Mythology Stories
Epic Characteristics
Book 1
Book 2
Terms
100

How many Greek ships sail to Troy?

1000

100

Greek epics begin with an invocation to the _________.

Muse.

100

Who is the leader of the Greek army?

Agamemnon

100

Who tells "evil Dream" to visit Agamemnon?

Zeus

100

Who are the "Danaans"?

The Greeks (Greek soldiers)

200

Another name for the goddess of Discord

Eris

200

"Achilles of the swift feet" is an example of what device?

epithet

200

Name a god/goddess who we know is on the Trojans' side.

Apollo / Aphrodite

200

Name one animal that is mentioned in the prophecy from Kalchas.

Snake or sparrow

200

The Greek word for "hospitality" or "kindness to strangers"

xenia

300

Which three goddesses are in the running for "For the Fairest"?

Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite

300

What does "in medias res" mean?

"in the middle of things"

300

Name a god/goddess who is on the Greek side.

Athena; Hera

300

What does "evil Dream" promise that Agamemnon and the Greek army will get to do?

Conquer the city of Troy (today!).

300

the Greek word for "rage", "anger", or "wrath"

menis

400

Who is Helen married to?

Menelaos

400

"Son of Atreus" is an example of what device?

patronymic

400

Explain specifically why one of the following is angry in Book 1:

Achilleus, Apollo, or Agamemnon

Achilleus - Agamemnon has dishonored him / takes away his war prize

Apollo - Agamemnon will not give Chryseis back to her father, the Trojan priest, Chryses

Agamemnon - he had to give his prize, Chryseis, back to her father; angry at Achilleus being disrespectful of his authority

400

After Agamemnon tells the soldiers to go home, who rounds them up again to fight?

Odysseus

400

a sacrifice of 100 oxen

hecatomb
500
Who is Iphigenia and what does she have to do with the Trojan War?

Agamemnon's daughter. The Greeks sacrificed her on the way to Troy to appease Artemis in order to keep sailing on the Aegean.

500

A long comparison of two things in an epic is called a/an...

Epic Simile or Homeric Simile

500

Who is one of the "peacemakers" in this book?

(Between Achilleus and Agamemnon OR between Zeus and Hera)

Nestor; Hephaistos
500

What item's history is described at length in this book, and whose is it?

Agamemnon's scepter.

500

an omen or sign (discussed in Book 2)

portent