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Mythology first set

Terms

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Myth
A traditional story originating in a pre-literate society, dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serve as primordial types in a view of the world.
Legend
Involves historical or quasi-historical figures, can divine forces.
Saga
Connected series of legendary tales
Folktale
Shorter, primarily oral, designed to entertain; fantasy/magic rather than divine forces
Urban Legend
Variants, happens at failiar places/people. Based on true events. Reflect anxieties
Aetiology/Etiology
Explanation of the cause or origin of something.
Theodicy
a vindication of the justice of God in allowing evil to exist.
Autochthonous
Arising from the earth itself
Epithet
An adjective or descriptive noun phrase attached to a hero or god and expressing some quality or relation appropriate to that figure
Attribute
A conventional symbol of office, character or identity attached to any particular figure
Panhellenic
Cult site or institution which is considered the common property of all Greek-speaking peoples
Chrselephantine
Constructed of of gold and ivory
Sacred Marraige
A ritual reenactment of a divine union between male and female principles or a mythic representation of such a union
Apotropaic
Designed to avert or turn away evil.
Heroic Nudity
male gods and heroes usually depicted nude
Theory of Archetypes
Collective Unconscious
Palladium
Statue of Athena or statue made by Athena, located in Troy; the loss of this statue will mean the loss of the city
aegis
Tasseled shield of Zeus, stongely associated with Athena in visual art
Peplos
Robe or Gown
Collective Unconcious
The shared associations and memories of all human beings, reflected in the universal recognition of archetypes
Archetype
A primordial character, image, or narrative motif which recurs throughout human culture
Greater Dionysia
Spring Festival
Lenaea
Winter Festival
Syncretism
The attempt or tendency to reconcile two different sets of religious or philosophical beliefs
Agora
Locations of Hermes' temple (marketplace)
Herm
Statue of Hermes used to mark boundaries by Athenians, Consists of bearded male head topping a square pillar, on the pillar halfway down is an erect phallus. Aprotropaic
Epiphany
The manifestation of a god in the sight of mortals
Oracles
Delphi and Dodona- oracle of Hermes at pharae in maretplace
Divination
Interpreting bire/weather/animal signs
Haruspicy
practice of taking omens by consulting entrails of newly slaughtered animals or birds
Augur
Roman religious official who interpreted divine responses to proposals or events based on omens
Auspices
Roman term for falling under the jurisdiction of the augurs
Hermeneutics
Science and methodology of interpretation, especially interpretation of sacred texts.
Thyrsus
Staff decorated with ivy, vines or ribbons and topped with a pine cone
Silenus
Old satyrs, pathetic side of drunkeness
Satyrs
Half animal phallic creatures
Maenads
Women maddend in service of Dionysus
Sparagamos
Ripping apart wild animals
Omophagy
eating raw flesh
Orpheus
Legendary poet of Thrace with magical ability to charm plants and animals
Thesmorphoros
'lawgiver' cult title of Demeter in Athens
Plutus
God of Wealth, Child of Demeter
Triptolemus
Eleusinian disciple of goddess who teaches mankind agriculture and the worship of Demeter. AKA Deophoon
Arion
Magical horse, child of demeter and poseidon
Erysichthon
Thessalian mortal punished by hunger for violating grove sacred to Demeter
Pales
God of Flocks
Robigo/Robigus
God of Rust
Vertumnus
Deity of indeterminate force and changing of natural seasons
Pomona
Wife of Verumnus, Nymph of orchards
Psyche
Soul
Imagines
Special sites; offerings to the dead
Pythagoras
Propounds theory of transmigration of souls (Reincarnation)
Epicurus
Soul made up of atoms and perishes with the body
Mystery Cult
A cult characterized by rites which were secret except to duly initiated worshippers
Mystai
Greek word for worshippers admitted to such rights
Cult of Demetr/Kore at Eleusis
Sponsored by the city of Athens, open to anyone. Held annually in fall for nine days, international truce.
Hiera
Sacred Objects
Dromena
Things enacted/done
Legomena
Things said
Deiknymena
Things revealed
Orphism (Followers of teachings attributed to 'Orpheus'
Orpheus, legendary poet. Centered around writings, not rituals; worshippers take writings into tomb with them.
Cult of Cabiri at Samothrace
Cabriri-identity unknown. Twins sometimes associated with Castor and pollux. Held in Samothrace
Mithraism (Worshippers of Mithra, Persain god of light)
Comes to Greece via soldiers of Alexander the Great, minor cult until adopted by Roman Legions. Only open ot men. Rites held in caves and worshippers ascend through seven grades of initiation named for seven planets. Central figure: Mithras killing bull
Isis-Cult: Isis
Ancient Egyptian Goddess. Universal Goddess
Osiris
Brother-Husband of Isis. Underworld God. Killed by Set and restored to life by Isis
Horus
Son of Isis
Set
Enemy of Osiris

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