Mythology-Questions and Answers
Graded A+
Chapter 1 - answer Unlike many other creation stories, in the Greek versions the
gods are created by the universe instead of the other way around. In the beginning, two
entities exist, Heaven and Earth. Their children are the Titans, whose children, in turn,
are the Olympians, the main Greek gods. The Titans—who include such notables as
Ocean, Mnemosyne (Memory), and Prometheus, mankind's benefactor—rule the
universe until Zeus and their other children conquer them.The term "Olympians" comes
from Mount Olympus, the gods' mystical home, which is conceived as a high
mountaintop but is really a magical place that exists on a heavenly plane—not the
heavens (which Zeus alone rules), earth, sea, nor underworld. Shared by all the gods,
Olympus is perfect. Rain never falls there, and the gods while away their time eating,
drinking, and listening to music. There are twelve proper Olympians: Zeus; his two
brothers, Poseidon and Hades; his two sisters, Hestia and Hera (who is also his wife);
his children, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Hermes, and Artemis; and two gods sometimes
considered his offspring, Hephaestus and Aphrodite.There are also lesser gods in
Olympus, like Eros, the Graces, and the Muses. Several, like Hebe, goddess of Youth,
are rarely mentioned in myths. There are also a few abstract forces personified, if not
completely, who live on Olympus: Themis, Divine Justice; Dike, Human Justice;
Nemesis, Righteous Anger; and Aidos, the sense of respect and shame that keeps
humans from sinning.
Besides the Olympians, supernaturals also abound in the sea and underworld.
Poseidon rules the sea, which is populated by the Nereids, sea nymphs who are distinct
from the Naiads, the freshwater nymphs; Triton, the trumpeter of the sea; the shape-
shifting Proteus, Poseidon's son or attendant; Pontus, a god of the deep sea; and
Nereus, a god of the Mediterran
Chapter 2 - answer Aside from the twelve Olympians, there are two equally
important gods who reside on earth: Demeter and Dionysus (Bacchus). These two are
the best friends of humanity: Demeter, goddess of the harvest and nature, provides
fruitful plenty and protects the threshing-floor, while Dionysus, god of wine and revelry,
rules the grapevine and so the production of wine. Demeter is celebrated in a festival
every fifth September; her prime temple is at Eleusis, and her worship is a central and
mysterious aspect of ancient life. Bacchus also comes to be worshipped at Eleusis—a
natural pairing of the two gods who bring the pleasant gifts of the earth and,
significantly, are both overpowered by seasonal change. Just as the frost kills the fields
and the vines, these two gods—unlike the Olympians—live in a world filled with regular
suffering.
Hades, wanting a queen, kidnaps Demeter's only child, Persephone. Demeter wanders
the earth in aimless despair, eventually resting in Eleusis in human disguise. One day,
,the kind family that has been harboring her accidentally discovers her divine nature and
offends her. They build the great temple at Eleusis to appease her anger. Still, Demeter
locks herself in the temple out of sadness, and at that time nothing grows on the earth.
Finally, Zeus sends Hermes down to Hades to try to set everything right. Hades agrees
to let Persephone return to her mother but slyly makes her eat a magic pomegranate
seed that necessitates her return. Eventually a compromise is arranged: Persephone
will stay with Hades for one-third of the year, Demeter for the other two-thirds. When
Persephone returns to the underworld at the start of each winter, Demeter's renewed
sorrow makes the Earth barren. Persephone returns each spring, causing Demeter's joy
and thus the springtime's blossoming.
Dionysus is the only main g
Analysis of Chapter One and Two - answer Analysis: Chapters I-II
Hamilton introduces the Greek gods as divine beings whose actions offer some
preliminary explanations for the mysteries of the world and also shows us just how
much the gods resemble humans. They sometimes make mistakes, fight with one
another, and in some cases even suffer. This human aspect of the gods cements the
link between the divine and the visible world and lends credibility to the explanations the
myths set forth, implying that the uncertainty and mystery of nature that surrounds us
could be explained by the erratic actions of the gods. So, if it was puzzling to the Greeks
that wine could cause drunken happiness and inspiration but also lead to wild,
dangerous madness, its duality is reconciled by the stories that depict the dual nature of
Dionysus himself. That deeply perplexing condition of the seasons—fields mysteriously
lie barren for a third of the year and then break out into beautiful, flowery spring—is
accounted for by Demeter's annual mourning for the loss of her daughter. Dionysus's
duplicity and Demeter's depression are two very human qualities and allow us to explain
otherworldly phenomena with reference to the same characteristics we see in other
people in the visible world.
As these myths play such a vital role in explaining the innumerable twists and
peculiarities of the world, it is no surprise that there is such an enormous cast of
characters. The realm of waterways and navigation alone warrants a whole cast of
characters in itself. Seafaring and sea trade were critically important to Greek
civilization, so the Greeks felt a need to explain the complexities of bodies of water—
hence the wide variety of water-oriented gods. The tumult of the seas and rivers can be
explained by the warring wishes of their respective gods, just as a stormy sea could
signify the anger of P
Chapter 3 - answer As she does through the rest of the book, Hamilton begins the
chapter with a note explaining and evaluating its sources—an important note, as the
various sources can tell radically different stories. Chapter III comes mostly from
Hesiod, one of the earliest Greek poets.In the beginning of the universe there is only
Chaos. Chaos somehow gives birth to two children, Night and Erebus (the primeval
underworld) out of the swirling energy. Love is born from these two, who in turn gives
, birth to Light and Day. Earth appears; its creation is never explained, as it just emerges
naturally out of Love, Light, and Day. Earth gives birth to Heaven. Father Heaven and
Mother Earth then create all other life, first producing a host of terrible monsters—the
one-eyed Cyclopes and creatures with a hundred hands and fifty heads. Then the
Titans are born. One of them, Cronus, kills Father Heaven, and the Titans rule the
universe. From the blood of Heaven spring both the Giants and the avenging Furies.
Next comes a dramatic coup. Powerful Cronus, learning that one of his children is fated
to kill him, eats each one as he or she is born. His wife Rhea, upset, hides one baby by
replacing it with a stone for Cronus to eat instead. This infant eventually grows up and
becomes Zeus, who forces Cronus to vomit up his brothers and sisters. The siblings
band together against the Titans. With the help of one sympathetic Titan, Prometheus,
and the monsters whom the Titans had enslaved, Zeus and his siblings win. They chain
up the Titans in the bowels of the earth, except for Prometheus and Epimetheus, his
brother. Prometheus's other brother, Atlas, is sentenced to forever bear the weight of
the world on his shoulders as punishment.
The Greeks viewed Earth as a round disk divided into equal parts by the Mediterranean
(the Sea) and the Black Sea (firs
Chapter 4 - answer Prometheus and Io -
These next stories come from a wide variety of Greek and Roman sources. We pick up
again with Prometheus, who, chained up in the Caucasus, has occasion to comfort a
dazzling white heifer. It turns out to be no ordinary cow but a woman named Io whom
the perpetually unfaithful Zeus has seduced and then transformed into a cow to hide his
transgression from Hera. Not so easily deceived, Hera asks Zeus to give her the cow
and then imprisons her. Hermes, sent by Zeus, frees Io. Hera retaliates by sending a
gadfly to annoy Io endlessly, forcing her to wander all over the world. At last
encountering Prometheus, weary Io learns she will soon be turned back into a human,
will bear Zeus a son, through whom she will be the ancestress of Hercules—the hero
who eventually frees Prometheus.
Europa -
Europa is another victim of Zeus's lust. He spies the lovely maiden in the fields one day
and then transforms himself into a beautiful, friendly bull. Charmed, she climbs on the
bull's back, but he suddenly becomes frenzied and charges over the sea. Taking
Europa to Crete, away from Hera's watchful eye, Zeus returns to his form and seduces
her. Her descendants include two of Hades' judges—Minos and Rhadamanthus—and
the continent of Europe is named for her.
The Cyclops Polyphemus -
Another famous casualty of justice is Polyphemus, one of the Cyclopes, the one-eyed
monsters who were the only original children of Earth not banished by the Olympians
after their victory. They are also the forgers of Zeus's thunderbolts. Best known for his
