Mythology Notes
The 12 Great Olympians
TITANS
Cronus
Rhea
OLYMPIANS
Hestia
Poseidon-Amphitrite
Hades - Persephone
ZEUS
Pallas Athena
(chief virgin)
Phoebus Apollo
!
Hera
#
$
Artemis
(virgin)
@
Hercules
%
Ares
**
Hermes
! Leto
@ Dione
# Alcmena
% Maia
* Eurynome
Hephaestus
Aphrodite
*
The Muses:
1. Clio (History)
2. Urania (Astrology)
3. Melpomene (Tragedy)
4. Thalia (Comedy)
5. Tersichore (Dance)
6. Calliope (Epic Poetry)
7. Erato (Love Poetry)
8. Polyhymnia (Songs)
9. Euterpe (Lyric Poetry)
The Graces:
1. Aglaia (Splendor)
2. Euphrosyne (Mirth)
3. Thalia (Good Cheer)
$ Mnemosyne
** Sometimes said to have sprung from sea foam
• The Iliad is the first written record of Greece. Greek mythology begins
with Homer in 1000 B.C.
• Mankind was the center of the universe so the Greek gods were created
in man’s image.
• It was a rational universe where artists and poets focused on the human
form.
• Gods were powerful but human, and they inhabited an understandable
world. They showed human weaknesses (i.e. Zeus trying to hide
affairs from a jealous Hera). Humans could enjoy and even laugh at
the gods. They were not afraid of them.
• Magic was almost nonexistent. There were two witches – Circe and
Medea – but they were portrayed as being beautiful and young. The
focus was on beauty, not fear. There were a few dark spots; for
example, sometimes the gods acted cruelly.
• Most mythical monsters emphasized the heroism of the characters.
• Although the gods were unpredictable, they were beautiful and humanlike; nothing was really terrifying in mythology.
• In the Odyssey, poet and priest beg Odysseus for lives – kills the priest
and spares the poet. Priests were of little importance. Very limited
sense of right and wrong in Homer’s heaven.
• Traces of a time when there were beast-gods – satyrs, goatmen,
centaurs; Hera was a divine cow before she became a heavenly queen.
Often referred to as “cow-faced.”
• Mythology was not a religion but more of an early science. The
explanations of how something came to be.
• Some myths explain nothing – pure entertainment.
• Religion is there – what the humans need. The gods evolve. For
example, Zeus changes from being on the side of the strong to being
the protector of the weak. God of justice.
• 12 Great Olympians: Supreme among the gods who seceded the
Titans.
• They share Olympus as their home. It is Greece’s highest
mountaintop. It is not a heaven. The entrance was a great gate of
clouds (guarded by the seasons). It was a place of perfect blessedness
where they feasted on ambrosia and nectar and listened to Apollo’s
lyre.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ZEUS: (Jupiter) ruler of all living things (ruler of heaven)
POSEIDON: (Neptune) ruler of the sea and horses
HADES: (Pluto) ruler of the underworld and dead
HESTIA: (Vesta) goddess of the hearth
HERA: (Juno) Zeus’s wife; protector of marriage
ARES: (Mars) god of war
ATHENA: (Minerva) battle goddess; goddess of city and
wisdom
• APOLLO: (Sol) god of light, truth, sun, lyre, archery,
prophecy
ZEUS: (Jupiter)
He and his brothers drew lots for their share of the
universe (after Zeus has defeated Cronus) – sea went to
Poseidon and the underworld went to Hades. Zeus
became the supreme ruler; lord of the sky; rain-god;
cloud gatherer. He wielded the thunderbolt and he was
more powerful than all the other gods together. He was
not, however, omniscient or omnipotent. He could be
opposed and deceived; fate could be stronger. He falls
in love with one woman after another and stoops to
trickery to hide his infidelity from Hera. His grandeur is
his breastplate – the Aegis – that was awful to behold.
He demands from men right action and sacrifices (He
doesn’t tolerate liars or those who break oaths.)
Bird: Eagle
Tree: Oak – it was said that his will was revealed by rustling
oak leaves.
HERA: (Juno)
Zeus’s wife and sister
She was brought up by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. Said to be
the protector of marriage. Her daughter Ilithys helped
woman in childbirth (according to some myths). She was
revered in her position as Zeus’s wife, but mainly she spent
her time punishing the many women that Zeus loved. She
would punish them even when they had been tricked and
were innocent. Her anger was terrible. She holds grudges.
(i.e. the Trojan War would have ended in honorable peace,
but for a Trojan who judged another to be fairer than she, so
Troy lay in ruins.) In one myth, she is the protector of the
heroes, but in no other (Quest of the Golden Fleece). Hera is
sometimes said to have been a divine cow, or else she is
described as cow-faced.
Cow and peacock are sacred to her
Argos is her favorite city.
POSEIDON: (Neptune)
Zeus’s brother, second only to him in eminence.
Remember that the Greeks were sea goers; therefore,
Poseidon was very important to them. He was the god
of the sea. His wife was Amphitrite (granddaughter of
the Titan, Ocean). They had a splendid palace under the
ocean, but you could find them more often in Olympus.
He gave the first horse to man. He also controlled the
storm and calm. When he drove his golden chariot over
the waters, tranquil peace prevailed. Poseidon was also
known as the “earth-shaker,” meaning that he caused
earthquakes. He carries the Trident, which is a threepronged spear.
Animals: the horse and the bull
HADES: (Pluto)
He was the god of the underworld, god of wealth,
and god of precious metals hidden in the earth.
He is the third brother and he rules over the
dead. He was far-famed for a cap or helmet that
he owned which made the wearer invisible. He
rarely leaves the underworld, because he is
unwelcome in Olympus. He is unpitying and
terrible, but not unjust. His wife is Persephone
(Proserpine), whom he carried away from the
earth and made queen of the underworld. He is
king of the dead, but not death himself.
HESTIA: (Vesta)
She is Zeus’s sister and she is the oldest god. She is the
guard of the hearth fire. Although she is one of the
virgin goddesses, she has no distinct personality. She is
more the symbol of the home. Children were carried
around her before being received into the family. Meals
begin and end with offering to her. Cities had public
hearths to her where the fires were never allowed to go
out. When they established new colonies, coals from
the hearth of a city were carried to kindle the new cities
hearth. In Rome, six virgin priestesses, called the vestal
virgins, tended her fire. She is also said to be the
protector of athletes.
ARES: (Mars)
Son of Zeus and Hera, who both hate him. He is the god
of war. He is often described as ruthless, bloodthirsty,
murderous, and even cowardly. His sister is Eris
(Discord) and his nephew is Strife. It is said that the
goddess of war, Enyo, walks beside him with Terror,
Trembling, and Panic. The Romans liked Mars much
more than the Greeks liked Ares (according to the
Aeneid). He is said to be Aphrodite’s lover in some
myths. He is not a distinct personality – more of a
symbol of war. There are no cities where he is
worshipped.
Bird: vulture
** Dog said to have been wronged by being chosen by him.
HEPHAESTUS: (Vulcan and Mulciber)
He is the god of fire, the blacksmith to the gods, and
patron of handicrafts. Some accounts hold that he is the
son of Zeus and Hera, or Hera’s alone, born in
retaliation for Zeus having brought forth Athena. He is
the only ugly god, and he is lame as well. He was cast
out of heaven either by Zeus, when Hephaestus
defended Hera, or by Hera, when she saw he was
deformed. However, according to Homer, he is in
Olympus still. He is the workman of the immortals
(armorer and smith). He did have handmaidens in his
workshop – which was forged from gold – who helped
him. His wife in the Iliad was Aglaia, but in the Odyssey,
she was Aphrodite.
He is a kindly, peace-loving, and popular god who is
known as the protector of the smiths.
PALLAS ATHENA: (Minerva)
She is the daughter of Zeus alone. No mother bore her. She sprang,
full-grown and fully armored from his head. She is Zeus’s favorite
child and he trusted her to carry the awful Aegis and his
thunderbolts. Most commonly known as Athena, she is the battle
goddess and the goddess of wisdom. In early myths such as the
Iliad, she is fierce and ruthless , but in later myths, she only
defended her home from outside enemies. She was the goddess of
the city (with Hephaestus), protector of civilized life, handicrafts,
and agriculture. She was also the protector of weavers. Athena was
the inventor of the bridle and although Poseidon gave the first
horse to man she was the one who tamed the horses and made
them useful. She is most often described as gray-eyed or flashing
eyed and she is the chief of the (3) virgin goddesses; therefore, she
was referred to as “The Maiden.” She had a temple at the Parthenon
City: Athens
Bird : owl
Tree: Olive (It was created by her.)
PHOEBUS APOLLO: (Sol)
He was the son of Zeus and Leto (Artemis’ twin). Born on the little
island of Delos he is the god of light, truth(Phoebus means
“brilliant” or “shining”), medicine, poetry, and the sun (Other
myths name Helios the Sun god). He was also known as a healer –
he taught men the healing arts. Apollo was a master musician of
the golden lyre (given to him by Hermes). He was lord of the silver
bow and the Archer-god. His oracle was the Oracle at Delphi, the
most important shrine, and was considered to be the center of the
world. At this shrine, the answers to pilgrim’s questions were
answered by a priestess in a trance. (She was put into the trance by
vapors rising from a cleft in the rock – which a stool was set over.)
This was the only direct link between gods and men. It showed how
to make peace with the gods and what their divine will was. There
are a few myths where he is cruel. He once had a contest with a
python that lived in the caves of Parnassus, but he won this frightful
contest with his unerring arrows.
Tree: Laurel
Animals: Dolphin and crow were sacred to him
Castalia was his sacred spring and Cephissus was his river.
ARTEMIS: (Diana)
She was lady of the wild things and huntsman-in-chief to
the gods. One of the three virgin goddesses. She was
the protectress of the youth. As Apollo was the sun
(Phoebus), she was the moon, called Phoebe and Selene
(Luna in Latin). Selene was Helios’s sister and by
association became Artemis, too. Later she is identified
with Hecate, and therefore is aptly named “goddess in
three forms.” Selene in the sky, Artemis on Earth, and
Hecate in the lower world and in darkness. Hecate was
the Goddess of the Dark of the Moon; she was associated
with deeds of darkness and ghostly places. In her the
uncertainty between good and evil, which is present in
every god, is most clearly shown.
Tree: Cypress
Animal: Deer (and really all wild animals.)
HERMES: (Mercury)
Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas). He was graceful
and swift. He wore winged sandals and a low-crowned
winged hat, and he carried a magic wand called the
“Caduceus.” He was Zeus’s messenger god, but he was
more than that. He was the most cunning of the gods
and was a master thief. He stole Apollo’s herds before
he was even a day old, and created the lyre to give to
Apollo to win back his forgiveness. He was the god of
commerce and the market and the protector of traders.
He is also the solemn guide of the dead, leading them to
their final home.
APHRODITE: (Venus)
The goddess of love and beauty, who beguiled men and
gods alike, and could steal even the wits of the wise with
her enchanting laughter. She is the daughter of Zeus
and Dione in the Iliad, but in later poems is said to have
sprung from the foam of the sea (aphros means foam is
Greek). With her beauty comes and without her there is
no love or beauty anywhere. She is also shown to have
two sides: one where she is soft and weak, spreading love
and joy and the other where she is treacherous and
malicious, using her powers to hurt others (especially
men). In most stories, she is the wife of Hephaestus and
in some Cupid is her son.
Tree: Myrtle
Bird: dove (and sometimes the sparrow and the swan)
The Lesser Gods
LESSER GODS:
1.
Pan – He is Hermes’ son and he is a noisy, merry god.
He has goat’s horns and hooves. He was the Shepard
god and the companion of the nymphs. However, he
was never more than a companion because the nymphs
rejected his love since he was so ugly. He was a
wonderful musician who played pipes made of reeds. It
is said that sounds heard in the wilderness at night are
made by him, and that is where the word “panic” came
from.
2. Silenus – Possibly Pan’s son (or his brother). He was a
jovial, fat, old man who usually was depicted riding a
donkey – because he was too drunk to walk. He is
associated with Bacchus (Dionysus) – the wine god.
3. Castor and Pollux – These two were brothers
who were the protectors of sailors. They were
very important because the Greek’s were seagoers. They were the sons of Leda who was the
wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta. The usual
story is that she bore two children to him
Castor and Clytemnestra and two to Zeus –
who visited her in the form of a swan – Pollux
and Helen (of Troy). They were considered
very powerful in battle.
4. Sileni – There is little known about him, other
than the fact that he was part man and part
horse. He had two legs with hooves and a
horses’ tail and ears.
5. Satyrs – They were the goat men and they
were at home in wild places (like Pan).
6. Oreads – These were the nymphs of the
mountains.
7. Dryads – They were the nymphs of the trees
(very similar to the Oreads).
8. Naiads – These were the water nymphs who
lived in the brooks, streams, and fountains.
9. Aeolus – He was the King of the Winds and
he live on Earth in Aeolia.
10. Centaurs – They were half man and half horse
and for the most part they are savage
creatures. One, Chiron, was known
everywhere for his goodness and wisdom.
11. Gorgons – There were three and two were immortal.
They were dragon-like creatures with wings whose
looks turned men into stone.
12. Sirens – Enchanting creatures whose looks were never
described, they had beautiful voices and no one who
ever saw them returned.
13. Fates – They were very important, because it is said
that at birth they gave every man evil and good to
have.
1. Clotho – the spinner, who spun the thread of life
2. Lachesis – the disposer of lots, who assigned each
man his destiny
3. Atropos – who carried the “abhorred shears,” and
cut the thread at death.
The Underworld:
Hades and his queen Persephone rule the underworld. It is
found beneath the secret places of the Earth and there
are various entrances to it. There are two divisions to
the underworld, Tartarus and Erebus. Tartarus is deeper
and is the prison to the sons of earth. Erebus is the place
where the dead pass as soon as they die. As is the case in
most of mythology, the underworld varies according to
each poet. Homer described it as a miserable, unreal
dream, a vague and shadowy place that was inhabited by
shadows. According to Virgil and later poets, it is a place
where the wicked were punished and the good were
rewarded.
Virgil’s geography: (Roman)
There is a path leading down to where Acheron, the river of woe,
pours into Cocytus, the river of lamentation. Charon is the
aged boatman who ferries the souls of the dead across to the
farther banks, but he will only do so if passage money is placed
on the lips of the dead at death and they are duly buried. On
the far banks, Cerberus, a three-headed dragon-tailed dog,
guards the gates of the underworld. He will permit anyone to
enter, but no one to leave. There are three judges who pass
sentence on the dead upon their arrival. They are
Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus. If you are found to be
wicked, you are sent to everlasting torment. If you are found
to be good, you are sent to the Elysian Fields, which is a place
of perfect blessedness. There are three other rivers that separate
the underworld from the earth:
1. Phlegethon: the river of fire
2. Styx: the river of unbreakable oath (by which the gods swear)
3. Lethe: the river of forgetfulness
Somewhere in this vast region is Pluto’s palace,
surrounded by huge wastes and large meadows
of ghostly, pallid flowers. No poet has ever
really described it otherwise. The Erinyes
(Furies) are also placed in the underworld where
they punish evildoers. They were usually
represented as three (Tisiphone, Megaera, and
Alecto). According to Virgil, Sleep and Death
(his brother) also dwelt in the lower world.
Dreams ascended from there to men. They
passed through two gates, one of horn for true
dreams and one of ivory for false dreams.
The Lesser Gods of Olympus
The Lesser Gods of Olympus
1.
2.
3.
4.
a.
b.
c.
Cupid (Eros) – he is the most important of the lesser gods. “fairest
of the deathless gods” he is often portrayed as a serious youth
who gives good gifts to men. Sometimes said to be Aphrodite’s
son and sometimes only her companion. He is often represented
as being blindfolded – because love is often blind.
Hebe – goddess of youth. She is the daughter of Zeus and Hera
and there are no stories about her except that of her marriage to
Hercules.
Iris – goddess of the rainbow and a messenger of the gods.
The Graces – the are never portrayed as separate personalities, but as
a triple incarnation of beauty and grace. They are the daughters of
Zeus and Eurynome.
Aglaia (splendor)
Euphrosyne (mirth)
Thalia (good cheer)
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The Muses – they are nine in number and they are the daughters
of Zeus and Mnemosyne. “They are all of one mind, their hearts
are set upon song and their spirit is free from care. He is happy
whom the Muses love.” They made men forget their sorrows and
troubles.
Ocean – a Titan was lord of the river ocean the great river
encircling the Earth.
Pontus – which means deep sea, was a son of Mother Earth and
the father of Nereus.
Nereus – “the Old Man of the Sea” (Mediterranean) He was a
trusty and gentle god who thinks just and kindly thoughts and
never lies. His wife is Doris, a daughter of Ocean and they had 50
daughters (the Nereids). One Thetis was the mother of Achilles
and another was Poseidon’s wife, Amphitrite.
Triton – the trumpeter of the sea. His trumpet was a great shell.
He is the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite.
Proteus – was sometimes said to be Poseidon’s son, sometimes
his attendant. He had the power of foretelling the future and
changing his shape at will.
Two Great Gods of Earth
Two Great Gods of Earth:
Most gods at best were troublesome, but two were the human’s best
friends:
1. Demeter (Ceres) – goddess of the corn – daughter of Cronus and
Rhea.
2. Dionysus (Bacchus) – god of wine
Cornfields before vineyards – first cultivation. It was appropriate that
Demeter was a goddess because women tended the fields. They were
worshipped not with bloody sacrifices, but with humble acts that
made fields fruitful. Chief festival was at harvest – September –
every five years. Lasted for nine days. Most sacred days with
sacrifices, processions, etc. Other parts of the festival were held in
the temples, but little is known about that because the participants
took a vow of silence.
Dionysus was soon linked with Demeter, and they were worshipped
together, which made sense because they were both essential to
daily living.
DEMETER’S TALE :
Hades kidnaps Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, and takes her
down to underworld. Demeter leaves Olympus and wanders
the earth as an aged woman. Four maidens take her in (her
story is that she fled from pirates and slavery). Their mother
(Mataneira) tells them to bring her home. She becomes the
nurse of mother’s young son Demophoon. She tries to give
him immortal life by feeding him ambrosia and placing him,
at night, in the red-hot fire. The mother finds out by
watching one night and screams. Demeter seizes her and
flings her on the ground. She shows herself as a goddess and
demands that a temple be built to win back her favor. They
willingly built the temple, which Demeter inhabits, but that
year nothing grew – famine would destroy the earth. Zeus
sends gods to change her mind, but she is unwavering. The
earth will not bear fruit until her daughter is returned to her.
Zeus sends for Hades.
Persephone wants to go, but Hades makes her eat
pomegranate seeds, because he knows then she
will have to return. Persephone returned and
reunited with her mother; however, Demeter is
worried about the pomegranate seeds. Rhea
offers a compromise. Her daughter will return
to Hades four months out of every year. One
for each seed she ate. Demeter makes the fields
grow again. Persephone, the maiden of spring
and summer, dies every year. That is why we
have the seasons. Fall is Persephone dying,
winter is her dead, and spring and summer are
her rebirth.
DIONYSUS’ TALE:
Dionysus was the last god to enter Olympus and the only
god whose parents were not both divine. Thebes was his
city, and his mother was the Theban princess, Semele.
Zeus was so smitten by Semele that he told her he would
do anything she asks, he swears by the river Styx and
therefore cannot take it back. She tells him that she
wants to see him in his full glory as King of Heaven and
Lord of the Thunderbolt. This wish was put into her
heart by Hera, and Zeus knew that no mortal could see
him like that and live, but he had sworn by the river Styx
and there was nothing he could do. He comes to her
like that and she dies, but he takes her unborn child,
who is near birth and hides him in his side until he was
ready to be born. Then he was sent to the nymphs of
Nysa, the loveliest of all the earth’s valleys.
It is said that Zeus later placed them in the heavens as stars,
the stars that bring rain when they near the horizon. So,
Dionysus was born of fire and nursed by rain, the hard
burning heat that ripens the fruit and the water that
keeps the plant alive.
He grew to manhood and wandered, teaching men the
culture of the vine and the mysteries of his worship and
everywhere he was accepted as a god. One day, near
Greece, a group of sailors saw him. They believed he had
a noble presence and that he was the son of kings who
would pay ransom for his return. They seized him and
tried to tie him with rope. They ropes would not stay.
Every time they touched his hands or his feet they
would fall away, and he sat there looking at them with a
smile. The helmsman was the only one who realized
that this must be a god and told them to set him free or
great harm would come to them.
They did not listen and suddenly wine ran in streams down
the deck, and vines overtook the ship. Dionysus turned
into a lion and the sailors jumped over the side of the
boat in fear. They were instantly turned into dolphins;
all except the helmsman who Dionysus held back telling
him he had found favor with one who was indeed a god.
Those who opposed him or mocked him were destroyed.
He rescued Ariadne and falls in love with her. When she
died, it is said that he took a crown that he had given her
and placed it among the stars. He also rescues Semele
from Hades and takes her to Olympus to dwell with the
gods. She is a mortal, but she is the mother of a god and
therefore fit to live in Olympus.
He could be kind and beneficent or cruel and harsh. For
example, the Maenads, also known as the Bacchantes,
were mad women frenzied by wine who did terrible
deeds including capturing wild animals, tearing them to
shreds, and eating their raw flesh.
His worship was a contrast of freedom and ecstatic joy and
savage brutality. Pentheus, King of Thebes, refuses to
recognize or listen to warnings that Dionysus was a god.
Madwomen see him as a mountain lion and tear him
apart. He was like the wine itself – can warm and cheer,
or can destroy and make them commit frightful crimes.
His festival was the beginning of Greek drama/theatre.
Especially tragedies – appropriate for Dionysus who
causes his own pain. He died in the winter, but his death
was terrible – torn to pieces by Titans on Hera’s orders,
only to be resurrected and die again. (Rebirth – life as
stronger than death.) He was the tragic god.
How the World and
Mankind Were
Created:
• In the beginning, there was only chaos and darkness, an
empty void.
• This huge vacancy gave birth to Gaea (the earth), to
Tartarus (the great region beneath the earth), to Erebus
(the darkness of the underworld), and Night (the
darkness over the earth).
• Then Erebus slept with Night, who gave birth to Ether
(the heavenly light), and to Day (the earthly light ).
• Later Night alone produced Doom, Fate,
Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis, etc.
• Meanwhile Gaea alone produced Uranus (the
starry sky), the Mountains, and Pontus (the
sterile sea).
• Uranus became mate and equal to Gaea,
because he "covered" her on all sides.
• As a couple (he-sky, her-earth) they
procreated the Twelve Titans, the three
Cyclopes, and the three Hecatoncheires (with
the fifty heads and hundred arms each).
• Uranus hated these latter children, and they
hated him. In anger, he pushed them back
into Gaea's womb and kept them there.
• This was very painful for Gaea and she plotted
revenge against Uranus. She fashioned a flint
sickle and called upon her children to avenge
her.
• All but Cronus, the youngest Titan, refused
to help her for fear of Uranus's wrath.
That night, when Uranus came to lie with
Gaea, Cronus, hiding in ambush, was able to
grab his father's genitals and sever them with
the flint sickle. As the blood fell to the earth
the Furies, the Ash-Tree Nymphs, and the
Giants were created. When Cronus heaved
the testicles into the sea Aphrodite arose
from the foam. We hear no more of Uranus
in the myths.
The Rise Of Cronus
Cronus then became leader of the Titans, and
confined the Cyclopes and the
Hecatoncheires to Tartarus. He married his
sister Rhea, and they produced many
offspring. But Cronus had been warned by
both Uranus and Gaea that a child of his
would replace him as leader of the Titans, so
when Rhea gave birth to a child and
presented it to Cronus, he would swallow the
baby. This is what happened to Hestia,
Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon shortly
after each was born.
Rhea finally wised up, and when Zeus was born she
presented Cronus a stone wrapped in the swaddling
clothes, which he swallowed thinking it was the newest
child. Zeus grew to manhood on the island of Crete,
attended to by nymphs. He sought and got advice
from Metis, another Titaness, who prepared an emetic
potion for him. Soon, disguised as a cupbearer, he was
able to get Cronus to drink the potion. Cronus
immediately vomited up all the children he had
swallowed, all safe and sound, and fully-grown. They
overwhelmed Cronus and bound him as a prisoner in
Tartarus. Then began a great war between the Titans
and the Olympians with the Olympians as the winner.
Many Titans were punished for their part in the war,
including Atlas whose punishment was the weight of
the world.
After the Great War
Two Titans were spared, because of their loyalty to
Zeus during the war: Prometheus and Epimetheus.
Prometheus was given the task of creating men. He
took clay from the earth and fashioned figures from
it and then Athena breathed life into the “men.”
Meanwhile, Epimetheus was given the task of
assigning qualities to the animals that populated the
earth. He had many qualities to give out, strength,
cunning, quickness, etc., but when Prometheus
brought his creation to receive his gift, Epimetheus
had already given all the good qualities away. They
decide to make men walk up right like the gods did
as their special quality.
Prometheus loved his creations and he wanted to help
them in whatever way he could, so he went to the sun
and lit a torch to give to the men to use for cooking and
warmth. Zeus was mad that Prometheus had stolen fire
for the men and he demanded that something be done
to regain he favor. Here again, Prometheus wanted to
help his men friends so he tricked Zeus. He took an
animal for sacrifice and he took the good meat and
covered it with entrails. Then he took the guts, eyeballs
and all the unusable part in another pile and covered it
with shiny fat. Finally, he gave Zeus the choice of which
he wanted. Zeus took the pile covered with shiny fat
thinking it to have meat underneath. He had been
tricked and from then on the men got to keep the good
part of the animal to use and they gave all the unusable
parts to Zeus as a sacrifice. Now Zeus is very angry and
he seeks revenge by putting out all the fire on earth.
Prometheus, once again, stole fire for men and Zeus
declared that he would be punished.
Zeus is also angry with Prometheus because Prometheus
knows which of Zeus’s children will overthrow him and
he will not tell Zeus. As punishment for his three “sins”
against Zeus, Prometheus is chained to a rock with
unbreakable chains and every day an eagle comes and
tears out his liver (every night it grew again because
Prometheus was immortal.) This torture would
continue until one of two conditions was fulfilled.
• Prometheus could tell Zeus who would dethrone him
OR
• An immortal had to agree to die for him and a mortal had
to break the chains.
Eventually, the second condition was met: Chiron the
Centaur volunteered to die for Prometheus, and
Hercules broke the chains.
Zeus was also angry with man for their part in the
entire affair and because Prometheus cared so
much about them, that he decided to punish
them as well. He created woman (Pandora) as
punishment. She was given beauty and charm
cunning and curiosity. Men were enthralled
with her. Prometheus warned to be cautious of
gifts from Zeus. She found a secret box and was
told by her husband, Epimetheus, never to open
it – which of course she did (because of the
curiosity in her nature.) When the box was
opened, it unleashed all manners of plagues and
sickness upon the earth. However, Prometheus
had also slipped Hope into the box, and it was
hope that saved mankind.
Hercules:
The greatest hero of Greece. Very different from Theseus
(Hero of the Athenians). Hercules was the strongest man on
Earth and he had the self-confidence that went along with
physical strength. He considered himself equal with the
gods – they needed his help to conquer the giants.
Throughout his life, he had the perfect confidence that he
could not be defeated. In the end, he was killed by magic.
However, for all his strength, intelligence was not a strong
suit of Hercules (he once was too hot and pointed an arrow
at the sun and threatened to shoot it.) He was extremely
emotional. Such emotions in such a strong man could be
endearing, but were often fatal because of his rage. After
the surge of rage had passed, he would humbly agree to any
punishment proposed. Without his consent he could not have
been punished by anyone, yet nobody ever endured so many
punishments.
He was born in Thebes and for a long time he was thought to be
the son of Amphitryon, a distinguished general. In reality,
he was the son of Zeus, who had visited Alcmena
(Amphitryon’s wife) in the shape of her husband while he was
away fighting. She bore two children: Hercules to Zeus and
Iphicles to Amphitryon. Before the boys were a year old,
Hera, in her jealous rage, was determined to kill Hercules.
At midnight one night, two great snakes crawled into the
children’s nursery. As they reared up above the crib, the
children awoke. Iphicles screamed and tried to get out of
bed. Hercules grabbed each snake by the throat and held
them fast. The snakes wound their bodies around him, but
still he held them. Alcmena and Amphitryon heard Iphicles
cries and came running. There was Hercules holding two
huge limp bodies, and it was known from that day forth that
he was destined for greatness. Teiresias, the blind prophet,
said that people would sing of Hercules and that he would be
the hero of all mankind.
Hercules is said to have killed many innocents
without meaning to, because he was unaware of his
great strength. Hercules fought and conquered
the Minyans who had been making the Thebans pay
a large tribute. The Thebans gave him the hand of
Princess Megara as a reward. He was devoted to
her and their children. When she had bore him
three sons, Hera sent a madness upon Hercules
and he killed his children and Megara, too, as she
tried to protect the youngest. When his sanity
returned he found himself in his bloodstained hall,
the dead bodies around him, confused as to what
had happened. Watching from a distance
Amphitryon saw that the fit was over and
approached Hercules to reveal to him what had
happened. Hercules was distraught and
determined to kill himself; however, the
friendship of Theseus saved him.
Theseus took Hercules’s bloody hands, a gesture that
would have defiled him and given him part in
Hercules’ guilt. Theseus Told him he could not be
guilty if he knew not what he was doing and
offered him refuge in his city. Hercules took the
offer, but he only stayed there a short time. His
guilt was unbearable and he went to the oracle to
ask for advice. The priestess told him he must be
purified. She sent him to his cousin Eurystheus,
King of Mycenae, and told Hercules to submit to
him. He went willingly. It is plain from the rest of
the story that the priestess knew what
Eurystheus was like. When the strongest man on
Earth came to him and offered himself to be a
slave, Eurystheus devised, urged by Hera, 12 all
but impossible tasks. They are called “The Labors
of Hercules.”
The Labors Of Hercules
HUH?!
?
Let’s trade.
You hold the
world and I’ll
get the apples.
1.
2.
The first was to kill the lion of Nemea, a beast
no weapons could wound. Hercules solved that
problem by choking the breath out of him. He
carried the body back; however, after that
Eurystheus would not let Hercules back into the
city. He gave him his orders from afar.
Next Hercules was to go to Lerna and kill a
creature with nine heads called the Hydra. This
was very hard because one of the heads was
immortal, and the others, if you cut them off
would spring up two in that place. He was helped
by his nephew Iolaus who brought him a burning
brand, which he used to sear each neck as he cut
the head off so that another one could not
sprout. The immortal head he buried under a
great rock.
3.
4.
5.
6.
He was to bring back a stag with horns of gold that was
sacred to Artemis and lived in the forests of Cerynitia
– ALIVE. He could have killed it easily, but to bring it
back alive took him an entire year.
Then he was to capture a great boar that had its lair on
Mount Erymanthus. He chased the beast from one
place to another until it was exhausted and he drove it
into the deep snow and trapped it.
Next, he was to clean the Augean stables in one day.
Augeus had thousands of cattle and the stalls had not
been cleaned out for years. Hercules diverted two
rivers to make them flow through the stables and had
them cleaned quickly.
He was to drive away the Stymphalian birds, which were
a plague because of there enormous numbers. Athena
helped by driving them out of their coverts and he shot
them as they flew up.
7.
He had to get the savage bull that Poseidon gave to
King Minos. He captured it, put it in a boat, and
brought it back.
8. Next, he had to get the man-eating mares of King
Diomedes. He killed Diomedes and drove the horses
off unopposed.
9. He was to bring back the girdle of Hippolyta, queen
of the Amazons. She gladly gave it to him, but Hera
interfered, making the Amazons think that Hercules
was trying to take their queen and they charged him.
He killed Hippolyta, forgetting how kind she had
been and assuming her responsible for the attack.
He managed to get away with the girdle.
10. Next, he was to bring back the oxen of Geryon, a
monster with three bodies. On his way, Hercules
reached the land at the end of the Mediterranean
and set up two great rocks as a memorial to his
journey (now Gilbralter and Ceuta). Then he took the
oxen back.
11.
12.
He then had to get the Golden Apples of the Hesperides,
but he did not know where they were. Atlas was the
father of Hesperides and Hercules asked him to get the
apples for him. Atlas gladly gave the burden of the world
to Hercules. He came back with the apples and told
Hercules that he could keep on holding up the sky that
Atlas would take the apples for him. For once Hercules
had his wits about him, for he agreed – if Atlas would take
the burden back long enough for Hercules to put a pad on
his shoulders. Once Atlas bore the weight again, Hercules
picked up the apples and went on his way. (It was during
this time that he freed Prometheus.
The last labor was the worst. He had to go to the
underworld and bring Cerberus – the three-headed dog –
up from Hades. He was given permission to take him if he
used no weapons except for his hands. He conquered the
terrible beast, lifted him up, and carried him to Mycenae.
While he was in the underworld, he freed Theseus from
the Chair of Forgetfulness. Eurystheus did not want to
keep Cerberus and made Hercules take him back.
After he had made atonement for the death of his wife
and children, Hercules had many other adventures. He
fought for the hand of his next wife, Deianira. On
their way home they reached a river where Centaur
Nessus acted as a ferryman. He took Deianira on his
back and midway across the river he insulted her. She
screamed in fury and Hercules shot him as he reached
the other bank. Before he died, he told Deianira to
take some of his blood and use it as a charm for
Hercules, should he ever love another woman more than
her.
One of the worst things that Hercules ever did led indirectly
to his own death. He deliberately killed his good friend in
order to avenge an insult offered to him by the young man’s
father, King Eurytus. Zeus punished him for this, making him
a slave to a Queen for a year. She would sometimes even
make him dress as a woman and do a woman’s chores. He
swore revenge on the King. As soon as he was free, he
collected an army, captured the King’s city and put him to
death. Before he completed the destruction of the city,
Hercules sent a band of maidens home to his wife. The man
who brought them told Deianira that Hercules was madly
with one of them named Iole. She took the centaur’s blood
and anointed a robe with it and sent it to Hercules. When he
put the robe on a great pain seized him and he lived in
torture. He could still kill others, but it seemed that
Hercules could not die. Deianira heard about what her gift
had done to him and she killed herself. Hercules would
eventually do the same. He ordered a great pyre be built on
Mount Oeta. He was carried to it and he knew that he could
die and he was glad. He lay down on the pyre as one upon a
couch. He was taken to Heaven where he reconciled with
Hera and married her daughter Hebe.
Oedipus Rex
There was once a young man named Oedipus. As he
approached manhood, he went to the Oracle at
Delphi to ascertain what his fate was. The oracle
told him that he was destined to kill his father and
marry his mother. Determined that this would not
happen, Oedipus left his home, Corinth leaving
behind his father, the king, Polybus. In his
wandering, he came to Thebes, which was plagued
by the Sphinx. The Sphinx was a creature like a
winged lion, who lay in wait of travelers and when
they came she seized them and gave them a riddle
to solve.
She promised that if they succeeded she
would set them free, but no one ever
answered the riddle correctly. No one could
solve her riddle and when Oedipus heard
this story he set out to find her and solve the
riddle. He was a homeless, friendless man
and his life meant little to him. When he
found her she asked him,
“What creature goes on four feet in the
morning, on two at noonday, on three in
the evening?”
“Man,” was his answer and he was correct. The
sphinx inexplicably killed herself. The
Thebans were so happy that they offered
Oedipus the hand of their recently widowed
queen as a reward. He became king and they
lived happily for many years having two sons,
Polyneices and Eteocles, and two two
daughters, Antigone and Ismene. When their
sons had grown to manhood, Thebes was
visited by a terrible plague. Everything was
dying - men, crops, and livestock . Jocasta’s
brother Creon went to the Oracle at Delphi to
ask for help.
He returned with good news. The plague would
be stayed if they found who had murdered
King Laius, Jocasta’s first husband, and
punished him. Oedipus was relieved and
began his search immediately. He went to
Teiresias, the blind prophet, and asked him to
reveal what he knew. Teiresias refused, but
when pushed told Oedipus that he himself was
the murderer. When He told Jocasta of the
strange encounter, she replied that it was
impossible, that Laius was killed by robbers at
a place where three roads met. Oedipus was
shocked and asked how many men were with
Laius.
She told him that there were five in all – all
killed but one. He sent for the man, telling
his wife that before he came to Thebes he
met a man with four attendants at the place
where three roads meet. The man pushed
him out of the way and struck him with a
stick. Angry, Oedipus killed them. While
they were talking, a messenger came from
Corinth and told Oedipus that Polybus was
dead. Learning that Oedipus had fled his
home to avoid killing his father the
messenger smiled wisely and told Oedipus
that Polybus was not his real father.
The messenger told Oedipus that he had
gotten Oedipus from a servant of Laius, and
Polybus had taken him as his own to raise.
The servant came in and did not want to tell
what he knew, nut eventually relented,
telling Oedipus that he was given orders to
kill the child, but that he hadn’t the heart.
He told Oedipus of a prophecy that the child
was destined to kill his father – Laius. He
gave the child to the messenger, who gave
him to Polybus.
In running from his fate, Oedipus had
unwittingly run right into it. He fled his
hometown in fear of killing his father.
Along the way, he killed a King – Laius.
The other attendant of Laius had hidden
while his friends were slaughtered and not
wanting to admit his own cowardice had
made up a story of robbers who had killed
the King, when it had actually been one
man. Both Oedipus and Laius had tried to
circumvent the predictions of the Oracle,
and in doing so, both had caused the tragedy
to occur.
As the messenger and servant were talking,
Jocasta, who knew more of the story than
Oedipus, had run from the room, begging
Oedipus to listen no more. When he went
to find her and ask her if the story was true,
he found that she had hung herself. Taking
a brooch from her dress, he stabbed out his
eyes, feeling that it was a relief to no longer
see the world that had once been so bright.
Oedipus, naturally, resigned as King, and
Jocasta’s brother Creon takes the throne.