Mythology study guide

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.

Describe the punishment of Prometheus.

Prometheus is chained to a rock and every day gets his liver eaten by an eagle however because he is immortal, he can't die.

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

Satyrs (half goats and half men). Triton (trumpeter of the sea). Pan (He was a satyr). Centaurs (half man and half horse). Chiron (famous centaur).

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

She had came from the thoughts of Zeus. 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.

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

Strangers came to his house and made him blind, i do have sympathy for him.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

They did something they were not to do.

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

They want to understand why it was happening for instance zeus was the cause of thunderstorms.

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 kind

Why did Zeus change himself into a bull?

To have an affair with Europa, without Hera knowing

Why did Zeus create Pandora?

To punish Prometheus

How and why was Io punished?

Zeus fell in love with her, Hera got mad, she has to stay a white cow.

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. He was a god who would worship himself.

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.

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

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.

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 goddess of corn and agriculture Dionysus god of grape vine/ wine.

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

Demeter was not granting a fertile harvest, so he made the plan to allow Persephone to let her see her mother sometimes.

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

Dionysus: winter his body is torn to shreds, 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.

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

He couldn't walk. He was also born from only his mother; he had no father. His special skill was the ability to craft weapons and armor.

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.

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

He had shared his rule with his brothers, Poseidon and Hades. Poseidon has the waters and the oceans, Hades has the underworld, and Zeus has the skies.

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.

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

He only loved himself no he should not get a flower named after him.

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.

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.

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

Describe the tragic death of Hyacinthus.

His best friend Apollo had accidentally shot him with an arrow, Apollo did not what that. His blood had soaked the ground and thus a flower had bloomed.

Briefly describe some elements of the underworld.

It has two parts Tartarus and Erebus. It is a dark place with lots of shadows.

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 is the wine god.

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.