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Home , Alpheus (deity), Arethusa (mythology), Cupid and Psyche, Endymion (mythology), Erebus, Eros

Discussion Questions on Edith Hamilton’s Directions: Answer each question in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper.

Chapter 1: The Gods Due Date: 1. Who were the first parents of lifelike creatures? Who were their children and grandchildren? 2. Who were the ? Briefly describe them, and tell who first ruled them. 3. What is Olympus and who lives there? 4. Who were the twelve great Olympians? 5. Who were , , and ? 6. Identify the graces and the . For what were they famous? Who were their parents? 7. Name the two supreme deities of earth and their spheres of influence. 8. What were , , and ? 9. Who were the Sirens and the Fates? What powers did they have?

Chapter 2: The Two Great Gods of Earth Due Date: 1. Why was , the divinity of grain, thought of as a and not a god? 2. Who was ? How did her incident explain the seasons to the early ? 3. With what city was associated? Why? What was unique about Dionysus and his parentage? 4. What was Dionysus’ connection with Greek drama? 5. How did resurrection come to be associated with Dionysus?

Chapter 3: How the World and Mankind were Created Due Date: 1. Describe the creation of Earth and . 2. Who were the first creatures on Earth before ? 3. What steps did take to become ruler of heaven and earth? How did he prepare the way for humans to live on earth? 4. Describe the world as the Greeks saw it. 5. In one creation story, and created humans. How? What gifts did Prometheus give to humans? Why? 6. In the second creation story, the gods created five ages of humans. Name these ages, describe the people who lived in each, and tell their fate. 7. Who was the first woman and why was she created? What harm did she bring to earth? 8. Another story of creation begins with a flood. Who survived the flood, and what were they directed to do? Why? Chapter 4: The Earliest Heroes Due Date: 1. How did suffer? Why? What makes Io a heroine? 2. How did Zeus capture and where did he take her? Describe Europa’s fate. 3. What places are named for Io and Europa? 4. Who were and ? How did each figure in the other’s life? What were their fates? 5. Compare and contrast the deaths and transformations of and .

Chapter 5: and Due Date: 1. Who was Psyche, and what was unique about her? In what way did she anger , and what did Venus plan as revenge? 2. How did Venus’ plan backfire? 3. Describe how Psyche’s marriage was arranged. Whom did she marry, and what was her marriage like? 4. By what fault did Psyche lose her husband? 5. How was Psyche reunited with her husband, and how was Venus finally pacified?

Chapter 6: Eight Brief Tales of Lovers Due Date: 1. How does the story of Pyramus and Thisbe explain the deep red color of mulberries? 2. How did lose his bride, Eurydice? What did he do to try to get her back? What lesson is to be learned form Orpheus’ ordeal? 3. Who were Ceyx and ? What tragedy befell Ceyx? What was Alcyone’s virtue, and how was it rewarded? 4. Who was Pygmalion? What was Pygmalion’s virtue and how was it rewarded? 5. In what way were Bacuis and Philemon different from their neighbors? How did reward them and why? 6. Who was ? What was his outstanding trait? What happened to him because of this trait? 7. According to mythology, how did the laurel tree come into being? What did say he would do with the laurel leaves? Why? 8. Who were and ? Why was Arethusa changed into a spring? What was Alpheus’ fate? Chapter 13: The

1. Who was , and what situation led to the ?

2. What prophesy had been given to Paris’ father about his son? Why was Paris working as a instead of living as a prince?

3. How did the ask Paris to choose among them? What choice did he make?

4. How did the judgement of Paris spark events that would lead to the Trojan War?

5. Why were the princes of Greece bound to help get Helen back from ? Why were they eager to help?

6. How did plan to avoid going to Troy and how did his plan work out?

7. Why did ’ mother plan to keep him from going to Troy? How did her plan work out?

8. Why was killed? What effects did her death have?

9. Identify and , and briefly tell their story.

10. Identify , , and .

11. What did Hector and Achilles represent to their armies? What did these two men know about their fates as they went into battle?

12. What part did Chyrseis play in the war?

13. Why did and Achilles quarrel? What did Achilles do as a result of the quarrel?

14. What led to Achilles to reenter the battle?

15. How did trick Hector so that Achilles defeated him?

16. How did Achilles dishonor Hector after Hector’s death?

17. Which side did Zeus favor in the Trojan War? Describe how he influence the war, up to Hector’s death. What were his motivations?

18. Which side did favor in the Trojan War? Describe the ways she influenced the war, up to Hector’s death. What were her motivations? Chapter 14: The Fall of Troy

1. Who came to the aid of the Trojans? How did this affect the war?

2. Who killed Achilles and how?

3. How did die?

4. How did Paris die?

5. What was the Palladium? Why did the Greeks want it? How did they manage to capture it?

6. What plan did Odysseus devise to conquer Troy once and for all?

7. Who said, “I fear the Greeks even when they bear gifts”? What happened to that person?

8. Describe the fall of Troy. What happened to the remaining Trojans?

9. What became of Prince Aenaeas of Troy and his family?

10. What became of ? Answers to Discussion Questions on Edith Hamilton’s Mythology

Chapter 1: The Gods 1. parents: Heaven and Earth, children: Titans, grandchildren: gods (pg 24, 1st ¶)

2. The Titans were also known as the elder gods. There were enormous creatures of immense strength. was their first ruler. (pg 24, 2nd¶).

3.Olympus is the home of the gods, and thus they became known as the Olympians. It is an actual mountain in Greece; however, the Greeks believed that the Olympus where the gods lived was somewhere above the earth, in the clouds. (pg 25, 2nd¶).

4. See page one of the handout and your book beginning on page 27.

5. Eros (Cupid) was the god of , Hebe was the goddess of youth who was married to , Iris was goddess of the rainbow and another messenger god. (pg 36 - 37)

6. The graces were 3 sisters who were famous for their charm and beauty; they were the daughters of Zeus and . The Muses were 9 sisters who were famous for their music which caused people to forget their troubles; they were the daughters of Zeus and , Memory. (pg 37)

7. Demeter was the goddess of the corn, and Dionysus was god of the wine/vine. (pg 41, 1st¶).

8. Satyrs were goat men, centaurs were half and half horse, the gorgons were dragon-like creatures who could turn people to stone. (pg 43 - 44)

9. Who were the Sirens and the Fates? What powers did they have? The Sirens had mysterious voices who lured sailors in to their deaths. The Fates had the power of life, death and destiny; when it was time for someone to die, the Fates were the ones who cut the cord that represented that person’s life. (pg 44)

ROMAN GODS pg 44 (bottom¶) - 45 (top¶). “It was a simple matter to adopt the Greek gods because the Romans did not have definitely personified gods of their own. They were a people of deep religious feeling, but they had little imagination. They could never have created the Olympians, each a distinct , vivid personality.” Chapter 2: The Two Great Gods of Earth pg 48 (1st ¶): “For the most part the immortal gods were of little use to human beings, and often they were quite the reverse of useful.” (2nd¶): “There were two, however, who were altogether different, who were indeed mankind’s best friends: Demeter and Dionysus.”

1. (pg 48 2nd¶): “It was natural that the divine power which brought forth the grain should be thought of as a goddess, not a god. When the business of men was hunting and fighting, the care of the fields belonged to the women...”

2. (pg 51) Demeter had an only daughter, Persephone, the maiden of the spring. (2nd¶): The lord of the dark () carried her off when she strayed too far from her companions....Zeus intervened...but (pg 45, bottom ¶) Demeter must lose Persephone for four months every year (winter).

3. (top of pg 56): Dionysus was associated with Thebes because that is where he was born and because his mother was a Thebian princess. His parentage was unique because he is the only god whose parents were not both gods themselves.

4.He inspired Greeks to write plays. His festival, which was held every spring, was celebrated with presentations of plays.

5. (pg 63) The say that Dionysus was killed every year by being mutilated, just as grapevines are pruned each fall. But every spring Dionysus came back from the dead. The sprouting of new leaves symbolized his resurrection; the Greeks also used his resurrection to mean that their souls must live on after their own deaths.

Chapter 3: How the World and Mankind were Created 1. In the beginning was , without shape or form. Chaos had 2 children: Night and (the place of death). The child of Night & Erebus was Love. When Love was born, order and beauty appeared. Then Love created Light and Day. Next Earth up and created Heaven as her cover.

2. monsters (with 50 heads and 100 hands), , and Titans

3. Zeus first rebelled against his father and made Cronus cough up all of Zeus’s brothers and sisters. Then he waged war on the Titans with the help of the monsters and the wise Titan Prometheus. Finally Zeus cleared the earth of all and monsters to make in inhabitable for humans. 4. (pg 70) The Greeks saw the world as a disk, divided in the middle by water called the . Ocean flowed around the edges of this disk. On one side were people who lived in a peaceful, beautiful land, while the other was covered by a dark mist from where people were seldom seen.

5. Zeus asked Prometheus and Epimetheus to create humans. Epimetheus first made the animals and gave them all sorts of wonderful qualities (swiftness, wings, fur). When it came time to create the humans Epimetheus realized he had nothing left, so he went to his brother Prometheus. It was Prometheus who created the humans and gave them the ability to stand upright like the gods. He also stole fire from heaven, as man’s means of protection. 6. golden race= happy people who became spirits when they died. silver race=unintelligent race who constantly injured each other. brass race=violent people who killed each other off. 4th race was a time of god-like heroes who went to the isle of the blessed when they died. iron race=thought to be the current age, very evil, grows wicked generation after generation, will ultimately be destroyed by Zeus.

7. was created by Zeus in his anger against Prometheus for stealing fire. She brought a box to earth that was filled with plagues, sorrows, misfortunes. She was forbidden to open the box, but she was so curious that she just had to know. The plagues filled the earth, but fortunately one gracious god had included hope in the box, so at least the people had hope.

8. Zeus once destroyed humans by means of a flood when they became very wicked. Only two survived--Prometheus’ son and niece (Decalion and Pyrrha). They rode out the flood in a wooden box. Afterward they went to a temple and were instructed to throw stones behind their backs to create a new race of people. These people were known as the Stone People.

Chapter 4: The Earliest Heroes 1. Io was seduced by Zeus and turned into a cow (heifer) to hide her from Hera. Hera demanded the cow be given to her as a gift; Zeus could not refuse. Hera put Io under the care of (who had 100 eyes). later came and rescued Io, but Hera continued to torment her for years. Io was eventually restored to her human form. She became a heroine for the way in which she handled this torture, and she was famous because Hercules was one of her descendants.

2. Zeus captured Europa by turning himself into a bull and carrying her off to his island, . She lived there and bore him many glorious sons. 3. Io = and Bosphorus (which means “ford of the cow”). Eurpoa = .

4. Narcissus was a beautiful lad and Echo a wood . Echo fell in love with Narcissus. He rejected her, as he had everyone else. She had been cursed by Hera never to speak freely, but only to repeat what was said to her. She wasted away to nothing and all that remains today is her voice (an echo). Narcissus finally fell in love with himself as punishment for breaking so many hearts. He saw his own reflection in a pool of water and could not leave that place because he found himself to be so beautiful. When he died his body turned into a beautiful flower that was given his name, Narcissus.

5. Hyacinthus and Adonis both suffered terrible, accidental deaths. The were friends of the gods and in their deaths their blood became beautiful flowers, the Hyacinth and Anemone.

Chapter 5: 1.Psyche was the youngest daughter of a king and she was famous for outstanding beauty. Men worshiped her and in doing so neglected to worship Venus. This outraged the goddess who commanded her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous beast.

2. This plan backfired because Psyche was so beautiful that Cupid fell in love with her himself.

3. Psyche was so beautiful, but yet remained unmarried. Her father sought advice from Apollo’s who told him to leave Psyche on a rocky hill and a horrible serpent would make her his bride. Her parents did as instructed, but instead of marrying a serpent Psyche was taken to a beautiful palace where she was married to a man that she could not see.

4. Psyche’s sisters were jealous; they convinced her that she had indeed married the serpent and that she must look upon her husband to be sure. One night she brought her lantern to his bed to gaze upon him. She was so surprised to see that he was the god of Love, Cupid, that she dripped hot oil on him and he awoke. He was so upset that she had not TRUSTED him that her ran off.

5. After enduring many tortuous tasks brought on by Venus, Psyche was forgiven and rescued by Cupid. Psyche was made immortal and became Cupid’s wife. Since she could not hate her daughter-in-law, Venus was finally pacified. Chapter 6: Eight Brief Tales of Lovers 1. Pyramus and Thisbe’s blood stained the mulberries and gave them their deep red color.

2. Orpheus was the son of a muse and therefore sang beautifully. Immediately after their wedding Eurydice was stung by a viper and died. Orpheus sang so sweetly that Hades () allowed Orpheus to take her from the underworld, but he was forbidden to look upon her until they were both out of the underworld. He turned around too quickly, and she was forced to return--this time for good. The lesson is that one must obey the gods.

3. Ceyx was a king and Alcyone was his wife. Ceyx went to sea and encountered a fierce storm. It overpowered his ship and he drowned. Alcyone’s virtue was a faithful love for Ceyx. It was rewarded when they were both turned into seabirds.

4. Pygmalion was a talented sculptor who hated women. His virtue was his creative genius. With his talent he created a statue of a woman that was so life like that he fell in love with it. Venus took pity on him and rewarded his talent by turning the sculpture into a human.

5. Bacuis and Philemon were different from their neighbors because though poor they were hospitable to strangers. Jupiter (Zeus) rewarded them for sharing their hospitality with him and Mercury, who were dressed as beggars. Bacuis and Philemon were given a palace where they lived happily ever after, and when they died they were turned into 2 trees with 1 trunk so they would always be together.

6. Endymion was a shepherd of surpassing beauty. He was so beautiful the Moon fell in love with him and put him into eternal where she could him whenever she wished.

7. Apollo was chasing one day. To escape him she cried out to her father the river god, who saved her by turning her into a laurel tree. Apollo decreed that her leaves would be used as wreaths for the victors of his games.

8. Arethusa was a follower of who wanted nothing to do with men. Alpheus was a river god who pursued her. In her attempts to escape Arethusa called to Artemis to help; Artemis turned her into a underground spring. Alpheus transformed into a river and followed her so they could at last be together.

Answers to Discussion Questions Chapter 13: The Trojan War 1. Paris was a young prince working as a shepherd, who was an excellent judge of beauty. The situation leading to the judgement began when , goddess of discord, was not invited to a wedding in Olympus. Out of spite she threw a golden marked “for the fairest” into the feast and Hera, , and Athena all began to quarrel over to whom it belonged.

2. , the King of Troy, had been told that Paris would one day bring ruin to Troy. Therefore, Priam sent Paris away from Troy to be a shepherd.

3. They each bribed him and he chose according to the best bribe, which happened to be . She offered him the fairest woman in the world in exchange for the .

4. Aphrodite knew that Helen, the wife of Spartan King Menelaus, was the fairest woman on earth. Paris went to her and “stole” and went back to Troy. Naturally Menelaus called on the Greek men to help him get Helen back.

5. Because Helen was so beautiful, many princes had sought her hands. Helen’s stepfather, , persuaded all her suitors to promise that if anyone tried to steal her away from the prince chosen as her husband they would all come to her husband’s aid. All agreed to this and were therefore bound to help when Paris took Helen. Furthermore, they were eager to help because of the adventure and the opportunity to destroy a great city like Troy.

6. Odysseus pretended to be insane to stay with his family and avoid going to Troy. A messenger was sent to Odysseus; the messenger doubted that Odysseus was truly sane and put Odysseus son in front of Odysseus’ plow. This method worked for Odysseus swerved to avoid the boy and thereby proved his own sanity. He was forced to join the others.

7. Achilles’ mother had been told that if her son went to Troy, he would die. Therefore she dressed Achilles in girl’s clothing and hid him among the maidens at the court of King Lycomedes. Odysseus dressed as a peddler and went to find him. Odysseus hid some weapons among the jewels he was peddling, and Achilles immediately gave himself away by showing interest in the weapons. He was easily persuaded to accompany the Greeks to Troy.

8. Though the Greeks were eager to sail for Troy the north wind prevented them from leaving. Finally the prophet told the Greeks that Artemis was angry because a Greek had killed one of her sacred animals, a rabbit. To make up for that wrong, Artemis called for the Iphigenia, the oldest daughter of Agamemnon, the Greek’s commander in chief. So the girl was sacrificed, and the Greeks were able to sail. However, for the evil they had done, evil was sure to be visited upon them.

9. Protesilaus and Laodamia were husband and wife. Protesilaus had sailed to Troy with the Greek army. He was the first man to come ashore and thus the first to die as had been prophesied. Hermes brought him from the dead to see his wife on last time. Laodamia could not live without him, so she killed herself. 10. Hecuba, queen of Troy, was Priam’s wife. They had many sons including Hector and Paris. Andromache was Hector’s wife.

11. Hector was the greatest Trojan warrior, while Achilles was the greatest champion for the Greeks. Each knew that they would die in the war.

12. was the daughter of a Trojan priest of Apollo. During the ninth year of war, she was captured by the Greeks and give to Agamemnon. Her father prayed to Apollo who used his arrows to bring illness and death upon the Greeks. The prophet Calchas advised that Chryseis be returned to her father. So she was, and Apollo’s anger was appeased.

13. After Agamemnon grudgingly sent Chryseis to her father, he dispatched messengers to take another captured girl----from Achilles. Achilles was so angry when his “prize” was taken that he refused to take part in the battle, thus depriving the Greeks of their best warrior.

14. Achilles reentered the battle when his friend was killed by Hector; he reentered to avenge his friend’s death.

15. Athena went with Achilles in pursuit of Hector. When Hector turned and ran from the great Greek warrior, Athena appeared in disguise as Hector’s brother, . Deiphobus encouraged Hector to turn and fight Achilles. Hector lost his weapon and was defeated.

16. Achilles tied Hector’s feet to the back of the chariot. Then he drove round and round the walls of Troy, dragging Hector’s body in the dust.

17. Zeus favored the Trojans, but he tried to maintain neutrality because the gods and goddesses were divided over the outcome. He also wanted to avoid conflict with Hera, who favored the Greeks. He influenced the war by promising to help the Trojans---he sent Agamemnon a false dream that he would be victorious if he attacked, but in reality without Achilles the Greeks could not win. He also intervened on other occasions.

18. Hera favored the Greeks because she was still angry at Paris for choosing Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess. She interfered by encouraging Zeus to remain neutral. She interfered by persuading to break the truce. She persuaded to help the Greeks; she also seduced Zeus and put him into a deep sleep.

Chapter 14: The Fall of Troy

1. Who came to the aid of the Trojans? How did this affect the war? Ethiopian Prince and his armies came to aid the Trojans. For a time his armies helped the Trojans gains the upper hand until Achilles killed Memnon.

2. Who killed Achilles and how? When Achilles was a baby his mother dipped him into the river to make him invulnerable. However, she neglected to dip the heel by which she held him, so Paris was able to kill Achilles with an arrow that Apollo guided to Achilles’ heel.

3. How did Ajax die? After Achilles’ death it was decided that Odysseus, rather than Ajax, would get Achilles’ armor. Ajax was angry and decided to kill Agamemnon and Menelaus. However, he was struck by madness and attacked the Greeks’ cattle and sheep instead, thinking they were human beings. When he came to his senses he was so ashamed that he committed suicide.

4. How did Paris die? Paris was fatally wounded in battle by . Paris asked his first wife, the nymph , to heal him, but in her bitterness over being abandoned for Helen she refused and he died.

5. What was the Palladium? Why did the Greeks want it? How did they manage to capture it? The Palladium was an image of Athena in the city of Troy. The Greeks learned that they could not defeat Troy as long as the Palladium remained in the city. Therefore, Odysseus and climbed over the wall by night, stole the statue, and took it to their camp.

6. What plan did Odysseus devise to conquer Troy once and for all? Odysseus had a Greek woodworker build a huge wooden horse. When it was finished he and other chieftans hid inside while the Greek army sailed away in their ships. Only one Greek was left behind and he was to convince the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena. The Greeks hoped that this story would prompt the Trojans to take it into the city, at which point the Greek warrior could come out at night, open the city gates, and let the Greek army inside. 7. Who said, “I fear the Greeks even when they bear gifts”? What happened to that person? The Tojan priest, Laocoon, made that statement. He was trying to warn the people of Troy against taking the wooden horse into the city. In retribution, Poseidon sent two sea serpents that crushed Laocoon and his two sons.

8. Describe the fall of Troy. What happened to the remaining Trojans? At night the chieftains inside the wooden horse opened the gates of Troy. And just as planned, in marched the Greek army which had sailed back to Troy. The Greeks slaughtered the Trojans. By morning the city was in ruins and most of the (including ) were dead. The women and children who were permitted to live were enslaved and divided among the Greeks.

9. What became of Prince Aenaeas of Troy and his family? ’ mother, Aphrodite, helped her son escape from the burning city along with his father, whom he carried on his shoulders. Aeneas also managed to save his son, though his wife died in the flames.

10. What became of Helen of Troy? Aphrodite helped Helen escape from the burning city and reunited her with her husband Menelaus.