CLST Quiz 2 Terms and People/Gods/Places
pytho
"I rot"
Ortygia (Delos)
"Quail Island," or Ortygia, is an ancient name for Delos; other places also bear this name. In one version of the tale, Artemis kills Orion at Ortygia.
omphalos
"navel" -an archaic stone shaped like an egg with two birds perched on either side -thought to designate the location of apollos sanctuary at delphi -legend says zeus released two eagles from opposite ends of earth and they met exactly at the spot of apollos sanctuary known as delphi or delphoi
Sappho
(born ca. 612 B.C.E.) One of the great lyrical poets of the ancient Greeks; her poetry developed the complexities of the inner workings of human beings and love. -devoted to aphrodite and the women with whom she was associated -the term lesbian comes from her and the association of aphrodite with lesbian love -
daphne
-"laurel" - laurel is sacred to apollo after apollo salyed python he boasted to cupid that he couldnt compete with that -cupid got even by shooting daphne with a dull, leaden arrow that repels love and pirced apollos heart with a bright, short one that arouses passion -daphne vowed to remain a virgin devoted to diana -as soon as apollo saw daphne he was imfalmaed with passion and desired to marry her but bc of cupid his hopes were doomed -she fled and prayed that the river would take her beauty -->she was turned into a lovely laurel tree and the heartbroken apollo embraced its trunk and branches -she would be his tree--> laurel wreath a symbol of love, honor and glory forever
bacchae
-mostly female followers of dionysus (90% female)
coronis
-one of apollos loves from thessaly, she was pregnant with his child - apollos bird the raven saw her with another man and told apollo -in quick and violent rage he shot her with one of his arrows -he tried to revive her but it dint work -he saved the baby by snatching it out of her womb and giving it to chiron the wise centaur to raise -color of raven was white, is now black -child grew up tp be asclepius
hermes characteristics and items of clothing
-petasus(os): broad rimmed hat, sometimes winged -talaria: sandals, often winged -caduceus or kerykeion: golden staff, sometimes entwined with 2 snakes -devious -winning in his ingenuity -clever talker -guide of dreams and guide of souls -messenger of the gods
hermes
-son of zeus and maia
worship of dionysus
-spiritual release thorough music and dance -in bacchic ceremonies the god took possession of his worshippers who ate the raw flesh of the sacrificial animal (they believed the god to be present in the victim) -
the cumaean sibyl
-the general designation for a prophetess -the sibyls at cumae in italy were famous -cumean sibyl was most famous, she was the guide to aeneas in the underworld -apollo offered her anything she wished if she would yield to him -she wished for as many birthdays as grains of sand she picked up in a heap, forgot to ask for eternal youth -she refused apollo so he granted her original wish ans she withered away until she was just a voice -illustrates how out ignoraknt wishes may be granted to our woe
Bacchae worship (Euripides)
-women of thebes have become possessed by frenzy, and dressed in fawn skins, they raise the bacchic cry (pure and mystic joy) on mt cithaeron to musical beat of tambouriines , with theyrsus in their hand (ivy covered pine shaft -King pentheus doesnt like this new religion -led to his destruction by his desire to see the orgies and the ambivalence of his sexual identity
birth of dionysus (roman bacchus)
-zeus disguised as a mortal, loved semele -jealous hera appeared to semele and convinced her to make zeus reveal himself to her in the full magnificence of his divinity, thus semele was burnt to cinder -zues saved their child by sewing him up in his own thigh to be born again at the right time -dionysus was brought up by nymphs and semeles sister ino on a mountain named nysa -dionysus came to greece from phrygia and thrace -he brings happiness and salvation to those to accept him and madness and death to those who don't
Sophronein
A Greek word meaning "to be temperate"; an important theme in Euripides' Hippolytus.
Dionysus Zagreus (mystery religions)
A dying and rising god: Zagreus is son of Zeus and Persephone, Zeus plans to enthrone his divine son. Jealous Hera induces the Titans to kill Dionysus by tearing him to pieces and devouring him. Acting for Zeus, Athena save's Zagreus' heart which Zeus swallows then impregnates Semele (queen of Thebes). Hera convinces her to beg Zeus to show his true self, and when he does she is incinerated from his glory. Dionysus is in Zeus' thigh, and is birthed from there.
dionysus and apollo
Dionysus, with the emotional din and clash of his music and the unrestrained freedom and passion of his worship, is often presented in direct contrast to Apollo, god of the lyre's disciplined melody, reason, and self-control. These two antithetical forces of the irrational (Dionysian) and rational (Apollonian) are dominant archetypal motifs inherent in human nature, and they have attained a particular importance and influence because of Friedrich Nietzche's study of drama entitled The Birth of Tragedy.
Diana (artemis) of Ephesus
Ephesus, in Asia Minor, was the site of one of the most important temples to Artemis; the cult image of Artemis, or Diana of Ephesus, was one of the most iconic representations: a goddess with a turreted crown, multiple breasts, and row upon row of animal heads; in this presentation the goddess is seen as the protectress of nature. (page 230)
Cytherea and cypris
Epithets of Aphrodite associating her with the islands of Cythera and Cyprus -brought first to cythera then cyprus
arkteia
Festival in which a young Athenian girl imitated a bear to show her devotion to Artemis and declare that she was ready to be married.
marsyas
He was a satyr who had the temerity to challenge Apollo to a contest of musical skill after picking up the flute that Athena had fashioned and then discarded. Apollo agreed to the contest on the condition that the victor be allowed to do with the loser as he wished. Apollo won and flayed Marsyas alive; his blood formed the river that bears his name (Herodotus 7.26; Apollodorus 1.4.2; Ovid, Metamorphoses 6.382-400; Hyginus, Fabulae 165).
Caduceus
Hermes' staff, topped with wings and intertwined with snakes (modern day: an insignia used by the medical profession)
herms
Herms (sing: herm). A herm was a rectangular or square pillar equipped with male genitals and with the head or bust of Hermes on top. (Herms also is the designation, in the ancient world, of such pillars with the head or bust of any person or god, not necessarily Hermes). These statues were believed to bring fertility and good luck.
callisto
Jupiter fell in love with her and raped her, she marched in dianas troops so she was supposed to remain pure, so diana expelled her from her band juno knew about the child and waited to get her revenge, after arcas was born juno turned her into a bear (she still had a human mind) \ the story of callisto is typical of myths that provide etiology for individual stars or constellations
the birth of apollo (first part of hymn to apollo)
Leto is in labor but none of the islands want Apollo to be born there because none want to suffer from Hera's jealous rage (bc Zeus got Leto pregnant), the island of Delos accepts Leto when she promises that it will become a famous cult center with a fabulous temple, Apollo is born there. Found in the first half of Homeric Hymn to Apollo #3 "Delian Apollo" -goddess eileithiya is summoned by iris to help leto deliver him -he was given nectar and ambrosia by goddesses present --> made him a mighty god and he declared that the curved bow and lyre were his adn that he would prophesy to mortals the unerring will of zeus
resistance myth
Myths that depict the resistance to the worship and rituals of Dionysus.
sirius (dog star)
Orion's dog, which becomes the Dog Star located in orion constellation
Hippolytus
The son of Theseus and an Amazon; he is raised by his grandfather Pittheus at Troezen; he will become a extreme devotee of Artemis and thereby bring on the retribution of Aphrodite, who will cause Phaedra, Theseus' wife and Hippolytus' stepmother, to fall in love with him; this is the subject of Euripides' Hippolytus. Hippolytus will be dragged to death by his chariot horses, when they are spooked by a phantasm of a bull rising from the sea.
narcissus
The son of the river-god Cephisus and the nymph lirope -one of his male admirers prayed that he fall in love with so he cannot possess his beloved -nemesis (retribution) heard his just prayer -when eco saw narcissus hunting she burned with passion, she followed him wherever he went but he rejected her advances --> hid embarrassed and inhabited caves aline after that - after the hunt narcissus was hot and tired, he came upon a pool of glistening clear water, as he drank he was captivated by his own beauty and fell in love with his reflection -he tried to kiss and embrace his reflection but couldnt, eventually he was so weak from his love of his reflection he wasted away and died -echo watched him die -in ubderworld narcissus gazed at himself in river of styx -his body disappeared on earth and in its place was a yellow flower with white petals in its center
phaedra
The wife of Theseus and stepmother of Hippolytus; through Aphrodite she conceives a lust for her stepson; she will commit suicide and leave a note implicating Hippolytus in a rape.
Pythian Games
These games were held every four years in Delphi and honored the god, Apollo.
petasus/petasos
a hat
oracle
a person thought to be a source of wisdom or prophecy
psychopomp
a spirit being or messenger from god who escorts a dying person to the next life leads souls down to the border of unerworld (styx or acheron), charon ferries them across psychopomp for eurydice, orpheus --> hermes is psychopomp
talaria
a winged sandal (as worn by Hermes in Graeco-Roman art)
actaeon
an ardent hunter who lost his way and accidentally saw artemis (diana in ovids version) naked, then he was turned into a stag for it -then was eaten by his own huntung dogs -metamorphoses 3 138-255
selene
an earlier (from artemis) goddess of the moon
kerykeion
another name for the caduceus, the snake-wrapped staff of Hermes
pygmalion
aphrodite (venus) was enraged bc the women of her own cult place of cyprus denied her divinity-->she made them be the first women to prostitute themselves -pygmalion didnt like these women --> he made an ivory statue that was beautiful, he fell in love with it -on the feast day of venus he prayed to he that his iveory statue become his wife -when he returned he found his lovely statue alive her name was galatea -they had a son names paphos, after venus favorite city in cyprus was named
asia minor
artemis and apollo have many cult places here
omophagy
consumption of raw flesh
voluptas
daughter of psyche and cupid
the hours or seasons
daughters of zeus and themis -represent the attractive attributes of the various times of the year
mystery cult
dionysus
the three graces
feminine personifications of aspects of charm and loveliness
hecate
fertility goddess of the underworld --> depicted like a fury with a scourge and blazing torch and accompanied by fierce hounds -goddess of crossroads, a place thought to be the center of ghostly activity in the dead of night -skilled in black magic she is invoked by sorceresses and murderers (madea and lady macbeth) -offerings of food were made to her (hecates suppers) at triple faceted statues, erected at crossroads and depicting three aspects of the moon: selene in heaven, artemis on earth and hecate in the underworld
who is considered a possible father of priapus
hermes adonis pan
two psychopomps
hermes and iris
Trickster archetype
human or animal creature that plays jokes, makes fun or is made fun of, is joking, not evil
aphrodite and adonis
kinyras had a daughter named myrrha who fell in love with him -> she hid her identiity and had reltions with her father, when he foudn out he went after her, but she was turned into a myrrh tree -she was pregnant from her father, from herself as a tree adonis was born -he was handsome and aphrodite fell in love and warned him of danger of hunting -he didnt listen and was speared by a wild boars tusk and died in aphrodites arms -aphrodites made him into a flower from his blood, the anemone -theme of great mother and her lover who dies as vegetation dies and comes back to life again
Potnia Theron
mistress of animals, artemis
semele
mortal mother of Dionysus
leto
mother of artemis and apollo
niobe and her children
niobe (queen of thebes) boasted that she was better than leto because she was rich, beautiful, the queen of thebes and bore seven sons and seven daughters whereas leto only had one son and one daughter -leto told apollo and artemis and they exacted a swift vengeance -with bows and arrows apollo killed all seven sons and artemis killed all seven daughters - niobe was turned into stone and brought by a whirlwind to a mountaintop in her former homeland phrygia. her tears wear away her face there
the ithyphalliuc son of aphrodite
priapus -personifies the elemental, sexual side of aphrodites nature -bears a huge and erect pallus -guards against thieves -ensure prosperity -fetility god beinging good fortune for crops and procreation --> developed into an erotic and sometimes obscene inspiration for later art and literature
aphros
sea foam
aphrodite - adonis - persephone
when adonis was an infant aphrodite put him in a chest for persphone (queen of underworld), when she saw him she did not want to give him back -it was agreed that adonis would spend one part in the upper world with aphrodite and the other with persephone in the underworld -theme of death and resurrection -similarities with easter and risen christ
eros (cupid)
young, handsome god of love and desire developed into the god of male homosexuality
attendants of aphrodite
the three graces, the hours or seasons
cupid (eros) and psyche (soul)
-Apuleius (roman author) gives story in its classic form -psyhce was the fairest princess --> ppl said she was venus incarnated and paid her much adulation -this angered venus, so she ordered her son cupid to make her fall in love with him, but instead he made himself fall in love with psyche -her father consulted apollo bc she wasnt married -apollo arranged a marriage on a mountaintop to a serpent -she fell asleep and awoke in a beautiful palace, a bridgeroom would appear at night and ne gone by sunrise so she spent her days and nights in the palace - she wanted to visit her sisters and her husband allowed her to as long as she didnt try to figure out his identity -sisters visited again and psyche told the,m she was pregnant (she was sup[posed to keep secret otherwise child will b mortal -sisters visited a 3rd time--> thought her child would be divine and are jealous --> told psyche that her husband was a monstrous serpent -she hid a lamp and knife and was going to slash his throat but saw beautiful cupid,--> pricked one of his arrows and fell in love -psyche was forced to do impossible tasks by aphrodite --> sort out before nightfall a vast heap of grains --> an ant came to her rescue and summoned his army to isolate each grain - next she had to bring back wool of dangerous sheep--> a redd gave her instructions (waut until the sheep rested and take the wool from the branches they clug to) - next had to go to high mountain and fill jar w water (dragon up there), eagle of jupiter filled jar for her -last task was to go to underworld and give persephone (got instructions from tower), but looked into box and was enveloped in the sleep that was inside it -cupid rescued her and appealed to jupiter, psyche became an immortal so venus was appeased - there was a wedding anf feast to celebrate
pythia
-Prophetess of Apollo at Delphi -uttered the responses of the god as she sat on a tripod -her answers came in incoherent ravings which were transcribed by a near by priest into intelligible prose or verse
Mt. Cyllene
-Site of Hermes' birth in Arcadia -home of maia -hermes is lord of mt cyllene and arcadia
apollo in general
-Son of Zeus and Leto, -twin brother of Artemis -most characteristically Greek god of the pantheon -a god of restraint and violence, balance, rationality, harmony and music, sickness and healing -he carries the bow and the lyre.
hermes steals apollos cattle
-hermes is craving meat -devises a plan to steal apollos cattle -made cattle walk backwards while he walked forward =old man working spied him, he promised good harvest of grapes and much wine if he didnt tell
delphi or delphoi - reason for name
-after apollo established his sanctuary he needed to recruit attendants, he spotted a ship sailing from crete and he sprang aboard in the form of a dolphin-> crew followed course in awe to crisa -apollo then revealed himself as a god and initiated them into his service, with directions to pray to him as apollo delphinus/os, a word meaning dolphin from which crisa or pytho received its new name of delphi
zeus decides the case
-apollo spoke first and truthfully stated the facts about his missing cattle -hermes reply was full of lies and even swore a mighty oath that he was innocent -zeus laughed and ordered hermes to lead apollo to the hiding place of the cattle
apollo tracks down hermes
-apollo was axious ab losing his cattle -inquired with the old man - old man said there was a child driving herd backwards -the sign of eagle with extended wings told apollo it was a son of zeus but the ingeuity of robbery led him to hermes
aphrodite urania
-arose amidst the foam from the severed genitals of uranus that were cast upon the sea -born from male alone, not result of sexual union -came to be characterized as the goddess of pure love (not physical but spiritual) -heavenly or celestial aphrodite of philosophy and religion
hermes invents the lyre
-as soon as he left the cave where he was born he used a a hollow tortoise shell, reeds, an ox's hyde and strings of sheep gut to make the first ever seven-stringed lyre -in no time he tuned it and was singing beautiful songs in honor of his parents
Hermes makes Sacrifice
-at daybreak hermes fed the cows well and found a shelter for them -made a fire (first to use dry sticks and use friction to make it) -skinned and butchered two cattle and divided rich paerts of meat into 12 sections which he roasted in offering to the gods -he couldnt eat them just savor the aroma (bc he is a god)
artemis in general
-became a vehement virgin -but also possesses traits (interest in childbirth and young of both humans and animals) of a fertility goddess -as a moon goddess she was worshiped by women who linked her with the lunar cycle and thier menstrual period -above all artemis is the virgin huntress and the goddess of nature itself -protectress of animals -like the moon she appears as a symbol, white, aloof and chaste
aphrodite in general
-captivating goddess of beauty, love, and marriage -depictions of her in art, literature and music reflect not only the duality but also the multiplicity of her nature
hermaphroditus
-child of Aphrodite and Hermes -deity of bisexuality and effeminacy -transformed into an androgynous being by the water nymph Salamacis
asclepius
-child of Apollo and Coronis -a famous practitioner of medicine -worshiped as both a hero and a god -when hippolytus died artemis appealed to him to bring him back to life--. he succeeded and enraged zeus who threw him into the underworld for disrupting natural order
echo
-cursed by juno to only repeat the last words of others -
Aphrodite Pandemos
-daughter of zeus and dione -goddess of physical satisfaction (sex and the procreation of children) -sacred and profane love
the birth and nature of artemis
-daughter of zeus and leto -twin sister to apollo -both were born on the island of delos -in some accounts she was born first and helped with apollos delivery --> revealed her powers as goddess of childbirth, which she shares with hera and eileithyia -birth of herself and apollo as twin deities links them closely -on occasion she will join her brother in supervising the dances of the muses and graces -both delight in the bow and arrow
last scene of bacchae euripides
-dionysus exiles those who have sinned against him -agave leaves and says shell go were mt cithaeron is out of sight and theres no remeberance of the thysrus
Bacchae (Euripides)
-dionysus himself has come in anger to thebes bc his divinity was being challenged -sisters of his mother said she got pregnant by some mortal and cadmus (their father ) told her to sya it was zeus, so zeus struck her dead bc of her deception
Apollo confronts Hermes
-enraged apollo faced hermes ,who sank into his blankets with a look of baby innocence, which did not fool apollo -asked hermes about cattle but hermes said he didnt know anything -apollo took the case to mt olymlpus for zeus to judge
dionysus in general
-god of vegetation, in particular the vie, the grape and the making and drinking of wine --throbbing intoxication of nature and sex -he represents the emotional and the irrational in human beings --> mob fury, fanaticism, and violence but also the highest ecstacy of mysticism and religious experience
the reconciliation between hermes and apollo
-hermes did what zeus told him to, when apollo found his cattle they reconciled -hermes played a song so beautiful on the lyre apollo said it was worthy of 50 cows --apollo promised hermes he would be messenger of the gods and he and his mother would have renown among immortals (his promise to his mother was fulfilled)
Hermes Reassures Maia
-hermes got in his cradle and acted like a helpless baby -maia was not fooled -assured her that he would be prince of thieves and would win honor and riches for them both
Ariadne
ARIADNE [ar-i-ad'nee] gave the hero Theseus a thread by which he could find his way out of the labyrinth after killing the Minotaur. She escaped with him from Crete, but he abandoned her on the island of Naxos. Desperate and alone, she was rescued by Bacchus, who placed the wreath that she wore in the heavens, where it became the constellation Corona. This damsel in distress found deliverance through a god, not a hero; and this story of salvation illustrating the love and compassion of Dionysus (benevolent god of the mysteries) has inspired great works of art.
Son of Aphrodite and Anchises
Aeneas--> the great hero of the romans
agave
Daughter of Cadmus and mother of Pentheus -leader in the slaughter of pentheus -she returns to thebes with the head of her son affixed to the tip of her thyrsus and awakens from her madness to realize the horror of her deed
Eileithyia
Daughter of Zeus and Hera; goddess of childbirth -birth of athena
arcas
Son of Callisto, when he was 15 he went into the forest and found his mother (didnt know it was her), he tried to spear her but jupiter did not let him, he then made them neighboring stars callisto became the great bear (arctus or ura major), arcas the bear warden (arctophylax, or arcturus or bootes, or the little wain)
orion
Subject of many varied tales; in one version Orion is associated with the island of Chios. While he is hunting, he meets Artemis and tries to rape her; Artemis produces a scorpion, which kills Orion. Both the scorpion and Orion become constellations.
cassandra
The daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. she agreed to give herself to apollo who rewarded her with the gift of prophecy -she changed her mind and refused apollos advances -apollo asked for one kiss and spit in her mouth, ensuring that she would keep he gift but also that her true prophecies would never be believed
connection between apollo and hermes
The friends Hermes and Apollo have a great deal in common. They are both gods of shepherds, flocks, and music. Hermes is a teenage Apollo, and his statues, herms, were to be found in gymnasia.
theseus
The king of Athens, husband of Phaedra, and father, with an Amazon, of Hippolytus. He will curse his son, believing him to have raped Phaedra, using one of three wishes granted to him by Poseidon. Hippolytus will be dragged to death by his chariot horses when they are spooked by a phantasm of a bull rising from the sea.
Sparagmos
tearing apart of an animal, dismemberment
the sanctuary of apollo at delphi (second part of hymn to apollo)
tells how apollo traveled greece until he found the proper place for the foundation of his oracle (crisa) under mt parnassos where he laid out his temple -then he slew a dragon named pytho or python, and thus the site was called pytho
Aphrodite and Anchises (Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite)
tells how zeus out into the heart of aphrodite an overwhelming desire for trojan anchises (to prove she wasnt the only one who could make other gods fall in love) - aphrodite tricks him into thinking she is a mortal -when he finds out she is a goddess he is scared he will be weak -another theme of great mother and the castration of her lover in more muted form
cybele and attis
the great asiatic mother (cybele) -theme of great mother and her lover -cybele was originally a bisexual deity who was castrated --> from the severed genitals an almond tree arose -nana put a blossom from the tree into her bosom and became pregnant -the beautiful attis was born , when he grew up cybele fell in love with him but attis loved another -cybele drove him mad in her jealousy --> he castrated himself and cybele got promised from zeus that his body would never decay -theme of resurrection and new life through the castration and death of the subordinate male in the grip of the eternal dominant female