CLASSICAL GREEK MYTHOLOGY MYTHOLOGY
• Greek word MYTHOS !
- means “word, speech, tale or story”!
• Culture!
- Oral Tradition MYTH VS. FACT
• The thought of myth as untruth, fiction, or a lie is a most misleading definition MYTH VS. FACT
• Faith in absolutes can be easily shattered!
• Superseded Theories:!
- Astronomy!
• Ptolemaic System: rendered obsolete by Copernicus’ Heliocentric model!
• Copernican System: rendered obsolete by Isaac Newton!
• Newtonian Gravity: superseded by general relativity theory!
- Medicine!
• Four Bodily Humours (Shakespeare)!
- Geography/Geology!
• Flat earth theory, expanding earth theory (superseded by the subduction theory) MYTH VS. FACT
• Myth reflects the “inner landscape” which is the soul of man.!
• “Myth is much more important and true than history. History is just journalism and you know how reliable that is.”!
• Joseph Campbell (Hero With A Thousand Faces)!
• “Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is fully known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.” MYTH & RELIGION
• Polytheistic!
• These myth stories were primarily concerned with the gods and humans, and the relationship that they shared!
• Included tales of the afterlife EOS & TITHONUS EOS & TITHONUS
• Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. ETIOLOGY
• The cause or origins of phenomenon ETIOLOGY
• Myths attempt to explain:!
- Physical! - Emotional! - Spiritual matters!
• Not only literally and realistically, but figuratively and metaphorically as well. ETYMOLOGY
• The origins of words or parts of words TANTALUS TANTALUS SO......
• Don’t be a blasphemous, cannibalistic, baby murderer ... no matter how yummy they look. LAST THOUGHTS...
• Myths attempt to explain the origin of our physical world: the earth and the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars; where human beings came from and the dichotomy between body and soul; the source of beauty and goodness, and of evil and sin; and the nature and meaning of love. THE CREATION MYTH
• In the beginning, there was KAOS THE GREEK CONCEPTION OF EARTH
• Gaia (jee’ uh)!
- Earth goddess!
• Ouranus THE SPAWN OF GAIA & OURANUS
• 12 Titans THE SPAWN OF GAIA & OURANUS
• 3 Cyclopses THE SPAWN OF GAIA & OURANUS
• 3 Hecatonchires THE NEW KING
• Cronus and Rhea!
• Cronus hates his freak brothers - locks them up in Tartarus THE NEW KING
• Rhea gives birth to 5 children: Olympians!
• Cronus eats ‘em up one at a time THE NEW KING
• A sixth Olympian is born!
• Rhea gives Cronus a swaddled rock, and saves Zeus THE RETURN OF ZEUS
• Zeus is Cronus’ cup bearer!
• Poisons Cronus!
• Cronus regurgitates Olympians!
• Epic battle ensues THE EPIC BATTLE (TITANOMACHY)
• 10 years: Zeus and the Olympians vs. the Titans !
• Zeus frees the Cyclopses, the Hecatonchires - changes the tide of the war!
• Zeus defeats Cronus THE PUNISHMENT OF THE TITANS
• Locked up in Tartarus!
• Special punishment for Atlas UP NEXT... THE OLYMPIANS & THE DAWN OF MANKIND THE OLYMPIANS THE SIX ORIGINAL OLYMPIANS
• Hestia (sometimes)!
• Demeter!
• Hera!
• Hades!
• Poseidon!
• Zeus HESTIA (ROMAN - VESTA)
• The goddess of the hearth and its fire!
• Renounced all sexual love; swore an oath of eternal chastity!
• Never left Olympus; played no part in the stories of mythology!
• Was nonetheless honoured as a central deity that was worshipped in every home and in all the temples of the gods DEMETER (ROMAN - CERES)
• Goddess of the crops - sustainer of life to men and beast alike!
• With brother Zeus, bore Persephone!
• Principal myth: The Rape of Persephone!
• 4 months of every year, when Persephone is in the Underworld, Demeter refused to let things grow!
• Temperamental: turned Ascalabus into a lizard for calling her greedy, and cursed Erysichthon with a hunger so strong that he died by gnawing away at his own flesh HERA (ROMAN - JUNO)
• Goddess of marriage and childbirth!
• Sister and wife of Zeus!
• With Zeus, bore two Olympians: Ares and Hephaestus, though some myths of Hephaestus being born of Hera alone!
• Had major marital problems (ironic) due to Zeus’ infidelity!
• Capricious, vindictive and jealous, Hera often persecuted both Zeus’ lovers and the children that they bore (i.e. Heracles, Semele, Leto)!
! HERA (ROMAN - JUNO)
• Punished mortals when offended (i.e. after the Judgement of Paris, Hera sided with the Greeks against the Trojans; Hera also set the monstrous Sphinx upon Thebes after being dishonoured)!
• Often portrayed in art carrying a sceptre and wearing a crown!
• Her royal bird is the peacock, whose tail-feathers are decorated with the many eyes of “All-Seeing Argus”, who was slain at the hands of Hermes HADES (ROMAN - PLUTO) • King of the Underworld, which itself is often called Hades!
• When the sons of Cronus divided the universe, they kept the earth and Olympus common ground; Zeus took the heavens as his domain, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the misty darkness of the Underworld!
• Ruled over the dead!
• Grim and sinister, but in no way evil or Satanic, just as his kingdom bore no resemblance to the Christian Hell!
• Only occasionally allowed the dead to journey back to earth (i.e. Protesilaus, Sisyphus, and Orpheus’ wife Eurydice) HADES (ROMAN - PLUTO)
• Principal Myth: The Rape of Persephone!
• Had a mistress named Menthe, who was trampled underfoot by Persephone, turning her into the mint plant!
• Possessed a cap of darkness which conferred invisibility on the wearer; he often lent it out. (i.e Athena, Hermes, Perseus)!
• Had only a small cult as he had little to do with the living!
• Rarely represented in classical art POSEIDON (ROMAN - NEPTUNE) • The god of the Sea!
• Fearsome rage brought violent storms and earthquakes!
• Often referred to as “Earth Shaker”!
• From the Iliad (13:23-30) “He harnessed to his chariot his two bronze-shod horses, swift of foot, with long, streaming manes of gold. Himself clothed in gold, he seized his well-wrought golden whip, then climbing into his chariot he drove across the waves. On every side, from the deeps of the sea, came dolphins, playing in his path, acknowledging their lord, and the sea parted in joy, cleaving a path before him. So swiftly sped the horses that never once was the axle of bronze beneath made wet with foam.” POSEIDON (ROMAN - NEPTUNE)
• Loved to “woo” goddesses and mortal women alike!
• Married a Nereid named Amphitrite, who bore the merman named Triton!
• One of the most prolific gods, fathering numerous children with many mistresses!
• Many of his children adopted his violent and vindictive nature (i.e. Sciron, Sinis, Cercyon, Amycus, Orion, Polyphemus) POSEIDON (ROMAN - NEPTUNE)
• Also the god of horses!
• Was a shape-shifter (i.e. ram, bull, dolphin, bird)!
• Showed favour to mortals in peculiar ways (i.e. after raping Caenis, upon her request, turned her into a man and made her invulnerable)!
• Also punished mortals for dishonouring him (i.e. Odysseus is kept from sailing home after he blinded Polyphemus)!
• Popular in ancient art - most famous attribute is the trident, but often holding fish, surrounded by sea creatures ZEUS (ROMAN - JUPITER OR JOVE)
• King of the gods!
• God of the sky: rain, hail, snow, and thunderstorms!
• Weapon was the thunderbolt - the symbol of power and invincibility over gods and men alike!
• Was almost overthrown several times (even by his brother, Poseidon, but remained king-god forever)!
• Attributed as the father of men (though some myths give this title to Prometheus)!
• Married to Hera, though unfaithful and prolific... ZEUS (ROMAN - JUPITER OR JOVE)
• Olympian Gods born from Zeus!
• With Metis, who bore him Athena !
• With Leto, who bore him Apollo and Artemis!
• With Maia, who bore him Hermes!
• With Semele, who bore him Dionysus ZEUS (ROMAN - JUPITER OR JOVE)
• Seduced many mortal women - often in disguise to fool them, but also to evade his jealous and nagging wife, Hera (i.e. as a swan, a shower of gold, a white bull, even as other immortals and mortals)!
• The god of law and justice, Zeus frequently punished transgressors (i.e. Prometheus, Tithonus, Ixion, Sisyphus, Tityus)!
• Appears in ancient art as dignified, bearded, often holding a thunderbolt, or a sceptre, sometimes accompanied by an eagle!
• Writings speak of a colossal statue of Zeus, wrought in ivory and gold, and was judged to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. THE OTHER OLYMPIANS • Athena!
• Apollo!
• Artemis!
• Hermes!
• Hephaestus!
• Ares!
• Aphrodite!
• Dionysus ATHENA (ROMAN - MINERVA) • Virgin goddess of war and handicrafts!
• Presided over the disciplined and rational use of war to protect communities!
• Protectress of many cities!
• Patron goddess of Athens after defeating Poseidon in a contest!
• Depicted wearing full armed, with helmet, aegis (goatskin cape infringed with snakes and decorated with the Gorgon’s head), spear and shield, and often with a wise owl on her shoulder!
• Presided over women’s work of spinning and weaving, but also men’s work of carpentry, metal work, and pottery ATHENA (ROMAN - MINERVA)
• Born from Zeus‘ head after he swallowed her mother during pregnancy; she was freed when Hephaestus chopped open Zeus‘ head with an axe. Athena came out, fully armed, shouting a war cry that resounded throughout the heavens!
• Mostly benevolent when dealing with mortals (i.e. punished Teiresias for seeing her bathing naked, but gave him the gift of prophecy; punished Arachne for presuming to challenge her in a weaving contest, but then turned her into a spider so that Arachne could weave forever)!
• Notably, she helped Perseus defeat the Gorgon, Medusa, helped Bellerophon tame the wild Pegasus, helps Heracles during his exploits, and also befriends and aids Odysseus throughout the Odyssey APOLLO (ROMAN - APOLLO)
• God of prophecy and divination, the patron of music and the arts, and the leader of the Muses!
• Known as the “shining one”, came to be known as the sun god in the 5th century BCE, and often identified with Helios!
• Also, god of healing and archery (“Lord of the Silver Bow”)!
• Plays a part in many myths through prophecy!
• Punished those who offended him (i.e. Marsyas, Midas)!
• Fathered many mortal children (i.e. Asclepius the healer) APOLLO (ROMAN - APOLLO)
• Despite these children, was often unlucky in love (i.e. Cassandra, who was offered the gift of prophesy for her “favours”, but changed her mind at the last minute. Apollo left her with the power to foretell the future truly, but the curse that no one would ever believe her)!
• The oracle at Delphi - famous throughout myth (perhaps most notably with Oedipus), as well as throughout history!
• Seen in art as young, beardless, often naked - the epitome of male beauty; he is often holding a lyre and bow ARTEMIS (ROMAN - DIANA) • Virgin goddess of hunting and of women, particularly during the time of childbirth!
• Also known as the protectress of wild nature and all young living things!
• Sister of Apollo, she too was a great archer-deity, often shooting those who wronged her or those she loved (i.e. the daughters of Niobe, Coronis)!
• Punished mortals for wrong-doings (i.e. Actaeon who saw her bathing naked - she turned him into a deer, and Actaeon’s hunting hounds devoured him)!
• Appears frequently in ancient art carrying a bow and arrows, wearing animal skins and accompanied by animals, especially deer HERMES (ROMAN - MERCURY) • Was the gods’ herald and messenger!
• Principle myths: the stealing of Apollo’s sheep, the invention of the lyre, and the killing of Argus!
• He was the god of travellers, and led the souls of the deceased down to Hades!
• Clever and full of trickery, Hermes was also the god of merchants and thieves, as well as luck and athletics!
• Never married, though had many children (i.e. Pan, Hermaphrodite)!
• Seen in art carrying his herald staff, wearing an oft winged wide- brimmed hat, and winged sandals HEPHAESTUS (ROMAN - VULCAN)
• God of the forge: metalworking and fire!
• Volcanoes are his forges!
• Devine master craftsman, known for creating Pandora, armour for Achilles, Heracles, and Zeus, the net that ensnared Aphrodite and Ares, the chair that bound Hera, the bronze fire-breathing bulls of Aeetes, etc.!
• Principal myth: his birth and rejection, though played undeniably important roles in many myths!
• In art, he often wields an axe or blacksmith’s tongs ARES (ROMAN - MARS)
• The god of war!
• Arguably more worshipped by the Romans than the Greeks, Ares still held importance in Greek mythology!
• Stands for bloodlust and the mindless frenzy of battle!
• Delighted in the blood and slaughter, relished in the tumult, confusion and horror of war!
• Had sons Phobos and Deimos (Terror and Fear)!
• Unpopular both on earth and on Olympus ARES (ROMAN - MARS)
• Was never married, but had many affairs: perhaps most notably with Aphrodite, both of whom were caught up in Hephaestus’ invisible net and were put on display for all the gods to witness their infidelity!
• Bore many children who took on Ares’ belligerent nature (i.e. Cycnus, who cut off the heads of passing strangers)!
• Typically portrayed in classical art as a bystander, but sometimes depicted in Hephaestus’ net with Aphrodite APHRODITE (ROMAN - VENUS) • The goddess of erotic love, beauty, and sexual desire!
• Sometimes believed to be the daughter of Zeus and Dione!
• More commonly believed to have originated from the foam in the sea where Ouranus’ genitalia were thrown (aphros = foam)!
• Married to Hephaestus, though no stranger to affairs with gods and mortals alike (i.e. Ares - who fathered Eros, and Adonis)!
• With the power of love, meddled in the affairs of others, aiding lovers, or punishing those who rejected love!
• Notably, she helped spark the Trojan War!
• Famous sculpture - Aphrodite of Melos (Venus de Milo) DIONYSUS (ROMAN - BACCHUS)
• The god of wine and intoxication!
• The god of ritual madness, and ecstatic liberation from everyday identity!
• Homer calls him “a joy for mortals” as he embodied the essence of excess and a release from the constraints of morality!
• Also the god of theatre and impersonation!
• Had a strong cult of followers, who would go onto the mountainside to participate in wild frenzy rituals, which often included sacrifices, orgies, and other crazy behaviours DIONYSUS (ROMAN - BACCHUS)
• His train of followers include Satyrs!
• Drove mortals mad if they refused to recognize his divinity (i.e. the daughters of Minyas, who were terrified and tore their children to pieces)!
• Etiology - Dolphins!
• Actively involved in the myth of King Midas!
• In ancient art, Dionysus is depicted most frequently of all the gods, with his drinking vessel, and ivy wreath. He is often accompanied by his followers. Post 430 BCE, he is presented as young and beardless and either naked or half-naked THE CREATION OF MAN & THE WOES OF THE WORLD
• The Titan Prometheus!
• Name means “forethought” PROMETHEUS
• Prometheus tricked Zeus at a dinner of gods and men (no women at this point)!
• Zeus punished men by withholding fire!
• Prometheus stole the heavenly fire in a fennel stick, and gives it to man PANDORA
• Again angered, Zeus devises a new punishment!
• He has Hephaestus create the first woman out of earth and water; she was beautiful, alluring, and drop dead sexy!
• Her name was Pandora (All-Gifts)!
• Each god and goddess gave her a special gift (Athena dressed her and taught her crafts, Aphrodite showered beauty all over her, and Hermes, the trickster, put in her heart the nature of cunning and deceit.)!
• Finally, Zeus gave her a beautiful jar, but warned her to never open it EPIMETHEUS
• Zeus sent Pandora, not to Prometheus, who was too clever to be tricked, but rather to his brother Epimetheus, whom Prometheus warned to never accept gifts from the gods!
• Moved by her beauty, Epimetheus took Pandora as his bride!
• Soon, Pandora’s curiosity with the jar grew, until it was too much for her to bear!
• She lifted the lid, and out came sorrows and disease and hard- labour, previously unknown to man, now forever amongst them!
• Only one thing remained in the jar, and that was hope EARLY SEXISM
• This account not only explains the troubles of the world, but it is also a commentary on the views of women at the time!
• Indeed, Hesiod, a famous ancient writing, said this, “Don’t be deceived by a wheedling, sweet-talking woman, flaunting her body. She’s only after your barn. Anyone who trusts a woman, is trusting a cheat” (Works and Days, 373-5) PROMETHEUS’ PUNISHMENT
• Another account of Prometheus tells us that the Titan was bound to a rock, where Zeus sent an eagle that tore out Prometheus’ liver!
• Every night, his liver would grow back, so that his torment might continue!
• That is, until Heracles came along... THE FIVE AGES OF MAN
• Age of Gold!
• Age of Silver!
• Age of Bronze!
• Age of Heroes!
• Age of Iron AGE OF GOLD
• A golden race of mortal humans!
• Existed when Cronus was king in heaven!
• Lived as gods with carefree hearts completely without toil or trouble!
• The land was fertile and fruitful, over abundant with fruit and crops and flocks!
• Lived in harmony with all living things!
• Did not endure terrible old age!
• Simply died as if overcome by sleep!
• Acted as holy spirits that wander the earth, warding off evils AGE OF SILVER
• Olympians made the second race of man!
• Inferior to those of the Golden Age, both mentally and physically!
• Lived only a short period of time!
• Arrogant, they failed to acknowledge and worship the immortals!
• In anger, Zeus hid them away until the earth covered over them!
• Although second, they are still considered blessed and are honoured AGE OF BRONZE
• Zeus then made another race of mortals, not like those of the Silver Age!
• They were mighty and terrible, living out the painful and violent deeds of Ares!
• They were made of bronze, lived in bronze houses and used bronze tools!
• When they were destroyed by their own hands, they went down into the dark house of Hades AGE OF HEROES • Once gone, Zeus made a fourth race!
• Valiant in war and more just than those of the Bronze Age, these were a godlike race of heroic men called demi-gods, and who preceded our own race on the vast earth!
• Evil war and dread battle destroyed many of them!
• Some, Zeus sent to live their eternal lives on the Islands of the Blessed (also known as Elysium)!
• Honour and glory attend them as they eat honey-sweet fruits and drink from fresh streams!
• Ruled by Cronus, who was freed from Tartarus for this task AGE OF IRON • Zeus made yet another race who live on the nourishing planet!
• They never cease from toil and woe by day, nor from being destroyed in the night!
• Good and evil will be mingled; a father will not be in harmony with is children, nor guest with host, nor friend with friend, nor brother with brother!
• They will have little little respect for the gods!
• One city will destroy another; mortals will praise the arrogance and wickedness of others!
• Zeus will destroy this race of mortals as well THE HEROES
Heracles Perseus Theseus
Bellerophon Oedipus Jason HEROIC MYTHS
• Tend to be about mortals!
• Represent the aristocratic class (aristos - the best; cratos - power)!
• The power of the best: best fighter, best runner, the most clever!
• The best fighters who fought for the villages and towns in single combat!
• Often these heroes are related somehow to the gods FOLKLORIC ELEMENTS
• Contain recognizable motifs (recurring elements)!
• Such as ‘the hero enters a dark cave...’ (A young man, entering a dark place where he is often sealed inside, faces a terrible danger, receives enlightenment or knowledge allowing him to defeat the danger, escapes back into the world a better man)!
• Reentering the womb, being reeducated, and being spat out the other side as a man!
• They find their way into myth in various ways: using items imbued with magical power, escape from danger using strength or trickery, or a moral battle with a terrible monster AN APPROACH TO MYTH: FUNCTIONALISM • Charters of social customs and beliefs, often dealing with cultural taboos!
• Many of these myths are about crossing the line and what will happen if you do: we see this element in Tragedy!
• Tragedy is often seen as a cathartic experience (healing/learning through suffering)!
• In these plays, actors put on masks and cross the line for the audience to show them what is on the other side!
• No one really wants you to marry your mother, or cause the mass death of Troy because of your arrogance and petulance. But because we can see other characters walk through these experiences, we can become educated and learn what lies beyond the boundaries of our own taboos! HERACLES
• Considered the greatest of all Greek heroes!
• A man of superhuman strength, prowess and fortitude; a man also of violent passions and a tremendous voracity for food, wine, and sex!
• Lived an arduous life of toil and hardship, purging the world of monsters and evildoers; he was rewarded after death with immortality among the gods!
• Easily recognizable in art by his impenetrable lion-skin cape, club and bow HERACLES (THE EARLY YEARS)
• Born to Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of Amphitryon (Zeus seduced Alcmene in the guise of her own husband, just before Amphitryon himself came to her bed)!
• She bore two children from that double encounter, but it was clear from the beginning who possessed divine power!
• Hera despised Heracles, and sent two serpents into his cradle, both of which he strangled!
• Hera’s spite sparked many of Heracles’ toils HERACLES (THE HEROIC FEATS)
• Made love to the 50 daughters of Thespius (in some versions he did this in one night), fathered a child with each, and twins with the oldest and youngest daughters!
• Made a choice between two beautiful woman, Vice and Virtue. Vice promised a path of pleasure, while Virtue promised a long and difficult path of duty and labour. After much deliberation, he chose the path of Virtue!
• Killed king Erginus and vanquished his army single- handedly!
• Married Megara, who bore Heracles several children HERACLES (HERA’S CURSE)
• Hera afflicted Heracles with madness, and he killed his children and his wife!
• After returning to sanity, Heracles sought purification for his deeds at the Oracle at Delphi!
• He was told to go to Tiryns and serve its king for 12 years, carrying out whatever tasks were imposed on him by the king. The completion of these tasks would grant him immortality!
• He was well equipped: a bow and arrows from Apollo, a sword from Hermes, a golden breastplate from Hephaestus, horses from Poseidon, a robe from Athena, and a club he fashioned for himself HERACLES (THE 12 LABOURS) The The The! The The The Stables Nemean Ceryneian Erymanthian Stymphalian ! Hydra of Augeas Lion Hind Boar Birds
The! The The Golden The The Belt of The Cattle of Cretan Mares of Apples of Hellhound Hippolyte Geryon Bull! Diomedes Hesperides Cerberus
• Heracles came to a tragic end, accidentally killed by a jealous lover, who smeared his cloak with poisonous hydra blood instead of what she believed was a love-charm, effectively burning away his flesh. He had only enough time to arrange his own funeral pyre before he died!
• In death, he is granted immortality and makes amends with Hera PERSEUS
• Perseus’ mother, Danae, was locked away by king Acrisius of Argos, because a prophesy bespoke of her son killing the king!
• Zeus came to her as a shower of golden rain, through an aperture in her cell - Perseus was the result of their union!
• Incredulous, Acrisius put both Danae and her baby in a wooden chest, and sent them out to sea to die; the chest was rescued by fishermen, and Danae and Perseus were saved!
• Principal myth: Retrieving the head of the Gorgon, Medusa PERSEUS
• Aided by Athena and Hermes, Perseus first visited the 3 Graeae (‘Old Women’), sisters of the Gorgons, and who shared one eye, and one tooth!
• Perseus stole their eye until they told him where to find Medusa !
• Armed with winged sandals and a scimitar from Hermes, the cap of darkness from Hades, a shield from Athena, and a special bag for the Gorgon’s head, Perseus was ready for his task!
• The Gorgon Medusa would turn any being to stone if they looked into her eyes. Perseus cunningly used the reflection from the shield to find and slay Medusa, chopping off her head PERSEUS
• The eyes on Medusa’s decapitated head remained open, leaving her gaze as deadly a weapon as ever (i.e. Perseus lithified Atlas = Atlas mountains, Phineus, Polydectes)!
• On his way back home, he stopped in Ethiopia, where he saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to a rock on the sea-shore, offered as a sacrifice for her mother’s boastfulness; he instantly fell in love!
• Perseus slew the terrible sea monster sent by Poseidon to devour Andromeda, not with Medusa’s deadly gaze, but with Hermes’ scimitar PERSEUS
• With his journey over, Perseus returned the gifts to Hermes, but gave Athena Medusa’s head, who put it onto either her shield or her aegis (as seen in classical art)!
• Later, during some funeral games, Perseus (accidentally) killed his grandfather with a discus, thus fulfilling the prophecy!
• Settled and founded Mycenae!
• Was the great-grandfather of Heracles!
• Perseus was a popular subject in post-classical art THESEUS
• Son of Aegeus, King of Athens, and of Aethra (though Poseidon also visited her bed that fateful night, so many believe him to be the son of a god)!
• Born with an heroic spirit, embarked on journey of adventure as soon as he was old enough and strong enough to remove father’s sword and shoes from beneath a large stone!
• The young hero battled ferocious savages, paying them back with the same wickedness they bestowed on others (i.e. Periphetes ‘the club- bearer’, Sinis ‘the pine-bender’, Sciron ‘the cliff-side bandit’, Cercyon ‘the wrestler’, and Procrustes ‘the inn-keeper’). THESEUS • Faced a poisoned cup at the hands of Medea!
• Slew the Minotaur (monster with human body and bull’s head) to stop the yearly human sacrifices!
• Helped by Ariadne to navigate the labyrinth !
• Theseus also achieved fame as one of Jason’s Argonauts, a band of adventurous heroes!
• Had many love interests - the daughters of Minos, an Amazon queen, Helen of Sparta, and even Persephone (though Hades tricked him into sitting down, trapping him there; Theseus was only freed during Heracles’ trip to the underworld)!
• Died after being tricked and pushed off of a cliff BELLEROPHON
• A gallant young warrior!
• He himself delivered a letter from Proetus to Iobates, which praised Bellerophon as an unconquerable hero, but then requested Bellerophon to be put to death - a Bellerphonic letter!
• Iobates reluctantly sent Bellerophon to fight the Chimaera (blended creature of lion, goat, and snake), a match for any man!
• He easily defeated the monster after taming the winged horse, Pegasus, and attacking it from above!
• Was sent on other epic tasks; he accomplished these ahorse Pegasus - depicted as such in ancient art ORPHEUS • A supreme singer and musician; so skilled he could entrance all of nature, taming savage beasts and moving rocks and trees!
• Accompanied the Argonauts on their expedition, lulling the waves and soothing the crew with his music!
• The son of Apollo or Thracian Oeagrus, and one of the muses!
• Best known for his decent into the Underworld to fetch back his wife Eurydice, during which his musical ways had various effects upon the different hearers in the Underworld.!
• Hades and Persephone delighted in his music, and allowed Eurydice to return with Orpheus to the land of the living, on one condition…he was not to look back upon her until they reached the light of the sun. !
• Of course, he looked at her too early, and she died a second death. ORPHEUS • Orpheus tried to retrieve her a second time, but his way was now barred!
• Distraught, Orpheus wandered throughout the land, mourning his lost love!
• Finally, Orpheus was torn to pieces by Thracian women (or Maenads). There are many motives given for their bloodthirsty massacre, but perhaps the most popular one is as follows:!
• Each one of these women wanted a piece of Orpheus for herself, and they tore him apart in the resultant squabble!
• They say his head was tossed into a river, where it floated, still singing, down the stream!
• In death, Orpheus’ shade passed once more to Hades, where he was reunited with his wife, able now to walk with her and gaze his fill, no longer fearing to loser her by an incautious glance OEDIPUS (THE TRAGIC HERO)
• Son of Laius, King of Thebes, and Jocasta!
• Famously written about in Greek tragedy as the man who unwittingly killed his own father, married his mother, had four children with her (after which, once the incest was learned, she killed herself), plucked out his own eyes in disgrace, and wandered the world a polluted exile until death (accompanied only by his steadfast daughter)!
• Myth and Psychology: The Oedipus Complex OEDIPUS (THE TRAGIC HERO)
• Name means ‘swollen foot’, given to him because his feet were pierced together as a baby!
• His tragedy began with Laius receiving a prophecy - that his son would kill him!
• Fearful of this, Laius pierced his newborn son’s feet together, and gave him to a servant to be taken into the wilderness to die!
• Of course, he survived, and was raised in Corinth by two loving foster parents OEDIPUS (THE TRAGIC HERO)
• As an young adult, he too received a prophecy: that he would kill his father and marry his mother, whom he believed were his Corinthian parents!
• Upon hearing this, he ran away from Corinth, and thus began fulfilling the prophesies!
• He traveled towards Thebes. At a place where ‘three roads meet’ Oedipus ran into some other travellers, one of tried to bully him off the road. Oedipus killed him and his attendants in anger. This was, indeed, Laius. OEDIPUS (THE TRAGIC HERO)
• Arriving at Thebes, he saw a monstrous Sphinx who was ravaging the city, devouring anyone who failed to correctly answer this riddle: There is on the earth, a two-footed, four-footed, and three- footed thing with a single name!
• Oedipus bravely answered the riddle (man), destroying the Sphinx, and receiving kingship of Thebes as a reward, including receiving the hand of the recently widowed queen!
• Later, a plague strikes Thebes, and an oracle tells that the man who killed Laius must either be banished or killed; Oedipus begins the investigation that leads to his own demise... JASON (& MEDEA)
• Son of King Aeson of Iolcus, and whose uncle, Pelias, refused to hand over the crown to Jason until he had completed a task: retrieving a mythical Golden Fleece kept in an enchanted wood and guarded by a dragon!
• Hired shipbuilder, Argus, to build a seaworthy vessel: Argo!
• Also invited heroes and demigods to join him (i.e. Heracles, Theseus, Orpheus, and Nestor)!
• It was a long journey beset by dangers!
• Retrieved the fleece with the help of the sorceress Medea JASON (& MEDEA)
• He fled back home with Medea as his bride (whom helped slow their pursuers by scattering the body parts of her brother)!
• Arrived home to an exterminated family at the hands of Pelias!
• Medea worked on Pelias’ demise by tricking his daughters into killing him!
• According to Euripides’ play, Jason left Medea for another woman (Medea killed this new bride and her father, and also the children that Medea bore Jason, for this would cause him the most pain)!
• His life in shambles, it is said that Jason died as a beam from his rotting old ship, the Argo, fell onto his head...wah wah waaaah HEROES OF THE TROJAN WAR
Achilles Hector Ajax Odysseus
1194 BCE - 1184 BCE ACHILLES
• The son of Peleus, King of Phthia in Thessaly, and the sea-goddess, Thetis!
• His mother tried to make him immortal, but was only mostly successful!
• She either tried to burn off his mortality in a fire and then anoint him with ambrosia from the gods - a task left incomplete as Peleus angrily interfered...!
• Or, she dipped him into the River Styx, making him completely invulnerable, except for the heel by which she held him!
• Etymologies: Achilles’ heel - someone’s weak spot; Achilles’ Tendon ACHILLES (THE EARLY YEARS)
• Was reared and educated by Cheiron, a wise centaur!
• Taught him music, hunting, medicine, and the art of war!
• Fed him the entrails of lions and wild boars to instil in him strength and courage!
• Achilles learned to be fleet of foot - could overtake a deer!
• When older, went back home - became best friends with Patroclus!
• Meanwhile, elements were taking place that would inexorably bring about the Trojan war ACHILLES (THE EARLY YEARS) • His divine mother knew this war was brewing, and knew that, if he went, he would die there!
• So, she dressed him up as a girl, and sent him off to go serve with a court of women on the island of Scyros!
• When the Greeks were gathering troops, the cunning Odysseus tricked Achilles into revealing his identity (by sounding a war trumpet - Achilles sprang into action)!
• Achilles eagerly joined the Greek’s war efforts, though he swore no oaths to fight for Greece. He brought 50 ships from his own kingdom as well as his Myrmidons and Patroclus!
• Note: on the way to Troy, he offends Apollo ACHILLES
Sing, Muse, the wrath of Peleus’ son, Achilles,! the accursed wrath that brought countless sorrows! on the Greeks, hurled down to Hades the souls! of many brave heroes, and left their corpses a prey! for the dogs, and all the birds...! !
• Thus begins The Iliad by Homer... ACHILLES
• Achilles wanted more than anything to receive fame or glory (folkloric element for heroes)!
• In the first book of the Iliad, he is actually upset because he feels he is not going to receive fame or glory!
• He makes a deal that he is going to die young, but he is always going to be remembered!
• The bard would tell or sing these stories, then they were written down, and in a way, heroes like Achilles never die!
• Memory, who is a semi-divine goddess in mythology is very potent, keeping us alive in the memory of others!
• Today, Achilles lives because I am telling you about him, 3-4000 years later HECTOR
• A prince of Troy, eldest son of King Priam and Hecuba, husband to Andromache, and the greatest of the Trojan heroes!
• Homer depicts him as noble and compassionate, though fierce, disciplined, and courageous on the battlefield!
• He was the captain of the guard, leading the Trojan army into battle; he killed the first Greek to set foot on the Trojan beach!
• Challenges Ajax to single combat. The duel is inconclusive, and they part in friendship and respect, exchanging gifts - Hector’s sword for Ajax’s sword-belt HECTOR
Then glorious Hector leapt inside, his face! like the onset of night. He gleamed in fearful bronze! that girded his skin, and brandished two spears.! No one but a god could have come against him! and stopped him as he burst through the gates,! his eyes blazing with fire. Turning, he shouted ! to the mass of Trojans to climb over the wall! and they obeyed his order (12-462-71) AJAX
• A.k.a. the Great Ajax, son of Telamon, King of Salamis!
• Telamon’s friend, Heracles, prayed to Zeus that Telamon would have a brave son!
• It is said that Heracles even wrapped the baby Ajax in his Nemean lion cape, and wherever it touched his skin, he became invulnerable - only one vital spot on his side was missed!
• Ajax was one of the many suitors of Helen!
• He was bound, as were all the suitors of Helen, to honour her marriage rights of Helen’s chosen husband Menelaus, and later followed him to Troy to fight AJAX
• Ajax is huge, towering head and shoulders over the other Greeks!
• He carries a massive shield, seven ox-hides thick and covered in bronze, and wields a massive spear!
• Close friend of Achilles, though a man of actions not words!
• First on the battlefield, and last off, even when he believed he was going to die - he was relentless ODYSSEUS
• King of Ithaca, husband of the faithful Penelope!
• The hero of the Odyssey and one of the most famous characters in the whole of ancient myth!
• Joined as one of the many suitors of Helen, though bowed out early and married Penelope!
• The fateful oath to serve Helen’s husband brought Odysseus to Troy, and away from home for 20 years!
• Odysseus tried to avoid subscription by acting mad (wearing a madman’s cap, ploughing the fields with two different kinds of animals yoked together, and sowing salt). ODYSSEUS
• He recruited the young Achilles!
• Used eloquence, diplomacy, and cunning, as well as physical strength and courage!
• “When he let loose his great voice from his chest, and the words fell like winter snowflakes, then no man alive could rival Odysseus” (3-221-3)!
• After the war, set off home, but encountered 10 years of trials chronicled in The Odyssey THE TROJAN WAR HOW IT ALL BEGAN
• The judgment of Paris...!
• At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, all the gods and goddesses were invited, except for Eris (strife)!
• The apple: for the fairest!
• Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all argued!
• Zeus appointed Paris, a prince of Troy, to judge; he was bribed by each!
• Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, who was the wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta THE MASSING OF THE FLEETS • Helen (thanks to Aphrodite) easily fell for Paris, and he whisked her away to Troy!
• Furious, Menelaus sought the aid of his brother, Agamemnon (King of Mycenae), who called in the oaths of Helen’s suitors to join armies, and retrieve Helen by force !
• Once the army was amassed, they attempted to sail from Aulis, but unfavourable winds kept them ashore!
• A seer interpreted this as Athena’s anger, and Agamemnon’s virgin daughter must be sacrificed...and so she was; the winds then blew rightly and the army sailed towards Troy GREECE VS. TROY WAR
• Peaceful envoy to retrieve Helen fails!
• War breaks out, but the Trojans stay in their impregnable fortress, while the Greeks lay siege for 9 years!
• On the 10th year, Achilles removes himself from the fighting, because the arrogant Agamemnon steals his concubine, Briseis!
• With Achilles out of the action, the Trojans gain heart and attack the Greeks on the plain, pushing them back to the beach. Hector led the charge, and Ajax was the last man back, calling his comrades to courage RETRIBUTION • The Trojans decimate the Greek forces, until Patroclus, dressed in Achilles’ armour and with Achilles’ Myrmidons at his back, breaks through the ranks of fighters and strikes fear into the hearts of the Trojans!
• Hector battles with Patroclus thinking he is Achilles, and kills him!
• Achilles’ armour is stripped by the Trojans, but Ajax single handedly protects Patroclus’ body and brings him back to the Greeks!
• This knowledge of Patroclus’ death is enough to bring Achilles back into the action; his mother gets Hephaestus to fashion him new armour!
• The Trojans retreat into their fortress, terrified of Achilles’ wrath, but Hector remains outside to face Achilles!
• Upon seeing him, Hector becomes mortally afraid, but ends up charging into his final battle... THE DEATH OF HECTOR
• “He drew his sharp sword, huge and sturdy, from by his side, and gathering himself, he swooped like a high-flying eagle...swinging his sword, and Achilles rushed at him, his heart within him full of savage wrath” (306-13)!
• In the end, Achilles defeats Hector, and refuses Hector’s dying wish to have a proper burial. Instead, Hector is dragged behind Achilles’ chariot around the walls of Troy!
• Later, Achilles releases Hector’s body to King Priam for proper burial!
• Unable to penetrate Troy’s fortress, Odysseus devises a plan THE WOODEN HORSE
• A giant wooden horse was constructed, and filled with the pick of Greek warriors!
• The rest of the Greeks ‘sailed away’ leaving the shores of Troy!
• The Trojans, believing the horse to bring good luck to the city, drag it inside their gates. They celebrate all day and into the night, and fall into a content, drunken stupor !
• The Greeks silently slide out of the horse and kill the Trojans as they sleep. They destroy the city, raping women and burning buildings to the ground. Even King Priam is killed!
• Within the Trojan walls, Achilles is killed by an arrow shot by Paris, but guided by Apollo THE AFTERMATH
• Achilles’ body is defended by both Odysseus and the Great Ajax, who carries his body from the battlefield!
• Odysseus and Ajax argue over who should get the divine armour of Achilles, and the Greeks vote in favour of Odysseus as the more worthy warrior!
• Infuriated, Ajax vows to kill the Greek leaders who voted against him, but Athena makes him insane!
• He instead kills a flock of sheep. When he comes to, he sees what he has done and is unable to live with the shame. He falls on the sword Hector had given him - a reminder that he once was a great hero THE AFTERMATH
• Odysseus attempts to head home, but to no avail!
• Menelaus, unable to kill her because of her beauty, took Helen back home to Sparta, satisfied that Paris had died in the fighting!
• Agamemnon sailed home too, rich and proud, with Troy in ruins behind him!
• His wife, Clytemnestra, and her new secret lover were there to greet him.!
• Clytemnestra had never forgiven him for sacrificing her daughter, and so, at Agamemnon’s welcome home feast, she and her new man killed him KING MIDAS, THE FURIES & HELIOS
King Midas The Furies Helios MIDAS
• King of Phrygia!
• Was rewarded by Dionysus, who granted him one wish: he asked that all he touch be turned to gold!
• Wish granted, Midas was ecstatic - twigs, stones, earth, corn, apples - everything turned to gold with his touch!
• All too soon he regretted his wish - food and drink were uneatable. It is said he also turned his daughter to gold!
• He pleaded with Dionysus to take away his ill-chosen gift!
• Dionysus instructed him to go and wash in the River Pactolus - he did, and the river has ever after had golden sand MIDAS • Showed his lack of common sense once more...Apollo and Pan held a musical contest!
• Midas foolishly announced Pan as the winner, so Apollo transformed Midas’ ears into those of an ass, for that’s how he judged!
• With his long, hairy ears twitching in the wind, the disfigured and mortified King quickly wrapped them up in a turban to hide his deformity!
• The only one who knew about his ears, was his barber, to whom Midas issued deadly threats if he should tell anyone!
• The barber tried his best to keep his secret, but it was too much to bear. He dug a hole, and whispered into it Midas’ unhappy secret!
• But a thick carpet of reeds grew, and soon betrayed the secret, for every time a breeze ruffled them, they whispered, “Midas has asses’ ears” THE FURIES
• A.k.a. The Erinyes!
• Goddesses of retribution who exacted punishment for murder and other serious crimes, particularly of kin against kin!
• They guard the established order of the world!
• Born from an act of violence of son against father - the blood from Ouranus’ genitals!
• They are from the oldest generation of divinities, older than the Olympians!
• Said to be 3 in number THE FURIES
• Depicted as disgusting, loathsome creatures, repulsively dressed in black, wreathed in snakes, crawling on all fours to scent their prey, whining and howling like dogs!
• It is said that when presented in theatre, their appearance was so terrifying, that women in the audience fainted and suffered miscarriages!
• They tormented Oedipus, Orestes, Alcmaeon, Meleager, Phoenix!
• They also punished those who swore false oaths!
• Were said to not only punish the living, but also the shades of the dead in the Underworld!
• In art, they are depicted as winged, their hair entwined with snakes, carrying torches and scourges HELIOS (ROMAN - SOL) • The Sun and its god!
• Son of two Titans: Hyperion and Theia, brother of Selene (Moon and Eos (Dawn)!
• By day, drives his four-horse sun-chariot across the sky!
• By night, sails in a great golden bowl back to his home in the east, floating along the river that encircled the earth!
• Was married to an Oceanid, Perse!
• With a mistress, had Phaethon, who begged to borrow his father’s sun-chariot for a day and drive it on its fiery journey HELIOS (ROMAN - SOL)
• Wanting to be a good dad, Helios yields. But, in Phaethon’s inexperienced hands, the horses race out of control, setting fire to and scorching much of the earth’s surface (deserts)!
• To save the planet, Zeus hit Phaethon with a thunderbolt, and his body fell into the River Eridanus; on its banks, Phaethon’s sisters cried for so long that they turned into Poplar trees, and their tears into amber!
• From his vantage point, Helios saw many things (i.e. the abduction of Persephone, or Aphrodite and Ares’ affair - which he told Hephaestus about)!
• Aphrodite punished Helios by making him fall helplessly in love with a mortal, Leucothoe HELIOS (ROMAN - SOL)
• This caused bitter jealousy in an old flame’s heart, Clytie!
• She spread rumours about Leucothoe’s seduction, until her father buried her alive in anger - she was crushed by the weight of the earth!
• Helios tried in vain to free her; he transformed her into the tree that gives frankincense!
• Clytie too suffered, for now Helios hated her. She wasted away in sorrow, sitting alone on the ground and every day gazing on the Sun- god as he passed across the sky. When she died, she became the heliotrope (or sunflower), whose flower turns to follow the course of the sun from morning until night ECHO & NARCISSUS
Censorship! ECHO & NARCISSUS • When Hera tried to catch Zeus making love to the nymphs on the mountainside, Echo often detained her with endless chatter!
• Hera eventually realized what was happening, and punished Echo by not letting her be able to say anything of her own volition - she could only repeat the last words spoken by others!
• She fell in love with the beautiful, but cold mortal, Narcissus, who spurned her love so that she wasted away until just her voice was left!
• One day, hunting in the woods, Narcissus lay down beside a clear pool of water, undisturbed by nature or wind. Here, he gazed on the surface, and saw his own reflection - he instantly fell in love. !
• Time after time, he reached out to embrace the beautiful image, but it always eluded him. There he stayed, wasting away without desire for food or water, and there he died; a narcissus flower grew in his place. Even in the underworld, Narcissus still stares at himself in the River Styx