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What motivated Arachne to challenge Athena to a contest?
What was the outcome of the contest between Arachne and Athena?
Which of the following mythological themes is not represented in Arachne's tapestry?
Where were the Isthmian Games held in honor of Poseidon?
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What significant structure is located on the Acropolis in Athens?
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What is the significance of the 9-day ritual in the Eleusinian mysteries?
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Which statement about the Eleusinian mysteries is true?
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What role does the olive tree play in the contest between Athena and Poseidon?
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What does Demeter's absence of sacred texts signify about her followers?
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How did Athena come to be born from Zeus?
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Which of the following is NOT associated with Poseidon?
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What does the epithet 'Pallas' signify in relation to Athena?
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Which term describes the worship of gods associated with the earth and the underworld?
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What was Poseidon's offer in the contest for Athens?
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What was the primary role of Linear B writing in ancient Greece?
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How does the concept of Elysium relate to the Underworld?
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Which of the following is NOT a feature of mystery cults?
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What is the primary focus of the anthropological perspective on the Eleusinian mysteries?
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Who is credited with the creation of the first woman in Greek mythology?
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What was the primary contribution of Hesiod in Greek literature?
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What significant action did Cronos take against Uranus?
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What is the Titanomachy?
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What consequence did Zeus face for Prometheus' deception during the sacrifice at Mecone?
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Which figure is associated with the lore of the flood in Greek mythology?
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What does the Greek word 'hieros gamos' signify?
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What eventual fate awaits Zeus's age of mankind, according to Hesiod?
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How did Athena come into existence according to the mythological account?
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Which goddess is known for punishing Zeus's infidelities?
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What result followed the love affair between Aphrodite and Anchises?
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What is the significance of the anemone flower in relation to Adonis?
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Which god is associated with fire and metalworking?
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What characterizes the Homeric Hymn to Hermes?
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Which goddess is known for her association with the hearth and domestic life?
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What significant action does Dionysus take against Pentheus?
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Which child is NOT traditionally associated with Ares?
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What is the primary focus of the contest between Apollo and Marsyas?
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What transformation did Aphrodite perform on Adonis after his death?
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Which event illustrates the dangers of hubris in Greek mythology?
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Which attributes are commonly associated with Hermes?
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What does the etiology for Adonia refer to?
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Where is Dionysus most famously worshipped?
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Who persuades Leto to give birth on Delos?
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Which mythical figure is associated with the laurel tree?
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What is one of the symbols associated with Artemis?
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Who is known as the 12th Olympian after yielding her place in the pantheon?
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Which of the following best describes Dionysus’s nature?
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What is the main theme of the myth of Pygmalion?
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What connection do the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor have with Greek mythology?
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What conflict does the frieze on the Parthenon primarily depict?
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Study Notes
Linear B
- Not used to record literature but rather to record receipts
- Most likely used by Mycenaean civilization
Greek Religion
- Olympian gods are worshiped on Mount Olympus
- Other gods are worshiped in other locations such as the underworld (Hades)
- Olympian worship is based on “do ut des” meaning “I give in order that you may give”
- Greek mortals perform rituals for the gods in order for the gods to return the favor
- Chthonic worship involves supernatural entities on or under the earth
- Including heroes, ghosts, and underworld gods/spirits
- Takes the name from Greek word "chthon" (earth)
- Mystery religions had three main features:
- Voluntary initiation
- Secret rites
- Specific teachings and doctrines
- Name comes from Greek word "mystes” (initiate)
- Three major cults:
- Eleusinian mysteries
- Dionysian mysteries
- Orphism
- Appealed to Greeks who wanted a more personal connection with the gods
Hesiod
- Archaic Greek poet, farmer, and shepherd
- Claimed the Muses visited him on Mount Helicon
- Competed in a poetry competition and won first prize
- Wrote Theogony, an epic about the birth of the gods:
- Includes the creation of the world, divine succession, Prometheus, and Pandora
- Wrote Works and Days, a didactic poem offering advice on farming and life:
- Includes Pandora, Prometheus, and the five ages of man
Greek Cosmology
- Chaos: void/emptiness, first primordial deity
- Gaia: Earth, fertility
- Tartarus: Underworld, depths of the earth
Theogony
- Gaia parthenogenetically birthed Uranus (Sky)
- Uranus and Gaia had 12 titans:
- Their marriage is a "hieros gamos" (sacred marriage")
- Uranus castrated by Cronos using a scythe:
- Blood from castration gave birth to giants, nymphs, Erinyes, and Aphrodite
- Cronos and Rhea:
- Parents of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus
- Cronos swallowed all but Zeus, destined to be overthrown by his children
Divine Succession
- Uranus abused his children (Hecatonchires and Cyclopes) and Gaia wanted them to help her
- Cronos (youngest titan) castrated Uranus after a prophecy suggested that Cronos’s children would overthrow him
- Cronos’s marriage to Rhea (his sister) was a hieros gamos
- Cronos ate his children, but Rhea saved Zeus by giving Cronos a stone
- Zeus overthrew Cronos in the Titanomachy (war)
- Zeus had many children and is depicted as both immoral and just
Creation of Mortals
- Multiple creation myths
- Most commonly believed: Prometheus created man, then Zeus created women
- Ovid, in Metamorphoses, states the creator of the universe was either Zeus or Prometheus
- Hesiod's five ages of men:
- Golden Age:
- Mortals lived when Cronos reigned
- Free from pain and evils
- Died a painless death
- Covered by the earth for no specific reason
- Silver Age:
- Second race of humans
- Worser physically and mentally
- Arrogant, impious, disobedient to the gods
- Long childhoods (100 years) but short adulthood
- Bronze Age:
- Strong and mighty
- Lived violent lives
- Created things out of bronze (weapons, tools, homes)
- Destroyed by their own violence
- Heroic Age:
- Demigods who fought in battles and died in the famous wars of Greek mythology
- Cronos ruled over them and they went to the Isles of the Blessed after death
- Iron Age:
- Typical humans, Hesiod’s age
- Evil and good
- Constant work and misery
- Zeus would destroy this age too
- Human deterioration is a strong theme in Greek literature
Prometheus
- Titan, ally of Zeus in the Titanomachy
- Brother of Epimetheus
Prometheus vs Zeus
- At a gathering in Mecone, Prometheus tricked Zeus into picking the worst part of a sacrifice
- Afterwards, Zeus took fire away from mortals, but Prometheus stole it back
- Zeus punished Prometheus by bounding him and forcing an eagle to eat his liver daily
- Zeus punished humanity by creating Pandora
- Pandora opened a box releasing evils into the world, but she closed it before hope could escape
- Pandora’s creation further perpetuates the negative stereotype of women
Zeus
- Lord of the gods/men
- Shares power with his brothers
- Has many children
- Dominated as a male god
- Depicted as immoral but also capable of justice and mercy
- Symbolic of law, order, and virtue
- “Bright”
- Attributes: thunder, lightning, oak tree, eagle, aegis
- Zeus doesn’t always have absolute power
Hera
- Spouse of Zeus, and a major goddess in her own right
- Punishes Zeus for his sexual escapades
- Iris is depicted as her servant
- Known as regal and matronly
- Attributes: peacock
- Mostly worshipped as the goddess of marriage and childbirth
- Major sites of worship:
- Olympia: site of the Olympic Games and Pheidias’s famous statue of Zeus
- Dodona: Zeus’s oracle with Peleiades (priests/priestesses), oak trees, and wind chimes
- Ganymede served as Zeus’s cupbearer, sometimes replacing Hebe
Muses
- Muses are Zeus’s daughters with Mnemosyne (Memory)
- Represents different types of creativity
- Home: Pieria or Mount Helicon
- Suggest a belief in the afterlife
Eleusinian Mysteries
- Demeter is the primary goddess of these mysteries
- Sworn to secrecy - even slaves could partake
- Oral tradition passed down
- Ritual involved: fasting, torches, Kykeon (sacred drink), veils, and a nine-day ritual
- Reflects Demeter’s nine-day mourning period for Persephone
- Promise of a happy afterlife
- Two types of mysteries:
- Lesser mysteries: held in Athens in the spring
- Greater mysteries: held in Eleusis and Athens in the fall
- Nine-day ritual:
- Days 1-4: preliminary rituals in Athens
- Day 5: Athens → Eleusis
- Days 6-8: initiation rituals in the Telesterion at Eleusis
- Day 9: Eleusis → Athens
Hades
- Realm of the dead
- No major site of worship
- Demeter and Persephone are associated with Eleusis
Underworld
- Realm of torment: Tartarus/Erebus
- Realm of mystery: Elysium/Elysian fields
Poseidon
- Known for the sea, horses, and earthquakes
- Spouse: Amphitrite
- Attributes: trident, horse, dolphins
- Major site of worship: Isthmia, northeastern Peloponnese
- Isthmian Games were held in his honor
- Included foot races, chariot races, boxing, wrestling, and javelin throws
Athena
- Goddess of wisdom, war, arts, and crafts
- No spouse or children
- Attributes: helmet, spear, aegis, owl, snake, olive tree
- Contested with Poseidon for control of the city of Athens
- Won by offering an olive tree, Poseidon flooded Attica but was ultimately placated.
- patron deity of Athens
- Worshiped at the Parthenon in Athens
Birth of Athena
- Zeus swallowed Metis (Cleverness) to prevent a son of hers who would overthrow him
- Zeus suffers a headache and Hephaestus splits his head with an ax
- Athena emerged from Zeus’s head fully grown and armed
Athena and Pallas
- Pallas was the daughter of Triton and a friend of Athena
- Athena accidentally killed Pallas while practicing war; took her epithet “Pallas” and made a statue, the Palladium, in her memory
- Zeus gifted this statue to the Trojans
- The Palladium explains:
- Athena’s epithet "Tritogeneia”
- Athena’s epithet “Pallas”
- The Palladium
Arachne
- Arachne challenged Athena to a weaving contest with stunning tapestries
- Athena destroyed Arachne's tapestry due to jealousy, and she hung herself out of shame.
- Athena turned her into a spider
The Contest of Athena and Poseidon
- Athena and Poseidon competed for control of Athens
- Athena offered an olive tree, while Poseidon offered a saltwater spring or horse
- Athena was proclaimed the victor: her name was given to Athens
- Poseidon flooded Attica in anger
Parthenon
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Temple of Athena built on the Acropolis in Athens
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Part of Pericles' Building Program
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Designed by Ictinus
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Featured a statue of Athena by Pheidias
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Artistic program celebrates Athena, Athens, and civilization over barbarism### The Parthenon: A Celebration of Athenian Identity
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West Pediment: Depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon for patronage of Athens.
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East Pediment: Shows the birth of Athena from Zeus's head.
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Frieze: Depicts the Panathenaic procession, an annual festival honoring Athena.
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Metopes: Showcase various scenes:
- North Side: Sack of Troy.
- East Side: Gigantomachy (Battle of the Giants).
- South Side: Centauromachy (Battle of the Centaurs).
- West Side: Amazonomachy (Battle of the Amazons).
Hestia and Dionysus: The 12th Olympians
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Hestia: Goddess of hearth, home, and family.
- Known for her purity, having no spouse or children.
- Represented by fire.
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Dionysus: God of wine, vegetation, fertility, madness, and theater.
- Born from the union of Zeus and Semele.
- Married to Ariadne.
- Associated with: grapevine, ivy, thyrsus, leopards, maenads (female devotees), and satyrs (male devotees).
- Hestia yielded her place in the Olympian pantheon to Dionysus.
Dionysus: The Unleashed God
- Maenads: Frenzied female followers of Dionysus, often adorned with fawn skin, ivy crowns, snakes, and a thyrsus.
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Satyrs: Half-man, half-goat male devotees.
- Characterized by a man's body with goat beard, horns, horse ears, and tail.
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Birth of Dionysus:
- Zeus's affair with Semele, a Theban princess, angered Hera.
- Hera convinced Semele to ask for Zeus's divine form, which resulted in her incineration.
- Zeus saved Dionysus by sewing him into his thigh.
- This highlights Dionysus's liminal nature, blending divine and mortal.
The Power of Dionysus: A Tapestry of Ritual and Tragedy
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Dionysus and Pentheus:
- Dionysus returns to Thebes as a mortal man.
- His female relatives question his divinity, leading him to transform all the women of Thebes into Bacchae.
- Pentheus, king of Thebes, attempts to arrest Dionysus but fails.
- Pentheus spies on the Bacchae, ultimately being torn apart by them.
- This underscores the danger of opposing Dionysus and his cult.
- Euripides: A Greek tragedian, known for his plays which often explored themes of Dionysus.
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Ariadne: A Cretan princess who aided Theseus in his escape from the Minotaur.
- Abandoned by Theseus on Naxos, she is later taken as wife by Dionysus.
- This emphasizes Dionysus's redemptive power.
The Mysteries of Dionysus: A Path to Transcendence
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Mount Cithaeron: A mountain in central Greece where Dionysus punished Pentheus.
- Known for its association with the Dionysian Mysteries.
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Dionysian Mysteries:
- A cult revolving around the worship of Dionysus.
- Open to all, but popular amongst women.
- Focused on achieving spiritual self-transcendence through:
- Wine.
- Sex.
- Music and dance.
- Sacrificial rending of a victim.
- Consumption of raw flesh.
Apollo: The Radiant God of Many Talents
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Apollo: God of prophecy, sun, archery, medicine, poetry, and music.
- Born from the union of Zeus and Leto.
- Associated with: lyre, ravens, laurel trees, and bow & arrows.
The Birth of a God and a Sacred Oracle: The Story of Apollo
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Homeric Hymn to Apollo:
- A hymn detailing the birth of Apollo and the founding of the Delphic Oracle.
- Leto conceives Apollo and Artemis after her affair with Zeus.
- She searches for a safe place to give birth, leading to the birth of Apollo on Delos.
- Hera hinders the birth, but Apollo is born once Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth, arrives.
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Founding of the Delphic Oracle:
- Apollo establishes the oracle at Crisa, slaying a she-dragon and renaming the location Delphi.
- He appoints Cretan sailors as priests of the oracle.
- This explains Apollo's connection to Delphi, as well as epithets like "Pythian" and "Delphinius."
The Love of Apollo: From Laurel to Laurel Wreaths
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Daphne: A naiad (freshwater nymph) beloved by Apollo.
- Apollo boasts of his archery skills, leading Cupid to punish him with an arrow of desire.
- Daphne is shot with an arrow of aversion, causing her to flee Apollo's advances.
- She transforms into a laurel tree, thus becoming Apollo's sacred tree.
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Coronis: A Greek maiden who becomes Apollo's lover and gives birth to Asclepius, god of medicine.
- Asclepius is raised by the centaur Chiron and becomes so skilled he can revive the dead.
- Zeus kills him for disrupting the cosmic order, but Asclepius is later resurrected and deified as god of medicine.
The Music and Tragedy of Apollo
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Contest of Apollo and Marsyas:
- A musical contest between Apollo and Marsyas, a skilled satyr who learned music from Athena.
- Marsyas is punished for his hubris by Apollo, who skins him alive.
- This encounter reveals Apollo's darker side.
Apollo: The Oracle of the Gods
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Delos:
- A Cycladic island where Apollo was born.
- Site of the Delian Games, an athletic and musical event involving Ionian Greeks like Athenians.
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Delphi:
- A sanctuary in ancient Greece.
- Site of Apollo's famous oracle, established in the 9th century BC.
- The Pythia, the priestess, delivered pronouncements through which people consulted the oracle.
- Site of the Pythian Games, athletic and literary contests established in the 6th century BC.
Artemis, the Hunter: A Symbol of Feminine Power
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Artemis: Goddess of hunting, wild animals, the moon, virginity, and childbirth.
- Born from the union of Zeus and Leto.
- Associated with: the moon, deer, cypress trees, and bow & arrows.
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Closely associated with Selene (moon) and Hecate (underworld):
- Representing the same goddess in three different realms: earth, underworld, and heaven.
The Consequences of Hubris: The Tale of Niobe and Actaeon
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Niobe:
- Theban queen who boasts of her superior maternal power over Leto due to her numerous children.
- Her hubris results in the death of her children by Apollo and Artemis.
- Turned to stone and cursed to weep eternally.
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Actaeon:
- A Theban hunter who accidentally sees Artemis bathing naked.
- Artemis, furious over violation of her privacy, transforms him into a stag, leading to his death at the teeth and hooves of his own hunting dogs.
The Transformation of Callisto: A Story of Love and Jealousy
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Callisto:
- Raped by Zeus who disguised himself as Artemis.
- Banished by Artemis after her pregnancy is discovered.
- Gives birth to Arcas ("Bear")
- Hera transforms Callisto into a bear out of jealousy.
- Zeus later transforms Callisto and Arcas into constellations (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor).
Aphrodite: The Goddess of Love and Beauty
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Aphrodite: Goddess of love, sex, and beauty.
- Born from the genitals of Uranus or from the union of Zeus and Dione.
- Associated with: doves, swans, geese, roses, myrtle trees, and seashells.
The Many Faces of Love: Eros, Pygmalion, and Adonis
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Eros: The god of love and desire.
- Either the son of Aphrodite and Ares, or the son of Chaos.
- More commonly known by his Roman name, Cupid.
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Pygmalion:
- A Cyprian sculptor who falls in love with his own statue.
- He prays to Aphrodite to breathe life into the statue, which leads to the statue coming to life.
- Pygmalion marries the statue, symbolizing love and the creative potential of the artist.
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Adonis:
- Born from the union of Cinyras and Myrrha.
- Aphrodite falls in love with him but warns him about the dangers of hunting.
- He is killed by a wild boar during a hunt.
- Aphrodite transforms him into a flower and establishes an annual mourning ritual for him - the Adonia.
The Myth of Aphrodite and Anchises
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Anchises:
- A Trojan prince who is visited by Aphrodite disguised as a mortal.
- They have a son, Aeneas, a major figure in Roman myth.
- After the Trojan War, Aeneas travels to Italy, eventually founding Rome.
The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite
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Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite:
- A hymn describing the love of Aphrodite for Anchises.
- Composed in the 6th century BC during the Archaic period.
Ares: The God of War
- Ares:
- God of war, courage, bloodlust.
- Born from the union of Zeus and Hera.
- Associated with: helmet, shield, spear, dogs, and vultures.
Hephaestus: The Divine Craftsman
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Hephaestus:
- God of fire, metalworking, technology, and volcanoes.
- Either born from Hera, or from the union of Zeus and Hera.
- Married to Aphrodite.
- Associated with: hammer, anvil, tongs, and skullcap.
Hermes: The Messenger God
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Hermes:
- God of trade, travel, herds, thievery, and athletics.
- Born from the union of Zeus and Maia.
- Associated with: winged sandals, a winged helmet, and a caduceus (a staff with two snakes).
The Legacy of Hermes: His Sons and the Homeric Hymn
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Pan:
- Hermes's son with Dryope, a nymph.
- God of wild nature, shepherds, flocks, and rustic music.
- Inventor of the panpipe.
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Hermaphroditus:
- Another of Hermes' sons.
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Homeric Hymn to Hermes:
- A hym describing the birth of Hermes.
- Composed in the 6th century BC during the Archaic period.
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Test your knowledge of Greek mythology in this quiz focused on the contest between Arachne and Athena. Explore the themes represented in Arachne's tapestry and discover the significance of the Acropolis. Ideal for students and mythology enthusiasts!
