Mythology - Chpt. 9 - Male Olympians

What is Hermes's Roman name?

Mercury.

Who are Hermes's parents?

Zeus and Maia.

What is Hermes the god of?

He is the messenger of the gods and protector of merchants and thieves.

What type of mythological figure is Hermes?

A trickster.

What did Hermes steal as an infant?

Apollo's cattle.

How did Apollo react to Hermes stealing his cattle?

He was angry but also amused by Hermes's cleverness.

What did Hermes invent and give Apollo?

The lyre.

What is a psychopomp?

A figure who escorts souls to the Underworld.

What objects commonly identify Hermes in art?

A winged hat, winged sandals, and a staff with intertwined snakes.

What is Hephaestus's Roman name?

Vulcan.

Who is Hephaestus's mother?

Hera.

Who may be Hephaestus's father?

Zeus, depending on the version.

What is Hephaestus the god of?

Smithing, craftsmanship, and volcanic fire.

What physical disability does Hephaestus have?

He is crippled in the feet and has difficulty walking.

Why is Hephaestus associated with volcanoes?

He is the god of volcanic fire, which is hot enough for metalworking.

What places are especially associated with Hephaestus?

Lemnos and volcanoes.

What famous weapon or armor did Hephaestus create for Zeus?

The aegis.

What famous piece of armor did Hephaestus create for Achilles?

Achilles's shield.

What famous woman did Hephaestus create?

Pandora, the first woman.

What did Hephaestus create to serve as attendants?

Golden robots resembling young women.

How did Hephaestus get revenge on Hera for mistreating him?

He created a beautiful golden throne that trapped her in an invisible net.

How did Dionysus convince Hephaestus?

He got Hephaestus drunk enough to agree to free Hera.

Why is Athena considered a female counterpart to Hephaestus?

Athena is associated with female crafts, while Hephaestus is associated with male craftsmanship and smithing.

What did Hephaestus desire from Athena?

He desired her sexually.

Why did Athena flee from Hephaestus?

She was committed to remaining a virgin.

What hero was created from Hephaestus's spilled seed, and what are they associated with?

Erechthonios; The founding of Athens.

Who was given to Hephaestus as his wife?

Aphrodite.

How did Hephaestus catch Aphrodite and Ares’ affair?

He placed an invisible net over his marriage bed and trapped them when they were together.

What did Hephaestus do after trapping Aphrodite and Ares?

He called the gods to witness their infidelity and demanded Aphrodite's dowry back.

Which gods came to see Aphrodite and Ares trapped?

Apollo, Hermes, and Poseidon.

Which gods found the situation amusing?

Apollo and Hermes.

Which god demanded that Hephaestus release them?

Poseidon.

What is Ares's Roman name?

Mars.

Who are Ares's parents?

Zeus and Hera.

What type of war does Ares represent?

Violent, brutal, and uncontrolled warfare.

Who are Ares's children by Aphrodite associated with battle?

Phobos (panic) and Deimos (fear).

Who is Harmonia?

A daughter of Ares and Aphrodite who became the wife of Cadmus.

What is the difference between Ares and Athena?

Ares represents brutal violence and sheer warfare, while Athena represents strategic and intelligent warfare.

Who inspired Diomedes to fight extraordinarily well in the Iliad?

Athena.

Which goddess did Diomedes wound in battle?

Aphrodite.

How did Athena and Diomedes defeat Ares?

They attacked and speared him in the stomach.

How did Zeus feel about Ares?

Zeus disliked him because of his constant fighting and told him to stop whining about Athena.

Who are Apollo's parents?

Zeus and Leto.

Who is Apollo's twin sister?

Artemis.

Where was Apollo born?

Delos.

What areas is Apollo associated with?

Archery, light, music, healing, prophecy, civilization, and order.

What does Apollo generally represent in opposition to chaos?

Order, civilization, and culture.

What is unusual about Apollo's arrows compared to his sister’s?

Apollo's arrows often bring disease, while Artemis's are primarily associated with hunting.

Why did Apollo and Artemis punish Niobe?

She boasted that she was superior to their mother Leto because she had twelve children while Leto had only two.

How many children did Niobe have?

Twelve: six boys and six girls.

Who killed Niobe's children?

Apollo killed her sons, while Artemis killed her daughters.

What happened to Niobe after her children were killed?

She was transformed into a spring that continually flowed with her tears.

Who was Apollo's famous son and mortal doctor?

Asclepius.

Why and how did Zeus kill Asclepius?

Asclepius could bring the dead back to life, upsetting Hades and disrupting the natural order of the Underworld, leading Zeus to strike him with lightning

Who is technically the Greek god of the sun?

Helios.

Why is Apollo associated with the sun?

Over time, Apollo became associated with light and eventually with driving the sun's chariot.

Who was Cassandra?

A Trojan princess who received the gift of prophecy from Apollo.

Why did Apollo curse Cassandra and what was it?

She rejected his love after receiving his prophetic gift, upon which she could see the future in truth, but nobody would ever believe her.

What was Cassandra's curse?

She could accurately see and tell the future, but no one would ever believe her.

Who was Coronis?

The mother of Asclepius.

What did Coronis do while pregnant with Asclepius?

She slept with a mortal man named Iskis.

Who told Apollo about Coronis's affair?

Crows.

How did Apollo punish the crows?

He turned them from white to black.

What happened to Asclepius after Coronis's death?

Apollo rescued him from the womb and gave him to a centaur to raise.

Who was Hyacinth?

A beautiful young man whom Apollo loved.

Who was jealous of Apollo and Hyacinth?

Zephyrus, the West Wind.

How did Hyacinth die?

Zephyrus caused Apollo's discus to change direction and strike Hyacinth.

What did Apollo do after Hyacinth's death?

He transformed him into a flower.

Who was Daphne?

A nymph whom Apollo pursued, despite her rejection of him.

What happened when Daphne could no longer escape Apollo?

She prayed to her parents and was transformed into a laurel tree.

What plant became sacred to Apollo because of Daphne?

The laurel.

What does Apollo often wear because of Daphne?

A laurel wreath.

What was Apollo's most important prophetic center?

The Oracle of Delphi.

What monster did Apollo kill to gain control of Delphi?

Python.

What does Apollo's association with snakes sometimes represent?

His victory over Python.

Why was Delphi important to the ancient Greeks?

It was a Panhellenic center of prophecy and the home of the most important oracle in the Greek world.

What was Apollo's prophetess at Delphi called?

The Pythia.

What did the Pythia do?

She entered a prophetic state inspired by Apollo and delivered predictions.

Who recorded the Pythia's prophecies and how?

Priests of Apollo in dactylic hexameter.

What were some theories about how the Pythia entered a prophetic state?

Some traditions say she inhaled vapors from a chasm, while others associate the state with sacred laurel leaves.