Greek Mythology MIDTERM #I

Rhea + Cronus

Hieros Games= Sacred marriage

First Generation of the Olympian Gods: Hestia (Vesta), Demeter (Ceres), Hera (Juno), Hades (Pluto), Poseidon (Neptune), Zeus (Jupiter/Jove)

Hestia (Vesta)

Rhea+ Cronus (first born child)

Goddess of the hearth (home/private)

Related to the eternal flame

Virgin goddess

Demeter (Ceres)

Rhea + Cronus

Goddess of agriculture, grain, fertility, life and death

Iconography: Hair up, crown (like Hera), vail, cornucopia or wheat

• Founder of the secret cult the Eleusinian mysteries

Mother or Persephone

Story:

• After Persephone was abducted, she stoped growing stuff, ethology of seasons, life and death

Eleusinian Mysteries

In honor of Demeter

Open to all (initiation required)

celebrated annually in the autumn

Persephone (Proserpina)

Zeus + Demeter

Queen of the underworld/dead

Married to Hades (1/3 year spent with him)

Iconography: Hair down, cornucopia/ wheat, of in a thrown next to Hades, or picking flowers

Hera (Juno)

Rhea + Cronus

Goddess of marriage (morality in), childbirth, fertility

Married to Zeus (hieros gamos)

Iconography: Crown, vail, sceptor (fancy cane),

Animal: Peacocks

Hades (Pluto)

Rhea + Cronus

God of the underworld/death, “the wealthy one”, fertility of the earth, “the unseen one”

Married to Persephone

Iconography: Bearded man, Royal staff, 3 headed dog Cerberus (born from Acidna and Typhon), Sometimes with his wife Persephone

Rivers Styx

The river of hate

Charon (ferryman) guides you across this river only if you are properly buried. (In a boat, with a thimble hat)

River Lethe

River of forgetfulness

Dipped in this river ones, you have learned about the goals of life which is virtue

Tityus

Tried to rape Leto

Punishment: Stretched across 9 acres, two vultures eating his liver over and over again

Tantalus

He tried to fed his son to the gods

Punishment: In water, with fruit tantalizing him, and he can never eat of drink anything

Sisyphus

Tricked Persephone into letting him go back up to be properly buried, he stayed, Hermes brought him back

Punishment: Rolling boulder up a hill over and over again

Ixion

Tried to rape Hera

Zeus tricked his into sleeping (and impregnating) a cloud that looked like Hera. The cloud kid is the father of the Centaur.

Punishment: Dizziness (forced on a wheel)

Poseidon (Neptune)

Rhea + Cronus

God of the sea, earthquakes, horses, fertility

Brings prosperity and wealth, yet simultaneously feared

Iconography: Bearded, trident, sea animals

Zeus (Jupiter/Jove)

Rhea + Cronus

Married to Hera

God of thunder and lighting, king of the gods

Nature: Justice, hospitality

Iconography: Bearded, in a thrown, Aegis (goat skin), thunder bolts

Animal: eagle

Plant: oak tree

Hidden from Cronus in Mt. Dicte or Mt. Ida after his birth and raised by Corybantes/Curetes (soldier attendants, and noise makers) and Amalthea (goat that nursed him)

Cosmogony

Creation of the universe

Theogony

Creation of the gods

Chaos (void)

Gaia/Ge

Tartarus (the depth of the earth)

Erebus (Darkness of Tartarus)

Eros (sexual love)

Gaia

Uranus (The sky)

Mountains

Pontus (the sea)

Gaia + Uranus

Titans: Cronus, Rhea, Iapetus, Oceanus, Hyperion

Cyclopes: Brontes ”thunderer”, Steropes “lightning”, Arges “bright” (blacksmiths)

Hecatonchires “100-Handers”

Oceanus + Tethys

Oceanids

3000 girls and 3000 boys. Streams, river, and springs

Often represented lying down

Hyperion + Theia

Helius (sun god), Selene (Moon goddess), Eos (the dawn)

Phaëthon

Helius + Clymene

Borrowed his chariot and did not know how to yield it, the world went upside down, Zeus shot him down and he died

The Furies

Gaia + [Uranus] (Maybe just his castration blood)

Located in Tartarus

Iconography: Carry snakes and torches, often seen tormenting Zeus’ enemies

Typhon

Gaia + Tartarus

50 head monster

3rd battle for Zeus’ rise to power (Typhonomachy)

Mt. Aetna on Sicily

Iapetus + Clymene

Prometheus (for thought)

Epimetheus (afterthought)

Atlas (he who was punished after the Titanomachy by holding up the earth)

Prometheus

Known for civilizing humans by bringing them fire and showing the benefits of animal sacrifices to the gods (religious practices)

Storie:

• Tried to fool Zeus by presenting two offerings; one bone covered in fat and another meat slab covered in innards (this was to keep fire)

• Zeus is no fool, but lets him think he is being tricked, he steals fire back

• Prometheus steals in back again and he is punished by getting his liver eaten over and over again by a vulture

Epimetheus

Story:

• To punish humans, the gods created Pandora and her box and offered to him

• Life was good before Pandora, then poverty, stress and heartship

Zeus and Io

Story:

• Io is a priestess of Hera

• She and zeus get together (he is a cloud)

• She is turned in to a cow (protection or vengence?)

• Hera sets Argus (all-eyed) on her, but Zeus sends Hermes to kill him (this is were he gets the name Slayer of Argus) Argus is turned into a fly? Or his eyes re placed on the peacock

• Hera then sets a gat fly on her, and she goes crazy (Ionian sea)

Zeus and Europa

Story:

• Zeus (disguised as a bull) dragged Europa to Crete where she gave brith to Minos (the minotor)

Zeus and Leda

Story:

• Leda is the queen of sparta

• Zeus (disguised as a swan) had sex with her

• With Zeus, she has Helen and Polydeuces and two other children from her husband (at the same time?)

Eileithyia

Zeus + Hera

Goddess of childbirth

• Helps birth Apollo on the island of Delos

Athena (Minerva)

Zeus + [Metis]

Born out of Zeus’ head after he swallowed Metis (personification of intelligence)

Goddess of strategic warfare, weaving, virgin goddess, cunning, deceptive,

Iconography: Full armour, aegis, Snakes (maybe), spear,

Symbols: Owl, olive tree, civilization,

Stories:

• The blinding of Tiresias (becomes a long living prophet)

• Arachne (Hubris)

• The battle between Athena and Poseidon for worship in Athen

The five ages of man

Golden age (everyone was happy)

Silver age (long childhood, short adulthood)

Bronze age (war and violence)

The age of Heroes (Trojan war)

Iron age (Now; Work, sadness, no respect, cruelty)

Thetis (Nereids)

Peleus + Thetis = Achilles

She is a shapeshifter

Galatea

• Loved by cyclopes (Polyphemus), but she love Acis so her kills him

• Acis is turned into a river god

Amphitrite

Nereid

Married to Poseidon and have Triton (Merman)

Scylla

turned into a sea monster (whirlpool)

Iconography: Beautiful women, half sea creature, dogs

Hellen (first greek)

Deucalion (son of Prometheus) + Pyrrha (daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora)

Hephaestus (Vulcan)

Zeus + Hera

God of fire and blacksmithing, the lame god

Married to Aphrodite

Iconography: naked and bearded (big help)

Thrown of of mt. Olympus (dragged back by Dionysus)

Lemnos (lime lemons)

Ares (Mars)

Zeus + Hera

God of war, violence, mallet beatings, bloodlust

Iconography: War helmet, young, no beard

Lover of Aphrodite (Harmonia, Eros,

Animal: Boar

Has no temple, not very liked by the gods

Apollo (Apollo)

Zeus + Leto

God of music, poetry, prophecy, and diseases (good and bad)

Iconography: Young, beardless, lyre in hand, bow

Tree: Laurel tree

Choir leader of the muses

Place of worship": Delos and Delphi (religious worship, centre of world, Pythia (prophetes)

Story:

• Kills dragoness to build temple at Delphi, everyone happy as drogon was scawy)

• He gets his attendants by capturing a ship (as a dolphin) and to Delphi

• Lovers

  • Sibyl: In exchange for virginity, Apollo gives her immortality but not youth, she leave him because she scared that he would not love her old

  • Cassandra: Apollo gives her prophetic powers, but he backs out of sex, and he spits in her mouth. She them is cursed where no one believes her

  • Daphne: Cupid makes Apollo love Daphne and Daphne fear Apollo. He chances her, she asked to be turned into a Laurel tree.

  • Hyacintus: Male competition and testosterone makes him cocky and he hurts himself with a Discus and dies. Apollo grown flowers from his blood.

  • Cyparissus: Suicidal after he kills his favourite stag. Asks Apollo to kill him and is turned into the tree of morning (Cyprus tree)

  • Coronis: Apollo hears of her unfaithfulness and shoots her down while pregnant. He saves the kid (Asclepium) and gives him to Chiron. He becomes a great doctor.

• Marsyas challenges his to a music dual. He looses and gets flayed alive.

Anius

Son of Apollo

Daughter

Elaïs (olive Girl)

Spermo (Seed girl)

Oeno (wine girl)

• Turned into doves by Dionysus

Artemis (Diana)

Zeus + Leto

Goddess of the hunt, virgin goddess, protector of children (childbirth)

Born of Delos

Story:

• Niobe insulted Leto, so Artemis and Apollo killed most her children but saved the last one as she was turned into a rock

• Actaeon saw her naked, she turned him into a stag and he was killed by his own dogs

• Callisto (slept with Zeus) Turned into a bear by Hera. Her son Arcas almost kills her but did not. Placed into the sky as the Big and little bear.

Dionysus (Bacchus)

Zeus + Semele

God of wine and grapes, madness, theatre, ecstasy “Standing outside of oneself”, protector and destroyer of mortals, phallus

Miracles, shapeshifting into eastern animals

Iconography: Young, ivy around his head, staff with pine cone, leapard skin, large drinking vessel (cantharus), often surrounded by the Maenads/satyrs/Bacchae

Animals: eastern animals

Story:

• After Semele bursts into flames, he is sown into Zeus thigh (second birth)

• Sparagmos, “Tearing of flesh”, Omophagia “eating raw meat”

• Turns pirates into dolphins after they abduct him (creepy smile)

• Married to Ariadne (happy wedding)

• His revenge stories are always very personal and psychological

• Temples to Dionysus located close to Theatres

Hermes (Mercury)

Zeus + Maia

God of messages, tricks, change, boundaries, roads, countryside, “slayer of Argus”,

Psychopompos: Brings souls to the underworld.

Iconography: Travellers cap/ shield, herald wand (two snakes), winged sandals, young man

Story:

• On his first day alive, he invented the lyre (killed a turtle and used sheep guts)

• He stole 50 of Apollo’s cows and tricked everyone into believing it wasn’t him

• After a trial with Zeus, he gives Apollo the lyre and they become friends

Herms

Stone of fertility and luck

Alcibiades (war general) was charged and punished for desecrating them and exiled

Aphrodite (Venus)

Zeus + Dione

From the blood of Uranus’ castration mixed with the foam of the earth

Married to Hephaestus (sleeps with Ares, Hermes,…)

Iconography: Naked (covering herself), bath scene, sash or girdle

Power is grievous love

Accompanies by the Charites (Graces) and the Horae (seasons)

Fates (Moirai)

Zeus + Themis ???

Harmonica (Concordia)

Aphrodite + Ares

Eros (Cupid)

Ares + Aphrodite or born from Chaos

erotic love or desire

Iconography: Toddle with wings and bow and arrow

Hermaphroditus

Aphrodite + Hermes

Both sexes

Salmacis wished for them to be together

Priapus

Hermes + Aphrodite

Giant phallus

Fertility god

Bringer of good luck

Aphrodite + Anchises

• Zeus created this union as he wished Aphrodite to suffer the same pain she inflicted on other gods of loving a mortal

• Anchises is a mortal “vegetation god”

• Birth of Aeneas, the founder of the Roman race

Cupid (love) + psyche (Soul)

Voluptas (pleasure)

Apollo + Coronis

Asclepius

Raised by Chiron

God of medicine

Daphnis

Hermes + nymph

Character of the country side (shepherd)

Died of unrequited love

Invented the bucolic song (shepherd son about work or unrequited love)

Pan

Hermes + Dryope

Pan flute / half goat (satyrs)

Iconography: Often see chasing people with a erect phallus, half-goat

Story:

• Syrinx was transformed into hollow water reeds to escape Pan. He then cuts the reeds and turn them into a panflute to sing his sad song

Echo and Narcissus

Hera cured Echo because she hid one of Zeus’ affairs. She could only speak the last words spoken to her.

Narcissus feel in love with his own reflection. Sad that he couldn’t be with himself, he died.