UGA CLASS1020 Test 2 flashcards

katabasis

A journey to the underworld; "A going down"

apotheosis

deification

Apollodorus

library

Perseus

(Greek mythology) the son of Zeus who slew Medusa (with the help of Athena and Hermes) and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster

Acrisius

King or Argos; Father of Danae, who is the mother of Perseus. Danae gives birth to a son that will kill Acrisius. We see a variation of the theme that the father feels threatened by son (this time grandson). Tried to lock Danae away, didn't work. (tried to deflect prophecy that he would be killed by grandson by shutting daughter Danae in bronze chamber; Zeus came as shower of gold, ravished her, and fathered Perseus; he will eventually be killed by Perseus - unwittingly)

Danaë

Mother of Perseus

Polydectes

Arrogant king of Seriphos who desires the head of Medusa; evil king who wants to marry Danae;

kibisis

the bag that Perseus used to hold the head of the Gorgon, Medusa, after he had killed her.

3 Graiai

one eye and one tooth;

3 Gorgons

Stheno, Euryale, Medusa

Medusa

a gorgon whose gaze could turn anyone to stone; killed by Perseus

Pegasus

winged horse that sprung from Medusa

Andromeda

Daughter of Cepheus (dad) and Cassiepea, (mom) King and Queen of Libya. Mom commited hubris by saying she was prettier than the sea nymphs and Poseidon got mad and send a flood and sea monster to their town. Consulted the oracle of Zeus Ammon and it said to chain Androemda to a rock and sacrifice her to the monster to end turmoil. Is saved by Perseus, who saves her and kills the monster.

Cassiepeia

Mother of Andromeda

Phineus

King of Salmydessus and prophet; offended Zeus by being too generous with his prophecies; his torment by the Harpies was ended by Jason and his crew.

Crab

a giant crab which came to the aid of the Hydra in its battle with Hercules at Lerna. The hero crushed it beneath his foot but as a reward for its service the goddess Hera placed it amongst the stars as the constellation Cancer.

Atlas

Atlantis, Atlas Mountains

Hesperides

"Daughters of evening"; tended a garden in the western world; the tree of golden apples

Bellerophon

(Greek mythology) a mythical hero of Corinth who performed miracles on the winged horse Pegasus (especially killing the monster Chimera)

Chimera

a fire-breathing female monster resembling a lion in the forepart, a goat in the middle, and a dragon behind. She devastated Caria and Lycia until she was slain by Bellerophon

Hercules

Son of Zeus; Alcides

Hera

Zeus decided to let the infant Heracles suckle on his divine wife Hera's milk when she was asleep, an act which would endow the baby with godlike qualities. When Hera woke and realized that she was breastfeeding an unknown infant, she pushed him away and the spurting milk became the Milky Way.

Alcmena

Mother of Hercules

Amphitryon

Step-father of Hercules; Zeus slows down the night and disguises himself as this man in order to mate with Alcmena.

Iphicles

Hercules's twin brother. Iphicles took part in a number of heroic exploits but generally remained in the shadow of his illustrious twin.

EILEITHYIA (Ilithyia)

goddess of childbirth

snakes in cradle

When Hercules was still a baby, Hera sent two huge snakes to attack him and his half-brother in their cradle. But the hero seized them by their necks and choked them to death

Linus

music teacher that Hercules killed with lyre

Megara

Hercules's first wife, killed along with his 3 sons when Hera drives Hercules mad

Eurystheus

The king who Heracles' did the 12 labors for in order to repent for the killing of Megara and his kids; King of Mycenae

Iolaus

Hercules' nephew and helper; he helps Hercules burn the stumps on the Hydra's neck.

1. Lion of Nemea

One of the 12 tasks: killed a lion, skinned it with its own claws, made a lion skin cloak; 1st of the 12 tasks

2. Hydra of Lerna

-Serpent with nine heads

-Every time one of its heads are cut off another one grows.

-2nd task

3. Cerynean Hind

A hind with golden horns, sacred to Artemis, lived on Mt. CERYNEA [se-ri-nee'a] or KERYNEIA. After pursuing the beast for a year, Heracles caught it, carried it back alive to Eurystheus, and then released it. Pindar says that Heracles went to the land of the Hyperboreans to find the animal; the 3rd of the 12 tasks

4. Erymanthian Boar

Fourth labor

Giant boar that was ravaging the countryside. Hercules chased the boar up a mountain where it lived and caught it with a huge net.

5. Stable of Augeas

One of the 12 tasks: had to clean out stables for 30,000 cattle in one day

Lapiths and Centaurs

In the Centauromachy, the Lapiths battle with the Centaurs at the wedding feast of Pirithous. The Centaurs had been invited, but, unused to wine, their wild nature came to the fore. When the bride was presented to greet the guests, the centaur Eurytion leapt up and attempted to abduct her. All the other centaurs were up in a moment, straddling women and boys. In the battle that ensued, Theseus came to the Lapiths' aid. They cut off Eurytion's ears and nose and threw him out. In the battle the Lapith Caeneus was killed, and the defeated Centaurs were expelled from Thessaly to the northwest.

Chiron

The wisest of the centaurs; mentored the Greek heroes Hercules, Peleus, Achilles, Theseus and Perseus

Prometheus

saved from his eternal punishment by Hercules, who killed the eagle

Peneus & Alpheus Rivers

Hercules rerouts the rivers Alpheus and Peneus, to clean out the Augean stables

Arethusa (on sicily)

-became a cloud to hide from the River god Alpheus

-then became a stream

Olympic Games

in ancient Greece, an athletic competition held every four years in honor of Zeus

6. Stymphalian Birds

These pets of Ares with brass claws and sharp metallic feathers they were able to launch at their victims, were eradicated by Hercules in his sixth labor.

7. Cretan Bull

Seventh labor. White creature who terrorized the countryside, gift to Minos from Neptune. Hercules brought it back on his shoulders to Eurythesus.

8. Mares of Diomedes

8th labor, Diomedes son of Ares had a herd of flesh eating horses who Hercules tamed by feeding them Diomedes

9. Girdle of Hippolyta

Sexual labor, to take off girdle was sexual act. Hippolyta: amazon queen. Hera got angry when Heracles charmed the girdle from her, then Heracles strangles Hippolyta and takes her girdle.

Amazons

"without breast"

Laomedon of Troy

-King of Troy

-land was taken by Hercules

Hesione

Laomedon's daughter; exposed to the sea monster sent by Poseidon because Laomedon cheated him of his reward for building Troy's walls with Apollo; saved by Heracles and given as a wife to Telamon

10. Cattle of Geryon

-Hercules had to retrieve the cattle of the three-headed monster Geryon

-Heracles, having smeared the blood of the Lernaean Hydra on the tips of his arrows, shot an arrow against the giant and killed him by piercing through his skull. Thus died Geryon.

Eurytion & Orthos

Orthos

-the hound with two heads born of Ekhidna and Typhon

-herd dog of Geryon

-killled by Hercules

Eurytion

-is the son of Ares and Erytheia. He is an immortal Demigod and guards the cattle of Geryon.

Helios

sun god

golden cup

Hercules, tired by the sun on his way way retrieve the cattle of Geryon, shot an arrow at the sun. The Sun god Helios, admired Hercules's bravery and gave him a golden cup to ride in for the rest of his journey

Pillars of Hercules

Strait of Gibraltar; mountain peak on the Africa side and the Rock of Gibraltar on the Europe side

Evander

King of Pallanteum "good man"

Cacus

"evil"

11. Hesperides Apples

-Hera's apples

-guarded by the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas

-after a long Journey, Hercules had to trick Atlas into getting them by taking the weight of the world

-Hercules tricked Atlas into taking back the world by saying he needed to put padding on his shoulders

-he then ran off

-the king could not keep the apples, so Athena took them

Ladon

(the serpent) dragon with 100 heads that protected Hera's apple tree

Anteus

-Antaeus was the son of the gods Poseidon and Gaea, one of the Gigantes, in Greek mythology. He drew strength from his mother, earth, and was invincible while he was in contact with her

-Hercules realized that Antaeus tapped his power from earth, so he locked him in a bearhug in such a way as to be unable to touch the ground, and then crushed him.

Busiris

- King in Egypt

- Tried to sacrifice Heracles

- Ended up being sacrificed himself

Cerberus

-Eurystheus ordered Hercules to go to the Underworld and kidnap the beast called Cerberus

-The lord of the Underworld replied that Hercules could indeed take Cerberus with him, but only if he overpowered the beast with nothing more than his own brute strength

Demeter at Eleusis

-Demeter went to Eleusis to to find her daughter-promised to make the queen's son immortal, couldn't do it

-Eleusis gave Hercules this knowledge

Theseus and Pirithous

-dared to invade the underworld to attempt to abduct Persephone, both men were bound to magical chairs.

-Theseus was later rescued by Hercules.

-tortured by the Furies

parerga

"side works"

Iphitus

Son of Eurytus, killed by a mad Heracles

tripod of Apollo

Heracles went to the oracle of Delphi in order to ask what to do in order to be expiated from the murder of Iphitos. The oracle did not want to give him an omen. The enraged hero then grabbed the tripod on which the Pythia sat in order to pronounce her oracles. Apollo tried to prevent him and this resulted in a fight between the god and the hero. Finally, Zeus had to intervene in order to end this quarrel.

Omphale

Queen of Lydia; Hercules was given to her by the Oracle of Delphi as a sex slave as punishment for killing Iphitus

Cercopes

-pair of mischievous forest creatures who stole Hercules' weapons while he was Omphale's slave

-Hercules found them and punished them by tying them up and throwing them over his shoulder

-after seeing his "black bottom" they began to laugh

Deianira

-Heracles' second wife

-A centaur named Nessus attempted to kidnap Deianira, but she was rescued by Heracles

- As he lay dying, Nessus persuaded Deianira to take his blood, telling her that a potion of it mixed with olive oil would ensure that Heracles would never again be unfaithful.

-When Deianira thus feared that her husband would leave her forever, she smeared some of the blood on Heracles' famous lionskin shirt. The centaur's toxic blood burned Heracles terribly, and eventually, he threw himself into a funeral pyre

Achelous

river god who wrestled Hercules for Dieanira's hand in marriage

cornucopia

"horn of plenty"

Nessus

Kills Heracles by giving Heracles' wife some of his own centaur blood that's poisonous