Common Mythological and Biblical Allusion

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering major figures, gods, and myths from Greek and Roman mythology based on the lecture notes.

Odysseus / Ulysses

King of Ithaca and Greek hero favored by Athena; known for the Trojan Horse plan and a ten-year journey home from the Trojan War as told in the Odyssey.

Oedipus

Theban king and tragic hero who fulfilled a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother; he blinded himself after solving the riddle of the Sphinx and discovering the truth.

Pan

The god of nature, the wild, and shepherds who was half-man and half-goat; he is associated with fertility, spring, and the pan flute.

Satyrs

Nature spirits depicted as half-man and half-goat known for revelry and wild sexual behavior; they are often companions for Dionysus.

Pandora

The first woman, created by Hephaestus, who opened a box (or urn) that released all evils into the world, though hope remained inside.

Paris

Son of Priam who started the Trojan War by awarding the golden apple to Aphrodite in the Judgment of Paris and abducting Helen; he later killed Achilles with an arrow to the heel.

Demeter / Ceres

Goddess of the harvest and agriculture whose grief over the kidnapping of her daughter Persephone caused a famine and explains the four seasons.

Persephone

Daughter of Demeter who was kidnapped by Hades to be his bride; because she ate pomegranate seeds in the underworld, she must spend half the year there.

Phoenix

A mythical, immortal bird that bursts into flame upon death and is reborn from its own ashes.

Poseidon / Neptune

Brother of Zeus and Hades and god of the sea; he is associated with horses, earthquakes, and the trident.

Prometheus

A Titan who created man from clay and stole fire from Zeus to give to humans; he was punished by having an eagle eat his liver daily.

Sirens

Nymphs who lured sailors to their deaths by singing until their ships crashed onto rocks.

Sisyphus

A wealthy Greek mortal who cheated death twice and was condemned to roll a heavy rock up a hill for eternity.

River Styx

The mythical river that separates the underworld from the land of the living.

Tantalus

A mortal who stole ambrosia and nectar and served his cooked son to the gods; he was punished with eternal hunger and thirst.

Zeus / Jupiter

King of the gods and god of the sky who wields a thunderbolt and is symbolized by the eagle.

Achilles

Son of Peleus and Thetis who was dipped in the River Styx for immortality, except for his heel; he was killed in the Trojan War when an arrow struck his vulnerable spot.

Adonis

A handsome mortal loved by Aphrodite and Persephone who was killed by a wild boar sent by a god.

Aphrodite / Venus

Goddess of love and beauty born from sea foam created by the severed genitals of Uranus; wife of Hephaestus and lover of Ares.

Apollo

God of archery, music, poetry, prophecy, and healing; twin brother of Artemis associated with the sun.

Ares / Mars

God of war described as a savage; famously caught in an affair with Aphrodite by Hephaestus.

Artemis / Diana

Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, childbirth, and chastity; a virgin goddess and twin sister of Apollo associated with the moon.

Athena / Minerva

Goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare strategy born from Zeus's head; she transformed Arachne into a spider and Medusa into a Gorgon.

Centaur

A creature that is half-man in the front and half-horse in the back; Chiron is the most famous for his wisdom and teaching.

Cerberus

The three-headed dog that guards the entrance to Hades, the underworld.

Chaos

The void or unordered mass that existed before the world was created.

Cronus (Cronos or Kronos)

Youngest son of Uranus and Gaia and king of the Titans who swallowed his children to avoid being overthrown but was defeated by Zeus.

Cyclopes

One-eyed giants who manufactured Zeus's thunderbolts; includes Polyphemus, who was blinded by Odysseus.

Daedalus and Icarus

An inventor who built the labyrinth and his son; they attempted to escape using wax wings, but the son died after flying too close to the sun.

Dionysus / Bacchus

God of wine, ecstasy, and fertility; he is the only god with a mortal parent, having been born from Zeus's thigh after Semele's death.

Eros / Cupid

The god of love and sex, often depicted with wings and a bow and arrow.

Hades / Pluto

Brother of Zeus and king of the underworld; god of the dead and wealth.

Hephaestus / Vulcan

God of blacksmiths and fire who was sent out of Mount Olympus due to a birth defect; husband of Aphrodite.

Hera / Juno

Queen of the gods and goddess of marriage; known for being vengeful toward Zeus's many mortal children.

Hercules

Greatest Greek hero and demigod son of Zeus who completed the 12 labors as punishment for killing his family during a madness caused by Hera.

Hermes / Mercury

Messenger of the gods and protector of travelers and thieves; he wore winged sandals and guided souls to the underworld.

King Midas

An ancient king who was granted a wish that everything he touched turn to gold; according to some myths, Apollo gave him donkey ears.

Minotaur

A half-bull, half-man monster born from King Minos's wife and a bull and housed in a labyrinth built by Daedalus.

Mount Olympus

The home of the gods.

Narcissus and Echo

A man who fell in love with his own reflection and was turned into a flower, and a nymph cursed to only repeat the last thing others say.