Heroes Flashcards
(212 cards)
1
Q
what does aretē mean
A
excellence
2
Q
why is aretē important
A
the hero needs to prove his excellence, that he is able to do the tasks
3
Q
what does kleos mean
A
glory (renown)
4
Q
why is kleos important to the greeks
A
the motivation for many heroes to gain glory and fame (legacy = form of immortality)
5
Q
what is hamartia
A
fatal flaw
6
Q
why is hamartia important to the greeks
A
what makes the hero imperfect (leads to demise, thought not always fatal)
7
Q
where does the idea of hamartia come from
A
Aristotle’s ‘poetics’
8
Q
when do many of these hero stories take place
A
the later Bronze Age (semi-historical connection)
9
Q
who were the Mycenaeans
A
people of Mycenae, an important city in the Bronze Age that collapsed and never recovered
10
Q
what does heröon mean
A
the place of worship for a hero
11
Q
where were heroöns often found
A
small shrines/mounds that were supposed to have some importance in the hero’s life (ie. burial place)
12
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
1. extraordinary birth/childhood
A
hercules wrestling the snakes, Oedipus getting stabbed in the ankle and abandoned
13
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
2. faces opposition from the beginning (pre main trials)
A
14
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
3. the hero’s enemy is a source of achievement, given tasks to overcome
A
15
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
4. helped by at least one ally (human or divine, objects also count)
A
Odysseus is helped by Athena (and Hermes?), Hercules is helped by his nephew (hydra fight)
16
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
5. faces seemingly impossible obstacles, often labours that must be accomplished or a quest to be completed
A
heracles’ labours
17
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
6. conflicts with divine, human, or monsterous opponents present physics, sexual, or spiritual challenges
A
Oedipus facing the sphinx?, Heracles and Hippolyta
18
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
7. must observe taboos, or else pay a terrible price
A
Orpheus not looking back,
19
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
8. death itself is the ultimate conquest, usually by katabasis
A
heracles, odysseus, (phyche?)
20
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
9. success may be rewarded with something of great value (marriage, political security, wealth)
A
Jason marries Medea, Theseus married ariadne, Odysseus gets his wife and kingdom back
21
Q
example of the following heroic motif:
10. knowledge through suffering, spiritual enlightenment (purification, rebirth, redemption, deification)
A
heracles becomes a god, Odysseus comes back changed, knowing more things
22
Q
describe the typical heroine
A
royal/divine background, has extraordinary beauty, great power, and becomes the mother (or wife) of a hero
23
Q
what are the 5 heroine motifs
A
- girl leaves home
- girl is secluded/isolated
- she is made pregnant by a god
- she suffered punishment/rejection/other consequence
- she is rescued and her son is born
24
Q
how to the hero motifs compare to the heroine motifs
A
hero motifs are more prevalent, many heroins don’t follow their motifs
25
what is the mono myth
the hero’s journey (Joseph Campbell), idea that all hero’s follow basically the same formula
26
what are the three main parts of the hero’s journey
departure/separation, initiation (the trials, becoming an adult, reaching for aretē), return (hero returns changed)
27
what are some critiques of the hero’s journey
formulaic and overused, male centered, Campbell was accused of cherry picking examples, depiction of the hero solving all the problems
28
what are the three major groups of the Mycenaean world
the cities of Peloponnese (mycenae, tiryns, argos, sparta), the cities of the rest of the greek mainland (athens, thebes, iolcus), and Troy
29
who was tantalus’ son
pelops
30
why did demeter eat tantalus’ stew
she was distraught about the missing persephone and didn’t notice it was a person
31
why did pelops have an ivory/metal shoulder
demeter ate it
32
where was pelops honoured (worshiped?)
at Olympia (near pisa) next to Zeus’ shine
33
why did pelops race Oenonaüs
he wanted to marry his daughter Hippodamia, and the only way was to race her father
34
how did pelops win the chariot race
he replaced parts of the chariot’s wheels with wax so they would fall apart and kill the king of pisa
35
how did the house of atreus get cursed
Myrtilus cursed them as he died because he didn’t get to sleep with pelops’ new wife Hippodamia after he helped him win the chariot race, so pelops pushed hum off cliff
36
who becomes king of pisa after Oenonaüs
Pelops
37
who are the sons of Pelops and Hippodamia
Atreus and Thyestes
38
who became the next king of Mycenae; Atreus or Thyestes
Thyestes
39
how does Thyestes get the golden fleece
atreus has it (from pan), but thyestes has been having an affair with atreus’s wife, and she gives it to him, so he became king
40
how are the children of Thyestes affected by the curse
thyestes is tricked by Atreus into eating his children, then exiled again
41
who is Aegisthus
son of Thyestes and his daughter (while they were in exile the 2nd time)
42
who is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaüs
Atreus
43
who are the wives of Agamemnon and Menelaüs
Clytemnestra marries Agamemnon, Helen marries Menelaüs
44
how did the curse affect Agamemnon
he sacrificed his daughter to appease Artemis at the start of the Trojan war
45
why did Clytemnestra hate her husband
he killed their daughter, so Clytemnestra killed him with the help of his cousin with whom she was having an affair
46
is Menelaüs affected by the curse of the house of Atreus
no
47
who is Aeschylus
athenian playwrite/tragedian, wrote The Orestia trilogy
48
what are the three parts of The Orestia
The Agamemnon, The Liabation Bearers, and The Eumenides
49
Who are the parents of Orestes and Electra
Agamemnon and Clytemnestra
50
why did Orestes need to avenge his father
it was the duty of a son, and Apollo told him to
51
did Orestes grow up at home
no, he grew up on Phocis
52
what was Orestes’ crime
the murder of his mother to avenger her murdering his father (encouraged by his sister Elecrta)
53
how did the three authors present Orestes’ matricide
Aeschylus and Euripides presented feelings of revulsion, Sophocles was more neutral on the matter
54
how are the furies relevant to the play Electra
they pursue Orestes after he kills his mother
55
what does the prophesy say in Electra
that Orestes will be pursued by the Furies in exile, but he’ll appeal to Athena and be acquitted
56
what is the Eumenides
a play by Aeschylus, (the third of the trilogy) abotu the trial of Orestes
57
what was the first courtroom drama
the Eumenides
58
how did Orestes win his trial
Apollo (defence couincil) argues that the father is more important in reproduction that the mother, the jury was tied, but Athena (judge) sided with Orestes
59
when are the Erinyes remained the Eumenides
after Orestes trial, they are now the Kindly Ones
60
what ended the curse of the house of atreus
Orestes being freed from punishment of the murder of his mother
61
how was homicide dealt with before formalized laws/court systems
in the private home (aeschylus’ first 2 plays), an eye for an eye (becomes a cycle/blood vendetta)
62
what do the Furies represent in the Eumenides
retribution, vengeance, guilt and fear, human nature to relatiate
63
who founded Thebes
Cadmus
64
how are Cadmus and Europa connected
siblings, Cadmus was on his way to rescue Europa when he was told to found a city
65
what happened to Europa
she was abducted by Zeus in the from of a bull and taken to Crete (becomes the mother of Minos)
66
are Cadmus and Europa greek
no they are Phoenician
67
what does the oracle tell Cadmus
that he should stop looking for Europa, follow a cow until it lies down, and found a city there
68
who does Cadmus marry
Harmonia (daughter of Ares and Aphrodite )
69
what was Thebes originally called
Cadmeia
70
how did Cadmeia become populated
Cadmus had to kill the serpent/dragon that lived near where the cow died and Athena told him to plant its teeth (the serpent’s not the cow’s) and people sprung up
71
why was Cadmus a slave of Ares for a year
the serpent was a son of ares
72
who was Sophocles
5th C BC (after Aeschylus)
73
what three plays did Sophocles write
Oedipus Tyrannus, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone
74
who are Oedipus’ parents
Laius and Jocasta
75
why is Oedipus sent to be left on a mountain
there is a prophesy that he will kill his father
76
why wasn’t Oedipus killed as a baby
the servant had pity and gave him to a shepherd who brought him to King Polybus of Corinth
77
which story is the sphinx in
Oedipus, whoever defeats the sphinx becomes king and marries Jocasta (so says regent Creon)
78
what heroic motifs are present in the story of Oedipus
strange birth/childhood, overcame obstacles and was rewarded, broke a taboo
79
who came up with the oedipus complex
sigmund freud
80
who wrote The Seven Against Thebes
Aeschylus
81
what is The seven against Thebes about
Eteocles vs Polynices (brothers): Polynices + 6 others try to overthrow Eteocles
82
who are the parents of Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone and Ismene
Oedipus and Jocasta
83
why is Polynices not allowed to get the burial rites
he betrayed his brother (and country?), so Creon says he is to be left without burial rites
84
why is it significant that Polynices isn’t allowed burial rites
that’s what got a person to the underworld
85
why does Antigone feel so strongly about Creon’s post-war decree
it is her duty to perform the burial rites for her brother, if it doesn’t happen, her family will be the ones haunted by his spirit
86
why would Creon have disallowed the burial rites for Polynices
may have not wanted to seem weak, to not show favouritism to his nephews, may be trying to dampen the chaos after the civil war
87
why does Antigone defy Creon
her first priority is to her family and her duty to the gods, not to Creon
88
what are some themes in Antigone
state vs family, civil disobedience (is breaking the law ever justified)
89
who is Athanmas and who did he first marry
king of Boeotia, married Nephele the cloud nymph
90
who are the parents of Phrixus and Helle
Athamas and Nephele
91
who was king Athamas’ second wife
Ino, daughter of Cadmus
92
what crimes did Ino commit
tried to destroy her step sons (Phrixus and Helle), caused a famine by convincing women to heat seeds before planting, bribed messengers to tell Athamas to sacrifice Phrixus for the famine to end
93
how did Phrixus and Helle escape Ino’s wrath
their mother Nephele took them away, put them on a golden ram and Hermes’ carried them east
94
what happened to Helle
Helle fell off the golden ram between Europe and Asia and drowned
95
where did Phrixus end up
Colchis
96
what happened to Phrixus in Colchis
King Aeëtes received him with kindness, and let him marry his daughter Chalciope
97
what happened to the golden ram Phrixus flew on
he sacrificed it to Zeus and gave the fleece to Aeëtes who put it on a tree in a grove sacred to Ares
98
how are Cretheus and Athamas related
brothers
99
who became king of Iolcus after Cretheus
Pelias, his stepson took the throne from the rightful heir and son of Cretheus Aeson
100
who are jason’s parents
Aeson and Polymede
101
was jason taught by chiron
yes
102
what did jason do after his training
went back to take the throne from his uncle Pelias, who was warned to beware the man with one sandal (jason only had on sandal)
103
how did jason gain the favour of Hera
he carried an old woman across the river, she turned out to be Hera
104
why did jason have to get the golden fleece
Pelias told him he would give him the throne if he did
105
Who built the Argo
Argus (with Athena’s help)
106
were Orpheus and Heracles Argonauts
yes , but timeline don’t really match up
107
who helped Phineas with the harpies
jason and the argonauts
108
who killed Amycus (boxer king)
polydeuces
109
did Aeëtes let Jason have the fleece when he got to Colchis
only if he performed a series of impossible tasks
110
what tasks did Aeëtes ask of Jason
1. yoke a pair of fire-breathing bulls
2. plow a large field with the bulls
3. sow dragon’s teeth in the field
4. kill the men that sprung up
111
who is Medea the daughter of
Aeëtes
112
did Medea fall in love with jason on her own
not reallly, Hera and Aphrodite helped
113
how did Medea help Jason
gave him fire resistant ointment, herbs to drug the dragon, and may have killed the serpent (according to Euripides)
114
where did jason and medea live with their sons
Corinth
115
why was Medea mad a Jason
he left her to marry Creusa, daughter of the king?
116
why are Medea’s children in danger
Medea might do something to them out of anger at jason
117
what happens to medea and her children after jason leaves her
she gets angry, everyone else gets scared, and she and the children get exiled
118
how does medea get around her exile
she convinces Creon to let her stay for one more day, saying there’s no harm she could do in a single day
119
how does Medea cause Creon’s death
she manipulates his daughters into killing him
120
who does Medea meet in exile
Aegeus, who is on his way to the oracle
121
what happened to Medea’s children
she killed them because she knew it would cause Jason pain
122
how does Medea cause Pelias’s death
she manipulates his daughters into killing him, saying she’ll bring him back stronger than he was before
123
why are Jason and Medea forced to leave Iolcus
Medea causes the death of the king
124
why did the greeks think it was ok for jason to marry Glauce/Creusa
because medea wasn’t greek so their marriage wasn’t valid
125
what’s themes are present in Euripides’ Medea
passion, love, betrayal, marriage, revenge
126
who is the most important hero of Argos
Perseus
127
who were Perseus’ parents
Danaë, daughter of Acrisius, and Zeus
128
why was Danaë locked underground
Acrisius got a prophesy that her son would kill him
129
how did Zeus enter Danaë’s locked chamber
shower of gold
130
what happened to Perseus and Danaë after Acrisus found them out
he put them in a chest and floated them out to sea
131
where did perseus and Danaë float away to
Seriphos, where they were rescued by the fisherman Dictys
132
which hero gets the most help
perseus
133
who kills argus (with the eyes)
hermes
134
why does Perseus have to get Medusa’s head
he was bragging to the unliked king that he could and the king held him to that
135
what do the Graeae tell Perseus
to go to some nymphs who can help him
136
what gifts does Perseus get
invisibility cap, winged sandals, and a kibisis (bag) from the nymphs, a scimitar from Hermes, and the bronze shield from Athena
137
who are medusa’s children
Pegasus and Chrysador, from the blood that fell to the ground
138
where does Perseus meet Andromeda
on the way back to Seriphos he stops at Joppa
139
why is andromeda going to be sacrificed to a sea monster
her mother bragged about her beauty, Poseidon sent a sea monster, the oracle said the only was to stop it was sacrificing Andromeda
140
what happened to Polydectes
perseus killed him with medusa’s head
141
how does perseus kill his grandfather
accidentally with a discus
142
how does perseus become king of Tiryns
he swaps kingships with the king of tiryns because he’s upset he killed his grandfather
143
who founded Mycenae
Perseus
144
who are Achilles’ parents
Peleus and Thetis (goddess)
145
is Thetis a good mom to Achilles
generally yes
146
what did Paris have to judge
who was the most beautiful goddess, Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite
147
swift-footed
Achilles
148
lord of men
Agamemnon
149
dear to Ares
Menelaus
150
cunning, wiley
odysseus
151
mighty
ajax
152
horseman
Patroclus
153
old and noble
Priam
154
man - killing
Hector
155
pious
Aeneas
156
magnificent
Paris
157
which gods are on the greek side of the Trojan War
Athena, Hera
158
what side of the trojan war is Aphrodite and Apollo on
Trojan
159
who wrote the play Ajax
sophocles
160
who is neoptolemus
Achilles’ son, must be brought to war for troy to fall
161
how do the greeks get Heracles’ bow from Philoctetes
Ody and Neoptomelus go to Lemnos, ody tries to steal the bow, heracles (from olympus) tells Phil to go with them
162
how is glory and mortality presented in the iliad
warriors striving for kleos, is it worth the cost?
163
how does the Iliad’s presentation of war resonate today?
brutality and inhumanity of it is not shied away from, war is war, in ancient greece and today
164
circumspect
penelope
165
telemachus
son of ody and penelope
166
nausicaā
princess of the Phaeacians, presents an options for ody to stop and not go home
167
how many suitors are there in the oddest
108
168
what is nostos
return journey
169
how long has ody been away from ithaca
20 years
170
why does telemachus leave ithaca
to go to nestor and menelaüs to see if they have news of his father
171
how long are Menelaus and Helen away from Sparta
7 years
172
which greeks went to italy after the trojan war
diomedes, Idomeneus, philoctetes
173
generally, what events happened on ody’s nostos
lotus eaters, polyphemus, Aeolus/Laestrygonians, circe, underworld, sirens/scylla/charibdis, helios’ cattle, calypso, Nausicaā, ithaca
174
what could the lotus eaters represent
the desire to forget the war, to get lost in the sauce
175
are cyclopes civilized
nope (no xenia, which ody expects)
176
what is poseidon’s curse on ody
10 year return journey to ithaca, losing all his men, troubles in ithaca
177
where does Aeolus’ wind bag take ody’s crew
Canibal giant island, all are lost except those on Ody’s ship
178
how long does ody stay with Circe
1 year
179
what is a nekuia
ritual to summon ghosts and speak with them (ody does this) q
180
who does Ody talk to in the underworld
Tiresias (prophet), Agamemnon, achilles and ajax, his mother, elpenor (fell off circe’s roof),
181
how does ody hear the sirens
pjo style
182
how long is Ody on calipso’s island
7 years
183
what are the three ‘types’ of female characters in the Oddessey
‘seductive’ (circe, calypso); ‘monstrous’ (scylla, sirens); ‘helpful’ (penelope, Athena)
184
who are heracles’ parents
Alcemena and Zeus
185
how does zeus trick alcmena
disguises himself as her husband so he can sleep with her
186
why does Hera delay Alcmena’s childbirth
prophesy that the next king of tiryns would be of Amphitryon’s blood (heracles’ foster father), and hera does not want it to be heracles
187
why does heracles have labours
he killed his family (hera’s fault), so is a slave to his cousin, the king, and he sends Heracles on 10 labours (ends up 12)
188
how does heracles defeat Nemean Lion
club
189
how does heracles defeat the hydra
helped by is nephew Iolaüs, they burn the stumps before heads can regrow
190
how does heracles get poison arrows
hydra bile
191
why doesn’t the hydra count as one of Heracles’ labours
he had help
192
why is cleaning the Augean Stables not counted as one of Heracles’ labours
he was supposed to be rewarded by Augeas
193
how does heracles bring the Cretan Bull back alive
rides it across the sea
194
who kills the cretan bull
theseus
195
what is apotheosis
deification
196
what is heracles’ hamartia
his appetites
197
who were the three important Athenian kings
Cecrops, Erichthonius, and Erechtheus
198
what does Aegeus leave under a rock
sandals and a sword, for theseus to find
199
why does aegeus leave tokens under a rock
once his son (and Aethra’s son) is strong enough to lift it and find the tokens, he should come find his father in Athens
200
how many labours does Theseus have
6
201
who defeated procrustes
theseus
202
who does theseus find married to his father
medea
203
what does medea do to theseus
she tries to convince his father that he is a dangerous stranger and should be poisoned
204
what does minos promise when he becomes king of crete
that he would sacrifice a beautiful bull to poseidon
205
how does poesiedon curse minos
makes his wife fall in love with a bull
206
who falls in love with theseus
ariadne, minos’ daughter
207
how does ariadne help theseus
string
208
what happened after theseus slayed the minotaur
he and ariadne leave and go to Naxos, where he abandons her
209
who found ariadne after she was abandoned
Dionysus
210
how does aegeus die
theseus forgets to change is sails to white when he comes back to athens, aegeus kills himself out of grief
211
how might the aeneid function as propoganda
connecting contemporary political systems with myths of the past, divine justice for Augustu’ reign and rome’s destiny as a world power
212
