GCSE Classical Civilisation Myth and religion: Journeying to the Underworld PRESCRIBED SOURCE vocab/key term revision

katabasis

a journey into the underworld

Styx

main river of the underworld

Hades

Greek name for the god of the underworld / name for the underworld

Persephone

Greek name for the goddess of the spring/queen of the underworld

Kerberos/Cerberus

guardian of the underworld after crossing the river

Tartarus

place of torture in the underworld

Elysian fields / Elysium

place for happy souls in the underworld

Orpheus

famous singer and player of the lyre, married briefly to Eurydice

Eurydice

the virginal wife of Orpheus who dies too young

Charon

the ferryman of the Styx

Hecate

Chthonic goddess of witchcraft, aids Demeter in her search for Persephone

Eleusinian mysteries

set up by Demeter at Eleusis while she looks for her daughter, mystery cult dedicated to her and Persephone

pomegranate seeds

the food hades tricks Persephone into eating so that she must stay in the Underworld

Plutoun

alternate Greek name for Hades, after marrying Persephone: means 'overflowing'.

Pluto

Roman name for the god of the underworld, originating from Greek 'Plutoun'

Prosperpina

Roman name for the queen of the underworld, daughter of Persephone

Homeric hymns

33 poems dedicated to the gods, sharing a style with the epics of Homer.

Eleusis

Town near Athens, where Demeter took refuge after leaving Olympus. Home of the Eleusinian mysteries.

Hyperion

Titan, father of Helios, god of the sun.

Helios

god of the sun, "watchman of gods and men", has a chariot with which he pulls the sun, gives Demeter information about her daughter's abduction

Maenad

female worshipper of Dionysus, characterised by wild behaviour

Oceanids

daughters of Ocean, sea-nymphs

Hymen

God of marriage ceremonies, inspiring feasts and song. Son of a Muse. Does a bad job of Orpheus and Eurydice's marriage ceremony.

Ciconian coast

coast of Thrace; Cicones mentioned in the Odyssey. Orpheus is Ciconian.

Taenarus

city in the Pelopponese

Rhodope

mountain range in Thrace

Cerberus

three-headed dog of the underworld, either child of Medusa, or Typhon and Echidna

Tityus

Titan, tried to rape Leto / Latona, killed by Artemis/Diana and Apollo, punished in Tartarus in same way a Prometheus

Tantalus

stole from Zeus, sacrificed his child Pelops and served him to the gods unknowing. Punished in Tartarus by not being able to eat or drink.

Belides

daughters of Danaus (grandfather = Belus), married by him to 50 sons of his brother Aegyptus, whom he told them to kill on their wedding night. Punished in Tartarus by carrying water in leaky jugs.

Ixion

Lapith king, broke Xenia by murdering kinsman, Zeus took him in but he tried to rape Hera. Punished in Tartarus on a fiery wheel.

Avernus

another name for entrance to the underworld

Sisyphus

greedy king in Corinth, murdered travellers so broke Xenia, and then cheated death. Punished in tartarus by eternally having to roll a rock up a hill.