Greece Final

Who (or what) were the "first parents" and the grandparents of the gods?

heaven and earth

Who (what group) were the children of the "first parents" and the parents of the gods?

titans

Who was the chief of the Titans?

Cronus (Saturn)

What task did Atlas have?

bore the world on his shoulders

Where did the gods live, and for that reason what were they called?

Olympus, called Olympians

Where was Zeus in charge?

heavens/sky

a.) Was Zeus omnipotent and omniscient? (What do "omnipotent" and omniscient" mean?)

no, all powerful and all knowing

b.) In that respect, is Zeus similar to or different from God as understood by Christians?

a.) no; he’s not all powerful and all knowing

What was something that Zeus liked to do for fun?

come to earth to fall in love with women

What was Zeus' weapon?

thunderbolt/lightning bolt

What was Zeus' bird? his tree?

eagle; oak

What positions did Hera have?

protector of marriage, cared for married women (wife and sister of Zeus)

What were the interests and functions of Hera?

cared for married women

How did Hera respond to Zeus' relationships with other women?

punished them and their children with implacable anger

What were Hera's favorite animals?

cow and peacock

Where was Poseidon in charge?

sea

What did Poseidon give to mankind?

the first horse

What nickname did Poseidon have?

"Earthshaker"

a.) What was Poseidon's weapon? Define it.

Trident; three pronged spear

Where was Hades in charge?

underworld

What special piece of equipment did Hades have, and what did it do?

cap/helmet, granted the wearer invisibility

Who was the wife of Hades?

Persephone (Proserpine)

Who were the father and mother of Athena?

Zeus alone

How was Athena born?

full-grown, in full armor, from Zeus's head

What were the interests and functions of Athena?

goddess of war and wisdom, defender of the state/civilized life, inventor, tamer, and craftsman

What was the aegis, and who carried it?

Zeus's shield, carried by Athena

What was Athena's favorite animal?

owl

What did Athena create and give to mankind?

bridle for horses, olive

Who was the father of Apollo?

Zeus

What were the interests and functions of Apollo?

god of music (played the golden lyre), poetry, archery, healing, prophecy, and light

What was Apollo's weapon?

silver bow

What heavenly body is associated with Apollo?

sun

What was Apollo's favorite tree?

laurel

How were Apollo and Artemis related?

twins from Zeus and Leto

What were the interests and functions of Artemis?

hunter, goddess of youth

What heavenly body is associated with Artemis?

moon

What were the interests and functions of Aphrodite?

goddess of love and beauty

How was Aphrodite born?

sprung from the foam of the sea

Who was the father of Hermes?

Zeus

What were the interests and functions of Hermes?

god of trade, luck, wealth, and he was a thief

What things did Hermes wear and carry?

winged sandals, a winged hat, and a winged magic wand (caduceus)

What is the caduceus?

Hermes magic wand with snakes around it

Who were the parents of Ares?

Zeus and Hera

What were the interests and functions of Ares?

god of war (he was murderous and bloody)

What goddess did Ares love?

Aphrodite

What were the interests and functions of Hephaestus?

god of fire and smiths (metal-working)

Who were the parents of Hephaestus?

Zeus and Hera (maybe Hera alone)

In what way was Hephaestus unique among the gods?

only ugly and lame immortal

What were the interests and functions of Hestia?

goddess of the hearth (also took care/watched over newborn children) What were the interests and functions of Demeter?

What were the interests and functions of Dionysus?

god of wine

When was Demeter's main festival, and what activities did it involve?

At harvest time (September); sacrifices, dances, songs, processions, first grain broken and eaten, secret ritual no on is allowed to talk of

Where was Demeter's great temple, and what occurred there?

Eleusis, worship called Eleusinian Mysteries

Who was Persephone?

Demeters only daughter, Hades wife, maiden of the spring

Who is "the lord of the dark underworld," and what did he do to Persephone?

Hades; kidnapped her to the underworld to be wed

How did Demeter respond to that?

She tried to to go after her for 9 days, sad/grieving until the sun told her what happened

After Demeter left Olympus, what did she do?

Dwelled on earth, disguised as an old lady, tried to nurse a child to be forever young

Summarize, in your own words, what happened with Demeter, Demophoon, and Metaneira

Demeter disguised herself and Metaneira gave her a home, distressed about her own daughter being ripped from her, Demeter tried to keep Demophoon youthful/immortal by feeding him ambrose and placing him in the fire every night, when Metaneira found out she was angry until Demeter revealed herself and ordered Metaneira and her family to build her a temple

What happened during the year when Demeter was away from Olympus and wasting away with longing for her daughter? What consequence seemed likely to result, and what did Zeus do about it?

The harvest stopped and Zeus saw that the grain/food was gone so the population would die out, which meant that no human would be able to give sacrifice to the gods, so he sent Hermes to tell Hades to give Persephone back

What compromise was worked out between Demeter and Hades about Persephone?

Persephone would live with Hades 4 months of the year (winter/autumn), and live with Demeter for the other 8 months (spring/summer)

Why was Persephone not not free to leave Hades permanently?

Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds Hades gave her, whoever eats the food Hades gives them is unable to leave the underworld forever

How does the story of Demeter and Persephone explain the changing of the seasons?

Persephone leaves and Demeter leaves Olympus sad so it becomes dreary and unfruitful, but when Persephone comes back Demeter is happy and the harvest begins again

Who were the parents of Dionysus?

Zeus and Semele (Theban Princess)

What happened to Dionysus' mother while she was pregnant with him, and what did Zeus do in response?

(Zeus swore on the River Styx to do anything she wished, Hera cursed her with the wish to see Zeus in all his splendor, when she does, she dies, but Zeus took her child and sewed him into his thigh until he was ready to be born

What did Dionysus teach men?

Culture of the vine and mysteries of him worship

What did the pirates want to do with Dionysus, and what happened to the pirates as a result?

Hold him for ransom, tie him with bonds; they couldn't and they were attacked by Dionysus in lion form and turned into dolphins

What happened to Lycurgus as a result of opposing Dionysus?

He was locked in a cave and then Zeus blinded him and killed him

What was the relationship between Dionysus and Ariadne, and what did he do for her?

He saved her and then fell in love with her, when she died he took the crown he made for her and placed it among the stars

What did Dionysus do for his mother?

Went to the underworld to find her and brought her back to Olympus to live with the gods

Who were the Maenads or Bacchantes, and what activities did they do?

Women frenzied with wine; run into the woods and over the mountains singing sharp cries and wave pinecone tipped wands, tear to pieces wild creatures and eat their flesh and drink their blood; they worshiped anywhere not in temples

When Dionysus came to Thebes to establish his worship there, how did Pentheus respond?

Tried to prison him and shut down his worship

In a few sentences, summarize the story of Pentheus and Dionysus in your own words

Pentheus was Dionysus' cousin and he tried to keep him locked up but couldn't, Dionysus appeared in all his evil and unleashed him to the Maenads/Bacchantes to ruin him

Where did the great festival of Dionysus take place, and what activities happened there?

In the theater in Athens, no one was imprisoned during the festival and the vines grew all over, a play took place as the center of attention

According to the story in which men were created by a single person, who was that person, and what race was he/what status did he have?

Prometheus; Titan of forethought, wiser than the gods

Who was the brother of the creator of men, and what did he do as the animals were being created?

Epimetheus; he gave all the best gifs to animals

What did the creator of men do as a result, for men?

Fashioned them nobler than the animals (in an upright position), and gave them fire

How do men differ from the other animals?

Superior, upright, they could control fire

According to the story in which men were created by many gods, how many races of men were created, and how was each made/how was each unique?

5 races: 1.) Golden: perfect existence 2.) Silver: very little intelligence 3.) Brass: strong, warriors 4.) Hero's: like the gods 5.) humans now, born in evil times and have evil nature

Besides giving fire to men, what other thing did Prometheus do that was good for men, but bad for Zeus?

Arranged that people would get the best part of any animal sacrificed

In order to give men something evil, what did Zeus make and give to them?

first woman

What was the name of the first woman, and what does her name mean?

Pandora; "the gift of all"

How exactly did Pandora cause bad things for men?

She opened the box of evil things

What did Zeus do to Prometheus to punish him?

Placed him in chains with no rest and illiterate speech

Provide two accounts of how Prometheus was eventually saved from Zeus' punishment

Chiron the immortal centaur offered to die/take his place; Hercules killed the eagle (who ate Prometheus' liver daily) and delivered him from his chains

What happened when the race of men grew very wicked?

Zeus and Poseidon sent a flood to destroy them

Who was spared the punishment that Zeus inflicted on mankind, and how were they spared?

Deucalion and Pyrrha (Prometheus' son and niece); Prometheus instructed Deucalion to build a chest

How did the survivors of the punishment regenerate mankind?

Placed the bones (stones) of their mother (Earth) behind them and they grew into "stone" people

What was the meaning of the command, "Veil your heads and cast behind you the bones of your mother?"

To not look but to cast behind you the stones of the Earth

What is an aetiology, and in what way is the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha restoring mankind an aetiology?

Aetiology: myth to explain why something is the way it is; In greek, people is "laos" and stone is "laas"

While Prometheus was chained to the rocks of the Caucasus, who visited him, and what form did she have and why?

Io (Inachus' daughter); as a heifer/cow; she was like this because Hera was jealous of her and Zeus

Who was Hera's henchman who guarded Io, and what unusual physical feature did he have, and how would that make him a good guard?

Argus; had 100 eyes

Who killed Argus, and how?

Hermes came as a villager and told him of Pan and Syrinx, which put all of his eyes to sleep so he could kill him

What did Hera do with Argus after he was killed?

Took his eyes and put them in the tail of a peacock

What is explained by the story of the death of Argus as an aetiology?

Why peacock feathers look like they have eyes on them

Who owned the Golden Fleece, and where did he live, and where is that located?

(Phrixus first, then:) Aeeres; in Colchis

What happened to Jason when he was young?

Secretly sent away to a place of safety

Who was Pelias, what was his position, what had he done to Jason's father, and what message did he receive from the oracle?

The usurper, nephew to the king/Jason's cousin; took away Jason's fathers kingdom; said that he would die at the hands of kinsmen, and to beware of anyone who he saw with only a single sandal

Who fulfilled the oracle?

Jason

What task did Pelias give Jason, and why?

To bring him the Golden Fleece; he believed that no one could come back alive

What was the name of Jason's ship?

Argo

What happened to Hercules on this voyage?

He left in search of Hylas his weapon carrier who got taken by a harpie