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Mythology
The Titans
• The Titans, who are also known as the elder gods, ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them. The ruler of the Titans was Cronus, who was de-throned by his son Zeus. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus, and they were punished by being banished to Tartarus. During their rule, the Titans were associated with the various planets.
Gaea
Gaea is the Earth goddess. She mated with her son Uranus to produce the remaining Titans. Gaea seems to have started as a neolithic earth-mother worshipped before the Indo-European invasion that eventually lead to the Hellenistic civilization.
Uranus
Uranus is the sky god and first ruler. He is the son of Gaea, who created him without help. He then became the husband of Gaea and together they had many offspring, including twelve of the Titans. His rule ended when when Cronus, encouraged by Gaea, castrated him. He either died from the wound or withdrew from earth.
CronusCronus was the ruling Titan, who came to power by
castrating his Father Uranus. His wife was Rhea. There offspring were the first of the Olympians. To insure his safety, Cronus ate each of the children as they were born. This worked, until Rhea, unhappy at the loss of her children, tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock, instead of Zeus. When he grew up, Zeus would revolt against Cronus and the other Titans, defeat them, and banish them to Tartarus in the underworld. Cronus managed to escape to Italy, where he ruled as Saturn. The period of his rule was said to be a golden age on earth, honored by the Saturnalia feast.
Rhea
Rhea was the wife of Cronus. Cronus made it a practice to swallow their children. To avoid this, Rhea tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock, saving her son Zeus.
PrometheusPrometheus was the wisest Titan. His name means
"forethought“, and he was able to foretell the future. When Zeus revolted against Cronus, Prometheus deserted the other Titans and fought on Zeus side. By some accounts, he and his brother Epimetheus were delegated by Zeus to create man. In all accounts, Prometheus is known as the protector and benefactor of man. He gave mankind a number of gifts, including fire. He also tricked Zeus into allowing man to keep the best part of the animals sacrificed to the gods and to give the gods the worst parts. For this, Zeus punished Prometheus by having him chained to a rock with an eagle, tearing at his liver. He was to be left there for all eternity, or until he agreed to disclose to Zeus which of Zeus children would try to replace him. He was eventually rescued by Heracles without giving in to Zeus.
Pandora - ΠΛΝΔΟΡΛAccording to Hamilton in Mythology, the
source of all misfortune was Pandora's curiosity. The gods presented her with a box into which each had put something harmful, and forbade her ever to open it. Pandora, like all women, was possessed of a lively curiosity. She had to know what was in the box. One day she lifted the lid, and out flew plagues innumerable, sorrow and mischief for mankind. In terror, Pandora clapped the lid down, but too late. One good thing, however, was there: hope. It was the only good the casket had held among the many evils, and it remains to this day mankind's sole comfort in misfortune.
Epimetheus
Epimetheus was a stupid Titan, whose name means "afterthought". He was the son of Iapetus. In some accounts, he is delegated, along with his brother Prometheus, by Zeus to create humanity. He also accepted Pandora as his wife from Zeus, which lead to the introduction of evil into the world.
Atlas
Atlas was the son of Iapetus. Unlike his brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus, Atlas fought with the other Titans supporting Cronus against Zeus. Due to Cronus's advance age Atlas lead the Titan's in battle. As a result he was singled out by Zeus for a special punishment and made to hold up the world on his back.
MetisMetis was the Titaness of the forth day and the
planet Mercury. She presided over all wisdom and knowledge. She was seduced by Zeus and became pregnant with Athena. Zeus became concerned over prophecies that her second child would replace Zeus. To avoid this Zeus ate her. It is said that she is the source for Zeus wisdom and that she still advises Zeus from his belly. It may seem odd for Metis to have been pregnant with Athena but, never mentioned as her mother. This is because the classic Greeks believed that children were generated solely from the fathers. The women was thought to be nothing more than a vessel for the child to grow in. Since Metis was killed well before Athena's birth her role doesn't count.
Medusa
She was once a beautiful maiden, whose hair was her chief glory, but as she dared to vie in beauty with Athena; the goddess deprived her of her charms and changed her beautiful ringlets into hissing serpents. She became a cruel monster of so frightening an aspect that no living thing could behold her without being turned into stone. All around the cavern where she dwelt might be seen the stony figures of men and animals, who had chanced to catch a glimpse of her and had been petrified with the sight
The Cyclops
12 Olympian Gods
Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes
Dias or Zeus
Zeus overthrew his Father Cronus. He then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the draw, and he became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky: the rain god. His weapon is a thunderbolt, which he hurls at those, who displease him. He is married to Hera, but he is famous for his many affairs. He is also known to punish those, who lie or break oaths.
HeraHera is Zeus wife and sister. She was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys.
She is the protector of marriage and takes special care of married women. Hera's marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Zeus courted her unsuccessfully. He then turned to trickery, changing himself into disheveled cuckoo. Hera feeling sorry for the bird held it to her breast to warm it. Zues then resumed his normal form and taking advantage of the surprise he gained, raped her. She then married him to cover her shame. Once when Zeus was being particularly overbearing to the other gods, Hera convinced them to join in a revolt. Her part in the revolt was to drug Zeus, and in this she was successful. The gods then bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch taking care to tie many knots. This done they began to quarrel over the next step. Briareus overheard the arguments. Still full of gratitude to Zeus, Briareus slipped in and was able to quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and grabbed up his thunderbolt. The gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy. He seized Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains. She wept in pain all night but, none of the others dared to interfere. Her weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to release her if she would swear never to rebel again. She had little choice but, to agree. While she never again rebelled, she often intrigued against Zeus's plans and she was often able to outwit him. Most stories concerning Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus's infidelities. Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. Her favorite city is Argos.
PoseidonPoseidon is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their
Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Hades, another brother, for shares of the world. His prize was to become lord of the sea. He was widely worshiped by seamen. He married Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus. At one point he desired Demeter. To put him off Demeter asked him to make the most beautiful animal that the world had ever seen. So to impress her Poseidon created the first horse. In some accounts his first attempts were unsuccessful and created a variety of other animals in his quest. By the time the horse was created his passion for Demeter had cooled. His weapon is a trident, which can shake the earth, and shatter any object. He is second only to Zeus in power amongst the gods. He has a difficult quarrelsome personality. He was greedy. He had a series of disputes with other gods when he tried to take over their cities.
Hades
Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their Father Cronus he drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon, another brother, for shares of the world. He had the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling over the dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The Erinyes are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave. He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has a helmet that makes him invisible. He rarely leaves the underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious. His wife is Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the King of the dead but, death itself is another god, Thanatos.
Hestia
Hestia is Zeus sister. She is a virgin goddess. She does not have a distinct personality. She plays no part in myths. She is the Goddess of the Hearth, the symbol of the house around which a new born child is carried before it is received into the family. Each city had a public hearth sacred to Hestia, where the fire was never allowed to go out.
Athena
Athena is the daughter of Zeus. She sprang full grown in armor from his forehead, thus has no mother. She is fierce and brave in battle but, only fights to protect the state and home from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. She was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Her favorite city is Athens. Her tree is the olive. The owl is her bird. She is a virgin goddess.
Artemis
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother is Apollo . She is the lady of the wild things. She is the huntsman of the gods. She is the protector of the young. Like Apollo she hunts with silver arrows. She became associated with the moon. She is a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chastity. She also presides over childbirth, which may seem odd for a virgin, but goes back to causing Leto no pain when she was born. She became associated with Hecate. The cypress is her tree. All wild animals are scared to her, especially the deer.
Artemis
• ArtemisMuse, sing of Artemis, sister of the Far-shooter,
the virgin who delights in arrows, who was fostered with Apollo.
She waters her horses from Meles deep in reeds,
and swiftly drives her all-golden chariot through Smyrna
to vine-clad Claros where Apollon, God of the silver bow,
sits waiting for the far-shooting Goddess who delights in arrows.
And so hail to you, Artemis, in my song and to all Goddesses as well.
Of you first I sing and with you I begin;
now that I have begun with you, I will turn to another song.
~ Homer ~
Apollo
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis . He is the god of music, playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow. The god of healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth, who can not speak a lie. One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to harness his chariot with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky. He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to it from all over the Greek world to divine the future. His tree was the laurel. The crow his bird. The dolphin his animal.
Apollon
Phoebus, of you even the swan sings with clear voice to the beating of his wings, as he alights upon the bank by the eddying river Peneus; and of you the sweet-tongued minstrel, holding his high-pitched lyre, always sings both first and last.And so hail to you, lord! I seek your favor with my song.
~ Homer ~
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire and beauty. In addition to her natural gifts, she has a magical girdle that compels anyone she wishes to desire her. There are two accounts of her birth. One says she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. The other goes back to when Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed his severed genitals into the sea. Aphrodite then arose from the sea foam on a giant scallop and walked to shore in Cyprus. She is the wife of Hephaestus. The myrtle is her tree. The dove, the swan, and the sparrow are her birds.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him, and that he has no father. He is the only god to be physically ugly. He is also lame. Accounts, as to how he became lame, vary. Some say that Hera, upset by having an ugly child, flung him from Mount Olympus into the sea, breaking his legs. Others say that he took Hera's side in an argument with Zeus, and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. He is the god of fire and the forge. He is the smith and armorer of the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge. He is the patron god of both smiths and weavers. He is kind and peace loving. His wife is Aphrodite; sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia.
HephaestusSing, clear-voiced Muse,
of Hephaestus famed for inventions. With bright-eyed Athena he taught men glorious crafts throughout the world, men who before used to dwell in caves in the mountains like wild beasts. But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaestus the famed worker, easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses the whole year round.Be gracious, Hephaestus, and grant me success and prosperity!
~ Homer ~
Ares
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. He was disliked by both parents. He is the god of war. He is considered murderous and bloodstained, but he is also a coward. When caught in an act of adultery with Aphrodite, her husband Hephaestus is able publicly ridicule him. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the dog.
AresAres, exceeding in strength,
chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, Oh defense of Olympus, father of warlike Victory, ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aether wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth!
Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, Oh blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death.
~ Homer ~
Hermes
Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is Zeus’ messenger. He is the fastest of the gods. He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand. He is the god of thieves and god of commerce. He is the guide for the dead to go to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.
HermesI sing of Cyllenian Hermes, the Slayer of Argus,
lord of Cyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, luck-bringing messenger of the deathless Gods. He was born of Maia, the daughter of Atlas, when she had mated with Zeus, a shy Goddess she. Ever she avoided the throng of the blessed Gods and lived in a shadowy cave, and there the Son of Cronos used to lie with the rich-tressed nymph at dead of night, while white-armed Hera lay bound in sweet sleep and neither deathless God nor mortal man knew it.And so hail to you, Son of Zeus and Maia; with you I have begun now I will turn to another song!Hail, Hermes, giver of grace, guide, and of good things!
Homer
The Lesser Gods
Demeter, Persephone, Eros, Pan, the Graces, the Muses, the Fates, Thanatos, Eris, Dionysus
DemeterDemeter is the goddess of corn, grain, and the harvest. She is the daughter of
Cronus and Rhea. It is Demeter, who makes the crops grow each year. The first loaf of bread from the harvest is sacrificed to her. Demeter is intimately associated with the seasons. Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades to be his wife in the underworld. In her anger at her daughter's loss, Demeter laid a curse on the world that caused plants to wither and die, and the land became desolate. Zeus became alarmed and sought Persephone's return; however, because she had eaten while in the underworld, Hades had a claim on her. Therefore, it was decreed that Persephone would spend four months each year in the underworld. During these months, Demeter grieves her daughters absence, and withdraws her gifts from the world, creating winter. Her return brought the spring. Demeter is also known for founding the Eleusinian Mysteries. These were huge festivals held every five years. They were important events for many centuries, yet little is known of them, as those attending were sworn to secrecy. The central tenant seems to have been that just as grain returns every spring after its harvest and wintery death, so, too, the human soul could be reborn after the death of the body.
Persephone
• Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. After her abduction by Hades, she became his wife and Queen of the underworld.
Hades takes Persephone
into the Underworld
Eros
Eros is the son of Aphrodite. Eros is the god of erotic and romantic love. He is often represented blindfolded, because love is often blind. His "weapons" are darts or arrows. In either case, the tips have been magically treated to produce either uncontrollable love or insurmountable disinterested in the first person seen be Eros's victim after wounding.
Eros and PsychePsyche was a beaufiful princesses in a Grecian kingdom. Aphrodite, the
goddess of love and beauty, heard about Psyche was jealous. So she summoned her son, Eros, and told him to put a spell on Psyche. Invisible, he sprinkled the sleeping Psyche with a potion that would make men avoid her. Accidentally, he pricked her with one of his arrows, and she startled awake. Her beauty, in turn, startled Eros, and he accidentally pricked himself. She soon fell in love with him. He promised that he would give her anything she wanted, but warned her that she must never try to see his face. If ever she should look upon his face, they would have to part, and she would then live in loneliness and misery.
She married Eros, and after some time, she grew lonely for her family, and she asked to be allowed to have her sisters for a visit. When they saw how beautiful Psyche's new home was, they grew jealous. They went to her and told her not to forget that her husband was some kind of monster. They suggested that she hide, so that she could look to see if he was indeed a monster.
The next time her husband came home, she had a lamp ready. When she raised the lamp, she saw that her husband was not a monster, but Eros! Surprised, he ran to the window and flew off. She jumped out after him, but fell the ground and lay there unconscious.
When she awoke, the palace had disappeared, and she found herself in a field near her old home. She went to the temple of Aphrodite and prayed for help. Aphrodite responded by giving her a series of tasks to do -- tasks that Aphrodite believed the girl would not be able to accomplish.
The first was a matter of sorting a huge pile of mixed grains into separate piles.
The next task involved getting a snippet of golden fleece from each one of a special herd of sheep that lived across a nearby river.
The third task Aphrodite set before Psyche was to get a cup of water from the river Styx, where it cascades down from an incredible height.
Psyche's next task was to go into hell to ask Persephone, wife of Hades, for a box of magic makeup.
Eventually, Eros brought Psyche to Zeus, who gave her a cup of ambrosia, the drink of immortality. Zeus then joined Psyche and Eros in eternal marriage. They later had a daughter, who would be named Pleasure.
PanPan is the son of Hermes. He is the god of goat herds and
shepherds. He is mostly human in appearance, but with goat horns and goat feet. He is an excellent musician and plays the pipes. He is merry and playful; he is frequently seen dancing with woodland nymphs. He is at home in any wild place, but is favorite is Arcady where he was born. He is always in pursuit of one of the nymphs, but he always rejected, because he is ugly. His name is the basis for the word "panic". There are two differing explanations for this. The first is that he was present when Zeus defeated the Titans and claimed that it has his yelling that caused the Titans to flee; however, this seems at odds with his being Hermes’ son. The second is that he created the noises in the woods at night the scared travelers.
The GracesThey are the daughters of Zeus
and Eurynome. There are three Graces: Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good Cheer). The are known for singing and dancing for the gods.
The Muses
They are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. They are known for the music of their song, which brings joy to any who hear it. There are nine Muses, each with her own specialty: Clio (History), Urania (Astronomy), Melpomene (Tragedy), Thalia (Comedy), Terpsichore (Dance), Calliope (Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry), Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods), Euterpe (Lyric Poetry).
The FatesThe Fates have the subtle, but awesome, power of
deciding a mans destiny. They decide, if a person is be good or evil. There most obvious choice is choosing how long a person lives. There are three Fates: Clotho, the spinner, who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, the measurer, who chooses the lot in life one will have and measures off how long it is to be; Atropos, she cuts the tread of life upon death with her shears. The Fates are old ,and they predate the gods. It is not entirely clear how far their power extends. It is possible that they determine the fate of the gods, as well. In any case, not even the most powerful is willing to trifle with them. All gods (not even Zeus) obey the Fates.
Thanatos
Thanatos was the Greek god of death. He may be thought of as a personification of death. He plays little role in the myths. He became rather overshadowed by Hades, the Lord of the Underworld.
Eris
Eris is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is the Goddess of Discord. In addition to her main activity of sowing discord, she frequently accompanies her brother Ares to battles. On these occasions, she rides his chariot and brings her son Strife. Eris is unpopular and frequently snubbed as a guest by the other gods and mankind. This was not always a safe thing to do. The most dramatic example is the Trojan War, which was an indirect result of not inviting Eris to a wedding.
DionysusDionysus is the god of the vine. He invented wine and spread the art of tending
grapes. He has a dual nature. On the one hand, he brings joy and divine ecstasy. On the other hand, he can be brutal, unthinking, and raging, thus reflecting both sides of wine’s nature. If he chooses, Dionysus can drive a man mad. No normal fetters can hold him or his followers. Dionysus is the son of Zeus and Semele. He is the only god to have a mortal parent. Zeus came to Semele in the night, invisible, felt only as a divine presence. Semele was pleased to be a lover of a god, even though she did not know, which one. Word soon got around, and Hera quickly learned, who was responsible. Hera went to Semele in disguise and convinced her that she should see her lover as he really was. When Zeus next came to her, she made him promise to grant her one wish. She went so far as to make him swear on the River Styx that he would grant her request. Zeus was madly in love and agreed. She asked him to show her his true form. Zeus was unhappy, and he knew what would happen, but, having sworn, he had no choice. He appeared in his true form, and Semele was instantly burnt to a crisp by the sight of his glory. Zeus did manage to rescue Dionysus, and Zeus stitched him into his thigh to hold him until he was ready to be born. His birth from Zeus alone conferred immortality upon him. Dionysus problems with Hera were not yet over. She was still jealous, and she arranged for the Titans to kill him. The Titans ripped him into pieces; however, Rhea brought him back to life. After this, Zeus arranged for his protection, and he turned him over the mountain nymphs to be raised.
DionysusDionysus wandered the world actively encouraging his cult. He was
accompanied by the Maenads, wild women, flush with wine, shoulders draped with a fawn skin, carrying rods tipped with pine cones. While other gods had temples the followers of Dionysus worshipped him in the woods. Here they might go into mad states where they would rip apart and eat raw any animal they came upon. Dionysus is also one of the very few that was able to bring a dead person out of the underworld. Even though he had never seen Semele he was concerned for her. Eventually he journeyed into the underworld to find her. He faced down Thanatos and brought her back to Mount Olympus. Dionysus became one of the most important gods in everyday life. He became associated with several key concepts. One was rebirth after death. Here his dismemberment by the Titans and return to life is symbolically echoed in tending vines, where the vines must be pruned back sharply, and then become dormant in winter for them to bear fruit. The other is the idea that under the influence of wine, one could feel possessed by a greater power. Unlike the other gods Dionysus was not only outside his believers but, also within them. At these times a man might be greater then himself and do works he otherwise could not. The festival for Dionysus is in the spring when the leaves begin to reappear on the vine. It became one of the most important events of the year. It's focus became the theater. Most of the great Greek plays were initially written to be performed at the feast of Dionysus. All who took part writers, actors, spectators were regarded as scared servants of Dionysus during the festival.
The Mythic Hero
The mythic hero must be able to cross the boundaries that separate our world from that of the gods, to make accessible to mortals that wondrous but forbidden world, the mythic hero must have a mythic passport, i.e., divine parentage (something the established "pattern" waters down to include "royal parentage" ). This commingling of divine and mortal will allow him to act beyond the ordinary limits of humanity, an essential characteristic of the mythic hero. Divine conceptions of mythic heroes may be accomplished in several ways.
HEROIC CONCEPTIONS • FEATS OF STRENGTH• THE THREAT OF LIMINALITY• THE THREAT OF
ANTHROPOPHAGY• FIGHT AGAINST MORTALITY• THE UNHEROIC HERO• IMMORTALITY ACHIEVED
FEATS OF STRENGTH
The male heroes give us the sitting on the edge of your seat, cliff-hanger, action-packed adventure stories we so like - in Heracles, we have a figure who enjoys cult status after his death, but who also earned his reputation by engaging in many glorious and wondrous adventures.
THE THREAT OF LIMINALITYWe must remember that true mythologies - and therefore
true mythic heroes - are the products of pre-historical and pre-literate societies and are, besides religious ritual, the only method of communication and instruction for the community. Limena, or thresholds, work both ways, and heroic victories over such forces underscore the double message: such behavior will not be tolerated from without or from within. In other words, it separates the kind of behavior that is acceptable and desirable from that which is considered dangerous to the society or culture. Males and females, for example, had very rigidly defined roles to play in Greek society and aberrations such as, for example, Amazons, caused great anxiety. Amazons are neither male nor female, civilized Greek nor true barbarian. Not coincidentally, each of the most prominent Greek heroes had a tumultuous encounter with an Amazon.
THE THREAT OF ANTHROPOPHAGY (cannibalism)
• Homer's Odysseus struck a victorious blow for Greeks and all humanity by besting the anthropophagic Cyclops?
• Heracles, too, faces a cannibalistic killer in Italy named Cacus who has much in common with Polyphemus the Cyclops, nemesis of Odysseus.
• Both monsters are the offspring of gods (Cacus, son of Vulcan, the Roman god of the forge; Polyphemus, Poseidon god of the sea)
• Both are giants who live in caves that are man-traps; Cacus is characterized as a cannibal by the men's faces which are nailed to his door. He also lies in a pile of half-gnawed bones. Not far removed from the horrors of the cannibalism of Odysseus' Cyclops and Laestrygonians or Heracles' Cacus lies Suamoro, the evil ruler in the West African epic Sundiata: he wears a robe and footwear made from human skin, reigns from a throne whose seat is human skin, and surrounds himself with the heads of the nine kings he has killed, depending on them to gain access to the spirit world.
• In these stories we see similar metaphors for threats to society, civilization, order, law and the continued existence of humanity itself.
FIGHT AGAINST MORTALITY • Typically, the mythic hero will reveal his connection with the "other side"
by ignoring the limits set on mortals by death or its sphere of influence. In cultures round the world, this momentary defeat of death is generally illustrated by a successful nekyia, or descent to the underworld. Heracles visits the underworld several times, and it was even the fulfillment of one of his labors: to bring back Hades' three-headed watch dog Cerberus.
• The underworld visits of Odysseus and Aeneas are faithfully chronicled by their respective poets, Homer and Virgil. These individuals learned important and useful information there, information they would not otherwise have had access to. This, too, is an example of mythic involvement. But the topos of nekyia is not restricted to classical Greece or Rome.
• In fact, we can even look to the oldest hero myth on record, the Sumerian story of Gilgamesh, for an example of a mythic hero who stares death in the face - and bows to its great power and the fear it inspires.
• Immortality - or the shuffling off of this mortal coil - can also be achieved in ways other than a descent to the Underworld. The gods may have immortality, but the heroes learn that it is only through action and achieving glory that life reveals itself to be valuable. Gods cannot act - they can only meddle in the lives of mortals. In fact, one could argue that the gods depend more on us for their existence than we do on them for ours.
THE UNHEROIC HERO In a confusing twist, Heracles and other mythic heroes
often surprise us by performing selfish and dastardly deeds, or acting in remarkably unheroic ways. How do we account for this? A hero is not a do-gooder who runs around looking for damsels to save. A hero is a semi-divine being, wondrous in his attributes and abilities, who continually seeks ways to achieve the glory he considers his due.
Therefore, a hero is not necessarily a paragon of virtue. Although often the savior of a damsel in distress, the mythic hero just as often is "guilty of striking departures from the morality of his society." We revel in the hero's exploits because he is a mirror of ourselves - our great potentialities and the great limitations set for us by nature, society and each other.
IMMORTALITY ACHIEVED Although the mythic hero enjoys a victorious battle against
death now and again, in the end he must necessarily lose the war. Death is a necessity, for the mythic hero must suffer the same limitations regarding mortality that we do, or his appetites become vulgar excess, his pride hubris, his single-mindedness of purpose, egotism. Just as important for mythic hero status is the hero worship that follows after death. Classical Greek and Roman heroes had this stage of their existence defined in terms of hero cult, ritualistic religious worship of the hero after his death. But Heracles is an unusual example of how a mythic hero can achieve immortality, for he actually undergoes apotheosis, becoming a god. Other classical mythic heroes to be so honored are Ino, who becomes Leucothoe, and then the Roman Psyche, whose new mother-in-law, Venus, demanded that her son Cupid not marry a mere mortal.
Andromeda
Andromeda was the princess of Ethiopia (daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopiea). Cassiopeia was a bragged a lot and bragged that she was more beautiful than Juno, the queen of the gods, and the Nereids. In order to avenge the insult to his nymphs, Neptune sent a sea monster to ravage the Ethiopian coast. The king consulted Ammon, the oracle of Jupiter. He said that Neptune could only be satisfied by sacrificing Cassiopeia's daughter Andromeda to the monster. Andromeda was chained to a rock on the coast, fully exposed to the monster. Fortunately for her Perseus happened to be flying by. Perseus saves Andromeda and they get married.
PerseusPerseus was the son of Zeus and Danae. His grandfather
Acrisius, alarmed by an oracle which had told him that his daughter's child would be the instrument of his death, caused the mother and child to be shut up in a chest and set adrift on the sea. The chest floated towards Seriphus where he and his mother were safe.
When Perseus was older, he wanted to rescue and marry Andromeda. Polydectes sent him to attempt the conquest of Medusa, a terrible titan, who had laid waste the country. Perseus, who was favored by Athena and Hermes, approached Medusa while she slept, taking care not to look directly at her. He was guided by her image reflected in the bright shield which he bore; he cut off her head and gave it to Athena, who fixed it in the middle of her Aegis after he defeated the Kraken, which would have otherwise killed Andromeda.
IphegeniaIphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, is perhaps the most poignant
victim of the Trojan War. Agamemnon lures his daughter to Aulis with a false promise of marriage to Achilles. Agamemnon's real purpose is to offer Iphigenia as the sacrifice demanded by the goddess Artemis, in order to provide favorable winds, so the Greek fleet can sail to Troy. Iphigenia arrives at Aulis, Agamemnon sacrifices her, favorable winds blow, and the Greek fleet sails.
In some variants of the myth, Iphigenia dies at Aulis. In others, Artemis whisks Iphigenia away from the sacrificial altar, replacing her body with a deer. Artemis then brings Iphigenia to Tauris on the Black Sea to serve as her priestess.
Agamemnon returns home after the end of the Trojan War, and Clytemnestra kills him; subsequently, their son Orestes kills Clytemnestra. The Furies pursue Orestes for his crime, driving him mad. Seeking a cure, he petitions Apollo, who sends him to Tauris to steal a sacred image of Artemis and bring it to Greece to end his suffering. The Taurians capture Orestes and his cousin Pylades and prepare to sacrifice them. Orestes and Iphigenia recognize one another. They work out a plan to steal the image and escape. Helped by Athena they succeed and return to Greece.
HeraclesAlcmene - Heracles' mother - was the celibate and pious wife of
Amphitryon, who had gone off to avenge the deaths of her eight brothers.
Zeus went to Alcmene in disguise, pretending to be her husband Amphitryon (who had by this point avenged her brothers3). Zeus persuaded Helios, the Sun god, to take some time off, which meant the Moon had to orbit slowly, and thus the night was extended to 36 hours.
Zeus could not keep his mouth shut and nine months later was boasting that his child was about to be born and that it would be called 'Heracles', literally, 'Glory of Hera' (his wife's name).
Hera was none too pleased on hearing these rumours. Zeus wanted his new son to be High King of the House of Perseus. Hera made him swear an unbreakable oath that any prince born before nightfall would become High King and managed to delay Heracles' birth and bring about the birth of the child of Nicippe (then seven months pregnant and wife of King Sthenelus) who was named Eurystheus.
On finding out that Eurystheus had been born an hour before Heracles, Zeus fell into a towering rage. Although he could not go back on his oath and let Heracles rule the House of Perseus, he persuaded Hera to agree to Heracles becoming a god, if he could perform any 12 labours that Eurystheus might set him.
The Madness of HeraclesHera drove Heracles mad and in his madness, he attacked and
killed six of his sons, mistaking them for enemies and he threw their bodies into a fire, together with two of Iphicles' sons. They had been performing martial arts together. The Thebans are said to have held funeral games afterwards in honour of the victims.
Apparently madness is the traditional 'excuse' for the sacrifice of the sacred king's boy-surrogates, who were burned alive. At the time, the actual king went into hiding for a day before coming out and reclaiming the throne.
When he recovered his sanity, according to some accounts, Heracles approached the Pythoness at Delphi, who advised him to serve Eurystheus for 12 years and to carry out tasks that he might set. Other accounts have the madness occuring after his return from Tartarus and say that he killed his wife, Megara, as well.
The 12 Labours of Heracles 1. The First Labour - the Nemean Lion - The Nemean, or Cleonaean, lion was an
enormous beast, whose pelt was proof against iron, bronze and stone, and which was depopulating the area of Nemea.
2. The Second Labour - the Lernean Hydra - The Lernean Hydra was a monster born of Typhon, another monster, and Echidne. The Hydra terrorised the area around Lerna, near Argos. It had a dog-like body and most likely eight or nine heads, one of them immortal, although some versions of the story claim that the Hydra had anything from 50 to 1,000 heads. It was so venomous that its breath, or even the smell of its tracks, could kill a man.
3. The Third Labour - the Ceryneian Hind - Heracles' third task was to capture the Ceryneian Hind, and to bring her alive to Mycenae. She had brazen hooves and golden horns like a stag and was sacred to Artemis. Other accounts tell of her being a ravaging monster which Heracles killed.
4. The Fourth Labour - the Erymanthean Boar - The Erymanthean Boar6, again of enormous proportions, lived on the slopes of Mount Erymanthis, ravaging the surrounding countryside and Heracles' task was to capture it alive.
5. The Fifth Labour - the Stables of Augeias - This task was to clean out the filthy stables of King Augeias in a single day. They had not been cleaned in many years and the stench from them was spreading disease for many miles around, although the cattle themselves were not affected by it. The valley pastures were so deep in dung that they could not be ploughed.
6. The Sixth Labour - the Stymphalian Birds - The birds of this task were crane-sized, brazen-beaked, brazen-clawed, brazen-winged man-eating birds, which lived on the Stymphalian Marsh. They killed people by shooting/showering them with brazen feathers. Their excrement also contained a powerful poison, which blighted the crops. Heracles' labour was to remove these birds, which were sacred to Ares.
7. The Seventh Labour - the Cretan Bull - This task was to capture the Cretan Bull, which may have been the one which sired the Minotaur. In Crete, it was ravaging the land, belching flames, rooting up crops and levelling orchard walls.
8. The Eighth Labour - the Mares of Diomedes - King Diomedes kept four savage man-eating mares, who were the scourge of Thrace. Hercules' task was to capture them.
9. The Ninth Labour - Hippolyte's Girdle - Hippolyte was Queen of one of three tribes of Amazons and she wore the golden girdle of Ares. Eurystheus set Heracles the task of bringing back the girdle for his daughter, Admete7. The Amazons were children of Ares by the Naiad (water nymph) Harmonia. In Amazon society, men carried out the household tasks and women fought and governed. They were said to have broken the arms and legs of boy children to prevent them from travelling and fighting.
10. The Tenth Labour - the Cattle of Geryon - Geryon was said to be the strongest man alive and had three bodies, joined at the waist, and therefore three heads and six arms. This task was to fetch Geryon's famous cattle without demand or payment from the island of Erytheia. The cattle were guarded by a herdsman and a two-headed watchdog, Orthus, another offspring of Typhon and Echidne.
11. The 11th Labour - the Apples of the Hersperides - Heracles had originally been set ten Labours, which took him eight years and a month to complete, but Eurysteus, rather meanly, discounted two of them (the second and the fifth) and set him two more. The 11th task was to fetch golden apples from the tree which Mother Earth had given as a wedding gift to Hera. The tree was on the slopes of Mount Atlas and was looked after originally by the Hesperides, Atlas's daughters, and later by the dragon Ladon.
12. The 12th Labour - the Capture of Cerberus - The final and most difficult task was for Heracles to bring up the dog Cerberus up from Tartarus (the Underworld). For this he had to undergo purification rites, these being the Mysteries of Eleusis.
Heracles and TroyRescuing Hesione, daughter of Laomedon, King
of Troy, who had been chained to a rock as an offering to a sea-monster, sent by Apollo. Heracles jumped down the monster's throat and took three days to kill it, and came out of the confrontation bald!
At Zeus' invitation, he put his lion pelt round the newly born son of Telemon's wife, Pereboea - the mighty Ajax, making him invulnerable, except in his neck and armpit.
Making war on Troy and putting Priam on the throne.
Heracles' Death and BeyondHeracles died a rather horrible death after his second wife
Deianeira gave him a shirt which she thought contained a fidelity potion. It actually contained gorgon's blood and when he put it on at a ceremony, it acted like acid, corroding his flesh and exposing his bones. When he jumped in a river, it burned even worse. His wife, on hearing about it, committed suicide. Heracles made a funeral pyre and lay on it and thunderbolts from Zeus reduced the lot to ashes.
After his son's physical death, Zeus got all the gods (including Hera) to agree to accept him into their fold. So as not to have to demote any of the existing 12 gods, he persuaded Hera to adopt Heracles by a ceremony of rebirth, in which he hid under Hera's skirts and she pretended to go through labour. He married her daughter Hebe and had two children and became the Porter of Heaven. His mortal shade walked around Tartarus, with his bow drawn and an arrow fitted.
The myth of Jason, the Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece.
Boeotia, an area in eastern Greece was the scene of some sort of child abuse by a stepmother to Phryxus, the son of the king. Phryxus's own mother made arrangements for him and his sister to escape on the back of a winged ram whose fleece was pure gold. This luxury transportation was a gift to Phryxus's mom from Hermes for service(s) rendered.
Phryxus's sister apparently became airsick, dizzy, and fell off the ram into the sea; the point where she landed or crashed was named Hellespont after her.
Phryxus was made of sterner stuff and held on to the golden fleece for a trip of over one thousand miles. He finally had a safe landing at Colchis on the far eastern side of the Black Sea. Happy to be safe, alive, and on the ground, he sacrificed the ram to Zeus and presented the fleece to the local king, Aeetes.
Aeetes had previously been told by an oracle that his life depended upon his possession of this fleece. Naturally, Aeetes was delighted by the gift which he nailed to to a tree in a sacred grove and hired a huge, bloodthirsty, possibly fire-breathing dragon.
Back in Greece (northern part) there was a king named Pelias who really wanted to get rid of his handsome and very popular nephew Jason. Jason had some sort of family claim to the thrown and he was busy drumming up support. Pelias told Jason that he could have the throne if he would only first perform a deed "which well becomes your youth and which I am too old to accomplish.... Go to Colchis and bring back the fleece of the golden ram.... When you return with your magnificent prize, you shall have the kingdom and the sceptre."
Of course, Pelias never for one moment dreamed that Jason would succeed and return with the fleece. He figured that if Jason didn't perish along the way the bad tempered guardian dragon would do him in.
Accompanied by his Argonauts, Jason, did grab the fleece and return to Greece
Now he never would have gotten past the dragon had it not been for the help he received from Aeetes's daugher Medea. Medea had magic powers, but she was helpless around Jason because she'd been hit with a dart thrown by Eros and she was madly in love with him.
Jason promised to take her back to Greece with him, if she'd help him take the Golden Fleece.
In love with him she might have been, but she was afraid of just being used so she made him "swear by your gods and in the presence of your friends, that you will not disgrace me when I am alone, an alien in your land."
Jason swore by his gods and in the presence of his friends that he'd make her his "rightful wife" just as soon as they returned to Greece with the Fleece.
< the from Fleece Golden snatched Jason while drowsiness into dragon fearsome that singing by goods delivered> There is not a happy ending to the story. Jason ultimately didn't do right by Medea and the children she bore him, and when he was getting ready to marry the daughter of King Creon of Corinth; Medea had her revenge.
Medea created a gorgeous gown made of golden cloth and drenched in poison. Jason's bride-to-be was delighted with the gift, put it on, and died a horrible death. Medea, now completely bonkers, completed her act of revenge by killing her own sons and flying off in a dragon-drawn chariot she had conjured up. Jason threw himself on his sword and that is the end of that tale.
Daedalus and IkarusDaedalus was a highly respected and talented
Athenian artisan descendent from the royal family of Cecrops, the mythical first king of Athens. He was known for his skill as an architect, sculpture, and inventor, and he produced many famous works. Despite his self-confidence, Daedalus once committed a crime of envy against Talus, his nephew and apprentice. Talus, who seemed destined to become as great an artisan as his uncle Daedalus, was inspired one day to invent the saw after having seen the way a snake used its jaws. Daedalus, momentarily stricken with jealousy, threw Talus off of the Acropolis. For this crime, Daedalus was exiled to Crete and placed in the service of King Minos, where he eventually had a son, Icarus, with the beautiful Naucrate, a mistress-slave of the King.
Minos called on Daedalus to build the famous Labyrinth in order to imprison the dreaded Minotaur. The Minotaur was a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. He was the son of Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, and a bull that Poseidon had sent to Minos as a gift. Minos was shamed by the birth of this horrible creature and resolved to imprison the Minotaur in the Labyrinth where it fed on humans, which were taken as "tribute" by Minos and sacrificed to the Minotaur in memory of his fallen son Androgenos.
Theseus, the heroic King of Athens, volunteered himself to be sent to the Minotaur in the hopes of killing the beast and ending the "human tribute" that his city was forced to pay Minos. When Theseus arrived to Crete, Ariadne, Minos's daughter, fell in love with him and wished to help him survive the Minotaur. Daedalus revealed the mystery of the Labyrinth to Ariadne who in turn advised Theseus, thus enabling him to slay the Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth. When Minos found out what Daedalus had done he was so enraged that he imprisoned Daedalus & Icarus in the Labyrinth themselves.
Daedalus conceived to escape from the Labyrinth with Icarus from Crete by constructing wings and then flying to safety. He built the wings from feathers and wax, and before the two set off he warned Icarus not to fly too low lest his wings touch the waves and get wet, and not too high lest the sun melt the wax. But the young Icarus, overwhelmed by the thrill of flying, did not heed his father's warning, and flew too close to the sun whereupon the wax in his wings melted and he fell into the sea. Daedalus escaped to Sicily and Icarus' body was carried ashore by the current to an island then without a name. Heracles came across the body and recognized it, giving it burial where today there still stands a small rock promontory jutting out into the Aegean Sea, and naming the island and the sea around it after the fallen Icarus.
Pyramus and Thisbe
Shakespeare did not invent in Romeo and Juliet, the tale of the young lovers, whose union is thwarted by their opposing parents, and whose lives end in double suicide based on a misunderstanding. The story is as old as the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, acted as a play-within-a-play in A Midsummer Nights' Dream, told 1500 years before by the poet Ovid, who got it from the Greeks, who got it from Babylon.
Pyramus was handsome youth, and Thisbe was the fairest maiden in all of Babylonia. They eventually fell in love. As they approached the proper age to be married, their parents forbade their wedding. Against their parent's wishes, they communicated, although only by signs and glances. They soon discovered that a wall, which split their two homes, contained a crack. It was enough of a crack for them to hear each other, and the two communicated this way. They made a plan that one night they would run away into the woods and finally be together. Thisbe was very anxious, and she could not wait until that day. On that fateful day, she was chased into a cave by a lion. Although she was unharmed, her veil fell from her head, and the ravenous lion took it in his bloody mouth, ripping it into shreds. Shortly thereafter, Pyramus came upon the shredded veil. He assumed that his true love had been devoured by the lion. He realized that without Thisbe, his life had no meaning. He drew his dagger and took his life. Thisbe came upon her love's corpse and was so stricken with grief that she committed suicide. They died for each other.
