Flashcards: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, and Textual/Language Elements (Vocabulary)

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering key people, places, events, and concepts from The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, and related textual/language features discussed in the notes.

Homer

Ancient Greek poet praised as the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey; nicknamed the ‘blind poet.’

Iliad

Homeric epic about part of the Trojan War; title from Ilion (Troy).

Ilion

Ancient name for Troy.

ilias poeisis

Greek phrase meaning ‘poem of Ilion.’

Troy

Ancient city in Asia Minor, scene of the Trojan War.

Golden apple / Apple of discord

Goddess Eris’ prize at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis; Paris’s judgment sparked the war.

Paris

Trojan prince who judged the goddesses and awarded Helen; sparked the Trojan War.

Helen

Wife of Menelaus whose abduction/return sparked the war.

Menelaus

King of Sparta; asks Agamemnon for help to retrieve Helen.

Agamemnon

King of Mycenae; leader of the Greek coalition; sacrifices Iphigenia.

Iphigenia

Daughter of Agamemnon sacrificed to calm Artemis’ sea winds.

Achilles

Greece’s greatest warrior; invulnerable except for his heel (Styx).

Thetis

Achilles’ mother; a sea-nymph who dipped him in the River Styx.

Briseis

Captive woman whose loss to Agamemnon sparks Achilles’s wrath.

Patroclus

Achilles’ close friend; dies wearing Achilles’ armor, prompting Achilles to return to battle.

Hector

Trojan prince and great warrior; killed by Achilles; his body is mourned by Priam.

Priam

King of Troy who pleads with Achilles for Hector’s body.

Trojan War

War between the Greeks and Trojans, sparked by Helen’s abduction.

Trojan Horse

Greeks’ ruse: a wooden horse inside Troy; Greeks destroy Troy at night.

Poseidon

God of the sea; helped the Greeks’ walls; later opposes Odysseus in The Odyssey.

Athena

Goddess who aids the Greeks during the war.

Protesilaus

First Greek to die when the Greeks land; prophecy fulfilled.

Odyssey

Homeric epic about Odysseus’ long return home; sequel to The Iliad.

Ismarus

Ismaros: home of the Cicones, Odysseus’ first stop on the return voyage.

Lotus-Eaters

People who eat the lotus, causing memory of home to fade.

Polyphemus

Cyclops; son of Poseidon; Odysseus blinds him to escape.

Aeolus

Wind god who gives Odysseus a bag of winds.

Laestrygonians

Giant cannibals who destroy most of Odysseus’ ships.

Circe

Enchantress who turns men into pigs; later aids Odysseus and his crew.

Underworld

Realm of the dead; Odysseus consults Tiresias here.

Tiresias

Theban prophet Odysseus meets in the Underworld.

Sirens

Creatures whose songs lure sailors to shipwreck; Odysseus is warned and restrained.

Scylla

Six-headed sea monster; Odysseus loses some men to her.

Charybdis

Deadly whirlpool; Odysseus must navigate between it and Scylla.

Cattle of Helios (Thrinacia)

Sacred cattle Odysseus’ crew eats—Zeus destroys their ship as punishment.

Calypso

Nymph who keeps Odysseus on Ogygia for seven years; eventually releases him.

Phaeacians

People of Scheria who aid Odysseus and provide a ship home to Ithaca.

Ithaca

Odysseus’ homeland; site of his long return journey.

Penelope

Odysseus’ faithful wife; renowned for her weaving and test with the bow.

Telemachus

Odysseus’ son; helps reclaim Ithaca upon his father’s return.

Aeneid

Epic by Virgil about Aeneas’ journey from Troy to founding Rome.

Virgil

Roman poet who authored The Aeneid.

Aeneas

Trojan hero who survives Troy and founds a line leading to Rome.

Venus

Goddess; mother of Aeneas; also known as Aphrodite in Greek myth.

Juno (Hera)

Queen of the gods; opposes Aeneas; seeks to block his destiny.

Jupiter (Zeus)

King of the gods; provides prophecy and guidance for Aeneas’ fate.

Dido

Queen of Carthage; falls in love with Aeneas and ultimately dies by suicide.

Sibyl

Prophetess who guides Aeneas to the Underworld.

Latium

Region in Italy where Aeneas settles and where Rome’s origins begin.

Romulus

Mythic founder of Rome; son of Mars and Romulan; establishes Rome.

Alba Longa

Ancient city near Rome; origin of Romulus and the Roman line.

Augustus

First Roman emperor; marks the golden age; prophesied in The Aeneid.

Ascanius / Iulus

Aeneas’ son; early ancestor of Romulus and Rome.

Cupid

God of desire; helps Venus arrange Dido’s love for Aeneas.

Delos

Island visited by the Trojans; prophecy about their ancient mother.

Crete

Initial homeland considered by Anchises as the ancient mother before Italy reveal.

Strophades

Islands where Harpies curse the Trojans.

Buthrotum

Epirus setting where Helenus and Andromache advise Aeneas.

Achaemenides

Greek left behind by Odysseus among the Cyclopes; later rescued.

Carthage

City ruled by Dido; courtship with Aeneas; gatekeeping city in The Aeneid.

Caput Mundi

Latin phrase meaning ‘capital of the world,’ i.e., Rome’s supremacy.

Urbs Aeterna

Latin for ‘Eternal City,’ a name for Rome.

Trojan Horse (emphasis card)

Greeks’ ruse to infiltrate Troy and destroy it at night.

Textual Aids / Text Features

Tools that stand out from the main text to aid understanding (bold, italics, titles, pictures, etc.).

Bold print

Textual aid used to signal important information or new words.

Italic print

Textual aid used to signal important words, ideas, or foreign terms.

Titles

Textual aid that signals what a text is about before reading.

Pictures/Images

Visual aids that provide clues about a text’s content.

Drawings/Sketches

Preliminary or simpler drawings used as visual aids.

Graphic Organizers

Tools like diagrams and charts that organize information visually.

Venn Diagram

Graphic organizer used to compare and contrast two or more items.

Table

Graphic organizer for tabulating data.

Concept Map

Diagram showing relationships among ideas.

Charts

Graphs or displays of data.

KWL Chart

Graphic organizer: What I Know, What I Want to know, What I Learned.

Intensive Pronouns

Pronouns ending in -self/-selves used to emphasize the subject (e.g., Kim herself).

Reflexive Pronouns

Pronouns used as objects to reflect back on the subject (e.g., herself).

Direct Characterization

Author directly tells the reader about a character.

Indirect Characterization

Author shows a character’s traits through actions, thoughts, or speech.

Exposition

Part of a plot that introduces characters, setting, and situation.

Rising Action

Series of events building toward the climax.

Climax

Highest point of tension or turning point in the story.

Falling Action

Events resolving the conflict after the climax.

Resolution

Conclusion of the story where conflicts are resolved.

Aeneid plot points

Troy’s fall; journey to Italy; encounters with Dido, Sibyl, Latium, Turnus; Rome’s destined founding.

4 steps in solving a problem

Define the problem; generate alternatives; evaluate and select; implement and follow up.

Receiving (Analytical Listening)

Stage of listening where information is first taken in.

Understanding (Analytical Listening)

Grasping meaning of the information received.

Evaluating (Analytical Listening)

Assessing the information critically.

Responding (Analytical Listening)

Providing feedback based on what you heard.

Remembering (Analytical Listening)

Retaining the information for later use.