lecture 17 & ch. 16

Question 1

Describe the basic story of Athenian creation.

Answer 1

1. Hephaestus lusts after Athena, he is unsuccessful but manages to ejaculate onto her leg.
2. Athena uses a woolly swab to wipe the semen off of her leg and she then throws the swab onto the ground.
3. The swab on the ground results in the creation of Erichthonius, the first king of Athens.

Question 2

Who can be seen as the “first of Athens”?

Answer 2

Erichthonius

Question 3

Which people group has always lived in Attica?

Answer 3

ATHENIANS

Question 4

What is the order of Athenian succession starting from Erichthonius and ending with Aegeus.

Answer 4

1. Erichthonius
2. Cecrops
3. Pandion
4. Aegeus

Question 5

Which mythical hero does Theseus mimic?

Answer 5

HERACLES

Question 6

What is the story that results in Theseus’ conception?

Answer 6

1. King Aegeus is without heir and goes to the oracle, questioning if he will receive an heir.
2. He receives the prophecy, “don’t open the wineskin until you get back to the Athenians.”
3. King Aegeus doesn’t understand the prophecy and goes to Pittheus, a nearby king, asking him about the prophecy.
4. King Pittheus understands that the prophecy means Aegeus’ next child will be a son but he doesn’t reveal that he understands the prophecy.
5. Pittheus sends his daughter, Aethra, to Aegeus. On the same night, Poseidon has sex with her as well (like Heracles’ conception)
6. She becomes pregnant with Theseus.

Question 7

What is the main difference between Theseus and Heracles as mythological heroes?

Answer 7

THESEUS CAN ONLY BE CLAIMED BY ATHENIANS, Heracles can be claimed by every Greek polis.

Question 8

What is a theme regarding Theseus’ labours?

Answer 8

Throughout his labours, Theseus kills the men/entities in the same way that civilians were killed by these men/entities.

Question 9

what were the six labors of Theseus?

Answer 9

1. Periphetes - bludgeons people as they pass.
2. Sinis - “pine bender.”
3. Phaea’s Crommyonian Sow - dangerous female pig.
4. Sciron’s foot washing
5. Cercyon - wrestler
6. Procrustes - no no no no no no no no no no no no

Question 10

On a specific piece of black figure art depicting Theseus’s laborers, the bull/Minotaur Is depicted. This wasn’t always the case. Which labour was swapped in favor of the bull/Minotaur?

Answer 10

Periphetes - son of Hephaestus; bludgeons people as they pass.

Question 11

Upon completion of his labors, Theseus travels to
Athens but he goes unrecognized by Aegeus. Why is
this?

Answer 11

Girl boss Medea is fucking with Aegeus’ mind.

Question 12

While Aegeus does not recognize Theseus, somebody does. Who recognizes him? What task does this person give Theseus?

Answer 12

• MEDEA RECOGNIZES THESEUS
• Medea gives Theseus the task of killing the Cretan bull (yes Heracles’ bull) in hopes that it will kill him.

Question 13

What are the 4 myths depicted on the Parthenon metopes? What is a common theme that connects all these myths?

Answer 13

1. Troy/Trojan War
2. Centauromachy (i.e. battle of the Centaurs & Lapiths)
3. Gigantomachy
4. Amazonomachy

• ALL OF THESE MYTHS DEPICT GREEKS AGAINST “BARBARIANS” / “MONSTEROUS CREATURES
  – although the Trojans Are human, they are still perceived as being “different” from the Greeks.

Question 14

Who is Hippolytus? What notable story is tied to Hippolytus?

Answer 14

1. Hippolytus, born from Theseus and the Amazons, is a committed devotee of Artemis. He is so committed that he is aggressive in his rejection of intimacy and
   Aphrodite.
2. The most notable story is Aphrodite’s revenge against Hippolytus for his rejection of her.

Question 15

How does Aphrodite get revenge on Hippolytus?

Answer 15

ACCORDING TO EURIPIDES’ HIPPOLYTUS
1. Aphrodite arouses Phaedra (Theseus’ new wife) to desire Hippolytus (son of Theseus).
2. Phaedra either:
- straight up asks Hippolytus to be with her
or
- she gets a maid to try and persuade him to be with her.
3. Hippolytus rejects her intensely (he does not have a step-mom fantasy ig).
4. Wounded by his rejection, Phaedra decides to commit suicide. Before killing herself, she writes a note accusing Hippolytus of assaulting her (WHAT THE FUCK)
5. Theseus finds a dead Phaedra along with the note she wrote, and he believes it.
6. He curses Hippolytus by using the first of his three wishes granted by Poseidon.
7. Poseidon sends a sea beast that frightens Hippolytus’ horses, Hippolytus becomes tangled in the reigns and is torn apart. (yikes)

Question 16

Who is Pirithous?

Answer 16

He is the son of Ixion.
- He and Theseus begin as rivals but become besties (like Gilgamesh and Enkidu)

Question 17

How is the centauromachy enabled to occur?

Answer 17

The attempted abduction of Hippodamia is the direct cause of the centauromachy.
- Pirithous and Hippodamia get married.
- Pirithous invites his family to the party, meaning centaurs are also invited. (uh oh)
- The centaurs are not used to wine and after drinking, they begin behaving badly. i.e. THEY TRY TO ABDUCT HIPPODAMIA (my guy wtf)

Question 18

How do Theseus and Pirithous get trapped in the underworld?

Answer 18

PIRITHOUS DECIDES THAT HE WANTS TO MARRY PERSEPHONE (UUUHHHHHMMM WHAT???)
- The wives of Theseus and Pirithous die, they both decide to select new wives.
- Theseus chooses Helen and abducts her, Pirithous chooses Persephone.
- So Theseus goes, “fuck it, we ride.” They both go down into the underworld.
- They make their way to Hades and explain to Hades why they are there. Hades “hosts” them, inviting them in for food.
- As the pair sit down, they are restrained to their chairs (sometimes by snakes).

They are trapped until Heracles rescues Theseus but Pirithous is forever stuck in the underworld.

Question 19

What is the story of Tereus and Procne?

Answer 19

1. Erichthonius’ granddaughter Procne is married is the Thracian Tereus.
2. Tereus lusts after
   Philomela, Procne’s sister,
   and invites her to “catch up” with him.
3. She arrives hoping to see her sister, but Tereus
   snatches her and brings her
   to an isolated cabin in the woods and assaults her.
4. Philomela warns Tereus that she will scream to the heavens what he has done to her. In response, Tereus cuts out her tongue.
5. While trapped in the cabin, Philomela weaves her story. The weaving finds its way to Procne, allowing her to discover what happened to her sister.
6. During the busyness of a festival, Procne sneaks away, finding the cabin, and frees Philomela.
7. To obtain revenge on Tereus, Procne feeds him their son, Itys.
8. Procne and Philomela transform into birds at the end.

Question 20

What was Ovid’s message in telling the story of Procne and Tereus?

Answer 20

Although avid portrays the gods a sinister in a sometimes comical way, humans can also act wickedly.
- He asks the audience “who commits worse crimes, the gods or mortals?”

Question 21

What are the three major stories of Athenian creation?

Answer 21

1. They were descendent from a mortal, Cecrops.
   1.5. They were
   autochthonous (sprung from the earth)
2. Descended from Athena

• The first two are often combined in that Cecrops
  was descended from the earth.

Question 22

Theseus is considered to be an important king, what were his most significant reforms/contributions?

Answer 22

1. brought together peoples in outlying demes of Attica into a single federal system.
2. instituted the Panathenaic festival.
3. founded the popular assembly.

Question 23

Who were the Amazon’s descendants of?

Answer 23

Ares and Harmonia, a nymph.

Question 24

Where was the homeland of the Amazonians often placed?

Answer 24

The Caucasus Mountains

Question 25

Why are Amazons seen as a good example of mythical inversion?

Answer 25

In myth, Amazon’s are a perversion of all that is proper and correct; a threat to the family- the basis of civilized society.

Question 26

How did Theseus die?

Answer 26

After returning from the underworld, Athens was in turmoil.
- Helen’s brothers had taken Helen along with Aethra.
- Theseus was being called a tyrant by the new ruler.
- He fled to Scyros, but the local king was envious of Theseus’ glory and pushed him off a cliff.