2025 Medusa Mythology Exam 2025 - All sets

Troad (Northwest Anatolia)

The Troad, also known as the Troas, is a historical region located in the northwestern part of Anatolia, modern-day Turkey. The Troad includes the ancient city of Troy (Ilium).The Troad is situated in the northwest corner of Anatolia, bordered by the Aegean Sea to the west and the Hellespont (Dardanelles) to the north. The region encompasses the coastal plains and the foothills of Mount Ida. The region is traversed by several rivers, including the Scamander and the Simois, which are frequently mentioned in Homeric epics.

The River Xanthus/Scammander

The Scamander River was named after the river god Scamander. The Scamander River was the river that surrounded Troy. The god Scamander took the side of the Trojans in the Trojan War.

River Simois

The Simoeis was a small river of the ancient Troad, having its source in Mount Ida, or more accurately in Mount Cotylus, which passed by Troy, joined the Scamander River below that city. Its present course is so altered that it is no longer a tributary of the Scamander, but flows directly into the Hellespont.

The River God Simois

Simoeis was the son of Oceanus and Tethys. Simoeis had two daughters who were married into the Trojan royal family. One daughter, Astyoche, was married to Erichthonius, and the other daughter, Hieromneme was the wife of Assaracus. Simoeis supported the Trojans.

Dardanus

Dardanus founded the city of Dardanus on Mount Ida, which became the capital of his kingdom Dardanus, a son of Zeus and the Pleiad Electra. He was the brother of Iasion and sometimes of Harmonia and Emathion. Originally from Arcadia, Dardanus married Chryse and then later Bateia. He fathered two sons, Idaeus and Deimas. After a great flood, Dardanus and his people settled in Samothrace before eventually moving to Asia Minor beacue the quality of land was bad. In the aneid Dardanus is said to have originally come from Italy, where his mother Electra was married to Corythus, the king of Tarquinia.

Bateia

a daughter or aunt of King Teucer and a Naiad, who married King Oebalus of Sparta and was the mother of Hippocoon, Tyndareus, and Icarius.

Teucer

Illegitimate son of Telamon, half brother of the first Ajax; a bowman. He was the son of King Telamon of Salamis Island and his second wife Hesione, daughter of King Laomedon of Troy. He fought alongside his half-brother, Ajax, in the Trojan War and is the legendary founder of the city of Salamis on Cyprus. Through his mother, Teucer was the nephew of King Priam of Troy and the cousin of Hector and Paris—all of whom he fought against in the Trojan War.

Astyoche

Astyoche, naiad daughter of the river god Simoeis, mother of Tros by Erichthonius. Astyoche, a Trojan princess as the daughter of King Laomedon by Strymo, Placia or Leucippe, sister of Priam wife of Telephus and mother of Eurypylus (some call her daughter of Priam and wife of Eurypylus). She was bribed by Priam with a gold vine to persuade Eurypylus to go to the Trojan War, which resulted in him being killed in the battle[3

Tros

Founder of Troy and his children are Assaracus and Ganymede and two daughters, Cleopatra and Cleomestra his daughters may or may not be the same person.

Ganymede

Was a divine hero whose homeland was Troy. Homer describes Ganymede as the most handsome of mortals and tells the story of how he was abducted by the gods from Mt.Ida to serve as Zeus's cup-bearer

Laomedon

a Trojan king, son of Ilus and thus nephew of Ganymede and Assaracus. Zeus sent Poseidon and Apollo to serve Laomedon as punishment for a conspiracy against Zeus. The two gods built walls around Troy, but Laomedon refused to pay them, leading to a pestilence and a sea monster attacking the city. To end the calamities, Laomedon had to sacrifice his daughter Hesione to the sea monster. Heracles arrived and agreed to save Hesione in exchange for the magical horses, (the ones Zues gave to Ganymede's Farther for kidnapping him) but Laomedon went back on his promise, causing Heracles to wage war on Troy.

Priam

the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra.

The River God Scammander

According to Hesiod, Scamander is the son of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. He is alternately described as a son of Zeus. Scamander was the father of King Teucer whose mother was the water nymph Idaea. Scamander fought on the side of the Trojans during the Trojan War, after the Greek hero Achilles insulted him. Scamander was also said to have attempted to kill Achilles three times, and the hero was only saved due to the intervention of Hera, Athena and Hephaestus. In this context, he is the personification of the Scamander River that flowed from Mount Ida across the plain beneath the city of Troy, joining the Hellespont north of the city. According to Homer, had set up their camp near its mouth, and their battles with the Trojans were fought on the plain of Scamander.

Mt. Ida

In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia, which was also known as the Phrygian Ida in classical antiquity and is mentioned in the Iliad of Homer and the Aeneid of Virgil. Both are associated with the mother goddess in the deepest layers of pre-Greek myth, in that Mount Ida in Anatolia was sacred to Cybele. From the Anatolian Mount Ida, Zeus was said to have abducted Ganymede to Olympus. The topmost peak is Gargarus, mentioned in the Iliad. Zeus was located in the Altar of Zeus (near Adatepe, Ayvacık) during the Trojan War.

Erichthonius

Erichthonius was a king of Troy in Greek mythology. He was the son of Dardanus and Batea and enjoyed an peaceful reign

Crete

Island with Minos and Minotaur. Where Ariadne is from.

Minos

King of Crete. Son was killed by an Athenian. Ariadne's dad.

Minotaur

Half man half bull that T kills. Gets 14 sacrifices from Athens.

Epidaurus

Place on T's journey. Where Periphetes is from.

Periphetes

Killed travelers with a club. Killed by T and got his club stolen by T.

Isthmus of Corinth

Place on T's journey to Athens. Where Crommyonian Sow and Sinis are.

Crommyonian Sow

Giant pig. Killed by T.

Sinis

Killed people with trees. T killed him with trees.

Megara

Where Sciron is. Place on the Athens journey.

Sciron

Threw people off a cliff. T threw him off a cliff.

Eleusis

Where Cercyon and Procrustes are. Place on the Athens journey.

Cercyon

Killed anyone he beat in wrestling. T beat and killed him.

Procrustes

Had two beds. If ya didn't fit, he made ya. T put him in a bed then cut off his legs then his head.

Troezen

Where T was born. Had the giant rock with sandals and a sword.

Athens

Where T's dad is. T becomes king here.

Aegeus

Usually T's father. King of Athens. Jumps into sea and dies cause he thinks T is dead.

Medea

Aegeus' wife. Tried to kill T.

Marathon

Where Medea sent T.

Marathonian Bull

The bull Medea told T to kill. T killed it.

Hecale

Helped T get to the bull. Died.

Sparta

Where T abducted Helen from (not again) his mom got enslaved here.

Helen

Got abducted by T (again IK).

Land of the Amazons

Waged war on T after he took their queen.

Hippolyta

The Amazon queen T fell in love with, Amazons attacked to get her back. Dies but has a son.

Corinth

The city where Bellerophon was originally from, sometimes called Ephyra in mythology. It was an important Greek city-state

Fountain of Pirene

A sacred spring in Corinth, where Bellerophon tamed Pegasus with the help of Athena.

Pegasus

A winged horse born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus beheaded her. Bellerophon tamed Pegasus using a magic saddle and used him in his heroic quests.

Tiryns

The kingdom ruled by Proetus, who gave Bellerophon refuge but later sent him away to Lycia with a dangerous mission.

Proetus

The king of Tiryns who was manipulated by his wife, Anteia, into sending Bellerophon away on a deadly mission.

Anteia

The wife of Proetus who falsely accused Bellerophon of trying to seduce her after he rejected her advances.

Mt. Olympus

The home of the gods. After his great successes, Bellerophon tried to fly to Olympus on Pegasus, but he was punished for his hubris and fell back to earth.

Lycia

The kingdom in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) ruled by Iobates, who assigned Bellerophon dangerous tasks to try to get rid of him.

Iobates

The king of Lycia who, after receiving a letter from Proetus, sent Bellerophon on nearly impossible missions, hoping he would die in the process

Chimera

A fire-breathing monster with the body of a lion, a goat's head on its back, and a serpent's tail. Bellerophon defeated it with Pegasus.

Polyidus

A wise seer who advised Bellerophon, sometimes identified as the one who told him to find and tame Pegasus.

Land of the Amazons

A region inhabited by warrior women. One of Bellerophon's tasks from Iobates was to fight and defeat them.

Libiyan Coast/Carthage

The North African land where Aeneas and his fleet are shipwrecked after a storm caused by Juno. Carthage is ruled by Queen Dido.

Dido

The Queen of Carthage, who falls in love with Aeneas due to the influence of Venus and Cupid. She ultimately takes her own life when Aeneas leaves.

Anna

Dido's sister, who encourages her to pursue a relationship with Aeneas, believing it will strengthen Carthage.

Thrace

A land where Aeneas first attempts to settle after fleeing Troy. There, he discovers the spirit of Polydorus, revealing a grim past.

Polydorus

A Trojan prince killed by the Thracians after Priam entrusted him with gold. His ghost warns Aeneas to leave Thrace.

Delos

A sacred island dedicated to Apollo, where Aeneas seeks guidance from the god through an oracle.

King Anius

The king of Delos and a priest of Apollo who provides Aeneas with prophetic advice.

Apollo

The god of prophecy who guides Aeneas, advising him to seek the land of his ancestors.

Crete

An island where Aeneas initially believes he should settle, thinking it to be the land of his ancestors, but a plague forces him to leave.

Cretan Mt. Ida

A mountain in Crete, named after the original Mount Ida in Troy, where Aeneas and his people attempt to settle.

Strophades

Islands in the Ionian Sea where the Harpies dwell. Aeneas and his men encounter them and receive a dire prophecy.

Harpies

Monstrous bird-like creatures with female faces who attack Aeneas' men and curse them, predicting famine.

Phineas

A blind prophet who, in Greek mythology, was tormented by Harpies, though he is not central in The Aeneid.

Buthrotum

A city in Epirus ruled by Helenus and Andromache, who attempt to recreate a 'new Troy.'

Andromache

The widow of Hector, now married to Helenus and living in Buthrotum. She mourns her past and gives Aeneas guidance.

Helenus

A Trojan seer, son of Priam, and the ruler of Buthrotum alongside Andromache. He provides Aeneas with crucial prophecies about his journey, including the need to consult the Sibyl at Cumae and to beware of Scylla and Charybdis.

Cumae

A coastal region in Italy where Aeneas meets the Sibyl, who guides him to the Underworld.

Cumaean Sybil

A prophetess of Apollo who helps Aeneas enter the Underworld and foretells his trials in Italy.

Cape of Misenus

A coastal promontory named after Misenus, one of Aeneas' companions.

Misenus

A Trojan trumpeter who is drowned by the sea god Triton for challenging the gods with his music. Aeneas must bury him before entering the Underworld.

Lake Avernus

A lake near Cumae, believed to be an entrance to the Underworld due to its noxious fumes.

grove of Avernus

A sacred forest near Lake Avernus, associated with the entrance to the Underworld.

Hecate

A goddess associated with magic and the Underworld, invoked by the Sibyl during Aeneas' descent.

Mt. Etna

A volcano in Sicily, home to the Cyclopes, where Aeneas and his men encounter a survivor of Odysseus' crew.

Cyclopes

One-eyed giants, including Polyphemus, who live near Mt. Etna and are known for their brute strength and hostility toward mortals.

Aeetes

King of Colchis, owner of the Golden Fleece, son of Helios

Colchis

Kingdom bordering the Black Sea (east of the Black Sea), home of the Golden Fleece

Thessaly

Region in central Greece, homeland of Jason

Iolcus

Kingdom in Thessaly, Jason is heir to the kingdom of Iolcus

Aeson

Jason's father, formerly King of Iolcus, abdicated to his brother, Pelias

Pelias

Jason's uncle, King of Iolcus, sends Jason on a quest for the Golden Fleece

Lemnos

Island in the north Aegeaen Sea, early stop in the Argo's voyage, populated entirely by women when the Argonauts arrive. Years before, the men of Lemnos stole women from Thrace, brought them home, and rejected their own wives, until in revenge the women of the island killed all the men. At first they are too afraid the newcomers will learn of this history and try to keep them out of their city, but then they see an opportunity to repopulate Lemnos with men from the Argo. Heracles eventually talks the crew out of staying on Lemnos and getting married, reminding them that their ultimate goal is to get to the Golden Fleece

Thrace

Region between the Balkan Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Aegeaen Sea (west of the Black Sea)

Phineus

Sage in Thrace, advises Argonauts on the route ahead, warns them about the Symplegades

Symplegades

Two large rocks/islands in the Bosphorus Straight that grind together and crush ships passing between

Euxine Sea

Historical name for the Black Sea

Bosphorus Straight

Entrance to the Black Sea from the Sea of Marmara. Gets its name from where Io threw herself into the sea to escape from Juppiter. (Greek "bous" for cow)

Medea

Daughter of Aeetes, witch, marries Jason and uses her magic to help him get the Golden Fleece, to turn his old father Aeson young again, and to kill his uncle Pelias. When Jason tries to marry someone else, she kills her own children and the bride-to-be and peaces out on a chariot pulled by dragons

Hecate

Patron goddess of witchcraft, witnesses Jason's promise of marriage to Medea

Colchis Fire-breathing oxen

Two fire-breathing bulls Jason must harness and control for long enough to plow a field for King Aeetes' challenge, also called the Khalkotauroi (Colchis-tauri)

Colchian Dragon

Dragon that guards the Golden Fleece for King Aeetes, Medea uses magic to put the dragon to sleep so Jason can take the fleece

Hera

Goddess who supports Jason, who once saved her from the flooding River Anaurus (without knowing it was her), and is against Pelias, who neglected to sacrifice to her

River Anaurus

River near Iolcus where Jason saves the goddess Hera (disguised as an old woman) from a flood. While rescuing Hera/the old woman, Jason loses a sandal in the water, which fulfills a prophesy his uncle Pelias has been told about the threat of a man who wears only one sandal. This freaks Pelias out and he decides to send Jason away on an impossible quest: to get the Golden Fleece

Mount Pelion

Home of Chiron, source of the River Anaurus

Chiron

Centaur who tutored Jason, lives in a cave at the foot of Mount Pelion. Chiron was a teacher, healer and wise counselor who also tutored Achilles and Hercules (Heracles).

Sea of Marmara

Water route between the Aegeaen Sea and the Black Sea, historically known as the Propontis

Propontis

Historical name for the Sea of Marmara

Doliones

Kingdom on the coast of the Propontis that initially welcomes the Argonauts. After the Argonauts leave, a storm in the night pushes them back to the shore and in the darkness the Doliones don't recognize them. They assume they're being invaded and fight the Argonauts, leaving many Doliones dead. When daylight comes and everyone realizes what happened, the Argonauts give the Dolionian king Cyzicus a proper burial

Cyzicus

King of the Doliones, killed in accidental battle with the Argonauts