Classical Mythology Test 1
"Shepherds that camp in the wild, disgraces, merest bellies: we know to tell many lies that sound like truth, but we know to sing reality, when we will."
The Olympian Muses Hesiod's Theogony story of the gods creation
Cerberus
3-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades ( described by Hesiod to have fifty heads)
Homer
A Greek poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey
Meilichius
A cult title of Zeus corresponding to "Mild One" and charged with maintaining Athens' fertility and justice within the city. He is physically represented as a bearded man or as a snake
Cult title
A descriptor that is tied to worship and thus has religious connotations that hints at an aspect of the god that grew out of a particular event or need
Triptolemus
A prince of Eleusis who rides a winged chariot to whom Demeter taught her secret rites and the art of growing grain to share with humanity
" Go Persephone now to your dark robed mothers side
Hades Hymn to Demeter Hades speaking to Persephone before he lets her go see her mother where he seals her fate by making her eat the pomegranate seeds
Themis
established custom wife of Zeus, gives birth to Seasons, Lawfulness, Justice, and Peace
Thesmophoria
festival in honor of Demeter & Persephone; participation solely by women 1st day, Anodos, ( Ascent) women left their houses and walked to where they would worship Demeter and Persephone 2nd day, Nestia, ( Fast) no public business or sacrifices were conducted throughout the cities where Thesmophoria was celebrated Women fasted, insulted one another and made obscene jokes, they may have beaten each other with sticks to enhance fertility 3rd day , Calligenia, ( Beautiful Births) this day observants were concerned with fertility. women broke their fast, sacrificed, and feasted men may have joined them Pigs were a symbol of fertility
Hesiod
Author, wrote Works and Days(a farmer's almanac) and Theogony (a geneology of the gods)
Leda
(Greek mythology) a queen of Sparta who was raped by Zeus who had taken the form of a swan She gives birth to Helen and Pollux at the same time she gives birth to Clytemnestra and Castor who were fathered by Tyndareus
Eleusinian Mysteries
A week-long initiation ceremony that began in Athens and concluded in Demeter's sanctuary in Eleusis, where initiates received secret knowledge
Agamemnon
Aeschylus
Prometheus Bound
Aeschylus
Elysian Plain
Also called the Islands of the Blessed, a place of perpetual springtime for the souls of the virtuous and worthy dead within the Underworld ( The Spartan King Menelaus)
Hymn to Demeter
Author Unknown. Attributed to Homer. Probably composed from 650-550 BCE. Begins with Hades grabbing Persephone as she picks flowers in a meadow and drags her to the underworld with the permission of her father, Zeus. Demeter finds out what happened nine days later and wanders the earth searching until Helios tells her. Pissed that Zeus was involved, she becomes an old woman traveling among men -- now see Eleusis to learn more about this -- after Demeter refuses to let anything grow for a year, Zeus tells Hades he needs to give Persephone back. He first either tricks, forces, or she takes willingly a pomegranate seed and if you eat anything in the underworld you cannot leave so then what happens is Persephone can be up with her mom for 2/3 of the year and with Hades in underworld for 1/3 (winter). Ultimately this myth is about agriculture (only being possible 2/3 of the year), life and death (separation felt by Demeter and Persephone is like mortals' separation feeling with death, although it is not final), matriarchal core (men decide marriage), separation in marriage, loss, love, acceptance
Cronus
Castrated Uranus ( father) Has children with Rhea.. swallows them so he can control the new generation of gods Zeus defeats him
Night (goddess)
Chasm is her mother mates with Darkness( Erebus) to give birth to Brighter Air(Aether) and Day produces without a male partner Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Cavil(Blame), Misery, the Hesperides ( female goddesses), the fates, the furies, resentment, deceit, intimacy, old age, and strife
"Mother, I would undertake this task and accomplish it -- I am not afraid of our unspeakable father. After all, he began it by his ugly behaviour."
Cronus Hesiod's Theogony Cronus speaking to Gaia about rising against Uranus
Earth (Gaia)
Cronus mom, first of the creation helped Cronus castrate Uranus helps Rhea overthrow Cronus
Metis
Goddess of intent (cunning intelligence) Mother of Athena Zeus swallows her while she is pregnant with Athena and gives birth to Athena from his head (knowledge comes from the head)
Demeter
Daughter of Cronus and Rhea Mother of Persephone Attributes: Wheat stalk , hoe for making soil fertile Significant Cult titles: Chloe ( Green Shoots) Horaphorus ( Bringer of the Seasons) Thesmophorus ( Bringer of Law) Significant Rituals and sanctuaries: The Eleusinian Mysteries The Haloa ( Fields) The Proerosia ( Before Plowing) The Thesmophoria The goddess mother has a strong connection with Persephone becomes depressed when Persephone is taken away brings forth winter
Persephone
Daughter of Demeter, wife of Hades, and queen of the underworld. close connection to Demeter kidnapped by Hade tricked into eating Pomegranate( Sex)
" Dear children, whoever you arc of female womanhood
Demeter Hymn to Demeter Demeter spoke to the daughter of keleos and looked for shelter
"Sun, as a god for a goddess show show your regard for me, If ever by word or deed your heart and spirit I pleased. The daughter whom I bore, my sweet offshoot of glorious form, I heard through the murmuring air giving vent to an anguished cry As though overpowered by force, yet caught no glimpse with my eye. But since from the brilliant sky you look down on all earth and sea with your rays, now tell me the truth: have you anywhere seen my child ? Who took her without my consent against her will by force and vanished -- one of the gods, or was he of mortal men?
Demeter Hymn to Demeter Demeter talking to Sun about seeing who had taken Persephone
Child now tell me you didn't (eat ) anything
Demeter Hymn to Demeter Demeter asking Persephone if she ate anything and if she did she would have to return to the underworld for 1/3 of the seasons and spend 2/3 with her mother
" And hail to you also, lady: may heaven grant you what is good
Demeter Hymn to Demeter Speaking to Metaneira about making Demophoon immortal
"Ignorant humans , who lack the discernment to know in advance your portion of good or ill
Demeter Hymn to Demeter Speaking to Metaneira after she made Demeter upset and stopped making demophoon immortal she showed she was a goddess
One of the more puzzling moments in the hymn is Demeter's care of Demophoon, the Eleusinian prince. Why does Demeter choose to take care of this child and try to make him immortal? How does her care of Demophoon pertain to her search for Persephone and to the goals of initiates to achieve a better life after death by participating in the Mysteries?
Demeter chooses to care for Demophoon and tries to make him immortal to show her kindness to the family that sheltered her. Her care for Demophoon pertains to her search for Persephone because she was going to make him immortal but his mother made Demeter angry which resulted in a drought and since there was a drought they could not worship the gods so Zeus intervened and compromised with Demeter so Persephone could visit her. This led to the initiates worshipping her because Persephone was the queen of the underworld and since Persephone and Demeter were so close it was thought that if they worshipped Demeter they would have a better afterlife.
"Children of mine and of an evil father, I wonder whether you would like to do as I say? We could get redress for your fathers cruelty. After all, he began it by his ugly behaviour."
Earth (Gaia) Hesiod's Theogony Gaia speaking with her children to rise against uranus
Legend
Fact Time: recent past Place: world of today Attitude: secular or sacred Principal characters: human
Zeus
Father of Aphrodite from the goddess Dione only in Iliad ( included among the 12 olympian in Theogony born before Rhea and Cronus) Athena from the goddess Meti Apollo from the goddess Leto Artemis from the goddess Leto Ares from the goddess Hera Hephaestus from the goddess Hera w/o Zeus ( only son of Hera alone in Iliad) Hermes from the nymph Maia Dionysus from the mortal woman Semele Zeus frees the Cyclopes Zeus defeats Typhoeus Zeus brought forth order and justice Attributes: thunderbolt, lightning, eagle Significant cult titles: Horkius( Gaurdian of Oaths) Melichius ( Mild One) Ombrius ( Stormy) Philius ( Gaurdian of friendship) Xenius ( Gaurdian of hospitality) significant rituals and sanctuaries: The Diasia: A carnival like ritual in which adults and children played games exchanged gifts and offered animal-shaped cookies to Zeus Olympia: Zeus was honored in a quadrennial festival at Olympia with sacrifices and athletic and musical competitions The Pompaia: a parade around the Athens during which a rams skin was carried to ensure the citys protection
Folktale
Fiction Time: any time Place: any place Attitude: secular (not religious) Principal characters: human or non human
"Queen Demeter, Bringer of Seasons, Bestower of splendid gifts, who amongst the heavenly gods or mortal men carried Persephone off and grieved you within your heart? For I heard sound of her voice, yet caught no glimpse with my eyes of the one who carried her off: I tell you at once the whole truth."
Hekate Hymn to Demeter Hekate telling Demeter she heard Persephone getting kidnapped but did not witness it with her eyes.
Roman myths
Rome was conquered by Greece insofar as it owed much of its literary artistic philosophical and religious achievements including its myths Roman declamation( wildly fictional law cases that were to used to educate young roman boys and men to become statesmen and lawyers)
" Hades whose hair is dark
Hermes Hymn to Demeter Hermes telling Hades that Persephone must go to her mother so the drought can stop and worship to the gods begin again
Theogony
Hesiod
Works & Days
Hesiod
Theogony
Hesiod's story of creation and order of the universe, and the generations of the gods composed around the seventh century
Mycenae
Ruled by Agamemnon Late Bronze Age Mycenaeans developed Linear B from a writing system called Linear A described in Iliad
To Theocritus
Scholiasts
" Demeter, you're summoned by father Zeus who knows deathless schemes
Iris Hymn to Demeter Came to find Demeter for Zeus so Demeter could stop the drought and so the gods could be worshipped again
In the opening scene, Hephaestus does not want to punish Prometheus, yet he does. How do his protests contribute to an evaluation of Zeus and Prometheus? How does Prometheus explain his role in the Titanomachy to the chorus? How is his account different from from Hesiod's description of the Olympian conquest of the Titans during the Titanomachy?
It shows Zeus as a strong leader who is not afraid to punish while it shows Prometheus as someone who is thoughtful and loving of humankind and shameless. Prometheus reveals that it was he who thwarted Zeus' plan to obliterate the human race after the battle against the Titans, and then taught men all the civilizing arts, such as writing, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, metallurgy, architecture and agriculture. In Hesiods description Prometheus fought on the side of Zeus as his ally but then tricked Zeus and stole the fire back for the humans.
Prometheus Bound Characters
Power Hephaistos Prometheus Chorus
"Mother, the gifts that the gods bestow we humans endure
Kallidike Hymn to Demeter Kallidike telling Demeter that she will speak to her mother about her coming to their home
"Friend, what you say is not unfamiliar to us. We know that you have exceeding intelligence and exceeding insight, and that you have been the immortals savior from chilling peril, and that it is by your providence that we have come back up from the misty darkness and our harsh bondage, lord, son of Kronos, after suffering we never anticipated. So now in turn, with fixed purpose and willing spirit, we will secure your supremacy in the terrible slaughter by fighting the Titans in fierce combat."
Kottos Hesiod's Theogony Kottos speaking to Zeus about him helping free them from the underworld where Kronos had banished them
Samos
Located off the coast of modern- day turkey, the island was a wealthy and vibrant Greek community, where Hera had a equally wealthy and vibrant sanctuary said to have been founded by Jason and Argonauts when they sailed east to get the Golden fleece. Hera's sanctuary was of regional importance visitors from outside the island attended her festivals which featured athletic and choral competitions and sacrifices at her altars The ritual Tonaia ( Binding) during which Hera's statue was washed in the sea and then bound to a lugos tree ( willow tree) and offered barley cakes (When pirates tried to steal Hera's statue she made their ship unable to move. The pirates returned the statue back to the shore with offerings) The annual purification and imagined disappearance of the statue suggests the cycle of agricultural fertility in which seeds disappear into the earth then sprout and reappear Zeus had no presence in Samos until the seventh century
" Demophoon, child that I bore
Metaneira HYmn to Demeter Speaking to Demophoon about being in the fire because of demeter
"Hail to you, lady , since you, I believe, were not given birth. By parents of low estate, but by parents of noble blood
Metaneira Hymn to Demeter Metaneira speaking to Demeter about her son Demophoon
" Daughter of fair tressed Rhea, lady Demeter, you'll know......He gave her to Hades his brother, who snatched her and carried her off
Sun Hymn to Demeter Sun telling Demeter that Zeus and Hades had an agreement and Hades took Persephone
Sarpedon
One of Zeus's sons. Sarpedon's fate seems intertwined with the gods' quibbles, calling attention to the unclear nature of the gods' relationship to Fate. Reminds him of the obligations to the other gods and how gods ought to behave towards mortals and one another
" Mother for you I shall indeed recount the whole truth
Persephone Hymn to Demeter Persephone telling her mother what happened to her
"Zeus greatest and most glorious of the eternal fathers, choose then whichever of them the spirit in your breast bids you."
Prometheus Hesiod's Theogony Prometheus speaking to Zeus trying to trick him into choosing the wrong portion
Compare Zeus in the opening scene of Prometheus Bound to Zeus in Hesiod's Theogony to Zeus in the choral ode of Aeschylus's Agamemnon, and in the sculptural depictions of Leda and the swan. Are there any commonalities in Zeus's character in these different representations?
Prometheus Bound- Zeus is hard new ruler. Punish Prometheus for tricking him by having him staked to the rock. Feared by others. Only Zeus is free at the top all-seeing. Hesiod's Theogony-Zeus created women as a punishment to mankind , Zeus made allies and provided them with sustenance,nectar, and ambrosia, wide- seeing, father of gods and men Aeschylus's Agamemnon - Zeus gives humans divine violence and divine grace. Zeus name did not capture his great power Leda and the swan- Zeus approaches Leda, wife of the Spartan king, in the form of a swan and impregnates her. Leda embraces the swan and is seduced by Zeus with his beauty, grace, divinity, and sweet fragrance. The commonalities of Zeus's character in the different representations show Zeus as a powerful king who sees it all from Olympus and someone who punishes those that goes against him but also as a god that shows grace.
What gifts does Prometheus give to humankind in Prometheus Bound ? How does his account compare with that of Hesiod?
Prometheus gave humans intelligence, free will (master of their thoughts) senses/perception build good structures astronomy, forecasting math (wisdom above all others) language/ writing ( spoken) domestication of animals boats and sails mixing of herbs to fight illnesses. In Hesiod's Prometheus only gave fire to the humans.
"come now my child you are called by deep crashing for seeing Zeus
Rhea Hymn to Demeter Rhea speaking to Demeter in order to get Demter to compromise with Zeus allowing her to see Persephone, gods to be worshipped ( Eluesinan Mysteries) , and the harvest to grow
Pandora
She is the product of Zeus asking the gods to fashion a beautiful maiden who looks lovely on the outside but whose character is deceitful Pandora marries Epimetheus (Prometheus brother) and gives birth to several children one of which is Pyrrha who with her husband repopulates the earth after a great flood
Uranus
Son of Earth ( Gaia) Father of Titans, Cronus, Rhea with Earth Cronus castrated him placed his children back into Earth From his castration Aphrodite, Erinyes ( female spirits of revenge), giants, and Meliai( nymphs) were born
Olympia
The archaic period Panhellenic sanctuary of Zeus in the western Peloponnese
" Who are you, of all the humans born many years ago,
The daughters of Keleos Hymn to Demeter The daughter trying to figure out who Demeter is
Charon
The ferryman of the underworld, who conveyed the souls of the dead across the river Styx.
Make a list of all the correspondences between the hymn and the ritual.( For example, the initiates walk from Athens to Eleusis, just as Demeter walked to Eleusis while searching for Persephone). Do these correspondences persuade you that the hymn is closely connected to the Eleusinian Mysteries and perhaps was composed as a liturgy or script for the Mysteries ?
The festival begins in Athens then Eleusinian officials and initiates then walked fourteen miles to Eleusis. Demeter walked to Eleusis while searching for Persephone. Then they reached the Cephisus River when they had to cross a curious ritual took place where masked individuals teased and mocked the initiates. This could be in comparison to the Eleusinian girls daughter of Keleos and son of Eleusinos who talked with Demeter. Once at Eleusis the initiates who had abstained from food since the beginning of the festival broke their fast to imitate Demeter she had no hunger for food or drink. They would walk by a rocky cave associated with Hades and Kore just like Demeter sat by a rock and mourned Persephone's absence. After feasting they were ready to enter Demeters temple and receive secret knowledge. Demeter gives her knowledge teaching the humans how to take care of the grains. I believe the hymn is a script for the Eleusinian Mysteries because they start off their journey by walking to eleusis and they also mimic some of her actions during her time in Eleusis such has fasting. They also give seeds to worship Demeter and in turn the seeds grow from the ground just like in the story of how they come to a compromise so she gives the humans the secret to harvest.
Creation stories describe not only how the universe was created but also how human beings ought to behave. What lessons does this poem impart to its male audience? Does it have anything specific to say to a female audience?
The lessons this poem imparts to its male audience is that they must till the fields to eat and feed their wives and offspring. If they do not marry they will grow old and not have anyone to look after them. If they marry and gets a good wife who is sound and sensible spends his life with bad competing constantly against good and if they get an awful kind they will live with unrelenting pain in heart and spirit. The lessons the poem imparts to the female audience is that women are evil and conspirators in causing difficulty. They were made as a punishment to men.
Prometheus's deception of Zeus introduces the practice of sacrifice into the world. Can you describe the practice of sacrifice from Hesiod's tale? How does sacrifice define the relationships between mortals and gods?
The practice of sacrifice from Hesiod's tales shows humans burning bones for the immortals ever since Prometheus tried to trick Zeus with bones covered in fat. Sacrifice defines the relationship between mortals and gods it shows gods don't need to eat but humans do, it also shows that humans that worship gods are defined as good, it also shows the social order of gods putting Zeus as the most high and him getting the respect through sacrifice.
Eleusis
This small town near Athens was the site of the great temple hosting mysterious ceremonies/rituals in honor of Demeter (and later, Dionysus). Where she stayed when Persephone was taken and where her temple was built
The Library
Unkown
How do the dramatic tales describe male leaders such as Uranus, Cronus, and Zeus? How is Zeus similar and different from his father and grandfather? What sorts of qualities does Zeus have that they do not ?
Uranus hid all of his children in Earth and would not let them see the light so he could stay in power and he took pleasure in the wicked work. Cronus swallowed all his children so he could be King he does not want his children to succeed to the throne. Zeus was described as the resourceful, father of gods and men, under whose thunder the broad earth is shaken. He made allies. He was strong and sat above all. Zeus was similar to his father and grandfather because they were all males, younger of their siblings, they both wanted the highest seat. They also at one time were all favored by their mothers for their strength, knowledge, and experience. They are different from each other being that Cronus was king alone while Zeus was willing to work with other gods. Cronus and Uranus had to essentially steal their power by not letting their children grow while Zeus was elected by Gaia to be king. Some qualities that Zeus has that they do not is that he is willing to work with other gods, he did not swallow his children to remain king, he brought order to the world.
Thocritus characters
Zeus Hera
"Son of lapetos, outstanding among all the lords, my good sir, how unfairly you have divided the portions."
Zeus Hesiod's Theogony Zeus speaking to Prometheus about him putting fat over the bones
"Son of lapetos, clever above all others, my good sir: then you are still intent on deceit."
Zeus Hesiod's Theogony Zeus speaking to Prometheus letting him know he is aware of his trickery and takes fire from humans because of it
"Hearken to me, proud children of Earth and Heaven, and let me say what the spirit of my breast bids me. For long now we have been fighting each other for victory and power, day after day, the Titan gods and we who were born of Kronos. But now you must display your great strength and your terrible hands against the Titans in the fearful slaughter, remembering our decision brought you back into the light from your dismal bondage down in the misty darkness."
Zeus Hesiod's Theogony Zeus speaking to his allies about the titanomachy
The Library characters
Zeus Prmetheus Deucalion Pyrrha
Demeter challenges Zeus's decision to give their daughter Persephone to Hades as his bride. Their conflict is peacefully resolved and does not result in cosmic warfare. Instead, Demeter gains a temple with worshippers in Eleusis and thus more honor among mortals. How does the resolution between Zeus( husband) and Demeter ( wife) offer a "charter" ( justification) of decision making and the prerogatives of mortal fathers to give their daughters in marriage?
Zeus and Demeter compromised and within that compromise the gods got more praise for example Demeter was worshipped through the Eleusian mysteries and she also got to see Persephone again. In the myth Zeus gives his daughter away to Hades without Demeter knowing just like if a girl wants to get married usually he asks her father for her hand not the mother.
Io
Zeus's mortal lover that Hera turned into a cow
Argos
a many eyed gaurdian Hera instructed him to follow Io
Mythological Corpus
a mythological corpus may contain myths that have many forms, they are almost always stories, but may be conveyed with words or pictures they are always rich in metaphors and symbols they do not use everyday words and are not straightforward. whatever meaning they hold are hidden in plots, metaphors, and symbols, it is never explicit. The form of a myth may be in writing or in a visual medium, it always includes or itself becomes a metaphor or symbol
funerary rituals
around death, burial, cremation, or some other method of handling the corpse. laying out of the corpse( prothesis), a procession to the gravesite ( ecphora), and the subsequent feasts at the gravesite for a brief period of time. to ensure their souls could enter the kingdom Women were put in charge of overseeing the death process in funerary rituals because of their cultural and symbolic association with the body
Ascra
city-state in Greece where poet Hesiod was born. Farmer city where every farmer dwelled in his own residence with a wife, children, and perhaps slaves or hired workers who help with the harvest. The residents had to rely on one another to ensure that oaths and agreements were honored and to manage disasters such as a drought. The iron Age
Rhea
daughter of Uranus and Gaia; wife of Cronus; mother of the first six gods: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus
Hera
daughter of rhea and cronus wife of Zeus Goddess of marriage, protector of heroes, goddess of fertility change in role from independent worship to wife of Zeus Mother of: Hebe ( the goddess of youth) Eileithuia ( a goddess of childbirth) Hephaestus ( the god of metallurgy) Typhaon ( a snaky dragon sometimes identified with Typhoeus, the offspring of Gaia) Attributes: Scepter, crown, peacock Significant cult titles: Argeia ( Argive) Nympheumene ( Bride-to- Be) Telea ( Fulfiller of Marriage) Significant Rituals and Sanctuaries: The Hecatombaia: A procession and a sacrifice of one hundred of oxen at Argos The Tonaia: During this ritual at Samos, a statue of Hera was bound to a tree pomegranate ( fertility)
Thanatus
death winged man carrying Sarpedon ( gentle rather than rapacious)
Prometheus
the Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to mankind Tried to trick Zeus with meat but ended up being punished for it ( shackled to a mountain and tortured by Hephaestus
Hades
king of the underworld kidnapped Persephone and made her his wife tricked her into eating the pomegranate Son of Cronus and Rhea Attributes: Scepter, throne, cornucopia Significant cult titles Chthonian Zeus ( Zeus of the Underworld) Pluton ( of wealth) Polydegmon ( receiver of many) Was not feared Hades does not demand death he simply receive souls in the realm significant rituals and sanctuaries: NO temples or festivals Caves: dedicated to Hades, such as the one at Eleusis, were believed to be entrances to the Underworld Funerals: consisted of three parts: laying out of the corpse( prothesis), a procession to the gravesite ( ecphora), and the subsequent feasts at the gravesite for a brief period of time. to ensure their souls could enter the kingdom Made a deal with Zeus to have Persephone kidnapped Persephone tricked her into eating pomegrante (sex)
Demophoon
mortal that Demeter tries to make into a god after losing Persephone, son of metaneira
Typhoeus
offspring of Gaea and Tartarus, battled Zeus, cut his sinews off, eventually defeated by Zeus and buried under Mt. Aetna has many snake like heads, speaks all sorts of languages, seen to represent social anarchy
Tartarus
the darkest, deepest part of the underworld controlled by Hades is the site of many gruesome eternal punishments where Zeus imprisons the Titans
Panhellenism
the idea of Greek unity, helped by Olympic games and other Panhellenic festivals, but still not nearly as strong as Polis patriotism *language, religion, customs, and blood* Focused on their spheres of influence, their activities, their associates on Olympus and on earth, and their important sanctuaries or rituals Delphi, Isthmia, Nemea, and Olympia
