Myth and Symbol Midterm

What is Zeus's relationship with his father?

- He wanted to defeat his father because Kronos swallowed his siblings - Kronos had a prophecy that said one of his children would overpower him which is why he chose to swallow all of them

Family tree: Connect Zeus to Metis, Athena, Demeter, Persephone, Memory, Muses, Leto, Apollo, Artemis, Hera and Hephaestus

- Zeus and Metis: Metis is Zeus's first wife - Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis - Demeter is siblings with Zeus and also his lover - Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter - Memory is another lover of Zeus - The muses are the 9 daughters of Zeus and Memory - Leto and Zeus were also lovers - Apollo and Artemis were the twins of Leto and Zeus - Hera is siblings with Zeus as well as his official wife - Hera and Zeus has Hephaestus together and he becomes Aphrodite's husband

What's Pandora's story?

- Zeus told Hephaestus to create her from the land and the Earth - Athena and Aphrodite helped to create her - Zeus wanted to punish men so he gave them a woman

Who are the Muses?

- Zeus's daughters with Memory - They are the bridge between the gods and the humans

Why is the Mycenaean age important in studying Greek mythology?

It is the early state of Greek history, which permeated and shaped almost all of what was to become Greece. It's the important time in which the Hero's lived and is the first origin of Greek society.

What does Theogony mean?

The genealogy of the gods and the origin of the universe.

Of all the possible definitions of Myth, which one's weren't used in the lecture?

- A lie - Anything spoken - A thing that floats around in space

Who are the Titans? Who are the 2 most important ones?

- They were Gaia and Ouranos's kids - Kronos and Rhea are the most important titans

Who are Zeus's brothers and sisters?

Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter

Who is the hero in Greek Mythology?

- He has to be a man - He has to be related to a god either by mother and father or by multiple generations

Why does Zeus get mad at Prometheus according to Hesiod? Why was he important to the Greeks?

- He stole the undying fire to help mankind, the humans. - He hides the best part of the meat, the bones and the fat, to give to the humans - He's important to the Greeks because he's the one who protects and provides for the humans. - The humans saw him as an intelligent, stubborn, positive figure.

What are the main differences between the Olympian gods and human beings?

- Immortality + Mortality - The Gods are powerful - The gods are always beautiful and in perfect shape in comparison to human beings - The gods control the lives of the humans - The humans offered things to the gods, prayed to them, etc.

How was Aphrodite born and how is she described?

- She was born from Ouranos's castrated genitals and the sea - She resembles patience, sexuality, beauty, etc.

Why were Homer and Hesiod famous?

- They were the first people to put Greek Mythology stories into writing - They were the first people to give context about the gods and goddesses

What century did Homer and Hesiod live in?

750-650: 8th Century

Which scholar developed the most modern and accurate definition of myth?: "Myth is a traditional take with a secondary partial reference to something of collective importance."

Burkert

True or false: "The versions of myth we see on contemporary television shows are not authentic."

False

True or false: Although there are many versions of myths, there is always one definitive version.

False

Why does question 3 have that answer?

To measure any version of a myth, even TV shows, are not authentic assumes that there is some authentic, authorized version of these myths against which they succeed or fail, and there really isn't one.

Which thinker re-introduces the Greek term "mythos" into modern European language?

Heyne

Myth is something that has carried many different definitions over time. What definitions were mentioned in the lecture?

- A story with a truth specific to some particular culture - A story with a truth about something universal to all of humanity - A primitive form of thought - A story with a profound truth in it - A tall tale

How is Zeus different from Kronos?

- Ouranos and Kronos both hid part of their family in order to keep the power: Ouranos his siblings and Kronos his children - Zeus was able to become the king without his siblings or kids attempting to overthrow him - He had allies who trusted him. He was an honest ruler. He was able to keep the trust of his allies as well as the people he ruled over, and his listened and kept his promises.

What is Pandora's box?

- Prometheus had a brother who he told never to accept any gifts but he still took Pandora's box and opened it, thus plaguing Earth with all kinds of evil - The only thing that stayed in the box was Hope

What was the first woman created by Hephaestus?

Pandora

Who said this statement: "The myths a culture chooses to tell, have an influence in shaping the values of that culture."

Plato

Who are Zeus's parents?

Rhea and Kronos

What is Zeus's story?

Rhea gave Zeus to Gaia and she hid him on Earth in order to save him from being swallowed by Kronos

What did Hesiod sing and write in his texts?

The genealogy of the gods, the creation of the world.

True or false: Homer is a mysterious poet since we do not have any biographical information about him?

True