classical mythology unit 1

What is the simple definition of "myth"?

a traditional story with collective importance

What is meant by the term "etiological"?

some myths explained natural occurrences using the gods. etiological myths were meant to explain the reason behind events such as the changing of the seasons and the rise and fall of the sun.

What two epics are attributed to Homer?

the Iliad and the Odyssey

Who is the author of Theogony?

Hesiod

Who are the three Greek tragedians?

Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides

What Bronze Age civilization flourished on the island of Crete?

the Minoans

Which early archaeologist excavated at Crete?

Sir Arthur Evans

Which early archaeologist excavated at Troy and Mycenae?

Heinrich Schliemann

What is the traditional date of the Fall of Troy?

1184 BCE

What is the name of the historical period between 323 and 30 BCE?

The Hellenistic Age

During the reign of which emperor did Virgil and Ovid write?

Augustus

What Bronze Age civilization flourished on the Greek mainland?

Mycenae

What literary work is the primary source for the Greek creation myth?

Hesiod's Theogony

What is described as a "yawning void"?

Chaos, the abyss that existed before creation

What female deity was the original "earth mother?"

Gaea, Ge

What are the Greek and Roman names for the "force of love?"

Eros, Cupid

What did Hesiod call the depths of the earth and the darkness under the earth?

Tartarus, Erebus

Who are the parents of Aether and Hemera?

Nyx and Erebus

Who gave birth to the sky, mountains, and sea?

Gaea

What deity is the original sky god?

Uranus

What is meant by the term "hieros gamos?"

holy or sacred marriage

What items did the Cyclopes create?

lightning and thunderbolts

What is the name of the three 100-handed creatures?

Hecatonchires

Who are the parents of the twelve Titans?

Gaea and Uranus

What is the collective name for the offspring of Oceanus and Tethys?

Oceanids

Which Titan was the original sun god?

Hyperion

Who was the father of Phaeton?

Helios

How did Phaeton die?

Zeus struck him with lightning

Which Titaness was the original moon goddess?

Phoebe

What daughter of the original sun god became the second-generation moon goddess?

Selene

Which shepherd remains eternally young and asleep?

Endymion

What are the Greek and Roman names for the goddess of the dawn?

Eos, Aurora

Who enjoyed eternal life but not eternal youth?

Tithonus

What are the Greek and Roman names for the last-born of the Titans?

Cronus (Kronos), Saturn

Which father was castrated by his son? Who is the son?

Uranus was castrated by Kronos

What is the origin of the Furies?

they sprang from the blood of mutilated Uranus

Which goddess was born from the "foam of the sea?"

Aphrodite

What war was fought between the Titans and the Olympians?

Titanomachy

Which father swallowed his children as they were born? Who was his wife?

Cronus and Rhea

Who was the last-born of the first-generation Olympians, and how did his mother save him?

Zeus, Rhea fed Cronus a rock instead of his son

Who are the six first-generation Olympians?

Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter

On which side did each of the following fight in the Titanomachy: Themis, Atlas, Prometheus, Cyclopes, Hecatonchires?

Themis: Olympians
Atlas: Titans
Prometheus: Olympians
Cyclopes: Olympians
Hecatonchires: Olympians

Who was sentenced to hold up the sky?

Atlas

Where in New York City can you see the statues of Atlas and Prometheus?

Rockefeller Center

What was the race of earth-born giants defeated by Zeus?

Gigantes

Who is "buried" beneath Mt. Aetna on Sicily?

Enceladus

What earth-born "dragon" did Zeus defeat?

Typhon

What son of a Titan is said to have created man? Which deity assisted him?

Prometheus shaped man, Athena granted him wisdom

What natural phenomenon was Prometheus' gift to mankind?

fire

Who was the first woman, and what does her name mean?

Pandora, All-Gifts

What one item remained in Pandora's box?

Hope

What did Prometheus know but refused to reveal to Zeus?

The name of the woman who would bear a son stronger than his father

How did Zeus punish Prometheus?

He was chained to the side of a mountain and is attacked by an eagle who eats his liver every day

Who was the mother of Achilles?

Thetis

Who eventually rescued Prometheus?

Heracles

What are Hesiod's Five Ages of Man?

Gold, Silver, Bronze, Heroes, Iron

What early deity (Greek and Roman names) is associated with the Age of Gold?

Kronos / Saturn

In which Age was the Trojan War fought?

Age of Heroes

What afterlife realm was ruled by Cronus?

Isle of the Blessed

What will happen when babies are born with gray hair on their temples?

Zeus will end the world / destroy mankind

What king tried to serve human flesh to Zeus? What did Zeus do to him?

Lycaon, Zeus cursed him to become a werewolf

Who in the Greek flood myth are similar to Noah and his wife?

Deucalion and Pyrrha

After the flood, on which mountain did the survivors' boat come to rest?

Mt. Parnassus

What did the two flood survivors toss behind their backs?

stones - "The bones of your mother"

What natural-born son of the survivors gave his name to the land of Greece?

Hellen

What aged couple once entertained Zeus and Hermes?

Baucis and Philemon

What happened when the couple died together?

they became intertwined trees

What are the meanings of the terms "chthonic," "demigod," and "anthropomorphic?"

associated with the Underworld, half-blood, man-resembling humanoid

What are the food and drink of the gods?

nectar and ambrosia

What is ichor?

blood of the gods, milk colored

What are the Greek and Roman names of the fourteen Olympian gods?

Zeus - Jupiter / Jove ; Hera - Juno ; Poseidon - Neptune ; Hades - Pluto ; Athena - Minerva ; Hephaestus - Vulcan ; Hestia - Vesta ; Artemis - Diana ; Apollo ; Aphrodite - Venus ; Ares - Mars ; Demeter - Ceres ; Dionysus - Bacchus ; Hermes - Mercury