Greek Mythology Master Copy
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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 • Superseded Theories:!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 • Newtonian Gravity: superseded by general relativity theory!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 • Flat earth theory, expanding earth theory (superseded by the subduction theory) MYTH VS.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