One seeks to avoid shame (aidos) for himself

- Highest good is the enjoymenet of public esteem (time)

- Result culture (outcome > effort)

- Individual is everything

- Competitive values (zero-sum game)

Guilt Society

The overriding concern is following a higher order of laws. Failure is internalized.

- One seeks to avoid a sense of guilt

- Highest good is the enjoyment of a quiet conscience

- Intention culture (effort > outcome)

- Notion of a "greater good"

- Cooperative values

Sarpedon

Favorite son of Zeus, Trojan warrior killed by Patroclus at the peak of his aristeia (peak as a fighter and warrior).

Zeus and Hera argue about preventing his death; Sarpedon's fate seems intertwined with the gods' quibbles, calling attention to the unclear nature of the gods' relationship to Fate.

Odyssey (Homer)

Epic poem from Ancient Greece that chronicles Odysseus' ten-year struggle to return to his throne in Ithaca.

Books 1-4: Telemachia

Books 5-8: Odysseus with Calypso and at Skeria

Books 9-12: Odysseus' tale

Books 13-19: Odysseus back in Ithaca

Books 20-24: Slaughter of the suitors and reunion with Penelope

Nostoi

Greek word for stories of "homecoming" after the Trojan War-- the Odyssey documents Odysseus' nostoi.

Because the gods were unhappy with the way the Greeks acted in the Trojan war, they made their homecomings super challenging.

Clytemnestra

Wife of Agamemnon who had him murdered when he returned from the Trojan War; she plotted with her side ho, Aegisthus, to kill Agamemnon and his war prize Cassandra. Later, Agamemnon's kids avenge their father.

The Trojan Horse

Brought the fall of Troy, narrated in a lost poem.

Odysseus came up with the plan to leave a large wooden horse outside the gates of Troy, tricking the Trojans into thinking it was a gift from the gods. Trojans bring the horse into the city and celebrate their "victory." The Greeks climb out at night, open the doors of the citadel and raid the city.

Telemachus

Odysseus and Penelope's son. He lives at home, still unmarried, while Odysseus is away. Athena goes to him and tells him that Odysseus should return, and he should try to take control of the situation with the suitors in Ithaca.

Books 1-4 are called the Telemachia, and follow Telemachus as he confronts the suitors, meets Nestor in Pylos and Menelaus and Helen in Sparta. This marks his rites from boyhood to manhood.

Calypso

The beautiful nymph who falls in love with Odysseus when he lands on her island-home of Ogygia. Calypso holds him prisoner there for seven years until Hermes, the messenger god, persuades her to let him go.

Calypso offers Odysseus immortality to stay with her, but he refuses (Odysseus knows he is human and knows where he belongs). Calypso is upset that the gods get to dictate her love life, poor gal...

Cyclopes

a race of one-eyed giants; an individual member of the race is a Cyclops. They don't believe in the gods or have any form of organized civilization (no agriculture, trade, or organized society).

Odysseus and his companions spend time on the Island of the Cyclopes, narrated in book nine.

Polyphemus

the Cyclops who imprisoned Odysseus

After Odysseus invading Polyphemus' cave with his buds, Odysseus wants to wait for Polyphemus to return, to see if he will treat his guests with xenia. Polyphemus says "no xenia, gods r dumb and so are you" then eats Odysseus' friends. Odysseus blinds and tricks him, then he and his survivors escape by tying themselves to the bottom of goats and rams.

Before leaving, Odysseus makes sure to tell Polyphemus who he is and where he's from... Polyphemus tells his dad, Poseidon, to make the journey home hard, and if Odysseus makes it back to Ithaca, make sure its in a rlly bad state when he gets there. LOL

Circe

The beautiful witch-goddess who transforms Odysseus's crew into swine when he lands on her island. With Hermes' magical flower, Odysseus resists Circe's powers and then becomes her lover, living in luxury at her side for a year.

Circe becomes a helpful guide-- her companionship marks a turning point in the epic, because she can tell Odysseus exactly what he needs to do to get home.

Xenia

Greek code of hospitality; guest friendship

Odysseus

Protagonist of the Odyssey, which narrates his long noistoi, or his journey from Troy to Ithaca.

King of Ithaca; husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus. A cunning, shrewd and eloquent hero, played a big role in the Iliad.

Multifaceted: his desire for knowledge can have good and bad results; he is greedy but he always acts with endurance and forethought; prideful and selfish. A MESSY DUDE!

Phaeacians

People living on the island of Skeria; descendants of Poseidon, skillful seamen with enchanted ships.

Odysseus was shipwrecked on Skeria after leaving Calypso's island. He tells the Paheacians about his travels, which makes up books 9-12 of the Odyssey. Skeria is a liminal place between the real world (Ithaca) and the realm of fantasy (Odysseus' experiences before returning home).

Odysseus' apologoi

an "apologoi" is a story within a story; in the Odyssey, Odysseus's accounts his travels to the Phaeacians.

The apologoi include Odysseus's encounters with the Cyclops, Circe, and the Sirens, all of which demonstrate his ability to outwit and overcome dangerous challenges.

Aeolus

The god of the winds, gives Odysseus a bag of winds. Odysseus' goons unleash the winds and push themselves further away from Ithaca.

The Sirens

creatures, part woman and part bird, whose songs lure sailors to their death. Odysseus wants to learn about them-- he follows Circe's suggestion and ties himself to a pole so he can listen to them sing while they sail past.

Scylla and Charybdis

Odysseus had to choose between two equal dangers in the sea-- avoiding one means getting closer to the other. He fought Scylla, a six-headed beast and avoided Charybdis, a sea monster. To get past Scylla, Odysseus lets six of his men get eaten.

The Cattle of the Sun

The treasured cattle of the sun God Helios. Circe warns Odysseus not to slaughter the cattle of the sun or he will be punished. He foolishly stops on the island and winds keep him there for a month. When he falls asleep his crew eats some cattle. His crew is destroyed as punishment.

Odysseus and his crew are stranded on the island of the Sun.

While Odysseus is asleep his companions eat the forbidden cattle of the Sun; Helios complains to Zeus, who destroys the last remaining ship.

Odysseus is the only survivor and ends up on the island of Calypso

Allegorical interpretation of the Homeric gods

Homeric gods are symbols of human vices and virtues.

ex. Athena beating Ares = thought beating violence

Virgil

Roman poet (70-19 BCE); wrote the Aeneid

The Aeneid

An epic poem by Virgil chronicling the adventures of the Trojan prince Aeneas that portrayed the Roman ideals of duty, piety and faithfulness; Aeneas was the ancestor of Romulus, who established Rome.

Homer fan-fiction: events that followed the Trojan war but that were not narrated by Homer. Story of Aeneas, a Trojan survivor who needs to find a place for his people to start anew.

Aeneas

Trojan hero; son of Anchises and Aphrodite

different from Homeric heroes because he doesn't only care about glory-- has "pietas" (piety/loyalty).

He ends up sacrificing all of his personal affects for the sake of the "greater good." = victor tristis (a sad winner)

Ascanius/Iulus

Son of Aeneas and Creusa; he will grow up to found the Latin city of Alba Longa; the Julian family traced their ancestry back to Iulus, and eventually to the goddess Venus.

Anchises

Aeneas's father, and a symbol of Aeneas's Trojan heritage. Although Anchises dies during the journey from Troy to Italy, he continues in spirit to help his son fulfill fate's decrees, especially by guiding Aeneas through the underworld and showing him what fate has in store for his descendants.

Creusa

Aeneas's wife at Troy, and the mother of Ascanius. Creusa is lost and killed as her family attempts to flee Troy, but her ghost tells Aeneas he will find a new wife at his new home.

Dido

Queen of Carthage and lover of Aeneas. Her love for Aeneas proves to be her downfall-- after he abandons her, she constructs a funeral pyre and stabs herself upon it with Aeneas's sword.

Juno's anger

Still upset over the judgement of Paris, and also mad because Zeus kidnapped and fell in love with Ganymede. She knows her favorite city (Carthage) will be destroyed by Rome, so she wants to make its establishment as hard as possible. Juno causes a terrible storm that tosses Aeneas' ships off course.

Sinon

Greek warrior who pretended to be a deserter; convinced the Trojans to bring in the Trojan horse.

According to Virgil, Sinon's treachery means the Trojans' ruin is caused by their own piety towards the gods and those in distress

The death of Priam

Pyrrhus (Achille's son) killed one of Priam's sons in front of him- Priam runs to the temple of Zeus, then is killed on the altar.

Carthage

founded by Didio (queen of the Phoenicians) ca. 800 B.C.E. Aeneas is found in Carthage and starts going out with Dido teehee

Laocoon

the priest of Apollo who warned the Trojans to beware of Greeks bearing gifts when they wanted to accept the Trojan Horse. While he is warning the Trojans, snakes come out of the ground and kill him-- taken as a bad omen LMAO

Lavinia

Daughter of Latinus and Amata; Turnis considers her his betrothed, but her father Latinus recognizes that she is fated to marry Aeneas

Latinus's daughter and a symbol of Latium in general. Lavinia's character is not developed in the Aenid; she is important only as the object of the Trojan-Latin struggle. The question of who will marry Lavinia—Turnus or Aeneas—becomes key to future relations between the Latins and the Trojans and therefore the Aeneid's entire historical scheme.

King Latinus

King of Latium. He gives his daughter to Aeneas in marriage.

Turnus

King of Rutulians, suitor of Lavinia, major opponent of Aeneas, killed by Aeneas in battle.

The ruler of the Rutulians in Italy. Turnus is Aeneas's major antagonist among mortals. He is Lavinia's leading suitor until Aeneas arrives. This rivalry incites Turnus to wage war against the Trojans, despite Latinus's willingness to allow the Trojans to settle in Latium and Turnus's understanding that he cannot successfully defy fate. He is brash and fearless, a capable soldier who values his honor over his life.

Allecto

One of the three Furies, or deities who avenge sins, sent by Juno in Book VII to incite the Latin people to war against the Trojans.

Romulus

Founder of Rome and first king, killed his brother Remus to establish Rome. Set the tone for Rome's devotion to imperialism.

Remus

the twin brother of Romulus, killed by his brother over the undecided location of Rome.

Livy

Roman historian whose history of Rome filled 142 volumes (of which only 35 survive) including the earliest history of its establishment up to Augustus' time as ruler.