Classical Mythology Midterm 1

UIowa Classical Mythology Exam 1 Study Guide

Allegorical Theory

A theory of myth that says characters, events, and settings are symbolic representations of deeper, often moral, philosophical concepts 

James Fraser

• An anthropologist who developed the ritual theory of myth in his work The Golden Bough 

• The ritual theory of myth maintains that myths serve as explanations of religious rituals

Bronislaw Malinowski 

• Was a polish anthropologist who developed the social charter theory of myth based on his study of the Trobriand islanders 

• The charter theory of myth maintains that myths serve as justifications for historical, societal, or cultural realities 

Sigmund Freud 

• Founder of psychoanalysis, and developed a dream-based theory of myth in his work The Interpretation of Dreams 

• Myths resemble dreams in that they reflect the repressed wishes of an individual and society 

Carl Jung

• Was a Swiss psychoanalyst and associate of Freud who developed a theory of myth based around two concepts: the collective unconscious and archetypes 

• Myths are expressions of the collective unconscious and are built from archetypes that belong to the collective unconscious 

Claude Lévi-Strauss 

• Was a French anthropologist who developed a theory of myth based on the binary pairs that exist within myths 

• Myths arise out of - and seek of reconcile - the binary pairs that make up reality (Ex: life and death, love and hate) 

Feminist Theory

Maintains that myths reflect aspects of girls and women's lives and their place in society 

Bronze Age

• During the time of 3000 - 1100 B.C 

• Consisted of three main events 

1. Minoan Civilization 

2. Mycenean Civilization 

3. Trojan War  

• No literature from this Age

Olympian Religion

• Revolved around the worship of the Olympian gods 

• Basic principle was do ut des (“I give in order that you may give”) 

• Named after Mt. Olympus 

Chthonic religion 

• Based on the worship of supernatural powers on or beneath the Earth 

• Heros 

• Ghosts 

• Underworld gods/spirits 

• Takes its name from chthon (“earth”) 

Mystery religion

• Takes its name from Greek word mystes (“initiate”) 

• Appealed to Greeks who desired a more personal connection to the divine than that offered in Olympian or Chthonic 

• Characterized by three main features 

1. Voluntary initiation 

2. Secret rites 

3. Specific dogma and doctrines 

• Comprised of three major cults 

1. The Eleusinian Mysteries  

2. The Dionysian Mysteries 

3. Orphism 

 

Hesiod

• Was a Greek Poet in the archaic period of Greek history 

• Was a shepherd and farmer in Ascra, a small town in Boeotia  

• Became a poet after being visited by the muses on Mt. Helicon  

• Fought with his brother Perses over their family inheritance and lost after Perses bribed the judges 

• Competed in a poetry competition in Chalcis, a city in Euboea, and won first prize 

Theogony

• A Greek Epic dated around 700 B.C around the subject of the creation of the world, gods, and mortals  

• Myths within the Theogony: 

• The creation of the world 

• Divine succession myth 

• Prometheus 

• Pandora 

The Divine Succession myth

• Story of the rise to power of Zeus and the Olympian gods 

• Focused on Uranus, Kronos, and Zeus (each son overthrowing their father) 

Choas

• Is the first primordial deity of the Greek creation myth 

• Chaos = “void” or “emptiness” 

• From Chaos emerges 5 other primordial deities 

• Gaea, Tartarus, Eros, Erebus, Nyx 

Gaea

• Female primordial deity of Earth and Fertility 

• Child of Chaos 

• Produces Uranus (“sky”) and Pontus (“sea”) 

• Marrys Uranus in a sacred marriage 

Uranus

• Primordial deity of the sky 

• Married to Gaea in a sacred marriage 

• Children between Uranus and Gaea: 

1. Titans 

1. Kronos, Rhea, Oceanus, etc. 

2. Cyclopes 

3. Hecatonchires (100 handed ones) 

Titans

• The children of Uranus and Gaea including Kronos, Rhea, Oceanus, and many others 

• Ultimately take over control and power after Kronos castrates their father Uranus on Gaea’s demand 

Cronos

• Is a titan, son of Uranus and Gaea 

• God of the Harvest

Rhea

• A titan, daughter of Uranus and Gaea 

• Mother Goddess

Olympians

The twelve main deities in Greek mythology, including Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Athena, who reside on Mount Olympus and are known for their control over various aspects of life and nature.

Titanomachy

The epic battle between the Titans, led by Cronos, and the Olympians, led by Zeus, for control of the universe.

Prometheus

A Titan known for creating humans and stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humanity

Pandora

The first woman and wife of Epimetheus who was created to punish Prometheus for stealing fire by being given a box that releases evil and anything considered bad into mankind

The Five Ages Myth

In Greek mythology, the five ages of man are the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Age of Heroes, and the Iron Age.

Hesiod described these ages in his work “Works and Days”.

The Flood Myth

myth of Zeus destroying humanity by flood, which lasted 9 days and destroyed the world. Deucalion, the son of Prometheus, built an ark to save himself and his wife, Pyrrha. They made an offering to Zeus who then throw stones which turned into men and women repopulating the world.

Zeus

King of the gods after he overthrew his father Cronos. He is the god of the sky, storm, and law and order. and is married to Hera however has many children with many women.

Hera

Hera is wife to Zeus and the is the goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth. She is the daughter of Cronos and Rhea and her children are Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe, Eileithyia. Hera resents anyone Zeus has an affair with and is often cruel to them and Zeus’ other children.

The Muses

Goddesses of art and literature

Parents: Zeus and Mnemosyne (“memory”)

Home: Pieria or mt. Helicon

The muses are frequently associated with Apollo, God of poetry and music

The Fates

Goddesses of human destiny

Parents: Zeus and Themis (“custom”)

Names/roles:

Clotho- spins a mortal’s thread of destiny

Lachesis- measures a mortal’s thread of destiny

Atropos- cuts a mortal’s thread of destiny

Generally depicted as having power over the gods as well

Olympia

A sanctuary of Zeus in the northwestern Peloponnese

The site of the famous Olympic games held in honor of Zeus

Location of Pheidias’ famous statue of Zeus

Dadona

A sanctuary of Zeus in Epirus

Was the site of Zeus’ oracle, the second most famous oracle in the Greek world

Foundation: bronze age

Hades

• Spheres: underworld, the dead, wealth 

• Parents: Cronus and Rhea 

• Spouse: Persephone 

• Children: N/A 

• Characteristics: grim, harsh, unpitying 

• Symbols: Sceptor, cornucopia, Cerberus 

Tartarus

One of 5 primordial deities that emerged from Chaos and was the father of Typhon. Tartarus is also the underworld's deepest abyss used to imprison the enemies of the gods of Olympus.

Elysium

The Elysian Fields meaning, also known as Elysium, is an area within the underworld in Greek Mythology where the souls of heroes and the most virtuous people reside. (closest Greek equivalent to the concept of heaven)

Demeter

Spheres: Grain, harvest, fertility

Parents: Cronus and Rhea

Spouse: N/A

Children: Persephone

Characteristics: maternal, caring, protective

Symbols: wheat, cornucopia, pig, torch

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter

the myth of Demeter after Persephone is taken by Hades. She is in deep mourning and doesn’t know what happened to Persephone and no one told her what had happened. She then threatened to kill all the crops which would in turn destroy humanity unless she got Demeter back. She at one point took care of another child but was disgraced by the childs mother who came in the room while Demeter was putting the child in the fire to turn him immortal. In the end Persephone spent half her time with Hades and half with her mother

Persephone

Spheres: spring

Parents: Zeus and Demeter

Spouse: Hades

Children: N/A

Characteristics: kind, youthful, innocent

Symbols: pomegranate, wheat, deer, torch

Eleusis

Eleusis was a town in Attica and part of the city-state of Athens

Was the mythological sit of Demeter’s visit

The Eleusinian Mysteries 

Reconciled with both gods and mortals, Demeter teaches her sacred rites to Triptolemus, a prince of Eleusis, and other Eleusinian nobles

Poseidon

He is the god of the sea, earthquakes, storms, and horses

Poseidon was married to Amphitrite, the granddaughter of Oceanus

Athena

the goddess of wisdom, war, handicraft, and reason. She is also the patron goddess of Athens, the capital of Greece.

the daughter of Zeus and Metis, a nymph.

Parthenon

Classic temple to Athena Parthenon (“Maiden”) (447-438 B.C)

Constituted part of Pericles’ building program

Was designed by Ictinus, and the statue of Athena Parthenos was designed by Pheidias

Features an artistic program that celebrates Athena, Athens, and the forces of civilization over barbarism

Hestia

goddess of Hearth

Spheres: hearth, home, family

Parents: Cronus and Rhea

Spouse: N/A

Children: N/A

Characteristics: august, reserved, virginal

Symbols: hearth, fire

Dionysus

God of Wine

Spheres: wine, vegetation, fertility, madness, theater

Parents: Zeus and Semele

Spouse: Ariadne

Children: N/A

Characteristics: wild, effeminate, liminal, irrational

Symbols: grapevine, ivy, thyrsus, leopard, maenads, satyrs

Euripides

Greek tragedian of the classical period of Greek history

Born in Athens

Became the third of the three canonical Greek tragedians

Won first place in the city Dionysia three times during his career

Left Athens for the court of Archelaus of Macedon

Died in Macedonia

Bacchae

The main source for the Dionysus and Pentheus myth

Greek tragedy

Main characters: Dionysus and Pentheus

Plot:

Dionysus returns to Thebes in disguise as a mortal and turns Theban women into Bacchae

Pentheus opposes the cult of Dionysus

Dionysus punishes Pentheus for his opposition by convincing him to spy on the Bacchae; Pentheus is caught and killed by the Bacchae

Themes:

Sexuality, masculinity vs femininity, rationality vs irrationality

The Bacchae is widely regarded as Euripides’ masterpiece

Pentheus

Pentheus opposes the cult of Dionysus

Pentheus was the king of Thebes

Dionysus punishes Pentheus for his opposition by convincing him to spy on the Bacchae; Pentheus is caught and killed by the Bacchae

The Dionysian Mysteries

Were secret rituals in ancient Greece and Rome that honored Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy

Involved ecstatic celebrations, theatrical performances, and sometimes intoxicants

Apollo

Apollo is the god of music, archery, healing, prophecy, and more

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto

He is the twin brother of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt

He had relationships with both male and female lovers, including the Thracian singer Thamyris, Prince Hyakinthos, and the Greek god of marriage, Hymen

The Homeric Hymn to Apollo

The Homeric Hymn to Apollo is the main source for the origin of Apollo

Author: anonymous

Genre: greek hymns

Date: archaic period

Parts: Hymn to Delian Apollo and Hymn to Pythian Apollo

Asclepius

He is the son of Apollo and Coronis and the god of medicine

Apollo gives her to the centaur Chiron to raise after Coronis’ death

Asclepius learns the art of medicine from Chiron and becomes so skilled a physician that he begins to raise people from the dead

Zeus kills Asclepius with a thunderbolt out of fear for cosmic order

Asclepius is himself raised from the dead and deified as the god of medicine

Asclepius is worshipped at the sanctuary of Epidaurus and gives his name to the Asclepiad physicians’ guild

Delos

Was the Cycladic Island regarded as the birthplace of Apollo

Delos was the site of the Delian Games held in honor or Apollo

Priestesses: Deliades (“Delian Maidens”)

Establishment: Archaic period

Occurrence: quadrennially

Events: athletic and musical contests

Participants: Ionian Greeks (e.g., Athenians)

Delphi

Delphi was a Sancturary of Apollo in central Greece

Delphi was the site of Apollo’s oracle, the most famous oracle in the Greek world

Foundation: 9th century B.C

Priestess: Pythia

Consultants: city-states, private individuals

Divination method: Pythia’s statements

Delphi was the site of the Pythian games held in honor of Apollo

Presidency: Phocis

Establishments: 6th century B.C

Occurrence: quadrennially

Events: athletic, literary, and musical

Artemis

Artemis/Diana: Goddess of Hunting

Spheres: hunting, wild animals, moon, virginity, childbirth

Parents: Zeus and Leto

Spouse: N/A

Children: N/A

Characteristics: youthful, beautiful, virginal, vigorous, severe

Symbols: moon, deer, cypress tree, bow and arrows

Aphrodite

Spheres: love, sex, beauty

Parents: Zeus and Dione or Uranus’ castrated genitals

Spouse: Hephaestus

Children: Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Priapus, Hermaphroditus, Aeneas

Characteristics: feminine, beautiful, seductive

Symbols: dove, swan, goose, rose, myrtle tree, seashell

Duality of Aphrodite: Urania vs Pandemos

She was a goddess believed to have dual nature

Aphrodite Urania (“Heavenly”)

Goddess of spiritual love

Aphrodite Pandemos (“Common”)

Goddess of physical love and procreation

Her dual nature is correlated to the two myths of her birth

Aphrodite Urania > Uranus’ castrated genitals

Aphrodite Pandemos > Zeus and Dione

The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite

The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite is the main source for the Aphrodite and Anchises myth.

Author: Anonymous

Genre: Greek hymns

Date: Archaic period (6th cent. B.C.)

The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite is part of the corpus of Homeric Hymns, a collection of thirty- three poems dedicated to the Greek gods.

Aphrodite mocks other gods for having affairs with mortals so Zeus instilled in her the want to sleep with a mortal. It is a Greek poem that tells of the goddess of love's encounter with Anchises, a cowherd. The affair resulted in the birth of Aeneas, the Trojan hero

Anchises

Anchises was the son of Capys and Themiste in Greek mythology, father of Aeneas. He was better known as a lover of the goddess Aphrodite, who appeared in front of him disguised as a Phrygian princess. She then seduced him into lovemaking for two weeks

Eros / Cupid

Eros (“love/desire”) is the god of love and desire

Is the subject of two separate birth myths

Offspring of Choas

Son of Aphrodite and Ares

Eros is generally depicted with the following features:

Youthful

Handsom

Winged

Bow and arrows

Eros is better known by his Roman name of Cupid (“Desire”)

Ares

Spheres: war, courage, bloodlust

Parents: Zeus and Hera

Spouse: N/A

Children: Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia

Characteristics: warlike, handsome, cruel, hateful

Symbols: helmet, shield, spear, dog, vulture

Hephaestus

Spheres: fire, metalwork, technology, volcanos

Parents: Hera or Zeus and Hera

Spouse: Aphrodite

Children: N/A

Characteristics: ugly, lame, clever, industrious

Symbols: hammer, anvil, tongs, skull cap

Hermes

Spheres: trade, travel, herds, thievery, athletics

Parents: Zeus and Maia

Spouse: N/A

Children: Pan, Hermaphroditus

Characteristics: youthful, tricky, dishonest

Symbols: caduceus, petasos, winged sandals, tortoise

The Homeric Hymn to Hermes

The Homeric Hymn to Hermes is a Greek poem that tells the story of the birth of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, and his invention of the lyre.

Story summary

Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia

He is the lord of Arcadia and Cyllene

He is a bringer of luck and dreams

He invents the lyre

He steals Apollo's cattle

He returns the cattle to Apollo in exchange for the lyre

Pan

Pan is the half-human, half-goat god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, and rustic music

Is the son of Hermes and the nymph Dryope

Is the cause of “panic” in rustic and martial settings

Pan invents the panpipe by fastening together the reeds that the nymph Syrinx is turned into after fleeing the god’s amorous advances