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Ap Lit Terms
Mythology and Legend Allusions
107
English
11th Grade
07/05/2010

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Cards

Term
Achilles
Definition
Born to a mortal and Zeus; mother dipped him in the river Styx to give him immortality but forgot to include the heel she held him by. Eventually, during the Trojan War, he was shot in that spot and killed. An Achilles heel is the one vulnerable spot on an otherwise invulnerable thing or person.
Term
Adonis
Definition
A mortal youth who was loved by Aphrodite for his beauty an killed by a wild boar.
Term
Aeneas
Definition
Warrior on the Trojan side in the Trojan War. Is symbol of devotion to father because he carried his father out of Troy on his back.
Term
Agamemnon
Definition
Greek kind who led his men in the Trojan War. Led tragic life and was finally murdered by his wife.
Term
Amazon
Definition
Female warriors in Greek mythology who were extra strong, large, and ferocious fighters.
Term
Androcles
Definition
Slave from ___ and the Lion legend. ___ took a thorn out of a lion's foot and later, when he was "thrown to the lions" as punishment, he faced the very same lion who, of course, helped him.
Term
Antigone
Definition
Daughter of Oedipus. Disobeyed the king's orders (not to bury her brother because he was considered a traitor) and was out to death.
Term
Aphrodite/Venus
Definition
Goddess of love and beauty (and spring and bloom).
Term
Apollo/Sol
Definition
God of the sun; patron of healing; drove a chariot that pulled the sun, so it rose and crossed the sky each day.
Term
Arachne
Definition
A mortal who was a great weaver and very proud (arrogant) of her ability. She challenged Athena to a weaving contest and won. Athena was mad and turned her into a spider so she could weave and spin non-stop. This is where arachnids get their name. She is a symbol of the problems of arrogance can cause
Term
Argonauts
Definition
Jason's comrades in his search for the Golden Fleece.
Term
Argus
Definition
A creature with m any eyes who was supposed to watch over lo. He finally closed all his eyes when music was played to put him to sleep, and his eyes were put in the tail of the peacock.
Term
Atalanta
Definition
Swift-running maiden who outran all her suiters until Hippomenes (helped by Venus) tricked her with the distraction of three golden apples.
Term
Athena/Minerva
Definition
Goddess of wisdom and warfare; was "born" full-grown and wearing armor, by springing from the head of Zeus. Her symbol is the owl. She was a great weaver and spinner; in charge of arts and crafts.
Term
Atlas
Definition
A giant who had to hold the earth and sky on his shoulders forever because he rebelled against the gods.
Term
Bacchus/Dionysus
Definition
God of wine and revelry. Wild feasts were held in his honor, which usually turned into drunken orgies, since that was what he was in charge of.
Term
Brunnhilde
Definition
Germanic mythological servant who fell in love with Siegfried but had him killed when she found out he deceived her. Committed suicide.
Term
Cassandra
Definition
Prophet in Troy during the Trojan War whom nobody believed.
Term
Centaur
Definition
A race of beings, half man (front) and half horse, known for fighting and lustiness (but sometimes for great wisdom!)
Term
Cerberus
Definition
A dog with three heads who stood at the gates of the underworld and let dead souls in but not out.
Term
Charon
Definition
Boatman who took the souls of the dead across the river Styx into the underworld.
Term
Chimera
Definition
A monster who had a lion head, goat body, and a dragon tail.
Term
Circe
Definition
Sorceress who turned men into swine if they looked at her.
Term
Cupid/Eros
Definition
God of love. Often pictured as a winged boy.
Term
Cyclops
Definition
A race of one-eyed giants of whom the most famous is Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. He was blinded by Odysseus.
Term
Daedalus and Icarus
Definition
___ was a great inventor who killed a rival in jealousy and fled to Crete (from Greece) where King Minos gave him refuge and put him to work. The king's wife lusted after a gorgeous bull; she conceived and bore the Minotaur from this union. He had to be kept in the Labyrinth, which ___ designed. Eventually, ___ and his son, ___, were also imprisoned in the Labyrinth, from which they escaped by ___ building them wings from wax and feathers on which they flew away from Crete. ___ warned ___ not to fly too high because the sun would melt the wax, but ___ ignored his father. His wings melted, he fell and drowned. ___ escaped safely.
Term
Damon
Definition
Greek legendary figure extraordinarily devoted to his friend, Pythias. Agreed to die in his place.
Term
Diana/Artemis
Definition
Sister of Apollo; drives a chariot that carries the moon; goddess of the hunt and patron of virgins. Seen as a huntress.
Term
Dido
Definition
Queen of Carthage, Africa, who loved Aeneas. Committed suicide because she could not be forever with Aeneas.
Term
Electra
Definition
Agamemnon's daughter who helped kill her mother and her lover.
Term
Europa
Definition
A princess whom Zeus abducted and raped, when he was in the form of a bull.
Term
Eurydice
Definition
Wife of Orpheus.
Term
Gorgons
Definition
Female monsters having tusks, claws, and hair of snakes. Perseus was successful in cutting off one of their heads and used it to turn his enemies into stone.
Term
Graces
Definition
Three Greek goddesses of fertility: Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia.
Term
Hades/Pluto
Definition
God of the underworld (sort of like hell but not so awful): the place itself is called Hades. Also, god of wealth (gold and silver came from the earth, which he ruled.)
Term
Harpies
Definition
Ferocious winged creatures with women's faces.
Term
Hector
Definition
Trojan warrior and Prince of Troy.
Term
Helen of Troy
Definition
A beautiful Greek woman, daughter of Zeus and Leda, who was kidnapped by Paris of Troy. The Trojan War began when the Greeks tried to get her back.
Term
Hercules
Definition
A son of Zeus and a mortal, he was famous for his great strength and endurance; he performed twelve amazing feats of strength called the "labors of ___."
Term
Io
Definition
One of Zeus's lovers.
Term
Iseult (Isolde)
Definition
English and Irish legendary lover of Tristan.
Term
Jason
Definition
Greek mythological hero who sailed in his ship, the Argo, with the Argonauts, and found the famous "golden fleece" of a magical ram.
Term
King Arthur
Definition
Hero of legends about ancient England. Head of the Knights of the Round Table.
Term
Knights of the Round Table
Definition
About knights who sat around a round table designed by Merlin so that no one had the most prestigious place in the stories of King Arthur.
Term
Lady Godiva
Definition
Legendary English lady who rode nude on horseback through Coventry, England, covered by her long, flowing hair. Her husband agreed to annul the taxes he had imposed on the city if she did this.
Term
Lady of the Lake
Definition
Supernatural lady from Malory's Morte d'Arthur who raises Lancelot and gives King Arthur the sword, Excalibur.
Term
Laocoon
Definition
Priest in Troy during the Trojan War who warned of Greeks bearing gifts.
Term
Leprechaun
Definition
Irish legendary elves who can disclose a treasure's location, if someone is smart enough to catch them.
Term
Little John
Definition
One of Robin Hood's merry men. He wasn't little, but brawny and big.
Term
Mars/Ares
Definition
God of warfare
Term
Medea
Definition
Sorceress who fell in love with Jason. Murdered his bride and others when Jason left her.
Term
Medusa
Definition
A female monster with snakes for hair (Gorgon. When people looked at her, they turned to stone. Perseus killed her by using the reflection in his shield to aim his sword so he didn't have to look at her directly
Term
Mercury
Definition
The messenger of the gods; wears shoes and hat with wings so he can fly very quickly. Known for living by his wits and cleverness
Term
Merlin
Definition
Magician and advisor to King Arthur
Term
Midas
Definition
Was given his wish that everything he touched would turn to gold but rethought this idea when he killed his daughter by touching her and was near starvation because all the food he touched turned to gold. He had the spell removed eventually
Term
Minotaur
Definition
Monstrous half man and half bull, wild and violent, demanded sacrifices of Greek youths and maidens. Imprisoned in the Labyrinth. Eventually slain by Theseus with the help of the King's daughter, who gave him a ball of string so he could find his way out of the Labyrinth
Term
Modred
Definition
King Artur's antagonist who caused his downfall
Term
Muses
Definition
Nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, each representing a different art, such as music, astronomy, and so forth
Term
Narcissus and Echo
Definition
He was a gorgeous male who admired himself enormously. She loved him but he ignored her. Eventually, she was cursed with not being able to speak her own thought but only repeat what others said. This bothered him even more and he taunted her and she eventually wasted away so that just her voice, repeating others' words, remained. He became so enamored with himself that he got stuck peering into a pond, admiring his reflection, and became a flower that grows there.
Term
Nemesis
Definition
The goddess of retributive justice or vengeance
Term
Neptune/Poseidon
Definition
God of the sea; often pictures with his three-pronged scepter, the trident; has a son named Triton
Term
Nereids
Definition
Sea nymphs who cane to the assistance of sailors in Greek mythological tales
Term
Nymph
Definition
Beautiful female spirits
Term
Odysseus
Definition
Greek who fought in the Trojan War. His ten years of escapades are told in the Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer
Term
Oedipus
Definition
Abandoned at birth by his parents, who were trying to avoid a horrible prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Raised in Corinth, he eventually fled when he heard the same prophecy. On the road, he met and killed his father, solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and then went to Thebes and married his mother, with whom he had three children. When he learned the truth, he blinded himself and went into exile. Later, he died at Colonus
Term
Orestes
Definition
Son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon
Term
Orpheus
Definition
Musician who got the ruler of the underworld to let his wife, Eurydice, out. But, because he broke his promise not to look at her until he got back to Earth, she disappeared forever
Term
Pan
Definition
He is one of the group of satyrs, which are half man half goat, with goat's legs, a tail, pointy ears, and a wanton nature, who live in the woods. He is the god of forests, flocks, and shepherds. He usually plays a pipe (a flute)
Term
Pandora
Definition
The first mortal woman, sent to Earth as a punishment to man for Prometheus' theft of fire. She brought with her a box containing all human ills, which escaped into the world when she opened the box. Only hope was left at the bottom
Term
Paris
Definition
Son of the last king of Troy (Priam), he is forced to award a golden apple to either Aphrodite, who promises him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world; Hera, who offers him great wealth; or Athena, who offers him wisdom. He chooses Aphrodite, who helps him steal Helen, who's married to Menelaus of Sparta. He takes her to Troy and the Greeks come after and we have the Trojan War
Term
Pegasus
Definition
Winged horse that flew above the earth
Term
Penelope
Definition
Wife of Odysseus; symbol of wifely fidelity
Term
Persephone and Demeter
Definition
___ is the goddess of agriculture and fruitfulness (fertility): guardian of marriage. ___ is her daughter whom Hades marries and takes to Hades to live. ___ is so unhappy without her beloved daughter that nothing can grow. A compromise is reached and ___ spends six months on Earth, with ___, and six months down below, with Hades. This is the explanation why he have seasons (winter is when ___ is gone and ___ is too unhappy to make things grow)
Term
Perseus
Definition
Killed Medusa and turned Phineas, his rival, to stone
Term
Phoenix
Definition
A bird that is immortal but dies in a self-built pyre every few years and is then reborn; a symbol of rebirth and/or immortality
Term
Pixies
Definition
Sprites in English folklore that play pranks on people and lead them astray
Term
Priam
Definition
King of Troy. Killed at the end of the Trojan War
Term
Procrustes
Definition
Mean giant who stretched people or cut off their legs to make them fit into a bed
Term
Prometheus
Definition
A Titan who was said to have given mankind the gift of fire and who had his liver eaten out every day by an eagle as his punishment. The liver grew back each night, only to be eaten out the next day. Eventually, he was rescued by Hercules
Term
Psyche
Definition
A great mortal beauty, whom Venus was very jealous of, because of her beauty. Cupid loved her but didn't want her to know who he was, so he visited her only in the dark. She was curious and eventually snuk a light into their meeting place and shone it suddenly in his face, He was angry for a while but eventually forgave her and had her made immortal. She became the goddess of emotion
Term
Punch and Judy
Definition
English puppet characters. ___, who continually beat his wife and baby with a stick, is humped over and has a crooked nose
Term
Pygmalion
Definition
Mythological sculptor who fell in love with his statue (which later came to life) of an ideal woman
Term
Pythias
Definition
Greek character who was very loyal to his friend, Damon
Term
Queen Guinevere
Definition
King Arthur's wife
Term
Robin Hood
Definition
Legendary English hero/rogue who, with his merry band of men, stole from the rich and gave to the poor
Term
Romulus and Remus
Definition
Twin boys who were raised by a mother wolf. ___ founded Rome
Term
Saturn
Definition
Father of Jupiter in Roman Mythology
Term
Scylla
Definition
Monster with six heads who devoured sailors caught between her and whirlpool named Charybdis
Term
Sheriff of Nottingham
Definition
Antagonist in Robin Hood legends
Term
Sir Galahad
Definition
One of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table; illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Princess Elaine
Term
Sir Gawain
Definition
One of the most courteous of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table
Term
Sir Lancelot
Definition
One of the bravest of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table
Term
Sisyphus
Definition
King who had to roll a big boulder uphill forever as his punishment for cheating death
Term
Sphinx
Definition
Female monster with body of a lion and a woman's head who asked a famous riddle and destroyed anyone who could not answer it correctly. Oedipus solved it and she killed herself
Term
Styx (river)
Definition
The river that divides the land of the living from Hades, the land of the dead
Term
The Fates
Definition
Three women who had the power to decide how long people would live and what happened to them. Life was represented by a thread, and one Fate spun the thread, another measured it, and the third cut it when a person died
Term
The Sirens
Definition
A group of nymphs who lived on an island and lured men to their destruction with their sweet singing
Term
Theseus
Definition
Athenian hero who marries Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons
Term
Titan
Definition
Any of a group of giants who ruled the universe at one time. Zeus and some other gods finally ousted them
Term
Tristan
Definition
Lover of Iseult in British and Irish legends. Both died tragically
Term
Troll
Definition
Mythical Norse dwarf who lived in caves, under bridges, and other hidden places
Term
Unicorn
Definition
Mythological horse-like animal with a horn projecting from its forehead
Term
Vampire
Definition
Living corpse who needs human blood to live
Term
Vulcan
Definition
God of fire; a blacksmith; the only god who is deformed
Term
Werewolf
Definition
Man changed into wolf who prowls around at night doing dastardly things such as killing babies and digging up dead bodies under the light of the full moon
Term
William Tell
Definition
Legendary Swiss archer who was forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son
Term
Zephyr
Definition
The west wind, which is known for being warm and soft
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