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79 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Europa
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Europa is the woman Zeus came to as a Bull, and mother of Minos, the King of Crete.
Her story is one of the many examples of Zeus' unforgiving promiscuity and ultimately a reflection of his sphere of influence. |
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Chaos
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A mass of undifferentiated matter.
Chaos is the primordial being in Greek mythology and connects the Greek Mythology to others around the world. |
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Atlas
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A titan who claimed that he was stronger than the gods and was punished by being charged with holding up the universe.
He is an example of the dangers of hubris, and the ate that comes to those who commit it. |
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Ouranos
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Primeval god of the Sky, "Father Sky," who was castrated by his son Cronus.
He starts the cycle of sons overthrowing fathers when he locks his children inside Gaia. (Original Sin) |
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Gaia
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Mother Earth.
She represents creation and feminine power. |
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Battus
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The farmer who betrayed Hermes' trust, and was punished by being turned into a "touchstone."
His story is an example of a moral lesson, an aetiology, and an ironic punishment. |
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Zeus
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King of the Gods, whose domain consists of all of the skies
His promiscuity reflects the nature of rain in the Greek peninsula, |
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Hesiod
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Author of the "Theogony"
His work reminds us of the challenge of differentiating between ancient myth and the author's personal beliefs. |
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Euripides
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A famous Athenian Tragedian who is known for altering myth.
He shows us how myth can be used to challenge the status quo. |
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Fate / Free-will
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Fate reflects the inevitability of an event, but how the event comes to be is decided by the free-will of the individual.
Free will is bounded by fate. |
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Prophecy
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Foretelling of the future in myth is about the failed attempts to escape prophecy.
An example would be Ouranos' failed attempts to maintain his rule by preventing the birth of his children. |
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Polis Hero
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A specific figure that represents a defined geographical area.
E.x. Bellerophontes was a Corinthian Polis hero. |
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Cottys
Gyges Birareus |
The hundred-handers.
They were an early attempt at creation. They represent the first sin as well as the paradigm of the craftsman being. |
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Eros
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the force of love
Tells us about the Greek understanding of the universe, in that it requires the desire to create. |
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Rhea
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Wife of Cronus,
Rhea is in the cycle of mother and son conspiring against the father. |
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Tartarus
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The underworld.
It is an example of a universe of dichotomy. |
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Prometheus
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The titan that gave man meat and fire.
He's often associated with paradigm myths and is generally recognized for defining humanity. |
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"Creator God"
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A single being that guides differentiation in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Only appears in Ovid's work and shows the multiplicity of myth. |
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Cyclopes
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Craftsmen of Zeus' lightning bolts.
Provide the clearest link between mythology and the real world. (Elephants) |
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Aeschylus
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A conservative playwright that was a general in the Persian War.
Pioneers the practice of narrative mythology, also uses myth as a precise metaphor for modern times. |
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Apollodorus
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The professional mythographer.
He is important because he presents a bare-bones version of the greek cosmogony (without a lot of editorializing). |
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Callimachus
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A Scholar-poet known for his epigrams.
He reminds us that there is not one right version of a myth. E.g. multiplicity. |
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Phaethon
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Son of Clymene and Helios, who rode Helios' chariot across the sky.
Why is he important? Imperfect perception and memory of the gods, and HUBRIS of Phaethon. |
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Pentheus
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Rejected Bacchus as a god and was torn apart by his mother's hands.
Shows the cost of doubting the gods, as well as the brutal practice of sparagmos among Bacchites. |
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Athena
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Warrior-goddess born out of Zeus' head.
Athena is a representation of female masculinity and strength, the androgynous ideal. |
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Ixion
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Made advances on Hera, but was tricked into sleeping with a cloud.
HUBRIS again |
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ate
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utter ruination that comes when people commit hubris
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Hubris
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overstepping one's station in life
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Apotheosis
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The transformation of a mortal into a god, always occurs at death.
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Culture Hero
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Helps define the Greek way of life, spread Greek culture.
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Ovid
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Wrote the Metamorphoses.
He shows that mythical tales can be written purely as entertainment. |
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Stheneboia
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The married woman that tries to seduce Bellerophontes.
Represents the internal battles heroes may face, the control of Bellerophontes, and the beginning of his rise to power. |
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Actaeon
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Saw Artemis naked and was turned into a deer.
His myth teaches us about liminal spaces in Greek mythology. |
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Demeter
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Goddess of the Harvest.
Her mythology includes an aetiology for the seasons, as well as an example of how a god's personality reflects their sphere of influence. |
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Stellio
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A boy who mocked Demeter and was turned into a Newt.
An aetiology tale for the newt. |
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Apollo
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Son of Leto and brother of Artemis.
His myths often involve failed attempts at seduction and reflect Greek beliefs about power in relationships. (Alternatively: He is a member of the second generation of gods with powers concerned with human behavior) |
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Aphrodite
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The goddess of erotic love.
She is the only god who can be affected by her own power. |
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Sparagmos
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A bacchite practice of tearing living beings apart with their hands
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Arachne
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A weaver who claimed her talent was not a gift from Athena.
An aetiology tale of the spider. |
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Chimera
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Front end of a lion, back end of a serpent, goat's head on its back that breathes fire.
Represents the chaos of an earlier, undifferentiated time. |
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Bellerophontes
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Hero who tried to ride pegasos into Olympia.
HUBRIS |
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Anchises
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Aphrodite's first mortal man.
Story is significant in that Aphrodite instructs him how he may retain his masculinity after their affair. |
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Hermes
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Son of Maia and Zeus
He is one of the most important trickster figures in Greek mythology, and is known as an "everyman" god. |
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Maia
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Mother of Hermes.
She is known for her humility. |
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Medea
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Sorceress that aids Jason in his heroic journey.
She represents everything the Greek hero is not. |
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Niobe
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Woman who claims she should be worshiped over Leto.
An example of hubris and ironic punishment. |
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Andromeda
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Daughter of Cepheus who was set out to be eaten by a sea monster.
Significant in that its an early example of the "damsel in distress trope." |
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Medusa
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The only mortal Gorgon.
Her serpent hair and golden wings reflect an earlier, more chaotic time. |
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Cassiopeia
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Wife of Cepheus who vied with Nerieds for beauty.
Hubris |
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Erikhthonios
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Child of Vulcan and Gaia
He was a Polis Hero that became the king of Athens. |
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Hyginus
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He is an amateur mythographer.
His works must be read with caution because they may not be correct interpretations of the myth, rather than alternate versions. |
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Deucalion and Pyrrha
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The last two members of the race of Bronze, who survived the flood by building an Ark.
They represent the transition into the Age of Stone-- both are hardworking and pious people. |
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Io
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Priestess of Hera that slept with Zeus.
Her myth in particular shows us the struggle of Gods for power and Hera's wrath. |
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Pandora
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Pandora was a woman created out of clay as a punishment for mankind.
She represents a form of ironic punishment for Prometheus, tried to guide mankind to greatness. |
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Alcmene
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Mother of Heracles who was tricked into sleeping with Zeus in the guise of her husband.
She is another in the list of Zeus' exploits. |
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Semele
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Mother of Dionysus by Zeus.
She committed hubris by thinking she could withstand Zeus in his full glory. |
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Hippolyta
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Queen of the Amazons.
Her marriage to Theseus is a metaphor for his taming of the wild. |
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Megara
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First wife of Heracles, killed by him in a fit of madness.
Her story reminds us that heroes in the greek world are not always morally good, just "more" than human. |
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Deianeira
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Second wife of Heracles, who led to his ultimate demise.
She reflects the negative Greek beliefs about women who are self-interested. |
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Baucis and Philemon
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Only two to welcome Zeus and Hermes in the guise of travelers.
They embody the exercise of hospitality, or xenia. |
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Ariadne
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Helped Theseus escape labyrinth and was later abandoned by him.
Her abandonment leads to the ironic death of Thseus' father. (Alternative: Her story embodies Greek beliefs about outsiders, and their general tendency towards xenophobia) |
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Pollux
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Son of Zeus and Leda – asked Zeus to let him share his immortality with Casto Aetiology of Gemini
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Castor
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Son of Leda and Tyndareus - Aetiology of Gemini
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The Lemnian women
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Women who did not make sacrifices to Venus and were inflicted with an awful smell (leading their husbands to reject them). This myth represents the volatility of gods in Greek mythology, it’s necessary to make sacrifices to all the gods, or one may be offended at your failure to respect them.
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Leucothoe
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Formerly a woman named Ino. Her myth is a paradigm myth for the Isthmian games.
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Lycaon
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Tried to trick Zeus into eating human flesh, and was turned into a werewolf. Hubris and disrespect, ironic punishment.
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The “Sea Monster”
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Monster that was supposed to eat Andromeda. It is the ate of Cassiopeia for vying with beauty with the Nereids
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Typhon
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A god whose hands were like engines of war, from whose shoulders grew the hundred heads of a frightful dragon. He represents a failed attempt to destabilize the increasingly ordered and civilized world.
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The Chimera
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Bellerophontes' first challenge, supposed to be an impossible task but paved his way to greatness. Represents an earlier more chaotic time.
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The Giants
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Children of Ge that has serpent coils for legs. Represent chaos
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Cerberus
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A three headed dog that prevents anyone from leaving the house of hades. Was used to intimidate Eurystheus and stop him from giving Heracles more labors.
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Echidna
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Half snake, Half woman. Gave birth to many monsters: Chimera, Hydra, Cerberus
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Nessus
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Centaur who attempted to rape Heracles’ wife, and tricked her into killing Heracles. His story teaches us about the Greek beliefs regarding feminine naivety and insecurity.
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Charon
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Boatman of the underworld who ferries dead souls across the river Styx. The greeks put coins on the eyes of the dead is because they believed dead souls needed to pay the ferryman to enter Hades.
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Pegasus
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Offspring of Medusa and Poseidon, steed of Bellerophontes. Pegasus was a physical manifestation of Bellerophontes’ heroic nature.
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Titanomachy
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The period of conflict between the Titans and the Gods. Zeus’ release and recruitment of the Cyclopes and Hundred Handers represents an atonement for the original sin.
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Gigantomachy
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A war of the Gods and Men against Giants. It represents the rise of heroes and mankind in Greek mythology. Struggle against Chaos. Won w/ prophecy.
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Polytheistic
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A system with multiple gods.
By definition no god is omnipotent or omniscient |
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Paradigm
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A story that explains why a certain ritual or practice is done.
Tells us about greek culture and why certain practices are valued. |