when in doubt

Default to content generated by school work. The following is a list of terms I shall have to identify on my Greek Mythology exam and my explanations of them as far as I know right now:

"folkloric motif," Apollodorus, Muthos, Andrew Lang - a classicist of some influence, Triptolemus, Nostos/Nostoi, Phrynicus, Muses - daughters of deities thought to represent inspiration for the arts - Euterpe and Mnemosyne are two of them.

Arete, Cerberus - three headed monster dog who guards the entrance to Hades, Homeridae, Leto, Satyr play, Niobe, Koinonia, Great Dionysian Festival - wherein the god is celebrated but sooner or later torn to shreds by the Maenads (insane women who worship him).

Sir James Frazer - another classicist, Tholos/Tholoi, Gigantomachia, Ajax - a hero, Claude Levi Strauss - a classicist and popularizer of denim, Pandora - Zeus' way of giving women a bad name - he asked her to guard the box that held the sorrows of the world and she opened it up releasing these horrors to us.

Hellanicus of Lesbos - one would think I would remember Everything about Lesbos... ironic isn't it?, Polyphemus - the cyclops who imprisoned Odysseus' and his crew during the voyage home from Troy - a major part of the Odyssey.

Deus Ex Machina - literally "god out of a machine" it is a rather cheap way of getting a character out of a tight spot with the help of the supernatural - a device used in many myths.

"master of wild beasts" - I think has an overlap with the celtic Master of the hunt, "The Unseen One," "Bouleia," "Polymetis" - a person I am certain but cannot remember more.

Heinrich Schliemann - a classicist with ideas about mythology, Sintians, "Primitive Mythopoeic Mind," "Ahhiyawa," Thera, lyric poetry, Nomios, tetralogy, Titans - went to war with the gods and predate them - they were supposed to be nasty and figure in epic battles, Dorians - a people of ancient Greece.

Hippokrene, "culture hero," Semele, Linear A & B - coming from a background in linguistics I am going to take a look at this again before opening my mouth, Orion - the Hunter who - if I am not mistaken slew a sacred stag or saw Artemis naked or something - he met an unpleasant end.

There it is. I only have a few. I need to know them all. Wish me luck, as always I aim to astound you.