Greek and Roman Mythology Final
Questions and answers 2024
1. Hippodamia: - Wife of Pelops who had to chariot race her dad Oenamaus
- Pelops bribed Myrtilus to mess up her dad's chariot so he would win race
- mother of Atreus/Thyestes
2. Who was condemned to roll a stone up a hill forever?: Sisyphus
3. What is the worst place in the Greek and Roman underworld?: Tartarus
4. Who was condemned to spinning on a wheel forever?: Ixion
5. What element did Orphism emphasize along with traditional views of the afterlife?: Human artistry making
sense of death
6. Who was condemned to everlasting hunger and thirst?: Tantalus
7. What is the term for reinterpreting traditional myths in a foreign setting in a harmonizing fashion?:
Syncretism
8. Who was condemned to having his liver eaten away every day?: Tityus
9. How did Orpheus die?: torn apart
10.Why did Orpheus lose Eurydice a second time?: Orpheus looked back to see Eurydice
11.Who is the god of marriage for the Romans?: Hymen
12.Briefly contrast the Greek view of the afterlife with the later, Roman view.-
: Greek (Homeric): dim/shadowy, described as gloomy, no sight of light from above, dead are colorless/full of dread -->
floating with no purpose, everyone ended up
in same dark/lonely place no matter what they did (special hell for sinners against gods)
, Greek and Roman Mythology Final
Questions and answers 2024
Roman: afterlife still dark/full of dread but Tartarus (Hell)/Elysium (Paradise) --> those who lived life to fullest potential
in Elysium (like heroes with their chariots) but those who committed heinous crimes in past life were kept in
Tartarus/punished by Tisiphone (one of Furies)
13.Why did Odysseus visit the underworld?: Wanted to ask the well-known seer Tiresias for help to get back to
Ithaca (hometown) because he kept facing challenges
14.Identify Lethe: A river in the underworld where spirits go after they have been there for 1,000 years --> causes
forgetfulness so they want to become human again/see heaven for another time
15.Identify Styx: A river in Hades that the dead get carried across with the help of Charon to either go to Tartarus or
the Elysian Fields
16.Identify Charon: The ferryman with an unkempt white beard/fire for eyes that brings the dead across river styx
who have been properly buried to underworld
17.Identify Cerberus: The 3-headed guard dog for Tartarus who seizes sin- ners/makes sure no living sneak
past him
18.Why did Aeneas visit the underworld?: He wanted to visit his father who was in the underworld
, Greek and Roman Mythology Final
Questions and answers 2024
19.What is the difference between the roles of Minos in the Greek and Roman versions of the underworld?:
Greek: son of Zeus with a gold scepter; in charge of judging the dead while they ask him to make the decisions that will
be put into place in Hades
Roman: underworld's magistrate with a silent court; reviews the lives/charges of the dead who joined the underworld
because of a false accusation
20.Who wrote the first version of the underworld?: Homer in Book 11 of the Odyssey
21.Oceanus: god of freshwater/oldest titan
22.Helius: God of the sun
23.Circe: Daughter of Helius and Oceanid nymph Perse- minor goddess/en- chantress; lots of knowledge of
herbs/potions; her island is Aeaeae
24.Erebus: personification of darkness--> god of dark region of underworld
25.Tiresias: blind prophet/seer of Apollo in Thebes --> mediator between world/un- derworld; has gold sceptar and
tells Odysseus his desinty when drinking the blood of sacrificed animals
26.Telemachus: Odysseus' only son
27.Odysseus: King of Ithaca, Son of Laertes and Anticleia, husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus. A
cunning, shrewd and eloquent hero. Came up with the idea of the Trojan horse which led the Greeks to victory against
Troy. "Man of many wiles".
28.Ilium: city that is setting for Trojan War
29.Orpheus: well-known musician who went to underworld to get his wife Eurydice
30.Selene: Goddess of the moon
, Greek and Roman Mythology Final
Questions and answers 2024
31.Sisphysus: - son of Aeolus, wanted to outwit Death (Thanatos), angered Zeus by telling River god (Asopus) that
Zeus took his daughter (Aegina) so Zeus sent Death on him, chained Death up so no one could die, Ares unchained
him/sent Sisyphus to Hades
- went to underworld, told wife to not do sacrifices so Hades would send him back up, died of old age but was
punished/had to roll stone up hill
32.Who wrote the story of Orpheus: Ovid
33.Who wrote Odyssey: Homer (Book 11)
34.What is the view of the Greek story of life after death?: Mortals stop living- just memories that continue for
those who live
35.What is the view of the Roman story of life after death?: More majestic than Greek view --> mortals stop living
but name, possessions, and achievements are celebrated
Questions and answers 2024
1. Hippodamia: - Wife of Pelops who had to chariot race her dad Oenamaus
- Pelops bribed Myrtilus to mess up her dad's chariot so he would win race
- mother of Atreus/Thyestes
2. Who was condemned to roll a stone up a hill forever?: Sisyphus
3. What is the worst place in the Greek and Roman underworld?: Tartarus
4. Who was condemned to spinning on a wheel forever?: Ixion
5. What element did Orphism emphasize along with traditional views of the afterlife?: Human artistry making
sense of death
6. Who was condemned to everlasting hunger and thirst?: Tantalus
7. What is the term for reinterpreting traditional myths in a foreign setting in a harmonizing fashion?:
Syncretism
8. Who was condemned to having his liver eaten away every day?: Tityus
9. How did Orpheus die?: torn apart
10.Why did Orpheus lose Eurydice a second time?: Orpheus looked back to see Eurydice
11.Who is the god of marriage for the Romans?: Hymen
12.Briefly contrast the Greek view of the afterlife with the later, Roman view.-
: Greek (Homeric): dim/shadowy, described as gloomy, no sight of light from above, dead are colorless/full of dread -->
floating with no purpose, everyone ended up
in same dark/lonely place no matter what they did (special hell for sinners against gods)
, Greek and Roman Mythology Final
Questions and answers 2024
Roman: afterlife still dark/full of dread but Tartarus (Hell)/Elysium (Paradise) --> those who lived life to fullest potential
in Elysium (like heroes with their chariots) but those who committed heinous crimes in past life were kept in
Tartarus/punished by Tisiphone (one of Furies)
13.Why did Odysseus visit the underworld?: Wanted to ask the well-known seer Tiresias for help to get back to
Ithaca (hometown) because he kept facing challenges
14.Identify Lethe: A river in the underworld where spirits go after they have been there for 1,000 years --> causes
forgetfulness so they want to become human again/see heaven for another time
15.Identify Styx: A river in Hades that the dead get carried across with the help of Charon to either go to Tartarus or
the Elysian Fields
16.Identify Charon: The ferryman with an unkempt white beard/fire for eyes that brings the dead across river styx
who have been properly buried to underworld
17.Identify Cerberus: The 3-headed guard dog for Tartarus who seizes sin- ners/makes sure no living sneak
past him
18.Why did Aeneas visit the underworld?: He wanted to visit his father who was in the underworld
, Greek and Roman Mythology Final
Questions and answers 2024
19.What is the difference between the roles of Minos in the Greek and Roman versions of the underworld?:
Greek: son of Zeus with a gold scepter; in charge of judging the dead while they ask him to make the decisions that will
be put into place in Hades
Roman: underworld's magistrate with a silent court; reviews the lives/charges of the dead who joined the underworld
because of a false accusation
20.Who wrote the first version of the underworld?: Homer in Book 11 of the Odyssey
21.Oceanus: god of freshwater/oldest titan
22.Helius: God of the sun
23.Circe: Daughter of Helius and Oceanid nymph Perse- minor goddess/en- chantress; lots of knowledge of
herbs/potions; her island is Aeaeae
24.Erebus: personification of darkness--> god of dark region of underworld
25.Tiresias: blind prophet/seer of Apollo in Thebes --> mediator between world/un- derworld; has gold sceptar and
tells Odysseus his desinty when drinking the blood of sacrificed animals
26.Telemachus: Odysseus' only son
27.Odysseus: King of Ithaca, Son of Laertes and Anticleia, husband of Penelope and father of Telemachus. A
cunning, shrewd and eloquent hero. Came up with the idea of the Trojan horse which led the Greeks to victory against
Troy. "Man of many wiles".
28.Ilium: city that is setting for Trojan War
29.Orpheus: well-known musician who went to underworld to get his wife Eurydice
30.Selene: Goddess of the moon
, Greek and Roman Mythology Final
Questions and answers 2024
31.Sisphysus: - son of Aeolus, wanted to outwit Death (Thanatos), angered Zeus by telling River god (Asopus) that
Zeus took his daughter (Aegina) so Zeus sent Death on him, chained Death up so no one could die, Ares unchained
him/sent Sisyphus to Hades
- went to underworld, told wife to not do sacrifices so Hades would send him back up, died of old age but was
punished/had to roll stone up hill
32.Who wrote the story of Orpheus: Ovid
33.Who wrote Odyssey: Homer (Book 11)
34.What is the view of the Greek story of life after death?: Mortals stop living- just memories that continue for
those who live
35.What is the view of the Roman story of life after death?: More majestic than Greek view --> mortals stop living
but name, possessions, and achievements are celebrated
