Midterm 1 Study Guide

**Information for the notecard:** Bronze Age (3000-1150 BCE) Iron Age (11150-750 BCE) Archaic period (750-490 BCE) Classical period (490-323 BCE) Hellenistic period (323-30 BCE) **Definitions:** Polytheism: the worship of multiple gods in a society Form: the way in which a myth is portrayed:...

**Information for the notecard:** Bronze Age (3000-1150 BCE) Iron Age (11150-750 BCE) Archaic period (750-490 BCE) Classical period (490-323 BCE) Hellenistic period (323-30 BCE) **Definitions:** Polytheism: the worship of multiple gods in a society Form: the way in which a myth is portrayed: writing, oral, vase paintings, etc. Content: The myth itself and the inferrable and oftentimes metaphorical meanings behind it Function: how does the characters and stories in a myth connect one person to a larger society. What is the lesson to be learned, or why do people do things a certain way in a society Anthropomorphic: divine, unhuman like gods with human appearances and characteristics Translation: changing words from one language to another based on equivalence of definition Transliteration: conversion of words from one language to another while keeping the original pronunciation as close to the original as possible Time/timai: the honors, privileges or rights of individual gods Parthenos: a young girl, maiden or virgin Aetiology/aitiology: offers a reason or cause for something, explanation for a custom or fact Epithets: noun adjective phrases Dactylic Hexameter: every line has 6 stressed syllables Autochthony: born from the Earth Gune: a woman or wife **People/Divinities:** Hesiod: unclear if real, *Works and Days* and more famously, *Theogony* Chaos: "chasm" what was there at the beginning of time Tartaros: pit inside of the Underworld where Zeus traps the titans Eros: "love", divine winged being servant of Aphrodite, powerful force of reproduction, thriving, and taking action, Cupid Gaia: "Earth", births the Titans and Rhea with Ouranos Ouranos: "Heaven", births the Titans and Rhea with Gaia Kronos: creates the Olympians alongside Rhea, swallows his children but is tricked by Rhea and Zeus, who overthrows Kronus Rhea: births the Olympians alongside Kronos, aids in the trickery of Kronus that helps Zeus overthrow Kronus Zeus: ruler of the Olympians, overthrows the titans and Kronos Hera: wife of Zeus Themis: advisor to Zeus, law, justice and order Aphrodite: born from blood of Ouranos\'s genitals, marriage, love, desire, affairs with mortal men Cypris: another name for Aphrodite Cytherea: another name for Aphrodite Muses: goddesses that were the source of knowledge, gives Hesiod knowledge of the gods but takes it away in *Theogony* Pandora: the first women, created by Zeus as a punishment for man after Prometheus gives them back the fire Zeus stole, comes to Earth with a jar releasing all the evils onto the world-except Hope which does not escape Prometheus: tries to trick Zeus at a dinner with man which causes Zeus to take away fire, which Prometheus returns, prompting the creation of Pandora Demeter: associated with agriculture and female fertility Persephone: daughter of Demeter, kidnapped to be Hades's bride, spends ⅓ time in the underworld and other time up with her mom Kore: another name for Persephone Hades: god of the underworld, is not hateful to humans alive or dead, and does not aid/cause the death of humans, does not punish them in the Underworld, one of the big 3 gods Demophoon: son of the king and queen of Eleusis, Demeter tries and fails to make him a god Keleos: King of Eleusis Metaneira: Queen of Eleusis Dione: titan and oracular god Ares: rage, aggression and destruction related to war Adonis: born from mother turned into a myrrh tree, lover of Aphrodite, tragic death resulting in ritual Anchises: The mortal man Aphrodite sleeps with in the Hymn to Aphrodite Eos: "dawn", wants to be with Tithonos but messes up in her request for him to be immortal Tithonos: mortal man, loved by Eos, is turned immortal but ages, consequence of sleeping with goddess Ganymede: prince of Troy, abducted by Zeus Aenas: Son of Aphrodite and Anchises, means "dread" Hephaestus: lame son of Hera and Zeus, married to aphrodite, tries to catch her in affair with Ares but is laughed at Athena: born from the head of Zeus after he swallows Metis, practical intelligence among men, closeness with heroes Pandemos: name for Athena, "of all the people" Metis: when pregnant with Zeus's child, he is warned that she will birth a son greater than him, so he swallows her, birthing Athena Poseidon: rules the Realm of the Sea, fights for authority over Athens with Athena, when he loses, they honor him by taking away citizenship from woman Erichthonius: early king of Athens, born from the Earth from cloth of semen wiped off of Athena's leg Hestia: "hearth", the center of every home, stable and unmoving, ritual of newborn into the family Hermes: protector of travellers, messenger of the gods, cap, winged sandals, wand, accompanied the dead to the underworld Maia: Nymph, mother of Hermes with Zeus Apollo: Phoibos, music, poetry, medicine and prophecy, could overthrow Zeus but doesn't, transformation rituals for boys, oracular god Artemis: wild animals, young girls and childhood, transformation rituals for girls Iris: goddess who goes and gets Eileithyia for Leto's birth Leto: mother of Apollo and Artemis, 9 days and nights of labor, turned away by almost every island Typhon: Hera created it due to jealousy over Leto and Zeus, slayed by Apollo Pythia: priestess at Delphi Dionysus: viticulture, wine, fertility, theater, masks and mystery cults Semele: mother of Dionysus by Zeus Satyr: half man, half goat, often times seen with Dionysus, satyr plays Eileithyia: goddess of childbirth, missing during Leto's labor due to Hera, but Iris comes and gets her to be there for Leto **Texts:** *Theogony:* attributed to Hesiod, the most important creation myth that describes the successions of the divinities and how/why Zeus is in power. Sacrifice at Mekone: myth where Prometheus tricks Zeus *Homeric Hymn to Demeter:* Attributed to Homer, describes the kidnap/rape of Persephone and Demeter's journey to find her (makes the Earth barren and ungrowable in the process), becomes a servant to a king and queen's son, tries to unsuccessfully make him a god, ends up getting split time with Persephone *Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite:* highlights the limits of Aphrodite\'s influence, and the punishment from Zeus from her power. Falls in love with a mortal man and beds him, which can cause misfortune for a mortal man *Homeric Hymn to Hermes:* details his mischief from birth, stealing of Apollo's cattle and creation of the lyre, which is gifted to Apollo to clear the air between them *Homeric Hymn to Apollo:* Details Leto's struggle of birth, Apollo's search for a sanctuary, slaying of the she-dragon, Typhon and Telphusa, *Homeric Hymn to Dionysus:* kidnap of dionysus by pirates who get turned into dolphins **Festivals/Rituals/Cults:** Eleusinian Mysteries: a very private ritual connected to the Hymn to Demeter, sacrifice and washing of pigs, walk from Athens to Eleusis Thesmophoria: an all female ritual that took place before sowing Adonia: ritual to honor the death of Aphrodite's lover Adonis, short living plants placed on top of houses Symposium: men drink wine and play drinking games Panathenaea: lesser and greater, competition of music, poetry, military and athletics, celebrates the achievements of Athens under Athena's rule Great/City Dionysia: festival for Dionysus, competitions of tragedies, comedies and satyr plays Anthesteria: worship of Hermes and the dead, as well as Dionysus for the new wine, sacred marriage to him Brauron: important initiation of girls Artemis oversaw, "playing the bear", connected young girls to being animal like and leaving that behind to transition into womanhood Artemis Orthia: initiation of boys into Spartan fighters/men, whipped to give blood to statue of Artemis **Places:** Eleusis: where Demeter ends up and is taken in by the royalty, unsuccessfully makes princes a god Parthenon: temple for Athen in Athens Acropolis: in Athens, sacred place of worship Athens: city that Athena oversees, lots of practical intelligence in army and craftsmanship. People there are said to be born from the Earth Delos: Island that allows Leto to give birth on, makes her promise that it will be a favorite of Apollo Delphi: where Apollo sets up his sanctuary for oracles and prophecies Telphousa: Tricks Apollo into going to an island where the "she dragon" pytho is, is slain by Apollo for the trickery Python: where the she dragon and Typhon are which Apollo slays **Objects of importance:** Lettuce: Related to the death of Adonis, sexual impotence Peplos: woven garment dedicated to Athena at every Panathenaea Cattle of Apollo: stolen by Hermes the day of his birth Tortoise-shell lyre: created by Hermes and gifted to Apollo Omphalos: "navel" or "center", used to describe Delphi as the center of the world Thyrsus: staff of ivy with pinecone on top Polias: ancient and holy cult statue of Athena, an olive log believed to have fallen from the sky **Events:** Judgement of Paris: Paris has to decide which goddess is the most beautiful (Hera, Aphrodite and