How do I stop mixing up Greek and Roman gods?

Put the Greek name on one side of the card and the Roman name on the other, with the domain. Lumi asks them in both directions.

Do I need the stories or only the names?

Both. One card per episode, with who, what and why, gives the names some meaning. Revise a little each day (Cepeda et al., 2006).

Can I revise Norse or Egyptian mythology?

Yes. The principles are the same, you write the cards for the mythology you care about and Lumi asks them back.

Study by subject

Mythology

In mythology you learn the Greek gods and their Roman equivalents, the heroes, the episodes and the attributes by heart. Lumi asks who is who and who does what until the names stop blurring together.

How to turn this subject into cards

Make one card per god with the Greek name, the Roman name, the domain and the attribute, for example Poseidon, Neptune, the sea, the trident. Add one card per hero and one per episode, with who does what and why. The trap is mixing up the Greek and Roman names, which refer to the same gods. So ask in both directions, from the Greek name to the Roman one and back. Pulling the answer from memory before seeing it fixes it better than rereading (Karpicke and Roediger, 2008). Go back to your cards at spaced intervals, because spacing makes you remember longer (Cepeda et al., 2006).

What you need to know by heart

Greek gods with their Roman equivalent, Zeus and Jupiter, Athena and Minerva.
Each god’s domain, sea, war, love, wisdom.
Attributes, thunderbolt, trident, caduceus, bow.
Heroes and their feats, Heracles, Perseus, Theseus, Odysseus.
Great episodes, the Trojan War, the Minotaur, Pandora’s box.

How Lumi helps you remember it

You teach your cards to Lumi, gods, Roman equivalents, heroes, attributes. It forgets over time, like you do, then quizzes you right before you would forget. As the deadline approaches, the Mist settles over what you know less well and Lumi asks that first. You arrive able to say who is who without hesitating, not only to recognise a name.

Example cards

Three cards the way you would write them, with the answer Lumi expects.

What is the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite?
Venus.
Who is the Greek god of war?
Ares, called Mars by the Romans.
Which hero killed the Minotaur?
Theseus.

Example card

Try it, Lumi turns it into fill in the blank questions in your browser.

study-card.txt

Mythology · teach this card to Lumi

Zeus, king of the Greek gods, becomes Jupiter for the Romans. Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom. Poseidon rules the sea and carries a trident. Heracles completes twelve labours.

Lumi’s question

Zeus, king of the Greek gods, becomes _____ for the Romans.

Pick the missing word

1 / 4

All subjects

Preview

Answer right to light Lumi up

Its lamp fades when a fact slips away.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop mixing up Greek and Roman gods?: Put the Greek name on one side of the card and the Roman name on the other, with the domain. Lumi asks them in both directions.
Do I need the stories or only the names?: Both. One card per episode, with who, what and why, gives the names some meaning. Revise a little each day (Cepeda et al., 2006).
Can I revise Norse or Egyptian mythology?: Yes. The principles are the same, you write the cards for the mythology you care about and Lumi asks them back.

Sources

Karpicke, Roediger (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865). doi.org/10.1126/science.1152408
Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, Rohrer (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks. A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3). doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354

Teach this to Lumi

Give Lumi your mythology notes, it gives them back as questions at the right moment.

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