Final Review - Mythology Shortened

Part One – Multiple-Choice Terminology Greek Mythology Chaos – the primordial void or abyss that will give rise to creation. Tartarus – spawned from primordial chaos; a deep place beneath the underworld, so dark and sunless it receives its own personification: Erebus; the titans will be later imprisoned here by Zeus. Gaea – mother earth. Uranus – sky god and father of the titans; the first ruler; created by Gaea; had offspring (12 titans). Cronus – ruling titan and father of the Olympian gods; tried to eat his children; Zeus escaped. Rhea – titan and wife of Cronus; mother of the Olympian gods. Epimetheus – a “stupid” titan; his name means “afterthought;” accepted the gift of Pandora from Zeus and introduced evil into the world; also, introduced hope. Prometheus – the wisest titan; his name means “forethought;” created man from clay; brought fire to humanity; fought with Zeus instead of against him. Hades (Pluto)- King of the underworld/realm of death; presided over funeral rites; his name is left off temples in his honor – do not speak his name; kidnapped and married Persephone; most famous symbol is his helmet of invisibility; other symbols include Cerberus (the three-headed dog) and cypress; Interestingly enough, appears in Revelations. Hestia (Vesta) – Goddess of the hearth and home; Zeus’ sister and like Athena and Artemis a virgin goddess. Pan – God of shepherds; Hermes’ son; loud and merry; plays reed pipes; half-man, half-goat – a satyr; women were afraid of him; origin of panic. Persephone – Demeter’s daughter; kidnapped by Hades; responsible for the change of seasons; queen of the underworld. Eros (Cupid) – son of Aphrodite; makes his home in men’s hearts; beautiful youth who causes love in others; “fairest of the deathless gods;” mischievous at times. Hecate – Goddess of ghosts, sorcery, graveyards – leads men/travelers astray in the forest on moonless nights; some say the dark side of Artemis. Gorgons – dragon-like creatures with wings that turned men to stone – two were immortal, while one (Medusa) was not. Perseus – hero: the slayer of Medusa. Theseus – hero: the slayer of the Minotaur. Hercules (Heracles) – hero: famous for his strength and adventures, including the “Twelve Labours” – e.g. – slay the Nemean lion). Atalanta – hero: famous for slaying the Calydonian boar; tricked by desire for golden apples into marriage (loses a footrace). Norse Mythology Ginnungagap – an empty void or “seeming emptiness;” the primordial void separating Niflheim and Muspell; from here, life begins with the origin of the frost giant Ymir. Ymir – the primordial giant that gave rise to the Norse world; created the race of frost giants; also, created Buri, the first god; Buri’s sons were Odin, Ve and Vili – they killed Ymir and with his skull made the sky and his eyebrows created Midgard; his bones formed the mountains and his blood all water. Aesir – The collective name for the principal race of Norse gods; they who lived in Asgard, and with the All-Father Odin, ruled the lives of mortal men, along with the Vanir. Vanir – nature and fertility gods that eventually join the Aesir. Odin – the “all-father;” associated with wisdom, poetry and magic; gave his eye to Mimer to obtain wisdom; brooding and oversees Valhalla; killed by the wolf Fenrir (son of Loki) during Ragnarok. Thor – god of thunder and son of Odin; lightning flashes whenever he throws his hammer, Mjollnir; the greatest warrior in Asgard; associated with thunderstorms; kills the Midgard serpent Jormungand (child of Loki) during Ragnarok, but dies from its poison. Also, North’s mascot. Balder – god of beauty, innocence, peace and rebirth; beloved son of Odin; in fact, everyone loved him; impervious to harm but killed by Loki with overlooked mistletoe. His death marks the beginning of the end for the Norse Gods. Heimdallr – watchman of the gods against the giants; guards the Bifrost bridge into Asgard; he can see a hundred miles around him (night and day); his hearing is so accurate he can hear the grass grow. Loki – trickster and god of mischief; crafty and malicious, yet regarded as heroic; becomes progressively less pleasant and helpful as Ragnarok approaches; a god amongst the Aesir and a giant; punished with dripping venom from a snake for his devious plots; it is thought that this roots out evil from Asgard, but it doesn’t because the gods are quite fallible like humans; they fail to recognize this and it will spell the end of everything as things fall out of balance; he kills and is killed by Heimdall during Ragnarok. Tyr – god of war; inspires courage and heroism, since he willingly lost his hand to chain the wolf Fenrir; his spear is a symbol of justice; later in Norse terminology, Tyr literally became the word “god;” kills the hellhound Garm during Ragnarok, but dies of wound inflicted by the beast. Freya – former Vanir who joins the Aesir; the goddess of love and fertility – she is beautiful; ironically, the top Valkyrie who collects half the valorous dead herself for her hall (Sessrumnir); all valorous women proceed to her hall as well; demonstrates the fixation and reality of death in the Viking world, even though she promotes life. Valhalla – hall of the valorous slain, presided over by Odin; you get to fight and be killed every day – and all the mead and song one could ever hope for… Valkyries – “choosers of the slain;” beautiful young women on winged horses with helmets and spears; they select who will die and who will be escorted to Valhalla after death; known to perform errands for Odin as well; their flickering armor in the sky creates the Aurora Borealis. Hel – ruler of the realm of the dead; Loki’s youngest child; described as half alive and half dead, a corpse-like “horrible hag;” those not taken to Valhalla are destined for her world. Idun – goddess of eternal youth; manages the golden apples to keep the Aesir gods young; rescued by Loki when abducted by the storm giant Thiazi. Kvasir – wisest of the Vanir – responsible for the creation of mead and poetry – both for gods and Midgard poets. Surt – a fire giant; his name means “charred appearance; “ his sword shines brighter than the sun; at Ragnarok, he sets the world(s) on fire and burns it down. Yggradasil – the “world tree” that links the nine realms of Norse mythology. The Nine Worlds – 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) Midgard – the only visible world; the one inhabited by people; “in the middle.” Asgard – home of the Aesir gods and Valhalla. Vanaheim – associated with nature and fertility – home of the Vanir gods. Jotunheim – land of the giants. Niflheim – the primordial world of ice. Muspelheim – the primordial world of fire. Alfheim – the world of elves. Svartalfheim – the world of dwarves. Helheim – the realm of Hel – inhabited by those who do not achieve Valhalla – not an evil place in and of itself. Ragnarok – “doom of the Gods;” the end of all, but there is a new beginning thereafter with Lif and Lifthrasir. Supplemental Vocabulary (it’s always good to learn new words in English for your future studies.  )– 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) Brevity – briefness; short duration Cognizant – awareness; conscious of Commiserate – to sympathize; express compassion Copious – plentiful; abundant Dearth – shortage; scarcity; not much of Decadence – decline; decay; moral deterioration Expedient – convenient; easy route that is self-serving Frivolous – not sensible; not serious; silly Hackneyed – overused, stale Jargon – specialized language; technical language Misanthrope – antisocial; hater of humankind Morose – very gloomy; lacking in cheer Opulence – riches; luxury; wealth Parsimonious – stingy; a miser Progeny – offspring; children; descendent Sagacious – wise, sensible Surreptitious – secretive; sly; stealthy Stoic – unemotional; indifferent Torpor – drowsy; sluggish state mentally and/or physically Vacillate – to hesitate; sway indecisively