OSU Mythology Final

While Euripides keeps Medea's position as a betrayed wife at the forefront, much of Medea's language and insistence on respect reflects [fill in the blank]

male heros

Does Agamemnon and Odysseus in council appear depicted on the walls of the temple to Juno?

no

Does Athene always appears to Odysseus in her true form?

no, Athene does not always do so

Did Medea ever help Jason navigate a labyrinth prior to marriage?

no, Medea did NOT help Jason with this

Does Odysseus speak to the ghost of his wife while in Hades?

no, Odysseus speaks only to Achilles, his mother, one of his men and Tiresias

Explain what Athena and Odysseus have in common, according to their representation in Homer's Odyssey

they are both wise contrivers who trick, plot, tells story, and deceive others

the passage: "and the god-sprung hero left his spear on the bank, propped on tamarisks - in he leapt like a frenzied god, his heart racing with slaughter, only his sword in hand, whirling in circles, slashing - hideous groans breaking, fighters stabbed by the blade, water flushed with blood" is an example of what?

this is an example of an epic simile

Out of gold, silver, bronze, iron and titanium, which of these is NOT one of the Ages of Man described at the beginning of the poem?

titanium

What is the main reason for widespread calls for Ovid's Metamorphoses to accompanied by trigger warnings when assigned in class?

Because of its consistent theme of rape

Identify two tasks Aeëtes explicitly gives Jason in Colchis

Yoke the fire-breathing Khalkotauroi (Colchis Bulls) and plow a field with dragon teeth

Ovid's Metamorphoses was written in hexameter form in which language?

Latin

Define Ekphrasis

The verbal representation of visual representation

what is Hector's (character created by Homer in the trojan wars) approach to honor?

while he is determined to protect his honor, he confuses honor with blind loyalty and fights in what he knows is an unworthy cause. He, too, knows that the inevitable consequence will be the destruction of the very city for which he sacrifices himself

Who is said to have uttered: "It is easier to steal Hercules' club than steal one line from Homer"?

words spoken by Virgil

Does Odysseus slay Penelope's suitors upon his return.

yes, Odysseus does kill them upon his return

Andromache's father was killed by?

Achilles

Which figure in the poem has 100 eyes?

Argus

The expression "by your beard" is an example of

supplication

Identify and define the three qualities scholars have identified as essential for the Roman Hero

1. Gravitas 2. Pietas 3. Frugality/Frugalitas

Identify at least two different groups of people from whom Romans appropriated myth

1. The Greeks 2. The Etruscans (who had dominated the region Rome took over and were also influenced by the Greeks)

Place key events in Odysseus' adventures in chronological order: - Circe - Stuck with Kalypso (7 years) - Trojan War (10 years) - Sirens - Phaiakians brings Odysseus home - leave Troy - lotus eaters - Helios' island - meets the Phaiakians - Odysseus defeats the suitors - Telemachus comes home - Odysseus meets Eumaeus - leaves Kalypso - Polyphemus - leaves Circe - Aiolos and the bags of wind - travel to the underworld - Skylla and Charybdis

1. Trojan War 2. Leave Troy 3. Lotus Eaters 4. Polyphemus 5. Aiolos and the bag of winds 6. Circe 7. leaves Circe (1 year with her) 8. travels to the underworld 9. sirens 10. Skylla and Charybdis 11. Helios' Island 12. Stuck with Kalypso 13. leaves Kalypso (after 7 years) 14. meets the Phaiakians 15. Phaiakians brings Odysseus home 16. Odysseus meets Eumaeus 17. Telemachus comes home 18. Odysseus defeats the suitors

How many of Euripides's 88 plays have survived?

18 plays

how long does the action of The Odyssey cover?

6 weeks

Upon returning to his house from the Trojan war, Odysseus wants Athene's help so that he can avoid experiencing the same fate as which fellow Greek?

Agamemnon

Which three goddesses were competitors for the golden apple in the judgement of Paris?

Aphrodite, Athene, and Hera (the competitors for what?)

Who is Phaeton's father?

Apollo

When Odysseus finally arrives on the shores of Ithaca, he doesn't know where he is. Who tells him?

Athene, disguised as a shepherd

Out of Juno, Jupiter, Bacchus and Minerva, which of these deities was NOT a main god or goddess in Roman culture?

Bacchus (in greek is Dionysus)

Who was Achilles's slave?

Briseis

Penelope keeps her suitors at bay with a number of strategies, including a promise to marry after completing this object for her father-in-law, which she unravels at night:

Burial Shroud

Who tries to warn the Trojans about the fake wooden horse?

Cassandra and Laocoon

Two man-devouring monsters Odysseus must face are Scylla and...

Charybdis

Explain some of the most distinctive features of Euripides' Medea

Daughter of the god Aeëtes, Medea is a sorceress who helps Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece. She kills her brother and escapes Colchis with Jason

Some ancient commentators viewed this character as an idealized self portrait of Homer.

Demodocus

Greek tragedy was composed for performance at an annual Athenian festival honoring which god?

Dionysus was the god this festival honored

define Pietas

Duty to one's parents, the state, and the gods of Rome

Which figure falls in love with Narcissus?

Echo

True or false: the emperor Augustus was incensed by the Aeneid and banished Virgil to an island.

False

True or False: Hector is confident throughout the Iliad that Troy will win the war.

False, Hector is not confident about Troy winning the war throughout the

True or false: Ovid's Metamorphoses focuses on three main characters.

False, Ovid's Metamorphoses focuses on multiple characters

True or false: Most modern scholars believe that the Iliad and the Odyssey were written by a single author (Homer).

False, modern scholars do not believe that

True or false: Whereas Homeric epics end in unremitting violence, Virgil's Aeneid ends in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

False, there ain't no tranquility

what is Hector's (character created by Homer in the trojan wars) approach to the circumstances of his death?

Hector receives a prediction from Andromache that he will die in battle, but Hector welcomes this prediction, for he would rather die in battle with honor than die a coward. He wants to always "go forward" and be brave, so he accepts the death that awaits him and dismisses the grief that his family will feel afterwards.

When Odysseus arrives on Circe's terrain, he is given the Moly plant as protection by who?

Hermes gives Odysseus the plant

define Frugalitas

Idealizing the simple life, free from the distractions of vanity and self-indulgence (qualities associated with women in Roman epic)

Explain why Helen of Troy can be interpreted as a "secular Eve"

In The Iliad, Helen (who is Zeus's daughter) is somewhat of an enigma: it's hard to know what her motives. In some accounts she is a temptress who causes the war. In others she is a casualty of war (a pawn in a larger story driven by the gods). Due to her beauty, Helen is able to lure in any man, and because of this, she played a hand in causing the Trojan war where many men died.

Identify some of the most obvious differences between the depiction of Medea in the film "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963) and the novel Circe (2018)

In the film, Medea is a table dancer instead of a powerful sorcerer (non dominant) who is focused on love. In the novel, Medea is assertive and violent sorcerer (dominant)

According to Marguerite Johnson ("Guide to the Classics"), what statement is true of Ovid's Metamorphoses?

It is an epic about the act of silencing

Out of Venus, Diana, Janus, and Bacchus, which of these Roman gods is not Greek in origin?

Janus

In the Aeneid, which god loves/patronizes Carthage?

Juno/Hera

At the beginning of Euripides' play, Jason has abandoned Medea so that he can marry who?

King Kreon's Daughter

who was king of Korinth?

Kreon

Explain why there has been a backlash against some translations of Ovid's Metamorphoses in the wake of the #MeToo movement

Many previous translations have turned a blind eye to or reframed these scenes, positioning them as romantic and even titillating encounters where women are "ravished" or "enjoyed" without their consent. Other translations give a nod to rape but forgo a more accurate translation in favor of euphemism. Then there are the professors who do not even give a warning about the text before reading it to their class.

Helen was the wife of ?

Menelaus

Describe the images woven by Arachne and Minerva in Ovid's Metamorphoses

Minerva's/Athene's tapestry depicts the story of the naming of Athens, with the gods in majestic stance and her own triumph with the olive tree featured prominently, while Arachne's illustrates twenty-one examples of gods taking on bestial forms or other disguise in order to seduce and assault mortals, mostly women.

Recognize the opening of Ovid's Metamorphoses (in English)

My intention is to tell of bodies changed To different forms; the gods, who made the changes, Will help me—or I hope so—with a poem That runs from the world's beginning to our own days.

Summarize Ovid's version of the Echo and Narcissus myth

Narcissus is a beautiful boy whom everyone adores, but he does not allow anyone to come upon him. Later, Echo (who can only say the last words spoken by a person before her) falls in love with Narcissus, but he refuses her love as well. Heartbroken, Echo withers away until only her voice is left. Continuing with Narcissus, who was cursed if he ever looked at his reflection, soon perceives himself through a lake and falls in love with himself. He wishes to be separated from his body so that he can be with the one he loves (himself), but instead, he dies from his sorrow

Narcissus falls in love with his own image after one of his suitors makes a prayer to which deitie?

Nemesis

a clear narrative timeline is NOT a sign of what?

Oral composition

"As weaver, keeper of nuptial secrets, and guardian of an olive trunk symbolizing the Tree of Life, ________ implicitly functions as a priestess of feminine divinity." this quote describes who from the Odyssey?

Penelope (Odysseus' wife)

Which of these figures was the son of Poseidon?

Polyphemus

Explain Romulus's role in the founding of Rome and the rape of the Sabine women, as well as his relationship to characters in the Aeneid

Romulus and his twin brother was nursed by a wolf, then later founded and raised by a shepherd. Once they grew up, the twins restored their grandfather to the throne, but wanted to name the new city after one of themselves. Remus dies, so the city of Rome is named after Romulus. Rome was prospering, but did not have enough women, so Romulus invited the neighboring cities (including Sabine women) to a festival, but the Romans ended up abducting and raping the Sabine women.

define Gravitas

Seriousness of purpose and devotion to duty (especially to the state)

Which event in the homeward voyage of Odysseus came first, chronologically? (right after leaving troy)

Stops at the land of lotus eaters

According to Ovid, which prophet foretold that Narcissus would grow old only if he never looked at himself?

Teiresias

What scene is depicted on the walls of Dido's temple to Juno?

Trojan battles

On whose side did Apollo, Artemis, and Aphrodite fight in the Trojan War?

Trojans side had the gods (name 3)

True or False: When Homer refers to the Achaeans, he is referring to the Greeks

True, Homer refers to the Greeks when he refers to the

True or False: Venus is attacked and harmed by a human during the Trojan War

True, Venus is attacked and harmed

True or false: Recent archeological studies confirm many of the details about Troy in Homer's Iliad.

True, recent archeological studies confirm details about

True or false: Io, turned into a cow by Juno, is eventually restored to her previous form.

True, thank you Juno

True or false: The Odyssey includes an account of the Trojan horse

True. the trojan horse is mentioned

what is Hector's (character created by Homer in the trojan wars) view on family relationships?

While Hector does love his wife and son, he believes that his home/city in which he lives in is more important, for without the city, he would not have a place to live. He puts his city before his family.

Callisto, rejected by Diana after her pregnancy is revealed, is then turned into which animal?

a bear

Recognize an example of literary ekphrasis

a framed narrative, like when the shield of Achilles is explained in the Aeneid

Early in the Aeneid, Venus appears to Aeneas in the disguise of

a girl

Explain how the term "poet laureate" ultimately connects back to the myth of Apollo and Daphne

a poet laureate refers to an honorary representative position in a particular group, and when a poet was given this honor, they were crowned with laurel leaves. In Apollo and Daphne's tale, Daphne is turned into a laurel tree to escape Apollo's attempt at rape.

define secular Eve

a seductive figure who tempts men with her sexuality and leads them to their death

an elaborate comparison is the best definition of what?

an epic simile

Define epic simile

an extended simile elaborated in such detail or at such length as to eclipse temporarily the main action of a narrative work, forming a decorative digression. (usually compares one complex action, rather than a simple quality or thing, with another)

Why is the myth of Daphne, as told by Ovid, considered an etiological (also spelled "aetiological") myth?

because it explains the origin of the laurel tree

Explain why Ovid's version of the Arachne myth has drawn comparisons between the weaver and the activists and reporters associated with the #MeToo movement

because when Arachne was done weaving her tapestry, which featured gods raping mortals, Athene "silenced" her by tearing her tapestry apart, beating her with a shuttle, and turning her into a spider (cursing her to weave forever). So there is silencing, assault, and non-consent of being turned into a spider

Troy was situated at the entrance to the Hellespont, the narrow sea link between the Mediterranean and the:

black sea (links with the _________ sea?)

Which decisions in Odysseus's episode with Polyphemus (sea gods son) was uncharacteristically imprudent?

entering the cyclops cave and boasting of his cleverness and divulging his identity

Which term means "reciprocal relationship of friendship and kinship"?

philia

Like Medea, Phaedra, and Ariadne of Greek myth, Dido can be considered an example of what classic greek theme?

deserted heroine

Explain the difference between "diversification" and "decolonization," as defined in Giusti's post

diversification is adding more culture to an original culture without taking the original culture away decolonization is separating from a colony and creating a new independent colony somewhere else (which, according to Giusti, involves taking other people's land to make room for that new colony)

A characteristic epithet for Aeneas is pius, which can translate to...?

duty-bound

True or False: the emperor Augustus was a big supporter of Ovid and bestowed many honors upon him.

false, Augustus despised Ovid

Identify the genre and setting of Amit Chaudhury's Odysseus Abroad

genre: historical/domestic fiction setting: Indian student in a literature class in London

Describe Aeneas' response to the images in Dido's temple

he has tear filled eyes to see the people he knew and fought on the battle field. He sees his friends who have died, and even sees himself in war.

define decolonization

identify colonial systems and challenge those systems in order to create a paradigm shift from a culture of exclusion and denial to the making of space for other political philosophies and knowledge systems

As Homer portrays him, Odysseus is entirely human, which makes it especially significant that he refuses Calypso's offer of what?

immortality

Define diversification

integration or token inclusion of non-white cultures and people

Define Euhemerism

interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events

Explain why ekphrasis does not pause the narrative

it may halt the forward movement of the plot by providing a long detailed description, but that description still plays a roll in the narrative

The Roman Empire was primarily polytheistic. This meant:

people recognized and worshiped multiple gods and goddesses

Explain the significance of Carthage in the Aeneid and for the later Roman empire

the Aeneid, according to Miller, is said to be about refuges who flee war and in search of a home. The story of the trojan refugees was being told from the perspective of the Roman empire in a way to celebrate the Roman empire. In book one, Aeneas arrives in Carthage where the queen Dido treats him well. Carthage's lost is presented as an inevitable consequence of Aeneas progression towards Rome, and this matters because Carthage becomes Romes biggest rivals. In the Aeneid, Carthage is being built, but later it becomes a strong city that becomes the rival towards the Roman empire. Roman beating Carthage during the punic wars made Rome want to begin to document their history.

An example of euhemerism:

the trojan war or discovering Atlantis

True or false: Greek gods were already being worshipped in parts of the Italian peninsula and Sicily before the Roman Republic rose to prominence.

true

True or false: Aeneas's quest is a new mission to a new land and a return to the ancestral land of the first Trojan.

true, Aeneas goes on this quest

True or false: Although the chorus rarely takes action itself, it can question, advise, and urge characters for or against action.

true, the chorus is allowed to do this to characters

True or false: almost all the ancient Greek tragedies drew from the mythological past rather than current events.

true, these tragedies did get drawn from the past