Classic Myth Test 1

3 Cyclopses

Brontes, Steropes, Arges

3 Fates

Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos

3 Hundred-Handers

Coittus, Briareus, Gyges

4 Panhellenic (All Greeks) Games

Olympic (Zeus), Isthmian at Corinth (Poseidon), Pythian at Delphi (Apollo), Nemean (Zeus)

9 muses

daughters of Zues and mnemosyne

12 Titans

Oceanus, Rhea, Thea, Coeus, Crius, Themis, Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Iapetus, Phoebe, Cronus, Tethys

12/14 Olympians

Zeus, Hades, Demeter, Hera, Hestia, Poseidon, Athena, Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Dionysus, and Persephone (Hestia and Hades are omitted often to make 12)

A triton among minnows

big fish in a small a pond

adamant

Cronus had a sickle made of adamant, used it castrate Ouranos

Aegis

Origin: aigis, shield of Zeus
Meaning: protection

Aeolus

King of winds

Aeschylus (Prometheus Trilogy)

Prometheus is the hero and is sent to the Caucasus mountains to be punished. Hephaestus is sent to chain him up. Atlas is holding up the sky near. Io is ravaged my Zeus as a cloud. Hera sees the cloud, Zeus hears her coming and turns Io into a cow which Hera takes and uses Argus to guard.

Aether

bright air and day

Anagnorsis

Recognition

Aphrodisiac

Origin: Aphrodite
Meaning: stimulates sexual desire

Aphrodite

"Gift of foam", born from blood of Ouranos reaching Earth, goddess of love and desire

Aphrodite (Venus)

love, sex, myrtle dove

Apollo

God of wisdom and reason, associated with sun (Phoebus), prophesy, archer, disease/plague-healing, music/poetry, leader of the muses, lyre, raven, laurel wreath

Apollo and Daphne

Apollo falls in love with the daughter of a river god. He sees cupid with two arrows, one gold and sharp to make people fall in love and one dull to make people lose love. Apollo is shot with the sharp one and Daphne is shot with the dull one. Apollo chases her and just as he's about to catch her, she prays to her father and turns into a laurel tree

Apollonian

Origin: Apollo
Meaning: rational, ordered

Arctic

Origin: Arktos, ulsa minor
Meaning: north pole, cold

Ares (Mars)

God of war and violence, son of Zeus and Hera, vulture

Argus-eyed

Origin: Argus
Meaning: vigilant

Artemis (Diana)

twin to Apollo, patron of hunting, bow, arrow, stag, hostile to men, associated with moon, illogical behavior

Asclepius

God of medicine

Athena (Minerva)

Conceived by Metis and Zeus, swallowed by Zeus at birth and later sprang from his head, first child of Zeus, wisdom and reason, owl, olive, patron goddess of handicrafts (weaving)

Athenaeum

Origin: Athena
Meaning: temple of Athena

Atlas

Holds up the sky in the west

Atlas

Origin: Atlas
Meaning: book of maps

Aurora Borealis

Origin: Aurora, goddess of dawn
Meaning: northern lights

Calliope

Origin: name of one of the muses
Meaning: instrument

Callisto and Arcas

daughter of Lycaon, devoted to Diana, Jove disguises himself as Diana and rapes her. When the real Diana discovers that she is pregnant, she is banished. Juno turns her into a bear. Later, her son nearly kills her while hunting, and both are turned into constellations.

Catharsis (of pity and fear)

Audience members feel better after seeing a play because it relieves their negative emotions

Cavea

The seating arena for plays

Cereal

Origin: Ceres
Meaning: food made from grain

Chaos

chasm or void

Chaos

Origin: Chasm
Meaning: Empty void, chasm

Climb Mt. Parnassus

to overcome an obstacle

Cosmos

order

Cosmos/Cosmopolitan/Cosmetics

Origin: Chaos to cosmos
Meaning: order/beauty

Cthonic

Underground

Cupidity

Origin: Cupid
Meaning: greed

Cyclopean

Origin: Cyclopes
Meaning: Round-eyed

Cyprogenes

cyprus born

Daphnean

Origin: Nymph, Daphne
Meaning: shy, bashful

Delphic

Origin: Delphi
Meaning: obscure, ambiguous

Demeter (Ceres)

Goddess of grain and agriculture

Dionysian

Origin: Dionysus
Meaning: relating to Dionysus

Dionysus (Bacchus)

Son of Zeus and Semele (mortal woman), not mentioned by Homer, wine, festivity, irrational (opposite of Apollo), male version of Demeter

Duecalion and Pyrrha

Jove is so angered by Lycaon that he decides to wipe out the human race. He wants to use a fire, but uses a flood instead due to fire's unpredictability. Mt. Parnassus is so tall that a devout couple that lives on it is spared. An oracle comes from temple of Themis. They take stones, which are turned into children and earth is repopulated.

Eileithyia

Goddess of childbirth

Epimetheus

"Afterthought", marries Pandora

Episodes

Scenes

Erebus

Darkness and night

Erotic

Origin: Eros
Meaning: attraction

Exodos

Chorus leaves

Five Ages of Man

1. Gold (Cronus/Saturn)
2. Silver (Zeus)
3. Bronze- Ares (world consumed with violence)
4. Heroes- More righteous and noble than Bronze age
5. Iron- Men are troubled by misery and strife

Ge or gaia

Earth

Geography/Geology/Geometry/Georgia

Origin: Gaia
Meaning: earth

Great Dionysia in Athens trilogy

Prometheus Bound

Hades (Pluto/Dis)

God of underworld, Lord of the dead, kidnapped Persephone

Hamartia

Fault, crime, sin

Hebe

Goddess of youth

Hecate

Goddess of witchcraft and magic, associated with moon

Heliocentric/Heliotropic

Origin: Helios
Meaning: around the sun/concerning the sun

Helios

Personification of the sun

Helios and Phaethon

Epaphus and Phaethon are playing one day when Epaphus demands proof that Phaethon is actually the son of Helios. Phaethon goes to his father and begs for a favor, to which Helios swears on the River Styx that he will give. Phaethon asks his father to let him drive the chariot across the sky, and Helios has to let him. When he does this, the horses realize it's a different person and pull the chariot off course. It gets too close to earth and sets fires. Jove has to intervene, killing Phaethon

Helium

Origin: Helios
Meaning: of the sun, relating to the sun

Hephaestus (Vulcan)

Son of Hera alone, black smith, god of the forge, ugly and lame, married to Aphrodite

Hera (Juno)

Woman, marraige, peacock, Queen of heaven, Zeus' sister and wife, patron of women

Hermes (Mercury)

Son of Zeus and Maia, herald, messenger god, patron of travelers, merchants and thieves, escorts people to underworld

hesiod

human-shaped

Hestia (Vesta)

Hearth and home, goddess of home and domesticity

Horai

"seasons" , watchers

Hubris

Arrogant pride

Hygiene

Origin: Art of health
Meaning: cleanliness and healthiness

Iris

Goddess of rainbow, iridescence

Iris/Iridescent

Origin: Goddess of the rainbow
Meaning: Color/Colorful

January

Origin: Janus
Meaning: beginning, opening

Janus-faced/Janitor

Origin: Janus (god of doorways, gates)
Meaning: keeper, watcher

Jovial

Origin: Jove
Meaning: Happy (from astrology)

June

Origin: Juno

Junoesque

Origin: Juno
Meaning: royal, queen-like

Kommos

Dialogue between actor and chorus

Leto

With Zeus had Artemis and Apollo

Lunar/Lunatic

Origin: Luna
Meaning: Moon

Lycanthropy

Origin: Lycaon
Meaning: transformation into a wolf

Lycaon

"Wolf", known for being wicked so Jove goes to earth disguised as a human and is almost tricked into eating a cannibalistic meal. Jove gets angry and turns Lycaon into a wolf

Machina/Mechane

A crane used in ancient Greek theaters

Maia

Mother of Hermes

March

Origin: Mars

Martial

Origin: Mars
Meaning: military association

May

Origin: Maia

Mercurial

Origin: Mercury
Meaning: unpredictable

Metamorphoses

"Transformations"

Metis

Zeus' first spouse, cunning, mother of Athena

Mnemonic

Origin: name of one of the muses, memory
Meaning: device to help one remember something

Muse

Origin: the 9 muses
Meaning: inspiration, typically artistic

Museum

Origin: muses
Meaning: place where art is kept

Music

9 muses