Lecture 8 Flashcards
Aegeus
Father of Theseus, King of Athens, namesake of the Aegean Sea
Cetacean
Relating to whales/dolphins, derived from Ceto
Charybdis
The daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, a vicious whirlpool which sucks up and spits out water 3 times a day, located in the straights of Messina
Scylla
Daughter of the sea god Phorcys and Hecate, she has a beautiful upper half but a monstrous lower half and resides in the straights of Messina
Circe
A sorceress who, according to Ovid, poisoned the waters of Scylla’s bathing place and transformed her into a monster
Doris
Mother of the Neireids
Faunus
Acis’ father
Glaucus
A mortal who became a sea god, he got rejected by Scylla and went to Circe for a love potion but she fell in love with him and poisoned Scylla instead
The 3 Gorgons
Children of Phorcys and Ceto, named Stheno, Euryale and Medusa, they have snakes for hair and anyone who looks upon them turns to stone
The 3 Graeae
Children of Phorcys and Ceto, they are personifications of old age (their name means “aged ones”) and they share one eye and tooth between the 3 of them
The Harpies
Children of Thaumus and Electra, their name means “snatchers”, originally conceived of as strong winds and later as winged beasts with female faces
Iris
Daughter of Thaumus and Electra, the goddess of rainbows (her name means “rainbow) and messenger of the gods (often Hera)
Medusa
One of the 3 gorgons, Poseidon was her lover and when she is killed by Perseus a winged horse (Pegasus) sprang from her corpse
Peleus
A mortal who wed the Neireid Thetis, Achilles’ father
Protean
The ability to change form, word derived from the sea god Proteus
