ENGLISH 9
Patterns in Myth
As you read Greek Myths, you need to be aware of certain patterns and motifs that appear.
These motifs help us make sense out of the myths, and they are valuable tools for you to use
in the future when analyzing literature.
1. HUBRIS
- Greek concept of “reaching beyond one’s grasp”
- excessive pride; arrogance
- whenever a character exhibits hubris in Greek myths, s/he is usually quickly punished or
“brought down”
- good examples of HUBRIS as a theme/motif:
Icarus – he flew too close to the sun, which melted his wings and he fell to
his death
Prometheus – gave humans fire, which he wasn’t supposed to do. He was
punished for stealing the fire.
King Midas – wanted to be ultra-rich, but his wish backfired on him
Phaeton – wanted to drive his dad’s chariot, but wasn’t ready for the task
Arachne – bragged that she could weave as well as Athene
2. THE HERO’S JOURNEY
- in Greek myth, as in other cultures’ myths and our current popular culture, the pattern of the
Hero’s Journey emerges over and over again
- see additional hand out on the Hero’s Journey if you need a refresher, or if you are new to
ISB
- good examples of the Hero’s Journey as a theme/motif:
Hercules myth
Jason and the Argonauts
Perseus
Theseus
Odysseus
3. CRIME and PUNISHMENT
- characters are often doing things that are against the rules, or which anger the
gods/goddesses, for which they are usually swiftly punished
- this crime and punishment motif can often be very similar to the concept of HUBRIS; in a
god’s opinion, trying to be more than human, extra-special, or god-like, can be grounds for
punishment
- this motif is also closely related to revenge---Hera, Zeus, Poseidon and others are constantly
seeking revenge on poor mortals for various wrongs, even though the ‘crime’ might seem
very minor to us.
- good examples of the Crime/Punishment/Revenge motif:
The Odyssey
Prometheus
Sisyphus
Hercules
4. FATE/DESTINY/PROPHESY
- Greek myth is FULL of characters who hear a prophesy, don’t like what it says, and then try
to do something to make the prophesy unable to come true. Of course, this never seems to
work
- good examples of the Fate/Destiny/Prophesy Motif:
- Prophesy that one of Cronus’ kids would kill him
- Prophesy that Oedipus would kill his dad and marry his mom
- Prophesy that Achilles would be wounded in battle and die
5. GUEST/HOST RELATIONSHIP
- the relationship, the responsibility, between hosts and their guests was sacred
- hosts were expected to provide hospitality and protection for their guests, and hosts and
guests exchanged gifts
- to harm a guest, or vice versa was a HUGE NO-NO! All manner of awful things could
happen to you if you neglected your responsibility to be a good host or a good guest.
- good examples of the Guest/Host motif: (examples of what NOT to do…)
- Paris stealing the wife of his host
- Odysseus stealing the goats that belonged to the Cyclops (his ‘host’)
- Procrustes – stretched out or cut off legs of his guests to fit the bed
- the suitors staying at Odysseus’ house too long and eating all his food
6. SHOWING PROPER RESPECT TO THE GODS
-
mortals were expected to respect the god/desses by praying to them, building temples
and shrines to them, and offering sacrifices to them (usually by burning the parts of
an animal that people don’t want to eat
-
if a mortal did not show respect, s/he could expect to be punished
Good examples of this motif:
-
Odysseus being punished by Poseidon for hurting his son and bragging
Pasiphae punished by Aphrodite after she said she didn’t believe in gods
7. RESPECT FOR THE DEAD
-
it was very important for ancient Greeks to treat the bodies of the dead with respect
and to have a proper funeral and certain rites performed. Without this, they believed
the soul would be stranded on the wrong side of the River Styx in the Underworld
Good examples of this motif:
-
the outrageous act of Achilles dragging the dead body of Hector around the city of
Troy
Odysseus and his men not having a funeral for one of the sailors – couldn’t get into
the Underworld