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Mythology Test 1
Compiled the quiz decks I made together and added mon + wed notes
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mythology | Through stories, __ is the imaginative or inspired inquiry into the fundamental relationships of human existence |
| Muthos | means story |
| Logos | a suffix meaning “practices of stuff” “the study of” |
| Etiology | one of the types of myth, explains why something is the way it is |
| Folktale | one of the types of myth, largely for entertainment, but includes a moral lesson. Teaches what not to do. More often imaginative. |
| Legend / Saga | either an attempt of or a mimic of a historical account |
| Phaethon | Son of Apollo + Clymene (a mortal woman). Asks Apollo if he can drive the sun chariot for a day. fails to control the horses and drives too low, scorching the land in Africa. |
| Apollo (Phaethon Myth) | Greek Sun god, father of Phaethon, drives the sun chariot across the sky |
| Clymene | Phaethon’s mom |
| Crete | an island below Greece that developed separately and later culturally combined. |
| Early Bronze Age | 3000 BC |
| Peak of Crete | 4000 BC - 1400 BC |
| Linear A | Crete's written language circa 1800 BC. Pictural, not yet understood. |
| King Minos | First king of Crete. |
| Europa | mother of king Minos. Rode Zeus (as a bull) to the island of Crete. Banged Zeus as a bull |
| Zeus/Jupiter (Minoan Myth) | Greek king of gods, father of king Minos |
| Pasiphae | Wife of King Minos, mother of the Minotaur. |
| Poseidon/Neptune (Minoan Myth) | Greek god of the ocean and bulls. Wants King Minos' most prized bull, but when he doesn't sacrifice it, he makes Minos' wife bang the bull. |
| Minotaur | The son of Pasiphae and a bull. Imprisoned in a labyrinth in Crete. |
| Minoans | citizens of Crete |
| Matriarchal | a culture where women have more power and respect than men. Likely what the original pantheon of Crete was like until Greek influence. |
| Patriarchal | a culture where men have more power and respect than women. The dynamic of the Greek pantheon. |
| Indo-European Migration | over the course of time, the gradual move of people from the Russia-Ukraine area Westward into Europe. Caused cultural merging. Started to effect the Crete area around 2000 BC |
| Mycenae | the part of Greece where the language of Linear A combined with the languages of the Indo-Europeans into Linear B around 1500 BC. Likely the area where the Trojan war would have happened. |
| Linear B | A language derived from Linear A and an Indo-European language. Developed around 1500 BC. Later further developed into Greek. We do understand it. |
| Dorians | invaded Mycenae around 1100 BC, cause a dark age where most written language disappears and nothing is recorded until 800 BC |
| Homer | Recorded stories in 800 BC with a more developed version of Linear B |
| Euhemerism | The theory that the idea of gods come from real people that achieved such huge feats people deified them. |
| Solar theory | the theory that all myths are somehow tied to the cycle of the sun |
| Psycho Analysis | the theory that myths are like cultural dreaming and can be analyzed the same way as dreams to understand a society's psychological issues. |
| Carl Young's archetypes | the theory that humanity has a shared consciousness, and that's why cultures with no contact with each other have many similar myths |
| Hesiod | Major Greek writer that came after Homer,(750 BC), wrote The Theogony |
| The Theogony | A Myth written by Hesiod. The birth of the gods. A creation story about the 3 generations of deities and the formation of the system of power between them. |
| Chaos | a disorganized opening/pit. what existed before creation. |
| Ge (Gaia) | Woman deity that embodies the Earth literally. Was born out of chaos. Mother of the titans |
| Ouranos | Man deity that embodies the Sky literally. created by Ge then marries her. Father of the titans |
| hieros gamos | Sacred marriage between the Earth (Ge) and Sky (Ouranos) |
| The titans | The 12 children of Ge and Ouranos. Ouranos feared that they would take power from him and prevented them from being born. |
| Cronus | King of the titans. titan of fertility. lobbed off Ouranos' dick with a sickle for him preventing the titans for being born, usurped power. Father of 6 of the Olympians, married the titan Rhea. Believed to have been a pre-Greek deity |
| Oceanus | Titan that personified the oceans that encircle the earth. |
| Hyperion | Titan of the sun |
| Rhea | Queen of the Titans, married Cronus. Titan of the Earth but not physically it. Mother of 6 of the Olympians |
| Mnemosyne | Titan of memory. Mother of the 9 muses |
| Iapetus | Titan of morality |
| Saturnalia | Roman version of the Greek holiday celebrating Cronus's Golden Age |
| Magna Mater | "great mother" Ge was the first, Rhea the second, Demeter is the closest for the 3rd generation of the gods |
| How the Olympians were born. | Cronus and Rhea had 6 children. Cronus was scared one would usurp, so he ate them after they were born, except for the 6th one. Rhea hid Zeus from him and fed him a rock instead. Zeus helped his siblings revolt against Cronus and freed them. |
| Hestia/Vesta (Theogony) | Rhea and Cronus' first child. Goddess of the hearth |
| Demeter/Ceres (Theogony) | Rhea and Cronus' second child. Goddess of grain and fertility |
| Hades/Pluto (Theogony) | Rhea and Cronus' third child. God of the underworld |
| Poseidon/Neptune (Theogony) | Rhea and Cronus' forth child. God of the sea |
| Hera/Juno (Theogony) | Rhea and Cronus' fifth child. Goddess of marriage, Queen of the gods. Marries Zeus. |
| Zeus/Jupiter (Theogony) | Rhea and Cronus' sixth child. God of the Sky and weather. King of the gods. Lightning bolt as weapon. |
| Titanomachy | War between the gods and titans |
| Cyclopes | 3 of them. one of the creations of Ge. Made Zeus's lightning bolt. Helped the gods in the Titanomachy |
| 100-Handers | 3 of them. one of the creations of Ge. Helped the gods in the Titanomachy |
| Gigantomachy | When a group of Giants challenged the new gods roles. the giants lost. |
| Prometheus and the Creation of Man | Myth written by Hesiod about how man was created. |
| Prometheus | Titan of forethought. Shaped man from clay and made them unique by making them stand upright. Punished by Zeus for returning fire to them with the eagle that eats his liver everyday |
| Epimetheus | Titan of afterthought. tasked with giving animals their qualities. ran out of the cool stuff by the time he got to man. marries Pandora |
| Pandora | "all gifts" the first woman. Tasked with holding a jar that contained all the woes yet to be unleased on mankind. Epimetheus' wife |
| Golden Age | The period during Cronos' rule. No corruption on Earth. |
| Silver Age | Gods' rule. Humans exist but there is some corruption. |
| Bronze age (in myths) | Gods and humans are more separate and more violent both to each other and within their own groups. |
| Age of Heroes | Gods and humans mostly separate. Where most Greek myth takes place |
| Iron Age | Hesiod's time. Gods and humans completely separated. They didn't want to associate as humanity got worse. |
| Zeus/Jupiter (Prometheus myth) | Didn't like humans standing upright like gods so took fire away from them. When Prometheus returns it, punishes him with the eagle thing and humanity with Pandora |
| Pandora's Jar (Box) | Held all the world's sorrows until (depending on the version) either Pandora or Epimetheus opens it. They all fly out and corrupt the world. The only thing left in the bottom of the jar is hope. |
| Zeus's/Jupiter's broader associations | Adultery, fathering the Muses and Fates. Likely originated from an Indo-European religion. Sometimes authors make fun of him, but is still often revered. Very powerful, but not omnipotent and can be tricked |
| Zeus's sacred bird | The eagle |
| Zeus's sacred tree | The oak tree |
| Dodona | A city in Greece that had a major shrine to Zeus where the priests would listen to the oak trees to commune with him. |
| Aegis | A magical cloak made from a goat pelt. Zeus gifts it to Athena |
| Anthropomorphic | The Greek Gods were humanlike not only physically, but also in behavior |
| Leda | Zeus appears to her as a Swan and rapes her. Gives birth to Helen of Troy. A story about how war and chaos came from a bestial rape. |
| Alcmene | Wife of Amphitryon. While away at war, Zeus disguises himself as him and bangs Alcmene for a night that lasts 3 days. After that when Amphitryon returns, bangs him and has twins: one is Heracles |
| Io | Zeus is scared of Hera finding out about her, so turns her into a cow. Hera then asks for her as a gift and has her monster Argos Panoptes watch her, so she can never be turned back |
| Argos Panoptes | Hera's monster with 100 eyes. Rests half of them at a time so he can always be watching. When he is slain by Hermes, his soul is trapped in a gadfly and Hera puts his eyes into the tail of the peacock. |
| Danae | Her father is given a prophecy that her son will kill him, so he puts her in a dungeon so it wont happen. Zeus comes in as a golden shower through her window and gets her pregnant with Perseus. Her father sets them off to sea. |
| Ganymede | boy that Zeus is infatuated with, he makes him cup bearer to the gods on Olympus. |
| Hera/Juno broader associations | Queen of the gods, associated with childbirth, married women, and fertility. Homer depicts her as a nagging, cruel combative wife. Couldn't punish Zeus so went after his affair partners instead. |
| Argos | A city in Greece devoted to Hera |
| Hera's sacred bird | Peacock |
| Olympia | The real Greek city that had both Zeus and Hera as their patron gods |
| The Olympics | Games held every 4 years to honor Zeus. The Greek city-states would call a truce during them. Occurred from 776BC to 400AD. Women were not allowed to participate or watch. |
| Heraea Games | A lesser set of games that came later that honored Hera. Women were allowed to compete. |
| Poseidon/Neptune broader associations | God of the sea, earthquakes, fresh water, and horses. Many of his children are monsters. |
| King Laomedon | King of Troy. Prayed asking Poseidon and Apollo to help build a wall around the city for a great gift. When they did this, he didn't hold up on the gift. Lead both gods to side against Troy in the war. |
| Poseidon's gift to Athens | In some versions of the myth, it was the horse. In others, it was a saltwater spring. Lost in comparison to Athena's gift. |
| Athena's gift to Athens | The olive tree. Won against Poseidon's gift and made Athena Athens' patron goddess. |
| Corinth | Poseidon's patron city |
| Charybdis | One of Poseidon's children. Sits at the bottom of the sea and sucks boats down. Etiology for whirlpools. |
| Polyphemus | One of Poseidon's children (with Ge). A giant cyclopes |
| Pegasus | One of Poseidon's children (with Medusa). winged horse. |
| Triton | One of Poseidon's children. Merman. Wields the trident. |
| Proteus | One of Poseidon's children. A shape-shifter |
| Hades/Pluto broader associations | God of the underworld (NOT death) married to Persephone |
| Athena/Minerva broader associations | From the 2nd gen of gods after the og 6. Daughter of Zeus. goddess of wisdom, crafts, and the positive parts of war. associated with olives and snakes. |
| Parthenos (Parthenon) | Temple to Athena within Athens. |
| Athena's sacred bird | Owl |
| Arachne | weaver that claimed to be better than Athena. Athena challenges to her disguised as an old woman. She wove a tapestry depicting the god's wrong doings. Tried to hang herself when Athena revealed herself, was turned into a spider |
| Tiresias (Athena myth) | Accidently sees Athena bathing and she blinds him. Athena feels bad for that so gives him the gift of prophecy. |
| Tiresias (Zeus and Hera myth) | found 2 snakes screwing and poked them with a stick, turned into a woman. Years later, saw the snakes again, poked them again, and turned back into a man. Zeus and Hera asked if men or women enjoyed sex more, said man, Hera blinded him, Zeus gave prophecy |
| Aphrodite/Venus | The most beautiful goddess. Married to Hephaestus. Has 2 main origin myths. |
| Aphrodite/Venus (Uranus Origin) | Emerged from the seafoam created when Uranus' penis landed in the ocean. Associated with a more heavenly, intellectual love (between men). Less prominent version. |
| Aphrodite/Venus (Zeus Origin) | Daughter of Zeus and Dione. Associated with the love between men and women. More passionate, lustful love. The more prominent version. |
| Eros/Cupid | Child of Aphrodite and Ares. Wields a bow and arrow whose arrows can make people fall in love or in hate/disgust. |
| Hermaphroditus | Child of Aphrodite and Hermes. Very handsome. A nymph fell in love with him and prayed to be inseparable. Causes them to be merged to into one body. Etiology for Intersex people and hermaphrodism in animals. |
| Priapus | Child of Aphrodite and Dionysus. Portrayed as always erect (priapism). Statues of him were kept in the home for fertility. |
| Aeneas | Child of Aphrodite and Arachises (mortal). Aphrodite was making fun of the other gods for sleeping with mortals so Zeus makes Eros shoot her with a love arrow. This child is one of the surviving heroes of the Trojan war. |
| Cyprus | An island with (women) worshipers of Aphrodite. They do something to anger her and she curses them all to be hideous. |
| Pygmalion | A man on Cyprus. The women are hideous so refuses to marry. Sculpts a statue of a beautiful woman and falls in love with it. Aphrodite takes pity on him and turns her into a real woman, named Galatea. |
| Galatea | Sculpted by Pygmalion, given life by Aphrodite. Mother of Adonis. |
| Adonis | Child of Pygmalion and Galatea. Aphrodite falls in love with him, asks Persephone to keep an eye on him before she can get him but she also falls in love. They fight over him but Zeus makes them share. Travels between Hades and Earth with Persephone. |
| Hephaestus/Vulcan | Child of solely Hera. Blacksmith god. Seen as living under a volcano (Lemnos). Depicted as ugly and deformed. Married to Aphrodite. Seen as more relatable than other gods. |
| Ares/Mars | God of War (the bad parts). Less popular in Greece, more popular in Rome. |
| Artemis/Diana | Child of Zeus and Leto, twin to Apollo. Associated with hunting, childbirth, chastity, the moon, witchcraft, puritanical. Doesn't allow her followers to have sex with men. Generally positive in depictions. |
| Niobe | A Queen who had 3 sons and 3 daughters. Had hubris and bragged about having more children than Leto's two. This pisses Leto off and she sends in the twins. They kill all Niobe's kids and turn her into a stone while she's weeping. The stone weeps forever. |
| Leto | A titan. Mother of Artemis and Apollo |
| Actaeon | A young hunter who accidently sees Artemis bathing while he's out hunting. She's startled and splashes him, turning him into a stag. His own hunting dogs chase him down and kill him. |
| Calisto | A follower of Artemis. Zeus found her beautiful and tricked her into sleeping with him by disguising himself as Artemis. She gets pregnant, and when the other followers notice this, Artemis kicks her out. Has a son named Arcus. |
| Ursa Major | Hera finds out about Calisto, and curses her to become a bear. Her son Arcus, a hunter, sees her as a bear and tries to hunt her. To prevent Arcus from killing his own mother, Zeus turns Calisto into a constellation. |
| Arcus | Child of Calisto and Zeus. |
| Apollo/Phoebus broader associations | Child of Zeus and Leto, twin to Artemis. Associated with Music, healing, the sun, prophecy, laurel trees, bow and arrow, and the lyre. Seen as more reasonable and rational. God of moderation. Phoebus wasnt his Roman name, but a nickname in both religions. |
| Delphi and The Delphic Oracle | Associated with Apollo through prophecy. It was common to travel here to receive fortunes. Associated with Sophrosyne |
| Know thy self | A phrase printed on the walls in Delphi. |
| Nietzsche | Modern psychologist who wrote about "The Birth of Tragedy" saying humans have 2 fundamental sides: Apollonian and Dionysian. |
| Apollonian | One of human being's fundamental sides according to "The Birth of Tragedy" The side that wants to be rational, good, and well behaved. |
| Dionysian | One of human being's fundamental sides according to "The Birth of Tragedy" The side that wants gratification, the "wild side" |
| Casandra | Princess of Troy. Apollo said if she would sleep with him, he would give her any gift she wanted. She asked for prophecy but after getting it didn't sleep with him. Apollo then made it so no one would ever believe her prophecies. |
| Daphne | A Nymph. Apollo was making fun of Eros, so he shoots him with a love arrow, and Daphne with a hate one. Daphne runs from him and prays before getting caught. She turns into the laurel tree. Apollo is sad and makes it his special tree and wears its leaves |
| Hyacinth | Apollo and him were throwing around a discus gayly, but Apollo accidentally nails him in the head with it, killing him. Can't save him, so makes him into a flower instead. |
| Hermes/Mercury | Son of Zeus. Associated with Athletes, messengers, business, thieves, travel, and fertility. Wears winged sandals so has power of flight. Wields Caduceus. Carried souls to the underworld. |
| Caduceus | Hermes' staff. has two snakes wrapped around it. Still used as a symbol in medicine and hospitals. |
| Herm | A bust of Hermes that depicts him erect. Kept in homes as a fertility statue. |
| Creation of the lyre | Hermes made an instrument out of a tortoise shell, but gave it to Apollo to appease him after stealing one of his cows. |
| Hestia/Vesta broader associations | Goddess of the hearth. In Greek myth not very relevant, but plays a more important role in Roman myth. |
| Vestal Virgins | Vesta/Hestia followers who took a vow of chastity that if broken, they would be put to death. |
| Hebe | Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Goddess of youth. marries Hercules. |
| Iris | Messenger Goddess. More commonly used by Hera because she didn't trust Hermes. Associated with the rainbow. |
| Pan | A Satyr and god of fertility. Lived in the woods. Associated with shepherds. Very lustful god that liked to chase Nymphs. Could cause people to go crazy and hurt themselves or others: Pan-ic. |
| Syrinx | A Nymph chased by Pan. Prayed to her sisters to save her. They turned her into reeds. Pan made the pan flute from the reeds. |
| Echo's origin | A Nymph chased by Pan. Chased into a field with shepherds. Pan causes panic and the shepherds kill her. All that's left is her voice. |
| Echo and Zeus | Zeus has Echo distract Hera while he is having an affaire. When Hera finds out, she curses Echo to only be able to repeat things said to her. |
| Echo and Narcissus | Echo is in love with Narcissus, but he doesn't love her back, so she prays to make him love something that cant love him back, making him fall in love with his own reflection. |
| Demeter/Ceres (Eleusinian Myth) | Goddess of agriculture, grain, rich harvest. Most closely related to the "mother Goddess" role after Ge. Mother of Persephone. Represents the ever fertile earth. |
| Meter | Greek for "mother" |
| Persephone/Proserpina | Queen of the underworld. Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, married to Hades. Goddess of "seasonal harvest." Often called "Korê" meaning "daughter" or "girl" Represents the seasonal grain |
| The Abduction of Persephone | Hades sees Persephone and falls in love, asks Zeus for her. Zeus draws Persephone in with a narcissus. Hades emerges from the underworld on his chariot and snatches her. Persephone going missing causes Demeter anguish and causes a famine. |
| Return of Persephone | Hermes is sent to retrieve Persephone. Hades lets her go, but had fed her 6 Pomegranate seeds, meaning she would have to return to the underworld. Demeter agrees to let Persephone spend part of the year with her, and the other part in Hades. |
| Eleusinian Mysteries | 1 of the most famous religious cults. Founded from the Homeric Hymns. Celebrated and worshiped Demeter. Within Athens the ritual was adopted by the Greeks and then Romans. |
| Eleusis | The village the Eleusinian Mysteries began in, was absorbed into Athens as it grew. Worshiped Demeter. |
| Mystery | Comes from the word "Mystês" meaning "one who closes" |
| The Eleusinian Mysteries Ritual | Likely originated as a harvest festival. Held annually in the fall. A truce was called for 55 days. Anyone aside from convicted murderers could join. No doctrine, positive community gathering for promise of a happy afterlife and magically good harvest. |
| Kykeon | Drank during the Eleusinian Mysteries to mimic Demeter. A barley tea. |
| Telesterion | A massive Greek temple the followers of the Eleusinian Mysteries would walk to during the ritual. They would light a huge fire as their only light and show "terrible things" |
| Satyrs | a set of minor woodland deities. half goat, half man. known for chasing nymphs. often hung around Dionysus. Considered the male counterpart to nymphs. |
| Silenus | The leader of the satyrs. rather than being part goat, is part horse (but not in the centaur way) |
| Nymphs | a set of minor woodland deities. often in or associated with small water-ways. depicted as sexual, but also often victims of sexual assult in stories. Considered the female counterpart to Satyrs |
| Centaurs | a set of minor woodland deities. had horse bodies and person torso and up where the horse head would be. |
| Chiron | most famous Centaur. versed in medicine and is the tutor of many Greek heroes |
| Pantheon | the traditional worship of the major gods |
| Mystery Religion/Cults | a cult with followers with secret rituals or initiations. Believed these would gain favor with a chosen god to promise a better afterlife. Bad things are seen as a trial from chosen god. based around figures who suffered. Worshiped with the Patheon. |
| asceticism | sacrifice of the living body for spiritual gain: fasting, celibacy, flagellation |
| Hierophant | the main priest in the Eleusinian Mysteries who would reveal the hiera |
| hiera | sacred objects of the Eleusinian Mysteries, likely had to do with the harvest |
| The Lesser Mysteries (Eleusinian) | in Athens, took place in the spring |
| The Greater Mysteries (Eleusinian) | Began in Athens, travels to Eleusis. took place in the fall. 7 days long. during the travel they lead with a wooden statue of Dionysus. When they get to Telesterion, they take laced Kykeon and trip |
| Dionysus/Liber/Bacchus | Much newer deity. God of wine and life-bearing fluids (Sap, drinking water, semen, blood) Often seen with woodland deities. Mainly worshiped in Athens |
| Bacchae/maenads | Women followers of Dionysus. Of greater importance than the Bacchii |
| Bacchii | Men followers of Dionysus. |
| Dionysia (during the day) | A 4-day festival to Dionysus. The first 3 days consist of inter-connected tragedy plays, and the 4th a "Satyr play" a comedic play mocking the first 3. family friendly events |
| Dionysia (after dark) | A 4-day festival to Dionysus. The followers of him made their way to the woods where they would play drums, dance, drink, wear animal skins, and have crazy orgies, as well as pay tribute. |
| Sparagmos | Practiced during Dionysia. the tearing apart of wild animals. |
| Ornaphagia | After Sparagmos, eating of the flesh |
| Entheos | The state reached after Ornphagia, having the god (Dionysus) inside you |
| Thyrsus | Wielded by Dionysus' followers. a staff consisting of a wooden stick and a pinecone. |
| Semele and Zeus | Queen of Thebes. Zeus comes down as a mortal to sleep with her. Hera disguised as one of her nurses says she should have him prove he's Zeus. Semele asks him to do this while theyre banging, and his transformation kills her. |
| The Birth of Dionysus | When Zeus killed Semele with his true form, in her dying breath she told him she was pregnant. Zeus puts baby into his thigh until its ready to be born |
| Euripides | the playwright who wrote The Bacchae, which wasn't preformed until after his death. |
| The Bacchae (play) | Begins with Dionysus comes out on stage to tell the audience he's been trying to tell people he's a god. |
| Pentheus | a young king who doesn't believe that Dionysus is a god and wants to drive his followers away from the city. |
| Dionysus's deception (The Bacchae) | Dionysus disguises himself as one of his followers and goes to talk to Pentheus. He insults both Dionysus and his followers. Dionysus convenses him to get a look at the cult for himself. |
| Pentheus' disguise | Pentheus dresses up as a Bacchae and follows Dionysus out to the cult. He climbs a tree to watch what the Bacchae are doing. One spots him and can tell he's not one of them. She calls the other Bacchae over and they practice Sparagmos on him. |
| Cadmus and Tiresias | Pentheus' elderly father and former king, and the blind prophet. Both decide to go worship Dionysus. Think it's important to honor the gods, even this new one. |
| Até | Folly sent by the gods. If someone was already foolish the gods would provoke them into doing something stupid. |
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Gothic_Bruno