Mythology Unit One Exam

Homer

Homer (8th century BCE, epic poet) is the earliest and most influential source of Greek myth. His epics—the Iliad and Odyssey—depict gods as anthropomorphic, powerful, and capricious, involved in war and heroism. He set the tone for later portrayals of the Olympians.

Sophocles

Sophocles (496-406 BCE, tragedian) dramatized divine will in human struggles. In plays like Oedipus Rex and Antigone, the gods appear through prophecy, fate, and moral law. He emphasized the tension between divine justice and human choices.

Herodotus

Herodotus (484-425 BCE, historian) mixed inquiry with folklore. He preserved local variants of myths, linking them with geography, customs, and political events. His Histories are a major source for myth as cultural explanation.

Pausanias

Pausanias (2nd century CE, travel-writer) described temples, sanctuaries, and local myths in Description of Greece. He preserved cult practices and local versions of myths, showing how myths were rooted in place and ritual.

Cronus

Cronus, son of Uranus and Gaia, castrated his father and ruled the cosmos until Zeus overthrew him. He swallowed his children to prevent being deposed. Symbol of time, cyclical power, and generational struggle.

Oceanus

Oceanus (the great river encircling the world) and Tethys (his consort) are parents of rivers and Oceanids. They represent the world's waters and fertility.

Hyperion

Titan of heavenly light. Father of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn). Symbolizes the celestial cycles.

Mnemosyne

Titaness of memory. With Zeus, she gave birth to the nine Muses. Symbolizes cultural continuity and artistic inspiration.

Themis

Titaness of divine law, justice, and order. Associated with prophecy (Delphi in some versions) and the scales of balance.

Iapetus

Titan associated with mortality and human limitations. Father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas, and Menoetius—figures tied to humankind's fate.

Parents of the Olympians

Most Olympians are children of Cronus and Rhea (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Hades) or of Zeus with other consorts (Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, Dionysus, Aphrodite in some versions).

Three maiden goddesses

Athena (wisdom, crafts, war strategy), Artemis (hunt, moon, wild places), Hestia (hearth, domestic fire). They remained virgins, symbolizing independence and purity.

Zeus

Son of Cronus and Rhea. Married to Hera, many lovers. King of gods, sky, thunder, justice, hospitality.

Hera

Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Wife of Zeus. Goddess of marriage, women, childbirth. Symbols: peacock, cow, diadem.

Poseidon

Son of Cronus and Rhea. Husband of Amphitrite, lovers with others. God of sea, earthquakes, horses. Symbols: trident, horse, dolphin.

Hades

Son of Cronus and Rhea. Husband of Persephone. God of the underworld and wealth. Symbols: Cerberus, helm of invisibility.

Demeter

Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Mother of Persephone. Goddess of grain, agriculture, fertility. Symbols: sheaf of wheat, torch, poppy.

Athena

Born from Zeus' head. Virgin goddess. Goddess of wisdom, crafts, strategy, war. Symbols: owl, olive tree, aegis.

Apollo

Son of Zeus and Leto. Lovers include Daphne, Coronis. God of music, prophecy, healing, archery, sun. Symbols: lyre, laurel, bow, tripod.

Artemis

Daughter of Zeus and Leto (twin of Apollo). Virgin goddess. Goddess of hunt, moon, childbirth, protector of young women. Symbols: stag, bow, moon.

Aphrodite

Born from sea-foam (Hesiod) or daughter of Zeus and Dione. Wife of Hephaestus, lover of Ares, Anchises. Goddess of love, beauty, desire. Symbols: dove, swan, myrtle, rose.

Ares

Son of Zeus and Hera. Lover of Aphrodite. God of violent war. Symbols: spear, helmet, vulture, dog.

Hephaestus

Son of Zeus and Hera (or Hera alone). Husband of Aphrodite. God of fire, smiths, craftsmen. Symbols: hammer, anvil, forge.

Hermes

Son of Zeus and Maia. Lovers varied. God of messengers, commerce, trickery, travel, guide of souls. Symbols: caduceus, winged sandals.

Hestia

Daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Virgin goddess. Goddess of the hearth, domestic fire, family unity. Symbol: hearth flame.

Dionysus

Son of Zeus and Semele. Lovers include Ariadne. God of wine, theatre, ecstasy, fertility. Symbols: thyrsus, grapevine, ivy, mask.

Titanomachy

The great war between Titans (led by Cronus) and Olympians (led by Zeus). Zeus freed the Cyclopes, who gave him thunderbolts. Olympians won and imprisoned Titans in Tartarus.

Graces

Aglaea (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Joy), Thalia (Good Cheer). Attend Aphrodite, symbols of beauty, festivity, social charm.

Muses

Nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Inspire the arts: Calliope (epic), Clio (history), Euterpe (lyric), Thalia (comedy), Melpomene (tragedy), Terpsichore (dance), Erato (love poetry), Polyhymnia (hymns), Urania (astronomy).

Erinyes (Furies)

Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone. Born from Uranus' blood or from Night. Punish crimes like murder, perjury, violation of oaths. Symbols: snakes, torches, whips.

Pan

Son of Hermes and a nymph. Half-man, half-goat.

Demeter's sorrow

Persephone abducted by Hades. Demeter's grief caused famine until Persephone was allowed to return part of the year.

Dionysus' sorrow

Myths of his dismemberment by Titans, rejection by mortals, and the suffering of his followers. Symbolizes death-and-rebirth.

Demeter's cults/festivals

Eleusinian Mysteries (secrets of regeneration, afterlife hope).

Dionysus' cults/festivals

Dionysia and Bacchanalia (wine, theatre, ecstatic rites).

Dionysus' great joy

Joy: wine, ecstasy, release, theatre, fertility.

Dionysus' vice

Vice: madness, violence, excess, loss of reason.

Greatest offense against Dionysus

Refusal to acknowledge him or participate in his rites. Example: Pentheus in The Bacchae, torn apart by Bacchants for denying his divinity.

What existed before the gods?

Chaos, Gaia (Earth), Tartarus, Eros. Then Uranus and Gaia's children (Titans, Cyclopes, Hundred-Handed).

Prometheus

Titan son of Iapetus. Created humans, stole fire, taught arts. Punished by Zeus—chained to a rock, eagle eats his liver daily. Symbol of heroism and suffering for humankind.

Ages of man in metals

Golden (peace, plenty), Silver (childlike, impious), Bronze (warlike), Heroic (noble demigods), Iron (present age, toil, corruption).

Flood story

Zeus destroyed humankind for wickedness. Deucalion (son of Prometheus) and Pyrrha survived and repopulated the earth by throwing stones that became people.

Cupid

Roman name for Eros.

Psyche

Mortal woman of great beauty. Their story is in Apuleius' Metamorphoses.

Cupid and Psyche separation

Cupid loved Psyche secretly, forbidding her to see his face. Psyche disobeyed, looked upon him by lamplight, and lost him.

Cupid and Psyche reunion

Psyche endured trials set by Venus: sorting seeds, fetching fleece, descending to Hades. With divine help she succeeded. Cupid forgave her; Zeus granted Psyche immortality.

Pyramus and Thisbe

Lovers separated by a wall. Planned to meet, but a bloody cloak misled Pyramus into thinking Thisbe dead. He killed himself; she followed. Their blood stained the mulberries.

Orpheus and Eurydice

Orpheus descended to Hades to retrieve Eurydice. Condition: do not look back. He looked too soon, losing her forever.

Ceyx and Alcyone

Ceyx died at sea. Alcyone mourned; gods transformed them into kingfishers. Their love explains 'halcyon days' of calm seas.

Pygmalion and Galatea

Pygmalion carved a statue, fell in love. Aphrodite brought it to life as Galatea. Symbolizes art and ideal love.

Baucis and Philemon

Poor couple welcomed disguised Zeus and Hermes. Rewarded by being spared from destruction, granted a temple, and transformed into intertwined trees at death.