Classic 45B Exam 2 Flashcards

Thebes

leading polis in region of Boeotia

Heracles' home city

Linos

Heracles' music teacher that beat him, and then was killed by Heracles

Cithaeronian Lion

Lion that terrorized the land that belonged to Amphitryon. Heracles took 50 days to catch and kill the lion- the lion skin often seen with Heracles.

Thespius of Thespiae

purified Heracles' murder of his children and Megara

Megara

Heracles' first wife, killed by Heracles in a fit of madness

Hera

Zeus' wife and sister, goddess of marriage

Alceides (Alcides)

Heracles' name before he was called Heracles by the oracle

Heraklēs

meaning glory of Hera

Eurystheus

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

Peloponnese

southern part of mainland Greece where Heracles performed the first 6 labors

Nemean Lion

Heracles' first labor, immune to weapons but Heracles strangled it. Its father was Typhon and its mother was Echidna. Siblings: Orthos, Lernaian Hydra, Chimera

pithos (pl. pithoi)

a large storage jar

Eratosthenes (or Pseudo-Eratosthenes)

famed Greek geographer/mathmatician who wrote "Constellation Myths" and said the lion constellation was named after the Nemean Lion

Lernaian Hydra

Heracles' second labor

Has 9 heads, 1 immortal and 8 mortal

Iphicles son helped Heracles by driving him to the hydra

Killed by burning the neck after cutting it so it doesnt grow back

Iolaos

Heracles' nephew that helped him defeat the Hydra

Carcinos

the crab sent by Hera to help the Hydra kill Heracles

Cerynitian (or Ceryneian) Deer

Heracles' third labor to capture, a golden antlered deer that is sacred to Artemis

Artemis

goddess of the hunt and nature, sister of Apollo

Apollo

god of the arts, brother of Artemis

Erymanthian Boar

Heracles' fourth labor to bring to Mycenae

Chased into the snow to be captures and was stored in a bronze pithos

Augeias

king of Elis, that had so many cattle that dung was everywhere

Heracles cleaned the stables by using two rivers as his fifth labor but was not paid so the labor didn't count

Stymphalian Birds

Heracles' sixth labor where there were too many birds

Birds can shoot feathers as arrows

Athena gives him krotalon and scares all the birds with it and shoots them all

krotalon (pl. krotala)

castanets or clappers that Heracles uses to scare the Stymphalian birds

Cretan Bull

Heracles' seventh labor where he had to bring it back alive

Huge white bull that is sent by Poseidon from sea to king Minos

Father of the Minotaur

Once he captured the bull he showed it to Eurystheus and releases it in the Peloponnese

Diomedes (of Thrace)

Hercacles' eighth labor to bring 4 mares back to this Thracian King

Amazons

Mythical nation of warrior women

Hippolyte

Queen of the Amazons

Geryon

Heracles' tenth labor is to fetch this giant king of Erytheia's cattle can have 3 heads or 3 bodies

Helios

god of the sun, gave Heracles his golden cup to travel across Okeanos

Eurytion

Herdsman of Geryon

Orthos

Two headed dog of Geryon

athloi

greek word for "labors"

parerga

greek word for "side labors" accomplished on the side when Heracles is performing labors

praxeis

greek word for "accomplishments", deeds accomplished before or after labors

Garden of the Hesperides

Hera's secret garden in the west that had golden apples

Ladon

dragon with 100 heads that protected Hera's tree in the garden of Hesperides

Nereus

sea god that told Heracles where the garden of Hesperides was located after being tied up

Antaios

son of Gaia that killed strangers by wrestling, but was defeated by Heracles when he was lifted off of the ground which killed him

Prometheus

the Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to humans, chained to a rock with an eagle eating its liver

when Heracles saves him by shooting the eagle, he tells him to ask Atlas to get the apples for him

Atlas

titan that supports the sky, where according to Apollodorus he was tricked into getting the golden apples for Heracles

Hades

god of the underworld, hes also known as "Plouton" which is wealthy

Cerberus

Heracles' 12th labor was to retrieve this 3 headed dog that guards the entrance to Hades.

katabasis

journey to the underworld

Iole

daughter of Eurytus, the King of Oichalla that Heracles wanted to marry by winning an archery contest (spoiler: he didn't get to marry her)

Eurytos

King of Oichalla that held an archery contest for his daughters (Iola) hand in marriage, in which Heracles won but did not get to marry her

Deianeira

the second wife of Heracles that is the dauther or Oineus, King of Claydon. (spoiler: accidentally kills heracles with a poisonous robe)

Acheloös

shape shifting river-god that was Deianeira's sutior

keras (pl. kerata)

meaning "horn" or "branch" of river

Nessos

a centaur that asked for a fee to ferry Heracles and Deianeira across the river. He also tries to rape Deianeira but is killed by heracles (gives Deianeira his blood to be a "love potion")

centaurs

half man half horse, known to live in mountains and are uncivilized and unrestrained

Sophocles' Trachiniae

An Athenian Tragedy aka "Women of Trachis" that plays out Heracles' death by Deianeira's hands.

Hyllos (Hyllus)

son of Heracles and Deianeira

Lichas

the herald that gave Heracles the poisoned robe, and was killed for doing so

apotheosis

deification, when a being is made into a god

Hebe

Goddess of youth who is the daughter of Zeus and Hera, is married to Heracles

Heracles

son of Zeus, has 2 wives, becomes a god after death and performs 12 labors

ATU 650A: Strong John

the folktale type of a super strong man with an enormous appetite, and performs impossible tasks for another man. Heracles' myths are of this type

culture hero

a figure who helps humans build civilization. Heracles is barely one but he does rid the world of malicious monsters

"The Choice of Heracles"

part of Xenophons Memorabilia, story about Heracles having to choose between Virtue and Vice

Medeia (Medea)

Married to Aigeus, she was a witch that plotted to kill Theseus but was exiled for doing so

Minos

a king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to the labyrinth, to be eaten by the Minotaur as a result of his son Androgeos being sent to fight the bull by Aigeus

Knossos

Minos' palace is located here, also where the tribute is sent

Nereids

Nymphs of the sea

synoecism

aka synoikismos, a process in which a region becomes unified

synoikismos

means "uniting the oikoi"

oikos (pl. oikoi)

greek word meaning household, family unit