Greek/Roman Gods
This Roman god of the sea is the equivalent of the Greek god Poseidon.
Who is Neptune?
This is the city over which Oedipus rules as King at the start of the play.
What is Thebes?
In Margaret Atwood’s novella, this group of characters serves as the "Chorus," commenting on the action and haunting Odysseus.
Who are the Twelve Maids?
This is the "embarrassing" father of the protagonist, Fat Charlie, who turns out to be a spider god.
Who is Mr. Nancy (Anansi)?
This Greek root means "life."
What is Bio?
This goddess of wisdom and war was said to have been born fully grown and armored from the forehead of her father, Zeus.
Who is Athena (Minerva)?
Oedipus gained the throne after solving the riddle of this mythical creature, which had the body of a lion and the head of a woman.
What is the Sphinx?
Penelope describes her shroud-weaving trick as a way to delay these men who have invaded her home.
Who are the Suitors?
This is the name of Fat Charlie’s suave, magical, and chaotic brother who arrives to turn his life upside down.
Who is Spider?
This Latin root means "war."
What is Bell?
Known as the "Messenger of the Gods," this deity wears winged sandals and carries the caduceus.
Who is Hermes (Mercury)?
This blind prophet is the first to explicitly tell Oedipus that he is the murderer he seeks.
Who is Tiresias?
Penelope frequently compares herself to her beautiful and much-hated cousin, who caused the Trojan War.
Who is Helen of Troy?
In the mythology of the book, Anansi famously tricked this character to win the ownership of all stories.
Who is Tiger?
The Latin root "Lum" means this.
This goddess is the queen of the underworld and the daughter of Demeter; her seasonal return to the surface explains the coming of spring.
Who is Persephone?
This is the specific biological relationship between Oedipus and Queen Jocasta.
What is mother and son?
This is the perspective from which the story is told—a place where Penelope has spent thousands of years reflecting on her life.
What is the Underworld?
This is the animal that Anansi is most commonly associated with in West African and Caribbean folklore.
What is a spider?
This term included a Latin root word and describes a person who can speak two languages fluently.
What is Bilingual?
To reach the Underworld and save Eurydice, Orpheus had to use his music to lull this three-headed guard dog into a deep sleep.
Who is Cerberus?
This Greek term refers to the "tragic flaw" or "error in judgment" that leads to the downfall of a hero like Oedipus.
What is Hamartia?
Penelope uses this specific metaphor to describe the "web" of lies and stories she had to spin to survive in Odysseus’s absence.
What is weaving?
At the end of the novel, Fat Charlie discovers his own magical "god-power" is actually related to this form of performance.
What is singing?
If the Greek root "Morph" means "shape" or "form," this term describes a god taking on a human appearance.
What is Anthropomorphism?