Mythology Study Packet Questions

In the Bible, the story of Adam and Eve suggests that it was a woman, Eve, who brought death and misery into the world. Briefly recount the story of Pandora, and explain how it parallels the biblical story.

Pandora got curious of what was in a box, so she opened it even though she wasn't supposed to, much like how Eve ate the apple even though she wasn't supposed to.

Describe the horrible death of Pentheus.

Pentheus banned the worship of Dionysus so he went to punish people that were worshipping him. They thought he was a wild beast so they tore him to pieces. Pentheus didn't think Dionysus was a god.

With what other gods does Zeus share his rule of the universe? How are their realms of power divided?

Poseidon and Hades. Poseidon has the waters and the oceans, Hades has the underworld, and Zeus has the skies. The three of them are brothers.

Describe the punishment of Prometheus.

Prometheus is chained to a rock and every day gets his liver eaten by an eagle. But because he is immortal, he doesn't die. The eagle represents Zeus.

How does Psyche compare in beauty with her sisters?

Psyche is much more beautiful than her sisters.

How and why was Io punished?

She "made the god's heart hot with love" and now Hera hates her. Her punishment was that she was changed into "a beast, a starving beast, that frenzied runs with clumsy leaps and bounds."

How does she define or explain mythology?

She defines it as a way to describe the world. She says that it is science and describes the world around the Greeks. It is not a religion!

What are the unusual circumstances of Pallas Athena's birth? What qualities does she represent?

She did not have a mother, Zeus bore her alone. She was fully grown and in a full suit of armor when she was born. She is the goddess of wisdom, purity, war strategy, and reason.

Why does Venus become jealous of Psyche?

She gets jealous because Psyche is taking all of her fame away. All of the mortals are starting to like Psyche more than Venus.

What is her explanation for differing views of the same gods?

Sometimes other people would try to define the gods, but sometimes the other definitions conflict with each other.

In earlier times, "the imagination was vividly alive and not checked by reason." But the imagination of primitive beings differed from the imagination of the Greeks. Explain this difference between primitive and classical mythology?

Sometimes the Greeks would change their beliefs of the gods. The more primitive gods are more human-like. Primitive mythology was much darker. Classical mythology is more Greek and Rome.

What does this story (about Narcissus) show about qualities the Greeks did/didn't value?

The Greeks valued people that were confident, but not overly self-centered. They also valued people that were pretty and attractive.

How are the Greek gods different from Egyptian or Mesopotamian gods?

The Greeks' made their gods in their own image, whereas the others did not. The Greek's made their gods look like humans.

Who were the Titans? Who was their leader?

The Titans are the Elder Gods. They ruled over the universe and their leader was Cronos.

What is the "miracle of Greek mythology"?

The birth of the New World and the awakening of Greece.

What is the traditional gathering place for the festival of Dionysus? Why is such a venue appropriate?

The gathering place was in the city Dionysia. They gathered there because that city is named after Dionysus. Theaters is where they usually went. They thought alcohol made you a better performer.

Describe at least three mythological creatures that are neither human nor divine, including those who are part man and part animal.

The satyrs are half goats and half men. Triton is the trumpeter of the sea. He is also the son of Poseidon. Pan is the son of Hermes. He was a satyr. The centaurs were half man and half horse. Chiron is a famous centaur.

How does Hamilton link the beautiful, miraculous stories of the hyacinth and narcissus flowers to a much darker, sinister past?

The stories were tragedies that described the existence of something beautiful. The flowers enlighten the mood of something sinister, death.

What are the "dark spots" referred to by Edith Hamilton?

They are characteristics of the gods that make them not god-like (such as cruelty and evil).

Who are the Muses? Name at least three of the arts they represent.

They are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. The arts they represented were: History, Astronomy, Comedy, Dance, Epic Poetry, Love Poetry, Songs (to the gods), and Lyrical Poetry.

Who are the Maenads? How is their worship of Dionysus different from that practiced for most Olympian gods?

They are the female worshipers of Dionysus. He wasn't really worshiped, but more followed. He had a cult of woman and they always partied and were drunk.

In what ways do the Greek creation myths personify natural phenomena? Give several specific examples.

They made many emotions and occurrences into people. For example, Love was born, who made Light. Also, in the Pandora's Box play, things such as Disease, Hope, War, etc. are personified. Also, they personified natural occurrences that moved (such as the sky and the sun)

Why was it important that the Titans and Giants be banished from earth before human beings were created?

They were banished from the earth before humans so that they couldn't hurt the humans. The gods did not want the Giants or the Titans to kill, hurt, or frighten the humans.

Compare and contrast Hyacinthus and Narcissus.

They were both well liked by the gods. Narcissus was self centered, and Hyacinthus was not.

What plan does Venus have for Psyche? How does her plan fail?

Venus is going to have her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly beast. However, Cupid himself falls in love with her.

Many myths offer a story that explains why things in nature are as they are. The story of Persephone offers an explanation of the changing of the seasons. Explain how the seasons mirror Persephone's life.

When it is winter, Persephone is in the underworld and Demeter makes the harvest very bad. When it is Spring, Summer, and Fall, Persephone is on Earth with her mother and Demeter blesses the harvest. It also explains famine.

Why did Zeus create Pandora?

Zeus created Pandora because Prometheus was so fond and nice to the men, that Zeus was angry about this and wanted something more than men, so he created Pandora, a woman.

How and why does Zeus finally intervene in the story of Persephone's abduction and bid Hades to release his new bride?

Zeus finally intervened because he noticed that Demeter was not granting a fertile harvest so he wanted the people to get their harvest so he made the plan to allow Persephone to let her see her mother sometimes.

Who is Zeus? How did he come to power? What kind of a ruler was he?

Zeus is the father of the gods. He controls storms, clouds, thunder, etc. He came to power when his father, Cronos, ate all of his brothers and sister except Zeus.

How did the anemone flower supposedly come into being?

A man named Adonis was hunting alone one day in the forest. He injured a boar that stabbed him in the gut with its tusks. Aphrodite, his lover, her his cries and say him bleeding. She turned his blood into the anemone flower.

Who is the goddess of love and beauty? Describe her unique birth.

Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. She was born from the foam of the sea (foam is aphro in Greek hence her name).

Describe the tragic death of Hyacinthus.

Apollo was teaching Hyacinthus to throw a discus and he accidentally killed him with the discuss.

Who is Cronus? How did he come to power, and how did he eventually lose power?

Cronus is the father of the gods. He is a titan and he lost power when his son, Zeus, overthrew him. He came to power after he defeated his father.

Who are the "Two Great Gods of Earth"? What elements of human life are under each of their care?

Demeter and Dionysus. Demeter is the goddess of corn and agriculture., and Dionysus is the god of grape vine/ wine.

Which two gods represent the idea of resurrection in Greek mythology? Describe how each is "reborn" every spring.

Dionysus and Demeter do. Dionysus is reborn in spring because in the winter his body is torn to shreds and in the spring it is formed again. Demeter is reborn in the spring because that is when she gets to see her daughter.

Explain the origin of the word echo.

Echo was derived from the greek word for sound, eche. Echo was also the name of a girl who went mute because of Hera, and could only repeat things that others said, just like an echo.

Why do you suppose Europe was named after Europa? What other myth-derived name would you have suggested?

Europe was named after Europa because in Europa's dream, two continents claimed to be her mother; one was Asia and the other had no name. Zeus loved Europa so he named the unnamed continent after her.

What is the great suffering that Dionysus must endure?

Every winter Dionysus's body is torn to pieces.

Why did Zeus change himself into a bull?

He changed himself into a bull so that he could bring Europa across a sea on his back.

How does Prometheus trick Zeus into accepting an undesirable sacrifice from humans?

He cut open and skinned an ox, He then took all of the meat in wrapped it in the fur and the undesirable parts, and left a bunch of fat on the bones. Zeus chose the fatty bones because he thought that the fat was meat.

According to one account of the creation of humankind, what did Prometheus give to humans in order make them more powerful than the animals?

He gave the humans the ability to stand upright, just like the gods. With this they are more powerful, stronger, and quicker.

How does Deucalion interpret the voice that commands him and Pyrrha to "cast behind you the bones of your mother"? What happens when he obeys the command?

He interprets the voice as evil so he says that he is not going to do it. He then lied and said that the earth herself was his mother and the rocks are her bones, so the bones then turn into stone.

How did Prometheus try to comfort Io? What else could he have said?

He said that he was going to name a sea after her and that when she reached the Nile, Zeus would be waiting for her and he would turn her back into a human. He could have said that she didn't look like a monster.

Describe Adonis. By whom was he beloved?

He was a very beautiful man. He was a hunter, smart, etc. He was loved by both Aphrodite and Persephone.

What qualities set Hephaestus apart from the other Olympians? What is his special skill?

He was lame (he couldn't walk). He was also born from only his mother; he had no father (some say Zeus was his father, however). His special skill was the ability to craft weapons and armor.

Describe the fantastical birth of Dionysus, and the sad fate of his mother, Semele.

He was the only god with a mortal parent. When Semele was pregnant with Dionysus, she was killed by Hera. after this, Zeus took baby Dionysus and stitched him into his thigh until he was ready to be born.

Describe the psychological dilemma that Psyche's sisters create by telling her that her husband is a serpent.

Her sisters spiked curiosity in Psyche. She wants to know what he looks like, even though she was told not to look at him.

How and why was Echo punished?

Her voice was taken away and now she can only copy what others say. She was punished because she was making small talk to Hera to distract her from something Zeus was doing.

Who is Hera? Describe her personality.

Hera was Zeus' wife and sister. She was the protector of marriage and married women. She was often very angry because Zeus was cheating on her.

According to the myth of Io, how does the peacock get the eye in its tale?

Hermes kills Argus, a giant with one hundred eyes, and Hera puts all of the eyes on a peacock, her favorite bird.

Do you have any sympathy for Polyphemus? Why or why not?

I do have sympathy for Polyphemus because I feel bad that a bunch of random strangers invaded his house and killed him. I would be really angry if that happened to me.

Do you think Narcissus deserved to have a flower named after him? Why or why not?

I do not think that he should have had a flower named after him because he was very cocky. He thought too high of himself.

Briefly describe some elements of the underworld.

It has two parts; Tartarus and Erebus. When people die, they go to Erebus which is the upper portion. Then they travel to Tartarus, which is the lower part. Homer describes the underworld as being unreal, that everything is a dream. He also says it is a dark place with lots of shadows. Other poets describe it as a place where the good people are rewarded and the bad people are punished.

What does the expression "a young Adonis" mean?

It means any young male that is beautiful.

Describe how the various elements of the Maenad's worship illustrates both the freedom and naturalness of their lifestyle as well as its dark and savage side. Why do you think Dionysus, in particular, would inspire these two opposed sides of human nature?

It represented freedom because they were free to do whatever they wanted. However, it was dark because they were always drunk. Dionysus inspired these because he caused them. The forest represents freedom.

What is the Golden Age?

It was the first of a series of ages that man went through. Men lived very good lives, like gods almost. They didn't have any pain, Also, it was only man; mortal women did not exist yet.