Greek Myth 10/20-end

Perseus

• Born to Danae and Zeus — exiled to sea in a chest with Danae by grandfather Acrisius

• Slays Medusa on quest for Polydyctus after promising to bring Gorgon head instead of horse head

• On way back to Seriphos, sees Andromeda and falls in love. Frees her from sea monster Cetus and petrifies her betrothed Phineus to win her hand

• Objects: Cap of Hades, Winged Sandals, Kibisis, Harpe

Danae

• Perseus mother

• Locked away by father Acrisius but Zeus enters the prison as gold and impregnates her

• Acrisius locks her and baby in chest and exiles them to sea — wash up on Seriphos (found by Dyctus)

• Polydyctus, king of Seriphos, falls in love with Danae and schemes to rid them of Perseus

Acrisius

• Mortal father of Danae, grandfather of Perseus

• Prophesied that her son will kill him so locks her in an underground prison

• When Zeus impregnates her anyways, he locks her and baby in a chest and exiles them to sea

• Perseus accidentally hits him with a discus much later and kills him

• Cycle of paranoia, control of offspring for self-preservation

Medusa

• one of 3 gorgons, the only one thats mortal

• Perseus kills her, her head still petrifies mortals and is later put on Athena’s shield

• When killed, “Great Chrysaor” and Pegasus leap out of her severed neck

Chrysaor

• “Great Chrysaor”

• warrior with golden sword

• Born from Medusa’s severed neck

Pegasus

• Born from Medusa’s severed neck

• Tamed by Bellerophon, helps him defeat Chimaira

• Bellerophon attempts to fly him to Mt Olympos but Zeus prompts him to buck him off

Dictys

• fisherman who finds infant Perseus

• Brother to Polydyctus

Polydyctus

• King of Seriphos, brother to Dyctus

• Wants to marry Danae so schemes to get Perseus out of the way

• Sends him on quest to bring a Gorgon head

The Graiai

• 3 sisters: Enyo, Pephredo/Pemphredo, Deino

• Sisters of the Gorgons

• Born old, live in a cavern, one eye + one tooth between the 3 of them

• Perseus tricks them by taking the eye/tooth and refusing to return it until they reveal the Gorgons’ location

Cap of Hades

• Containing the “shadows of night” = invisibility

• Loaned to Perseus along with winged sandals, kibisis (leather pouch), and Harpe (curved sword)

The Gorgons

• Sthenno, Euryale, Medusa (who Perseus kills)

• Daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, sisters of Graiai

• Live at the far edge of the world, near night, garden of Hesperides

Andromeda

• daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Ethiopia

• Poseidon sends a flood + sea monster Cetus against them bc Cassiopeia boasts of Andromeda’s beauty

• She’s exposed as a sacrifice to the monster

• Perseus sees her when flying back with Medusa head, saves her from monster, and wins her hand

Phineus

• wants Andromeda and is jealous of Perseus

• Perseus uses Medusa’s head to petrify him and his conspirators

Bellerophon

• One of the greatest heroes in antiquity

• Known for taming Pegasus and slaying fire-breathing Chimera (hybrid monster w lion head, goat body, serpent tail)

• Attempted to fly to Mt Olympos w Pegasus but Zeus sends gadfly so Pegasus bucks him off (survives severely disabled and disgraced)

• Cautionary tale of attempting to exceed good fortune, limits of divine favor

Proitos

• Acrisius’s twin and ruler of Argos or Tiryns

• Recieved Bellerophon after his exile (killed his brother) and his wife Stheneboia or Anteia falls for Bellerophon

• Sends Bellerophon away with a letter to the king to kill him, so sends him on impossible journeys (tame Pegasus, fight Chimera)

Stheneboia or Anteia

• Wife of Proitos, falls for Bellerophon

• He rejects her advances so she lies and claims he tried to r*pe her

• Proitos sends him away with a letter claiming this

Chimaira

• lion head, goat body, snake tail that breathes fire

• Slayed by Bellerophon w aid of Pegasus

• Hesiod claims is the offspring of Typhaon (whom Hera bore in anger and appeared in hymn to Apollo) and Echidna

Heracles

• Child of Alcmene and Zeus + mortal father Amphitryon

• Completes the 12 labors for Eurystheus

• Perfect tragic hero revered in mythic cult. Oscillates between god and animal, civilization and monster

• In Euripides’ Heracles Iris and Madness (Lyssa) create a horror story of Heracles killing his wife and 3 sons

Amphitryon

• Mortal father of Heracles, married to Alcmene

• Zeus disguises himself as Amphitryon to sleep with Alcmene, she sleeps with the real him the next night to beget Iphicles

• Some myths say he put the serpents in Heracles’s crib to distinguish his son from the demigod

Alcmene

• Mother of Heracles, married to Amphitryon

• Sleeps with Zeus disguised as Amphitryon —> Heracles

• Sleeps with Amphitryon the next night —> Iphicles

• Hera holds her back from giving birth so Eurystheus becomes king instead of Heracles

Iphicles

• brother of Heracles

• Parents are Alcmene and Amphitryon

• Lesser brother conceived the night after Heracles

Linos

• Son of Apollo and brother to Orpheus

• Heracles’ lyre + music teacher (representing self-discipline, harmony, soul-taming, as a key instrument of civilization)

• Heracles was terrible at music — Linos tried to reprimand and teach in frustration

• Heracles hits him over the head and kills him

Eurystheus

• Double for Heracles that balances his superhuman, was born first

• Most myths show him as the other protagonist in the labors

• Hera forces him to be born early to Stheneleus (Perseus son) making him king of all mortals

Nemean Lion

• First of Heracles labors, mostly a story about Heracles attributes + coming of age

• Born from Typhaon and Echidna

• Heracles is often depicted wearing its skin, becoming one with the monster

Omphale

• Queen of Lydia that Heracles is sold into enslavement for

• Forces Heracles to wear womens’ clothes and weave while she wears the lion skin

• Myth explores reversal, extreme punishments, condemnation, what makes him a hero

Deianeira

• From The Women of Trachis by Sophocles

• Princess saved from being r*ped by a Centaur by Heracles

• The Centaur tells her his blood is a magical potion that will keep Heracles interested in her

• Later, when they are married, she applies the blood to Heracles and it kills him (passion of women so excessive it ends up destroying the almost indestructible)

Megara

• Wife of Heracles, daughter of Creon, King of Thebes

• Euripides’ Heracles begins with Megara mourning Heracles after he’s gone to Hades because the throne has been usurped + Megara and her children are sentenced to die. Heracles returns!

• Iris and Madness (Lyssa) are sent by Hera to make Heracles mad— he ends up killing Megara and children

Madness (Lyssa)

• Appears with Iris in Euripides Heracles

• Appears above Heracles’s house and interrupts the chorus celebrating his return

• Causes very quick turn from happiness to horror

• Makes Heracles go mad and kill his family

• Originally protests her assignment because Heracles is a pious man who has brought great good to Greece, and she professes no joy in attacking innocent or virtuous men but eventually does it bc of the divine hierarchy

Aethra

• Mother of Theseus, Princess of Troezen

• Father, King Pittheus, has her bed King Aigeus of Athens because he understands the prophecy

• On the same night, she dreams of Poseidon and becomes pregnant with Theseus

Aegeus

• King of Athens,

• Mortal father of Theseus

• Sees the Delphic Oracle for prophecy on children, but doesn’t understand it so consults Troezen king who does and pushes daughter Aethra on him to bed

• Puts his sword and sandals under a heavy rock for Theseus to lift and claim his birthright + kingship of Athens

• When Theseus forgets to put up white sails, he thinks he’s dead and jumps into the sea (Aegan Sea)

Theseus

• Son of Aethra, Poseidon, and morta father Aegeus

• Travels long road to Athens to claim his kingship and completes 6 labors for the public

• Medea accuses him of trying to overthrow Aegeus (and unseat her son) so he is sent to kill the Bull of Marathon

• Slays the Bull of Marathon and its son the Minotaur

• Abducts many women

Minos

• King of Crete

• hubristic, show off, “greatest king”

• Sent the white Bull of Marathon from Poseidon as a sign of his divine right to rule —- but instead of sacrifying the bull he keeps it. Poseidon inflicts mad lust of Pasiphae (wife) for the bull —> Minotaur

• Poet Bacchylides tells story of Minos attempting to rape a Minotaur’s tribute and Theseus stops him —> poetic pitting of 2 kings along divine connection

Pasiphae

• Wife of King Minos of Athens, mother of Minotaur

• Poseidon curses her to lust over the Bull of Marathon

• Daedalus creates a way for her to sleep with the bull, she births the Minotaur

Asterion

• The Minotaur

• Parents are Pasiphae and The Bull of Marathon

• Placed in Labyrinth built by Daedalus and fed child tributes every year

• Defeated by Theseus with the help of Ariadne

Ariadne

• Daughter of Minos and Pasiphae

• Falls for Theseus, gives him thread to mark his way in/out of the labyrinth

• They leave Crete for Athens together, and when sleeping on Naxos, he forgets and abandons her. Dionysus eventually finds her and makes her immortal

• Ovid Heroides 10: letter from her to Theseus when she awakens. Lamentation, emphasis on grief, attention to body

Daedalus

• King Minos’s master craftsman/architect

• Creates the wood cow for Pasiphae to bed the Bull with, the Labyrinth, and advises Ariadne on helping Theseus escape

• Is imprisoned in the Labyrinth for helping Ariadne with his son Icarus

• Makes wings (feather and wax) for Icarus to fly out but he flies too close to the sun so it melts and he dies

Icarus

• Daedalus’s son trapped in the Labyrinth with him

• Flies too close to the sun with the wax/feather wings so plummets to his death

Antiope

• Abducted by Theseus + marries him

• Sister of Amazon queen

• Births Hippolytus

Phaedra

• Wife of Theseus

• Hippolytus’s step mom and falls in love with him from Aphrodite’s curse

• Commits suicide

• Writes on tablet a lie that Hippolytus attempted to rape her — Theseus is enraged and has Poseidon kill/exile Hippolytus