Mythology:
Terms and Ideas

Agon: A contest; the term is used of athletic competitions but in tragedy, describes the playing out of deep-seated conflicts between characters and perspectives.

Anthropomorphic: Having a human form (and behavior): the Greek gods, who look (and act) like humans, are anthropomorphic.

Apolline:  A modern term that refers to the ideas associated with Apollo, the god of poetry, prophecy and medicine: privileged ways of knowing the world: rational, thinking, secure in your moral, social and political self, “know yourself,” “nothing in excess.”

Apotropaic: Literally "turning away," the term refers to the use of scary, demonic creatures to "turn away" evil in their turn.  For example, Greek temples were often decorated with mean, scary Gorgons, which served to scare ("turn") evil away from  the temple.  Like the gargoyles of Notre Dame, it's a classic conversion of the potentially demonic to "our" side.

Archetype: the original pattern or model on which all things of the same kind are based; in myth, this means a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, images, etc.; traditionally archetypes are describesd as universally present in the human consciousness but increasingly scholars perceive them as the bare bones on which more meaningful, culturally-unique meanings take place.

Ate: The state of "blind infatuation" that follows hubris, in which the arrogance of the hubristic person makes him/her unaware of how far off track s/he is and the fact that s/he is compounding wrongs and heading for disaster.  In this state, the wrongdoer loses perspective on his/her behavior and cannot pull back from compounding errors and wrongs.

Athla:  The 12 Labors of Heracles: athla means a contest or conflict (root of our word “athletic”; over time these 12 (including the Nemean Lion, the Hydra, the Augean Stables, the Apples of the Hesperides, conquest of the Amazons, and journey to the underworld to bring up Cerberus) consolidated into the major deeds of Heracles that he had to do either to gain immortality, pay a debt to king Eurystheus, or expiate the murders of his wife and sons.

Chorus: In a Greek play, a group of 12 or 15 men or boys (who would play female parts) who sings, performs patterned movement, and interacts with characters in the play.  The chorus has an identity (e.g. Men of Salamis, Maenads from Asia), and they play that role in the drama.  At the same time, their reaction is an intellectual and/or emotional guide to the play.  They express ideas and reactions that impact the audience's interpretation of the play.  They may not express the poet's ideas, and they may have misguided interpretations of scenes or perspectives that make one uncomfortable or are reassuring or many other stances, but what they say and sing plays a central role in the playwright's development of the emotional and intellectual impact of the play.

Chorephaeus:  The leader of the chorus, who is a professional singer/dancer.

Chthonic: Having to do with the earth, often the sacred space beneath the earth.  Chthonic deities exist in contrast to the overt and accessible gods of the upper world; their place is hidden beneath the earth, their nature is primitive and/or chaotic, and they are reached and worshipped by means other than community festivals and sacrifice with shared meat.

Cult Statue: A stsue of a deity that is set up in a place of worship, usually a temple but sometimes a grove.  Some cult statues are "recently" commissioned objects notable for their richness and perfection, while others are ancient and venerable and may even be crude or worn-out objects but which may have some vital power remaining with them.

Curse tablet: A tablet, often of lead, that is sent down to the lowest place possible (a grave or a well, usually) with the intention of getting the chthonic gods/daimones to let you curse someone (usually through binding him/her from accomplishing what s/he might otherwise accomplish -- winning a chariot race, for example, or stealing your girlfriend.

Dionysiac:  A modern term that refers to the frames of mind and experience associated with Dionysos, god of wine and madness: loss of self, ecstatic celebration, loss of control, participation in a group mentality that separates you from your usual moral boundaries, etc.

Ekkyklema: A platform, kept behind the skene, that could be rolled out to display tableaux (usually) of actions that had happened offstage,

Epithet: Webster's describes it as "a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing," so I will just give examples: You will hear "Poseidon Earth-shaker" or just "The Earthshaker," you will hear "Phoebus (i.e. shining) Apollo" or just "Phoebus,"  "Pallas Athena" or just "Pallas."  Not all of the attributive names of gods are used in place of their names -- Athena isn't just called "Polias" or "Parthenos," for example, but those are still epithets because they are so closely associated with her name and identity in some important circumstances.

Etiology: The aspect of myth that provides an explanation of a phenomenon of the natural world or of human practices.  Often the etiology is not the main point of the story, but it provides a hook that connects the myth's deeper thing with the everyday things that might evoke deeper meaning.

Expiate: To perform an action, journey, quest, tribulation, etc., in order to pay the world back because you have done an impious or evil deed (that would incur miasma)e.g. Heracles’ labors in some versions of the myth)

Geras: The prize that is given to the hero as an expression of his time.  When enemies were defeated, their possessions were divided among the victors, and in the Homeric world, the warriors voted prizes to the others depending on their valor and performance in battle.  Consequently, the geras is more than material possessions -- it is the direct sign and symbol of the warrior's honor and the identity that depends on it.

Hamartia:  Literally, "missing the mark," and often translated as a "fatal flaw."  In tragedy in particular, characters who are otherwise admirable have a hamartia that ultimately brings about their tragedy.  It can be a character trait like stubbornness or failure to see other perspectives or being too rigid or ignoring convention.  On the other hand, some argue that the hamartia can also simply be something that has happened to you: something that puts you wrong with the world but has nothing to do with character.

Hubris: A kind of arrogance that shows that you misunderstand your place in the universe, and step out of your place in it, usually by being too bold or by thinking you have too much power over your circumstances or too many righte over others, the world, or the gods, or by being disrespectful cosnciously or unconsciously to those whom you should respect and show proper humility toward.

Iconography: The elements in a visual representation of a figure and/or event that enable you to (a) identify him/her/it bu his/hers/its important characteristics.  Iconography often highlights the elements of the figure and/or event that bear the most significance in the society that created it, so it is helpful to consider the ramifications (symbolic and in myth / narrative) of the iconographic elements in any given representation.

Kairos: Literally, a critical time (the origin of our word, crisis).  This is a point in a mythic narrative where everything hangs in the balance, and one choice, one action, begins an inevitable series of events (that usually leads to disaster).  The Kairos is frequently a point that either occurs in a drama, or is emphasized in a drama as the point at which the current situation took the form it now has.

Katharsis:  Literally, "burning through."  This concept, discussed by Aristotle in relation to tragedy, describes the emotional cleansing that sharing the intense emotions on stage (and in a communal setting) brings about for the viewer.

Liminal/ liminality: Liminal refers to an in-between state or transitional experience and/or period.  Liminality is the condition of being in that state, or it can describe that state.  Liminality implies being in a state of flux, often in between roles (such as boy and man), and is a state when old ways of seeing the world are broken down and challenged by new ones taht may be dangerous or destructive.  If liminal territory is successfully transitioned, transformation may occur (boy to man, girl to wife) but myth is full of many liminal territories that are often destructive to those who enter them.

Lyssa (madness): the complete loss of sanity, often seen as an outside force imposed by the gods (as with Aias when he killed the sheep, or Heracles when he killed his children); Lyssa is also the personified goddess of madness.

Mechane: A crane that was used to create the effect of "flying"; it was typically used for gods and emphasized their divinity and perspective on the human tragedies that had been pkayed out before them.

Miasma: Literally, "pollution," miasma is a state of uncleanliness that renders you separate from ordinary society.  In myth, it always occurs because of dire, miserable blood guilt -- usually murder or incest or moral pollution from some horrible, destructive act, incurred whether or not you intended to do it.  It doesn't matter if you intended to eat your children or kill your brother -- if you did it, you're polluted.  Miasma can be removed by ritual cleansing, but sometimes seems to continue to mark the sufferer as subject to the gods' continuing disfavor.

Moira/Moirai: Moira is one’s destined fate; the Moirai are the Fates, the three personified goddesses who are shown as spinning, weaving, and cutting the multiple threads of the human lives that make up the world.

Monotheism: The belief in a single deity.

Motif: In general use, a motif is a recuring and/or significant theme in literature, music, or other arts.  In folklore (and therefore mythology), if refers to a unit (whether event or other element) that is a significant and repeating part of folklore and narrative patterns in the same or different cultures.  Folklore scholars actually disagree about the specific nature of motifs (as in, are they divisible into sub-sections, how their rearrangement affects their significance, etc.).  But here's an example in Greek myth: trying to evade a prophecy.  WHile there are variations in how the prphecy occurs (dreams, Delphi, etc.), and while the outcome of this evasion may differ in many ways (incurring miasma by killing your father, accidentally being killed by a discus, losing your son in a hunting accident) the function is similar in that it establishes an imbalance that the prophecy's fulfillment will redress.

Mystery cult: A religious group that requires initiation, is often decretive about its deepest truths/belief (thuis mysteries), and often focuses on a figure/deity not in the mainstream of the culture.  The term is most often used of the Greek and ROman cultures.  Example: The Eleusinian Mysteries were dedicated to a mainstream goddess, Demeter, but required initiation and the ultimate revelations were to be kept secret.  The cult of Isis focused on a foreign goddess (Isis) and initiation was required, but secrecy was not a central issue.  Christianity (in the Roman world) was oriented around a foreign figure and belief system (Jesus, monotheism) and requires initiation, but was not secret.  Orphism required intitation, focused on a figure that was not usually worshipped as a god, and required both secrecy and radical behavior changes (like vegetarianism).

Nemesis: The inevitable horrible downfall or destruction that follows hubris -- it is a punishment for overstepping the proper bounds of behavior, but it is also a restoring of proper balance to the world by putting you back in your place.

Orchestra: Literally the "dancing floor," the round stage, with an altar at its center, where the chorus performed, and where the action of the play was largely carried out

Pantheon:  All of the gods of a given society.

Parerga (incidental deeds): Heracles performed many heroic deeds; the parerga (extra deeds, or deeds along the way) are the heroic actions he did in the course of his 12 labors; fighting Death to save Alcestis is one of them.

Parodos (1): The first choral ode, in which the chorus makes its entrance from the parodos (2).

Parodos (2): The passages between the skene and the theatron, through which the audience enters before the play, and the chorus enters for its first ode.

Pathei mathos: learning through suffering, the modus operandi of the characters of many Greek tragediesPersonification: The endowment of concepts (such as Night, Love, Justice, etc.) with human form, activities, and perhaps personality.

Polytheism: The belief in a number of different gods.

Presocratics:  Philosophers "before Socrates"; often their work combined elements such as physical science and study of the natural world with inquiries into morality and the "spiritual."

Skene: The "scene" building, a structure at the back of the orchestra. Actors made their appearances from the skene, which often (given the subjects of most dramas) represented the front of a palace.

Sophia: “Wisdom,” which can be interpreted in many different ways (as is seen in the views of Pentheus and Dionysos in the Bacchae)

Sophrosyne:  Moderation and wisdom in one’s behavior; can mean appropriate modesty for a women but also a proper way of positioning yourself relative to the world that shows an appreciation of your proper place within it (very much opposed to hubris)

Stasimon: The term for the choral odes after the first one (i.e. the parodos)

Strophe, Antistrophe, Epode: Choral odes have a formal structure of these three parts.  Strophe means “turn” and in patterned choral movement, it is the part of the song in which the chorus moves from right to left; antistrophe is the left-to-right movement, and the epode is centered.  The structure of the poem in these three divisions is often used to present two contrasting or complementary ideas/images, with the epode representing a resolution/commentary.

Stychomythia: The fast-paced dialog in which characters engage in one-line exchanges, usually expressing conflicts, quarrels, and illustrating different and irresolvable positions and perspectives (or at least, positions and perspectives that are not about to be resolved by stychomythia).  This kind of dialog is a significant element of the pacing of a drama, which also contains much longer speeches, choral odes, and sometimes songs by major characters.

Theatron: The banks of seats, usually built into a natural hillside, where the spectators sat in a Greek theater.

Timê: In the Homeric world, the honor that is the foundation of the hero's self-respect; it is awarded by one's peers on the basis of the hero's performance and valor in battle.

Trickster: A kind of figure found in many cultures whose modus operandi is deception and defiance of authority.  Often he is a culture hero as well, in that he creates or causes to be created many of the things that allow human culture to achieve the comforts and accomplishments that characterize it today.  In Greek culture, the central trickster figure is Prometheus, who suffers for his defiance of authority; Hermes is a trickster who suffers little if at all.

Tyrant: In Greek myth, kings are par for the course in the heroic age in which most of their literature is set; but a tyrant is someone who rules in the real world, for his own benefit; the term is often used of foreign kings who had absolute power at a time when Greek states were usually run by some of the citizens (e.g. Croesus), or of people who usurped sole rulership of a city formerly ruled otherwise.

Xenia:  Guest-friendship, a sacred bond between a traveler and his host that establishes bonds between families that last for generations.  The relaitonship is typically begun (in the Homeric world) when one hero visits another of equal or similar status, making contact, establishing a relationship, and formally exchanging gifts.  Guest-friendship is a strong enough bond to make enemies in battle turn away from fighting each other, and its violation has brought curses and disaster in several of the heroic sagas.

Xenos: A guest-friend, usually refering to the person with whom one has directly established the relationship of xenia, though this relationship is valued and maintained through generations.

Maenad / Bacchante

Know yourself (gnothi seauton); nothing in excess (meden agan) The two inscriptions on Apollo’s temple at Delphi, exemplifying the proper frame of mind for correct living in the world (but one which was often violated by the average Greek and certainly by the characters we have studied this semester).

tyrant: In Greek myth, kings are par for the course in the heroic age in which most of their literature is set; but a tyrant is someone who rules in the real world, for his own benefit; the term is often used of foreign kings who had absolute power at a time when Greek states were usually run by some of the citizens, or of people who usurped sole rulership.

supplication When one is in danger of death or other horrible fates, one can seek refuge at an altar; if face to face with the dangerous person; one can adopt a humble posture (usually on the knees) and try to establish human contact by touching the knee or face of the potential killer, to ask for mercy.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

ker Fate in the sense of one’s ultimate destruction

Peloponnesian War  A war fought between the Athenians and their allies, and the Spartans (Lacedaimonians) and their allies; its essential aim was the establishment of hegemony (rule by influence) in the wider Greek world.  This is the conflict in which the Melian conflict took place.

Lacedaimonians (Spartans)

historia  In Greek, it means “stories,” but since the past is preserved in stories, this is the term that comes to mean history, and is used by the earliest historians to describe their work/

oracle

dream

prophecy

omen

daimon: not so much a demon as an invisible, aerial spirit with certain supernatural powers, who may help or harm humans, and who can be convinved by magic to help the magician.

demotic: a form of Egyptian language in Greek letters -- this is the language of a number of magical spells, representing the cross-cultural aspects of Greek magic.

hermetic

Titanomachy: The battle between the gods (led by Zeus) and the Titans that ended up with the Titans (led by Cronus) being deposed and bound in Tartarus.

ritual magic

“angel”

Ode

Romance

epic