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Greek Mythology
Test 2
110
Classics
Undergraduate 2
04/01/2009

Additional Classics Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Achilles
Definition

son of Peleus and Thetis; hero of the Iliad but actually absent from fighting for most of the story; returns after friend Patrocles is killed in his armor; kills Hector to break Troy

Term
Adrastos
Definition
king of Thebes; brother of Eriphyle; father of Deipyle and Argeia who marry Tydeus and Polyneices; helps Poly against Thebes
Term
Aegeus
Definition
one of Thesus’s possible fathers; the mortal one
Term
Aegisthus
Definition
Clytemnestra’s lover; killed by Orestes
Term
Aeneas
Definition
son of Aphrodite and Anchises, only male survivor of Troy, descendants found Rome
Term
Aeschylus
Definition

(525-456); born in Eleusis (suburb of Athens); fought at battle of Marathon (490); central event of life was Persia’s attempt to annex Greece;

Term
Aethiopis
Definition
myth after the Iliad?
Term
Agamemnon
Definition
king of Argos; married to Clytemnestra; goes to Troy to help brother Menelaus get Helen back; sacrifices daughter Iphigeneia; son of cursed house of Atreus; murdered by wife Clytemnestra; avenged by son Orestes
Term
Ajax
Definition

a doer not a speaker; great Greek warrior – commits suicide when Thetis gives Achilles’s armor to Odyssseus

Term
Alcmaeon
Definition
son of Amphiaraos and Eriphyle; charged by Amph to kill Eriphyle after he dies
Term
Althaea
Definition

mother of Meleager; has firebrand that means he will live as long as it burns – she pulls it out so he dies b/c he killed her brother

Term
Amphion
Definition

son of Antiope and Zeus; raised in ignorance, founds Thebes w/twin Zethus – sang the walls into place

Term
Amphiaraos
Definition

prophet who forsees disaster in Seven Against Thebes; husband of Eriphyle and father of Alcmaeon

Term
Anchises
Definition
mortal father of Aeneas w/Aphrodite; Zeus makes Aphro fall in love w/him for taste of her own medicine, is demeaning to her; in Hymn to Aphrodite
Term
Antigone
Definition
daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta; insists on burying Polyneices even though she will be killed
Term
Antikleia
Definition
mother of Odysseus; died of missing him; they meet in Hades but cannot embrace
Term
Antiope
Definition

daughter of Nycetus; impregnated by Zeus – father angry; he dies – charges his brother Lycus to punish   her; she gives birth on Mt. Cithaeron to Amphion and Zethus; together they get revenge on Lykos and Dirce and build Troy

Term
Areopagus
Definition

ancient council of Athens; powers reduced through induction of democracy, remained as a court that heard murder trials

Term
Ariadne
Definition
daughter of Minos who helps Theseus kill the Minotaur; gives him ball of string to unwind behind him; leaves Crete w/him but is abandoned on an island
Term
Aristaeus
Definition

husband of Autonoe; chases Eurydice so she steps on snake and dies; must appease her shade to get his bees back

Term
Atreus
Definition

son of Pelops; brother of Thyestes; exiles him for seducing his wife – calls back for reconciliation and serves him a stew of his illegitimate children

Term
Aulis
Definition

gathering place of Greek troops to go to Troy; Iphaganaia sacrificed here to restart the winds

Term
Cadmus
Definition
founder of Thebes; marries Harmonia and has children that descend down to Oedipus; ends up as a snake
Term
Calchas
Definition

Greek prophet who interprets the eagle killing the pregnant bunny omen that the Greeks will be successful over Trojans; tells Ag he must sacrifice Iph to placate Apollo and restart the winds

Term
Capaneus
Definition
arrogant, boastful, said he would burn the city; instead incinerated by a thunderbolt from Zeus
Term
Cassandra
Definition

Trojan priestess; taken by Agamemnon as booty from the war as concubine/slave – killed by     Clyt; had gifts of prophecy and that no one would believe here – from Apollo

Term
Catullus
Definition

Roman love poet; wrote little epic about marriage of Peleus and Thetis; Thetis rose up to see Argonaut Peleus and he fell in love

Term
Cecrops
Definition
first king of Athens; judges competition btw Poseiden and Athena
Term
Chrysippos
Definition
brother of Atreus and Thyestes; they kill him
Term
Cleisthenes
Definition
(507) leader of the faction that promises the demos democracy and a judicial system if they support him to take over after Hippias is ousted
Term
Clytemnestra
Definition

wife of Agamemnon; kills him in the Agamemnon because he sacrificed their daughter Iphaginia so winds would blow to Troy; killed by their Orestes as vengence

Term
Cypria
Definition

longest and most important cyclic epic which contained info from right before the Trojan War, begins with judgment of Paris; Proclus (5th century) wrote Chrestomathia which summarizes all cyclic epics

Term
Daedalus
Definition

constructed the hollow cow body for Pasiphae to get into to unite with the bull; built the labyrinth to house it

Term
Dardanos
Definition

founder of the line and Dardania (city that preceeds Troy), son of Zeus


Term
Dike
Definition
justice; central theme of Orestia
Term
Diomedes
Definition

stand in for Achilles when isn’t fighting – but has boundaries; son of Tydeus


Term
Dirce
Definition

evil wife of Lycus; aunt of  Antiope; killed for tormenting her

Term

Electra

Definition
 daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, stays loyal to Ag and supports Orestes killing Clyt
Term

Epigonoi –

Definition
sons of the heroes at Thebes; go back 10 years later to avenge their fathers; are successful and sack Thebes
Term

Eriphyle – 

Definition
wife of Amphiaraos; forces him to go w/Polyneices against Thebes; mother of Alcmaeon
Term

Eteocles –

Definition
“true glory”; son of Oedipus and Jocasta; ruler of Thebes
Term

Europa – 

Definition
daughter of Agenor and Telephassa; brother of Cadmus; unites with Zeus and has sons Minos, Sarpedon, and Rhadamanthys
Term

Eurydice – 

Definition
wife of Orpheus; wanted by Aristaeus (husband of Autonoe, daughter of Cadmus); steps on a snake and dies; Aristaeus must appease her shade to get his bees back 
Term
Ganymede – 
Definition
very handsome Trojan young man, stolen by the gods to be a cupbearer; can have erotic dimension of Zeus wanting him
Term

Harmonia

Definition
wife of Cadmus; mother of Autonoe, Ino, Semele, and Agave; ends up as a snake
Term

Hector –

Definition
“holder” or “protector”, leader of the Trojans, killed by Achilles
Term

Hecuba –

Definition
Priam’s wife
Term

Helen –

Definition
most beautiful woman in the world; married to Menelaus; Paris steals her to start the Trojan War


Term
Hesione – 
Definition
daughter of Laomedon; supposed to be sacrificed to the sea monster Poseiden sent against the city; Heracles rescues her
Term

Hippodameia

Definition
daughter of Oenomeus; marries Pelops; mother of Atreus and Thyestes
Term

Hippolytus

Definition

son of Theseus and an Amazon; devoted to Artemis but won’t worship Aphrodite; she decides to destroy him

– makes stepmother Phaedra fall in love with him

– she commits suicide leaving note that he raped her – Theseus asks Poseiden to kill Hipp and he does

Term

Hypsipyle –

Definition
only Lemnian woman to spare a man, all the rest killed for having concubines
Term

Idomeneus – 

Definition
most important Greek from Crete, son of Deucalion, grandson of Minos, central fighter in Book 13 of Iliad


Term
Iphigeneia – 
Definition
daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; sacrificed at Aulis so the winds would blow to Troy
Term

Jocasta – 

Definition
wife of Laios; mother and husband of Oedipus; mother of Polyneices, Eteocles, Antigone,           Ismene
Term

Labdacus

Definition
son of Polydorus; father of Laios
Term

Laertes –

Definition
father of Odysseus
Term

Laios – 

Definition
son of Labdacus, may be ousted from the throne by Lycus and resumes it after Amphion and Zethus     kill him and eventually die themselves; eventually marries Jocasta and is father of Oedipus
Term

Laomedon –

Definition
king of Troy; doesn’t pay Apollo and Poseiden for their labors – gets a plague and sea monster    against Troy; also doesn’t pay Heracles for saving Hesione – gets city sacked


Term
Lycus –
Definition
brother of Nyceus; uncle of Antiope; kidnaps her and makes her abandon Amphion and Zethus
Term

Memnon –

Definition
cousin of Hector; child of Eos (Dawn) and Tithonus (mortal); from Ethiopia but fights on Trojan side – killed; Book 2 of Quintus

can

Term

Merope – 

Definition
adopted mother of Oedipus, queen of Corinth
Term

Menelaus –

Definition
brother of Agamemnon; husband of Helen; wimps out protecting Orestes
Term

Minos – 

Definition
son of Europa and Zeus; marries Pasiphae; doesn’t sacrifice the bull like he vowed to so Pasiphae       unites with it
Term

Minotaur – 

Definition
offspring of Pasiphae and the bull; mixed body; ate people
Term

Neoptolemus – 

Definition
son of Achilles; one who was supposed to convince Philoctetes to come back but can’t do it


Term
Nestor – 
Definition
grandson of Poseiden, son of Neleus; embodiment of common sense; he can’t solve the quarrel btw   Achilles and Agamemnon – no one
Term

Odysseus

Definition
married to Penelope; father of Telemachus; creates oath of the suitors – has to go to Troy;             known for being cunning, intelligent, wily, sometimes manipulative; 10 years to get home – adventures in the Odyssey
Term

Oenomaus – 

Definition
father of Hippodomaia; sets up chariot race for her hand in marriage
Term

Orestes –

Definition
son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra; avenges Ag’s murder by Clyt by murdering her; central          character in the Orestia
Term

Palamades –

Definition
the one who proves Odysseus is not insane – has to go to Troy; Odysseus gets revenge by          planting gold and fake letters saying he betrayed Greece; stoned to death
Term

Paris – 

Definition
born Alexander (see birth narrative below) as son of Priam; his judgment; was the one who violated the xenia by stealing Helen from Menelaus causing the Trojan War
Term

Pasiphae – 

Definition
“all shining”; daughter of the sun; marries Minos; unites with a bull to give birth to the Minotaur


Term
Patroclus – 
Definition
“glory from the father” – son of Menoitios; cousin and best friend of Achilles; borrows Achilles       armor and when is killed this motivates Achilles to return to the fighting
Term

Peisistratus – 

Definition
(560s-527); strongest of the Tyrranoi
Term

Peleus –

Definition
mortal man who laid with Aphrodite, father of Anchises
Term

Pelops – 

Definition
son of Tantalus; chariot raced against Oenomeus to marry Hippodomaia – wins by cheating; has         sons Atreus and Thyestes
Term

Penthesileia – 

Definition
Amazon woman; killed her sister – exiled – fighting at Troy to atone; killed by Achilles – he       falls in love when he sees her beauty but she’s already dead
Term

Pentheus – 

Definition
son of Agave and Echion; king of Thebes who resists the coming of Dionysus; he turns women       into Bacchants and they tear Pentheus to pieces, led by his mother
Term

Peripateia –

Definition
role reversal; ultimate in OT, also reverse in OC
Term

Phaedra –

Definition
second wife of Theseus; Aphrodite makes her fall in love with his son Hippolytus; she commits         suicide leaving note that he raped her (not true)


Term
Philoctetes – 
Definition
lit Heracles’ funeral pyre – has his bow as thanks; abandoned on the way to Troy with smelly      snake bite but is needed to take the city
Term

Phoenix – 

Definition
tutor to Achilles who acts as father figure to encourage him to return to fighting;         disproportionately many lines to importance; possibly made up by Homer
Term

Pindar –

Definition
Term

Polybus – 

Definition
adopted father of Orestes; king of Corinth
Term

Polyneices – 

Definition
“many quarrels”; son of Oedipus and Jocasta; attacks Thebes
Term

Priam – 

Definition
“bought”; son of Laomedon who opposed him, survives the attack by Heracles, renamed from Podacres b/c Hesione buys his freedom; Heracles makes him king of Troy; father of Paris and Hector
Term

Proclus – 

Definition
summarized the Cypria cyclic epic in his Chrestomathia in the 5th century, provides tale of judgment of Paris
Term

Pylades – 


Definition
friend of Orestes; tells Orestes he must kill Clyt because it is better to be hated by men than gods
Term
Quintus of Smyrna – 
Definition
wrote epic poem called Posthomerica in 14 books (all survive) about action btw the       end of the Iliad and the fall of Troy
Term

Scylla –

Definition
cuts off her father’s magic lock of hair and gives to Minos – gives him the city – because she likes        him and wants to marry him
Term

Semele –

Definition
daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia; unites with Zeus to have Dionysus; only mortal mother of a god
Term

Seneca – 

Definition
Roman author and philosopher; wrote essays about Roman morals and values; tutor to Nero; also     wrote some tragedies – have Thyestes
Term

Sisyphus –

Definition
in Underworld, eternally pushing a rock up a hill b/c interfered w/one of Zeus’s love affairs; can       be considered Odysseus’s illegitimate father to make him more negative
Term

Six Labors of Theseus – 

Definition
Periphetes of Epidauros (club bearer); Sinis (tree bender); the sow of Crommyon;    Sciron of Megara (kicks people off cliffs); Cercyon of Eleusis (wrestler); Procrusetes (fit the bed)
Term

Spartoi – 

Definition
Cadmus kills a dragon at the future site of Thebes; sows the teeth in the ground; grow into      warriors called the Spartoi; fight each other until only 5 remain to be first citizens of Thebes; are      symbol of intimate connection between the Thebans and their land and their fierce warrior history
Term

Sphinx –

Definition
mythic monster – head of a woman, body of a lion, wings of a bird; originally abducted young             boys, later evolved to riddle; kills herself after Oedipus solves it


Term
Tantalus – 
Definition
son of Zeus; tried to test gods by serving him his son Pelops/stole ambrosia; in Hades eternally        hungry and thirsty, surrounded by food and water but cannot eat or drink
Term

Telamon – 

Definition
got Hesione from Heracles after first sacking of Troy; father of Ajax and Teucer
Term

Telegonus – 

Definition
son of Odysseus w/Circe; accidentally kills his father; marries Penelope
Term

Telegony – 

Definition
story of Telegonus searching for Achilles, kills him, takes Penelope and Telemachus back to Circe’s island and they cross marry
Term

Thebaid –

Definition
archaic period epic, most important telling of Theban myth before tragedy evolved
Term

Thebes – 

Definition
founded by Cadmus; home of the Oedipus Rex material
Term

Thetis – 

Definition
nymph; mother of Achilles; tells him die in Troy with glory or live long boring life at home
Term

Thyestes – 

Definition
son of Pelops; brother of Atrues; seduces Atreus’s wife; has children with her; exiled by Atreus – at reconciliation he eats a stew of his children; has son Aegisthus with his daughter for revenge on other side of the family
Term

Time (τϊμη)– 

Definition
the greatness of the opponent and that enemies respect each other for that greatness; ex: Hector vs Ajax – duel then exchange armor
Term

Tithonus – 

Definition
Eos (Dawn) falls in love with him, asks Zeus to make him immortal but forgets to request eternal youth so he ages continually
Term

Tydeus – 

Definition
son of Oineus of Calydon; goes into exile for killing a man; goes to Argos and meets Polyneices; marries a daughter of Adrastos; fights in Seven Against Thebes – is mortally wounded by Melanippus but chews on his brain as he is dying; was going to get immortality from Athena but because of that he does not
Term

Tyrannoi – 

Definition
series of  strong men who took power over Athens and controlled the city in 6th century


Term
Zethus
Definition
son of Antiope and Zeus; raised in ignorance; founds Thebes with twin brother Amphion
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