Classical Mythology Test 3

Argonautica

Apollonius’ 4 books detailing the journey of the Argonauts looking for the Golden Fleece.

Phrixus and Helle

Siblings, children of Athamas and Nephele. Their stepmother Ino was wicked, they escaped from her on a golden ram sent from Hermes (a child of Poseidon). Helle fell off the ram into the water and drowned. The ram told Phrixus to keep going. Phrixus landed in Colchis, gave the ram to King Aeetes, who sacrificed it and hung the fleece on a tree in a grove dedicated to Ares. The ram is commemorated in the constellation ARIES.

Hellespont

“Sea of Helle”. The strip of water between Europe and Asia. Where Helle fell in and drowned.

Jason

Son of Aeson and Alcimede. Rightful heir to the throne his uncle Pelias usurped. Lost his shoe while traveling (maybe while helping an old woman (Hera) cross a river, depends on the story) which made Pelias send him on the quest (Pelias had heard an oracle about a guy with only one sandal). Becomes an anti-hero as the story goes on. Becomes progressively more corrupt.

Chiron

Maybe raised Jason. Currently raising Achilles. Frequently depicted with human forelegs. Mature, wise, not like other centaurs. Also he’s not related to the other centaurs, different genealogy.

Argo

“Swift”. The ship the Argonauts sailed on (where they get their name). Built by Argus (where it gets its name). Has a piece of wood from the Grove of Dodona (grove sacred to Zeus, oracles given by the branches rustling) in it WHICH LETS THE SHIP SPEAK OUT LOUD.

Fifty Argonauts

Also called Minyae because they all descend from Minyas. Some prominent names, some fathers of Trojan War heroes. Decided the help Jason with his quest.

Orpheus

Calliope’s son. One of the argonauts. Plays music magically well.

Admetus

Terrible husband. One of the argonauts.

Mopsus

One of the argonauts. An augur.

Peleus

One of the argonauts. Father of Achilles.

Hercules

One of the argonauts, but only for book 1. His oar gets broken because he was rowing too hard. He looks for a new one and uproots a tree barehanded after knocking it with his club a few times. When he heard Hylas was missing he went looking for him, got left behind on accident and the argonauts were told by Glaucus to just leave him because he needed to finish his trials. He had joined the argonauts during/after the Erymanthian boar.

Hylas

Hercules’ squire/lover. Went to get water while Hercules was getting a new oar. Went to a river with a bunch of nymphs. One of them kidnapped him, he was never rescued.

Idmon

One of the argonauts. An augur who foresaw his death if he joined the crew but he didn’t want to be spoken badly of so he joined knowing he would die. He told the argonauts this. Killed by boar before reaching Colchis.

Castor and Polydeuces

Argonauts, twin sons of Zeus and Leda. Brothers of Helen and Clytemnestra. They were born in an egg, their sisters were born in a different egg. Castor rides a horse. Polydeuces (also called Pollux by Romans) was a boxer. Also part of Calydonian boar hunt. Got into a fight with two other twins LOOK THEM UP, and Castor died. Polydeuces asked Zeus to let him go with Castor into the underworld. They spend revolving days on Earth and in the underworld. Always together.

Dioscuri

A name for Cator and Polydeuces. They are the Dioscuri twins. It just means sons of Zeus.

Leda and Zeus

Zeus raped her as a swan. She had four kids from that. Castor and Polydeuces were born in one egg. Helen and Clytemnestra were born in the other.

Augeias

Argonaut, son of Helios, owned stable that Hercules cleaned.

Meleager

Calydonian boar hunt, fire log. Argonaut.

Zetes and Calaïs

Sons of Boreas (North Wind), called the Boreads. They have wings on their ankles. Argonauts. Hercules killed both of them for stopping Telamon from forcing Tiphys to turn around and go look for him.

Argus

Argonaut that built the Argo (named after him). He was assisted by Athena.

Hypsipyle

Queen of Lemnos, after usurping her father. Had sex with Jason, offered him her throne if he stayed, but understood that he was going to leave. Spared her father’s life by setting him off the island in a chest, hoping he would survive.

Lemnos

Island the argonuats dock at. The women killed all the men for bringing back captives and making them concubines. They women killed the concubines as well. At first they didn’t want to let the argonauts on the island because they would question where the men were and would figure out what they had done. But the Hypsipyle’s nurse was like “we need to repopulate, we’re going to die out”, so instead they seduced the argonauts and told them they could stay (they did not). They lied and said they locked the men out for their cheating and then the men willingly chose to go to Thrace. The argonauts had sex with the women. Except Hercules who scolded them and was like we need to get back on task.

Cyzicus

King of the Doliones. The Doliones lived on an island with a bunch of six-armed giants (children of Gaia, but there’s a line about Hera having them to fuck with Hercules). They gave the argonauts food and the argonauts dealt with the giants, after the giants attacked the argonauts. The argonauts tried to sail away but in the night they were blown back. The Doliones thought they were being attacked so they attacked the argonauts (VIOLATION OF XENIA). The argonauts fought back and Jason wound up killing Cyzicus (VIOLATION OF XENIA, ALSO ONE OF THE FIRST BAD THINGS JASON DOES, DESCENT INTO CORRUPTION).

Why is the halcyon important?

After fighting with the Doliones, it stormed for 12 days (punishment for the argonauts, implied). Mopsus saw a halcyon flying around Jason’s head which let him know what they had to do to stop the rain.

What is a halcyon?

A mythical bird that nested on the sea. It could magically calm the weather and the seas when it nested so that its nest could float peacefully.

Rhea

They built an offer and sacrificed things to Rhea in order to stop the storms after seeing the Halcyon. They climbed a mountain, carved her image into a tree, built an altar, and made sacrifices.

Magna Mater

Other name for Rhea, pretty sure this is what the Romans called her. DOUBLE CHECK

Amycus

Forced everyone he came across to box him; he wound up boxing them to death. Polydeuces volunteered on behalf of the argonauts. Beat and killed him, then his friends (Bebryces) fought the argonauts.

Phineas

Got foresight from Apollo, Told people Zeus’ business, got blinded and got harpies sent to steal his food forever. Any food they leave smells terrible but he eats it not to starve. Prophecy that says two sons of Boreas will help him. Boreads drive off the harpy. Tells the Argonauts about their journey. Told them Aphrodite would be helpful.

Harpies

“Snatchers”, steal Phineas’ food. Boreads tried to kill them but Iris (their sister) protected them. Smell fucking awful. Half bird. Three of them probably but number is kind of disputed. Left and went to Crete.

Iris

Rainbow. Saves the harpies (her sisters) from the Boreads. Swears they’ll never hurt Phineas again.

Cyanean Rocks

Symplegades. Crashing Rocks CHECK. Phineas tells them to send a dove through, if it makes it follow it immediately. Athena pushed the Argo through, the rocks were stuck together now that people had passed through them.

Tiphys

Helmsman. Died of an illness. replaced by son of Poseidon (Ancaeus). Jason basically gave up after he died and then the guy was like “don’t lose heart, I’ll do be the helmsman”. Another instance of Jason letting others lead.

Amazons

Don’t think they actually stop here, they just come near it and meet Lycus who tells them about Hercules getting Hippolyte’s belt. Zeus kept them from docking there because it would have been a bloody fight.

Chalybes, etc

Places the Argonauts pass that serve to show how far they are from Greece, how different everything is. Chalybes = no agriculture, just mining. Tibareni = men act like they are the ones giving birth. Mossynoeci = what Greeks do in private, they do in public and vice versa.

Ares’ birds

Their feathers are like arrows, they dropped them on the Argonauts. Argonauts locked their shields (the turtle thing LOOK UP WHAT ITS CALLED). Then banged on them to make sound. They copied Hercules. This is where they met the sons of Phrixus (near the island of Ares).

Argus

Aeetes’ grandson, son of Phrixus, he and his brothers are found stranded (their ship had been torn apart in a storm) while on a quest to reclaim Phrixus’ land. Their father asked them to do this on his deathbed.

Prometheus

They pass by him and see the eagle. Medea gets a flower (herb) grown from his ichor, when she cut it it hurt him. She uses this to make the magic potion to give to Jason to make him invulnerable to fire and swords, really strong, and full of confidence.

King Aeetes

Son of Helios, father of Medea, tyrant king of Colchis (capital is Aea). Furious the Argonauts came for the golden fleece, think they are lying about their genealogy, mad at his grandsons for helping them. Plots to get all the argonauts killed (burn Argo with them inside after Jason failed the task). Has a pair of bronze-footed, fire-breathing bulls from Hephaestus.

Apsytrus

Medea’s older brother, nicknamed Phaëon. He was sent after Medea, she and Jason killed him (treaty of temp. peace kings would decide who Medea went with) (tricked him into thinking Medea was going to go back with him, then killed him in a temple to Artemis)

Chalciope

Daughter of Aeetes, basically raised Medea, mother to Argus, wife of Phrixus. Pleads with Medea to help save her children (they’re all pretty sure Aeetes is going to kill them/get them killed).

Medea

Witch, devotee of Hecate, daughter of Aeetes, has a flying chariot (granddaughter of Helios), falls in love with Jason (Hera wanted them to get married so that Medea would kill Pelias). Helps him, leaves home for him, is abandoned by him. Parallels to Ariadne and Theseus.

Hecate

Associated with the moon, witchcraft. Jason sacrifices something to her while following Medea’s instructions for how to beat Aeetes’s challenge. Medea had told him not to look at her as he did this; he actually listened and never turned to look at her.

Circe

Zeus was mad at them for murdering Apsyrtus, wanted them to go get purified by Circe, but they didn’t know this, kept sailing. Eventually Hera blew them back to the Isle of Amber where the argo SPOKE OUT LOUD AND TOLD THEM WHAT THEY NEEDED TO DO. They went to see her, didn’t tell her what had happened but she had a pretty good guess (knew they killed someone), purified them (figured out they killed her brother), told them never to come back (mad at Medea for killing Apsyrtus, and running off with a foreigner without her parents’ permission)

Thetis

One of the Nereids. Pretty sure she’s married to Peleus, Achilles’ mom. Hera asked her and her sisters to help protect the Argonauts while passing through Scylla/Charybdis. Hera liked her because she didn’t sleep with Zeus. She appeared to Peleus, told him what to do, but not to tell anyone about her because she’d be even more pissed. When Achilles was a baby, she had put him in the fire and covered him in ambrosia to make him immortal, Peleus saw screamed, startled her, she picked Achilles up and threw him on the ground, then left. They had been separated till now.

Scylla

Has a belt with a bunch of (wolf?) heads on it that eat passersby. Live in a cliff. In the Strait of something. ANSWER

Charybdis

Basically just a giant mouth that swallows passersby. Close to Scylla. Same Strait.

Wandering Rocks

Okay maybe these are the equivalent to the Symplegades

Sirens

Half bird, sing passersby to death (they jump in the water and drown/die on the rocks/get eaten). Orpheus played music to drown out their music. One of the argonauts still jumped in but Aphrodite saved him and took him somewhere.

Phaecians

Island with Alcinous and Arete. Other group of Colchians met them there. Wanted Medea back.

Alcinous and Arete

King and Queen of a place the Argonauts stop after fleeing Aea. Medea begs Arete to help her, tells her she and Jason haven’t actually gotten married yet. Alcinous decides that the Argonauts get to keep the fleece, and that if Medea and Jason are married Medea goes with them, if not she needs to go back to Colchis. Arete tells Medea and Medea and Jason get married.

Hesperides/Ladon

Argonauts stop by, Heracles has just been there and has killed Ladon. Mopsus and Canthus died looking for him (Mopsus = snake, Canthus = killed by a guy whos livestock he tried to steal)

Mopsus

Pretty sure he’s an augur. Pretty sure he dies getting bitten by a snake looking for Heracles.

Triton

Triton appears (after they put down the other no-war-ever tripod) (kind of in disguise) gives a clump of dirt to Euphemus, tells them how to leave. They see him stepping into the sea, realize he’s a god, sacrifice something to him, he appears again (not in disguise) and helps them sail really fast. Euphemus had a dream, Jason deciphered it. Basically, throw the dirt in the water, an island will grow and one day his descendants will live there.

Talos

“Ankle”. Giant bronze invulnerable giant guarding Crete (runs around Crete 3 times a day), threw rocks at the Argo so they could not dock. Medea killed him using magic to make him see visions of death, he hit a rock into his ankle that had a weird exposed vein looking thing and he died.

Aeson

Jason’s dad, very old, currently dying. Jason asks Medea to transfer some of his years to Aeson, but she refuses, says Hecate wouldn’t allow it and even if she did, she wouldn’t do it. Medea gives him years back without taking from Jason. Complicated process involving slitting his throat, letting the “old blood” pour out and replacing it.

Pelias

Jason’s uncle, stole the trhone. His daughters want Medea to do the same thing she did for Aeson for him. Medea pretends she will but the cauldron just has water so his daughters stab him, Medea slits his thoat and he dies. Jason and Medea get exiled.

Creon of Corinth

After being exiled, Jason and Medea go to Corinth, where Creon is king. Jason marries his daughter (Glauce?). Creon tries to exile Medea because he’s fucking terrified of her, lets her stay an extra day. She kills his daughter, him, and her own two kids.

Aegeus of Athens

Old friend of Medea, currently struggling with childlessness (has received prophecy, about to go conceive Theseus). Medea’s like “I’m about to get exiled, let me stay with you and I’ll fix your childlessness”. He agrees as long as she can get there on her her own. They have at least one kid together later.

Cadmus

King of Thebes, son of Kind Agenor. Brother of Europa, founded Thebes (whole thing about following a cow and sacrificing it where it stopped and creating a settlement there). Killed a snake, got the teeth, eartborn warriors (Minerva told him to plant the teeth).

Europa

Sister of Cadmus, daughter of Agenor. Kidnapped by Zeus as a bull, mother of Minos.

Spartoi

“Sown-men”, earthborn warriors from Cadmus’ story, not Jason’s. One is Echion, who marries one of Cadmus’ daughters. They killed each other till 5 remained, these 5 helped found Thebes.

Autonē

Mother of Actaeon, daughter of Cadmus.

Actaeon

Accidentally saw Artemis bathing so she turned him into a stag (presented as partially human in art so you know that it’s of Actaeon) (other story says he boasted he was better at hunting than her? Its a one off line in one of the other things we read CHECK WHICH ONE). Killed by his own hunting dogs. Sparagmos (=dismemberment).

Semele

Mother of Dionysus. Hera tricked her, was like “what if its not actually Zeus? You should ask him to come to you as he comes to Hera”, Semele did ask this, Zeus couldn’t get out of it (Styx), she died, he took Dionysus from her womb and sewed him up inside his thigh (one of the stories (Bacchae? not sure LOOK UP) says that was a misunderstanding and he actually presented Hera with a fake child to calm her down for some reason LOOK THIS UP). In Bacchae, her house is still burning.

Dionysus

“god of Nysa”. Bacchae.

Bromius

“Thunder”. Alternate name for Dionysus (Romans specifically I think LOOK UP). References his conception/birth/death of his mother.

Bacchus

Another name for Dionysus. Used by both Romans and Greeks pretty sure CHECK.

Liber

“Free” another name for Dionysus. Refers to alcohol being freeing DOUBLE CHECK

Tiresias

Blind prophet. Lives for like 7 generations of Thebes. Zeus and Hera were debating who gets more pleasure from sex (Zeus said women, Hera said men), they asked Tiresias to settle it (Tiresias once separated two mating snakes and got turned into a woman for like seven years, separated another mating pair of snakes and got turned back into a man), he agreed with Zeus. Hera blinded him, Zeus gave him the ability to see the future.

Ino

Daughter of Cadmus. Wife of Athamas (she’s the terrible step-mother to Phrixus and Helle). Hera got mad at her (she was mad because Ino was proud of Dionysus, Hera did not like Dionysus), got Tisiphone to make Ino and Athamas go insane. Athamas killed one of their young kids thinking it was a lion cub and chased Ino and the other kid (Melicerta) off a cliff. Venus asked Poseidon to save them (she liked them, they were her people (don’t know what this means, that’s what Ovid said CHECK NOTES), so he turned them into sea gods. Ino’s name changed Leucothea and the kid’s name changed to Palaemon.

Athamas

Father of Helle and Phrixus, husband of Ino. Killed their young child, chased Ino and the other off a cliff.

Tisiphone

One of the Furies. Turned Ino and Athamas insane on Hera’s orders.

Agave

Daughter of Cadmus, mother of Pentheus. Agave and Echion had Pentheus. She killed Pentheus, though he was a lion cub (in Ovid she thinks he’s a boar), brandished his head on a stick, her head was cleared after looking at the sun. She was horrified.

Pentheus

Wouldn’t believe in Dionysus (fully thought he was completely lying about his identity, not a son of Zeus but also not Semele’s son I’m pretty sure). Mocked Dionysus (in disguise) like a million times. Was really bothered by how feminine he was. Dionysus got him brutally killed (sparagmos) by his mother and aunts (who he drove insane, turned into Maenads with the rest of the women of Thebes). Had been warned by Tiresias to stop being rude because he would die like Actaeon if he didn’t. He did not listen.

Acoetes

Sailor guy (captain, kind of got mutinied, its confusing) who didn’t get turned into a dolphin, became a devotee of Dionysus.

Satyrs

Part animal, very drunk, very horny, keep trying to rape women and keep failing. Subject of satyr plays (Greek comedies). Heavily associated with Dionysus. LOOK UP IF THERE’S MORE.

Maenads

Women who followed Dionysus. More masculine (hunting, violence, extreme strength, etc.). Lots of gender role reversals with Dionysus. Appear in Bacchae.

Bacchantes

Maenads

Bacchae

Maenads

Mt. Cithaeron

Mountain near/in Thebes. Where Actaeon and Pentheus died. Where the Maenads (women from Thebes + other women who already followed him) were during The Bacchae.

Thyrsus

Pretty sure its like a staff but maybe its an instrument??? LOOK UP. Symbol of worshippers of Dionysus, carried by Maenads.

Sparagmos

Dismemberment. Happens to Actaeon, Pentheus. The Maenads do this. Also happened to Orpheus (by Maenads).

Omophagia

Eating raw flesh. I’m pretty sure this also happened to Acteon and Pentheus DOUBLE CHECK. Another thing Maenads do.

Dionysia

Festival for Dionysus where plays are performed??? CHECK

Sophrosynê

“Moderation”. Ideal for ancient Greeks. “Nothing in excess”. Characters in tragedy frequently go too far to either side (apathy or passion) when they should remain in the middle. CHECK NOTES FOR CHART.

Laius

King of Thebes, husband of Jocasta, father of Oedipus. Got a prophecy that said his son would kill him, so he had Oedipus exposed and had his ankles pierced at birth. Oedipus killed him while leaving the Oracle at Delphi. Fulfilling the prophecy. He got cursed with this because he kidnapped the son of his host. CHECK

Jocasta

Mother/wife of Oedipus. Knew the prophecy, figured out the truth a little before Oedipus. Hung herself after finding out.

Oedipus

“Swollen foot” (CHECK SPECIFIC WORDS). Raised as prince of Corinth, became king of Thebes. You know the rest.

Sphinx

“Strangler”. Made passers-by answer her riddle, killed them if they couldn’t. Killed herself when Oedipus answered her riddle. Greek Sphinx: female + wings DOUBLE CHECK, Egyptian Sphinx: male + no wings. Creon had said whoever could get rid of the sphinx would marry Jocasta and become king of Thebes.

Creon

Regent of Thebes like 3 times. Brother of Jocasta. Had lost one son before Antigone, loses Haemon and his wife in Antigone. One of only two remaining survivors of the Thebes family. Eventually listens to Tiresias but for a while he’s stubborn about everyone telling him killing Antigone is a fucking terrible idea.

Ismene

Sister of Antigone, foil to Antigone. Did not help her bury Polynices. Offered to die with her, but Antigone would not let her. Other survivor.

Antigone

You know who she is.

Haemon

Son of Creon, engaged to Antigone. Tries to get his father not to kill Antigone, very respectful. Creon says no. He kills himself after discovering Antigone dead, but I also think he tried to stab Creon first and failed CHECK.

Eteocles and Polynices

Brothers of Antigone. He (E) had agreed with Polynices to rule together (one year for one than switch), but after his year, Eteocles didn’t give the throne to Polynices, so Polynices + his father-in-law + five other generals (LOOK UP FROM WHERE) attacked Thebes (War of the Seven, something like that, LOOK IT UP). Simultaneously killed each other. Eteocles was properly buried, Creon refused to let anyone bury Polynices.

Miasma

Plague or pollution sent by the gods as punishment for a crime. Miasma for Oedipus and Jocasta getting married and having children (incest) for example.

Harpy

“Mean, shrewish woman”

Halcyon Days

“idyllic time in the past fondly remembered”

Siren song

“Something which promises pleasure, but leads to harm”