Deck 5: The Divine Woman in Greek Mythology

Question 1

The triple nature of the Great Goddess is often portrayed as the figures of the maiden, the mother, and the mother-in-law.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Aphrodite's relationship with Eros signifies her dual role as goddess of love and war.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The serpent is associated with the Goddess because of its associations with the Underworld as well as its ability to shed its skin.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

There is evidence that the snake has become associated with evil because it represented the power of evil in the Goddess religion.

Question 5

It is clear that in the earliest times, when they worshiped the Great Goddess, Mediterranean societies were matriarchal.

Question 6

In Hesiod's Theogony, Hecate is a witchy and fearful goddess who has no positive associations whatsoever.

Question 7

The hero of the patriarchal culture seeks individual achievement rather than a reconciliation and continuity between generations.

Question 8

All around the ancient Near East, the figure of the cow goddess-as in Hera's association with Io, who is turned into a cow-is a common one.

Question 9

Zeus's battle with the dragon Typhoeus is a version of the battle with the World Serpent incorporating the female archetype.

Question 10

Hecate represents the death-wielding aspect of the Great Goddess.

Question 11

The story of Demophon serves as a charter myth for the Eleusinian Mysteries.

Question 12

The myth of Hera's marriage to Zeus charters, for patriarchal purposes, the subordination of the Great Goddess to the male deity.

Question 13

The story of Persephone is often interpreted as a nature myth, symbolizing the planting and sprouting of the seed.

Question 14

The Greek myths which narrate the generations from Gaea to Rhea to Hera reflect a growing power of the Creator Goddess, who finally becomes the wife of Zeus.

Question 15

The division of the Goddess into three functions may be a result of the invasion of Europe by a patriarchal culture worshiping sky gods.

Question 16

Sparagmos is a term for the sacred marriage between the Goddess and her consort.

Question 17

The hieros gamos was the ritual dismemberment of the male god or consort.

Question 18

Contrary to most ancient rituals, the rituals of the Eleusinian Mysteries are well known through extensive contemporary accounts.

Question 19

The Thesmophoria was a sowing ritual, practiced by women initiates only.

Question 20

The myth of Persephone presents marriage as legalized rape.

Question 21

The story of Persephone triumphantly reverses the stories of Gaea and Rhea, her grandmother and great-grandmother.

Question 22

Which of the following is not a function of Hecate in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter?

A) to bring light in the darkness
B) to bring information to the grieving Demeter
C) to bring Demeter something to eat and drink
D) to rejoice with Demeter when Persephone returns

Question 23

As an etiological myth, the story of Persephone explains

A) fatherhood and fatherly love.
B) why there are seasons.
C) the practice of setting a place at the table for Demeter.
D) why Hades is a rapist.

Question 24

The maiden and mother aspects of the Great Goddess are separated and made subordinate to Zeus in the characters of three of the following goddesses; which one would not be on the list?

A) Aphrodite
B) Hera
C) Athene
D) Hecate

Question 25

We use the term "Great Goddess"

A) to distinguish the primordial female creator Goddess worshiped throughout Old Europe and the Mediterranean before the male deities assumed prominence.
B) to describe any goddess whose statues are exquisitely beautiful.
C) to describe the goddess who taught humans to navigate.
D) to describe the group of goddesses who inspired Hesiod's poetry.

Question 26

Which of the following would the Greeks not consider an agon?

A) the Olympic games
B) a courtroom argument
C) a battle
D) a meal

Question 27

There is evidence of Goddess worship in the ancient world

A) from the Paleolithic through the Bronze Age.
B) from the Neolithic through the Iron Age.
C) from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age.
D) from the Paleolithic until the thirteenth century a.d.

Question 28

In Hesiod's Theogony, Hecate is

A) the deity most honored by Zeus.
B) associated with both earth and sea.
C) the giver of victory in contests and battle.
D) all of the above

Question 29

Identify the meaning of sparagmos.

A) the sacred marriage between the Goddess and her consort
B) the ritual dismemberment and eating of the male god or consort
C) the sacred drink of the priestess of Demeter at Eleusis, a strong grain-based drink
D) the ritual seclusion of a young woman during her first menstruation

Question 30

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter probably dates from

A) the seventh century b.c.
B) the second century b.c.
C) 43 a.d.
D) the fourteenth century b.c.

Question 31

Like many other creator goddesses, Gaea

A) asserts her power over the male deity by marrying him.
B) is associated with the serpent image.
C) is associated with the spear.
D) is a strictly Greek phenomenon.

Question 32

What is a hieros gamos?

A) the ritual dismemberment and eating of the male god or consort
B) the sacred marriage between the Goddess and her consort
C) the Goddess's ability to create offspring without male assistance
D) a hero of the Olympic Games

Question 33

Choose an example of how the Goddess's attributes may be transformed into a negative image as a result of the rule of patriarchy.

A) the sacred bird is transformed to the Phoenix igniting itself
B) the sacred snake is transformed to an evil dragon or a monster
C) the Goddess is given a new death-wielding function
D) the sacred cow is transformed into a belligerent goat or a ram

Question 34

The Great Goddess is associated with several animal symbols; which one is not among them?

A) the serpent
B) the cow
C) the bird
D) the horse

Question 35

Identify the correct term for the goddess creating offspring without male assistance.

A) hieros gamos
B) matriarchy
C) parthenogenesis
D) parasynapsis

Question 36

Ishtar, Astarte, Isis, and Europa are alike in that

A) they are all goddesses of great physical power.
B) they are all native Greek deities who are mentioned in the Linear B tablets.
C) they are all associated with a cow.
D) they are all lovers of Zeus.