Quiz 8-Classical Mythology

The Cretan Bull

Heracles ordered to capture the Cretan bull, a magnificent bull summoned from the sea by Minos, king of Crete

Heracles finds the bull on Crete, throws it into the sea, and rides it back to the Peloponnese

Heracles shows the bull to Eurystheus’ hearld

The bull escapes and wanders north to Marathon, where Theseus ultimately kills it

The Cretan Bull

Heracles ordered to capture the Cretan bull, a magnificent bull summoned from the sea by Minos, king of Crete

Heracles finds the bull on Crete, throws it into the sea, and rides it back to the Peloponnese

Heracles shows the bull to Eurystheus’ hearld

The bull escapes and wanders north to Marathon, where Theseus ultimately kills it

The Mares of Diomedes

Heracles ordered to capture the mares of Diomedes, monstrous horse that dined on human flesh

Heracles stops at the home of Admetus, king of Pherae, on his way to Diomedes’ kingdom in Thrace

Heracles learns that Alcestis, Admetus’ wife, has sacrificed herself to allow Alcestis to live

Heracles find Alcestis’ corpse, wrestle Thanatos, and restores Alcestis to life

Heracles completes his journey to Thrace

He captures the mares of Diomedes, feeds Diomedes to them, and brings them back to Eurystheus

The Girdle of Hippolyta

Heracles ordered to retrieve the girdle of Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons

Heracles travels to the Amazon kingdom on the south shore of the Black Sea

Heracles charms Hippolyta into giving him her girdle

Hera disguises herself as an Amazon and declares that Heracles has abducted Hippolyta

The Amazons attack Heracles

Heracles strangles Hippolyta, takes her girdle, and presents it to Eurystheus upon his return to Greece

The Cattle of Geryon

Heracles ordered to capture the cattle of Geryon, a three-bodied monster dwelling on the island of Erythia in the far west

Heracles sails in the cup of Helius on the River of Ocean to reach Erythia

Heracles kills Geryon with arrows and loads Geryon’s cattle into cups of Helius

Heracles establishes the Pillars of Heracles as a monument to his journey to the far west

Heracles travels back to Greece via Spain, southern Gaul, and Italy

The Apples of the Hesperides

Heracles orders to retrieve the Apples of the Hesperides, magic apples of a golden tree growing in a garden in the far west

Heracles receives directions to the Apples of the Hesperides from Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea

Heracles frees Prometheus from his torture on his way to the Apple of the HEsperides

Heracles kills Ladon, a snake guarding the apples and plucks the apples himself OR Atlas plucks the apples for Heracles while the hero holds up the world

Cerberus

Heracles ordered to bring Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, back to the upper world

Heracles journeys to the underworld via the entrance at Taenarum

Heracles requests Hades’ permission to take Cerberus; Hades grants his permission provided Heracles no use any weapons

Heracles throws a chain around Cerberus and drags him back to Eurystheus in the upper world

The Marriage of Heracles and Deianira

Heracles leaves his home in Tiryns to travel to Calydon in the hope of marrying Deianira, a Calydonian princess

Heracles wins Deianira’s hand in marriage by defeating Achelous, a river god, in a wrestling match

Nessus, a centaur, tries to rape Deianira during Heracles’ and Deianira’s journey back to Tiryns

Heracles kills Nessus with a poisoned arrow

Nessus advises Deianira to collect his blood to act as a love potion to retain Heracles’ love in the furture

Heracles adn Deianira return to Tiryns and have two children together

Hyllus and Macaria

The Pollution of Heracles

Heracles falls in love with Iole, daughter of Eurytus, following his marriage to Deianira

Heracles wins an archery contest for Iole’s hand in marriage

Eurytus refuses to give Iole to Heracles; Heracles steals Eurytus’ mares and returns to Tiryns

Iphitus, son of Eurytus, comes to Tiryns seeking the lost mares; Heracles murders Iphitus in a fit of rage

Heracles travels to Delphi seeking purification for his crimes

The Pythia refuses to help Heracles; Heracles tries to steal the Delphic tripod

Heracles and Apollo fight over the Delphic tripod; Zeus breaks up the fight and declares that Heracles must serve as a slave from one year to purify himself of his crime

The Servitude of Heracles

Hermes sells Heracles as a slave to Omphale, the queen of Lydia

Heracles serves as Omphale’s slave for one year

Heracles and Omphale become lovers

Heracles performs heroic tasks for Omphale according to some sources; Heracles performs womanly tasks for Omphale according to other sources

The Death of Heracles

Heracles sacks Oechalia, kills Eurytus, and take Iole as his lover after serving as Omphale’s slave

Deianira realizes that Heracles is in love with Iole through the herald Lichas

Deianira dips a robe in the blood of Nessus to create a love potion to win back Heracles’ love

Deianira dispatches Lichas to give Heracles the robe

Heracles puts on the rove and is consumed by a burning pain

Deianira commits suicide upon realizing her mistake

Heracles constructs a funeral pyre on Mt. Oeta and has himself burned alive to escape his agony

The Apotheosis of Heracles

Heracles miraculously ascends to heaven from his funeral pyre by the will of the gods

Heracles reconciles with Hera and marries Hebe

Heracles becomes a god himself and lives out his afterlife on Mt. Olympus

Jason

major Greek hero of Thessaly

famous leader of the Argonauts

Jason’s hometown

Iolcus

Jason’s parents

Aeson and Polymede

Jason’s spouses

Medea and Glauce

Jason’s favorable god

Hera

Jason’s major sources

Euripides, Medea

Apollonius, Argonautica

Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica

The Kingdom of Iolcus

Iolcus was a Mycenaean palace located on the Gulf of Pagasae in Thessaly

Iolcus is gripped by a struggle for power between two individuals in the Legend of Jason

Aeson: son of Cretheus; rightful heir of Iolcus

Pelias: step-son of Cretheus

When Cretheus dies

Pelias seizes the throne of Iolcus and imprisons Aeson

The Birth and Childhood of Jason

Aeson and Polymede have a son while the former is imprisioned in Iolcus

Polymede pretends that their son was stillborn

secretly sends him to be raised by the Centaur Chiron on Mt. Pelion

Chiron names the boy Jason and raised him to be a hero

Pelias meanwhile receives a prophecy that a man with one sandal will one day cause his downfall

The Arrival of Iolcus

Jason sets out to claim the throne of Iolclus upon reaching manhood

Jason helps Hera, disguised as an old woman

cross a stream on his way to Iolcus, but loses a sandal in the process

Jason arrives at Iolcus with only one sandal; Pelias recognizes Jason as the fulfiller of the prophecy

Pelias promises to yield the throne of Iolcus if Jason brings him the Gold Fleece

The Golden Fleece

Athamas, the kind of Orchomenus, is persuaded by Ino, his second wife, to sacrifice Phrixus, his son by his first wife, to halt a famine

A golden ram save Phrixus and Helle, his twin sister from sacrifice

Phrixus and the ram reach Colchis; Helle falls off the ram into strait between the Aegean and Propontis

Phrixus sacrifices the ram as a thank-offering to Zeus

Aeetes, the king of Colchis, hangs the ram’s skin on an oak tree guarded by a giant serpent

The Argonauts

are the Greek heroes who take part in the Quest for the Golden Fleece

Leader of the Argonauts

Jason

Greatest of the Greek heroes

Heracles

twins (horseman and boxer)

Castor and Polydeuces

father of Achilles

Peleus

father of Ajax the Greater

Telamon

seets

Idmon and Mopsus

Shape-shifter

Periclymenus

winged sons of Boreas

Zetes and Calais

runner of capable running over water

Euphemus

The Argonauts take their name from the Argo

the ship built for the Quest for the Golden Fleece

The Voyage to Colchis

Jason and the Argonauts have a series of adventures on their voyage to Colchis

Lemnian Women

Jason and the Argonauts stay for a year with Lemnian women who killed their husbandsHer

Heracles and Hylas

Heracles’ boyfriend Hylas goes missing, and Heracles is left behind while looking for Hylas

Phineus and the Harpies

Jason and the Argonauts save the prophet Phineus from the Harpies in exchange for knowledge about their future course

Symplegades

Jason and the Argonauts pass through the Symplegades

The Seizure of the Golden Fleece

Aeetes promises Jason the Golden Fleece if the hero can perform three tasks

the three tasks

Yoke two fire-breathing bulls

Plow a field with dragon’s teeth

Kill the armed men that arise from the dragon’s teeth

Medea, the daughter of Aeetes, gives Jason a magic ointment to protect him from harm out of love from the hero

Jason successfully performs the three tasks; Aeetes reneges on his promise and prepares to attack the Argonauts

Medea drugs the serpent guarding the Golden Fleece; Jason seizes the Golden Fleece

Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts flee the Colchis

The Return of Iolcus

Jason and the Argonauts have a series of adventures during their return to Iolcus

Apsyrtus

Medea’s brother, lured into a trap by Medea and killed by Jason OR Apsyrtus killed by Medea, chopped into pieces, and thrown into the sea to delay the Colchian pursuit of the Argonauts

Marriage of Jason and Medea

Jason and Medea marry in the land of the Phaeacians when Alcinous king of the Phaeacians, promises to protect Medea from the Colchians if Jason and Medea are married

Libya

Jason and the Argonauts become stranded in Libya, carry the Argo to Lake Tritonis, and are guided back to Mediterranean by Triton

Talus

Jason and the Argonauts defeat a bronze giant guarding Crete with the help of Medea’s magic

The Punishment of Pelias

Jason returns to Iolcus with the Golden Fleece

Pelias refuses to yield the throne despite his promise

Medea contrives Pelias’ death through magic

Medea rejuvenates Aeson by cutting him into pieces and boiling him in a cauldron with magic herbs

Medea rejuvenates a ram by cutting it into pieces and boiling it in a cauldron with magic herbs

Medea convinces Pelias’ daughters to cut Pelias into pieces so that he also can rejuvenated, but refuses to give them the magic herbs once that have done so

Jason and Medea flee Iolcus following the murder of Pelias

The Revenge of Medea

Jason and Medea settle in Corinth and have two sons

Jason grows dissatisfied with his marriage to Medea and arranges to marry the Corinthian kind Creon’s daughter Glauce instead

Medea becomes furious at Jason and plots revenge on him

Medea murders Creon and Glauce with poisoned robe

Medea murders her own children by Jason

Medea flees Corinith

flees in the chariot of Helius and takes refuge in Athens

Medea

the main source for the Revenge of Medea myth

widely regarded as one of Euripides’ best plays

Medea’s genre

Greek tragedy

Medea’s date

421 B.C

Medea’s main characters

Medea: Princess of Colchis; wife of Jason

Jason: Leader of the Argonauts; husband of Medea

Creon: King of Corinth; father of Glauce

Medea’s plot

Jason plans to leave Medea for Glauce; Medea becomes enraged

Creon tries to banish Medea from Corinth; Medea persuades him to let her stay in Corinth one more day

Medea contrives the murder of Creon, Glauce, and her own children by Jason as revenge for Jason’s betrayal of her

Medea’s Themes

Revenge, Greek vs. Foreigner, civilization vs. barabarism

Theseus

major Greek hero of Athens

famous as the hero who slays the Minotaur

Theseus’ hometown

Troezen or Athens

Theseus’ parents

Aegeus and Aethra or Poseidon and Aethra

Theseus’ spouses

Phaedra and Antiope

Theseus’ child

Hippolytus

Theseus’ favorable gods

Poseidon, Athena

Theseus’ Major sources

Plutarch, Life of Theseus

Apollodorus, Bibliotheca

The Birth of Theseus

Aegeus, the king of Athens, consults the Delphic Oracle about having children

The Delphic Oracle tells Aegeus not to “undo the wineskin’s mouth” until he returns home

Pittheus, the king of Troezen, interprets the oracle sexually and causes Aegeus to sleep with Aethra, Pittheus’ daughter, by getting him drunk

Aethra conceives Theseus by sleeping with Aegeus and Poseidon on the same night

Aethra gives birth to Theseus in Troezen

The Challenge of Aegeus

Aegeus departs for Athens; Aethra raises Theseus in Troezen on her own

Aegeus sets, Theseus a challenge before departing for Athens

To lift a heavy stone and recover a sword and sandals buried under the stone