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Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
Edith Hamilton’s Mythology – Group Exercise
Part 1 - Chapter I: The Gods (17-41)
Cronus
The most important of the Titans; he ruled over the other Titans until his son Zeus dethroned him
and seized power for himself
Zeus
The supreme ruler of the Olympic Gods; he was Lord of the Sky, who wielded a thunderbolt; his
power was greater than that of all the other divinities together
Hera
Zeus’s wife and sister; the protector of marriage; she frequently punishes the many women her
husband fell in love with
Poseidon
The ruler of the sea, Zeus’s brother, and second only to him in eminence; commonly called
“Earth-shaker,” and always shown carrying a trident
Hades
The third brother among the sons of Cronos, who drew for his share the underworld and the rule
over the dead
Pallas Athena
The daughter of Zeus alone; born without a mother, she sprang full-grown from Zeus’s head; the
Goddess of the City, and the protector of civilized life
Phoebus Apollo
The son of Zeus and Leto,; lord of the silver bow; the first to teach the art of healing; the God of
Light, and the God of Truth; he had an oracle at Delphi
Artemis
Apollo’s twin sister, daughter of Zeus and Leto; a maiden goddess; a great huntress; Goddess of
the Moon
Aphrodite
The Goddess of Lover and Beauty, who beguiled all, gods and men alike; she spring from the
foam of the sea; in the Iliad, she is a soft and weak creature
Hermes
The messenger god; the son of Zeus and Maia; he wore winged sandals; the shrewdest and most
cunning of the gods; the Master Thief, who started upon his career before he was a day old
Ares
The God of War; son of Zeus and Hera, but hated by both of them; Homer calls him murderous
and blood-stained
Hephaestus
The God of Fire; the son of Zeus and Hera; the only ugly Olympian God; lame as well; kindly
and peace-loving
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
Eros
God of Love; the son of Aphrodite; often depicted as a mischievous, naught boy
Part Four – Chapter 1: The Trojan War
Eris
The evil goddess of Discord, who threw a golden apple into the wedding banquet for Peleus and
Thetis, marked, “For the Fairest;” she caused resentment between Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena
Paris
The Trojan prince selected by Zeus to judge the beauty of goddesses at the wedding banquet; his
reward from Aphrodite, the winning goddess, was the most beautiful woman in the world; going
home with this prize provoked the Trojan War
Helen
The most beautiful woman in the world, and the reward for the Trojan prince who chose the
winning goddess in the beauty contest; the Greeks fought the Trojan War in order to bring her
back to her husband
Odysseus and Achilles
The two Greek heroes who did not want to join the war against Troy to win back the wife of the
Spartan king
Iphigenia
The daughter of the Greek Commander-in-Chief, Agamemnon; he sacrificed her to the goddess
Artemis in order to gain favorable winds for the Greek fleet sailing against Troy
Achilles
The greatest of the Greek warriors; the son of a mortal father and divine mother, he was told that
he would die if he went to fight the Trojans
Hector
The greatest of the Trojan warriors; the son of the King Priam, he finally fell in battle against the
greatest of the Greek warriors
Chryseis
The daughter of a priest of Apollo; when the Greek Commander refused to give her back to her
father after seizing her n battle, Apollo punished the Greeks by sending a plague
Agamemnon
The Commander-in-Chief of the Greeks, and brother of Menelaus; his seizure of a slave girl from
his greatest warrior proved costly to the Greek cause
Thetis
The mother of the greatest warrior among the Greeks; she asked her former lover, Zeus, to help
the Trojans when the Greeks dishonored her son
Patroclus
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
The friend and companion of Achilles, who fought and died in his place when Achilles sat out the
war in protest of being dishonored; his death then sparked Achilles to return to battle to slay his
killer
Andromache
The wife of Hector and the mother of Astyanax; she pleaded with her husband not to fight
Achilles, but she could not persuade him to save his own life
Odysseus
The Greek chieftain who tried to persuade Achilles to return to battle; he offered great rewards
from Agamemnon, but he could persuade Achilles to fight again
Priam
The Trojan king who begged Achilles to return the corpse of his son Hector; with the help of the
gods, he finally succeeded in convincing Achilles to put aside his rage
Part 4 – Chapter II: The Fall of Troy
Paris
The Trojan prince how shot an arrow and hit Achilles in the heel, killing him; this was his one
vulnerable point, because his mother held him here when she dipped him into the River Styx
Ajax
The Greek warrior who felt disgraced when his comrades did not vote to give him the arms of
Achilles; Athena struck him with madness when he sought to take vengeance against them; he
finally killed himself when he realized his mistake
Odysseus
The Greek chieftain who devised the trick of the Trojan Horse; his wily mind presented the
Trojans presented with a “gift” in which Greek warriors hid
Sinon
The one Greek left behind at the camp after the ships had departed; he told the Trojans an
intricate tale that convinced them to bring the wooden horse within their walls
Laocoon
The Trojan priest who did not believe the Greek story about the wooden horse; he died when
Poseidon sent serpents to kill and thus discredit him
Priam
The Trojan king who died at the hand of the son of Achilles, after the Greeks succeeded in
infiltrating the city
Aeneas
The son of Aphrodite and a Trojan chieftain; he was the chief survivor of the Greek assault and
the leader of the Trojans who fled the city
Hecuba
The Queen of Troy and mother of Hector and Priam; she lamented the loss of her sons and
husband and the fall of Troy
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
Astyanax
The son of Hector and Andromache, and the grandson of Priam and Hecuba; with his death,
Troy’s last sacrifice was accomplished
Part 4 – Chapter III: The Adventures of Odysseus
Cassandra
One of Priam’s daughters and a prophetess with the power to foretell the future; when she
rejected Apollo as a lover, so he cursed her and ensured that no one would ever believe her;
Agamemnon seized her and brought her back to Greece
Ithaca
The island home of Odysseus; gone for ten years fighting the war, Odysseus then struggled for
ten more years trying to return to his kingdom
Penelope
The wife of Odysseus who waited patiently for the return of her husband; she resisted many
suitors by weaving and unweaving a shroud
Telemachus
The son of Odysseus who grew up not knowing his absent father; he finally took a step toward
manhood with the encouragement of Athena, and then fought alongside his father against the
suitors after his return
Calypso
The nymph who kept Odysseus as a virtual prisoner; she loved him and planned never to let him
go; she relented only when Hermes relayed the instructions of Zeus that she let him go
Athena
The goddess who provided advice and guidance for Telemachus, often while disguised in human
form
Menelaus
The Spartan king from whom Telemachus sought news about Odysseus; he was living happily
with his wife, Helen, when Telemachus came seeking information
Poseidon
The god who sent a storm to torment Odysseus while at sea; he was bitter because Odysseus had
blinded and tainted his son
Nausicaa
The daughter of the king of the Phaeacians; she helped Odysseus when the storm washed him
onto her shores
Polyphemus
The Cyclops, son of Poseidon, whom Odysseus blinded when taken captive; this creature had
wanted to eat alive Odysseus and all his men
Aeolus
The King of the Winds who gave Odysseus a sack tightly fastened; this gift turned destructive
when Odysseus’ men opened it up and got blown off course
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
Circe
A beautiful and dangerous witch who turned every man who approached her into a beast; she
turned Odysseus’ men into swine, but Odysseus himself resisted her curse with the help of
Hermes
Teiresias
A prophet and holy man from Thebes, whom Odysseus visited in the underworld in order to get
directions back home
The Sirens
Marvelous singers whose voices would make a man forget all else and eventually steal his life
away; Odysseus insisted on hearing their song while bound to the mast of his ship
Eumaeus
Odysseus’ loyal swineherd; he showed great hospitality to Odysseus, even though he did not
recognize his king
Penelope
The wife of Odysseus who arranged a contest with a bow and arrow in order to determine whom
she would marry; although she did not recognize the stranger, only her husband Odysseus could
accomplish the task
Eurycleia
The old nurse of Odysseus; she remained loyal to him and oversaw the cleaning of the palace
after Odysseus had slaughtered all of the suitors
Part 4 - Chapter IV: The Adventures of Aeneas
Juno
The Roman name for the goddess the Greeks called Hera; she had not forgotten the Judgment of
Paris and remained Troy’s bitter enemy; she sent a great storm to prevent Aeneas from landing in
Italy
Neptune
The Roman name for the god the Greeks called Poseidon; he calmed the storm sent by his sister
to delay the Trojans
Carthage
City in North Africa where Aeneas landed after being blown by the storm; though he fell in love
with the Queen of this city, he followed divine orders and sailed on to Italy; this caused a longlasting rivalry between this city and Rome
Dido
Queen of the city where Aeneas landed after the storm; she fell in love with Aeneas, and then
committed suicide when he left her behind and sailed to Italy
Venus
Roman name for the goddess the Greeks called Aphrodite; she was the mother of Aeneas and
protected him on his journey from Troy to Italy
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
Cupid
Roman name for the god the Greeks called Eros; at the instruction of his mother, he caused
Aeneas to fall in love with the Queen in North Africa
Jupiter
Roman name for the god the Greeks called Zeus; at the insistence of Aeneas’ mother, he sent his
messenger to command Aeneas to sail on to Italy
The Sibyl
A woman of deep wisdom who could foretell the future; she advised Aeneas about how to go to
the underworld and back, gaining further instructions along the way from his father
Charon
Ferryman who transported the dead across the river in the underworld; he refused at to carry the
living Aeneas, but relented when Aeneas showed him the golden bough
Anchises
The father of Aeneas; when the two met in the underworld, he gave Aeneas instructions about
getting to Italy; he also explained how great Rome would be and revealed the achievements of
souls yet-to-be-born
Latinus
King of the City of Latium; the gods had warned him not to marry his daughter to any man of the
country, so he welcomed Aeneas as a potential son-in-law
Lavinia
The daughter of the King and Queen of Latium; her father wanted to marry her off to Aeneas, but
the local Italians objected and fought for their land
Alecto
One of the Furies, sent by the bitter goddess to let loose bitter war between the Trojans and the
Italians
Turnus
King of the Rutulians; he was the great rival of Aeneas in pursuit of the princess of Latium; he
finally died in single combat against Aeneas at the end of the epic
Ascanius
The son of Aeneas; deceived by the goddess, he mistakenly killed the sacred stag and set off the
war between the Trojans and the Italians
Janus
The god whose temple had doors kept closed in times of peace; the doors opened when the
Italians declared war on the Trojans
Evander
King of the small town on the banks of the Tiber that was destined to become the greatest city in
the world; he lent aid to Aeneas and the Trojans
Mezentius
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
Former king of the Etruscans who fought alongside the Italians against the Trojans; famous for
his cruelty; he was know to bind the living to the dead in horrible torture
Part 5 – Chapter I: The House of Atreus
Tantalus
King of Lydia who killed his own son and boiled him in a cauldron before serving him to the
gods at a banquet; the gods then tormented him forever with an unquenchable thirst, and cursed
his descendants with an awful fate
Atreus
The son of Pelops and brother of Thyestes; when Thyestes cheated on his wife; this jealous
brother had Thyestes’ children killed and served as meal for their father; this king was not
punished during his lifetime, but his descendants suffered for generations
Agamemnon
Commander-in-Chief of the Greeks forces that fought the Trojan War; he sacrificed his own
daughter in order to gain favorable winds, but then was killed by his wife and her lover when he
finally returned from the war
Clytemnestra
Wife of the Greek commander who slew her husband when he returned from the war; she had
taken a new lover in his absence and remained bitter over the sacrifice of their daughter
Iphigenia
Daughter of the royal couple who was sacrificed by her father in order to gain more favorable
winds for sailing against Troy; her father also hoped to end the family curse with this sacrifice
Aegisthus
Lover of the Queen, and the youngest son of Thyests, born after the horrible feast; he conspired
with the Queen to kill her husband when he returned from the war
Orestes
Son of the royal couple who killed his mother in order to avenge the killing of his mother; the
gods at last intervened to end the cycle of violence
Part 5 – Chapter II: The Royal House of Thebes
Cadmus
Founder of the Royal House of Thebes; his descendants suffered greatly because of his sins
Apollo
The god of Truth; his priestess at Delphi prophesied that the King of Thebes would die at the
hands of his son
Laius
King of Thebes who sought to prevent the prophecy from coming true; he left his son exposed to
die, but a shepherd recued the boy; later the son unknowingly killed the father at a crossroads
Sphinx
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
A horrible monster with the body of a winged lion and the face of a woman that terrorized
Thebes; she died only when a brave and clever passerby solved her riddle
Oedipus
Son of the King of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, becoming
the new king of Thebes; he blinded himself when he learned of his horrible deeds
Teiresias
The old, blind prophet who warned the new king not to probe too deeply into his origins; he
warned that the king would not like what he learned
Jocasta
Wife of the King of Thebes who then unknowingly married her son, bearing three additional
children; she killed herself when she learned of her horrible misdeeds
Antigone
Daughter (and half-sister) of Oedipus; she insisted on burying her brother after he died in a civil
war; she challenged the new king and was willing to die rather disobey the will of the gods
Creon
The brother of Jocasta, and the new King of Thebes after Oedipus gave up the throne; he decreed
that burial of a rebel was against the law, but ultimately his arrogance led to the deaths of all his
loved ones
PBS Empires – “The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization”
Cleisthenes
Athenian aristocrat who helped to devise the democratic government for the city; he had
competed for power for himself, but he responded to the demands of a popular uprising against
tyranny
Sparta
The most powerful city in Greece before the rise of Athens; this city originally developed the
strongest military in Greece as a means to keep its slave population under control
Pisistratus
The benevolent tyrant in Athens during the sixth century BC; he had built Athenian prosperity on
the cultivation and trade of olives
Hippias
The brutal tyrant who oppressed Athens near the end of the sixth century BC; he did not continue
the benevolent rule of his father, and he was a rival of Cleistehenes
Olympia
The city in southern Greece where competitors from all over the Greek world gathered for
athletic contests
Homer
The epic poet who wrote the Iliad and Odyssey; the heroes in his poems served as role models for
many Greeks aspiring to greatness
Ancient Studies – Summer Reading Group Exercise – 8.26.15
Isagoras
Athenian aristocrat who staged a coup and seized power with the help of the Spartans; the
common people overthrew him and then established a democracy
Marathon
The site of a great Athenian victory over the Persians in 490 BC; the Persian king then pledged to
take vengeance on Athens by mounting another attack
Pheidippides
Athenian runner and messenger who ran 140 miles to Sparta in two days in order to seek help
against the Persian invasion in 490 BC; the Spartans made excuses and did not provide any aid
Darius
The Persian king who led the failed attack on Athens in 490 BC; he dies before he could get
revenge
Themistocles
Athenian general and statesman who had the foresight to realize that Athens must build a navy in
order to defend herself against the Persians; he later led the successful naval battle against the
Persians in 480 BC
Xerxes
Persian king who led the second, massive invasion against Greece in 480 BC; he sought to atone
for the defeat of his father, but his own invasion failed as well, leaving Greece free
Salamis
Site of the great Athenian naval victory over Persia in 480 BC; the Athenian fleet outmaneuvered
the Persians in a narrow strait and sent the Persian king fleeing back to his empire
Delos
Island in the Aegean Sea with a temple to Apollo and the treasury for the League the Greeks
formed against Persia; Athens led the alliance formed here, but took a significant turn toward
empire of her own by moving the treasury back to Athens
Pericles
The great democratic leader of Athens during the Golden Age in the fifth century BC; he oversaw
a massive building program and then devised a strategy for war against Sparta; he died from
plague early in that war, thereby weakening Athens
Parthenon
Temple to Athena built during the Golden Age of Athens with proceeds collected from Athenian
“allies” against Persia; the lasting symbol of Athenian cultural achievement
Socrates
Athenian philosopher who proclaimed that “the unexamined life is not worth living”; he
encouraged his fellow Athenians to apply reason and to think critically, but he was charged with
disrespecting the gods and corrupting the youth and was condemned to die
Sicily
Island in the Mediterranean where the Athenians mounted a huge invasion in 415 BC; the
campaign proved to be a disaster as many Athenians lost their lives in the failed assault