Exam 1 Study Guide: Greek Mythology and History

Cosmology

A reckoning of how the universe came into existence and how it was arranged in the manner it is now

Theomachy

A battle fought between or by the gods

Titanomachy

The war between the gods and the Titans

Gigantomachy

The war fought between the gods and the Giants

Psychagogical

lit. leading the soul, a function of myth that entertains and removes negative emotion

Pedagogical

A function of myth that refers to educating individuals about how to live their lives in a specific culture

Etiology

A myth that explains why and how something in the world came to be

Autochthon

Inhabitants of a land that sprung up from its very soil

Catasterism

The process by which a mythological figure is transformed into a star

Psychopomp

An entity that guides the souls of the dead into the afterlife

Apotropaic

A symbol that turns away or averts evil

Panhellenism

A sense of shared cultural identity between all Greeks

Gaia

The personification of the Earth in Greek mythology

Ouranos

The personification of the sky in Greek mythology

Cronus

One of the Titans who castrated Ouranos and ruled before Zeus

Rhea

Sister of Cronus and mother of the Olympians

Zeus

The king of the Olympian gods

Hecatonchires

Mythological creatures with a hundred hands

Tartarus

The deep abyss used as a dungeon of torment in Greek mythology

Typhoeus

The monstrous child of Gaia and Tartarus defeated by Zeus

Prometheus

Titan who stole fire from Olympus for mankind

Epimetheus

Titan who received Pandora as a gift from Zeus

Pandora

The first woman created by the gods, who opened a jar releasing evils into the world

Pithos

A jar given to Pandora that contained all evils except hope

Golden Age

The race of men created by Cronus, who lived in harmony and the earth provided abundant sustenance for them. After Zeus took over, the race ended and the Golden humans became akin to guardian spirits.

Silver Age

The first race of men created by Zeus, who were child-like. They were child-like for much of their lives until they grew up and slew one another. They did not properly honor the gods and Zeus buried them in the earth.

Bronze Age

This race of men were at constant strife with one another and too busy fighting to honor the gods. Zeus wiped them out with a flood.

Age of Heroes

These men were semi-divine and performed great acts of myth such as the Trojan war. Famous denizens of this age were Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Jason, and Achilles.

Iron Age

The current age of man, which Hesiod believes is falling apart due to lack of virtue and respect for family and other culturally respected relationships.

Bronze Age (1600-1150 BCE)

Led into the Iron Age (1150-750 BCE), which led into the Archaic Period (750-490 BCE), which led into the Classical Period (510-323 BCE).

Palatial Civilizations

The Bronze Age was characterized by palatial civilizations such as Knossos in Crete and Mycenae in the Peloponnese.

Linear A

A writing system used by the Cretans during the Bronze Age, which remains undeciphered.

Linear B

A writing system that evolved from Linear A and has been deciphered.

Sea Peoples

A group whose invasion contributed to the collapse of Bronze Age communities.

Hesiod and Homer

Authors likely active during the late Iron Age.

Archaic Period

A time of colonization for the Greeks amongst other cultural developments.

Classical Period

Dominated by Greek city-states known as Poleis, each with their own culture and identity.

Autochthonous People

People believed to be born from the soil, such as the Athenians and Thebans.

Ericthonius

A legendary king of Athens born from the earth after Hephaestus attempted to rape Athena.

Cecrops

Another king born from the land, who established customs and laws in Athens.

Cadmus

The legendary founder of Thebes, who consulted the Delphic Oracle and founded a city where a cow rested.

Sown Teeth

Teeth planted in the earth by Cadmus after slaying a dragon, which gave rise to fully formed warriors.

Gordian Knot

A knot that Alexander the Great cut to establish his rule of Phrygia, said to give kingship to whomever could untie it.

Romulus and Remus

The founders of Rome, abandoned and suckled by a she-wolf, with Romulus later killing Remus over a dispute.

Pomerium

The sacred boundary of Rome created by an oxen ploughing the land around the city.

Leto

Titan who bore Apollo and Artemis after being pursued by Hera, preventing her from giving birth on any land until the island of Delos took her in.

Eileithyia

Goddess of childbirth, daughter of Zeus and Hera, who attended to Leto during her labor.

Niobe

A figure who boasted about having 14 children compared to Leto's 2, leading to her downfall.

Apollo

Father to Asclepius, the god of medicine, Apollo was also a patron of medicine and was responsible for sudden deaths of males to disease.

Asclepius

Asclepius wields the Rod of Asclepius, which is a rod with a single snake, not the Caduceus, a rod with two intertwining snakes.

Hyacinth

Apollo's lover, Hyacinth, was slain after Apollo accidentally threw a discus, which hit his head.

Pythia

The oracle, the Pythia, breathed in fumes from the earth, and gave prophetic sayings from Apollo, while sitting atop a tripod.

Hermes

Hermes functioned as a messenger of the gods and psychopomp, escorting the souls of the dead to the underworld.

Eris

Eris threw a golden apple titled 'To the Fairest' at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, causing Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite to vie for its possession.

Aphrodite

Aphrodite was born from the genitals of Cronus after they were severed by Zeus and landed in the sea, giving her nautical aspects.

Callisto

A follower of Artemis, Callisto slept with Zeus and hid her pregnancy until she gave birth to Arcas.

Arcas

As Arcas was about to slay his mother, typically Zeus turned her into a constellation, Ursa Major, in a process called catasterism.

Hippolytus

Hippolytus, another follower of Artemis, refused Aphrodite, who sent his step-mother, Phaedra, in love after him.

Phaedra

Phaedra tells her husband, Theseus, that Hippolytus raped her, leading to Hippolytus' death.

Theseus

Theseus prays to Poseidon, who sends a bull from the sea, which startles Hippolytus' horses and causes him to die.

Brauronia

Artemis oversaw the initiation rituals of the Brauronia at Athens.

Orthia

Artemis oversaw the initiation rituals of the Orthia at Sparta.

Iconography of Artemis

Artemis is represented by Bow & Quiver, headband, and pelts.

Iconography of Apollo

Apollo is represented by Bow & quiver, laurel wreath, beardless youth, and lyre.

Iconography of Hermes

Hermes is represented by Wand (Caduceus), Traveler's cap, and winged sandals.

Myrrha

Myrrha was driven mad by lust after her father, with whom she slept, and transformed into a Myrrh tree after giving birth to Adonis.

Hyacinthia

From Hyacinth's death, the initiation ritual, the Hyacinthia, was established.

Python

Apollo slew the serpent, Python, at Delphi and established an oracle there.

Adonis

Shared half the year between Aphrodite and Persephone until he was killed by a boar.

Adonia

A festival in which the women of Athens climbed on their roofs, made small flower gardens, and mourned Adonis' death.

Aeneas

A prominent figure of the Trojan war who would later bring the Trojans to Italy and form a civilization that would become Rome.

Aphrodite's attendants

Primarily included Peitho (Persuasion), Harmonia (Harmony), Eros (Love), Pothos (Longing), and Himeros (Desire).

Pandemos

An epithet of Aphrodite meaning 'Of All People'.

Cyprian

A reference to Aphrodite for the island she was born near.

Cytherea

A name for Aphrodite based on the first island she came ashore to.

Hephaestus

The god of metalwork and the forge, with secondary responsibilities as the god of fire and volcanoes.

Lemnos

The island where Hephaestus landed after being flung from Olympus.

Chalceia

The festival of bronze held in honor of Hephaestus.

Ares

The god of bloodlust and warfare who did not have a large cult following.

Areopagus

The Rock of Ares, where Athenian murder trials took place.

Deimus

One of the offspring of Ares and Aphrodite, representing Terror.

Phobus

One of the offspring of Ares and Aphrodite, representing Fear.

Hesiod

A poet from Boeotia who likely composed his works around 700 BCE.

Theogony

Hesiod's work that recounts the generations of the gods and literally means 'birth of the gods'.

Works and Days

Hesiod's work discussing the creation and toils of man.

Homeric Hymns

A collection of hymns praising the Greek gods written between the 7th and 5th century BCE.

Plato's Republic

Composed 380-370 BCE, discussing how the ideal city would function.

Noble Lie

A founding myth proposed by Socrates in the Republic that the original denizens of the city were born from the earth and were each of a certain metal.

Metals in the Noble Lie

People of bronze were craftsmen, people of silver were soldiers, and people of gold were guardians or rulers.

Strife

Hesiod discusses two kinds of Strife: one which turns mortals against each other and one which inspires them to work harder.