Mythology and Folklore Flashcards
Achilles
The greatest Greek warrior in the Trojan war. His mother bathed him in a magical river to make him immortal, but his heel was kept dry while she held it. During a battle, he killed Hector but was shortly shot in the heel by an arrow and died. An “Achilles’s heel” is the one weak point of someone’s character. The Achilles tendon runs from the heel to the calf. Achilles is the hero of Homer’s Iliad. The phrase “wrath of Achilles” refers top the hero’s anger which caused so much destruction.
Adonis
A beautiful boy who was loved by Aphrodite, the goddess of love. An Adonis is a handsome young man.
Aeneas (i nee-uhs)
A warrior in the Trojan War on the Trojan side. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas fled with his father and son and was shipwrecked at Carthage in Northern Africa where Dido, the Queen of Carthage, fell in love with him and later committed suicide. After many trials, Aeneas arrived in what is now Italy. Because he carried his father out of Troy on his back, Aeneas represents filial duty. The doomed love of Aeneas and Dido has been a source of artistic creation.
Agememnon
The king who led the Greeks in the Trojan war. Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to Artemis to have favorable winds and was cursed for it. After returning home victorious, he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus.
Amazons
A nation of warrior women. They cut off one of their breasts to use their bows more efficiently. An “amazon” is a strong and aggressive woman. The Amazon river was so named because Amazons were believed to have lived along its banks.
Ambrosia
The food of the gods in mythology. Those who ate it became immortal. A delicious food is sometimes called ambrosia.
Antiogne (an-tig-uh-nee)
A daughter of king Oedipus. Her two brothers killed each other in single combat over the kingship of their city. The king refused to bury one of the brothers because he was considered a traitor. Antigone, torn between religious and legal obligations, buried her brother and was condemned to death.
Aphrodite
(Roman name Venus) The Greek and Roman goddess of beauty. The mother of Eros and Aeneas. She was chosen over Athena and Hera as the most beautiful goddess and received the apple of discord. This was called the judgment of Paris. She was thought to have been born out of the sea and is depicted rising from the water.
Apollo
The Greek and Roman god of poetry, prophecy, medicine and light. He represents civilization and order. He was worshiped at the Delphic Oracle. Zeus was his father and Artemis his sister. Sometimes identified with Hyperion, the Titan he succeeded. Apollo is the representative of control and order, while Dionysus is the god who represents wild, creative energies. The sun was described as Apollo’s chariot.
Apple of discord
An apple of gold that was thrown into the banquet of the gods by the goddess discord, who was not invited. On it was written “for the fairest”. When Aphrodite, Athena and Hera all claimed it, the decision was left to Paris, the prince of Troy, who chose Aphrodite.
Ares
(Roman name Mars) The Greek and Roman god of war, brutal and bloodthirsty. The son of Zeus and Hera.
Argonauts
The companions of Jason in the quest for the Golden Fleece. Their ship was the Argo. Naut means “sailor” in Greek and is the root of the word Nautical.
Argus
A creature who had a hundred eyes. Hera set him to watch over Io, who had been seduced by Zeus and turned into a cow. Zeus could not save Io because Argus slept with only some eyes closed. Hermes, to help Zeus, played music that put all of Argus’ eyes to sleep and killed the creature. Here put his eyes on the tail of the peacock.
Artemis
The Greek name for Diana, the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon. The daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo. Also called Cynthia.
King Arthur
The legendary king in England Middle Ages. Became king after drawing the sword in the stone. Established the Knights of the Round Table, which had the most noble warriors of Europe. Included Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Percival, and Sir Gawain. Near the end of his life, Sir Arthur sailed to the Island of Avalon and stories say he will one day return. This is why he is “the once and future king.” The musical Camelot was based on King Arthur.
Astrology
A study of the positions and relationships of the sun, moon, stars and planets to judge their influence on human actions. Not a scientific study.
Athena
(Roman name Minerva) The Greek and Roman goddess of wisdom. Was born fully grown from Zeus’ forehead. Was angered in the judgement of Paris and helped the Greeks in the Trojan war. The guardian of Athens, which was named after her.
Atlantis
A city on an Island in the Atlantic ocean. Was swallowed by the water during an earthquake and is now at the bottom of the sea.
Atlas
A Titan famous for his strength. After Zeus defeated the Titans, he was condemned to support the Earth on his shoulders for eternity. Appears on the art of maps. An “Atlas” is a strong person or one who carries a great burden.
Augean stables (aw-jee-uhn)
A part of the labors of Hercules. Filthy stables that had never been cleaned which King Augeas ordered Hercules to clean. He did so by diverting the path of two rivers so they flowed through the stables.
Bacchus
(Roman name Dionysus) The Greek and Roman god of wine and revelry. Often depicted eating grapes with Satyrs. A Bacchanalian party is one with unrestrained drunkenness. References a Roman festival called Bacchanalia.
Batman
A comic strip character first appearing in 1939.
Beauty and the Beast
A french fairy tale about a woman who is taken to live with a man-beast in return for a good deed the beast did for her father. She eventually marries him and his curse is broken, revealing a handsome prince.
Blarney Stone
A stone in the wall of Blarney castle in Ireland. According to Irish legend, those who kiss the stone will get all they desire through persuasion. “Blarney” is an expression for flattery that tries to win favor.
Bluebeard
A fairy tale character from the Charles Perrault collection. A villain who marries seven women and tells them to not look behind a certain door in his castle. Behind it is the corpses of his former wives. Six wives are killed for their disobedience and one passes his test.
The boy who cried wolf
One of Aesop’s fables. A young shepherd boy would trick his neighbors by yelling that there were wolves attacking his sheep. This then happened multiple times. When real wolves came, the townsfolk ignored his cries and the sheep were devoured. To “cry wolf” is to sound a false alarm.
Brunnhilde (Broohn-hil-duh)
A character in Norse mythology, also known as Brynhild. A Valkyrie or servant of Odin. Loved the hero Siegfried until he betrayed her. She then killed him and then committed suicide.
Paul Bunyan
A legendary giant lumberjack of the northern United States. His friend was a blue ox named Babe. Various tall tales attributed to Paul Bunyan, such as the lakes of Minnesota being the footprints of Paul and Babe after they filled with water.
Camelot
The capitol of King Arthur’s kingdom. A place of truth, beauty and goodness. JFK’s presidency is often idealized as an American Camelot.
Magic Carpet
A magic flying carpet that takes people wherever they want to go. Found in the Arabian Nights stories.
Cassandra
A prophetess in Troy whose predictions were true but ignored. Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy but made it worthless after she refused his amorous advances. The Greeks captured Cassandra and removed her from the temple Athena, angering Athena and causing her to wreck their ships. A “Cassandra” is someone who constantly brings bad news.
Centaurs
Creatures who were half human and half horse.
Cerberus
The three headed dog who guarded the entrance to Hades.
Ceres
The Roman name for Demeter, the Greek and Roman goddess of agriculture.
Charon (kair-uhn)
The boatman who carried the souls of the dead across the river Styx and into Hades.
Chimera
A monster with the head and body of a lion, a goat’s head sticking out of the lion’s back and the tail of a dragon or serpent. A wild creation of the imagination.
Cinderella
A fairy tale from Charles Perrault. Cinderella is forced to do heavy housework by her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella’s fairy godmother dresses her for the prince’s ball and warns her not to stay after midnight. As Cinderella is leaving, she drops her glass slipper. The prince tries to find who it fits and marries Cinderella when it fits her.
The name “Cinderella” is sometimes applied to a person or group that undergoes a sudden transformation.
Circe (sur-see)
A powerful sorceress who turned people into swine. The crew of Odysseus fell pray to her spells
Classical mythology
The mythology of the Greeks and Romans. Much Roman mythology was borrowed from the Greeks.
Cupid
The Roman name of Eros, the god of love. In the story of Cupid and Psyche, he is described as a handsome young man. Also called the son of Venus in many stories. Often depicted as a chubby baby with wings and a bow and arrow.
Cyclops
One-eyed giants in classical mythology. A cyclops imprisoned the crew of Odysseus on their way back to Greece after the Trojan war. Odysseus tricked the cyclops and put out his eye, which allowed their escape.
Daedalus
The inventor of the labyrinth and one of the few to escape it. Father of Icarus. Daedalus is a symbol of inventiveness and craftsmanship.
