Mythology Exam 4

What special power does Pliny say people believe wolves have?

A wolf looking at you can steal your ability to speak

Which is true of the Zodiac in Eratosthenes, Constellation Myths?

Cancer the crab was placed in the sky by Hera to reward it for standing against Herakles

Based on your reading, which of the following is TRUE in respect to Fulgentius' Myth?

Fulgentius' approach to myth is similar to Cornutus' approach because both authors interpret Greek myth via allegory and etymology.

According to Homer, what happens to Oedipus?

He doesn't blind himself and continues to reign at Thebes

Based on your reading, which of the following is FALSE concerning Horace's Odes?

In Ode 3.11, Horace encourages a woman named Lyde to follow the examples of Danaus' daughters (TRUE: They were written in Latin during the 1st century BC, Like Greek lyric poetry, Horace's Odes often make a Greek mythological figure the central theme of the poem, In Ode 2.19, Horace employs Greek myths about Dionysus to explain the character of Bacchus, Ode 1.10 is based on a Greek hymn to Hermes by Alcaeus, and this ode integrates important Greek myths surrounding Hermes.)

What is remarkable about the gods invoked in the spell from Papyri Graecae Magicae analysed by Collins (pgs. 88-92)?

It invokes a mixture of Greek, Egyptian and other Near-Eastern gods

In Oedipus Tyrannos, who states, "Many men have slept with their mothers in their dreams."

Jocasta

In Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannos, what are the effects of Oedipus' grievous transgression against his parents?

Jocasta kills herself, A plague devastates Thebes, Oedipus blinds himself

According to Theoi.com, the Hare constellation which Orion pursues in the heavens is called

Lepus

What does Collins (pgs. 64-78) point to as being an interesting feature of some of the earliest binding tablets?

They only provide the name of the victim

Which of the following Latin authors was of greatest importance to the European retelling of myth thanks to his fifteen-book epic, entitled Metamorphoses?

Ovid

Who did Oedipus believe were his real parents before he learned the truth?

Polybos and Merope

Ovid's account of Tereus and Philomelia:

Prokne spoke these words: "My dearest husband, if you love me, let me visit my dear sister, or consent that she may come to us and promise her that she may soon return. If you will but permit me to enjoy her company my heart will bless you as I bless the Gods", Ovid describes in vivid detail the thoughts and passions of Tereus, Ovid describes how Prokne was moved with pity for her son, Itys, when he called her Mother

Which is false?

Tereus was transformed into a nightingale because he forever lements the loss of his son (TRUE: according to Buxton, the metamorphoses of Tereus, Prokne, and Philomelia into birds prolonged their suffering, Prokne killed her only child Itys, dismembered his corpse, and fed it to her husband, Tereus)

In Oedipus Tyrannos, who states, "keep your eyes on the last day, on your dying".

The Chorus

Based on your reading, which of the following is FALSE of Greek theater?

The actors' portrayals of how Jocasta hanged herself and how Oedipus blinded himself were displayed to the Greek audience to create a dramatic effect (TRUE: There was chorus which consisted of fifteen characters, all of whom would come on stage performing a kind of dance, The chorus had a special relationship with the main character of the play, ophocles' audience would have been aware of the myths of Oedipus)

What does Buxton say about the 'equivalences' between Greek and Roman divinities?

The equivalences between Greek and Roman gods was the Romans way of establishing connection between their religion and that of the Greeks, The equivalences are evident as early as the 6th century BC, The equivalences between Greek and Roman gods did not necessarily mean that the significance of the Greek god was that same as the Roman

In Oedipus Tyrannos, who asks Oedipus, "who are your parents? Do you know?"

Tiresias

The blind prophet who frequently shows up in mythology, particularly important in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannos is named:

Tiresias

Which of the following Roman authors wrote an epic poem much like Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, which details the heroic foundation of Rome through the figure of Trojan hero named Aeneas?

Virgil

In Ovid's Metamorphses, the creation of the universe is via procreation between male and female gods

false

True or False, Eratosthenes descriptions of the constellations reveals that the stars in a constellation were counted and that he includes all of the same zodiac signs found in the modern zodiac

false

True or False, Oedipus attempts to avoid the fate of killing his father and sleeping with his mother by leaving Thebes.

false

True or False, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannos begins with Oedipus using his wits to defeat the Sphinx.

false

True or False, the appropriation and reworking Greek myth ended with the rise of Christianity in the Roman empire.

false

true or false, each of Heracles' twelve labors is linked to a constellation in the Zodiac

false

true or false, the greeks were the first people to recognize the constellations, which is why we still use the names they ascribed to these groups of stars

false

What is it that Elpenor's shade asks Odysseus to do for him?

give his body a funeral

In Niceros' story, what is it that proves that his companion was a werewolf?

he finds the man wounded

Based on your reading, which of the following statements is FALSE concerning Cornutus' Compendium of the Traditions of Greek Theology?

none (TRUE: It was written Greek, Through the use of allegory and etymology, Cornutus connects Stoic theories of the elements with the relationship between Zeus, Hera, and Rhea., Cornutus uses the myth of Athena's birth from Zeus' head to explain the location of the Stoic concept of providence (pronoia)., He explains the thyrsus of Dionysos as representing the need for a device to support oneself after having drunk a lot of wine.)

What is false of the Revolution of the Constellations?

none are false (TRUE: Orion was also described by Homer both striding across the heavens and hunting wild beasts in hte underworld, the titan atlas who stood either beneath the axis of heaven in the far north (in the land of the hyperboreans) or at heaven's western rim by the Atlas mountains in North Africa, was said to spin the dome around upon his shoulders, causing the stars to rise and set, the most important of the helical risings were those of the twelve constellations of the zodiac

Which of the following is false concerning the constellation Orion?

none are false (TRUE: it was recognized as representing the true shepherd Anu in Sumerian and Akkadian cultures, orion was killed by Artemis (or Gaea) for boasting that he would kill all the animals on the earth, the scorpion was also placed amongst the stars and continued to plague him, for as it rose in the east, Orion fled beneath the horizon in the west, in Greek myth, Orion is a giant hunter)

The zodiac sign Taurus:

orion is linked with bull because he is said to be chasing the Pleiades, Taurus is linked with the myth of Io and zeus because Io was said to have been turned into a bull, Taurus is linked with the myth of Europa and Zeus because it is said that Zeus turned himself into a bull to seduce Europa

What, according to Johnston (pgs. 1-14), do effective ghost stories best capture about a culture?

prominant values

To what does Johnston (Prologue) attribute the relative disinterest of scholars in ancient ghosts and magic?

the reluctance to accept that highly rational thinkers like the Greeks and Romans would not believe ghost stories

In his description of Lycaon's transformation from man to wolf, Ovid focuses more on which features stay the same rather than what changes.

true

The disappearance of the constellations Orion and Gemini in the night sky is explained through myth as their presence in the underworld during this time

true

True or False, Parthenius wrote an abridged account of the Greek tale of Daphne so that the Roman poet Cornelius Gallus could recast it into poetry

true

True or False, according to Buxton, the terracotta representation of Athena and Herakles dating to 6th century BC provides the earliest evidence of Rome's encounter with Greek myth.

true

true or false, Ovid's account of the star-crossed lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe, has a lot of similarities to Shakespeare's account of Romeo

true

true or false, in Ovid's account of Echo and Narcissus, Narcissus' rejection of Echo is linked to Narcissus' metamorphosis

true

true or false, in Ovid's metamorphoses, Cupid's two different arrows are the cause of Apollo's and Daphne's suffering

true

true or false, the extant text contains forty-two short accounts of constellations and the myths behind them, as well as three others on the five planets and the Milky Way

true

According to Philostratus, whom do empousai pursue?

young men