Greek and Roman Mythology Final

Hieron of Syracuse

The main subject of the ode Pindar’s Olympian 1; tyrant (king) of Syracuse, victorious in the horse race at Olympia

The Muses

Goddesses of poetry, music and inspiration; invoked by Pindar to help sing the victory

Pelops

Hero of Greek mythology; favored by Posidon, wins a dangerous chariot race to marry Hippodamia; mythically linked to the founding of the Olympic games

Tantalus

Pelops’ father; famous for his eternal punishment in the underworld; in some versions of myth, he kills Pelops, but Pindar rejects that vision

Poseidon

God of the sea; loves Pelops and helps him by giving him a divine chariot and horses

Oenomaus

King who challenges suitors to race him for his daughter’s hand and kills them if they lose; pelops races against him

Hippodamia

Daughter of Oenmaus; prize of the chariot race; Pelops marries her after winning

Zeus

King of the Gods; associated with Olympia and protector of Pelops; honored during the olympic games.

Ganymedes

A beautiful mortal youth, a Trojan prince, said to be the most beautiful of all mortals. Zeus fell in love with him and brought him to Olympia. In this story Pindar mentions Gaymedes to show that the Gods favor beautiful and noble mortals.

Panhellenic Games

• Olympian Games: honored Zeus

• Pythian (Delphi) games): Honored Apollo

• Nemean games: Honored Zeus and originally Hercules

• Isthmian (Corinth) games: Honored Poseidon

Sophocles

The ancient Greek playwright who wore Oedipus Rex around 429 BCE. His plays often explore fate, human pride, and divine justice.

Laios

The former king of Thebes and father of Oedipus. He was cursed and secretly killed by Oedipus as a crossroads, unknowingly fulfilling a prophecy

Labadakids

The royal family descended from Badadakos, marked by a terrible curse affecting multiple generations, including Laios, Oedipus, and Antigone

Oedipus

The main character of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and tragic king of Thebes. Determined to save his city from plague, he unknowingly uncovers his own guilt as the killer Laios and husband of his mother, Jocasta.

Tieresias

A blind but all-seeing prophet of Apollo. He tries to warn Oedipus about his true identity but faces Oedipus’s anger and disbelief.

Creon in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex

Jocasta’s brother and Oedipus’s brother-in-law. He acts as a voice of reason but is wrongly accused by Oedipus of treason. Later, Creon takes rule over Thebes

Antigone

Daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Though a small role here, she becomes important as a symbol of loyalty and tragedy.

Chorus of Theban Elders

A group of wise but cautious men who comment on the action, advise Oedipus, and react to the unfolding tragedy, reflecting the fears of the city.

Jocasta

Queen of Thebes, wife and mother of Oedipus. She tried to soothe Oedipus’s fears about prophecy but ultimately realizes the truth before dying by suicide.

Peloponnesian war

The destructive war between Athens and Sparta happening during Sophocles’ life. The despair and instability of the time influenced the tragic tone of Oedipus Rex.

Historical Plauge

A devastating plague struck Athens during the early Peloponnesian War, and Sophocles reflects this reality in the fictional plague afflicting Thebes in the play

Lévi-Strauss

A 20th century anthropologist who interpreted myths like Oedipus Rex as ways societies deal with basic human contradictions like fate vs. free will

Pericles

A powerful Athenian leader during Sophocles’ time. His fall during the plague and war mirried themes of pride, downfall, and civil suffering seen in Oedipus’s story.

Sphinx

A monster who terrorized Thebes by posing an unsolvable riddle. Oedipus answered it correctly, defeated the Sphinx, and was rewarded with kingship and marriage to Jocasta - unknowingly sealing his tragic fate.

Miasma

A form of religious pollution caused by grave sins like murder or incest. In Oedipus Rex, Thebes is contaminated by the miasma cause by Oedipus’s crimes

Thebes

The city where the play, Oedipus Rex, takes place. Suffering from a diving plague due to hidden sin. It represents a community desperately needing purification

Cadmus

Founder and first king of Thebes. He sowed dragon’s teeth into the earth, from which the sown Men (Spartoi) sprang, symbolizing the warrior roots of the city.

Europa

Sister of Cadmus, famously abducted by Zeus disguised as a bull. Her story connects Thebes to a wider mythological world of divine interaction and heroism.

The Sown Men (Spartoi)

Fierce warriors who grew from the dragon’s teeth Cadmus planted. They became the ancestors of Theban nobility, establishing Thebes’ mystical bloodline

Thebes

The central city where Antigone takes place. It is a place shaped by myth, war, and curses, and represents both cultural pride and deep tragedy.

Antigone

Daughter of Oedipus and Joacasta, heroine of the play. She defies Creon’s law to bury her brother Polyneices, believing divine law is higher than human law.

Creon (In Antigone by Sophocles)

King of Thebes after Eteocles’ death. He issued the order forbidding Polyneices’ burial and became a tragic figure because of his rigid authority and pride.

Teiresias (In Antigone)

The blind prophet who warns Creon that the gods are angered by his refusal to bury Polyneices. He serves as a voice of divine wisdom and prophecy.

Ismene

Antigone’s more cautious sister. She initially refuses to help bury Polyneices but later tries to share Antogone’s punishment out of sisterly loyalty.

Polyneices

Son of Oedipus and Jocasta, and Antigone’s brother. After being exiled, he wages war against Thebes and is labeled a traitor by Creon.

Eteocles

brother of Antigone and Polyneices. He defends Thebes but also refuses to share power with Polyneices, leading to their fatal clash.

Haimon

Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiance. He tries to reason with his father but ultimately kills himself after finding Antigone dead.

Eurydice

Creon’s wife and mother of Haimon. She dies by suicide after learning about Haimon’s death, cursing Creon for his stubbornness

Herodotus

Ancient Greek historian who wrote about many Greek customs and myths. His ideas about law, culture, and divine justice connect to the broader concerns in Antigone about fate and tradition.

Theban autochthony

The idea that Thebans are “born from the earth” itself (through the Spartoi), creating strong pride in their city’s ancient, sacred origins

Seven Against Thebes

A mystic war where seven champions (including Polyneices) attacked the seven gates of Thebes. Polyneices and Eteocles, Antigone’s brothers, killed each other during this conflict

Philos (plural philoi)

Greek term meaning “friend” or “loved one”. In Antigone, it reflects loyalty to family and close ties, often weighed against duty to the state.

Oikos

The household or family unit. Antigone’s loyalty to the oikos (her family) drives her to bury Polyneices despite political consequences.

Polis

The city-state and its government. Creon prioritizes the polis over private family loyalty, believing civic law must come before personal ties.

Metic

A resident foreigner in a Greek city-state who lacks full citizen rights. Antigone’s feeling of isolation can resemble the status of a metic, especially after defying Creon’s law.

Unwritten Laws

The divine, eternal laws that Antigone claims she must obey over Creon’s human laws; they are laws of morality, family loyalty, and religious duty.

Jason

greek hero and husband of Medea. he led the Argonauts to capture the Golden Fleece but later betrays Medea by marrying the daughter of Creon, king of Corinth

Argonauts

A band of Greek heros who sailed with Jason on the ship Argo to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Medea helped them succeed by using her magic

Pelias

King of Iolkos who sends Jason to retrieve the Golden Fleece. After Jason returns, Medea tricks Pelia's daughters into killing him by using her magic.

Creon (In Medea)

King of Corinth in Medea. He fears Medea’s power and exiles her to protect his daughter, who is engaged to Jason

Corinth

The city where the action of Medea takes place. Corinth represents power, civilization, and betrayal for Medea, who is now an outsider

Chorus of Corinthian Women

The chorus in Medea, representing average Corinthian citizens. They sympathize with Medea but urge moderation and warn against extreme revenge

Aegeus

King of Athens. He encounters Medea and promises her refuge after she is exiled, giving her a future escape plan after her revenge.

Helios

The sun god and grandfather of Medea. He lends her a magical chariot pulled by dragons, allowing her to escape after committing her revenge

Colchis

Medea’s homeland, located at the edge of the known world (modern-day Georgia). A mystical land associated with magic, sorcery, and the Golden Fleece.

Argo

The ship built by Argus for Jason and his crew, the Argonauts. It symbolizes heroic adventure and teamwork in Greek mythology.

Golden Fleece

A magical golden ram’s skin, guarded by dragons in Colchis. Jason’s quest to retrieve it is where he first meets and is helped by Medea.

Iolkos

Jason's birthplace and original home. After Pelias’s death, Jason and Medea are exiled from Iolkos and eventually settle in Corinth

“help friends and harm enemies”

A key Greek ethical idea that Euripides explores critically in Medea. Medea lives by this code but takes it to brutal extremes

Oaths

Sacred promises often sworn before the gods. Jason wore oaths of loyalty to Medea, and his betrayal is made worse because it breaks sacred bonds.

Deux ex machina

Literally “god from the machine”; a plot device where a divine figure or event resolves a seemingly impossible situation. Medea’s escape on Helios’s chariot at the end of the play is a classic example of this

Agave

Mother of Pentheus and daughter of Cadmus. In a frenzied state, she unknowingly kills her own son during the Bacchic rites, thinking he is a lion.

Semele

Mortal mother of Dionysus and daughter of Cadmus. She died when Zeus revealed his true form to her; Dionysus is born from Zeus afterword

Cadmus (In Euripides Bacchae)

Founder and first king of Thebes, and grandfather to both Dionysus and Pentheus. In the play, he is an old man who tries to honor Dionysus and warns against Pentheus’s defiance.

Pentheus

King of Thebes and grandson of Cadmus. he refuses to honor Dionysus, mocks Bacchic rituals, and is ultimately torn apart by his own mother and the maenads.

Dionysus

God of wine, ecstasy, and theater. In The Bacchae, he appears disguised as a mortal to punish Thebes (especially Pentheus) for refusing to worship him.

Bromius

Another name for Dionysus, emphasizing his roaring, wild nature. He is often called this during choral songs.

Echion

One of the original “Sown Men” (Spartoi) and father of Pentheus. Although not a major figure in the play’s action, he connects Pentheus to Thebes’ mystic warrior past.

Thiasos

A religious group or band of Dionysian worshippers who engage in rituals, music, dance, and ecstatic celebration of the god.

Theban maenads

Women of Thebes, including Agave, who are driven mad by Dionysus and roam the mountains practicing ecstatic, frenzied rituals.

Metathinker

A theatrical techique where a play calls attention to itself as a play. The Bacchae is full of metatheater, as Dionysus acts like both a character and a playwrite controlling the action

Sparagmos

A ritual tearing apart of a living being, usually an animal - or in Pentheus’s case, a human - by the maenads in their frenzied state

Thyrsos (plural thyrsoi)

A staff wrapped in ivy and vines, topped with a pinecone, carried by followers of Dionysus during their rituals as a symbols of fertility and ecstasy

“Playing the other”

A concpt in Greek tragedy where a character, often a woman, foreigner, or god, stands outside societal norms and exposes the flaws of the dominant culture. It allows the playwright to explore identity, power, and the consequences of exclusion or repression.

Heracles

A demi-god hero known for his incredible strength and the Twelve Labors he performed as penance for killing his family in a Hera-induced madness. He represents both heroic virtue and tragic suffering, often blurring the line between human and divine.

Theseus

Athenian hero and king who slew the Minotaur in Crete and unified Attica under Athens. He symbolizes order, rationality, and the ideals of Athenian democracy.

Athenian autochthony

The belief that Athenians were born directly from the soil of their land, not descended from immigrants. This myth supported ideas of purity, patriotism, and entitlement to rule.

Erechtheus

A mythical king of Athens associated with the earth and sacrifice, often blended with the figure of Erichthonius. His story reinforces Athenian claims to divine ancestry and deep ties to the land.

Erichthonius

A mythical king of Athens born from the earth after Hephaestus attempted to assault Athena and his semen landed on the ground. He was raised by Athena and symbolizes the city's divine and autochthonous origins.

Hephaestus

The god of fire, metalwork, and craftsmanship, often depicted as lame or disabled. His attempted assault on Athena is part of the myth explaining the birth of Erichthonius.

Athena

Goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts, and patron deity of Athens. She represents rationality, virginity, and civic order, often in contrast to more emotional or chaotic forces.

Attica

The historical region of Greece that included the city of Athens and surrounding villages. Theseus is said to have politically united Attica, establishing Athenian dominance.

Minotaur

A half-man, half-bull monster born from Pasiphae and kept in a labyrinth by King Minos. Theseus slays the Minotaur, symbolizing the triumph of civilization over barbarism.

Minos

Legendary king of Crete who demanded Athenian tribute to feed the Minotaur. He represents foreign despotism in contrast to Athenian values of freedom and justice.

Ariadne

Daughter of Minos who helps Theseus escape the labyrinth by giving him a thread. She is later abandoned by Theseus and associated with the god Dionysus in myth.

Pasiphae

Wife of Minos and mother of the Minotaur, cursed by the gods to fall in love with a bull. Her story illustrates the destructive power of divine revenge and unnatural desire.

Euripides

One of the three great Athenian tragedians, known for his psychologically complex characters and skeptical, often controversial, portrayals of the gods. His plays, like Medea and The Bacchae, challenge traditional values and explore human emotion.

Aeschylus

The earliest of the three major tragedians, known for grand, religiously infused themes and innovations like adding a second actor. His Oresteia trilogy explores justice, fate, and the evolution of law.