University of Arkansas, Spring, 2001
WLIT 2323. Greek/Roman Mythology
D. B. Levine
Preview: Midterm Exam
The midterm examination will be given on Wednesday, 07 March. It will include:
I. Multiple choice questions. Please bring SCAN-TRON forms and #2 pencils.
II. Short-Answer Questions based on class discussion, study questions, and all readings assigned to this date: Theogony, Works and Days, Homeric Hymns, Voyage of Argo, Hippolytus, Oedipus the King, Antigone, Prometheus Bound.
III. Modern and ancient meanings of Myth Words presented by students in class.
IV. Identification and comment on slides depicting myths.
V. Comments on significance of quotations from readings.
Below you will find samples and suggestions.
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MYTH WORDS.
Students will be asked to identify the myths/gods that lie behind the modern words, and show the connection between the myth and the modern meaning. You will give the myth in a sentence, and the modern meaning in a sentence, and how it relates to the myth.
I will select a few of the following terms:
Adonis
arachnid
Aphrodisiac
Gemini
aegis
argus-eyed
Callisto
volcano
catamite
Augean
cassandra
erotic
amazon
Europa/Europe
cereal
demon
hector
Cadmean victory
Electra Complex
dog days
venereal
Elysium
eristic
vestal
dionysian
cerberus
cornucopia
bacchanalian
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
The following could be asked on the Midterm Exam. Other questions could be included, from the study questions for this class, or from our discussions in class. These are to be answered in one to five sentences.
Examples:
1. What miracles did Dionysos cause on the pirate ship that kidnapped him?
2. How did Prometheus help mortals?
3. How is Zeus portrayed in the Prometheus Bound? How does this compare to his usual portrait?
4. How did Apollo establish his sanctuary at Delphi?
5. What miracle happened to the Athenian Philippides when he ran from Athens to Sparta to ask for help against the Persians?
6. With what other god(s) is Hephaestus associated, and why?
7. What are the characteristics of the goddess Hestia? How did the Romans worship her?
8. What kind of terrain does Pan inhabit, and what part of Greece was his domain?
9. Why is the planet Mars called Mars?
10. How does Hesiod tie together Work and Religion at the end of Works and Days?
11. How is the prologue of the Works and Days similar to that of Theogony?
12. In Argonautica, how did Heracles lose his friend Hylas? How does this recall the myth of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis?
13. How did Orpheus help the Argonauts?
14. What is the effect of EROS in Voyage of Argo?
15. What was the cause of Hippolytus' tragedy?
16. What was the cause of Oedipus' tragedy?
17. What was the cause of Antigone's tragedy?
18. Why were the Thebans called 'sown men'?
19. What are Maenads, and how are they depicted in Greek Art?
20. What are satyrs, and how are they depicted in Greek Art?
21. The Athenians believed that they were 'autochthonous' in Attica. This means that ...
22. How did Zeus make Io pregnant, and what does this have to do with the name of her son?
23. What Roman holiday lies behind the modern Valentine's Day?
24. Why were the early Thebans of the generation of Cadmus referred to as the "Sown Men"?
25. What is a PSYCHOPOMPUS?
26. What does it mean when we say that myth is "etiological"?
27. Why was Dionysos born twice?
28. How can we usually identify the goddess NIKE in art?
29. According to Hesiod Works and Days, why is mortals' life hard? (lines 58-68)
30. What happened to the Golden and Silver Age humans after they died? (Works and Days lines 142-147; 161-163)
31. What does Hesiod say that men must do in order to make sure that Demeter will smile on them? (Works and Days line 343)
32. What did Hesiod do with his prize in the Funeral Games' songfest, and why do you think he did it? (Works and Days lines 725-733)
33. What are the basic rules for urinating, and what do they have to do with the gods? (Works and Days line 806-811; 838-39)
34. What is the Greek word for Prometheus' 'man-loving disposition', and what English word comes from it? (PROMETHEUS BOUND line 28)
35. Might calls humans 'creatures of a day' (84; 255 by Chorus; 945 by Hermes). What is the Greek word, and what English word comes from it?
36. What do Io and Prometheus have in common?
37. In what tone does Hermes greet Prometheus (945)? How is it appropriate (or inappropriate to his mission and position?
38. How can we reconcile Zeus in the Prometheus Bound 'as the oppressor of humankind' with the portrait of him in Hesiod as the dispenser of justice for mortals?
39. What do Hephaestus, Athena, and Prometheus have in common?
40. What does Zeus have to do with suppliants, hospitality, and oaths?
41. What does the Harpies' name mean, and how does this match their mythological function?
42. What are Athena's characteristics'?
43. What are the characteristics of Dionysos?
44. What are the characteristics of Hermes?
45. What are the characteristics of Demeter?
46. What are the characteristics of Hera?
47. What are the characteristics of Prometheus?
48. What are the characteristics of Hecate?
49. What are the characteristics of Jason?
50. What are the characteristics of Medea?
51. What are the characteristics of Heracles?
52. Why did Aphrodite fall in love with Anchises?
53. What function does Artemis share with Eileithyia?
54. What was the hubris of Niobe? How did Artemis and Apollo punish her for it?
55. What was the hubris of Hippolytus? Which goddess punished him, and why?
56. Where was Apollo born, and what importance did that site have later?
57. What part of Greece is Hermes particularly associated with, and why?
58. What was so remarkable about Hermes' infancy?
59. What is the first song that Hermes sings after inventing the lyre?
60. What does Hermes do to make Apollo drop him?
61. What does the story of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis attempt to explain?
62. What is the mythological origin of "Pan Pipes"?
63. What did the god Pan have to do with the Athenians and the Battle of Marathon?
64. Describe Teiresias.
65. Describe Phineus.
66. What did Laius do that he should not have done?
67. What did Hippolytus not do that he should have done?
68. How could have Oedipus avoided his tragedy?
69. Why is there a Plague in Thebes at the beginning of Oedipus the King?
70. What is the 'navel of the earth'?
71. How did Oedipus' wife Jocasta die?
72. How did Creon's wife Eurydice die?
73. How do the stories of Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39) and Bellerophon parallel the myth of Hippolytus and Phaedra?
74. How was Phaedra's family unlucky in love?
75. How is love's effect usually shown in Greek mythology?
76. How is Apollo the opposite of Dionysos?
77. With which god is Poseidon often confused in Greek art, and why?
78. What do gods eat, and what do they have in their veins?
79. Why is Hera vexed at King Pelias, Jason's enemy?
80. What sign gave away Jason's identity to Pelias, and how did it relate to an oracle?
81. Who was King Aeetes' father, and who were his children?
82. What do Furies do?
83. Why did the Argo sail to visit Circe?
84. What is unusual about the animals that surround Circe's house?
85. What powers does Circe possess?
86. What are the Sirens? What do they do? How do the Argonauts escape them?
87. How did Peleus win Thetis for his wife? What kind of marriage do they have?
88. Who was Triton? What did he look like?
89. Where did Talos live, and how did the Argonauts overcome him?
90. What happened to Jason and Medea after they returned to Greece?
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS.
HERE ARE SOME SAMPLES.
(and some more short-answer questions mixed in...)
(Some of these might be on the test; others might be included.)
1. Prometheus' secret was about a) Thetis b) Hera c) Metis d) Themis e) Bia
2. What 'gift' did Zeus bestow to mankind after Prometheus stole fire and gave it to man? a) meat b) portion of sacrifice c) death d) muses e) Pandora
3. Although the gods are anthropomorphic and exhibit a range of power and abilities, what divine characteristics most consistently distinguishes them from mortals? a) omnipotence b) omniscience c) immortality d) infidelity e) inability to suffer pain
4. How was Hephaestus involved in a birth story about Athena? a) He created her from finest metals b) He mated with Demeter, who bore Athena c) He struck Zeus' head with an ax, Athena springing from the wound d) Athena sprang from Hephaestus' head e) He was not involved in Athena's birth stories
5. What does Anchises fear will happen after he learns that he has copulated with the goddess Aphrodite? a) Zeus would kill him b) he would become impotent c) he will never love another woman as he loved Aphrodite d) that the son from their union will overthrow him d) that he will be exiled from his town after the townspeople found out
6. To whom is Hesiod's Works and Days directed? a) Hesiod's father b) Hesiod's brother c) Zeus d) the Muses e) Apollo
7. The birth of Aphrodite came about from the castration of Uranus. Where was it that the goddess was born? a) Mt. Olympus b) an unknown mountain c) Troy, d) the sea e) a forest
8. Hebe, the daughter of Zeus, was a cup bearer to the gods. What mortal shared this position with her on Olympus? a) Hippolytus b) Anchises c) Ganymede d) Tros e) Actaeon
9. What animal is Apollo most closely associated with? a) pig b) rabbit c) seal d) tortoise e) dolphin
10. In what age was the singer of Works and Days alive? a) gold b) silver c) bronze d) heroes e) iron
11. What is Anchises' initial reaction to Aphrodite? a) whoopee! (happiness) b) uh-oh! (fear) c) he runs from her d) he turns to stone e) he spoils his pants
12. Artemis has some distinct features, some of which include: a beauty b) virginity c) bow/arrow d) huntress e) all of the above
13. What happens to reveal Callisto's secret affair with Zeus? a) She is seen naked and is pregnant b) She is turned into a bear c) Juno calls her a whore d) she hides from everyone e) nymphs talk about it
14. What is Cassandra cursed with? a) gout b) snakes for hair c)vain prophecy d) unattractiveness e) facial warts
15. Who is the son of Zeus and Hera? a) Apollo b) Hephaestus c) Dionysus d) Hermes e) Ares
16. The son of Aphrodite was a) Aineas b) Prometheus c) Achilles d) Agamemnon e) Hermes
17. Apollo and his sister share this feature: a) adultery b) healing c) archery d) flight e) they are sun gods
18. Apollo and Artemis' mother is a) Hera b) Aphrodite c) Leto d) Lyssa e) Daphne
19. The site of Apollo's birth was: a) Athens b) Crete c) Delos d) Lesbos e) Melos
20. Hermes invented the a) lyre b) conch shell c) kibisis d) penteteric festivals e) aegis
21. Who forced himself on Rhea to bear the Olympians? a) Zeus b) Uranus c) Kronos d) Atlas e) Uranos
22. Zeus' birthplace was: a) Olympus b) Delphi c) Dodona d) Crete e) Olympia
23. Which god(dess) is known as the epitome of Greek classical restraint, calm, and tagged with the phrases 'know thyself' and 'nothing too much'? a) Apollo b) Artemis c) Ares d) Hermes e) Hebe
24. Which of these was never a lover of Zeus? a) Leto b) Maia c) Thetis d) Metis e) Io
25. Which of these was an action not done by Artemis? a) a man turned into a stag for seeing her naked b) children of a woman who dishonored her mother were killed c) she carried a child of a mortal man, Anchises d) She cast off one of her followers when she found out that the girl was impure e) She avenged Hippolytus' death by killing one of Aphrodite's favorites.
26. The names Gaia, Gaea and Ge mean: a) grain b) earth c) first d) sky e) none of the above
27. Artemis, like the goddess Selene, is associated with this object: a) Nike b) flute c) moon d) aegis e) pigs
28. Medusa was one of the ___ , offspring of Phorcys and Ceto. a) Titans b) Oceanids c) Graeae d) Harpies e) Gorgons
29. A weapon possessed by Athena is known as the: a) Arcas b) Tegea c) Merope d) Aegis e) Ceres
30. As the children of Kronos were born he: a) killed them b) turned them into animals c) promised them each a part of the earth to rule over d) banished them to the underworld e) swallowed them
31. Hera's most consistent trait is: a) laughter b) chastity c) jealousy d) singing e) swimming
32. It is odd that Artemis is a goddess of childbirth because she is: a) a hunter b) chaste c) an eater of children d) a and b e) a and c
33. Who forged thunder and lightning for Zeus? a) Cyclopes b) Hecatonchires c) Oceanids d) Titans e) Graeae
34. Who is given the job of binding Prometheus? a) Zeus b) Cronos c) Hephaestus d) Hercules e) the centaur Chiron
35. Which of the gods gave Athena the aegis? a) Hera b) Zeus c) Ares d) Perseus e) Hephaestus
36. ____ helps Zeus to defeat the Titans, but is later punished by Zeus for helping humans: a) Iapetus b) Prometheus c) Lycaon d) Deucalion e) Levine
37. What is the best title for Triton? a) messenger of the gods b) aegis-bearing c) trumpeter of the sea d) the gorgon e) aged one
38. According to Hesiod, his inspiration comes from: a) b) Uranus c) Zeus d) Nereids e) the Muses
39. Hesiod's Works and Days has a tone most similar to: a) two friends talking b) a god talking to a mortal c) a lecturing father d) a priest giving a sermon to his congregation e) a motivational speaker
40. What is the term used to describe a birth with only one parent? a) hieros gamos b) hubris c) mythology d) parthenogenesis e) autochthonous
41. Where does Hippolytus think babies should come from? a) men b) women c) temples d) earth e) ocean
42. After killing what monster was Zeus then proclaimed as the archetypal dragon slayer? a) Marduk b) Geryon c) Chrysaor d) Typhoeus e) Tartarus
43. What do Callisto and Actaeon have in common? a) both became constellations b) both were turned into wild animals c) both were punished for events they could not control d) both fell afoul of Artemis e) all of the above
44. What explains Leto's difficult labor with Apollo? a) the dramatic labor that gives way to a great son b) the suffering of a mother in labor as punishment for great progeny c) Hera's jealousy over Zeus' promiscuity d) the size, strength and greatness of Apollo e) both a and b
45. Concerning the creation of Pandora, what does Hesiod include in his Works and Days that is not in the Theogony? a) the name of her husband Epimetheus b) the source for her name Pandora (all the gods had donated something to make her) c) the story of Pandora's box d) all of the above e) both a and c
46. Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne produce what offspring? a) Muses b) Athena c) Hera d) the Fates (moirai) e) Apollo
47. What does 'daphne' mean? a) laurel b) flower c) award d) willow e) lovely
48. Besides Olympia, which place was an important center for the worship of Zeus? a) Delphi b) Lemnos c) Athens d) Dodona e) Sparta
49. Which pair is true? a) Zeus-Eagle b) Ares-Deer c) Athena-Owl d) Amazons-Horses e) all of the above are true.
50. What did Hesiod say that humans must do in order to make sure that Demeter will smile on them? a) praise Zeus b) work c) sacrifice d) refrain from sex e) never marry before the age of thirty
51. What did Athena's aegis usually have depicted on it in art? a) axe b) boar's head c) Nike d) Medusa head e) shield
52. How did Aphrodite's lover Adonis die? a) Zeus threw him from Olympus b) Ares killed him in war c) Apollo killed him with an arrow d) he was gored by a boar e) he died for love of Aphrodite
53. Why is Artemis' skirt so short? a) so she can run while hunting b) she has great legs c) she's trying to attract young men d) she's more like a boy than a girl e) she's immodest
54. What was Callisto turned into after being raped by Zeus? a) dog b) cat c) bear d) dolphin e) scorpion
55. What does Phaethon's name mean? a) strong b) cunning c) trustworthy d) fast of foot e) shining
56. Who was the mother of Athena who was swallowed by Zeus before Athena could be born, naturally, as told in Hesiod's Theogony?
57. Why did Zeus swallow Metis, mother of Athena?
58. In the story of Apollo and Daphne, before Apollo can catch her, Peneus turns her into a _____
59. Before the Muses gave Hesiod the ability to write epic poetry his occupation was _______
60. What is hubris?
61. By what river goddess' name do immortals take their oaths? Where is this river?
62. What similarity is there in the birth of the Titans and the birth of the Olympians?
63. Gaia and Uranus; Rhea and Cronos, Zeus and Hera all epitomize hieros gamos. What does hieros gamos mean?
64. _____ was known as 'old gimpy"
65. Demeter's daughter was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the underworld. What did she eat there that would cause her ultimate return to Hades? a) an orange b) a shake c) sacrificial meat d) pomegranate, e) Doritos
66. How was Hades related to Persephone a) father b) brother c) uncle d) friend e) patron god
67. Where did Demeter place Demophoön? a) in a cave b) on Mt. Olympus c) in the fire d) in a manger e) in her thigh
68. The river of forgetfulness in the Underworld is: a) Mnemosyne b) Styx c) Juturna d) Lethe e) Cocytus
69. Which Greek word would best refer to Hades and the inhabitants of the underworld? a) idiots b) hierophants c) Er d) miasma e) chthonian
70. In Hades, the good souls go to Elysium and the bad souls are kept in a) Tantalus b) Tartarus c) College d) the Labyrinth e) Corinth
71. Which best describes Orpheus? a) weather prophet b) god of athletics c) father of civil law d) religious poet and musician e) brave and skilled warrior
72. The vine, is associated with: a) Ares b) Hermes c) Apollo d) Dionysus e) Hephaestus
73. Who was not a king of Thebes? a) Cadmus b) Creon c) Pentheus d) Oedipus e) Antiope
74. Who founded Thebes? a) Thebo b) Cadmus c) Hermes d) Apollo e) Zeus
75. The word sphinx means: a) watcher b) strangler c) snatcher d) wisdom e) great evil
76. What sign was Cadmus to look for in order to know where to found his city? a) He was to follow a nymph to a stream leading to the mountains b) He was to follow a cow until she lay down c) He was to find the landmark of goat's blood e) He was to find the other end of the rainbow
77. Laius brought a curse on himself and his family by: a) sleeping with Hera b) abducting the son of his host c) sleeping with his host d) stealing from the gods e) eating the sacrifice meant for the gods
78. Oedipus means a) incest b) swell foot c) blind d) king e) curse foot
79. The Spartoi are not: a) sown men b) created by serpent's teeth planted by Cadmus c) born as warriors who fought each other d) ancestors of Thebes' nobility e) ancestors of Spartans
80. A psychological disorder in which a son is infatuated with his mother is called: a) Oedipus complex b) Jocasta syndrome c) Laius Melancholy d) Materthumia e) Tektontestosteronic disorder
81. Who wishes to bury Polyneices, contrary to the law of the Theban state? a) Antigone b) Ismene c) Eteocles d) Athena e) the Chorus of Theban Women
QUOTATIONS.
Identify the source, speaker, context, and significance of the following. (By 'significance' I mean "What about the characters, or about Greek mythology, or the Greeks, do we learn from this passage?")
"The nine daughters born of great Zeus,
Klio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene,
Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Ourania,
And Kalliope, the most important of all,
For she keeps the company of reverend kings.
When the daughters of great Zeus will honor a lord
Whose lineage is divine, and look upon his birth,
They distill a sweet dew upon his tongue,
And from his mouth words flow like honey. The people
All look to him as he arbitrates settlements with judgments straight...
Such is the Muses' sacred gift to men.
For though it is singers and lyre players
That come from the Muses and far-shooting Apollo
And kings come from Zeus, happy is the man
Whom the muses love. Sweet flows the voice from his mouth."
[A good way to answer this would be:
Source: Hesiod Theogony.
Speaker: Hesiod.
Context: Births of gods and goddesses, and children of Zeus.
Significance: From this passage we learn the names and importance of the nine Muses. We learn that the Greeks believed that their gifts were not only artistic, but also political: Muses inspire both poets and kings. We learn that artistic inspiration was seen to be a gift of the gods, and not something innate in human beings.
SLIDES:
I will show a few slides and ask students to write descriptions of what they see, and what is going on -- naming names and myths -- and telling what special characteristics tell us who is who.
For example, if I show a slide of Heracles bringing Cerberus back to Eurystheus, you will write that Heracles is bringing Cerberus from Hades to Eurystheus, who had ordered him to go to fetch this beast, hoping he would not return. His conquering of Death itself was one of the things that marked him as the finest of Greek heroes, and helped him achieve divinity at the end of his life. He is identified in art by his club and his lion skin, and often by his bow.